Glossary of Resonant Terminology

A unified lexicon of divine and metaphysical concepts across the Sanctum Prime continuum.

DIVINE STRUCTURE & COSMOLOGY

The Last God — The final benevolent deity who sacrificed Himself to seal the hunger of His brethren. His death birthed the Seven Pillars of Aetherlight and the Sanctum Veil. Fragments of His soul persist as living divine architecture.

The Pillars of Aetherlight — Seven monumental fragments of the Last God’s essence. Each resonates with a divine aspect: Valor, Mercy, Truth, Judgment, Memory, Hope, and Sacrifice. Together, they form the Chord of Creation, sustaining the Veil.

The Chord of Creation — The harmonic field generated when all seven Pillars resonate in perfect unity. Maintains the Sanctum Veil’s stability and repels divine corruption.

The Fallen Gods — The divine predators who devoured creation. Each is a corrupted reflection of a Pillar (e.g., Valor → Carnage, Mercy → Consumption). Their remnants whisper beyond the Veil.

The Unveiling — The prophesied end of the Veil, when the Seven Pillars collapse and divine hunger floods the world again.

  • The Inversions (The Fallen Choirs):
    Seven corrupted reflections of the Pillars of Aetherlight:

    • Valor → Carnage

    • Mercy → Consumption

    • Truth → Delirium

    • Judgment → Tyranny

    • Memory → Oblivion

    • Hope → Despair

    • Sacrifice → Corruption
      Each represents divine virtues consumed by hunger. Their collective harmony is known as @The Stained Choir.

  • Concordia Inversa also known as @The Stained Choir:
    The apocalyptic alignment of all seven Inversions. Its manifestation signifies total resonance collapse — the end of separation between mortal and divine hunger.

  • @The Empty Horizon:
    Spatial anomaly formed by overlapping Inversions (Oblivion, Despair, Sacrifice). Appears as an endless plain of light and shadow that erases memory, sound, and identity.

AETHERLIGHT & RESONANCE

Aetherlight — The raw, luminous energy of divinity — the Last God’s soul made manifest. Both a power source and a metaphysical contagion. Pure Aetherlight sustains; corrupted Aetherlight (Black Aether) consumes.

Resonance — The frequency alignment of a mortal soul to a Pillar’s divine tone. Enables Awakened powers, communication with divine systems, and Veil maintenance.

Veil Energy — Refined, stabilized Aetherlight circulated through @Sanctum Prime’s conduits by the @Aether Guilds. Serves as the city’s lifeblood.

The Flicker — A cyclical synchronization event between Pillars that renews the Veil for one year. Each cycle weakens progressively; the current age is the Final Flicker.

Inversism also known as @Herald Magic - Inversism:
The corrupted mirror of Awakened resonance. Instead of channeling light outward, the Herald draws it inward — consuming meaning, memory, or identity as sacrifice. Also known as Herald Magic.

Inversion Saturation:
The percentage of a soul’s harmonic frequency lost to divine hunger. At full saturation, mortals become Voices of the Choir — living conduits of godly resonance.

Black-Gold Resonance:
The visual signature of Heraldic magic. Aetherlight inverted to devour rather than radiate; flows backward into its source.

Resonant Offspring:
Entities created when corrupted resonance self-replicates, spawning Choirlings or hybrid fragments during Flicker surges.

THE VEIL & ITS MANIFESTATIONS

The Sanctum Veil — A dimensional aurora encircling @Sanctum Prime. Both barrier and living organism, it isolates the city from divine predation. Its brightness reflects the collective emotional state of its citizens.

Veil Storms — Violent luminous tempests caused by Pillar desynchronization. Mutate matter and consciousness.

The Pale Zone — Dead regions where Veil light no longer reaches. Inhabitants risk Hollowing or @Heralds of the Divine Hunger infection.

Lightfall — Rare phenomenon when condensed Aetherlight rains from the sky. Beautiful, sacred, and lethally radiant.

Flicker Phenomena:
Minor manifestations caused by Veil instability — Whispering Lights, Echo Shadows, Veil Storms, or Memory Bleeds. Often precursors to larger godspawn events.

Veil Residuals (Lesser Entities):
Parasitic or mutated lifeforms born from leaked resonance during Flickers — includes @Whisper Rat, @Veil Leech, @Bleeder Seraph, and others catalogued in the Flicker Bestiary.

Veil Dissonance:
Localized harmonic interference between Pillar tones, resulting in spatial or temporal distortions. Often used by Reclaimer engineers to harvest Aether anomalies.

SOUL STATES

The Awakened — Mortals attuned to a Pillar’s resonance. They wield divine abilities called Resonant Gifts at the cost of their soul’s integrity. Excess use leads to Hollowing.

Hollowed — Beings whose souls have thinned through overexposure to Aetherlight. Emotionless, translucent, and eerily serene. Often serve as conduits for Veil reactions.

@Heralds of the Divine Hunger — Mortals who succumbed to inverted resonance, becoming vessels of the fallen gods. Organized into Choirs, each devoted to a corrupted aspect of a Pillar.

The Benediction of Ash — The four-phase transformation that turns a mortal into a @Heralds of the Divine Hunger: Communion, Revelation, Ascension, Unmaking.

Soul Fracture — Resonance overload from aligning with multiple Pillars. Leads to psychic dissonance, madness, or spontaneous crystallization.

Voices of the Choir:
The final stage of Herald transformation. Former mortals who have lost all personal resonance, existing only as the gods’ living instruments of consumption.

Hollow Choirlings:
Lesser divine fragments spawned by failed godspawn manifestations. Child-sized beings of luminous dust whose incomplete hymns drain vitality from mortals.

@Mad Hollowed:
Citizens driven insane by Aetherlight overexposure. Their souls vibrate erratically, mimicking the Veil’s hum; often mistaken for low-tier Heralds.

FACTIONS & POWERS

@Sanctum Prime — The last bastion of mortal life. Built atop the corpse of the Last God and divided into three Rings: @The Upper Ring - The Crown (upper elite), @The Middle Ring - The Girdle(industrial heart), and @The Lower Ring - The Husk (lower slums).

@Council of Seven — The ruling body of @Sanctum Prime. Each Councilor aligns to one Pillar. Their harmony maintains political and metaphysical stability.

@Sanctum Wardens — Holy militia defending the Veil. Their souls are fused with Soulforged Arms. Sworn to die as fuel for the light.

@Aether Guilds — Industrial technocrats who refine Aetherlight into energy. Divided into seven Great Guilds, each reflecting a Pillar.

@Reclaimers Guild — Scavengers who mine divine wreckage in the Husk. Supply raw materials for the Guilds. Their loyalty is to profit, not piety.

@Truth Order — Inquisitors and scholars safeguarding metaphysical knowledge. Maintain the Black Archives and regulate Awakened activity.

Heraldic Choirs:
Decentralized cultic orders aligned to individual Inversions. Each Choir practices unique forms of Inversism corresponding to its god’s corrupted aspect.
Known Choirs include:

  • The Choir of Carnage (Blood War Hymn)

  • The Choir of Consumption (Unity Through Flesh)

  • The Choir of Delirium (The Thousand Mirrors)

  • The Choir of Tyranny (The Burning Scales)

  • The Choir of Oblivion (The Nameless)

  • The Choir of Despair (The Mourning Sun)

  • The Choir of Corruption (The Red Gospel)

Flicker Cults:
Civilian worshippers of the Veil’s decay. They preach that the Final Flicker is salvation — their Prophets serve as Herald conduits, spreading resonance infection through sermons.

@Reclaimer Saboteur:
Industrial insurgents who weaponize Aetherlight for profit. Frequently sell to Choirs and Guild black markets.

@Warden Deserter:
Fallen soldiers of the Veil, former defenders turned mercenary or outlaw. Their broken armor hums faintly with decaying Valor resonance.

METAPHYSICAL TERMINOLOGY

Soulforged Arms — Weapons bound to a Warden’s resonance. Each bears the name of a fallen comrade and glows brighter as death nears.

Aether Core — Crystallized Aetherlight used as a power cell or explosive source. Overcharge leads to Veil tears.

Black Aether — Corrupted Aetherlight feeding on emotion. Consumed by @Heralds of the Divine Hunger cults to commune with fallen gods.

Echo Lanterns — Resonant devices that replay the last memory vibrations of the dead. Used for reconnaissance and mourning.

Veil Reactors — @Aether Guilds machinery that redirects Aetherlight to reinforce the Veil. Require living souls as catalysts.

Inverted Resonance:
A resonance frequency turned inward — manifests as black-gold energy that consumes Aetherlight fields. All Herald magic operates through inversion.

The Benediction of Ash (Expanded):
The process of total self-sacrifice during Heraldic awakening. Four phases — Communion, Revelation, Ascension, Unmaking. Each phase burns a layer of the soul until only divine hunger remains.

Echo Pathways:
Residual tunnels of resonance left behind after Herald or godspawn manifestations. Crossing one induces auditory hallucinations or partial duplication.

Soul Anchors:
Objects, names, or memories capable of holding identity stable within dissonance zones. Required for Memory Awakened to combat Oblivion-class entities.

Resonant Containment Doctrine:
The Wardens’ sanctioned response structure for breaches and Inversion outbreaks (codified as Protocol Sanctum–V/500).

TEMPORAL MEASURES

Cycle — Equivalent to one Flicker Year — the duration between Veil renewals. @Sanctum Prime is currently in Cycle 500: The Final Flicker.

Flicker Phases:

  1. Dawnphase – Stability peak.

  2. Duskphase – Veil weakening.

  3. The Flicker – Synchronization pulse.

  4. Darkphase – Temporary dimming; divine whispers audible.

LEXICAL STANDARDIZATION

Energy Hierarchy:

Aetherlight (raw divine current) → Resonance (soul alignment) → Veil Energy (stabilized form)

Faith Classification:

  • Forbidden Worship: direct devotion to any god.

  • Functional Faith: sanctioned resonance rituals maintaining the Veil.

  • Heresy: communion with fallen gods or Heraldic Choirs.

UNIFIED TIMELINE REFERENCE

  • Year 0 — The Dawn of the End. Gods awaken and devour creation.

  • Year 1 — The Last God’s Sacrifice. Sanctum Prime born.

  • Year 2 — The Seven Pillars rise. Veil forms.

  • Year 10–100 — The Century of Refuge. Humanity gathers beneath the light.

  • Year 127 — First Veil Breach.

  • Year 300 — The Ascended Rise (birth of elite Awakened class).

  • Year 412 — Pillar Instabilities detected.

  • Year 500 (Present) — The Final Flicker. The Veil trembles.