The Pyramids of London

IN WORLD MYTHOS

Ah-ah — An elder triskelion. All black.[7]

Akh — The third life of an Egyptian. After life ends in the physical world, the Egyptian soul becomes a ba, dwelling in their preserved body to gather strength (ka) enough to journey onward. When the ba has sufficient ka (or is ‘reunited’ with their ka) they travel onward as akh.

Allegiance — Allegiance is a link between a god and a human, usually a claim on a human soul in exchange for godly favours.

There are four common types of allegiance: born, territorial, bestowed, taken.

Amasen — Ram-horned snakes sacred to Cernunnos.

Amon-Re — Egyptian god of the Air and the Sun.

Annwn — The Prytennian Otherworld is a series of islands in a vast underground sea. The first of these islands, Annwn, is ruled by Arawn. Prytennian souls seek out wells, pools and rivers to travel here after they’ve freed themselves from their bodies. It is possible to get lost on the way, but Arawn himself will seek out stragglers.

Answered — When a god responds to a human, they Answer. There are many debates as to whether gods Answered through all of human history, but only sporadically, or if something triggered the waves of Answering that began with the First Wave (the Egyptians, the Yue Dragons, and Bison), the Second Wave (numerous, including Roman Jupiter, the Aesir, Thunderbird) and the Third Wave (the majority of other Answered gods, occurring within a few centuries of the Second Wave).

Arawn — King of Annwn, where Prytennia’s newly dead go. Although they may stay in Annwn for many years, most eventually move on to seek other islands of the afterlife.

Arawn’s Tears — Water blessed by the priests of Arawn. It becomes a liquid that melts only dead flesh, and leaves clean bones. The liquid is used on crops. The bones are separated and interred in barrows.

Athian — The Dragon of the South.

Ba — The soul of an Egyptian after death takes on the form of a bird with a human face. Ba live within their preserved bodies, and gather strength to either travel on to the Egyptian Otherworld (the Field of Rushes), or attempt to reach the heavens and become a star. When the ba has gathered enough strength (ka), it becomes an akh, and travels onward.

Bestowed allegiance — Bestowed allegiance is a direct link between a god and a human. This can be achieved through certain observances, trials, or increasing affinity (personal links to the god’s area of duty). If bestowed allegiance is achieved, then after death that person’s soul will belong to that god, and if it is possible to reach it from the location of death, will travel to that god’s Otherworld no matter what the territorial allegiance they might be subject to. Particularly favoured humans will be ‘god-touched’ by a bestowed allegiance, taking on some of the powers and aspects of the god.

Bison — One of the oldest gods who answered. One of Stomruria’s Great Alliance gods.[8]

Born allegiance — Born allegiance is usually a result of having a god (or, more usually, a demi-god) as a parent. Examples of born allegiance are the cour d’lune, where a child of a member of the court will develop wings on puberty, and will be unable to remained in the human world during the daytime. Children of the court cannot form allegiances with other gods.

Cernunnos — The horned god of the forest and fertility, of the hunt and the hunted. Attended by ram-horned snakes known as amasen, he can take the form of a stag or a man with antlers. The antlers are hung with the torcs of royalty.

Cour d’lune — The Court of the Moon. France was not so much ‘Answered’ by one of their gods as invaded by Faerie. The Court can only exist in the human world at night, and so France’s government is divided into the Court of the Sun and the Court of the Moon, with the Court of the Moon holding primacy.

The Cour d’lune is divided into four major competing Houses, a number of smaller Houses, and one House of Balance. Membership in a House is dependent on the colour of the wings. The attitude of the Cour d’lune toward humans depends very much on which House is currently ascendant.

Cŵn Annwn — The Hounds of Annwn seek out souls in Arawn’s territory that have not made their way to Annwn.

Dimity — The littlest triskelion.[9]

Dulethar — The Dragon of the East.

Falinis — The white dog with red ears owned by Princess Celestine, given to her as a gift from the Irish King. Named for Fáil Inis, owned by Lugh Lámhfhada of the Tuatha Dé Danann.[10]

Folies — Foliate cats, guardians of the gates to the Deep Grove.

God-touched — A person with strong born or bestowed allegiance that lends them the power of a god.

Ghul — A corpse animated by a vampiric symbiont, but containing no human soul.

Gitche Manitou — Gitche Manitou means “Great Spirit”. A god who answered during the Second Wave of Answers in north-east Stomruria.

Ka — More than simply life force, ka is to the Egyptians a stage of the soul. During the Egyptian first life, it is what animates the body, the difference between being alive and being dead. During the second life, the ba must regain ka in order to become an akh and journey onward to the Egyptian Otherworld.

Lila — The littlest amasen.

Lorenoola — A youngish triskelion. Yellow and green.[11]

Ma’at — Egyptian Goddess of Truth, Justice, Order. Maintainer of existence (while Thoth is protector of existence). Weighs the soul after death.

Night Breezes — Commanded by the Sulevia Sceadu, these are wind taking tangible form. Which are not as gentle as they sound. The most common forms are mice, hares, dogs (resembling saluki), owls, and the sacred three-tailed mare that bears the Sulevia Sceadu. The Night Breezes are also linked to the Wild Hunt, and the Sulevia Sceadu rides with the Hunt on rare occasion.

Nimelleth — The Dragon of the West.

Order of the Oak — Dryw responsible for tending (most) sacred groves of Prytennia. They pay reverence to Cernunnos, but technically give their allegiance to the Great Forest.

Otherworlds — Not all gods command Otherworlds, but all Otherworlds are the domains of gods. There are punishment Otherworlds and reward Otherworlds, and Otherworlds that simply exist and don’t seem overly concerned with the souls of humans.

An accumulation of souls in their Otherworld increases the strength of the god.

Shu — Egyptian god of Wind.

Sucellos — God of agriculture and luck. Carries a long-handled hammer. Known as the Good Striker, and strikes in the seasons, ending winter and bringing in summer.

Sulis — The ruling Prytennian goddess. Creates three strong god-touched known as the Suleviae. Has aspects of both sun and wind.

When the Romans originally invaded Albion they took charge of her sacred spring, and declared her to be an aspect of Minerva.

Sulevia Leoth — Sulevia of the Song, one of the god-touched aspects of Sulis. Commands the triskelion.

Sulevia Sceadu — Sulevia of the Shadow, one of the god-touched aspects of Sulis. Commands of the Night Breezes.

Sulevia Seolfor — Sulevia of the Silver Light (reflections of light on water), one of the god-touched aspects of Sulis. Commands the three dragons of Prytennia (who lend their aspect to people chosen by the Sulevia Seolfor).

Suleviae — The term for all three aspects of Sulis.

Taken allegiance — Taken allegiance is godly allegiance taken unwillingly, either by trick or force.

Territorial allegiance — Unless a person has a stronger allegiance, territorial allegiance determines the destination of the souls of the dead. There are an increasingly small number of places in the world without territorial allegiance, and in these places it is believed that the souls are lost, going to no Otherworld. Residents of such places work to gain bestowed allegiance of a god whose Otherworld can be reached from their location.

Thoth — Egyptian god, inventor of all sciences and crafts, protector of existence. Ibis headed (and at times baboon headed).

Thoth-den — Vampires of the thoth strain who practice medicine.

Toroco — A young triskelion. Red and gold.[12]

Triskelion — Literally ‘three legged’, but these manifest as three winged. Controlled by the Sulevia Leoth. Can ‘separate the air’, which in their case means they can do fun stuff like remove oxygen, or produce ‘trilesium’. Make a noise a bit like wordless singing—or the whirling of a weighted cord, very fast. They grow to be enormous creatures, but start out as tiny little whizzing things no bigger than a hand.

Tuatha Dé Danann — Peoples of the goddess Danu.