The Levelan Glossary
Sounds Familiar?
The Levelan Glossary archives information on terminology and conceps related to the continent of Levelas, third of Apodon's three which was locked away following the golden storm known as the Tormenta, and newly raised heart in the Tower of Cilifus. Both serve respectively as the setting and core of the novel Heaven in Cilifus.
Warning! The Levelan Glossary is not required reading for enjoying Heaven in Cilifus! It is just complementary material! Everything you are about to read is already covered in the novel, if not so directly and explicitly, and you may find light spoilers ahead! All content warnings for the main novel apply to this place. Know where you're landing before you dive.
New terms will be added as they are introduced or mentioned in-story, but some may go somewhere else.
be kind and be patient. As always, I hope you enjoy.
Basic Concepts
- Apodon
- The name of both the world Heaven in Cilifus is set in, as well as the being whose corpse it's inhabitable surface was purified and fertilized by.It was said to be a colossal ringworm who grew larger, stronger, wiser by consuming nuggets of Purity found within the Churn.
- Levelas
- One of Apodon's three continents, and the setting for Heaven in Cilifus. It is the second largest and, long ago, the most populous as well, but after being severed from the rest of the world by the Tormenta and its ensuing Catastrophes, it has been left a wasteland of mutation and alien creatures.
- Tormenta
- A storm of cataclysmic proportions and acrid yellow clouds that arrived from the western ocean and enveloped all of Levelas. It's coming was heralded by the severance of communication between the continent's folks and the Pure Ones, as well as the seas becoming far too perilous for significant navigation.
- It was, however, merely the First Catastrophe.
- Folks
- Or the Eighteen Tribes, or just the Tribes, are the eighteen races born to the Pure Ones through self conception and the essence of life created on Apodon's husk. They came to populate, and eventually conquer the world inherited by their parents.
The Tower of Cilifus
- Cilifus
- The Tower of Cilifus, the Pillar of Cilifus, the Sin of Levelas. A massive, sky-piercing construct that suddenly appeared in the capital of the kingdom of Vela, Hosile, heralding the disappearance of its population and the Fourth Catastrophe. Key location to Heaven in Cilifus, shroudded in mystery and conjecture.
- Invitation
- The Fifth Catastrophe. Proof of those who became Guests, it originally manifests as a sheet of black paper written in with white ink, depicting basic information about the Guest, but can be customized in several different ways.
- Guests
- Folks who received the blessings of Cilifus, with or against their will. They are given access to otherworldly powers that grow as they "Rank up", as well as the ramping need to pilgrimage to the Tower. As the only ones who can enter it safely, they are invaluable to survival in modern Levelas.
- Dwellers
- Catch all name given to the monstrosities originated from Cilifus, responsible for the Fourth Catastrophe and the greatest loss of life since the Second. Their bodies are resistant to earthly materials, they show strength far beyond what natural physiology should allow, and their numbers seem to be endless.
Guest Terminology
- Ranks
- A measurement contained in the Invitation, mostly believed to be of individual power, certainly of advancement within the hierarchy of Cilifus. Socially, a high Rank means respect and opportunities one might never have dreamed of, and physically [REDACTED].
- Roles
- Archetypes Guests are shaped into after their first Rank up. Roles define not only the ways the Guest is passively improved, but which Traits are available as well.
- The five basic Roles are: Enforcer, Vanguard, Saboteur, Parasite, and Caller.
- Traits
- Game of Heaven
The World's Church and Genesis of Apodon
- The Church of Apodon
- Also known as the World's Church, it is an international religious organization created over a millennia ago with the goal of bridging the faith gap between the Eighteen Tribes by compiling their shared genesis and abridging their diverging histories. Arguably the most powerful group in modern Apodon, even in the age of the Tormenta.
- Lailo Eton
- Also known as the Book of Truths, or just the Book, the codex gathering the Church of Apodon's coremost canon.
- Father-Mother
- Pure Ones