A guide to Halrieth for the first 50 chapters
1. The Foundation of Power: Remembrance
In Halrieth, the source of all power is memory.
Every name is an anchor. When a name is remembered, its legacy reawakens. When it's forgotten, it fades—even from history.
The Empire maintains order by controlling which names are remembered.
But some refuse to be erased.
To Witness is to defy erasure by remembering the forbidden. The act of Witnessing creates a pact between the Witness and a forgotten entity—be it a soul, god, ruin, or idea.
2. The Two Systems: Crownlight and the Hollow Sky
Crownlight
The Empire's official summoning system.
Based on Veinlight glyphs and divine contracts.
Summoners bind spirits chosen from the Book of Light.
Power is lawful, documented, and limited.
Hollow Sky
The forgotten truth beneath reality.
Not controlled by glyphs, but awakened by memory.
Summons return by being remembered, not bound.
The more a Witness understands the name, the stronger the bond becomes.
Soren is the first true Witness in generations.
3. Pact Tiers (Early Game)
Echo Pacts
Flickers of memory. Offer subtle abilities or guidance.
May appear in dreams or as brief manifestations.
Usually the first sign a Witness is awakening.
Memorybound Pacts
Full pacts with forgotten souls.
Manifest physically or emotionally through the Witness.
Each has their own will, voice, and potential.
Early pacts may be unstable or dangerous if misunderstood.
4. Known Pact Examples (So Far)
Tharra, the One-Winged Scribe
Pact Type: Memorybound
Powers: Transcribes erased events. Speaks in sigils.
Risk: Causes written names nearby to rot.
Unnamed Ash-Shard Pact
The first shard that strikes Soren in Chapter One.
Powers: Unknown. Begins to rewrite Soren's perception of truth.
Warning: May be linked to Rootborn fragments.
5. Soren's Early Status (Ch. 1–50)
Rank: Name-Touched
Known Bonds: 1 Echo, 1 unstable Memorybound
Witness Traits:
Sees memory scars in stone
Attracts ash-based disturbances
Can feel the presence of erased names
Soren cannot control his pacts in the early chapters. His growth depends on how deeply he connects with the memories behind each name.
6. Major Factions (Arc 1)
The Empire of Veins
Uses Veinsteel, Crownlight glyphs, and memory regulation.
Sends Judicators to eliminate unauthorized pacts.
The Hollowborn
Survivors of erased histories.
Whisper of a returning force called the Hollow Crown.
The Judicators
Elite agents trained to detect and erase Witnesses.
Use enchanted Veinsteel and memory seals.
Treat Witnessing as high treason.
7. Key Concepts for the First Arc
Godroots: Underground living memory cores. Where most pacts originate.
Ashfall: An unnatural weather phenomenon tied to forgotten places.
Veinsteel: A metal that disrupts pacts and suppresses memory bonds.
Hollowreach: The ruined orphanage where Soren's story begins—and his first pact awakens.
8. Forbidden Glyphs (Unlocked in Arc 1)
Glyph of Recall
Triggers flash-memory from a location
Used unintentionally by Soren
Glyph of Unmarking
Erases identification
Known to the Hollowborn, not yet to Soren
9. Common Sayings and Beliefs
"The ash remembers." – Refers to buried truths resurfacing.
"Name it, or lose it." – Hollowborn philosophy.
"If you see your shadow twice, run." – Empire superstition about fractured memory.
"I Witness." – A forbidden phrase punishable by death.
10. What's to Come (Non-Spoiler Teasers)
The memory of someone Soren never met begins to dream through him.
A Veinsteel weapon fails against a Rootborn glyph.
One of Soren's pacts begins speaking to other people—without him.
A Judicator starts to question what should be forgotten.
If you forget a name, it fades.
If you remember it… it fights beside you.