Glossary

Glossary of terms unique to the comic. Terms in quotation marks not final.

Thaumaturge
In mythology, this is a person blessed by Chryseum to receive the Powers. In reality this is a person who has either been selected by the previous Thaumaturge or possesses a high enough rate of Aswan infection to hold the Powers bestowed by that infection. While female the majority of the time, there have been multiple male Thaumaturges, including the first. Most men granted the Powers, however, tend to lose their minds and cause a lot of trouble before being eliminated. Until Raksha, there were no less than two Thaumaturges on the planet at any given time, but the events she and Junseo took part in caused her to inherit the Powers from both former Thaumaturges of the time.

Champion
This is an individual chosen by the Powers themselves to serve as a stabilizing agent to a given Thaumaturge. Champions are also responsible for eliminating their Thaumaturge should they be corrupted or unhinged by the Powers. After initial contact, Champions can't be separated from their Thaumaturge by more than a couple miles for roughly one month without intense physical pain. Historically all Thaumaturges have had Champions except one.

Destroyer
Agents of the goddess Deleo selected to receive immense power and serve until the end of the world. Most Destroyers are the result of a consensual agreement, but historically the most dangerous are granted their abilities without any choice. Consensual arrangements result in Destroyers capable of passing off as human except during goddess-ordained actions until the end of the world, while non-consensual arrangements result in permanent physical changes even to the Destroyer's original human form while the power "roots" and attempts to wrest control from the body in which it's been placed. The number of Destroyers awake on the planet at any given time is unknown.

Gutom
Creatures summoned from the Void, never seen before until roughly 1900 CE, following the creation of the first and only artificial Thaumaturge, Taksil. While in dormant shape, gutom are small, round, somewhat cute creatures that bounce around in small groups and leave trails of dark gray smoke. When threatened or ordered, the smoke turns black and portions solidify into carbon blades and claws with which to attack, while the round "head" portion splits open to reveal needle-sharp teeth. Leineo finds a solitary gutom incapable of shifting to attack, and adopts it against the recommendation of literally everyone else.

The Cataclysm
A planet-shifting event taking place around 300 BCE wherein a Thaumaturge called down the first Aevitas, shattering the southern continent and melting the southern ice cap entirely. The resulting flooding brought about more than three centuries of planetary chaos, with the salinity of the oceans completely ruined and multiple cities worldwide flooded beyond hope of reclamation. Two Thaumaturges centuries later eventually pooled their abilities to stop the event over a span of roughly 20 years, reversing what damages they could and starting off the Common Era.

Aevitas
Any major gravitational event created by a Thaumaturge, but generally a reference to "mini singularities" created to draw in enemy hordes. The original Aevitas was used to pull down the monsters currently living on the moon, descendants of the original test subjects from Moon Base Alpha. The result is the equivalent of a semi-solid cosmic impact as much as a mile in diameter, followed by the surrounding area being completely overrun by monsters genetically engineered to be physically superior to anything on the planet. This event is generally to be avoided.

Garir
A technical school designed to train young people up into warriors and soldiers. The Unified Garir Coalition is currently headed by Inbe Junseo, who also runs Baxis Garir, the largest UGC campus and the only mobile campus currently in use. There are three other stationary locations worldwide. Zeig Garir, also mobile, is illegally in use by militant nationals from the country of Harang.