Canon Information

[charterbound]

Notes and the like to keep some information in one place, so that I can refer to it quickly

The Bells
Free and Charter Magic

Death
The Dead

Inscriptions and Poems

Comments

The Bells

[charterbound]

The seven bells are kept on a leather bandolier, each in a leather pouch that is designed to keep them silent. Each is larger than the last, starting with one the size of a small pill bottle, with the seventh being almost the size of a jar.

Ranna - The Sleepbringer, or Sleeper. A sweet, low sound, that brings silence in its wake.

Mosrael - The Waker. Harsh and rowdy. A seesaw that throws the ringer further into Death while bringing the listening into Life.

Kibeth - The Walker. Several different sounds, known for being contrary and difficult to wield. Freedom of movement.

Dyrim - The Speaker. A musical bell, of clear and pretty tone. Gives voice to the Dead who have lost it, or stills a tongue that speaks too freely.

Belgaer - The Thinker. Tends to try ringing of its own accord. Restores independent thought, or erases them in a careless hand. The bell which will free Mogget if rung at rebinding.

Saraneth - The Binder. A deep sound, the lowest bell. Shackles those who hear it to the ringer's will.

Astarael - The Sorrowful, or the Weeper. The banisher. All who hear it are flung far into death, including the one who rings it.

Inscriptions and Poems

[charterbound]

The Nine Bright Shiners

"I’ll sing you a song of the long ago -
Seven shine the shiners, oh!
What did the Seven do way back when?
Why, they wove the Charter then!
Five for the warp, from beginning to end.
Two for the woof, to make and mend.
That’s the Seven, but what of the Nine-
What of the two who chose not to shine?
The Eighth did hide, hide all away,
But the Seven caught him and made him pay.
The Ninth was strong and fought with might,
But lone Orannis was put out of the light,
Broken in two and buried under hill,
Forever to lie there, wishing us ill."

The Great Charters

Five Great Charters knit the land
together linked, hand in hand
One in the people who wear the crown
Two in the folk who keep the Dead down
Three and Five became stone and mortar
Four sees all in frozen water.

The Dead
When the dead do walk seek water's run,
for this the Dead will always shun.
Swift river's best or broadest lake
to ward the dead and haven make.
If water fails thee, fire's thy friend,
if neither guards it will be thy end.

Abhorsen's Sword

"I was made for Abhorsen, to slay those already Dead. The Clayr saw me, the Wallmaker made me, the King quenched me, Abhorsen wields me."

Free Magic and Charter Magic

[charterbound]

All magic began as Free Magic. Magic that was wild, angry, unbound, and only able to be focused through strength of will. Many who summoned Free Magic creatures could be destroyed by them, unable to constrain and control the creatures.

Free Magic can do just about anything in enough amounts, unlike Charter Magic. It will, however, erode flesh and bone, causing death if the sorcerer using it does not fashion themselves a new body made of Free Magic. Free Magic is said to smell unnatural, tangy, as if metallic.

Charter Magic is bound, restricted magic. Directed by charter marks, which control the magic and stops it flowing out of control like Free Magic can, it is much safer, though requires surrender to the Charter and baptism with a charter mark.

Theoretically, one can do anything with Charter Magic so long as the correct charter marks are known. Using marks unknown however can be very dangerous, as the magic will drain the user when cast, and cannot be cancelled once cast. A charter mage can kill themselves by using marks they don't have the ability to cast.

A Free Magic user cannot use Charter Magic without the baptising mark, however a Charter Mage can use Free Magic should they wish, at the usual risk to themselves.

-----

Mogget, as one of the Nine, is a Free Magic creature of immense power.

His collar is soaked in Charter Magic, while the bell on it is a copy of the Abhorsen's bells, also soaked in Charter Magic.

Death

[charterbound]

It is possible for Necromancers, the Abhorsen, and Charter Mages to enter Death. When they do so, their bodies become frozen over, ice hanging from their form. Dead creatures and those of Free Magic who enter Death do so physically, disappearing from Life when they enter Death.

Death is a dull, grey place. It is an infinitely wide river, that extends forever horizontally. A grey mist lingers forever, hindering how far one can see. The river's current always pulls on any who enter Death, trying to sweep them deeper into Death.

Proceeding forwards, deeper into Death, leads to the Gates. The Gates cannot be passed unless a Free Magic spell is cast, or one is swept up in the Gate and passes it involuntarily.

The Dead

[charterbound]

The Dead come in both Lesser and Greater forms.

Greater Dead can control Lesser, and usually are denizens of the Seventh Gate or later. They are wily and intelligent, well versed in ways to avoid their final death.

Lesser Dead

Dead Hand - A corpse reanimated by a necromancer. They decay quickly in the sunlight.
Gore Crows - Ordinary crows killed and infused with a single driving dead spirit. They die again quickly, especially in the sunlight. Generally made in huge flocks where their numbers are dangerous, they can also be made in smaller amounts to increase the amount of time they can survive in Life.
Mordaut - A small creature that resembles a rat, they can possess and take control of a living body. They must take the life force of others still in order to survive like this however.
Mordicant - One of the most powerful types of Lesser Dead. A body of moulded bog-clay and human blood, infused with Free Magic and controlled by a Dead spirit within. While powerful, they must be created by a necromancer, and thus cannot be considered one of the Greater Dead as a result, despite their power and intelligence. They can cross between Life and Death at will.
Shadow Hand - A spirit called from Death by a necromancer. Unlike Dead Hands, they have no physical form, and as such can change their appearance as needed. They are still weakened by sunlight.

Greater Dead

Resters - While most Greater Dead are unique in shape and appearance, there is a colloquial name for some. Known as Fifth Gate Resters, they spend a long time within the Fifth Precinct, their shape warped by the deep water until they are no longer human.