Heraldry:
Gelstei:
THE NINE KINGDOMS Back Appendices
Next
The
shield and surcoat arms of the warriors of the Nine
Kingdoms differ from those of the other lands in two respects. First they tend
to be simpler, with a single, bold charge emblazoned on a field of a single color. Second, every fighting man, from the simple warrior
up through the ranks of knight, master and lord to the king himself, is
entitled to bear the arms of his line.
There
is no mark or insignia of service to any lord save the king. Loyalty to one's
ruling king is displayed on shield borders as a field matching the color of the king's field, and a repeating motif of the
king's charge. Thus, for instance, every fighting man of Ishka,
from warrior to lord, will display a red shield border with white bears
surrounding whatever arms have been passed down to him. With the exception of
the lords of Anjo, only the kings and the royal
families of the Nine Kingdoms bear unbordered shields
and surcoats.
In Anjo, although a king in name still rules in Jathay, the lords of the other regions have broken away
from his rule to assert their own sovereignty. Thus, for instance, Baron Yashur of Vishal bears a shield
of simple green emblazoned with a white crescent moon without bordure as if
were already a king or aspiring to be one.
Once
there was a time when all Valari kings bore the seven
stars of the Swan Contellation on their shields as a
reminder of the Elijin and Galadin
to whom they owed allegiance. But by the time of the Second Lightstone
Quest, only the House of Elahad has as part of its
emblem the seven silver stars.
In the heraldry of the Nine Kingdoms, white and silver
are used interchangeably as are silver and gold. Marks of cadence - those
smaller charges that distinguish individual members of a line, house or family
- are usually placed at the point of the shield.
Mesh
House
of Elahad - a black field; a
silver-white swan with spread wings gazes upon the seven silver-white stars of the Swan
constellation
Lord Harsha - a blue field; gold lion rampant filling
nearly all of it
Lord Tomavar - white field; black tower
Lord Tanu - white field; black, double-headed eagle
Lord Raasharu - gold field; blue rose
Lord Navaru - blue field; gold sunburst
Lord Juluval - gold field; three red roses
Lord Durrivar - red field; white bull
Lord Arshan - white field; three blue stars
Ishka
King Hadaru Aradar - red
field; great white bear
Lord Mestivan - gold field; black dragon
Lord Nadhru - green field; three white swords, points
touching upwards
Lord Solhtar - red field; gold sunburst
Athar
King
Mohan - gold field; blue horse
King Kurshan - blue field; white Tree of
Life
Waas
King Sandarkan - black field; two crossed silver
swords
Taron
King Waray - red field; white winged horse
Kaash
King Talanu Solaru - blue
field; white snow tiger
Anjo
King Danashu - blue
field; gold dragon
Duke Gorador Shurvar of Daksh - white
field; red heart
Duke Rezu of Rajah - white
field; green falcon
Duke Barwan of Adar - blue
field; white candle
Baron Yashur of Vishal - green field; white crescent moon
Count Rodru Narvu of Yarvanu - white
field; two green lions ram pant
Count Atanu Tuval of Onkar - white
field; red maple leaf
Baron Yuval of Natesh - black
field; golden flute
FREE KINGDOMS Back Appendices
Next
As in
the Nine Kingdoms, the bordure pattern is that of the field and charge of the
ruling king. But in the Free Kingdoms, only nobles and knights are permitted to
display arms on their shields and surcoats. Common
soldiers wear two badges: the first, usually on their right arm, displaying the
emblems of their kings, and the second, worn on their left arm, displaying
those of whatever baron, duke or knight to whom they have sworn allegiance.
In the
houses of Free Kingdoms, excepting the ancient Five Families of Tria from whom Alonia has drawn
most of her kings, the heraldry tends toward more complicated and geometric
patterns than in the Nine Kingdoms.
Alonia
House
of
House
of Eriades - Field divided per
bend; blue upper, white lower; white
star on blue, blue star on white House of Kirriland - White field; black raven
House
of Hastar - Black field; two
gold lions rampant
House
of Marshan - white field; red
star inside black circle
Baron Narcavage of Arngin - white
field; red bend; black oak lower; black eagle upper
Baron Maruth of Aquantir - green
field; gold cross; two gold arrows on each quadrant
Duke Ashvar of Raanan - gold
field; repeating pattern of black swords
Baron Monteer of Iviendenhall - white
and black checkered shield
Count Muar of lviunn - black
field; white cross of Ashtoreth
Duke Malatam of Tarlan - white
field; black saltire; repeating red roses on white quadrants
Eanna
King Hanniban Dujar - gold
field; red cross; blue lions rampant on each gold
quadrant
Surrapam
King Kaiman - red
field; white saltire; blue star at center
Thalu
King Aryaman - Black and white gyronny;
white swords on four black sectors
Delu
King Santoval Marshayk - green
field; two gold lions rampant facing each other
The Elyssu
King Theodor Jardan - blue
field; repeating breaching silver dolphins
Nedu
King Tal - blue
field; gold cross; gold eagle volant on each blue
quadrant
THE DRAGON KINGDOMS Back Appendices
Next
With
one exception, in these lands, only Morjin himself
bears his own arms: a great, red dragon on a gold field. Kings who have sworn
fealty to him ~ King Orunjan, King Arsu - have been forced to surrender their ancient arms and
display a somewhat smaller red dragon on their shields and surcoats.
Kallimun priests who have been appointed to kingship
or who have conquered realms in Morjin's name - King Mansul, King Yarkul, Count Ulanu - also display this emblem but are proud to do so.
Nobles
serving these kings bear slightly smaller dragons, and the knights serving them bear yet smaller ones. Common soldiers wear a yellow
livery displaying a repeating pattern of very small red dragons.
King Angand of Sunguru, as an ally of Morjin, bears his family's arms as does any free king.
The
kings of Hesperu and Uskudar
have been allowed to retain their family crests as a mark of their kingship,
though they have surrendered their arms.
Sunguru
King Angand - blue field; white heart with wings
Uskudar
King Orunjan - gold
field; 3/4 red dragon
Karabuk
King Mansul - gold field; 3/4 red dragon
Hesperu
King Arsu - gold field; 3/4 red dragon
Galda
King Yarkul - gold field; 3/4 red dragon
Yarkona
Count Ulanu - gold
field; 1/2 red dragon
THE GELSTEI Back Appendices
Next
The
history of the gold gelstei, called the Lightstone, is shrouded in mystery. Most people believe the
legend of Elahad: that this Valari
king of the Star People made the Lightstone and
brought it to earth. Some of the Brotherhoods, however, teach that the Elijin or the Galadin made the Lightstone. Some teach that the mythical Ieldra, who are like gods, made the Lightstone
millions of years earlier. A few hold that the Lightstone
may be a transcendental, increate object from before the beginning of time, and
as such, much as the One or the universe itself, has
always existed and always will. Also, there are people who believe that this
golden cup, the greatest of the gelstei, was made in
Ea during the great Age of Law.
The Lightstone is the image of solar light, the sun, and hence
of divine intelligence. It is made into the shape of a plain golden cup because
'it holds the whole universe inside'. Upon being activated by a powerful enough
being, the gold begins to turn clear like a crystal and to radiate light like
the sun. As it connects with the infinite power of the universe, the One, it
radiates light like that of ten thousand suns. Ultimately, its light is pure,
clear and infinite - the light of pure consciousness. The
light inside light, the light inside all things that is all things.
The Lightstone quickens consciousness in itself, the
power of consciousness to enfold itself and form up as matter and thus evolve
into infinite possibilities. It enables certain human beings to channel and
magnify this power. Its power is infinitely greater than that of the red
gelstei, the firestones. Indeed, the Lightstone gives power over the other gelstei,
the greea purple, blue and white, the black and
perhaps the silver - and potentially over all matter, energy, space and time.
The final secret of the Lightstone is that, as the
very consciousness and substance of the universe itself, it is found within
each human being, interwoven and interfused with each separate soul. To quote from
the Saganom Elu, it
is 'the perfect jewel within the lotus found inside the human heart'.
The Lightstone has many specific powers, and each person finds
in it a reflection of himself. Those seeking healing are healed. In some, it
recalls their true nature and origins as Star People; others, in their lust for
immortality, find only the hell of endless life. Some - such as Morjin or Angra Mainyu - it blinds with its terrible and beautiful light.
Its potential to be misused by such maddened beings is vast: ultimately it has
the power to blow up the sun and destroy the stars, perhaps the whole universe
itself.
Used
properly, the Lightstone can quicken the evolution of
all beings. In its light, Star People may transcend to their higher angelic
natures while angels evolve into archangels. And the Galadin
themselves, in the act of creation only, may use the Lightstone
to create whole new universes.
The Lightstone is activated at once by individual
consciousness, the collective unconscious and the energies of the stars. It
also becomes somewhat active at certain key times, such as when the Seven
Sisters are rising in the sky. Its most transcendental
powers manifest when it is in the presence of an enlightened being and/or when
the earth enters the Golden Band.
It is
not known if there are many Lightstones throughout
the universe, or only one that somehow appears at the same time in different
places. One of the greatest mysteries of the Lightstone
is that on Ea, only a human man, woman or child can use it for its best and
highest purpose: to bring the sacred light to others and awaken each being to
his angelic nature. Neither the Elijin nor the Galadin, the archangels, possess this special resonance.
And only a very few of the Star People do.
These rare beings are the Maitreyas
who come forth every few millen nia
or so to share their enlightenment with the world. They have cast off all
illusion and apprehend the One in all things and all things as manifestations
of the One. Thus they are the deadly enemies of Morjin
and the Dark Angel, and other Lords of the Lie.
THE GREATER GELSTEI Back Appendices
Next
THE
SILVER
The
silver gelstei is made of a marvelous
substance called silustria. The crystal resembles
pure silver, but is brighter, reflecting even more light. Depending on how
forged, the silver gelstei can be much harder than
diamond.
The
silver gelstei is the stone of reflection, and thus
of the soul, for the soul is that part of man that reflects the light of the
universe. The silver reflects and magnifies the powers of the soul, including,
in its lower emanations, those of mind: logic, deduction, calculation,
awareness, ordinary memory, judgment and insight. It can confer upon those who
wield it holistic vision: the ability to see whole patterns and reach
astonishing conclusions from only a few details or clues. Its higher emanations
allow one to see how the individual soul must align itself with the universal
soul to achieve the unfolding of fate.
In its
reflective qualities, the silver gelstei may be used
as a shield against various energies: vital, mental, or physical. In other
ages, it has been shaped into arms and armor, such as
swords, mail shirts and actual shields. Although not giving power over another,
in body or in mind, the silver can be us too quicken the working of another's
mind, and is thus a great pedagogical tool leading to knowledge and laying bare
truth. A sword made of silver gelstei can cut through
all things physical as the
mind cuts through ignorance and darkness.
In its fundamental composition, the silver is very
much like the gold gelstei, and is one of the two
noble stones.
THE
WHITE
These
stones are called the white, but in appearance are usually clear like diamonds.
During the Age of Law,
many of them were cast into the form of crystal balls to be used by scryers, and are thus often called 'scryers'
spheres'.
These
are the stones of far-seeing: of perceiving events distant in either space or
time. They are sometimes used by remembrancers to
uncover the secrets of the past. The kristei as they
are called have helped the master healers of the Brotherhoods read the auras of
the sick that they might be brought back to strength and health.
THE
BLUE
The
blue gelstei, or blestei,
have been fabricated on Ea at least as far back as the Age of the Mother. These
crystals range in color from a deep cobalt to a
bright lapis blue. They have been cast into many forms: amulets, cups,
figurines, rings and others.
The
blue gelstei quicken and deepen all kinds of knowing
and communication. They are an aid to mindspeakers
and truthsayers, and confer a greater sensitivity to
music, poetry, painting, languages and dreams.
THE
GREEN
Other
than the Lightstone itself, these are the oldest of
the gelstei. Many books of the Soganom
Elu tell of how the Star People brought twelve of
the green stones with them to Ea. The varistei look
like beautiful emeralds; they are usually cast - or grown - in the shape of
baguettes or astragals, and range in size from that of a pin or bead to great
jewels nearly a foot in length.
The green gelstei resonate with the vital
fires of plants and animate, and of the earth. They are the stones of healing
and can be used to quicken and strengthen life and lengthen its span. As the purple gelstei can be used to mold crystals and other inanimate substances into new
shapes, the green gelstei haw powers over the forms
of living things. In the Lost Ages, it was said that masters of the varistei used them to create new races of man (and
sometimes monsters) lbut this art is thought to be long since lost. These crystals
confer great vitality on those who use them harmony with nature; they can open
the body's chakras and awaken the kundalini
fire so the whole body and soul vibrate at a higher level of being.
THE RED
The red
gelstei - also called tuaoi
stones or firestones - are blood-red crystals like rubies in appearance and color. They are often cast into baguettes at least a foot
in length, though during the Age of Law much larger ones were made. The
greatest ever fabricated was the hundred-foot Eluli's
Spire, mounted on top of the Tower of the Sun. It was said to cast its fiery
light up into the heavens as a beacon calling out to the Star People to return
to earth. The
firestones quicken, channel and control the physical energies. They draw upon
the sun's rays, as well as the earth's magnetic and telluric currents, to
generate beams of light, lightning, heat or fire. They are thought to be the
most dangerous of the gelstei; it is said that a
great pyramid of red gelstei unleashed a terrible
lightning that split asunder the world of Iviunn and
destroyed its star.
THE
BLACK
The
black gelstei, or baalstei,
are black crystals like obsidian.. Many are cast into
the shape of eyes, either flattened or rounded like large marbles. They devour
light and are the stones of negation. Many believe them to be evil stones, but they were
created for a great good purpose: to control the awesome lightning of the
firestones. Theirs is the power to damp the fires of material things, both
living and living crystals such as the gelstei. Used
properly, they can negate the working of all the other kinds of gelstei except the silver and the gold, over which they
have no power. Their
power over living things is most often put to evil purpose. The Kallimun priests and other servants of Morjin
such as the Grays have wielded them as weapons to
attack people physically, mentally and spiritually, literally sucking away
their vital energies and will. Thus the black stones can be used to cause
disease, degeneration and death.
It is
believed that that baalstei might be potentially more
dangerous than even the firestones. For in the Beginnings is told of an
utterly black place that is at once the negation of all things and
paradoxically also their source. Out of this place may come the fire and light
of the universe itself. It is said that the Baaloch, Angra Mainyu, before he was imprisoned on the world of Damoom, used a great black gelstei
to destroy whole suns in his war of rebellion against the Galadin
and the rule of the Ieldra.
THE
PURPLE
The lilastei are the stones of shaping and making. They are a
bright violet in hue, and are cast into crystals of a great variety of shapes
and sizes. Their power is unlocking the light locked up in matter so that
matter might be changed, molded and transformed. Thus
the lilastei are sometimes called the alchemists'
stones, according to the alchemists' age-old dream of transmuting baser matter
into true gold, and casting true gold into a new Lightstone. The purple gelstei's
greatest effects are on crystals of all sorts: but mostly those in metal and
rocks. It can unlock the crystals in these substances so that they might be
more easily worked. Or they can be used to grow crystals of great size and
beauty; they are the stone shapers and stone growers spoken of in legend. It is
said that Kalkamesh used a lilastei
in forging the silustria of the Bright Sword, Alkaladur.
Some believe the potential power of the purple gelstei
to be very great and perhaps very perilous. Lilastei
have been known to 'freeze' water into an alternate crystal called shatar, which is clear and as hard as quartz. Some fear
that these gelstei might be used thus to crystallize
the water in the sea and so destroy all life on earth. The stone masters of
old, who probed the mysteries of the lilastei too
deeply, are said to have accidentally turned themselves into stone, but
most believe this to be only a cautionary tale out of legend.
THE SEVEN OPENERS Back Appendices
Next
If
man's purpose is seen as in progressing to the orders of the Star People, Elijin and Galadin, then the
seven stones known as the openers might fairly be called greater gelstei. Indeed, there are those of the Great White
Brotherhood and the Green Brotherhood who revered them in this way. For, with
much study and work, the openers each activate one of the body's chakras: the energy centers known
as wheels of light. As the chakras are opened, from
the base of the spine to the crown of the head, so is opened a pathway for the
fires of life to reconnect to the heavens in a great burst of lightning called
the angel's fire. Only then can a man or a woman undertake the advanced work
necessary for advancement to the! higher orders.
The
openers are each small, clear stones the color of
their respective chakras. They are easily mistaken
for gemstones.
THE
FIRST (also called bloodstones)
These
are a clear, deep red in color, like rubies. The
first stones open the chakra of the physical body and
activate the vital energies.
THE
SECOND (also called passion stones or old gold)
These gelstei are gold-orange in color
and are sometimes mistaken for amber. The second stones open the chakra of the emotional body and activate the currents of
sensation and feeling.
THE
THIRD (also called sun stones)
The third
stones are clear and bright yellow, like citrine;
they open the third chakra of the mental body and
activate the mind.
THE
FOURTH (also called dream stones or heart stones)
These
beautiful stones - clear and pure green in color like
emeralds -open the heart chakra. Thus they open one's
second feeling, a truer and deeper sense than the emotions of the second chakra. The fourth stones work upon the astral body and
activate the dreamer.
THE
FIFTH (also called soul stones)
Bright
blue in color like sapphires, the fifth stones open
the chakra of the etheric
body and activate the intuitive knower, or the soul.
THE
SIXTH (also called angel eyes)
The
sixth stones are bright purple like amethyst They open
the chakra of the celestial body located just above
and between the eyes. Thus their more common name: theirs is the power of
activating ones second sight. Indeed, these gelstei
activate the seer in the realm of light, and open one to the powers of scrying, visualization and deep insight.
THE
SEVENTH (also called clear crowns or true diamonds)
One of
the rarest of the gelstei, the seventh stones are clear and bright as diamonds. Indeed, some say they are
nothing more than perfect diamonds, without flaw or taint of color. These stones open the chakra
of the ketheric body and free the spirit for reunion
with the One.
THE LESSER GELSTEI Back Appendices
Next
During
the Age of Law, hundreds of kinds of gelstei were
made for pur poses ranging from the commonplace to
the sublime. Few of these have survived the passage of the centuries. Some of
those that have are:
GLOWSTONES
Also
called glowglobes, these stones are cast into solid,
round shapes resembling opals of various sizes - some quite huge. They give a
soft and beautiful light. Those of lesser quality must be frequently refired beneath the sun, while those of the highest quality
drink in even the faintest candlelight, hold it and give back in a
steady illumination.
SLEEP STONES
A gelstei of many shifting and swirling colors,
the sleep stones have a calming effect on the human nervous system. They look
something like agates.
WARDERS
Usually
blood-red in color and opaque, like carnelians, these
stones deflect or 'ward-off psychic energies directed at a person. This
includes thoughts, emotions, curses - and even the debilitating energy drain of
the black gelstei. One who wears a warder can be
rendered invisible to scryers and opaque to mindspeakers.
LOVE STONES
Often
called true amber and sometimes mistaken for the second stones of the openers,
these gelstei partake of some of their properties.
They are specific to arousing feelings of infatuation and love; sometimes love
stones are ground into a powder and made into potions to achieve the same end.
They are soft stones and look much like amber.
WISH STONES
These
little stones - they look something like white pearls - help the wearer
remember his dreams and visions of the future; they activate the will to
manifest these visualizations.
DRAGON BONES
Of a
translucent, old ivory in color, the dragon bones
strengthen the life
fires and quicken one's courage - and all too often one's wrath.
HOT SLATE
A dark,
gray, opaque stone of considerable size - hot slate
is usually cast into yard-long bricks - this gelstei
is related in powers and purpose, if not form, to the glowstones.
It absorbs heat directly from the air and radiates it back over a period of
hours or days.
MUSIC MARBLES
Often
called song stones, these gelstei of variegated,
swirling hues record and play music, both of the human voice and all
instruments. They are very rare.
TOUCHSTONES
These
are related to the song stones and have a similar appearance. However, they
record and play emotions and tactile sensations instead of music. A man or a
woman, upon touching one of these gelstei, will leave
a trace of emotions that a sensitive can read from contact with the stone.
THOUGHT STONES
This is
the third stone in this family and is almost indistinguishable from the others.
It absorbs and holds one's thoughts as a cotton garment might retain the smell
of perfume or sweat. The ability to read back these thoughts from touching this
gelstei is not nearly so
rare as that of mindspeaking itself.
BOOKS OF THE SAGANOM ELU Back Appendices Next
|
Beginnings |
Mendelin |
|
Sources |
Ananke |
|
Chronicles |
Commentaries |
|
Journeys |
Book of Stars |
|
Book of Stones |
Book of Ages |
|
Book of Water |
Peoples |
|
Book of Wind |
Healings |
|
Book of Fire |
Laws |
|
Tragedies |
Battles |
|
Book of
Remembrance |
Progressions |
|
Sarojin |
Book of Dreams |
|
Baladin |
Idylls |
|
Averin |
Visions |
|
Souls |
Valkariad |
|
Songs |
Trian
prophecies |
|
Meditations |
The Eschaton |
THE AGES OF EA Back Appendices
Next
The
Lost Ages (18,000 - 12,000 years ago)
The Age
of the Mother (12,000 - 9,000 years ago)
The Age
of the Sword (9,000 - 6000 years ago)
The Age
of Law (6,000 - 3,000 years ago)
The Age
of the Dragon (3,000 years ago to the present)
THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR Back Appendices
Next
Yaradar Marud
Viradar Soal
Triolet Ioj
Gliss Valte
Ashte Ashvar
Soldru Segadar