User:TruebaInteractive/Guardians Inc.: The Cypher

Guardians Inc.: The Cypher is the first in a series of Fantasy/Sci-fi novels by author Julian Rosado-Machain. It follows the adventures of teenager Thomas Byrne as he becomes a Cypher and joins Guardians Incorporated in their search for The Book of Concord.

Setting.

The story takes place in the 21st century Earth, using locales, alternate history, mythology and historical figures and allusions to other novels and characters.

The main focus of the story is the conflict between magical creatures and Guardians Inc. for control of The Book of Concord, a book given to humans by a powerful magical entity called the Oracle every five hundred years.

The Book of Concord.

The Book of Concord is written by the Oracle every five hundred years and, it contains the future events of the next five hundred years. It is sought after by magical and humans alike, whoever controls the Book of Concord can alter the Balance of Magic and Technology for 500 years thus altering the world. There is always a gap of undetermined time between the events of one book and the appearance of the other, the shortest was about 17 years the longest 127 years. There have been 12 Books of Concord. 9 of them have been controlled by the Guardians and one by Warmaster, two of them were never found by either faction. The current Book is being written by the Oracle and will cover approximately from 2015 to the early 2500’

Characters.

Thomas Byrne.

The main protagonist is described as an almost sixteen year old, skinny, with brown eyes and black hair and always trying to stay away from the spotlight. He enjoys skateboarding and has a red belt in Tae Kwon do. Thomas' parents disappeared during a private cruise paid for by his grandfather through the Pacific and he moved from his hometown in Ohio, to Carlsbad California. He is shy and reluctantly accepts the job as assistant librarian at Pervagus Mansion because he develops a crush with Tasha, it is then that he becomes a Cypher and the Guardians key to finding the Book of Concord.

Morgan Byrne.

Thomas' grandfather Morgan Byrne is described as a strong of body and mind seventy two year old with thick glasses and a slight limp. An ex-marine and recipient of the purple heart Morgan still exercises regularly and keeps a diet for his diabetes.

As the story begins he is looking for a job to support Thomas education and answers and ad from Guardians Inc. Doctor Franco hires him for the job of Overseer in accounting.

The book describes that Morgan and Thomas have always enjoyed a strong emotional bond.

H.M.J.M Franco Phd.

Doctor Franco is the current CEO of Guardian Inc. He is described as thin and wiry and always wearing a cravat and a cane fashioned after Aesculapius staff, he is very twitchy and seems to use is hands a lot when he talks and he can also read minds.

He personally visits Thomas and Morgan and recruits them to work for Guardians Inc.

It is not said if Doctor Franco is a Mage or Wizard, but he can conjure up a white shield and light from his cane.

Tasha Ohergelin.

Doctor’s Franco Personal Assistant and resident bauty of Guardians Inc. Tasha is a dispossessed Elven Queen and has powerful Magical abilities.

She looks like a teenager although she is in reality more than twenty five hundred years old. Her beauty is the main reason why Thomas enters Guardians Inc.

Antonio Della Francesca (Tony).

Tony was the leader of the Guardian Watchmen team of Central Park in New York and has dealt with Magical creatures all of his life, he speaks six languages including magical and has an unparalleled penchant for trying out food from different parts of the world.

Tony jumps to the opportunity of becoming Thomas protector after their visit to Hussahassalin when he introduces Thomas to Chief Husseha of the fauns.

Talkative and approachable Tony has worked in the past with Henri, and is the descendant of renaissance artist Piero Della Francesca.

Bolswaithe The Butler.

Bolswaithe is introduced as the butler of Pervagus mansion, but then he is re-assigned to become Thomas protector full time. Loyal and efficient Bolswaithe is the perfect companion. Although an older gentlem,an in all respects Bolswaithe displays incredible strength even rivaling that of the Grotesque Henri.

Henri.

A guardian grotesque originally created to protect Versailles castle by Philibert le Roy in the 17th century. Henri and his brothers are assigned to safeguarding Pervagus Mansion and in particular of Thomas Byrne.

Henri has transforming abilities, whenin his post at the mansion gates he is just a small statue, but can transform into a tall, muscular being at will. He is a good friend of Tony and accompanies Thomas whenever there is need for brute force and they are safe from prying eyes.

Elise H. Conner.

The daughter of an Elven prince and a human Forest Ranger, seventeen year old Elise has always worked hard to join Guardians Inc. Her mixed heritage gives her the better of the two bloodlines, intelligence, beauty and above all, the ability to wield Magic. Always desiring the position of Assistant Librarian at the Pervagus Library she lands instead the job of Personal assistant to Doctor Franco once her distant aunt Tasha becomes Thomas’s protector.

King Seryaan.

Lord of Ukiah, and high King of the Elven nations remaining in the world, King Seryaan is a friend and trusted ally of Guardians Inc.

Nephew to Tasha, there is an unspoken resentment between them evident throughout the book. The king is a powerful magical being used to wiedlding Power and interacting with humans including Winston Churchill president Roosevelt and Yosef Stalin during World War two, when he became another ally in the fight against the Warmaster and Adolf Hitler.

He is the only person to ever face the Warmaster in one to one combat and survive.

Vice-Principal “Killjoy” Khanna.

The Vice-Principal at Oceanic High school could very well be considered instead its ruler. With a coffee mug in one hand and a metal in the other she roams silently through the hallways, her iron grip keeps students, teachers and the PTA in line and the school functioning like clockwork. A longtime collaborator of Guardians Inc. “Killjoy” has taken an interest in Thomas and his future.

Mrs. Pianova.

The head librarian of Pervagus Mansion and immediate superior of Thomas. Her knowledge of Guardians Inc. and the world of Magic is unsurpassed even by Doctor Franco. A strict but fair person, Mrs. Pianova prefers to guide than to order, although she will enforce the rules of Guardians Inc. to its ultimate consequences, she also has a soft and caring side and will do her best to help Thomas succeed and thrive in his new role as a Cypher.

Antagonists.

The Warmaster.

The leader behind the Magical World search for the Book of Concord, the Warmaster is a puppeteer, giving orders from the sidelines. Most considered him a ghost, a myth with which to scare human and magical creatures alike. Always hidden, the Warmaster schemes are worldwide and always aimed at stopping humanity’s technological advance, from instigating the destruction of the library at Alexandria in the 7th century to his alliance with the Axis powers in World War 2, the Warmaster will stop at nothing to plunge humanity in a second Dark Age where Magic rules over technology.

Azure Guard.

The far reaching arm of the Warmaster, the Azure guard is formed of fauns, elves, and those humans that would see magic ruling the world again.

The Man in the Trench Coat.

A mysterious creature described in the book as a tall, bald and wiry man with a long nose, crooked teeth and dark eyes. The man in the trench coat delivers a paper to Thomas inside Pervagus Mansion and disappears into the shadows of a corner.

The Man in the Trench Coat is the title character of an upcoming interactive children’s book story.

Guardians Inc. as a Secret Society

Guardians Inc. is in reality the front for a seven thousand year old secret society in charge of keeping the balance between Magic and Technology tilted in technology's favor. It is hinted in the first book that the original name of the secret society is The Council of Twilight since it operates beyond any absolute, but rather in the shades of gray between light and darkness.

Guardians Inc is at forefront of technology, its presence is worldwide and its revenue measured in the trillions. Although it is not confirmed in the first book of the series it is hinted that at least the U.S. and Italian Governments know about the Guardians influence and allows its operatives to work within Government facilities, including such as important and secretive as NORAD.

Guardians Inc. as a Corporation.

Guardians inc. is a major holding company for thousands of smaller companies that may or may not know the existence of the Magic realm and the book of Concord.

Morgan describes that the company pays billions in taxes each year to governments around the world, but doesn't disclose its revenues.

The company has many buildings around the world which can be accessed through the Mansion transport system, of these the ones mentioned in the book are NORAD, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the town of Arezzo in Italy, Carlsbad, California, the Niagara falls New York and undisclosed locations in Taiwan, Europe and Silicon Valley.

Magic.

Magic and interaction between magical creatures and humans play a huge role on the series, the author explains three main types of Magic.

Cypher Powers.

The cypher powers are immediate translation and understanding of anything written or code into the language of the cypher, it does not include spoken languages.

Thomas Byrne as a Cypher.

While the powers of the Cypher are not explained as Magical but common to about one human in one hundred million, Thomas has been connected to the Oracle and as such has a magical bond with a Pillar of Magic.

Historical Cyphers.

Doctor Franco mentions many cyphers that have existed through history including:

Leonardo Da Vinci Niccolo de Conti Marco Polo Saladin Helen of Troy Emperor Lucius Cornelius Sulla

Three types of Magic.

Elemental (Pillar) Magic.

The raw forces of Nature as described by Aristotle: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Aether, which Linnaeus renames as Lifeforce. Too powerful to fully control by human or Magicae beings these elemental forces are concentrated by the Pillars of Magic and are the primordial forces that permeate the world.

Wraith Magic.

Once the raw power of the elemental forces began to subside, the Incomprehensible Wraith Magic and the creatures that wield it thrived in the world, they are not dead, just slumbering and waiting for their release. Wraith Magic is inherently Chaotic and aberrant to Magical and human Magic attuned beings, but some creatures and Magic users have been known to wield them, although with great danger to themselves.

While Wraith Magic is dampened by living beings, technology is completely anathema to it.

Wraith Creatures: The Voraxglobum Adze Trolls The man in the trenchcoat

Life Magic.

The inherent Magic found in nature. Generated by the Pillars and stored in all living things, life magic is responsible for all life, fauns and magical creatures. Magic attuned beings can learn to gather, shape and wield life magic for different effects, due to its elemental origin especially adept Magic users can create use elements in their effects; fireballs, gusts of wind etc. although only highly adept magic users can effectively wield them with control.

Fauns.

Fauns are the most diverse of Magical creatures, their numbers are tied to the non magical species they represent and as such, when a species becomes extinct, the faun population dies off as well.

All fauns are intelligent, have limbs with opposable thumbs and are attuned to Magic to some degree. Many fauns are adept Magic users and some have embraced technological advances and integrated them in their daily lives.

All mammal, bird, reptile and amphibian have faun counterparts, only a small percentage of insect and fish species have faun representatives. The reason for this lack of faun representation is unknown, but it is theorized that the great extinctions brought on by Wraith Magic might be connected.

Most fauns are slightly larger in size than their animal counterparts although there are some that have grown larger according to their exposure to humans. Most land fauns are bi-pedal with the exception of snakes who only have arms with opposable thumbs. Bird faun hands rest on the middle of their wings.

Fauns are organized into tribal units, which in turn join a tribal council by region. The tribal councils send a representative to the League of Nations that speak for all the tribes of their region.

While fauns are magical beings, Tony della Francesca makes a point to distinguish them from Satyrs which are mythological creatures.

The books main interaction is with the Hassa clan fauns which are fauns of white tailed deer, who live under Central park in a city built by Chief Husseha and human architects Olmsted and Vaux.

Individual fauns mentioned in the book:

Chief Husseha.

Chief of the Hassa Clan and builder of Husshassalin in Central Park is a faun of the white deer tribe and friend and ally of Guardians Inc. He trusts Tony and calls for his help when his children fall into a magic trance.

Sunasoo.

Locales.

The City of Ormagra.

Abandoned for billions of years The City of Ormagra has been recently found deep under the Earth’s Crust under the Bering Sea.

Wraith architecture is alien and almost incomprehensible to the human mind. Many who see Wraith structures go mad as their brain tries to understand the flowing lines and angles used by these ancient enemies of life.

Ormagra is a lifeless husk but an echo of Wraith Magic remains making it an incredibly dangerous place to visit.

Guardians Inc. Library.

The greatest collection of knowledge ever assembled. Founded in the 3542 BCE in Hierankopolis, Egypt. Pervagus Library has been coveted by emperors and warlords and sacked twice in ancient history.

The library of Alexandria in ancient Egypt was one of its depositories until its destruction. Infinitely vast, hundreds of thousands of tomes are added to the Library every year. It is now protected inside Pervagus Mansion.

Guardians Inc. Mansion.

Headquarters of Guardians Inc. accessible only by those who know how to find it (second street on the left).

Many of the greatest artists, architects and engineers have called the mansion its home during its seven centuries of existence.

Apart from Pervagus Library and protected inside its vast rooms lay the CryptoZoo, Engineering Museums, R&D Labs and Command Center of Guardians Inc. and connections to Methopia and The Five Treasures of Snow among other Magical locations.

The Mansion has recently become home to Cypher Thomas Byrne and his protectors.

The Village of Hussahassalin.

Founded by Chief Husseha of the Hassa clan fauns, Hussahassalin was the first Human-Faun effort to create a dwelling protected from humanity but on the original tribal lands of the fauns.

Hussahassalin lies beneath the Bramble at Central Park in New York City. Its secret entrance is accessible by Guardian Watchmen and Fire-teams, but has smaller tunnels distributed along the park for faun use.

Five Treasures of Snow.

The Mystical temple and Dojo guarded both by human monks and mythological creatures lies on the side of mountain Kangchenjunga in Nepal.

The first Non Guardian Human to reach The Five treasures of Snow was Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1848. After this event, the temple became protected by magical spells that disguise it against the mountain and keep it secret from prying eyes.

The Five Treasures of Snow is currently accessible to humans only through Pervagus Mansion. Joseph Dalton Hooker became a Guardian in 1849 and visited the Temple many times.