Wanderers #3 - Ank the Sanark
- daholleyauthor
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Quick Facts | ... |
Place or Origin | Graemein's Wall, Sana's Horn, Sana |
Race | Katcyakin/Graemein |
Ethnicity | N/A |
Magic Type | Soulbinding |
Mentor Spirit/God | God of Darkness, Mu; Unknown |
First Appearance [Book/Chapter] | Tears for the Moon God / Prologue |
This week's article continues where we left off in last week's coverage of the Wanderers, a group comprised of katcyakin who committed crimes against the gods and spirits, and were imprisoned outside of time as punishment. Ank is the first Sun Man to have been imprisoned there, and the only Wanderer to have gone to the Halls of Time by his own will. (A matter that sits at the heart of Gilded Son, a free novella which you can get by signing up for my newsletter, if you haven't already.)
The Graemein Race
Ank is a member of a nonhuman race called graemeins who are born with one body and two souls. These two souls are autonomous from each other and must learn to cooperate in sharing their body. One soul occupies (or rides) the body at any given time, while the other inhabits a spiritual plane parallel to the physical world which is only accessible to graemeins. They are unique in their ability to utilize separate magical forms and blend those powers in order to create novel effects, an ability possessed by no other mortal race.
Nearly all mortal life first came from rivers, with the spirits of those rivers having given rise to the first members of a given race using the raw materials associated with them and the power available to the spirits bound to them. The graemeins descend from the River Graemling, and inhabit the area around his mouth at Sana's Horn. The most elite members of them fall into various orders within the broader caste of Sanarks, who are sworn guardians over the Great King Sana's shrine, and take vows never to leave Sana's Horn as a part of their mission to protect the world from him.
The two souls which inhabit the graemeins are called, respectively, their Sky Soul (which is typically active at night) and their Earth Soul (which is typically active during the day). These independent entities share a name and body but are capable of acting autonomously from each other, and must learn to cooperate in order to switch places between their physical body and the spiritual plane at will. They do not always get along with each other, which poses complications for many young graemeins as they seek to bring their often polarly opposed souls into unity. A prerequisite of becoming a Sanark lies in the ability of these souls to cooperate with each other diplomatically. Some Earth and Sky Souls are more volatile than others; and even if they are capable of working together, that volatility can be a bar against them being accepted into the various orders of Sanarks.
Ank is one such as those, who is eventually accepted into the Order of Gilded Sons, but earns the ire of many a leader among the Sanarks in the process.
Gilded Son
You'll find more detail about the Order of Gilded Sons, and Ank the Sanark, in the free novella, Gilded Son (for more on that visit the Free Ebook page above); but there is plenty to go on in Tears for the Moon God, as well. What sets him apart from most graemeins, however, is that he is the variety of being the Order of Gilded Sons was named for.
Ank is a Sun Man, a member of the katcyakin pseudo-race who traces some part of his lineage back to the God of Luck, Katcya. As a Sun Man, he was born with the innate ability to alter probabilities in his favor, making positive outcomes from his deeds more likely to occur, and reducing the risk of negative outcomes by the same token. This power does not guarantee he will never encounter adversity, and is entirely nullified when in proximity to a Cloud Man (discussed in the posts on Dupec and Ungol Safar, Hanuman the Elder, and Xi Didura).
Ank the Wanderer
In Tears for the Moon God, we first see Ank in the Halls of Time, and he remains there throughout the story as a Wanderer trapped with no way out. The reason he was incarcerated there remains a mystery throughout the book, but the events leading up to his imprisonment are precisely what the novella featuring him is about. He plays a relatively minor role in the story at this stage but remains perhaps the most enigmatic character in the book, as he displays a command of the Halls of Time (an understanding of its rules and how it functions) that far exceeds even that of Hanuman, who has lived within them the longest of all of the Wanderers. This is a byproduct of an uncommon intellect and an often dangerous bent toward curiosity. While the reason he is there is not explained in the text of Tears for the Moon God, and only a part of it is directly explored in his novella, it remains evident that he knows far more about the goings on within the Halls of Time than his peers, and he's not telling his secrets.
Ank and Hanuman
Ank is juxtaposed in the narrative against Hanuman, and the two are presented as mutually antagonistic forces. Hanuman's ventures into the lives and memories of the other Wanderers and those who knew them has led him to believe someone has manipulated the available information surrounding Ank, in order to prevent him from discovering the truths buried in the arc of his life before his imprisonment. In turn, Ank views Hanuman as a liability and a madman, and refuses to cooperate with him or explain his antics throughout their tenure in the Halls, instead making calculated maneuvers through the prison outside time's flow in order to effect his plans. Ank Sky Souled and Ank Earth Souled retain a grudging relationship, with each having his own reasons for supporting their shared agenda and going about their work in different ways. Their ultimate goals will be explored in greater depth when they come to a head in Book 2 of the Luckborn Series, but in the meantime, you can see what they are capable of as they perform small but seemingly impossible feats like changing the weather in the Halls to suit their needs, and generally keeping their secrets out of Hanuman's hands.
Ank's Views on the Halls
Ank Sky Souled comprehends that he is in the Halls of Time for a reason, but does not like being there. His ultimate goals center around escape, which places him in line with the ideas and convictions of the other Wanderers, none of whom value their imprisonment there. However, this view is not shared by Ank Earth Souled, who believes they are facing just punishment for the acts they committed during their time of freedom. Though he works with Ank Sky Souled to achieve their mutual ends, he is also largely responsible for placing them within the Halls of Time to begin with, having deviated from the script at critical moments in order to ensure they were taken away from the Waxing World to a place (this place) where they could no longer directly influence the lives of mortal peoples, the spirits or the gods.
If you haven't already, you can get Gilded Son by signing up for my newsletter either through the drop down form on the main page or by filling out the form at the bottom of the Free Ebook page. You can also buy Tears for the Moon God via Ingram Spark or Amazon (click the image to be redirected to the sales page). Tears for the Moon God is also available on Kindle Unlimited.
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