Rotten Gods Glossary

(Note: Potential spoilers if you aren’t currently reading Rotten Gods)

Agruvan: Holy, elemental magic wielded by the people of Asodhra. The Three Sisters approve the channeling of all elements except darkness. From the Asodhrani Agru, meaning “storm” or “fire,” and Van, meaning “blood."

Arbiter: Assassin priests of the Sorkarian Order. Arbiters exclusively hunt rotten gods.

Arbiter Monastery: A cavernous complex within the Sorkarian Order’s desert mesa. Contains the arbiters’ living quarters, classrooms, and offices.

Asodhra: A great continent covering roughly one-third of the planet Kiru’s surface. It means “the land that faces the heavens” in the language of the cosmos.

Asodhrani: The language of the cosmos, originally taught to humanity by Inavani and the Three Sisters. Used in ritual and magic. In the present day, it is guarded by the Marazhen caste, who teach it to the other Starborn castes (Deshriva and Kalayam).

Astral Plane: A non-physical plane of existence. The land of souls and dreams.

Aurya: One of the Three Sisters. The goddess of the sun. Mother to the Sonani people and matron goddess of Sonan.

Aurya’s Remnant: The last surviving devotees of Aurya in Zakareoth’s swamps, led by former arbiter Rutan.

Chthonic Will: A mysterious entity or force. Nothing more is known about the Will at this time.

Congregation of the Fruitful: Zakareoth’s inner circle of his most faithful servants.

Crimson Isles: Zakareoth’s false paradise.

Cult of Zakareoth: Zakareoth’s faithful, who reside both on the rotten god’s mountain and within the Crimson Isles. Only those who have passed both trials are considered part of the cult.

Deshriva: The second highest caste of Asodhran society. From the Asodhrani word for “noon.” The Deshriva are warriors and politicians.

Dharawk: Revenant. The soul of a dream stalker trapped within a Fool’s Paradise.

Dharu: The currency of Sonan.

Divine Fingerprint: Inavani’s mark upon the human heart and soul. Provides humanity with reason, separating them from animals. Enables the use of magic. All people in Asodhra are marked with the fingerprint.

Dream Stalker: A suborder of the Sorkarian Arbiters. Dream stalkers are trained to confront rotten gods within their own realms.

Emereshal: One of the Three Sisters. The goddess of fertile earth and spring water.

First Angel: An epithet of Arconas, the champion of the Three Sisters in early antiquity. 

Fool’s Paradise: An astral realm created by a rotten god to trap their devotees. Also called “false paradise.”

Great Hunt: The quest an arbiter embarks on to assassinate a rotten god and free the mind of the witness being tormented by it.

Hall of Witnesses: A convent for the Sorkarian Order’s witnesses.

Inavani: The Undivided Goddess. Inavani descended to Asodhra from the deep cosmos in early antiquity and split herself into the Three Sisters to enlighten humanity.

Island of Pomegranates: The central island of the Crimson Isles.

Jadugar Hall: A teaching facility for priests-in-training at Sonanarth’s most prestigious university. The building hosts multiple lecture theaters, libraries, and meditation rooms.

Jeshtar: A class of spirit beings that inhabit the Three Sisters’ celestial paradise. They are the singers, dancers, and musicians of the heavens.

Kalayam: The third highest caste of Asodhran society. From the Asodhrani word for “evening.” The Kalayam are artists, artisans, and merchants.

Kersagan: The ninth month of the Asodhrani calendar.

Kiru: A large planet composed primarily of a boundless ocean. Kiru has only one continent, Asodhra.

Kunesh Karahesh: A rotten god who reigned during The War of a Thousand Kings. He was known by his followers as “The Lord of Mist.”

Long Night: A term used by the Sorkarian Order, referring to a person’s first encounter with a rotten god, opening their eyes to the horrible truth of their existence.

Lothakan: The swamp province of southwest Sonan.

Marazhen: The highest, priestly caste of Asodhran society. From the Asodhrani word for “morning.”

Mental Plane: A non-physical plane of existence. The realm of thought, emotion, fear, vice, and will.

Molgaa: One of the celestial planets of Nyavaru. The souls of the recently deceased are sent to Molgaa and punished for the sins they committed in life. The surface of Molgaa is depicted as an unending, elemental storm.

Napholok: The Asodhrani word for “rotten god.”

Nyavaru: The celestial paradise of the Three Sisters, made up of sixteen planets.

Planeswalking: The act of crossing from the physical plane to a non-physical plane of existence, such as the mental or astral planes. Rotten gods force their victims to planeswalk in order to trap them. Dream stalkers planeswalk deliberately to enter the false paradise.

Poisoner: A suborder of the Sorkarian Arbiters. Poisoners are trained to poison rotten gods over a period of many years.

Radiant Mother: An epithet of Aurya, indicating her role as the goddess of the sun.

Ring of Truth: A party game played in Asodhra, typically by teenagers or those in early adulthood.

Rotten God: A powerful, evil entity. Rotten gods were once human, but learned forbidden secrets of immortality to avoid judgement by the Three Sisters. Despite their immortality, their bodies continue to age, rotting and mutating without end.

Saffron Crane Park: A large, secluded park in one of Sonanarth’s wealthiest Marazhen neighborhoods.

Saphur: One of the Three Sisters. The goddess of the sky and rain.

Seeing: A dangerous ritual in which a witness communes with a rotten god to learn its secrets, carried out within the Shallow Womb.

Shakyani: A class of spirit beings that inhabit the Three Sisters’ celestial paradise. They are nature spirits, sometimes sent down to Asodhra to restore the balance of nature.

Shallow Womb: A secret chamber within the Hall of Witnesses, used by witnesses to spy on rotten gods.

Silent War: The war that the Sorkarian Order wages against the rotten gods in the present day. To avoid raising panic in Asodhran society, the order operates clandestinely, using assassins and spies rather than armies.

Silver Age: The second great age of Asodhran history. Despite the name, the Sorkarian Order knows the Silver Age was truly a dark age, as millions were deceived by the rotten gods.

Solar Pearl: A tool used by dream stalkers to maintain their power in a rotten god’s false paradise.

Sona: The largest province of Sonan. It contains Sonan’s capital city, Sonanarth. Though Sona Province borders the desert to the west, it primarily consists of verdant farms, fields, and forests, stretching far to the east.

Sonan: One of the three allied nations of North Asodhra. Aurya is worshipped as the mother goddess of all Sonan and the Sonani people. 

Sonanarth: The capital city of Sonan.

Sonani: A citizen of Sonan. It is purely a term of one’s nationality, not of one’s complexion or appearance.

Sorkarian Order: A secret order of assassins and spies, whose sole purpose is to exterminate the remaining rotten gods.

Starborn: A collective term for the three high castes, Marazhen, Deshriva, and Kalayam.

Syshee: A rotten god who reigned during The War of a Thousand Kings. He was known by his followers as “The Jackal King.”

Table of Nine: The leadership council of the Sorkarian Order.

Tavat: The common language of Asodhra. Spoken across all nations and amongst all castes.

Thovur: The lowest caste of Asodhran society. From the Asodhrani word for “night.” The Thovur are laborers and servants. They are the only non-starborn caste.

Three Sisters: Aurya, Saphur, and Emereshal. The great goddesses of Asodhra, created when the Undivided Goddess, Inavani, split herself into three in early antiquity.

Trial of Adoration: The second of two rituals to induct one into the Cult of Zakareoth.

Trial of Hatred: The first of two rituals to induct one into the Cult of Zakareoth.

Vargrashi: Archpriest. The Sonani archpriest communicates with Aurya directly and relays her will to the people. The office is currently held by Pyoshara’s father, Vashayatha. The other two nations each have their own Vargrashi, who commune with Saphur and Emereshal.

War of a Thousand Kings: A period of history lasting over five centuries. During this time, many false kings, queens, gods, goddesses, seers, and mystics deceived millions, luring them away from the true religion of the Three Sisters. The Sorkarian Order was established during this time to restore the truth. Despite the name, many more than a thousand false teachers were put to death during this time. All of them were rotten gods.

War Priest: A member of the Marazhen caste, trained to wield spells in battle. Sorkarian Arbiters are all war priests, however war priests can be found in other orders, and within the royal armies.

Witness: Spies of the Sorkarian Order. Witnesses commune with the rotten gods to learn their secrets.

Yaartama: Post-funerary rites for the souls of the recently deceased. The first Yaartama rite is held shortly after cremation.

Yhormun Mountains: A mountain range that separates Yuja Province from Lothakan Province.

Yuja: The desert province of southwest Sonan.