Ascension (2010) (edit title/settings)

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Summary edit see section history

Characters edit see section history

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• Kerrick: Vampire warrior, a Warrior of Blood, he must protect humans against the dead Vampires.
• Alison "Lissy" Wells: A therapist and powerful mortal with many special powers. Tall, blond hair and gold-rimmed blue eyes.
• Thorne: the leader of the Warriors of the Blood.
• Sam Finch: owner/bartender of the Blood and Bite.
• Antony Medichi: a Warrior of the Blood, no one has ever seen his wings.
• Endelle: She heads the main peacekeeping force in their world, the High Administrator.
• Jeannie: she works at Central Command.
• Darian Greaves: he was Alison's last client. He is also an enemy of Kerrick's and Commander of an army of death vamps and ascenders with plans to rule two worlds.
• Marcus Amargi: former Warrior of the Blood, Helena's brother. He blames Kerrick for Helena and her kid's deaths.
• Joy: Alison's younger sister.
• Ryan: Joy's husband.
• Luken: Warrior of the Blood. The 'peacekeeper' of the group
• Eldon Crace: High Administrator of Chicago Two.
• Jean-Pierre: Warrior of the Blood.
• Zacharius: Warrior of the Blood.
• Santiago: Warrior of the Blood.
• Havily Morgan: Conservative, yet intelligent Liaison Officer who has visions of better organization for the Guardians
• Kerr: He was Kerrick's nine year old son with Helena, murdered in an explosion.
• Christine: She was Kerrick's seven year old daughter with Helena, murdered in an explosion
• Marta: She was Kerrick's first-wife, a mortal; killed by Greaves.
• Daniel Harding: Leader of COPASS.
• Horace: Healer for the Warriors.
• Leto: Former Warrior of the Blood, now a general in Greaves's army
• Julianna: Crace's wife.
• Evan: Kerrick and Marta's one month old son, left behind by Kerrick's need to avenge Marta's murder
• James: Resident of Sixth Earth and gatekeeper of Third.

Quotes edit see section history

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• “Besides, what he needed wasn’t swinging her hips on a dance floor and what he needed he’d vowed never to take again. What he needed was a scent meant only for him, a myth, a woman who could fill all the deep gorges of his heart. And even if he found her, he was bound, hands together, ankles lashed, mouth gagged, heart blocked by a steel cage of guilt. So … shit.”

  Kerrick

• “Well, this has to be shit for you because it sounds like the breh-hedden.” “I didn’t think it existed. We all thought it was a myth.” “It’s rare but the damn thing exists. I’ve seen it in action a few times over the course of my fucked-up life. And it can be a real bitch so good luck with that.”

  Endelle and Kerrick

• “He growled his frustration. He was a starving vampire sitting next to a nine-course meal and forbidden to eat.”

  Kerrick

• “Looks like Sleeping Beauty is never going to wake up. Aw. He must have had a hard night of fighting. He’s not used to the sword and dagger. Pobrecito … we should just let him sleep." "You were so wrong. Looks like Sleeping Beauty is up after all.”

  Santiago and Zacharius about Marcus

• “Not yet. I need to speak with Endelle.” “She’s not receiving.” “What do you mean, she’s not receiving?” “Specifically, if you called in asking for her, you were to be told, and I quote, You got Alison into this by calling an emergency lift so go fuck yourself, end quote.”

  Kerrick and Jeannie

• “It must be the goddamn breh-hedden. Again. Holy shit! It’s a fucking epidemic!”

  Medichi

• “Still, the warriors didn’t move away from him so he knew he needed to say something to relieve the intense curiosity. He opened his mouth to speak, but words failed. He gestured with a palm up and brows raised. He frowned, he grimaced, he shook his head. He felt compelled to tell them something, but what? Heaven, however, seemed like too small a word. Rapture fell flat. Extraordinary was … well … just ordinary.”

  Kerrick

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• Marcus. Former Warrior of the Blood who had made a permanent jump to Mortal Earth the night Kerrick’s wife and kids had died.

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Blood and Bite: a bar where the Warriors usually go, frequented by vampires.
• Mortal Earth: The name for First Earth or the current modern world known simply as earth.
• Second Earth: another dimension, where the ascendants live.
• Trough: A slang term for a dimensional pathway. See Borderlands.
• White Lake: it forms a Borderland between Second and Third Earth.
• the Borderlands: Those geographic areas that form dimensional borders at both ends of a dimensional pathway. The dimensional pathway is an access point through which travel can take place from one dimension to the next.
• Central: The office of the current administration that tracks movement of death vampires in both the second dimension and on Mortal Earth for the purpose of alerting the Warriors of the Blood and the Militia Warriors to illegal activities.
• Carefree, Arizona: where Alison lived on Mortal Earth, an upscale city
• Paradise Valley: where Kerrick and Alison first met at the medical center where she had her office

Organizations edit see section history

• Warriors of the Blood: a group of warriors that maintain the peace of the world. Also called Guardians of Ascension.
• Militia Warriors: One of hundreds of thousands of warriors who serve Second Earth society as a policing force for the usual civic crimes and as a battling force, in squads only, to fight against the continual depredations of death vampires on both Mortal Earth and Second Earth. Also known as Thunder God Warriors.
• COPASS: The Committee to Oversee the Process of Ascension to Second Society. An organization created by the Prague Two Convention of 1901, consisting of delegates from all 167 Territories of Second Earth.History: In the year 1900, Commander Darian Greaves’s forces slaughtered a powerful ascendiate before he had an opportunity to formally answer his call to ascension. The ascendiate had already professed a desire to align with Madame Endelle and possessed enough physical and preternatural power to join the elite Warriors of the Blood. Outraged, Madame Endelle retaliated. Because the ensuing week-long battle was conducted on Mortal Earth in the Congo Free State at the turn of the twentieth century, and because this battle required a team of no less than 100 ascenders to erase the memories of thousands of mortals, various leaders of the Territories finally agreed to convene the Prague Convention. Since Madame Endelle had for centuries encouraged the Territory High Administrators to come together and formally establish the rules of engagement for the long-standing war, the newly formed COPASS voted unanimously to allow her to continue in her position as Supreme High Administrator of Second Earth. The 1,200-page Committee Inception Documents of 1901 detailed the rules of war. See High Administrator, Territory.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• ascender n: A mortal human of earth who has moved permanently to the second dimension.
• answering the call to ascension n.: The mortal human who experiences the hallmarks of the call to ascension will at some point feel compelled to answer the call to ascension, usually by demonstrating significant preternatural power.
• ascendiate n.: A mortal human who has answered the call to ascension and thereby commences his or her rite of ascension.
• ascension n.: The act of moving permanently from one dimension to a higher dimension.
• ascension ceremony n.: Upon the completion of the rite of ascension, the mortal undergoes a ceremony in which loyalty to the laws of Second Society are professed and the attributes of the vampire mantle along with immortality are bestowed.
• call of ascension n.: A period of time, usually several weeks, in which the mortal human has experienced some or all of, but not limited to, the following: specific dreams about the next dimension, deep yearnings and longings of a soulful and inexplicable nature, visions of and possibly visits to any of the dimensional Borderlands, etc.
• rite of ascension n.: A three-day period during which an ascendiate contemplates ascending to the next highest dimension.
• breh-hedden n.: A mate-bonding ritual that can only be experienced by the most powerful warriors and the most powerful preternaturally gifted women. Effects of the breh-hedden can include but are not limited to: specific scent experience, extreme physical/sexual attraction, loss of rational thought, primal sexual drives, inexplicable need to bond, powerful need to experience deep mind-engagement, etc.
• cadroen n.: (Term from an ancient language.) The name for the hair clasp that holds back the ritual long hair of a Warrior of the Blood.
• the darkening n.: An area of nether-space that can be found during meditations and/or with strong preternatural darkening capabilities. Such abilities enable the ascender to move into nether-space and remain there or to use nether-space in order to be in two places at once.
• death vampire n.: Any vampire, male or female, who partakes of dying blood automatically becomes a death vampire. Death vampires can have, but are not limited to, the following characteristics: remarkably increased physical strength, an increasingly porcelain complexion true of all ethnicities so that death vampires have a long-term reputation of looking very similar, a faint bluing of the porcelain complexion, increasing beauty of face, the ability to enthrall, the blackening of wings over a period of time. Though death vampires are not gender-specific, most are male.
• dimensional worlds n.: Eleven thousand years ago the first ascender, Luchianne, made the difficult transition from Mortal Earth to what became known as Second Earth. In the early millennia four more dimensions were discovered, Luchianne always leading the way. Each dimension’s ascenders exhibited expanding preternatural power before ascension. Upper dimensions are generally closed off to the dimension below.
• duhuro n.: (Term from an ancient language.) A word of respect that in the old language combines the spiritual offices of both servant and master. To call someone duhuro is to offer a profound compliment suggesting great worth.
• dying blood n.: Blood extracted from a mortal or an ascender at the point of death. This blood is highly addictive in nature. There is no known treatment for anyone who partakes of dying blood. The results of ingesting dying blood include but are not limited to: increased physical, mental, or preternatural power, a sense of extreme euphoria, a deep sense of well-being, a sense of omnipotence and fearlessness, the taking in of the preternatural powers of the host body, etc. If dying blood is not taken on a regular basis, extreme abdominal cramps result without ceasing. Note: Currently there is an antidote not for the addiction to dying blood itself but for the various results of ingesting dying blood. This means that a death vampire who drinks dying blood then partakes of the antidote will not show the usual physical side effects of ingesting dying blood; no whitening or faint bluing of the skin, no beautifying of features, no blackening of the wings, etc.
• folding v.: Slang for dematerialization, since some believe that one does not actually dematerialize self or objects but rather one “folds space” to move self or objects from one place to another. There is much scientific debate on this subject since at present neither theory can be proved.
• grid n.: The technology used by Central that allows for the tracking of death vampires primarily at the Borderlands on both Mortal Earth and Second Earth. Death vampires by nature carry a strong, trackable signal, unlike normal vampires.
• Guardian of Ascension pr. n.: A prestigious title and rank at present given only to those Warriors of the Blood who also serve to guard powerful ascendiates during their rite of ascension. In millennia past Guardians of Ascension were also those powerful ascenders who offered themselves in unique and powerful service to Second Society.
• High Administrator pr. n.: The designation given to a leader of a Second Earth Territory.
• identified sword n.: A sword made by Second Earth metallurgy that has the preternatural capacity to become identified to a single ascender. The identification process involves holding the sword by the grip for several continuous seconds. The identification of a sword to a single ascender means that only that person can touch or hold the sword. If anyone else tries to take possession of the sword, other than the owner, that person will die.
• Militia Warrior pr. n.: One of hundreds of thousands of warriors who serve Second Earth society as a policing force for the usual civic crimes and as a battling force, in squads only, to fight against the continual depredations of death vampires on both Mortal Earth and Second Earth.
• mind-engagement n.: The ability to penetrate another mind and experience the thoughts and memories of the other person. The ability to receive another mind and allow that person to experience one’s thoughts and memories. These abilities must be present in order to complete the breh-hedden.
• mist n.: A preternatural creation designed to confuse the mind and thereby hide things or people. Most mortals and ascenders are unable to see mist. The powerful ascender, however, is capable of seeing mist, which generally appears like an intricate mesh, or a cloud, or a web-like covering.
• nether-space n.: The unknowable, unmappable regions of space. The space between dimensions is considered nether-space as well as the space found in the darkening.
• pretty-boy n.: Slang for death vampire, since most death vampires are male.
• Seer pr. n.: An ascender gifted with the preternatural ability to ride the future streams and report on future events.
• Seers Fortress pr. n.: Seers have traditionally been gathered into compounds designed to provide a highly peaceful environment, thereby enhancing the Seer’s ability to ride the future streams. The information gathered at a Seers Fortress benefits the local High Administrator. Some believe that the term fortress emerged as a protest against the prison-like conditions the Seers often have to endure.
• split-resonance n.: Split-resonance is a state of vocal expression, including speech, in which the resonance has been split into two or more resonances. Resonance, when split, has a profound impact on the listener. Split-resonance can be used to enthrall, create emphasis in conversation, express a variety of emotions, and arouse during sex. When used with telepathy, split-resonance can cause severe pain within the mind of the listener.
• split-resonance v.: To split resonance is to craft any vocal expression, including speech, into several resonances at once.
• Supreme High Administrator pr. n.: The ruler of Second Earth.
• Twoling pr. n.: Anyone born on Second Earth is a Twoling.
• vampire n.: The natural state of the ascended human. Every ascender is a vampire. The qualities of being a vampire include but are not limited to: immortality, the use of fangs to take blood, the use of fangs to release potent chemicals, increased physical power, increased preternatural ability, etc. Luchianne created the word vampire upon her ascension to Second Earth to identify in one word the totality of the changes she experienced upon that ascension. From the first, the taking of blood was viewed as an act of reverence and bonding, not as a means of death. The Mortal Earth myths surrounding the word vampire for the most part personify the Second Earth death vampire.
• wings n.: All ascenders eventually produce wings from wing-locks. Wing-lock is the term used to describe the apertures on the ascender’s back from which the feathers and attending mesh-like superstructure emerge. Mounting wings involves a hormonal rush that some liken to sexual release. Flight is one of the finest experiences of ascended life. Wings can be held in a variety of positions, including but not limited to: full-mount, close-mount, aggressive-mount, etc. Wings emerge over a period of time from one year to several hundred years. Wings can, but do not always, begin small in the first decade then grow larger in later decades.
• effetne n.: (Term from an ancient language.) An expression, an intense form of supplication to the gods, an abasement of self, and of self-will.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Burning Skies.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Caris Roane (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: CPB Box no. 3203 vol. 11
• Dewey: 813.6

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Profanity. Sexual content

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Romance › Vampires
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Urban

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Author's Website

More Books Like This edit see section history