Sabriel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bindsthedead) wrote2012-01-11 08:54 pm
bindsthedead) wrote2012-01-11 08:54 pm
Entry tags:
Guide to the Old Kingdom (and Ancelstierre)
Also known as where Sarah rambles on in a TL;DR fashion.
Here's a map of the Old Kingdom and northern Ancelstierre, to give you an idea of where stuff is. Please note the scale- it's stated to be about six weeks by foot from Nestowe to Belisaere, eighteen days by horse, and about six days by boat if there's a good wind, to give you an idea of the time involved in crossing those distances.
If you have any questions about Sabriel's world, please ask me here- this guide's pretty much complete, but I'll still be updating it with additional information/correcting any mistakes I think I made.
Also, just as a reminder any technology besides the PHS will not work in the Old Kingdom. This doesn't just mean electronics- guns, vehicles, watches, anything like that will be affected. And not just technology- a lot of things made with modern technology are shown as degrading and breaking way too fast to be natural in the Old Kingdom- even paper. However, Sabriel will do her best to give characters more reliable equipment, if they want to explore the Old Kingdom.
The Dead: Characters who visit the Old Kingdom for any length of time are going to hear about the Dead. While the Dead come in various forms, they all come from the same source, and share the same weaknesses. The Dead are the spirits of those who fought the current of the river in Death, seeking to return to Life, and in the process, have become something twisted far, far from the humans they once were.
In canon, the Dead's major weaknesses are summed up by this rhyme.
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.
Running water- especially deep, swift running water- is one of the best defenses against the Dead, since they can't cross over or under it. How deep and how swift the water has to be depends on how powerful the Dead in question is. However, a little stream will only slow down even the weakest Dead, at best. Immersion in swift running water will instantly send any Dead back into Death. Also note that rain can't really harm the Dead, but it's painful and annoying, so they'll try to avoid it if they can. Stagnant water, especially if it's shallow enough to walk through, won't do anything.
However, the Dead can cross running water by crossing over a bridge made with grave dirt. This is only likely to come up in plots involving a necromancer or one of the smarter Greater Dead though.
Light is also effective- Direct sunlight- especially at the middle of the day, is something all but the most powerful Dead will avoid at all costs, seeking to hide out in the darkest places they can find during the day, only coming out at night, when it's overcast, or in the morning and evening. However, Necromancers, and Greater Dead can summon a dense fog to counter this weakness.
All Dead are superhumanly strong, and at least as fast as a human, if not faster, in addition to being rather durable. Also, in Ancelstierre, the presence of many Dead disrupts technology in the same way the wind blowing from the Old Kingdom does.
Another note- the Dead aren't zombies- getting bitten by one won't turn characters into one. However wounds inflicted by the Dead are described as rotting quickly if not taken care of- herbal medicine in the Old Kingdom is advanced enough to deal with it, and healing magic can stop it- but this is something to be aware of, if you want your characters to avoid some nasty infections and possible amputations.
Finally, the Dead are already dead- it isn't accurate to say they can be killed or destroyed, only forced back into Death- cut a Dead spirit into pieces and it'll just reform, though probably while it's getting swept away by the current in Death. However, destroying their physical bodies, or attacking their spirit forms so that they're weakened enough to lose their hold on Life means they're caught easily by the current and swept away- even if they do avoid their final Death, they won't be able to return to Life for a while.
There are several different types of Dead, so I'll some of the more common Dead first. Feel free to NPC the first two kinds, but please give me a heads-up if you want to use any of the others.
Dead with a physical body Called Dead Hands, or just Hands, when deliberately created by a necromancer, these are Dead Spirits that inhabit and control a corpse. Note that the spirit who inhabits the corpse generally isn't the spirit of whoever the body originally belonged to. In some ways they're a lot like zombies- they're walking rotting corpses. Being inhabited by a Dead Spirit can distort the corpse in different ways, twisting its proportions. Any Dead can inhabit a body- and those that do seem to be a bit more resistant to sunlight than bodiless dead of similar power. However, the presence of a powerful Dead spirit (Say, a fifth gate rester) inside of a corpse will rapidly degrade it, rendering it useless after a few days- or sooner, if the spirit is extremely strong. Thus, most Dead of this sort are relatively weak, but still dangerous. While they're the stupidest of the Dead, they are smarter than the stereotypical zombie, and will try to retreat if they're losing- unless they're being controlled by a necromancer. They're not that likely to talk, though- their throats and vocal chords are too rotted.
These Dead can potentially move just as fast as a living person (unless their legs have been damaged somehow), and are superhumanly strong, like all Dead. It's possible to defeat them without using magic or bespelled weapons (Though using those would be a lot more effective.), but it won't be easy- their bodies have to be completely destroyed to force them back into Death without using any magic. Even in Ancelstierre, guns would be of limited use- head shots don't work at all, and from Sabriel's comments that it's possible to turn a headless corpse into a Hand, it's possible that decapitation won't work either. Also, while Dead normally inhabit human corpses, they can also use the bodies of other animals. This type, along with the next variety, are the two sorts of Dead characters are most likely to encounter.
Lesser Dead without a physical body Called Shadow Hands when deliberately summoned and under the control of a necromancer, these Dead resemble pitch black shadows, and cannot be damaged without magic, or a bespelled weapon- though they can hurt the living quite easily. They can't pass through walls, though they can squeeze through tight places. They're described as resembling roughly man-shaped, pitch black shadows (although the shadows can take on other forms). They're somewhat smarter than ordinary Hands, and since they don't have a physical body, they can walk into Death at one point and out of it at another, making them capable of a sort of teleportation. However, they run the risk of getting dragged away by the river if they try this, so they generally only do this if forced to by a necromancer or one of the Greater Dead. They're somewhat less common than Dead using a physical body.
In one of Sabriel's fights, she's shown cutting off a spirit-form's head- only to have the body still be able to walk around.
Mordauts: Parasitic spirits which ride and control a living body during the day, and slip off to kill other living folk at night. Their victims are described as looking like dried out husks, and crumble into an ashlike substance if touched. Mordauts can have some influence over their primary hosts even when not riding them directly, as one Mordaut was able to get its host to carry it across running water in a box full of grave dirt. Because they hide behind the life force of their hosts, they're a bit more difficult to sense than other Dead.
Gore Crows: Created by a necromancer trapping and killing a large number of crows in a specific ceremony, and infusing each body with one fragment of a single, shattered spirit. They fly by force of free magic, and kill by force of numbers. Because the individual fragments are so weak, the crow bodies frequently become little more than skeletons with bits of rotting flesh and feathers attached. An individual Gore Crow is not a threat... but they almost always come in large groups, and it's easy to get overwhelmed by them.
Destroying one of the crows will leave behind a squirming bit of Dead spirit that will try to rejoin with fragments from other destroyed crows.
However! Send even one fragment into Death, and the rest will follow. However, unless there's running water or Sabriel nearby, that may not be so easy.
Mordicant: A mordicant is is one of the most powerful Dead, save for the Greater Dead. Created by a necromancer, it has a body sculpted from a mixture of bog clay and human blood, with a powerful Dead spirit placed inside it. They seem to be covered in flames, and are very, very scary.
They can take their physical bodies into Death with them, allowing them the same sort of teleporting that bodiless Dead can use. Since they're always deliberately created, they always have some sort of mission or target they'll go after. Mordicants are able to withstand sunlight, and are super humanly fast and strong- even more so than other Dead.
Fifth Gate Rester: A term used for one of the Dead from the fifth precinct and beyond. These and all Dead from the deeper parts of Death have flaming coals where their eyes should be, and are utterly twisted from what they were before- they do not seem human like at all. Fifth Gate Resters can withstand sunlight, though it will weaken them. Needless to say, they're rather powerful.
Greater Dead: The most powerful of the Dead, from the deepest realms of Death. Larger than a human, extremely powerful, and even more monstrous than normal Dead, these creatures should be treated with extreme caution whenever they're encountered. Some of them- possibly most- were necromancers or Free Magic sorcerers in life, and they can command their weaker counterparts easily. Some of them may serve necromancers- or be served by them, although these relationships may only last until the Greater Dead breaks free of the necromancer's control and consumes their life force. Greater Dead can easily go out in sunlight, if they must.
Necromancers: Yes, they're technically alive, but like all users of Free Magic, the power they wield corrodes their spirits, and walking in Death without a Charter Mark has worsened this- frequently, the shape their spirits take seems only vaguely human, and they've been described as feeling more Dead than alive.
All necromancers use a set of bells like Sabriel does, although the handles of their bells are of bone or ebony, instead of mahogany, and lack Charter Marks. Also, they have more difficulty with their bells, as the bells don't like serving necromancers. Also, Necromancers cannot use Charter Magic- but they are able and willing to use their bells on the living, and can use various Free Magic spells- these seem to be mostly destructive and corrosive, though some Free Magic apparently involves mind control. Apparently, normal animals hate necromancers.
At this point, let's discuss the realm of Death. Death is another realm, containing only a river, infinitely wide and with only the gates as landmarks. This river starts at the border between Death and Life, and passes through nine precincts before reaching the ninth gate. Each precinct has its own hazards, and each gate, save for the ninth, requires a different spell to pass through it without getting swept away by the current.
Here's a good list of the nine precincts.
What lies beyond the ninth gate isn't known- just that none return from past it- and if it's someone's time to die, they cannot resist the ninth gate's call.
The Charter:
The Charter, source of Charter Magic, underlies everything in the Old Kingdom. While its origins are steeped in mystery, it's said that the Charter is without end or beginning, describing everything that is, was, will be, or could possibly be.
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.
This rhyme explains the five cornerstones of the Charter- The royal bloodline, the Abhorsen's bloodline, the Great Charter Stones and the Wall, and lastly, the Clayr's bloodline. If one of these were to be destroyed, the Charter would be severely weakened- unfortunately, for the last two hundred years, the last surviving member of the royal bloodline was stuck in magical stasis, and two of the six Great Charter Stones were destroyed, leaving the Charter weakened.
Now, however, King Touchstone is on the throne, and has finished repairing the Great Stones- so the Charter is back to it's full strength.
People in the Old Kingdom are frequently baptized, often at birth, with a Charter Mark on their forehead. This faint marking stays with them their whole lives, allowing them to become Charter Mages. Charter Marks also seem to help those who bear them resist the metamorphic effects of the waters in Death, and the corrosive effects of Free Magic.
Charter Mages, obviously, use Charter Magic. See this link for some basic information. Pretty much any human or humanlike being from any world can receive a Charter Mark and become a Charter Mage. However, it's possible for a Charter Mark to become corrupted if a Charter Mage starts trying to use Free Magic (probably, this isn't clear.), or becomes undead.
A Charter Stone is a stone monument that acts as a gateway into the Charter, making accessing it and casting spells much easier. All Charter Stones draw their power from the Great Stones and the wall, and can be broken by a powerful necromancer killing a Charter mage and using their blood in a specific ritual. (Just killing the mage and spilling their blood on the stone wouldn't be enough.)
The origins of the Charter itself are revealed in later books, and I'll try to give a brief summary here, though please note that this information won't be available ICly.
In the very beginning, there was no Charter- all magic was free magic- wild, chaotic, and unrestrained, and there were countless free magic spirits that roamed the land. The most powerful, and thus most intelligent (And possibly the only self-aware ones), were the nine bright shiners- Ranna, Mosrael, Kibeth, Dyrim, Belgaer, Saraneth, Astarael, Yrael, and Orannis.
Orannis, also called the Destroyer, didn't like Life, and thus sought to destroy all of it. Which he did. Several times over, in fact.
The first seven of the nine were apparently getting kind of tired of conscious, individual existence, and also wanted to stop Orranis, so they made the Charter, incorporating all of their beings- or almost all, in the case of a few- into its making, binding Orannis, breaking him in half, and trapping him under seven powerful wards for the rest of eternity.
In the process of making the Charter, almost all lesser Free Magic beings became part of it losing their individual existence, except for a few that resisted this. Some of the Free Magic that gave itself to the Charter wasn't consumed by it, but instead worked alongside it- this is the Free Magic that the Abhorsen wields.
In making the Charter, the Seven put their power into four bloodlines- The Royal Family, the line of Abhorsens, the Clayr, and the Wallmakers. The Wallmakers later put their share of this power into the Wall and the six Great Charter Stones.
It's not clear which of the seven put their power into which bloodlines, except that Astarael, with power over death and time, put hers into the Abhorsen line. (One Free Magic creature outright calls them 'Astarael's get')
Abhorsen's House: Sabriel's house, and the ancestral home of all the Abhorsen's. It's on an island in the River Ratterlin, right before a very large waterfall. Surrounded by twenty foot high walls, and accessible by stepping stones from either the east or west banks of the river, as well as by a channel that allows boats to enter and leave from the western side of the island without worrying about the current- boats that don't stick to the channel can expect to be swept over the waterfall if they somehow get past the stepping stones. Also, even past the stepping stones, the there are magical defenses along both shores, making the house almost impossible to reach on foot unless Sabriel's with you.
The house is cared for by Sendings, magical constructs made entirely of Charter Marks. They're the cooks, servants, and guards of the house. There are many wards and spells upon the house- some known, some not, and many of the stained glass windows seem to be more magic than glass. It's impossible to cross into or out of Death on any part of the island too.
Here's a map of the house.
What visitors can expect: Well, ghosts/undead/creatures and elementals of dark and chaotic magic (And possibly people who use dark and chaotic magic, considering the possibility of necromancers entering the house is never raised, although that could just be because the location is a secret) can expect to be attacked by guard sendings until they leave. If she has a reason/knows they're not that bad, Sabriel can call them off. Everyone else can stay without a problem, as long as they aren't destructive or try to steal things. Initially, your characters are probably only going to be able to visit the ground floor and the bedrooms- although Sabriel will probably let them into more of the house if she knows the characters in question.
Assuming they behave, characters can expect comfortable beds, excellent food, although most of the protein will be fish and other creatures that can be caught from the river, and the knowledge that they're staying in one of the safest locations in the Old Kingdom. If characters decide to leave, they can expect the sendings to pack their bags and give them some food and supplies that will travel well.
Belisaere:Belisaere is the capital of Ancelstierre, and it's gone through hard times, though the situation is improving.
The most populous part of the city is the part lined by aqueducts and the sea- this part is free of Dead, and is pretty crowded. There's a square in this part of the city containing a square with a Charter Stone and three lemon trees- thanks to the Charter Stone, the lemon trees are always healthy and with plenty of fruit. Also on the square is the Sign of Three Lemons, an inn that offers hot baths, and washes everything in lemon-scented soap.
The rest of the city has recently been cleared of the Dead, and is gradually being repopulated. It's full of abandoned and buned out buildings, but people are moving in and rebuilding.
The Royal Palace: Burned down over twenty years ago with the death of the last Regent, the palace is being rebuilt along with the rest of the city. Much of the original stonework has been reused, and most of the oldest spells in the stonework weren't completely ruined. While not a luxurious as it once was, it's fairly comfortable, and is where the teleport pad for the Old Kingdom is located, as well as the headquarters for the Royal Guard.
The Royal Guard: Once an elite group specializing in both physical and magical combat
The Clayr's Glacier: The Clayr actually live inside the mountain, not the Glacier. A few thousand strong, the Clayr are the largest of the Great Charter bloodlines, numbering several thousand. They're almost all female, and all of them are tanned and blonde. The Clayr have the power of foresight, allowing them to see all possible futures for the Kingdom and the northern part of Ancelstierre. This power is strongest when the Clayr join together in the Observatory, though individual Clayr often have fragmented visions.
The Clayr are more than just prophets though! They patrol and protect the surrounding area- many Clayr are skilled Charter Mages and warriors, and trade with traveling merchants. In addition, almost all adult Clayr have jobs besides 'see the future'.
The Glacier itself is one of the safest places in the Kingdom- the road to the Glacier crosses the Ratterlin several times, and powerful spells sleep under the stones and in the Glacier itself, ready to spring into action to combat any threats. Also, don't expect too many windows inside the glacier itself- the whole thing is a mass of tunnels inside of a mountain, heated with steam and magic and brightly lit by Charter Magic- all Clayr are Charter Mages, though many of them aren't that powerful.
Characters are likely to visit the Lower Refectory, where visitors eat. It's also visited on occasion by Clayr looking for 'companionship'. There's also the Perfumed Gardens and the Sun Steps for recreation, along with accommodations for guests.
Besides finding out the future or trading, another reason to visit the Clayr is the Great Library. This place makes the library at Hogwarts look small. A lot of it is comparatively mundane things- normal books, collections of old clothes and weapons- and quite a lot of it isn't. There's a reason librarians carry both whistles and magical clockwork mice to call for help, in addition to enchanted daggers. There's at least one Free Magic elemental sealed up here, in addition to who knows what else. Thankfully, only high-ranking librarians can access these areas!
High Bridge: High Bridge is one of the few places that hasn't suffered too much in the years of the interregnum- the entire town is built on a natural bridge over the River Ratterlin, and is thus totally safe from the Dead. The bridge itself is formed where the Ratterlin narrows and flows between two high cliffs, speeding up as it does so- the bridge about a mile broad, not that long, and several hundred feet thick. The oldest building in the town is a castle, built to take advantage of the running water, with other buildings built around it and into the rock of the bridge itself. Four hundred feet below the bottom of the bridge is the Ratterlin, and a bit downstream from the town there's a pool where the river widens.
The Borderlands: Between Abhorsen's House and the Wall lie the Borderlands, the region that's suffered the most from two hundred years of chaos. Don't expect to find any living people here, or many signs of civilization- just the ruins of long-abandoned villages and broken charter stones, stained with blood that won't wash away no matter how many times it rains. (Broken Charter stones are something characters should be wary of- not only are they a place where Dead can get into life easily, but they make casting Charter Magic (and possibly other forms of magic) much harder, and may make characters feel sick if they get too close.)
Expect lots of Dead, and no humans until characters get to the Wall.
The Wall: Well, this is the southern border of the Old Kingdom. On the Ancelstierre side, there's a heavy military presence- soldiers wielding swords and wearing mail, as well as using guns. Having a Charter Mark or getting Sabriel to help are the best ways for your character to get through this area and survive- while folks in the south of Ancelstierre may deny magic exists, the soldiers of the northern border know all too well that magic is real, and have had far too many encounters with the Dead and things disguised as humans to be too trusting of strange people coming over the Wall. Also, a select group of soldiers, the Crossing Point Scouts, are Charter Mages- they're self taught, but pretty effective. They're also the group that goes on scouting missions into the Old Kingdom. They generally don't go more than ten miles north of the wall, though.
Around the area near the crossing point, Death is incredibly close thanks to all the soldiers who've died there over the years, making it easy for Dead to get through. However, Sabriel has put up some wind flutes, which play a song heard only in Death, laying down a binding to keep Dead from rising. She hasn't put them everywhere they're needed yet, so Dead are still a problem, just not as much as they would be otherwise.
Also note that the Wall is pretty much soaked with Charter Magic, since it's one of the cornerstones of the Charter- and it will try to stop ghosts/undead/creatures and elementals of dark and chaotic magic from crossing the Wall, in either direction. For the last two hundred years, it's been weakened from the destruction of two of the Great Charter Stones. However, with a king on the throne again, and the repair of the Great Stones, it's ability to do so is increasing, and once King Touchstone finishes repairing those, it will be back up to full power, making crossing the Wall nearly impossible for those types. EDIT: and the wall's repaired now.
A final note- the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre are two very different places. The weather on one side of the wall utterly different from the other- there could be a blizzard in the old Kingdom, and bright sunshine in Ancelstierre. Also, time doesn't seem to pass at the same rate- although the rate this happens seems to be irregular (But it never reaches Narnia-esque levels of discrepancy- the biggest time difference I can recall being mentioned is two weeks in the Old Kingdom, and eight days in Ancelstierre- and most of the time, it's less than this.), and the Old Kingdom is generally once season ahead of Ancelstierre.
Ancelstierre: Almost totally different from the Old Kingdom and probably safer in most ways. Ancelstierre can be described as 1920's England, essentially, and in many ways, its world seems to be similar to the real world of that era- just with completely different names for countries, and slightly different geography. Except for the northern parts of Ancelstierre, where Charter Magic works, there is no native magic to speak of, and characters will not be able to use any form of magic/supernatural powers once they are a certain distance south of the wall. If they're undead or some kind of spirit, they'll get weaker the farther south they go, until eventually they die or go into a sort of hibernation.
Here's a map of the Old Kingdom and northern Ancelstierre, to give you an idea of where stuff is. Please note the scale- it's stated to be about six weeks by foot from Nestowe to Belisaere, eighteen days by horse, and about six days by boat if there's a good wind, to give you an idea of the time involved in crossing those distances.
If you have any questions about Sabriel's world, please ask me here- this guide's pretty much complete, but I'll still be updating it with additional information/correcting any mistakes I think I made.
Also, just as a reminder any technology besides the PHS will not work in the Old Kingdom. This doesn't just mean electronics- guns, vehicles, watches, anything like that will be affected. And not just technology- a lot of things made with modern technology are shown as degrading and breaking way too fast to be natural in the Old Kingdom- even paper. However, Sabriel will do her best to give characters more reliable equipment, if they want to explore the Old Kingdom.
The Dead: Characters who visit the Old Kingdom for any length of time are going to hear about the Dead. While the Dead come in various forms, they all come from the same source, and share the same weaknesses. The Dead are the spirits of those who fought the current of the river in Death, seeking to return to Life, and in the process, have become something twisted far, far from the humans they once were.
In canon, the Dead's major weaknesses are summed up by this rhyme.
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.
Running water- especially deep, swift running water- is one of the best defenses against the Dead, since they can't cross over or under it. How deep and how swift the water has to be depends on how powerful the Dead in question is. However, a little stream will only slow down even the weakest Dead, at best. Immersion in swift running water will instantly send any Dead back into Death. Also note that rain can't really harm the Dead, but it's painful and annoying, so they'll try to avoid it if they can. Stagnant water, especially if it's shallow enough to walk through, won't do anything.
However, the Dead can cross running water by crossing over a bridge made with grave dirt. This is only likely to come up in plots involving a necromancer or one of the smarter Greater Dead though.
Light is also effective- Direct sunlight- especially at the middle of the day, is something all but the most powerful Dead will avoid at all costs, seeking to hide out in the darkest places they can find during the day, only coming out at night, when it's overcast, or in the morning and evening. However, Necromancers, and Greater Dead can summon a dense fog to counter this weakness.
All Dead are superhumanly strong, and at least as fast as a human, if not faster, in addition to being rather durable. Also, in Ancelstierre, the presence of many Dead disrupts technology in the same way the wind blowing from the Old Kingdom does.
Another note- the Dead aren't zombies- getting bitten by one won't turn characters into one. However wounds inflicted by the Dead are described as rotting quickly if not taken care of- herbal medicine in the Old Kingdom is advanced enough to deal with it, and healing magic can stop it- but this is something to be aware of, if you want your characters to avoid some nasty infections and possible amputations.
Finally, the Dead are already dead- it isn't accurate to say they can be killed or destroyed, only forced back into Death- cut a Dead spirit into pieces and it'll just reform, though probably while it's getting swept away by the current in Death. However, destroying their physical bodies, or attacking their spirit forms so that they're weakened enough to lose their hold on Life means they're caught easily by the current and swept away- even if they do avoid their final Death, they won't be able to return to Life for a while.
There are several different types of Dead, so I'll some of the more common Dead first. Feel free to NPC the first two kinds, but please give me a heads-up if you want to use any of the others.
Dead with a physical body Called Dead Hands, or just Hands, when deliberately created by a necromancer, these are Dead Spirits that inhabit and control a corpse. Note that the spirit who inhabits the corpse generally isn't the spirit of whoever the body originally belonged to. In some ways they're a lot like zombies- they're walking rotting corpses. Being inhabited by a Dead Spirit can distort the corpse in different ways, twisting its proportions. Any Dead can inhabit a body- and those that do seem to be a bit more resistant to sunlight than bodiless dead of similar power. However, the presence of a powerful Dead spirit (Say, a fifth gate rester) inside of a corpse will rapidly degrade it, rendering it useless after a few days- or sooner, if the spirit is extremely strong. Thus, most Dead of this sort are relatively weak, but still dangerous. While they're the stupidest of the Dead, they are smarter than the stereotypical zombie, and will try to retreat if they're losing- unless they're being controlled by a necromancer. They're not that likely to talk, though- their throats and vocal chords are too rotted.
These Dead can potentially move just as fast as a living person (unless their legs have been damaged somehow), and are superhumanly strong, like all Dead. It's possible to defeat them without using magic or bespelled weapons (Though using those would be a lot more effective.), but it won't be easy- their bodies have to be completely destroyed to force them back into Death without using any magic. Even in Ancelstierre, guns would be of limited use- head shots don't work at all, and from Sabriel's comments that it's possible to turn a headless corpse into a Hand, it's possible that decapitation won't work either. Also, while Dead normally inhabit human corpses, they can also use the bodies of other animals. This type, along with the next variety, are the two sorts of Dead characters are most likely to encounter.
Lesser Dead without a physical body Called Shadow Hands when deliberately summoned and under the control of a necromancer, these Dead resemble pitch black shadows, and cannot be damaged without magic, or a bespelled weapon- though they can hurt the living quite easily. They can't pass through walls, though they can squeeze through tight places. They're described as resembling roughly man-shaped, pitch black shadows (although the shadows can take on other forms). They're somewhat smarter than ordinary Hands, and since they don't have a physical body, they can walk into Death at one point and out of it at another, making them capable of a sort of teleportation. However, they run the risk of getting dragged away by the river if they try this, so they generally only do this if forced to by a necromancer or one of the Greater Dead. They're somewhat less common than Dead using a physical body.
In one of Sabriel's fights, she's shown cutting off a spirit-form's head- only to have the body still be able to walk around.
Mordauts: Parasitic spirits which ride and control a living body during the day, and slip off to kill other living folk at night. Their victims are described as looking like dried out husks, and crumble into an ashlike substance if touched. Mordauts can have some influence over their primary hosts even when not riding them directly, as one Mordaut was able to get its host to carry it across running water in a box full of grave dirt. Because they hide behind the life force of their hosts, they're a bit more difficult to sense than other Dead.
Gore Crows: Created by a necromancer trapping and killing a large number of crows in a specific ceremony, and infusing each body with one fragment of a single, shattered spirit. They fly by force of free magic, and kill by force of numbers. Because the individual fragments are so weak, the crow bodies frequently become little more than skeletons with bits of rotting flesh and feathers attached. An individual Gore Crow is not a threat... but they almost always come in large groups, and it's easy to get overwhelmed by them.
Destroying one of the crows will leave behind a squirming bit of Dead spirit that will try to rejoin with fragments from other destroyed crows.
However! Send even one fragment into Death, and the rest will follow. However, unless there's running water or Sabriel nearby, that may not be so easy.
Mordicant: A mordicant is is one of the most powerful Dead, save for the Greater Dead. Created by a necromancer, it has a body sculpted from a mixture of bog clay and human blood, with a powerful Dead spirit placed inside it. They seem to be covered in flames, and are very, very scary.
They can take their physical bodies into Death with them, allowing them the same sort of teleporting that bodiless Dead can use. Since they're always deliberately created, they always have some sort of mission or target they'll go after. Mordicants are able to withstand sunlight, and are super humanly fast and strong- even more so than other Dead.
Fifth Gate Rester: A term used for one of the Dead from the fifth precinct and beyond. These and all Dead from the deeper parts of Death have flaming coals where their eyes should be, and are utterly twisted from what they were before- they do not seem human like at all. Fifth Gate Resters can withstand sunlight, though it will weaken them. Needless to say, they're rather powerful.
Greater Dead: The most powerful of the Dead, from the deepest realms of Death. Larger than a human, extremely powerful, and even more monstrous than normal Dead, these creatures should be treated with extreme caution whenever they're encountered. Some of them- possibly most- were necromancers or Free Magic sorcerers in life, and they can command their weaker counterparts easily. Some of them may serve necromancers- or be served by them, although these relationships may only last until the Greater Dead breaks free of the necromancer's control and consumes their life force. Greater Dead can easily go out in sunlight, if they must.
Necromancers: Yes, they're technically alive, but like all users of Free Magic, the power they wield corrodes their spirits, and walking in Death without a Charter Mark has worsened this- frequently, the shape their spirits take seems only vaguely human, and they've been described as feeling more Dead than alive.
All necromancers use a set of bells like Sabriel does, although the handles of their bells are of bone or ebony, instead of mahogany, and lack Charter Marks. Also, they have more difficulty with their bells, as the bells don't like serving necromancers. Also, Necromancers cannot use Charter Magic- but they are able and willing to use their bells on the living, and can use various Free Magic spells- these seem to be mostly destructive and corrosive, though some Free Magic apparently involves mind control. Apparently, normal animals hate necromancers.
At this point, let's discuss the realm of Death. Death is another realm, containing only a river, infinitely wide and with only the gates as landmarks. This river starts at the border between Death and Life, and passes through nine precincts before reaching the ninth gate. Each precinct has its own hazards, and each gate, save for the ninth, requires a different spell to pass through it without getting swept away by the current.
Here's a good list of the nine precincts.
What lies beyond the ninth gate isn't known- just that none return from past it- and if it's someone's time to die, they cannot resist the ninth gate's call.
The Charter:
The Charter, source of Charter Magic, underlies everything in the Old Kingdom. While its origins are steeped in mystery, it's said that the Charter is without end or beginning, describing everything that is, was, will be, or could possibly be.
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.
This rhyme explains the five cornerstones of the Charter- The royal bloodline, the Abhorsen's bloodline, the Great Charter Stones and the Wall, and lastly, the Clayr's bloodline. If one of these were to be destroyed, the Charter would be severely weakened- unfortunately, for the last two hundred years, the last surviving member of the royal bloodline was stuck in magical stasis, and two of the six Great Charter Stones were destroyed, leaving the Charter weakened.
Now, however, King Touchstone is on the throne, and has finished repairing the Great Stones- so the Charter is back to it's full strength.
People in the Old Kingdom are frequently baptized, often at birth, with a Charter Mark on their forehead. This faint marking stays with them their whole lives, allowing them to become Charter Mages. Charter Marks also seem to help those who bear them resist the metamorphic effects of the waters in Death, and the corrosive effects of Free Magic.
Charter Mages, obviously, use Charter Magic. See this link for some basic information. Pretty much any human or humanlike being from any world can receive a Charter Mark and become a Charter Mage. However, it's possible for a Charter Mark to become corrupted if a Charter Mage starts trying to use Free Magic (probably, this isn't clear.), or becomes undead.
A Charter Stone is a stone monument that acts as a gateway into the Charter, making accessing it and casting spells much easier. All Charter Stones draw their power from the Great Stones and the wall, and can be broken by a powerful necromancer killing a Charter mage and using their blood in a specific ritual. (Just killing the mage and spilling their blood on the stone wouldn't be enough.)
The origins of the Charter itself are revealed in later books, and I'll try to give a brief summary here, though please note that this information won't be available ICly.
In the very beginning, there was no Charter- all magic was free magic- wild, chaotic, and unrestrained, and there were countless free magic spirits that roamed the land. The most powerful, and thus most intelligent (And possibly the only self-aware ones), were the nine bright shiners- Ranna, Mosrael, Kibeth, Dyrim, Belgaer, Saraneth, Astarael, Yrael, and Orannis.
Orannis, also called the Destroyer, didn't like Life, and thus sought to destroy all of it. Which he did. Several times over, in fact.
The first seven of the nine were apparently getting kind of tired of conscious, individual existence, and also wanted to stop Orranis, so they made the Charter, incorporating all of their beings- or almost all, in the case of a few- into its making, binding Orannis, breaking him in half, and trapping him under seven powerful wards for the rest of eternity.
In the process of making the Charter, almost all lesser Free Magic beings became part of it losing their individual existence, except for a few that resisted this. Some of the Free Magic that gave itself to the Charter wasn't consumed by it, but instead worked alongside it- this is the Free Magic that the Abhorsen wields.
In making the Charter, the Seven put their power into four bloodlines- The Royal Family, the line of Abhorsens, the Clayr, and the Wallmakers. The Wallmakers later put their share of this power into the Wall and the six Great Charter Stones.
It's not clear which of the seven put their power into which bloodlines, except that Astarael, with power over death and time, put hers into the Abhorsen line. (One Free Magic creature outright calls them 'Astarael's get')
Abhorsen's House: Sabriel's house, and the ancestral home of all the Abhorsen's. It's on an island in the River Ratterlin, right before a very large waterfall. Surrounded by twenty foot high walls, and accessible by stepping stones from either the east or west banks of the river, as well as by a channel that allows boats to enter and leave from the western side of the island without worrying about the current- boats that don't stick to the channel can expect to be swept over the waterfall if they somehow get past the stepping stones. Also, even past the stepping stones, the there are magical defenses along both shores, making the house almost impossible to reach on foot unless Sabriel's with you.
The house is cared for by Sendings, magical constructs made entirely of Charter Marks. They're the cooks, servants, and guards of the house. There are many wards and spells upon the house- some known, some not, and many of the stained glass windows seem to be more magic than glass. It's impossible to cross into or out of Death on any part of the island too.
Here's a map of the house.
What visitors can expect: Well, ghosts/undead/creatures and elementals of dark and chaotic magic (And possibly people who use dark and chaotic magic, considering the possibility of necromancers entering the house is never raised, although that could just be because the location is a secret) can expect to be attacked by guard sendings until they leave. If she has a reason/knows they're not that bad, Sabriel can call them off. Everyone else can stay without a problem, as long as they aren't destructive or try to steal things. Initially, your characters are probably only going to be able to visit the ground floor and the bedrooms- although Sabriel will probably let them into more of the house if she knows the characters in question.
Assuming they behave, characters can expect comfortable beds, excellent food, although most of the protein will be fish and other creatures that can be caught from the river, and the knowledge that they're staying in one of the safest locations in the Old Kingdom. If characters decide to leave, they can expect the sendings to pack their bags and give them some food and supplies that will travel well.
Belisaere:Belisaere is the capital of Ancelstierre, and it's gone through hard times, though the situation is improving.
The most populous part of the city is the part lined by aqueducts and the sea- this part is free of Dead, and is pretty crowded. There's a square in this part of the city containing a square with a Charter Stone and three lemon trees- thanks to the Charter Stone, the lemon trees are always healthy and with plenty of fruit. Also on the square is the Sign of Three Lemons, an inn that offers hot baths, and washes everything in lemon-scented soap.
The rest of the city has recently been cleared of the Dead, and is gradually being repopulated. It's full of abandoned and buned out buildings, but people are moving in and rebuilding.
The Royal Palace: Burned down over twenty years ago with the death of the last Regent, the palace is being rebuilt along with the rest of the city. Much of the original stonework has been reused, and most of the oldest spells in the stonework weren't completely ruined. While not a luxurious as it once was, it's fairly comfortable, and is where the teleport pad for the Old Kingdom is located, as well as the headquarters for the Royal Guard.
The Royal Guard: Once an elite group specializing in both physical and magical combat
The Clayr's Glacier: The Clayr actually live inside the mountain, not the Glacier. A few thousand strong, the Clayr are the largest of the Great Charter bloodlines, numbering several thousand. They're almost all female, and all of them are tanned and blonde. The Clayr have the power of foresight, allowing them to see all possible futures for the Kingdom and the northern part of Ancelstierre. This power is strongest when the Clayr join together in the Observatory, though individual Clayr often have fragmented visions.
The Clayr are more than just prophets though! They patrol and protect the surrounding area- many Clayr are skilled Charter Mages and warriors, and trade with traveling merchants. In addition, almost all adult Clayr have jobs besides 'see the future'.
The Glacier itself is one of the safest places in the Kingdom- the road to the Glacier crosses the Ratterlin several times, and powerful spells sleep under the stones and in the Glacier itself, ready to spring into action to combat any threats. Also, don't expect too many windows inside the glacier itself- the whole thing is a mass of tunnels inside of a mountain, heated with steam and magic and brightly lit by Charter Magic- all Clayr are Charter Mages, though many of them aren't that powerful.
Characters are likely to visit the Lower Refectory, where visitors eat. It's also visited on occasion by Clayr looking for 'companionship'. There's also the Perfumed Gardens and the Sun Steps for recreation, along with accommodations for guests.
Besides finding out the future or trading, another reason to visit the Clayr is the Great Library. This place makes the library at Hogwarts look small. A lot of it is comparatively mundane things- normal books, collections of old clothes and weapons- and quite a lot of it isn't. There's a reason librarians carry both whistles and magical clockwork mice to call for help, in addition to enchanted daggers. There's at least one Free Magic elemental sealed up here, in addition to who knows what else. Thankfully, only high-ranking librarians can access these areas!
High Bridge: High Bridge is one of the few places that hasn't suffered too much in the years of the interregnum- the entire town is built on a natural bridge over the River Ratterlin, and is thus totally safe from the Dead. The bridge itself is formed where the Ratterlin narrows and flows between two high cliffs, speeding up as it does so- the bridge about a mile broad, not that long, and several hundred feet thick. The oldest building in the town is a castle, built to take advantage of the running water, with other buildings built around it and into the rock of the bridge itself. Four hundred feet below the bottom of the bridge is the Ratterlin, and a bit downstream from the town there's a pool where the river widens.
The Borderlands: Between Abhorsen's House and the Wall lie the Borderlands, the region that's suffered the most from two hundred years of chaos. Don't expect to find any living people here, or many signs of civilization- just the ruins of long-abandoned villages and broken charter stones, stained with blood that won't wash away no matter how many times it rains. (Broken Charter stones are something characters should be wary of- not only are they a place where Dead can get into life easily, but they make casting Charter Magic (and possibly other forms of magic) much harder, and may make characters feel sick if they get too close.)
Expect lots of Dead, and no humans until characters get to the Wall.
The Wall: Well, this is the southern border of the Old Kingdom. On the Ancelstierre side, there's a heavy military presence- soldiers wielding swords and wearing mail, as well as using guns. Having a Charter Mark or getting Sabriel to help are the best ways for your character to get through this area and survive- while folks in the south of Ancelstierre may deny magic exists, the soldiers of the northern border know all too well that magic is real, and have had far too many encounters with the Dead and things disguised as humans to be too trusting of strange people coming over the Wall. Also, a select group of soldiers, the Crossing Point Scouts, are Charter Mages- they're self taught, but pretty effective. They're also the group that goes on scouting missions into the Old Kingdom. They generally don't go more than ten miles north of the wall, though.
Around the area near the crossing point, Death is incredibly close thanks to all the soldiers who've died there over the years, making it easy for Dead to get through. However, Sabriel has put up some wind flutes, which play a song heard only in Death, laying down a binding to keep Dead from rising. She hasn't put them everywhere they're needed yet, so Dead are still a problem, just not as much as they would be otherwise.
Also note that the Wall is pretty much soaked with Charter Magic, since it's one of the cornerstones of the Charter- and it will try to stop ghosts/undead/creatures and elementals of dark and chaotic magic from crossing the Wall, in either direction. For the last two hundred years, it's been weakened from the destruction of two of the Great Charter Stones. However, with a king on the throne again, and the repair of the Great Stones, it's ability to do so is increasing, and once King Touchstone finishes repairing those, it will be back up to full power, making crossing the Wall nearly impossible for those types. EDIT: and the wall's repaired now.
A final note- the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre are two very different places. The weather on one side of the wall utterly different from the other- there could be a blizzard in the old Kingdom, and bright sunshine in Ancelstierre. Also, time doesn't seem to pass at the same rate- although the rate this happens seems to be irregular (But it never reaches Narnia-esque levels of discrepancy- the biggest time difference I can recall being mentioned is two weeks in the Old Kingdom, and eight days in Ancelstierre- and most of the time, it's less than this.), and the Old Kingdom is generally once season ahead of Ancelstierre.
Ancelstierre: Almost totally different from the Old Kingdom and probably safer in most ways. Ancelstierre can be described as 1920's England, essentially, and in many ways, its world seems to be similar to the real world of that era- just with completely different names for countries, and slightly different geography. Except for the northern parts of Ancelstierre, where Charter Magic works, there is no native magic to speak of, and characters will not be able to use any form of magic/supernatural powers once they are a certain distance south of the wall. If they're undead or some kind of spirit, they'll get weaker the farther south they go, until eventually they die or go into a sort of hibernation.