Nyaxia - Exiled goddess, mother of vampires, and widow of the god of death. Nyaxia lords over the domain of night, shadow, and blood, and as well as the inherited domain of death from her deceased husband. Formerly a lesser goddess, she fell in love with Alarus and married him despite the forbidden nature of their relationship. When Alarus was murdered by the White Pantheon as punishment for his marriage to her, Nyaxia broke free from the White Pantheon in a fit of rage, and offered her supporters the gift of immortality in the form of vampirism—founding Obitraes and the vampire kingdoms. (Also referred to as: the Mother; the Goddess; Mother of the Ravenous Dark; Mother of Night, Shadow, and Blood)
Pythora / Pythoraseed - A drug derived from a type of flower that typically grows in the harsh lands of Glaea. The growth, distillery, and trade of Pythora is a thriving market that has given rise to a number of warlords in Glaea and around the world.
The Pythora King - A warlord who built immense fortune and power on an empire of Pythora trade, and then used that power to take over the kingdom of Glaea.
Shadowborn - Vampires of the House of Shadow.
Turning - A process to make a human into a vampire, requiring a vampire to drink from a human and offer their blood to the human in return. Vampires who underwent this process are referred to as Turned.
White Pantheon - The twelve gods of the core cannon, including Alarus, who is presumed deceased. The White Pantheon is worshipped by all humans, with certain regions potentially having favor towards specific gods within the Pantheon. Nyaxia is not a member of the White Pantheon and is actively hostile to them. The White Pantheon imprisoned and later executed Alarus, the God of Death, as punishment for his unlawful marriage with Nyaxia, then a lesser goddess.
Zarux - The god of the sea, rain, weather, storms, and water. Member of the White Pantheon.
Acknowledgments
I love this part! The part where I get to be mushy about everything!
As with all of my books, this one was a real effort of love from so many people. Chief among them:
Nathan, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, no matter how many times I write these, your name comes first. Thank you for being the love of my life, my support system, my brainstorming buddy, and for solving all my plot issues in like ten minutes flat. You’re the best.
Clare, thank you so much for having the brilliant idea for this series and for inviting me on the ride with you! I could not survive this business without you, thank you for being such an incredible friend and “coworker.”
Candace, Elle, Helen, and Jessica, it has been so awesome being on this multi-author series journey with you all and I’m so excited to hold all your books!
Noah, thank you for being an incredible editor and brainstorming buddy, and above all, thank you for bearing with my even-more-chaotic-than-usual process for this book. You’re the best!
Ariella, Deanna, Alex, and Rachel, thank you for being the best beta readers ever and for your invaluable time, support, and feedback!
Anthony, thank you for the amazing proofreading!
And above all, thank you to you, for following me and reading my books, for your fan art and reviews and Instagram posts and BookTok videos. I owe you everything. You are incredible. Thank you!