There is so much in these stories that I cannot adequately explain what is necessary in the prose itself. Each element is like the web of a spider, spinning away from the story into a labyrinth of cultural references, lore, and such. One common piece is the variety of ways people in those days tried to protect themselves from the Netherwild. There are many points of interest here, but one in particular is the strange ways that amulets against the Netherwild show the ambivalence of most common people to the conflict between the priests and the wizards. Certainly, in most cases, I would guess if pressed they would spout one allegience or another, depending on their geographic and politcal location, but when it came down to it, most commoners, frightened of and in danger from the otherworldly influences of the Wild and other supernatural forces, were wont to rely on any protection or combination of defenses they could. The following examples show this, among other interesting things:

• Ancient and modern coins placed on withered dandelion petals--The first part of this amulet is pretty clear, an attempt to pay spirits for protection (though the combination of ancient and current coins is curious: by the time of this story, it was probably tradition, but it earlier times it was an acknowledgement of the irrelevence of time on demons), which is generally frowned on by the various priesthoods of the region, but the dandelion petals are themselves an appeal to the gods: because of their resilience and the difficulty in uprooting them, dandelions were considered sacred and representative of the presence of Midir. Clearly the adjudication of the commerce between commoner and spirit here was intended for the gods.
• A bowl carved from honeycomb and filled with porridge--Another offering, though this time with a different purpose. In the southern ranges of the Tubalothes, porridge, especially maize porridge, was considered a distinctly mortal food, one which was deadly to demons and other Unreal, because, according the Madar myth, it was given specifically to mortals by the gods. By leaving the food offering a honeycomb, however, the giver was disguising the deadly gift in the hypnotic power of the honeycomb and likely calling on the support of the bees, who were commonly viewed as emissaries between mortals and spirits.
• A cage wrought of aspen bark and wire with three beetles inside--This one is much clearer. Beetles were commonly associated with the god Kiron, whom many of the commonors in the part of the world paid devotion to because of their Madar heritage. The cage in this case is symbolic of the children of Kiron (the Madar) being kept safe and protected. The fact that it is made of aspen bark, a material used commonly by wizards because they saw it as an amalgam of the hair and fat elements, may or may not be coincidental. As a far as I can tell, there is nothing about the wizard use of aspen bark that is relevant in this case.

I came across this interesting bit as I was researching the legendary character Barek Union. At first, I didn't understand its significance to his own corpus, but now I do. It is fascinating, made more so by the fact that even now, even after all that has been revealed, there are some things still concealed behind the veil.

"All living creatures, whether in the hallowed marches, the mortal world, or the Stagnant Lands, are made up of the same material, save one. For all save this exception, the soul is a thing of pieces coming together on the most fundamental level to create a being. On the one hand is the flesh, the form, the body. Counter to this is the spirit, the specter, the ghost. Binding these two inconsistent materials is the creature's fundamental essence, its instinct. All creatures seem to succumb to this creation save one, the dragon.

"Sources as varied as ancient scriptures and modern wizards' notes suggest, no demand that the dragon is a creature unlike any other because it has no spirit, or rather, its spirit is indiscernable from its body. This of course speaks to their vast, legendary power. Clearly they are creatures from outside, from elsewhere."

I came across an interesting comment while preparing the manuscripts of "Surety." There was a note in the margins that read, "The character lives in the margins of his duty." I found this a fascinating analysis. The character Achim is, I think, like many of us. So much of what people see in us, define us as, or remember us for is simply us doing our duty. Duty is like a sick cow. We need to see to it. We can't afford to ignore it. Somehow, our livelihoods depend on it, and yet it draws us away from our lives on a whim. In a way, we all live in the margins of our lives. The text is our duty, the margins is where we live.

I've just received word that an old notebook of mine was recovered. I had lost it many years ago and considered it lost, but many are the miracles in this work. The news was wholly unexpected, but not unwelcome. Apparently, the book was discovered by some traveller in Tsumarya. It is perhaps even more amazing that he was able to locate me. I understand it is with a merchant of salt and other spices and should be here soon.

I am excited because this notebook contained much of my research about stories from the Grim's Rest area, including drafts of the story of Tamerlane and Eblis. Also, if I remember, there is a version of "Surety," which is one of my favorites, though it is somewhat grim itself. This is fortuitous news.

One of the things I've always found interesting in reviewing different tellings of the same stories is the disparity of information in some cases. Sometimes, it is simply the two different accounts correspond to the personalities of the two different tellers. This is fairly common and in same cases very illuminating.

On the other hand, sometimes in the information in the stories is just inaccurate, or imprecise. I have tried to maintain the integrity of these stories, even in my adaptations, because I think it is useful to see how the people of that time saw. Here is a small, but pertinent example.

In the story "Robes of the Flesh," a fair amount of energy was expended in explaining the origin of Barek Union. In the discussion of Asharoh, that terrible place is described as being a peninsula. In truth, it is an island, which is occasionally connected to the mainland by a land bridge when the tide is extremely low. The fact that the main source of this story refers to it as a peninsula shows the abject terror most people felt toward the place. In their minds, if it was ever connected by land, it was always connected by land. If there was any chance of contact with it, then in was an ever-present fear.

For various reasons, I have decided to change the format of this notebook. An its original inception, it was about context, but I found that in reality, I was simply picking topics of interest to me and then expounding on them. Such topics exist elsewhere (like here), and so I have decided to change the focus, from notes written on books and scrolls used during my research, to the marginalia of the stories themselves. I did not compile a single element of the Empyrean Corpus without commenting on the process, both of writing and of the lore behind each work.

In that light, I found one note on an early piece the Corpus, called " A Wail out of Summer" with a question and then a later answer. The question was thus:

"One of the key defining factors that makes a being an angel or a demon is their relationship to time. I cannot clearly hear see the difference between the two. What is it?"

And the answer:
"An angel exists outside of time, though he or she can still perceive it. A demon, on the other hand, still exists within the inevitable pull of time, but they have chosen to no longer progress, which is the only true defense against the ravages of time. Thus demons, though not necessarily subject to the most obvious manifestations of time (i.e. aging, among others), they are buried by its influence, which stagnates them and forces them inward on themselves."

"Wizard: One who explores and utilizes mortal means to harness supernatural power. As with many terms in this lexicon, the word 'wizard' has shifted in meaning significantly since its original usage, as the original definition was consumed by popular misconception. The word 'wizard' in the Merchant's Tongue descends from an archaic Iskandran word, waesilt, which meant to assail or defy and was often associated with the word olodeg, or heretic.

"Historically, a wizard was one of the seven original cults that were formed at the death of the Thief. The members of these seven cults each agreed with the philosophies of the Thief concerning mortal power and indepenence over divine control, but as the Thief himself seems to have passed very little on to his followers, the methodology and scholarship of those who came after him varied significantly."

He deals briefly here with an historical point that is and was often ignored by scholars. Writings contemporary with the Thief strongly suggest that he had no interest in developing a "following" and that once he returned from the Empyrean corridors of heaven, he was mostly interested in using the power he supposedly found to protect himself from the wrath of Bezek and the other gods.

"Thug: An unofficial, though allegedly sanctioned, term for a wizard that belongs to a cult whose members enter or manipulate the aether. In truth, these cults (which, by all accounts, are little more than organized gangs) are not always considered by scholars to stand among the other, acknowledged wizard societies since there seems to be little or no connection between the first thugs and the Thief or his followers. Various accounts of the thugs attribute to them bizarre and fantastic power, but little or no evidence has been found to support these claims. The first thugs appeared in Ithamar, though stories of them quickly spread. They are most often associated with urban areas and underground crime."

He is right that there is little accurate information on the thugs. I have included stories of them in the Corpus, but these are not always consistent and the picture they paint is far from conclusive. As for the "aether," this author's treatment of it is weak. Where did I read a better?

[In different ink]: "The aether is the spiritual representation of the mortal world that binds all entities together. To interact with the aether is the manipulate the most fundamental processes of creation." This explains why the thugs were thought to be so powerful. If they were capable of truly manipulating, or even entering the aether, there is no reasonable way to predict what they could do.

"Theurgist: A member of an highly influential and feared wizard secret society of the same name (i.e., the Theurgists). Theurgists use their understanding of the four faces, and the way they interact with with world, to make complicated alliances and pacts with the animating spirits that reside in the world around them. From these pacts, they earn power, knowledge, and protection from their enemies. The Theurgists are often thought to dabble in necromancy. Most wizards claim to know at least one theurgist, but it is likely that few do, or rather, if they do, they do not know it."

It is such a sad constant that those who wield great power seldom use it to garner respect and love. Instead, they sow seeds that blossom into fear and mistrust. It is not difficult to see the motivation for so many years of hatred and terror aimed at the wizard cults.

"Thaumaphile: A scholar who devotes his study to the understanding of the history and usage of various types of supernatural power. Thaumaphiles may or may not be associated with any of the various wizard cults, and some, occasionally, have association with a temple or god. As a rule, thaumaphiles claim to have no power of their own, but their understanding of the underlying theory that governs the power of others has, according to various legends and histories, allowed them to manipulate magical energy. For the most part, thaumaphiles keep to themselves, or at least keep their research secret, since they are not generally well-received by wizards or priests."

I read an odd analogy in some other book--which book was it?--that tried to explain the thaumaphile. It used more modern terminology: wizards are like authors, and thaumaphiles are like literary critics. Thus, the thaumaphile does not create anything of his own, but instead, illuminates or degrades the work of others. Before learning of these strange men and women, I had not thought of supernatural power as something that could be enhanced or devalued through the understanding of another.

"Seer: A member of the secret society known to the world as the Augurs of Manafar. As with many of the wizard cults, the term seer has now come to refer to a wider range of practitioners, though such a usage is a sure sign of arcane ignorance. Historically, seers were an offshoot cult of the theurgists, though were the latter use their communion with spirits and the awareness that comes from the elements to manipulate the world around them, seers use a similar mastery to predict the probabilities of certain occurances. As such, they have often been found in the employ of various war leaders, kings, and other open-minded government entities."

It is fascinating to see the way in which these wizard cults proliferated. From one single origin, they became as numerous, varied, and in some ways as antagonistic as the various priesthoods.

"Relic: An item imbued with mana from a god as a result of its proximity to that god, whether that proximity is from an isolated incident, or is regular. In modern times, the vast majority of the power wielded by priests and other heavenly-minded characters comes from their use of relics. In most cases, relics come from the time of the crusades, when the gods supposedly walked regularly among mortals. A few rare relics appear to come from the time before the Migrations, though explanations of that seem to differ widely depending on the source. Members of various priesthoods claim that there are new relics today, though there is little empirical evidence to support such a claim."

It is clear where the sympathies of the author of this dictionary lie. I wonder if he even tried to temper his opinions of the god-fearing, or if he simply let his feelings loose. I suspect the former, since not every entry dealing with the gods is as acidic as this one. I wonder how a lexicon from the other side would read.

"Mana: An individual's personal authority. In all but a few legendary cases, the only individuals with mana powerful enough to manipulate the world around them are the gods themselves, who are able to bestow their authority on those who serve them Thus, priests referring to their own mana are almost always referring to the way in which they direct the mana of their god."

A few legenary cases. Interesting.

"Mage (Iskandra), or Magus (Souther Rim, Freebelt); pl. Magi: Practitioners who combine a mastery of the elemental tongue with physical and spiritual manipulations of the manifestations of the four faces of the elements in order to create effects. Magi use the structure and grammar of the elemental language as a guide to the relationship of objects and ideas. True magi are commonly acknowledged as the wisest and most powerful of all wizards, though in truth, true magi are actually quite rare, as their arts are difficult, time comsuming, and dangerous, since much of it requires the acquisition of knowledge from Azho-Eochaid."

There is much to say about the elemental tongue. I have worked long to master it and still feel as though I am a novice at it. In essense, the twenty-eight concepts that make up the four faces of the elements are the basis of the tongue, though there are countless other levels beneath each concept, and obviously grammatical issues as well. It is fascinating, though obvious once one understands, that anyone would find a map in the tongue that would lead to supernatural effects. I've heard that gipsies use something similar in their witchcraft, but it seems to be much more instinctive, rather than rational.

Azho-Eochaid: The Sundered Realm, a common term for the nations that inhabited the world in the ancient past, long before the Migrations. The exact fate of these nations is still unclear, as is their relationship to the gipsies, but they were, in the days of the Merchant's League, a constant source of curiosity, treasure and lost knowledge, and danger, since the ruins of that lost place often seemed to attract the Netherwild.

"Apothecary: Students of the mortal body and of the effects of various combinations of substances found in the natural, and in some cases, the supernatural world. Apothecaries are not, in an of themselves, wizards, but they are often very well versed in the various theories and methods of other practitioners, and so are often considered a wizard cult. Apothecaries are generally associated with guilds."

There are various opinions of the apothecaries found in various records. They are almost always associated with some kind of healing, whether it is through elixers and potions, or through brutal surgery, but there is also a tradition of their association with poisons, durgs, the underworld, and various other darker thoughts. Since most ordinary people had very little contact with so-called wizards, apothecaries took on a reputation as sort of witch-doctors, or spiritual leaders, though in a more urban setting. There are many stories of people who, when there was no where else to turn, sought the help of a local apothecary, who was able to bring to bear any of a variety of bizarre resources.

[I included these out of order simply because the note on the thaumatic entry had relevance to other entries throughout. I must have seen references to "faces" and such enough in earlier entries that I decided to finally define it. From here forward, I will keep them in the order they follow in the glossary.]:

"Alchemist: A member, or in some cases an associate, of the secret society known publically as the Balefialu. Alchemists believe that the elements as they exist in mortality are impure and corrupt. They seek to coax out and manipulate pure forms of the elements in an attempt to perfect themselves. For the most part, alchemists deal with the mask and on the symbolic relationships between the various faces, especially the mask as a symbol for the true face."

If I remember correctly, balefialu means "purifiers." I had not realized that alchemy was so closely tied to that secret society. Ultimately, surely, they were separate.

[I have found my interest in history waning a bit, and so thought I would begin on tomes of various other sorts. I will return to Merkado and his Golden Horn in the future, as my notes and comments on his work are, obviously, quite extensive.

The following comes from an untitled glossary I found many years ago discussing the history of magic]:

"Thaumatic (also thaumaturge, thaumaturgist, thaumatist): a practitioner whose interest is in the relationship between the various elemental faces, specifically the true face and the mask. Thaumatics strive to unify the true face and the mask using signs, substances, and occasionally magic words. The science of thautaticism builds on the sympathies inherent between the various elemental faces and seeks to blur the lines between them in order to create various effects."

I have seen the words "elemental faces" too often in this book not to inspire curiosity. The following is from Maven's The Art of the Thief:

"The mortal world is made up of seven elements, [or Materials?]. Each of these seven elements have four faces: a true face, a hidden face or mask, a dynamic face or force, and a fundamental face. The true face and the fundamental face are represented by the mortal body and spirit, respectively, while the mask and the force are seen in the physical world. Although the four faces are each part of the same element, they have different attributes, manifestations, and purposes. [The diagram below shows the four faces of each of the seven elements. Generally, the true face is considered the primary representation of an element].

True Face Hidden Face (Mask) Dynamic Face (Force) Fundamental Face
Eye Sun Violation Perception
Sinew Metal Destruction Emotion
Fat Dust Creation Hierarchy
Breath Wind Motion Self
Blood Rain Rest Deception
Bone Wood Protection Connection
Hair Snow Decay Isolation

[My other duties have distracted me for too long. When men speak of priorities, they ofttimes ignore certain responsibilities--to family, to the Illuminator, and so forth--which exist in a realm beyond the level of priority. To the honest, just man, they cannot be ignored. They are a payment that must be made, else all else we build is reduced to dust.

But to the task at hand. My notes on the Netherwild leave off here, but as it is a topic which is sure to resurface, I am content with that. And thus we move on with The Golden Horn:]

"There is something in the personality of the Cilanese that sets them apart from all other inhabitants of the realm, and seems to support the gipsy-interbreeding theory. The descendents of the other Immigrant races, for example, live in abject terror of the sudden and unannounced infestation of the Netherwild. Thousands of stories, legends, and pieces of folklore exist to attest to this. Indeed, the very existence of organizations such as the Merchant's League, and more appropriately, the so-called Paper Knights, attests that the vast majority of the world believes in the danger of this strange, supernatural phenomenon.

"On the other hand, and equally as well attested, is the indifference of the gipsies, who ignore or revere the Netherwild, depending on the source. In this, the most obvious evidence is again a mercantile one. That much of the legendary wealth of the gipsies was cultivated through the creation and sale of azhedul, or stain-oil, is a documented, historical fact.

"But the Cilanese seem truly to take from both of these traditions. Indeed, in Cilan one can find those who fear the Wild as most men do, but on the whole, they simply consider it another aspect of the climate, much as the harsh snows that occasion the mountains, or the flooding of the river. They do not ignore it, nor do they love it, but they possess a stubbornness about it that, when combined with their reputation as demon-worshippers, has contributed much to the prevailing and popular attitudes of this day concerning the Cilanese."

Perhaps he discusses this later, but this seems to be a religious trait. The original Narti were ancestor and spirit worshippers, at least as my research indicates, and they always held ties with the various spirits of nature. To them, an resurgance of the Netherwild must have seemed like some sort of message from the divinities they saw all around them. This must have led in some part to the demon issue, as demons are and were always wont to imitate and connive in their attempts for reassimilation in the stream of the holy one.

"A man bought a parcel of land, though it was unknown to him that beneath it churned an underground spring. Each morning he would walk across his land and find portions of it soggy and swamp-like. As the day progressed, the seepage would dry up, but the next morning, it would return, though never in the same place.

"Thus it is with the Netherwild. Scholars suggest that it is a sort of stain, a seepage from some other, hellish realm that appears for a time, and then is dried by some unknown sun, only to seep through again at a different time and in a different place. Of course, that says nothing of the effect this stain has on those who are exposed to it, but it is a start."

[The following was scribbled in after the last note, in different ink]:

I found it! Finally, a description, though from some time after Saxo's death. This comes from a thaumatic, or wizard, in 278 prior, snugly in the middle of the Thaumaturgical Revolution. I had to piece together various fragments to read it properly and alas, there is no name left in the remnants, though there is a piece of the fellow's description of himself: "a gentleman of sightly stature and bearing, whose physical appointments are but augments to [his] mental prowess...." It is ironic vengeance that such a pillar of his age should be forgotten and his work torn asunder. I am certain the work was not written by one of the Greats of that time, but it is exactly what I was looking for: a concise definition of the Netherwild. Of course, it cannot be all encompassing, but it will do:

"When men speak of "the Netherwild," most often they are referring to an unstable, geographical phenomenon that has been reported, at one time or another throughout the written record, in nearly every square mile of Isumbras. In other circumastances, the wielder of the term might be referring to the supposed entity or entities that has been long supposed to rule or control the said phenomenon. In order to describe this peculiar environ, we will be greatly aided in preparing first an analogy."