Meer Lore


A Glossary of People, Places, and Things Within The Meer Lore

A feline-like race of humanoids inhabiting the world of Sosaria. It is unclear at this point where or when in Sosaria they exist. They are covered in spotted fur similar to a leopard's, with varying hues from light to dark. Their ears are also feline in appearance and one of their most expressive features. The Meer are a magical race, using the forces of nature as their source of energy.

People - Creatures - Places - Culture - Things

People:

Kaji Sayarukan (KAH-jee sah-YAH-roo-khan) - A young female 16 year old Meer, apprenticed to Sayaru at a very early age to study the ways of the Mages. At the behest of Sayaru, sent to Anjur to infiltrate the Lore Masters Caste. In love with Teyloth. Apprenticed to Master Mithrazel in the art of sorcery.

Sayaru (sah-YAH-roo) - Matriarch of the Mystic Caste. Very old in appearance despite the use of several longevity spells. Referred to as the Venerable Mother by those in her caste. The term "Dame" also used to refer to her.

Teyloth (TAY-loth) - A young male Meer, member of the Warrior Caste. In love with Kaji of the Mystic Caste. Nicknamed "Tey" by Kaji.

Master Mithrazel (MYTH-rah-zehl) - Recent graduate of the mage apprenticeship in Anjur to Lore Master Adranath. Initial Master to Kaji in the art of sorcery.

Captain Dasha (DAH-sha) - Leader of the Shadow Hunters and Enemy of the Necromancers. Also participates in the attack on Adranath to destroy the Bloodstone. (Click here for a photo of a Todd McFarlane rendering and an exclusive screenshot of her visiting Yew.)

Adranath (AH-drah-noth) - Pre-Cataclysm: The Lore Master of the Lore Council in Anjur. Very old - "Within the disk, the silver-furred Lore Master shot him an irritated glare." (Click here and here for a photo of a Todd McFarlane rendering). Post-Cataclysm: "Adranath was resurrected by his twisted disciple, Kavah. But the old loremaster was no longer an ordinary Meer. He was now the Lord of Necromancers, an immortal demon of tremendous power and a devoted servant of the Malevolence. Adranath was defeated after the first Necromancer War, although his spirit lingered on Sosaria. It was this spectral form of the Lord of Necromancers that managed to create the Bloodstone, which was later destroyed by Auric, the founder of the Shadow Hunters, and a band of Sosarian heroes that included Kabur, Dasha, a Britannian knight named Kasim, and a Technocrat assassin named Eris (this would have been the plot of the anime movie). Adranath's dark soul had finally been banished back to the Abyss, but he had left the curse of necromancy behind."

Master Hathniel (HOTH-nee-el) - Sorcerer killed during a magical summoning being done by the Lore Council of Anjur, becoming undead and then finally killed by Kaji.

Auric (AW-rick) - Dasha's father. Leads the attack on and destroys the Bloodstone.

Kavah (KAH-vah) - Resurrects Adranath after the Cataclysm. A "twisted disciple" of Adranath's. From Ahriman - "Determined to avoid another catastrophe, the Matriarchs sealed away many of the ancient rituals within sacred temples. Eventually, a young Meer mage named Kavah discovered a way to unlock these temples. He studied many of these rituals in secret and found a way to tap the power of the Nexus Points, places of great magical instability where the fabric of reality was weak and the merging of the three timelines imperfect. It was through one of these "gates" that Kavah resurrected Adranath and his Lich Lords - the members of the ancient Lore Council whose souls had been consumed by the Malevolence. This led to the first Meer Necromancer War." Also from Ahriman on 12/20/00 - After Adranath was defeated in Avenosh, "Kavah ended up on the shores of New Britannia, making his lair in the crypt called Covetous. After spreading the art of necromancy throughout the Lands of Virtue, his reign of terror was ended by the combined might of the Britannian Great Houses.

Creatures:

Madrogai (MA-dro-guy) - Giant monster found in the Wilds of Dashan. Reptilian in appearance, stands on 2 legs, has a beak rather than mouth, and has claws for hands. Carnivorous, intelligent, very fast & strong, with excellent vision.

Ostard- Domestic beast used for transportation by the Meer, similar to the horses used by humans. 2-legged, similar in appearance to a miniature dinosaur.

Durka (DUHR-kah) - Enormous, domesticated lizards that serve as Meer livestock, similar to the cattle of Humans.

Living Whip- A weapon of the Warrior Caste. Half whip, half serpentine arthropod with a venomous bite, and the length of a full-size meer when uncurled. Some believe that the creatures are bonded at the time they hatch to their masters even to the point of telepathy.

Stinger- Also called a Living Dart Thrower. A beetle-like creature that flings needle-thin missiles with a segmented tail. Venomous, though only one volley of needles is not deadly.

Scavenger Vines- Thorn-toothed, flesh-eaters.

Places:

Wilds of Dashan (DAH-shawn) - Untamed jungles filled with all sorts of wild creatures and beautiful fauna. Very few Meer inhabit this area.

Anjur (AHN-joor) - Home of the Lore Masters, nicknamed the crystal city. Filled with glassy spires, the towers sparkle clear and distinct, even from several miles away.

Sirocco (sih-RAHK-oh) - Little is known of this place other than it seems to be famous for assassins - "The man wore clothes painted to resemble the dappled shadows of the nighttime forest. His fur was dyed black, with stripes of bright red paint on the neck and limbs." In general terms, the word is used to describe any hot, oppressive wind.

Avenosh (AH-veh-nosh) - Within the time period that Origin takes place in, this is considered to be the ancient Meer land.

Ishpur (ISH-poor) - Capital city of Avenosh.

New Minoc - City found in modern Avenosh. See Conceptual Map for more details.

Culture:

SHADOW HUNTERS - Warriors dedicated to the eradication of Necromancy. Captain Dasha is their leader, but it was originally founded by her father, Auric.

NECROMANCERS - Followers of the immense dark power of the Malevolance. Led by Adranath, the Lord of the Undead.

CASTES- The social structure of the Meer is broken up into castes. The varying caste members are not allowed to intermingle. At this time we know of three different castes:

MYSTIC CASTE - Masters of Magic and Nature. Balance is their mantra.
WARRIOR CASTE - The Protectors of the Land
WORKER'S CASTE - Those that support the other castes, including Farmers and Merchants

Things:

Lore Masters- Those that have mastered the power of nature above all other mages in the Mystic Caste. Dubbed Sorcerers, it is feared that they may have perfected the goodness of magic so much that the balance may have been disrupted and that doom may be on the horizon. Based out of Anjur. The leaders are called the Lore Council.

Matriarch- Title given to the leader of the Mystic Caste. Currently Sayaru in the Prequel Lore. From Ahriman - "After the Cataclysm, the Matriarchs helped rebuild Meer society, spreading their own philosophy of harmony with Nature and pacifism. Determined to avoid another catastrophe, the Matriarchs sealed away many of the ancient rituals within sacred temples."

Lore Council- Leaders of the Lore Masters. Based out of the city of Anjur. From Ahriman - "The Lore Council's philosophy prior to the Cataclysm taught that the ultimate expression of power was the control over the Laws of Nature. Rather than trying to maintain any sort of natural order, the sorcerers of the Lore Council became obsessed with mastering the power of the Primogenitor, the source of all life. Armed with this power, they were certain that they could reshape their world to suit their whims. The Matriarchs, the gentle mages of the rural townships and the spiritual leaders of ancient Meer society, warned that this arrogance would carry a terrible price. The result of this tampering was of course the Cataclysm and the awakening of the sinister force known as the Malevolence...After the war, several Meer sorcerers who had helped defeat Adranath with the benefit of other ancient rituals, demanded the Matriarchs unseal the remaining temples. They claimed that the knowledge that had saved the Meer people from the demon Adranath needed to be studied not locked away. Backed by the Warrior Caste and a large percentage of the Meer people, these sorcerers prevailed and the Matriarchs made the rituals available. These sorcerers formed a new Lore Council, sharing power with the Matriarchs. Whereas this Lore Council shares many of the Matriarch's peaceful beliefs, it remains to be seen whether they shall repeat the mistakes of their ancestors."

Crystal- Item used by the Mystic Caste to help create their spells.

Circle of Elements- Terminology used to describe the various spells used by Mages.

Villages of the Meer- By all accounts, the Meer seem to live off the ground, with their homes built in the trees of large cypress and yew trees. The buildings are made of pulpy rough-hewn wood with thatched roofs.

Magework- Magic of the Mystic Caste with the keys being Balance, Tradition, and Rituals.

Anjuric Sorcery- Requires a lifetime of discipline and responsibility for a Meer to perfect the art. Stripping away the Traditions and Rituals of the Mystic Caste, the Lore Masters have perfected the art of magic by boiling each spell down to its Essence. By doing this, they believe that they have mastered nature itself. But the leaders of the Mystic Caste believe they have lost their understanding of balance and sacrifice as a result. Essentially, Sorcery can be viewed as a magic surrounded by Order, while the traditions of the Mystics are surrounded in the Chaos of nature.

Matrix of Enchantments- Used to create the magic of the Anjuric Sorcerers. It is supposed to be designed to elminate randomness from nature, but in fact (by Kaji's view) may only be spreading that randomness out over a larger area.

Mana- Created by nature through the energy of life (living earth and the living elements), this is the basic force used by Mages and Sorcerers to craft their magic.

Glyphs- Symbols used in Anjuric Magic to create spells. Known so far are Flam (Passion), Irem (Statis), Than (Undeath), Por (Movement), Xen (Creature), Tym (Time).

Chitin Armor- A warrior's armor, usually engraved with a family's symbols. Made in round plates out of the outer covering of a large insect or crustacean (at this point it is unclear what creature this might be).

Heartstone- Magical stones (found in pairs) that allow the heat surrounding one stone to be emitted from the other. In the Meer Lore, the stones are used by Kaji and Teyloth "so we can always hold hands, no matter how no matter how far apart we are" (as in, they could feel the heat from each others palms through the stones). After being given a sorcerous enchantment, the stones can also be used as a form of communication between each other.

The Parting of the Veils- A spell designed to replicate Creation itself, which is the ultimate source of power. Creation, which gives the ability to fashion life out of emptiness. And with it, most importantly, the ability to create mana independently. Disturbingly similar to the Spell of Rejoining that Lord British is also working on in another place and time.

Troth of Anjur - A collection of 700 total glyphs. The Meer's ultimate bond with the universe. Used in the Parting of the Veils.

Ether - Crystalline and impossibly dark. Almost animated in appearance.

Primogenitor (pri-muh-jen-ih-tuhr) - The term used to describe the ultimate power that comes from Creation.

A Nexus- One who, by the whim of fate, is able to channel mana without limits. It's extremely rare.

Hookah (HOOK-uh) - A pipe-like device with a long, flexible tube so arranged that it draws the smoke through water in a vase or bowl and cools it. Used to smoke tobacco with.

Bloodstone - "The Bloodstone was an artifact that Adranath created. It was a twisted version of the Lore Council's Soul Crystal, the focus for the power of the matriarchs and lore masters. With the Bloodstone, Adranath intended to resurrect every dead creature on Sosaria (yes, every single one) and bind these undead legions to his will. Fortunately for the world, his nefarious plan was thwarted by the combined efforts of Kabur, Auric (the Meer founder of the Shadow Hunters), his daughter Dasha, the Britannian knight Sir Kasim, and the Technocrat-Assassin-Turned-Heroine, Eris."

The Soul Crystal - "A sacred artifact that resides in the Meer Magical Academy. It's a focus for the power of the Lore Council, created to help protect Ishpur from Adranath should the Lord of Necromancers ever return"