Investigative Prologue            

SARA - A Christian Fantasy Novel by Cynthia Handloser

       schiz-o-phre-ni-a (skit|se frene , skiz|-; also , -fra-; occas. , -frene ) n.  [[ModL < SCHIZO- + Gr phren, the mind + -IA]] a major psychological confusion of unknown causes. Naturally distinguished by a gap between thought processes and emotions, a deformation of reality conducted by delusions and figments of imagination, a fragmentation of the personality, motor disturbances, bizarre behavior, etc., often with no loss of essential intellectual functions. It does not always result in deterioration or dementia and always develops in adolescence or before maturity. 

           This is what a young and worried Sara Walker finds when she looks in a dictionary about her illness. Clouded as her understanding may be, this definition leaves her feeling utterly hopeless. All the young girl knows is a question; will I ever get better? Sara’s parents have passed away and upon being sent to an institution, Sara has no one. Then one day, in this bleak world she‘s been living in, she wakes to find her grandmother has come to take her home.

             Frog Folk- They are native Creatures crowned and contorted with amphibious and humanoid features. Four different types make up this race both with aquatic and land roving elements. Myo-naiad are muscle-like with a pliable froggy  face and may flatten or transform their bodies about the floor of the sea, lakes and streams they live in. They radiate and communicate with an illuminating glow that is able to hypnotize. Tardigra-naiad although small, wormlike and many limbed, they have the least amphibious features and no eyes. They are equipped with a strong sensory gland that can make one feel how they want you to feel and do things they want you to do. Meri-naiad still contains a strong, tadpole like tail and has hind legs like a frog, but the top part is humanoid and hairless. They do not like to go ashore and sing with loud chirps, croaks and whistles. The flora and fauna abide by their rule. Manus-naiad walks 75% upright with dominant humanoid features yet still have rough froglike skin and eyes. Their hands have thumbs and their feet are webbed. Hair on their heads is extremely rare. In the throat and chest are slits that may open to operate as gill slits (this is common as well amongst the Meri-naiad). One of the main characters, Frizzy, is of this type of being. Faesyde’ may have no real quality of air to sustain human life. The Frog Folk claim some unknown agent in the water. Most Creature types have never swum underneath the surface. The Watchers know what this agent is and use it to their advantage against the Creatures.

       Filiotype- another native type of Creature and are cursed beings; these giant scorpoclops or giant scorpion like humanoids may have one or two central eyes. Newborns and elders wear masks and are whitish wrapped with light gray grave cloth. Underneath this cloth they have a thin membrane covering, but no true skin. As they mature, a darkening happens where black claw-like pinchers and a tail forms that animalize and assist them to move in the sand or upon stone. They chatter in fast clicks and ticks as they walk with an extremely slow then a sudden, unbalanced and fast pace. They have a class system of two types, White Healers or elder Filiotype with healing powers and wear white robes. They adore magic and are noble as well as wealthy. Dark Scorpions or the slaves or “The Cursed” of their race are adorned in black robes or rarely clothed at all. Their babies are stolen by the White Healers and taught at birth to be subservient in the southern Capital city. Outside the city, in the sand dunes, wild and rarely seen are Darkies. These Darkies animalize to massive and fearful forms to fight for their freedom against the White Healers. Personal companions of the most noble are invoked to never animalize. When they reach the age near elder, they are executed. 

Fire Fae- or in the Creature’s native tongue are called Hecon-gig for a male or Hecan-gig for a female of the gender. Their language is quite unique and widely used in conversation through out most of Faesyde’. Appearing as fairytale elves of dominating and varied human features, their ears are however still pointed. They are exquisite and rarely speak to anyone. They are magically handy to produce and/or use fire in any means they acquire to do so. Some have existed an eon or more. The older they get the more their humanoid form morphs to striped fur with serpentine skin or flame. These beings have a fearful and alarming presence, but not evil. The Daemon will flee before them. The most powerful weapon is they weld a flame like a bomb that bursts from them; they ignite into a ball of energy and become amorphous. In due time, they become entirely flame and stay unstructured as lenient fire picking the varied forms they wish to show themselves as. There are a few exceptions to this explanation. It is rarely common, but a few have advanced in others means. Some never morph and stay in their humanoid form highly skilled in flame craft and plane walking.

Unformed, Shape-shifters and Daemons- The Unformed and Shifters are a mystery. Their origins are unknown. Daemons are somewhat bad spirits of the realm mocking the elements as anti-Unformed and at times are helpful. Why the Guardians allow them this is also a mystery.

       Ghosts, Specters, and Wraiths- exist on the realm not how we understand an apparition. Most are from Felidae in Faesyde’. It is a cold and mountains area haunted by these transparent floating or formless Creatures of that unknown air agent. Some are merely a voice, while others are able to push, pull and smother an intruder to their likeness. They possess an element of atmosphere that causes one to fade and then co-exist with them in their element. They can bond together and form different types of horrific hags or lovely catlike Creatures, yet it slows them from their faster movements. They rarely are seen outside of Felidae. They are introduced in this book, sorry to say, but briefly. The Cataract Skylark is a Creature of this varied type woven into a pillow in a later chapter of the book.  

       Mixed Breed- At times in Faesyde’, it is not uncommon, the races mix and form beings like Mira, Mordian wife. She is a Creature who’s relative somewhere in the past was a Watcher. The result of this makes a Creature of no real likeness in the realm that may rarely fly. They are often confused and wander alone. Unlike most Creatures born to Creature parents, they have to search for their purpose on Faesyde’ until they find it. Terrible as this is, the Watchers will not claim one as their own. 

Fog Demons and the Batarock- This type of demon passes along the realm as green vapor destroying all sentient qualities it touches. Their leader, Batarock, is the slayers’ current mission to contain him. The heavy mists of the realm shelters the fog demons and allows them to hide and gate fast to safety. Batarock has certain regenerative properties that allow him to heal the damage afflicted upon him by the slayers. Possession is the fog demons’ ultimate goal. The more they can fit in one host the more superior and stronger they become.

         Demon Slayers and Gatekeepers- varying and have no specific race, they however are angels disguised as Creatures (this is very commonly in Faesyde’). They may one day decide to become a Creature. Mordian, for example, has done so in this book and dwells with his wife, Mira, in the woods of Hafta. He still is a slayer, but he has the ability to magically summon another slayer to fight the battle in his place. There are four slayers. One is white, one is red, one is blue and one is green. Mordian is the Green Slayer.

Angels- There has been written of an order of angels. Most canons contain nine types: the Seraphim, Cherubim, Ophanim, Hashmallim, Malakim and Tarshishim, Powers or Dynamics, Principalities, Archangels, and Lesser Angels. The characters in this book are comparative, but don’t hold to any specific angelology, so the reader will have to explore that topic of study for one’s own analysis.

           On Faesyde’ many of these angels are lax, rarely involving themselves with what goes on. At times, they interact either told to do so by a higher rank or asked by God to coexist and provoke the dreamy realm so the Creator’s will be done.

           Watchers are from different types of the angelic order, but are trapped on the realm and may not alter themselves in any deceptive way. They do not communicate with the Creator. When a Watcher is born, in Faesyde’, part of the parent’s wing falls off as the spirit glowing within transforms into another being. From that point on the Faesyde’ inhabitant grows and develops into a new entity—some without any gender. 

A vital part of Faesyde' are the Journey Fields or the flowing prairie fields were the dead Creatures walk making a three day pilgrimage to the Eden of the Guardian Stones in the Paradise of Faesyde’. Once there, they are to be judged by the Stones. In death they are as the live Creatures, yet dare not interact for fear that the Guardians will send them to a place of ill favor.

The Eden of the Guardian Stones in the Paradise of Faesyde’ is a well of life for the realm. The Guardian Stones are Powers—angels given reign over all the elements that exist in the realm. They also have the authority over any evil that enters the realm whether to banish the evil or allow it passage and/or interaction with the inhabitants. Paradise lies in the extreme north of the realm.

That leads us to how they die. Death as you know is a rite of passage upon the Journey Fields for a Creature, but one way to kill a Creature is to deprive them of their element or their element of them. This keeps them from their purpose in life on Faesyde’. Each Creature cares for something in the land or air. Physical damage, no matter the severity, may be reformed. Mental damage is quite disturbing, but not deadly; it affects the element more so, while emotional or spiritual damage becomes deadly. Watchers vanish everyday in a number of ways, yet not many know how they actual die. When their wings are damaged badly they cease to fly and disappear upon the Web.

The spiritual Web the Watchers built is in no way a weapon against the Creatures. It is only a defense against the evil entities that plot to overtake them. On this webbing you will find a hidden city and routes the Watchers use to travel all over the realm. It is invisible unless a Watcher plucks it or, as the Watchers say, wakes it. What it is made of is unknown.

Most Watchers do things in secret, yet nothing gets by the Gate Keepers. It is rumored the realm is the lost fire realm of the Spiritual and actually the Fire Fae hold the secrets for the Creator’s almighty Powers. Shrouded in mystery and darkness, the Fire Fae don’t commonly speak and communicate by their eyes ablaze. A rare sight is to see one and impossible to touch one.

            Faesyde’ is not large as it is complex and forever changing. Remember it is sentient and of no true form. Although it is malleable and impressionable, it is tough and stubborn as well. It takes much energy to change and continue on as it presently has. The stasis was good for the sphere. Now it wakes with the patter of little feet drumming on it’s skin and deep within the appetite it once had has been ceased. Only the Guardians and a few ancient beings know this.

             So there are some new words now you need to remember, very important words if you venture thus far. Read on.

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