The World of the Bound
The idea for the series came to me about 20 years ago. It started as a fascination with all things sci-fi. Since I was a child, I have liked watching Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Quantum Leap, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, The X-Files, Dr. Who, The Outer Limits, and so many more. I have also watched ALOT of Disney and other fantasy movies, of which I can quote most of them and sing along, much to my family and friends’ dismay. (sorry-not-sorry) I love superhero movies such as the ones in the Marvel universe. Readers who are like me will easily find all the references and influences in my writing.
Please note: This page is meant to be informational about the world of the Bound. It will contain lore, pronunciations, character descriptions, and other useful tidbits. Before continuing, be aware that this section will contain spoilers for the current release, but not future ones.
*AI was used to generate the images on this page because…they’re aliens.
A’ook
The See’ka’s and Bound’s home planet. It is about the same size as Earth with more liquid water on its surface. It has two moons. The larger one is gray, and the smaller one is pink.
The planet does not have distinct seasons like most of the Earth does. Its climate remains temperate throughout its year, which they refer to as a cycle. One cycle equals roughly 1.5 Earth years. Cycles include multiple rainy, dry, and humid periods. Their star has no official name.
See’ka
The dominant, intelligent species on A’ook had a civilization similar to that of humans. They lived in territories rather than countries.
Physical description
Average height is six to seven feet. They have three-toed webbed feet with another toe on the back where the ankle would be on a human. Long legs fold at the second knee in the opposite direction from a human. The legs and arms are covered in scaly plates of various sizes with small spaces of rough skin between them. The texture resembles that of rhino or elephant skin, dry and gray. The scales have a brownish color pattern with a dull sheen. An elongated pelvis with hip bones that protrude upward and outward. No sign of genitals. The waist is narrow, then flares out to a broad chest. A raised ridge divides the rib cage vertically like the breastbone of a bird, but only goes halfway up the chest. The top of the torso, beneath their throat, is flat and without scales, unlike the rest of the body.
They have two sets of arms. The smaller lower set is attached to the front of the torso directly below the rib cage and has only two fingers, while the second set is the length and position one would expect for a bipedal organism of this size. The arms are muscular, with four half-webbed fingers tipped with claws.
The face has features that are both insect-like and reptilian. Leathery skin is pulled over pronounced bones, which emphasizes the majority of their face. Their bottom jaw is well-defined and resembles two insect mandibles fused together, allowing a soft palate to form between them. They have no fleshy lips, just a beak-like upper portion like a turtle’s beak. The cheeks appear sunken due to the pronounced cheekbones. Their eyes are set deep into the face. They have pointed noses but no ears except for two small openings located on either side of their head. No hair at all.
Language
The See’ka have limited vocal abilities, and the small number of sounds they can make was the basis for their primitive original language. As they became more advanced and required more complex communication, they began to use their primary pair of hands for sign language and their secondary, smaller set to convey emotion. Sounds now serve to emphasize tone or to exaggerate certain words.
See’ka Special Castes
Ancients, Firsts, Elders
The Bound/Unbonded
There is no true term for a Bound without a host, so they are simply called the “unbonded” (Not to be confused with the Unbound or Defiled!)
Physical Description: Appearing as a combination of crayfish and praying mantis, the Bound/unbonded are about 4-6 inches in length, with a larger hind abdomen ending in a tail. They are blue-green in color, with bioluminescent dots all over their bodies, unique to each individual.
One front arm is a claw, and the other is flattened into a knife-like appendage for slicing through flesh. They have feathery, antennae-like extensions on their midsection, which are used for breathing in and out of the water. This appendage flattens onto their back when bonded to a host, and a shell like that of a turtle forms to protect their bodies.
Language: The Bound have a rudimentary language because most of them are not bonded to a host and have very little intelligence or sentience on their own. It sounds like high-pitched squeaks and clicks. Humans and See’ka alike cannot hear about half of the sounds because they are outside the range of hearing.
Behavior: When not bonded, they live in the ponds, lakes, and streams of their native island. They travel the waterways or make short trips over land, sometimes with the help of a fellow Bound and their Grr. They can live in saltwater for brief periods, but must return to freshwater after a few days to feed. They can’t spend more than a day in dry conditions outside of water.
The Defiled or Unbound
Spoilers…
Alpha Host
Any sentient creature that can bond with a Bound. Humans and See’ka are the only known Alpha Hosts. Although the Bound can suppress the pain of their hosts in most situations, they cannot block the pain from themselves. They record memories by translating them into genetic code and storing them in their abdomens or in the host’s brain.
Grr, also known as Brood Guards
There is no human translation for the name. Instead, it is a short grunt-like growl.
Theo describes the Grr’s appearance when LJ shows him in the vision:
“The body was about the size and shape of a large wolf, but that is where the similarities to canines ended. Its charcoal-colored skin had a dull sheen to it, possibly from scales or plated skin. The scale-like structures appeared to get larger in size as they approached the top of its spine and neck. Its back legs were slightly longer than the front, giving it a hunched appearance as if it were ready to pounce at any moment. Backward-curved spikes, with the largest being six inches in length, jutted from the back of its neck to halfway down the spine. Two elongated teeth on each side of its upper jaw could be seen stretching past its bottom lip, reminding him of a saber-tooth tiger. It had claws the length and breadth of his fingers. The upper lip lifted to reveal more razor-sharp teeth. Theo thought it looked a little like a velociraptor and a rabid hyena had a baby in hell.”
Grr are only found on the island of the Bound. They have coevolved with the Bound over thousands of years so that no Grr exists without a Bound. Grr do not seem to be smart enough to be sentient on their own. When a Grr reaches maturity, they are matched with a willing Bound and remain so for life.
Grr are the guardians of the island where the Bound live and, most importantly, defend the young of newly hatched Bound. Once the See’ka discovered them for the first time, some Grr decided to migrate to the main continent. However, they can only reproduce on the island of the Bound. If a Grr dies, its Bound usually dies with it or is returned to the island, where it spends the rest of its short life without a host.
Goddess of the Waters
The Goddess of the Waters is the shared deity of the See’ka and Bound. When the Bound told their genesis story to the See’ka, they realized just how much they had in common. They merged their legends into a single belief rather than try to pick one over the other.
Treaty of the Bound
Also referred to as the Vows or the Oath. It is the promise that every Unbonded takes before committing to an Alpha Host. They must swear to never overpower their host’s will, never suppress their consciousness, and above all, never harm their Alpha Host. In exchange, the Bound get to experience the lives of their hosts, including feeling emotions that they could never hope to feel in on their own.
Only the Firsts were granted amnesty after the treaty was signed because the Bound had never been bonded to a sentient host before and therefore had no idea they were doing harm. That is why the Firsts are considered “Blessed”.