Raise. Your. Phantom.

 

Phantom Motion - Ave Fenix – Ascenso 

In the spirit of Halloween and all the great posts this month on ghosts and ghouls, I thought I would offer a little 'phantoms 101' for those intending to read Crown of Bones.

What is a Phantom?

Do not mistake a phantom for a ghost.

Phantoms reside in the depths of a savants’ soul and with training, they can be raised, held to solid form and commanded. Some say they are the shadow side of the savant, but they are also an embodiment of their will. 

Let’s be clear. They have a will of their own! Training does not always come easy, or stick.

How to Raise a Phantom

To raise their phantom, the savant must be touching the earth, usually dropping to one or both knees. The phantom separates from the savant, travels through the ground and then rises in a blast of rock and dirt. Earth is necessary to take material form.

Classes of Phantoms

The 5 Classes of Phantoms - Art by Anna Campbell Art

There are five categories or classes of phantoms one might raise – warrior, healer, ouster, caller, alter -- each offering a unique way to serve the realm. Warriors are for defence and offence, healers care for people, animals and plants alike, callers can draw the winds, rain, crops, weapons. They can find lost kittens or, with High Savants, call blood from the enemies' bones. Ousters have similar abilities but push instead of pull. Alters are shape-shifters with uses from observation, battle, communication and survival. 

Phantoms can also be a combination, for example, Samsen’s caller-alter. When it’s clear which class the savant belongs to, they are thereafter referred to simply as a warrior, or healer etc.

Take the Quiz

Find out what phantom you raise and report back. I'd love to know!

In the meantime, have a happy Halloween. You can read your Bare Bones Scopes HERE.

xxKim

* * * 

Kim Falconer's New YA Fantasy is out January 5, 2020 - Crown of Bones. book #1 in the Amassia Series (Writing asr A.K. Wilder) 

Also, check her urban fantasy  - The Blood in the Beginning - an Ava Sykes Novel and the SFF Quantum Enchantment Series. 

You can find Kim on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or pop over and throw the bones or Raise your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site.

Welcome to Amassia

Rainaya by Alayna on DeviantArt

Welcome to my world of Amassia...

I'm AK Wilder, officially joining the Sup authors in our endeavour to share books that make the heart beat faster. Let's have some fun in the world of Amassia!

The Release Date

Some of you have been waiting for this story world, found in Crown of Bones, to hit the shelves and I thank you for your patience! We have a solid release date now, August 4, 2020, the warm and sparkling time of Leo. Yay!

And now, on to Amassia...

In a World on the Brink of the Next Great Dying

The Journey by lp ysg on artstation.com

From familiar everyday life, farms and crops and fish and seas, to the fantastic beings of Mar, Bone Throwers and Phantoms, Amassia has the entire range. You'll find elements so ordinary you feel right at home, until wham! You don't. For example, you'll come across...

A green-robe level savant
with raised Phantom (the owl).

Savants and Non-Savants

Savants and non-savants make up the 'human' population of Amassia. They look just like you or I would in a diverse-race, pre-industrial culture, but Savants have one big difference. They can raise their phantoms from the ground and direct them in various ways to serve the realms.

Phantoms

Phantoms fall into five classes, ranging from warriors to healers and take the shape of anything from plant to animal to elementals. They remain dormant in the Savant's soul unless raised from the ground and held to form. Children who show potential to become savant are trained in sanctuaries by high ranking masters. There they learn to control their phantoms, hopefully, to serve and protect the realms.

Bone Throwers

The black-robed Bone Throwers decide
the fate of every child on Amassia.

The black-robed Bone Throwers are savants who devote their lives to divination. They keep to themselves in underground temples near each sanctuary, carrying out their work – predicting times for planting, harvest, hunting and war.

The Bone Throwers also carry out the endless task of carving new whistle bones used in their oracles, including the casts that determine the fate of every child on Amassia. Which sounds ominous, because it is.

If a throw of the bones finds a child marred, those infants must be sacrificed to the sea.  

Mar

Are the Mar real or do they only
live in children's stories?

Most regard the Mar as they would water-dragons and voracious river nymphs—fodder for children’s stories or to strike fear into the hearts of seafaring voyagers.

Are they real?

If so, they dwell beneath the sea and are said to eat the children the black-robe send to them.

One thing is sure, if you met a Mar, you'll never know it. As legends have it, they look just like us, though are near-immortal and have little use for land or air.

* * * 

About AK Wilder

I write YA Lit for young adults, and the young at heart.

Meet me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or check out my site, akwilder.com where you can read the Bare Bones Scopes, throw the bones and discover the latest news and giveaways.

My alter ego on the Sup is Kim Falconer...

Remember, when in doubt... Raise. Your. Phantom!