are more predatory and crude. The ancestors of those who would predominantly wield black order known as Angels, were marooned 600 years later, and would found two authoritarian, militaristic, matriarchal, vaguely misandrist states on Candar and generally fought native opponents rather than their Rationalist counterparts. The series is named for a black order-based island state which was founded by two powerful individuals from those states, abandoning the matriarchy and vague misandry in favor of a more modern (but not fully) outlook. However it does evolve an intolerance for anything that threatens its highly successful order-based homogeneity, banishing anyone they believe to be undesirable, chaos wielders and those unwilling or unable to fit in to Recluce society alike. The technology, weaponry, and ideology of each culture is reflected in the magical abilities, hair colour, and world views of their descendants in the Recluce universe. Offspring can usually inherit magical abilities, and talent for both black order and white chaos appeared in the descendants of both groups, although one was generally favored over the other, if the other wasn't oppressed or shunned. The arrival of the Angels is described in Fall of Angels: a space warship, the Winterlance, is part of an Angel fleet attacking a Rationalist blockade. The Angels are losing. During the battle, an exceptional event occurs: energy weapons of opposite types align and focus on the Winterlance. The result is surprising: instead of being destroyed, the ship materializes elsewhere. From various evidence, the crew concludes that they are in an alternate universe, ruled by different physical laws. The ship no longer functions but it is close to a habitable planet, and the crew crash lands there. Soon, individuals discover strange talents and physical changes (such as hair colour) that will ultimately become linked to order magic. Upon contacting the planet's locals, they discover that Rationalists are also present on the planet. Chronology Chronologically, the series spans 1,855 years. The story actually begins well before even the earliest novel, with the arrival of the "demons of light" from another universe. Using their manifest chaos powers as well as their advanced technology, these people create an empire called Cyador, on the continent of Candar. While the series is named after Recluce, that island is uninhabited for the first millennium of the story. The first two books, chronologically, are Magi'i of Cyador and Scion of Cyador, which describe the operation of the