Secondborn

Rose Garden Society. A secret club dedicated to the preservation and welfare of Roselle St. Sismode. They have a vested interest in seeing her become The Sword (Clarity of the Fate of Swords). One of the most influential members is Clifton Salloway (firstborn Sword aristocracy), an arms dealer who owns Salloway Munitions Conglomerate. Members are called Rose Gardeners.

Rose Gardener. A member of the Rose Garden Society.

Roselyn. Tyburn’s lover, known for wearing roses in her hair. Her statue is part of the Tyburn Fountain located in Westerbane Heath. She points to the secret door that leads to the hidden passage to Tyburn’s Temple located inside the grounds of the Sword Palace.

Rush. A highly addictive drug that causes paranoia and delusions of grandeur.

Salloway Munitions Conglomerate. A Sword-Fated weapons manufacturer owned by Clifton Salloway. Headquarters is in the capital city of Forge in the Fate of Swords.

sapwood. A pipeline or tube that transports liquid (such as water, fuel, or waste) via suction up or down levels within a Forest Base Tree.

Sovenagh. A female composer who created the chamber music titled The Rape of Reason, her ninetieth symphony.

stinger. Sharp-nosed security drones that catalogue and ping monikers. They scan for unauthorized personnel and for soldiers who are in the wrong areas for their service-level access.

Stone Forest Base. A military Sword-Fated Base consisting of treelike structures upon which air-barracks ships dock. It’s located in the city of Iron in the Fate of Swords, near the border of the Fate of Virtue and the Fate of Atoms.

Strato. A secondborn Sword soldier rank in the military. It is one level above a Tropo and one level below a Meso. Midnight-blue uniforms. It is Hawthorne’s rank when he meets Roselle. (Tropo, Strato, Meso, Thermo.)

strike port. Located at the end of the hilt, this is the access point or source from which a fusionblade or hydroblade glows with golden energy.

summoner. Another name for a beacon.

Temperance. A small hamlet in the Fate of Virtue.

Thermo. A secondborn Sword soldier rank in the military. Highest rank. It is three levels above a Tropo. Sky-blue uniforms. (Tropo, Strato, Meso, Thermo.)

Tourmaline Mountains. A mountain range that surrounds the Twilight Forest Base.

Transition Day. A day in early autumn that happens annually, wherein eighteen-year-old secondborns are required to report to a processing Base set up by the Fates of the Republic to be indoctrinated into governmental service. Sword-Fated secondborns report to the nearest “Golden Circle” just outside of each Forest Base for processing. For a multitude of reasons, families bring their Sword-Fated secondborns to these Bases years too early, as young as ten years old. Parents often fear their secondborn will harm their firstborn to gain power and position in their society. Many parents don’t want to grow attached to their secondborn, knowing they are to be given up later.

Tree Fort. The tower on a Forest Base that gives airships clearance to take off and land. Air traffic control at the military Bases.

Tree. A tree-shaped military building used by Sword-Fated personnel. Firstborn officers and high-ranking secondborn officers reside in apartments or air-barracks in glass Trees, while subordinate soldiers reside in apartments or air-barracks in concrete and steel Trees.

Tritium 101. Roselle’s Sword regiment/air-barracks. Also known as T-101.

troopship. A large airship that transports soldiers to and from war zones or other military duties.

Tropo. A secondborn Sword soldier rank in the military. Lowest rank. Beige-and-brown uniforms. Roselle’s rank on her Transition Day. (Tropo, Strato, Meso, Thermo.)

turner. A snitch; in particular, a secondborn who betrays the confidence of another secondborn or who reports another secondborn’s infraction of a rule or law.

Twilight Forest Base. A military Sword-Fated Base consisting of treelike structures upon which air-barracks ships dock. It is located in the Fate of Swords near the border of the Fate of Stars and the Fate of Seas. It is surrounded by the Tourmaline Mountains.

Tyburn Fountain. A fountain in Westerbane Heath that depicts the West Wind demigod, Tyburn, defeating Hyperion, the demigod of water. The fountain contains a secret passage that leads to Tyburn’s Temple on the grounds of the Sword Palace. The statue of Roselyn, part of the fountain, points the way to the hidden door.

Tyburn. A demigod known as the Warrior of the West Wind. He defeated Hyperion, the demigod of water, giving water to his people.

Tyburn’s Temple. The domed stone building located on the grounds of the Sword Palace in the Fate of Swords.