Y'lutem'lo

I mentioned a book I am trying to write in my last post and want to explain more about it here.

The very basic storyline is that four kids are put in charge of running a war. They are Mmiiick, Sviche, and Quikterr and Chutwex (these last two are sort of like twins but not quite--more on that later). Their names are so strange because I created an alphabet (two, actually--again, I'll explain later) and I randomly chose two letters to serve as names.

In this world I invented, there is a general fear of the written word. Almost everything is recorded via audio, usually with records made of glass instead of vinyl and "resonance crystals" instead of headphones. Written text is reserved for the writing of names (one of the two languages, this one usable by all) and for writing things that are too "secular" for the average person to be able to read without being tainted, yet are too important to be lost. This second is referred to as Magentic text because it is made with magenta ink and only those with magenta-colored eyes and a hair clump are allowed to learn it.

How do people become "Magental" then? Well, first you have to be born with magenta eyes. If this doesn't happen, you're out of luck. But if you are (and about a third of the population is) you automatically become "half-Magental." Then, sometime around when puberty begins, you may become full-Magental, given that a few of your hairs become magenta overnight. Becoming full-Magental doesn't seem to have much to do with genetics, but people in-world speculate that it is an indicator of virtue or potential for greatness.

People may also be deemed "Yellower" or "Cyanic" in this universe. Yellowers have at least one of three characteristics: yellow blood, yellow earwax, and/or a yellow birthmark. Yellower traits are completely reliant on genetics. To be Cyanic, though, requires great service to the government and/or community. The bestowal of the title of Cyanic is done so on an individual basis, so that it may be given for anything from proposing a bill that becomes a new law to being a juror or cleaning up the street. Individuals may attain up to three ranks of Cyanic by the acknowledgment of three acts of worthiness.

The combination of ranking status as Yellower, Cyanic, and/or Magental determine what "Level" a person is. The possible levels are 1-6, with 6 being the highest and 1 being so low that no one wants anyone to bear the shame of it, so parents and leaders do everything they can to level up those in danger of being Level 1--which generally means getting them status as at least a 1/3-Cyanic. Being a Level 1 can only be obtained with either no rank or being only 1/3 Yellower because Yellower traits are less valued than Cyanic traits, which are less valued than Magental traits.

In addition to being Yellower, Cyanic or Magental, a person may have an Unusual Trait, which includes (but is not limited to) having black hair, being born with one eye squinted, or being a Child of the Mirror (keep reading). Those with an Unusual Trait are effectively bumped up 1-3 Levels (though Level 6 is still the highest someone can be). I have a matrix of what qualifies a person to be a certain Level and how having an Unusual Trait affects this exactly, but I won't put it here. Just know that it can be a bit cumbersome.

Sviche is the only person in the history of forever to ever have all Yellower, Cyanic, and Magental traits, plus having an Unusual Trait (for her, the one squinted eye). She is often referred to as being perfect, though this is only due to ranking status and not to overall wonderfulness. Though the youngest of the group, (she's 12) she has the most experience and is considered the leader.

Backtracking now. Children of the Mirror: what are they? Well, first I should explain the Mirror. There are 20 Mirrors spread throughout the various provinces of the world that date from ancient times. They are not fully understood, but there are a few unquestionable things about them.
1) Any who stand in the presence of a Mirror will leave with an accelerated learning curve (happens only the first time).
2) The Mirrors were the portals through which "wizards" from a parallel universe traveled through in ancient times, when they wreaked havoc on the world.
3) Those who touch a Mirror (called "Seekers of the Mirror") will bring their Mirror-reality counterpart (called "Children of the Mirror") into the world.
4) One-year-olds are given the opportunity to touch the Mirror. Most do not, but those that do bring a Child of the Mirror that has not matured enough to be a problematic wizard, yet is still able to subconsciously benefit others through their "magic."
5) For unknown reasons, the Seeker of the Mirror will invariably die before the Child of the Mirror does.
6) Being a "Child" is deemed an Unusual Trait, while being a "Seeker" is not.

You may have realized that Chutwex and Quikterr are a Child and Seeker of the Mirror. The thing is, no one knows which one is which. The observers when one of them touched the Mirror were distracted, so it became impossible to figure out who is the original. The Seeker in this case is a Level 4 while the Child is a Level 6, but, due to the circumstances, both are considered Level 6's until the Seeker dies, thus proving the status of each.

Mmiiick is a bit of an enigma. She has black hair and tends to work alone, partly due to her "dyslexia"--which is technically "audio processing disorder," but I decided to make it make more sense in terms of the high emphasis on sound in this world. She's an artist with a ridiculous amount of hand-eye coordination and can read "glass sheets" (audio records) by glancing at the grooves on it. In short, she's a super-visual girl in the land of super-sound.

All four main characters have been acknowledged as Level 6's at the beginning of the story and are about to embark on their "Hiatus Quest" (essentially a coming of age rite of passage) together. Whilst deliberating what they are going to do (painting a bunch of fences isn't going to cut it by a long shot), the province's "High Council" is assassinated, presumably by a rival province bent on starting a war with them. One of the council's members survives just long enough to confer power on the only available Level 6's: the four kids. The kids, who aren't allowed to leave the High Council for one year, decide to make ending the war that has just begun be their Hiatus Quest.


A very large portion of this was some of my earlier worldbuilding. I'm still working out a lot of environmental details (current prognosis involves lots of silica-based materials, laser and nuclear technology, a volcano, and a great lack of metal and trees). As you can very much tell, this story has way too much background stuff I want to cover. It's much bigger than anything I have ever done. The stuff I've been trying to figure out most recently has started to remind me of Myst. I really ought to reread it sometime. I might get more ideas.