🥀🪞 Adelaide's Book of Wonders: Laws & Magic of the Seven Seas
AUTHOR NOTE: To call Adelaide a “princess” is true, but insufficient. In her world, a world built on the braided threads of Kazakh and Central Asian cosmology and the cadence of fairytales, a princess is an heir to a living, breathing force of nature; to a sea with its own law, magic, and will.
I. THE LINEAGE OF THE SEVEN DAUGHTERS OF TRITON
Adelaide was to Zhansaya ("Zhanya") Dilnaz Aygerim, the Su Iyesi* ("Water Mother") of the Caspian Sea, and a mortal man she lured beneath the waves. For a time, she remade him into a creature of the deep, able to breathe water, stripped of his name, and bound to her court in absolute silence. When he had served his purpose, she released him into the blackest trench of the Caspian, where the pressure crushed him to nothing.
There are seven Su Iyesi in this world, each ruling one of the Seven Seas. Though the Merking’s reign is that of a high sovereign, uniting all seas under one crown, each Su Iyesi is queen in her own waters, a guardian and steward of its magic. And each must birth at least one daughter.
At the age of nine, these seven daughters are taken from their mother’s domain waters to the Kingdom of Atlantica, to be raised together in the Merking's halls as though he were their true father, trained in the laws of the seas, the etiquette of the deep courts, and the magic of each their mother's domain.
In maturity, they return to inherit the seas of their mothers, taking their place as Su Iyesi. These seas hold magic and mysteries beyond human understanding, which we will dive into in later chapters.
* “Su Iyesi” is the name in the tongue of the Caspian water-folk. In other seas they are called differently, in the local dialect.
II. THE THREE LAYERS OF THE WORLD
The seas do not float on nothing; they rest on an order older than time itself. Kazakh and Central Asian cosmology speaks of three realms:
Upper World: The domain of the sky, celestial spirits, and powers of light
Middle World: The realm of humans, animals, and the visible lands and seas
Lower World: The shadowed depths, home to ancestors, chthonic spirits, and the roots of rivers both seen and unseen in the Middle World
III. THE SEVEN THRESHOLDS
The Seven Seas are much more than bodies of waters in the Middle World. They are portals — thresholds between each Sea, each World. Each has their own unique magic**, tended by its respective Su Iyesi.
Here's a bit of an overview on these Seas, though be aware that each is an entirely vast realm in and of itself, and this just covers the basics of what you should know:
1. THE MEDITERRANEAN / The Voice
Role: The sea that carries voices between worlds, trusted by rulers, merchants, and warriors. Though all Seven Seas are portals unto other Worlds, the Mediterranean is the safest to travel through
Magic: Speak into its tide, naming your listener, and your words reach them across any of the other Thresholds, across the Worlds, in the span of a single breath. Songs, secrets, and warnings ride its currents like swallows on the wind
Beware: Your words can sometimes warp, and you can run the risk of turning into lies, threats into blessings, and vice versa
2. THE BLACK SEA / The Veil
Role: The protector of the unseen, the desperate, and the hunted
Magic: Hides ships, people, and sometimes even entire cities. A man can step into its dark shallows, give up your name through a ritual with the Su Iyesi, and if she accepts you, you will vanish from all sight and memory. Alternatively, if you swim in its waters at midnight, you can assume another's face for a single cycle of the moon
Beware: Stay hidden too long, do not return your mask at the end of the season, and you forget yourself... first your name, then your face, then why you wished to ever hide in the first place
3. THE CASPIAN SEA / The Mirror
Role: Draws out what is hidden in the heart and shows the truth beneath a lie
Magic: Speak any question while gazing into its waters, and your own reflection will answer. If you speak a vow in its waters and abide by it, you might be rewarded, though this reward / boom is determined by the whim of the water. Vow to guard the life of the child you once meant to rob, for example, and you will find yourself suddenly immune to most infections for the rest of your life
Beware: Speak falsely to your reflection or break the vow, and the reflection you betrayed will crawl out of the water to follow you as your shadow, whispering your falsehoods until your last breath
4. THE RED SEA / The Metamorphist
Role: The sea that changes all it touches
Magic: Wounds may close, bodies may shift, fates may be rewritten entirely. A crippled child might walk ashore; a ruler might crawl out as a beggar
Beware: The change is permanent; whether a mercy or curse befalls you, there is no going back
5. THE PERSIAN GULF / The Compass
Role: The sea that finds what is lost
Magic: Cast an offering into its depths while naming what you seek (a stolen crown, a vanished lover, a child taken by the tide) and the sea will return it to you, whole or in pieces, in its own time
Beware: Your offering only opens the search; the true price is named when the lost thing is found. If you refuse, the sea will keep the thing you sought, and may take something dear besides
6. THE ADRIATIC SEA / The Leviathan
Role: The sea that grants monstrous strength
Magic: Drink from its depths under a full moon, and for three days you wield the strength to tear through iron chains, lift ships from the shallows, or shatter stone with your hands
Beware: When the days end, your body remembers every strain at once. Bones may crack, muscles tear, and some never rise again from where they fall. In rare cases, the Leviathan comes to reclaim its gift in person
7. THE AEGEAN SEA / The Anchor
Role: The sea that trades in time
Magic: Wade into its waters at dawn, and you may ask for more time to lengthen a single night, or even relive a day... Star-crossed lovers use it to make the moon linger above them until sunrise, dying kings use it to drag out their final hour, whispering last commands before the tide takes them
Beware: The sea never creates time, only moves it. What you borrow must be paid; years may vanish from the end of your life, or the hours you steal may be taken from someone you love
** These magics are not for the taking of any mortal who stumbles into their waters. They answer only to the will of the Su Iyesi. Those who attempt to command the sea without its consent are more often swallowed than obeyed.
IV. THE CURSE
Before Adella could inherit her place as Su Iyesi, she stole an enchanted necklace from the sea witch Morgana, a selfish act that brought down a cruel punishment. Morgana cursed her, and the magic will twist her into a sea witch herself if she cannot break it in time.
Ever since, a voice she calls Maré has whispered in her head, urging her toward a single task: to find and claim the Seven Drowned Names, which will seemingly help rid her of this curse. Yet the longer she hunts them, the darker she becomes, and she begins to wonder if she truly wants to be free of her terrible fate after all.
Her bond to the Caspian is weakening. She can sometimes still use its waters to force a truth from a murderer’s lips, to seal an oath, break it, so that the oath-bearer can be brought to ruin, or to summon a liar’s warped reflection to haunt them. But the connection fades with each passing season, and soon even the sea may no longer answer her call.
Send me a 🚶 and I’ll introduce you to an NPC in my muse’s life.
EPSILON COMMANDER.
Aphelion Empire's Epsilon Division is unique in that they are mostly based around the main colonies and planet—their speciality lies in the digital infrastructure supporting society from behind the scenes. As a stationery unit, Epsilon nevertheless has communications with all six other divisions and commands a certain level of respect from each.
The Epsilon Commander was the former reigning mecha champion in domestic competitions before work took over her private schedule. She has met AGNESI-17 for private rounds a few times and expects to face them in the large inter-galactic competition held every 5 years next year. She was also responsible for creating Syren's latest upgrades and enjoying chatting with her alongside her own A.I. companion, Nevi. As a remarkably tall woman with a fierce face that often cows people into submission with a single look, she is actually quite friendly. Unfortunately, her monstrous strength and lack of hesitation in using it often leads to misunderstandings about her personality.
Despite her rough mannerisms, she has exceptionally steady hands and is good with detail work.
THE MERMAN.
The Merman hails from a distant planet made up of 90% water as one of its official representatives. He sought out the Aphelion Empire for a chance at alliance, but nearly lost his life in the process due to the rigors of space travel on his species, who are born and raised in water all their lives.
Fortunately, a run-in with the Delta Division fleet saved the life of him and his crew. He gets along well with them but has an unfortunate habit of taking Argent's words at face value when he speaks. In his merman form, he possesses a powerful tail with strength and durability comparable to those of Syren's own exoskeleton.
Since coming on land, he has developed a taste for exotic fruits, especially those grown from trees. Star Lychees are one of his favorites.
I've been thinking about this scene all day, the one scene where we see 32-year-old Rust in a "humanized" way, something casual. Talking to Maggie about "getting better" because she doesn't see how the way he is at the moment is an improvement over something else, but he knows he's better. He knows that the nightmares are less, the hallucinations are less, and he's not being used by people in ways he never once wanted to. Sure, he's still got a long way to go, but the life he's currently having is so much nicer than what he had for 4 years.
Obviously, I don't think he told Maggie about the horrors he faced while undercover (he barely told Marty), but when he says he thinks he's better, he's telling his truth. And while from the outside he's just one lonely man in a small apartment with nothing to his name, it's precisely what he needs. He doesn't trust people, not yet, but he's healing in his own way and at his own pace.
He still thought he liked only women when he was a high school student. During his senior year of high school, however, he begins to develop feelings for several guys. Despite these feelings, he denied them until he met a tall, strong, good-looking man. Together they played on a couple of sports teams. They shared stories about themselves and their plans for college. Dash accidentally kissed the guy while he was talking, and it was awkward for both of them. Despite not controlling his feelings, he harbored resentment towards himself for acting so foolishly.
GRAYSON PIERCE ( HE/HIM ) is a CIS MAN, THIRTY-THREE year old BAKER AT DELIA’S CAFE who has been living in Moorbrooke for FOUR YEARS. They were born on JULY 23rd and right now, they are currently residing in OAKLEY COURT. It has been said that they look suspiciously like DANIEL SHARMAN and if they had to choose a song to describe themselves, they would choose WATERMELON SUGAR by HARRY STYLES.
FULL NAME: grayson pierce
NICKNAMES: gray, hey asshole (depends on who’s talking to him)
SEXUALITY & PRONOUNS: pansexual (he&him)
ROMANTIC STATUS: single
BIRTHDAY: july 23rd, 1988 (33)
ZODIAC: libra, aquarius moon
HOGWARTS HOUSE: gryffindor with slytherin tendencies
TATTOOS & PIERCINGS:none at the moment! (perhaps a potential plot idea?)
MUSE INSPO: COMING SOON
MUSIC INSPO:COMING SOON
bio: (drugs tw)
born and raised in chicago, illinois, grayson came into the world packing a punch from day one. he cried, and cried, so much that nurses were afraid his lungs would eventually give out. they didn’t, and neither did grayson.
growing up in a household where your father made most of the rules, and your mother listened to every bit of it, well, it got to be a bit much for grayson. mainly because his father is a highly controlling man who always wanted grayson one way when grayson wished to be another, it was a constant battle, though they did have their moments in which they got along. but there was no denying that it was evident from an early age that grayson pierce would be trouble. in one form or another.
when his sibling was born, something in grayson sparked. he became incredibly protective of his younger sibling, which often got him into trouble at school and off school grounds. it was as if no one could even look wrong at his sibling, or grayson was meeting their face with his fist. one too many times did he have to face a couple of angry parents for leaving their kids with bruised eyes and ego. he didn’t care, for his sibling, grayson would do anything.
the older he got, the louder his voice became. he wasn’t shy to express who he was or how he felt. when it came to dating, he was shameless about flirting with whoever caught his attention, he had the most challenging time committing. if his relationships lasted longer than a month, grayson considered it a miracle. but despite being terrible at relationships, grayson was, and is, an incredible friend to have by your side. much like he’d fight for his siblings, he’d lay his life for a friend as well. because of this, grayson doesn’t call many people his friend. most people in his life are considered acquaintances, and it takes a lot to gain his trust.
college was never in the books for grayson. heck, the guy could barely manage to make it to his high school classes. don’t get him wrong, he did attempt to take a semester of college...but then ended up at more parties than classes and never returned after winter break.
(tw: drugs mention) however, what grayson was good at was making money. one way or another, the guy always found a way to save and get by. eventually he became the person almost everyone went to when they needed a quick fix, refill, or someone to keep the party going. with every transaction grayson would put aside money in a savings account that he slowly grew throughout the course of a couple of years.
he did a bit ‘living on the road’ for a bit before stumbling upon moorbrooke. in that time he met a person who managed to break through his walls and flip his world upside down. before them grayson had never thought about slowing down, but with them, he wanted to stop time to live in their moment forever. in his heart he always felt like things couldn’t remain good forever, though, and part of him had always suspected he would be the reason it didn’t. his suspicions were partially true, however, instead of him leaving he ended up waking up one morning to a voicemail saying ‘goodbye.’ and something about having a good life. just like that, everything turned upside for grayson once more. after this break up the guy was even more terrified of commitment and to this day he does a lot of things in order to numb the ache he still feels over it.
from the moment he saw moorbrooke, grayson was hooked. so when he saw a ‘roommates wanted’ ad the guy answered it almost instantly, soon he found himself living in oakley court and landing a job as a baker at delia’s cafe. after living on his own for a little it got lonely and boring being alone, so he was more than thrilled over the idea of roommates. his new roommates, andrej and emmett, quickly gained a special place in his heart.
connections:
fake relationship: quade is his fake boyfriend that he attends public events with. sometimes he’ll ask the guy on a date, or steal kisses, just to “keep up appearances”. honestly grayson knows this was just a dumb drunk idea the two of them thought up because at the moment it seemed brilliant, but he likes having a fake boyfriend. it gives him a chance to be an actual boyfriend sometimes without the pressure of actual commitment.
