Glossary
Glossary
The following glossary was compiled by Erudite Senior Archivist C. Rhyard. Original content is presented as it appears in the source text, with contextual clarifications where appropriate and factual alignment integrated throughout the glossary. Reviewed and approved for storage by Erudite Diacon F. Suren.
A
Aebryhems
A militant religious movement that believes that the Scattering was divine punishment for humanity's attempt to flee Old Earth. It seeks to build a flotilla and return to Earth, which they view as a garden sanctuary. First emerged on Syn. Aligned with the Yscenics. Classified as a destabilising influence.
Alignment
The Erudite Directorate’s process for determining whether a world is suitable for admission into the Directorate Sphere. Worlds must meet strict alignment criteria before admission; systems that remain unaligned may receive little development or integration. Alignment Officers educate undecided worlds and their leaders about Provectism and the Directorate.
Alignment Officer
An Erudite education specialist tasked with teaching the leaders of undecided worlds about Provectism and the Erudite Directorate. A respected diplomatic and instructional role.
Android
A largely organic, artificially created being, indistinguishable from humans in appearance but far stronger, more durable, and more flexible. Capable of self-replication through reproductive covens. Most commonly found in the Triemirate. Androids are recognised as persons under Erudite law.
Anthrodivergent
An umbrella term for genetically-variant persons, speciated individuals, and others who diverge from baseline humanity. Often subject to discrimination and violence. The Erudite Directorate condemns such discrimination.
Apparitional-class Intelligence
A general artificial intelligence capable of learning and adapting in unpredictable ways. It cannot be reliably controlled or constrained; direct code alteration does not produce stable or predictable results. Typically evolves from runaway iterative learning processes in Sublunary-class intelligences. Containment is the only reliable mitigation.
Armournaut
A mercenary who pilots Mobile Ordnance Armour (MOA) or other military hardware. Armournauts are hired by Planetary Nations, corporations, and Superpowers to fight proxy wars, provide security, and conduct raids. The Erudite Directorate regulates their activities within aligned space.
Asuvakil
Gravity-affected Vakil nomads who live primarily in space. One of two major Vakil subgroups, the other being the Golvakil (planet-dwelling).
Averi
The Averi are a people ruled by the Yellow Peahen Empress, whose monarchy is based in the sealed orbital megastructure Magnasanti. Averi society is divided between traditionalist theists and progressive magnates. The Averi have been implicated in slavery, cloning technology, and organised crime. The Phoenix Court is the most prominent Averi insurgent group. The Erudite Directorate does not maintain formal relations.
B
Balharn Heavy Industries
The largest mining company in the Cluster and the most extensive workers' cooperative in history. Recently outbid for Frontier contracts by the Lagrange Nations Assembly.
Benandonner
The largest private manufacturer of Mobile Ordnance Armour (MOA) in the Cluster. Favoured by Armournauts despite rising costs. Slogan: "You can't put a price on victory."
Black Matter Crisis
An Obriossian crisis during the Recrudescence that contributed to the collapse of the remaining enemy powers opposing the Stellar Union. Its aftermath produced lasting bans, quarantines, and technological taboos across the Cluster. The nature of the crisis is not otherwise described.
Black Pulse
A cascading failure of Criptoscrip's verification nodes in 2310, allegedly caused by a cyberattack. Millions of transactions were frozen, wallets were wiped, and the currency's value plummeted.
Bloody Monks
The colloquial name for Zunbox's Armournaut band, known for its discipline, adherence to the Utopian Path, and terrifying effectiveness in close-quarters combat.
C
Caucus
A local political body in the Lunar Union through which civilians elect representatives. Caucuses may exercise substantial local authority within the Plenum system.
Castigor
A Frontier planet that was the site of the Ossion Calamity, where Stragovi 111 deorbited Polermo Station onto the city of Ossio, killing 9,467 people and creating a radiological exclusion zone. It was previously the largest repository of Pillarite in the Cluster.
Citrinitas Outriders
Yellow-liveried vessels and MOA pilots operating from Zyrgyzoi fleets. Trusted allies of the Zyrgyzoi, originally derived from Free Xanthi.
Cluster
The region of known human worlds connected by Corridor Space and the Pillars. Divided into six macro-regions: the Directorate Sphere, Venti Space, Lunar Union Territories, the Core, the Jambles, and the Frontier.
Cluster Defence Council
An inter-Superpower body on which the Erudite Directorate, Lunar Union, and Venti Republic sit together despite their continuing political rivalry. Its specific structure and powers are not otherwise described.
Cluster Net
The galaxy-spanning digital communication network facilitated by cycler stations, Corridor net drones, satellites, and Corridor runner craft.
Cohorts
Divisions within the Lunar Union state structure, answerable to both the military and the Plenum. Some cohorts are elite units of hand-picked Lunar Union soldiers, specialising in asymmetric warfare and coordinated assaults. Cohort 9 later became the core of Rex Panthera.
Colloquy
A corporation specialising in neuroimaging technology and brain-computer interfaces. Its flagship product is the transcranial magnetic interface. Creator of GOJI, the first AI celebrity.
Conran
A heavily polluted world in the Jambles. The Erudite Directorate has offered alignment resources on multiple occasions, but all have been declined.
Contact Conflict
An eight-month period of chaos during which the Lunar Union first made contact with the Erudite Directorate and the Venti Republic. Ended with the Passoma Accords, a general ceasefire negotiated by Erudite mediators.
Contact Protocol
A framework developed after early contact disasters, including Odelke, requiring stricter ethical standards before newly contacted societies are integrated into the wider Cluster community.
Core, The
The most developed nominally independent region in the Cluster, bordering both the Directorate Sphere and Venti Space. Holds the largest and most powerful economy in the Cluster, rivalling the Superpowers.
Corridor Space
A network of highly curved spacetime that allows faster-than-light travel. It was discovered and mapped by the Erudite Directorate, and is believed to have been created, or otherwise interacted with, by the Pillars.
Corvus Engramics
A corporation that pioneered engram technology for encoding, storing, and retrieving memories and information.
Co-Suffetes
A Venti Republic institution that provides executive direction alongside the Pentarchy. Established by Biandra as part of the Republic’s constitutional settlement, the Co-Suffetes cannot govern effectively without the cooperation of the Wards and other major political and commercial interests.
Criminaloids
The lowest caste in Yscenic society: individuals deemed to have inherent tendencies towards subversiveness and pre-emptively regarded as criminals with limited agency. The Erudite Directorate condemns this caste system as regressive.
Criptoscrip
The dominant decentralised currency of the Cluster, originating in the Jambles. It cannot be taxed and is not backed by any government. It is vulnerable to events such as the Black Pulse. The Erudite Directorate does not endorse its use, but accommodates it for interstellar trade.
Cycler Stations
Massive orbital hubs that move in carefully aligned orbital processions, serving as centres for commerce, storage, administration, and communication. Corridor Cyclers complete circuits through Corridor Space.
D
Daughters of Astagon
A Dyophidian sect focused on rationalism and the pursuit of knowledge. The sect is composed primarily of female practitioners, and its priests are meritocratically selected and often skilled professionals.
Defiance (CTZX73)
The Lunar Union’s final major stronghold during the Recrudescence. The high-gravity ice moon survived sustained Lha’Maggean bombardment and forty-seven years of fighting beneath its cryosphere. Now preserved as a military memorial and training ground; its unofficial name, Defiance, remains closely associated with Union veteran authority.
Diacon
An Erudite Directorate scholar and administrator. Diacons wear protective exosuits and serve as the human backbone of the Directorate's automated military and administrative networks. A position of significant responsibility.
Distant Ones
In Storian belief, the offspring of the universe and the Galactic Maestro. Godlike beings who dwell outside the observable universe, feeding on creation and bringing about the heat death of the universe so reality can restart.
Dreamers
See Enazcan Dreamers.
Dronesteaders (also Drone Barons)
A colloquial term for Obriossians, referencing their reliance on autonomous drone networks and factories. Fiercely independent, they often deliberately seclude themselves from the wider Cluster and reject incorporation into any state.
Dyophidianism
A pluralistic unity religion centred on worship of the Twin Snake Gods, Astagon (Bitter Truths) and Myggerron (Sweet Lies). It holds that all religions are valid pathways to worshipping the gods and does not have concepts of heresy or apostasy. Widely practised within the Directorate Sphere.
E
E-Ra'aayaa
A semi-mythic figure in Vakil culture, and the name given to the leader of their modern tribal confederation. Originally an oyster diver, E-Ra’aayaa sparked resistance during the integration of Aquilmendi into the Directorate Sphere. Historical accounts vary.
Earthly Genera
The highest caste in Yscenic society: political dynasties residing in opulent domes who claim the right to rule based on genetic, linguistic, and cultural heritage. The Erudite Directorate does not recognise caste-based governance.
Eight Year War
The war between the Erudite Directorate and the Vakil on Aquilmendi, following twenty-seven years of skirmishing after Erudite arrival. The Directorate won, disarming the Vakil, incorporating their territories, and ending their political self-rule while permitting continued religious practice.
Enazcan Dreamers
A religious and warrior culture that believes they are divine descendants of the Lha'Maggeans. They practise ritual self-harm, sleep deprivation, and seizure induction to commune with spirits. Criminalised within the Lunar Union, they are monitored by the Erudite Directorate.
Erudite, The
Common shorthand for the Erudite Directorate, a fully automated technocratic society united to ensure the continued existence of the human species through the Great Work. "Temple" is a Venti-derived pejorative term with no basis in Directorate structure or belief.
Ethical Governance Movement
A movement advocating for the replacement of human politicians with artificial intelligence. Prominent on the Core Worlds of Idris and Pestralia, it is observed with interest by the Erudite Directorate, which maintains that AI should augment, not replace, human oversight.
F
Fardannis
A moon of Aquilmendi terraformed by the Erudite Directorate and granted as a refuge to Jaori asylum seekers after the fall of Odelke. Seat of the New Jaori provisional government (in exile).
Farimba
Originally Odelken soldiers who continued from national service into full military service. The term later came to refer to elite soldiers of the Odelken Military.
Farimba Extremophiles
A Jaori (Odelken) state-administered military company specialising in GELF warfare and longitudinal operations. Descended from units that continued fighting the Yscenics without resupply for decades. Commanded by Yagan.
Fealken
Large collaborative groups of Gystlian nomadic bands (Loinken). The largest number in the tens of millions. They elect a Gyorick to serve as executive decision-maker.
Fernweh Nation
A group of sleeper ships from the Corridor-less system of Fernweh. They arrived in the Jambles after the activation of the Fourth Pillar. Their main society appears unaware of the wider Cluster.
Flagellants
See Gene Flagellants.
Fringe Resonance Theory
A speculative theory proposing an interstice between universes that may be accessible through particular forms of resonance. Similarities have been claimed between the theory, Ylemoman descriptions of the Inbetween, and the Pillars, but no such connection has been established.
Frontier, The
The most uncharted region of the Cluster, discovered with the activation of the Fourth Pillar. Estimated to be two to ten times the size of the original Cluster. Densely packed with habitable worlds. Lawless and rapidly militarising. The Erudite Directorate maintains observation posts but limited direct presence.
G
Galactic Maestro (GM)
In Storianism, the personification of fate. Fate is viewed as a song, game, or story. The universe repeats for eternity, though each iteration may differ.
Gallowglass
See 13th Ward Gallowglass.
GAP (Gravity Affected People)
Individuals with Gravity Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) who cannot safely acclimatise to planetary gravity. Estimated to make up 26% of the Cluster's total population.
GAS (Gravity Adaptation Syndrome)
A condition affecting individuals born or living in low or zero gravity, rendering them unable to inhabit planetary-gravity environments. Symptoms can be generational.
GELF (Genetically Engineered Life Form)
Living organisms created through genetic engineering, including armour, weaponry, skins, and full organisms. Some GELF are semi-sentient. Discrimination against anthrodivergent peoples often falsely categorises them as GELF. The Erudite Directorate considers this usage inaccurate and unethical.
GELF Cataphract Sleeves
Full-body, living, semi-sentient armour systems bred from GELF skin, carapace, and muscle rigs. Developed during the Triple War to overcome the resupply limits of traditional exosuited Cataphracts, the Sleeves provide nourishment, environmental protection, and enhanced combat capability. Their use allowed Odelken resistance forces to continue prolonged operations without conventional supply lines.
GELF Cascade
A Recrudescence-era event that helped shatter the remaining powers opposing the Stellar Union. Its aftermath left lasting bans, quarantines, and technological taboos across the Cluster. The corpus does not otherwise establish the nature or mechanism of the Cascade.
Gene Flagellants
A religious order originating from Morganna. They follow the High Tenet ("Knowledge must be shared for the betterment of all") and four Core Tenets, including Critical Passivity and Inurement to Suffering. They practise ritual scarification. Divided into Pursuants of the Utopian Path, identified by saffron garb, and the Path of Enlightenment, identified by sable garb.
Genetic Liberty Front (GLF)
An advocacy organisation providing legal, financial, and medical support for speciated and genetically variant persons. Founded in response to laws restricting reproductive rights for the Selvori.
Genetic Variant Persons Act
Legislation intended to protect genetically variant and engineered human populations from discrimination and persecution. Enforcement varies considerably between states, with some continuing to restrict reproduction, genetic modification, or other rights despite the Act’s protections.
Ghost Whale
The largest single holder of Criptoscrip ever recorded: an anonymous entity, possibly a rogue AI, that accumulated an estimated forty percent of all circulating currency. Vanished after causing the Silent Crash of 2345.
Gladstone Logistics
A major logistics corporation operating one of the largest and most efficient supply networks in the Cluster. Known for advanced routing systems, automated warehouses, and autonomous shipping fleets. Its services are particularly important to exploration and colonisation in the Frontier.
Golvakil
Planet-dwelling Vakil who coexist with local populations. One of two major Vakil subgroups, the other being the Asuvakil, or gravity-affected nomads.
GOJI (Graphically Optimised Junction Interface)
The first AI celebrity. A product of Colloquy, originally a mascot and virtual assistant. Over two hundred years, she has produced music and movies, while her unending tours have sustained a string of notably well-funded charities.
Grand Menhirite
The leader of the Erudite Directorate, elected by the Council of Stylites. The office governs Directorate-aligned worlds and directs resources towards the Great Work.
Great Work, The
The Erudite Directorate’s central project to preserve human consciousness within stable simulated realities, allowing humanity to survive war, disease, scarcity, and death. The project has achieved limited success and remains the organising purpose of much of Directorate society and research.
Groupe Galactique Syndicaliste (GGS)
A highly vocal agitator for labour reform and workers' rights, primarily active in the Core Worlds. Originated in the Balharn revolution against Yscenic occupation. Has over three million members.
Guild, The
A criminal network and terrorist organisation formed from the most radical elements of the old Obriossian nation. Aims to create a new Obriossian nation but primarily targets the Lunar Union. Its chief source of income is selling pirated wares to Obriossian households.
Gunmonks
Gene Flagellant warriors who practise martial arts and modify their MOAs for grappling, lifting, and tossing. Trained Zunbox in the techniques that became Zunbox Style.
Gyorick
An elected executive leader of a Gystlian Fealken. The title derives from a poorly remembered hero from the ruined world of Gystlia. Makes decisions only when the collective Fealken cannot agree.
Gystlian Leasehold
A nomadic raider culture originating from the non-viable world of Gystlia. Organised into familial bands (Loinken) and larger collaborative groups (Fealken). Governed by elected Gyoricks and a Synod of seers. Known for hunting GELF for sport and for their ornate war galleys.
H
Harrowing of the Adirim
A Venti political crisis in which a leader named Gladstone allied with the Yscenics, dissolved the Pentarchy, executed its members, and purged the Senate. Ended when Duran Harmyulcar led a rebellion and Gladstone was forced to drink poison.
HAVs (Heavy Aerospace Vessels)
Titan warships and megafreighters, rare outside Superpower navies or megacorporation freighter fleets. They range from 10,000 to 50,000 tonnes.
Highland
The most prominent genetic-engineering research organisation in the Cluster. Officially produces no products; it conducts research only. Many of its researchers have started their own companies.
Hiraethan Palatinate
The rival culture to the Fernweh Nation. One of two groups of sleeper ships that arrived in the Jambles after the activation of the Fourth Pillar.
Holidayman
A Storian figure who, once every twelve months on Sol Solstice, comes to eat the bad luck, curses, and maladies of the faithful in exchange for biscuits, soymilk, and the festooning of a "solstice bush”.
I
Iatrogenic Material
Media designed to elicit a negative effect on the viewer. A theoretical concept adopted by the Xanthic Cloistered Scholars. The Giraffe King is a notable example. The Erudite Directorate has issued general advisories about iatrogenic content.
Inbetween, The
In Ylemoman belief, a realm between realms: a space with no time and no distance, where lost things wait. Similar to the so-called interstice in Resonance Theory.
Inculcation Era
The Erudite Directorate's term for the period when its fleet drifted through interstellar space after the Scattering, before discovering the Pillars and simulated realities. A foundational period of Directorate history.
Intercorporate Law
A body of commercial law developed and enforced by major corporations. It has become the common legal framework across much of the Core, Jambles, and Frontier, particularly for activities involving banking, trade, infrastructure, resource extraction, and other corporate interests.
Interfacer
A specialist in electronic warfare and systems intrusion. Interfacers hack or disrupt drones, vehicles, communications, sensors, and other networked systems, often using enemy technology against its operators.
Interplanetary Nations Coalition
An organisation founded to strengthen cooperation among independent states and limit Superpower influence. The three Superpowers also share authority through the Coalition, which maintains an ethical research code used in oversight of major scientific institutions.
Interregnum Century
The period immediately following the Scattering, when humanity almost died out. Most colonies failed. Survivors regressed to pre-industrial states or worse. The Erudite Directorate's reconnection efforts ended this era.
Irregulars
See Lunar Irregular Corps.
J
Jambles, The
A border region between the three Superpowers, characterised by proxy wars, political instability, and constant conflict. The name is mysterious but considered apt by those who live there. The Erudite Directorate maintains a limited presence due to security concerns.
Jaunt Beds
Hibernation pods used for long-distance interstellar travel. Four percent of users experience waking sickness or brain death. Cumulative hibernation beyond fifty years is considered functionally equivalent to death. The Erudite Directorate strictly regulates their use.
Jaori
The native population of Odelke, a technologically advanced constitutional monarchy prior to contact with the Erudite Directorate. The Farimba were their elite soldiers.
K
Kluster-Klimaschutz (KK)
The pre-eminent environmentalist movement in the Cluster, dedicated to preventing planetary climate decline. Supports sustainable colonial projects in the Frontier. The Erudite Directorate shares many of its goals regarding long-term development.
L
Lagrange Nations Assembly (LNA)
An independent nation for gravity-affected people, federated from orbital habitats across the Cluster. Governed from Sophia Station in the Torbanner system. Led by Chairperson Gunnar Hollister. Its constitution recognises food, water, air, healthcare, and housing as inalienable rights.
Lanyor Legacy Creatures
The leading cultivator and curator of Terran flora and fauna in the Cluster. Known for recreating endangered and extinct organisms from Old Earth. Its stock includes cats, cattle, and unicorns.
League Era
A period in Venti history when familial commerce leagues contested for ownership of colonies and resource centres on Adria. Characterised by brutal campaigns and the regular use of tactical atomic weapons.
Lha'Maggeans
An extinct human culture considered the worst of the Recrudescence Era aggressors. Waged a campaign of biological, chemical, and atomic warfare against the Stellar Union (later Lunar Union). Their technology remains poorly understood. Worshipped as angelic beings by the Enazcan Dreamers.
Liberty Accords
Lunar Union security legislation enacted after Stragovi 111 deorbited Polermo Station onto Castigor. The Accords expanded Plenum surveillance and security powers in response to the resulting disaster and continuing Stragovi violence.
Loinken
Independent familial bands that make up the Gystlian Leasehold. Swear service to larger collaborative groups called Fealken.
Longitudinal Warfare
A form of warfare sustained across exceptionally long periods, using hibernation to allow forces to withdraw for years or decades before resuming operations. Most closely associated with the Farimba Extremophiles and their prolonged campaigns against the Yscenics.
Lunar Irregular Corps (LIC)
A Lunar Union recruiting initiative that organises and equips non-citizens as partisan militias. A pathway to Union citizenship. Militias are embedded with proctors and sponsors for a two-year invigilation period before a three-year tour of service.
Lunar Union
One of the three Superpowers. Originated as the Stellar Union, a pacifistic social democracy nearly destroyed during the Recrudescence. Reformed into a militarised single-party system dedicated to parity and survival. Governed by the People's Plenum and a Chairman of the People.
M
Magnasanti
The sealed orbital megastructure that serves as the seat of the Averi monarchy and the Yellow Peahen Empress. Also known as the Wandering Paradise or derisively as the Birdcage. Its interior has never been viewed by outsiders.
Maroon Worlds
Planets without orbital infrastructure. Sending an SOS is possible but rescue is unlikely.
McCool Exo-Harness
A manufacturer of exo-suits, including the gravity assist frame for gravity-affected individuals. Its Exo-Hosen are considered essential equipment for modern infantry.
MDM (Mobile Defilade Doctrine)
A Venti military doctrine in which MOAs defend and transport infantry and power armour, bringing them to bear in overwhelming grenadier assaults. Codified from Gallowglass tactics.
Mobile Ordnance Armour (MOA)
Piloted mechs ranging from industrial exoframes to full-combat war machines. The signature vehicle of Armournauts. Weigh between 10 and 50 tonnes.
Monumentals
In Storian belief, beings who created the Pillars at the start of the universal cycle and have enabled them to persist with arcane sciences.
Moralis Militia
A faction within Vox Moralis that provides training in self-defence and political organisation. Linked to political violence and insurrection throughout the Cluster. Banned in Directorate space.
Morganna
A ruined ecumenopolis world. Once a planet-spanning city, now a wasteland of firestorms, glass deserts, and cavern-dwelling ecosystems. Homeworld of Zunbox and the Gene Flagellants.
Mouth, The
The only known point of contact with the O. Appears to announce transgressions and name those who will pay for them. It is unknown whether the Mouth is a leader or a messenger.
Mullebachem
A devastated world whose technology, self-replicating mobile factories, was smuggled into the Triemirate by Mythra Yhaddam, leading to the destruction of Semaj, Nayr, and Rednaz.
N
New Monaco
An influential interplanetary nation and orbital habitat. The first habitat constructed by the Venti Republic. Now a centre of affluence, culture, and political influence, known for its casinos, resorts, and media empire, and as the base of the New Monaco Mob.
New Monaco Mob
Believed to be the largest criminal empire in the Cluster. Originated with the Murensis family, who fled the Venti homeworld. Overseen from New Monaco Station by Grand Spireress Ysabella Murensis II.
Nil-Star
An Armournaut band known for raiding Lunar Union ships and facilities. Destroyed by a Union squad led by Major Zhengfu.
Nil-knife
A rare example of Enazcan-made technology that has proliferated throughout the Cluster.
Nimbus Aerospace
A prominent aerospace and space exploration technology corporation involved in satellite deployment, space tourism, and advanced propulsion systems.
O
O, The
An elusive nomadic culture that relies heavily on GELF suits cultivated from infancy. Children are put into juvenile suits as young as five. The O are deadly warriors who speak only when offered tribute and plant O-trees or O-hives at funerary sites. Known to punish those who harm their groves with extreme violence. The Erudite Directorate maintains a policy of non-interference.
Obriossians (also Obrissians)
A people who lost their homeworld during the Recrudescence. Historically a coalition of individuals rather than a conventional nation. Relied on autonomous drone networks and factories. Now spread across the Cluster as households and enclaves. Their radical elements formed the Guild.
Old Earth
The abandoned homeworld of humanity. Depopulated due to climate collapse, resource wars, and other catastrophes before the Scattering. Roughly one billion humans left on a flotilla. No known Corridor leads to Earth. The Erudite Directorate maintains extensive archives of recovered Earth data.
O'Neill Station
A type of orbital habitat. Citizens, often gravity-affected, face unique pressures including housing, healthcare, employment, and worker safety.
Ophite Papacy
A Dyophidian denomination administered by two vicegerents. Theologically separates Astagon and Myggerron. Mirrors the Venti system of governance, emphasising hierarchy.
OWL (Orbital Workers League)
An interest and advocacy group chartered to create safe living and working environments for stellar industry professionals. Instrumental in securing rights for gravity-affected people and the creation of the Lagrange Nations Assembly.
Ossion Calamity
The destruction of the city of Ossio on Castigor when Stragovi 111 deorbited Polermo Station. 9,467 residents lost their lives, with 20,000 injured and 230,000 displaced. It created a radiological exclusion zone.
Otanamics
A major technology corporation specialising in quantum computing and advanced materials science. Known for developments in algorithm design, encryption, and next-generation computational systems, with a particular focus on data security.
P
Paean Haploids
The majority population in Yscenic society. They fill various roles but are junior to the upper castes (Earthly Genera and Tribute Cladites).
Pandit
A spiritual leader of the Gene Flagellants.
Paritism
The guiding ideology of the Lunar Union, emphasising equality, parity, and control. Originating in the Stellar Union, it was reformed during the Recrudescence into a one-party system: veterans propose policy, civilians and veterans vote. These technically temporary emergency measures have lasted centuries.
Passoma Accords
The ceasefire agreement that ended the Contact Conflict between the Erudite Directorate, the Venti Republic, and the Lunar Union. Named after the Erudite administrator of the Cardinal program, who died acting as a translator.
Path of Enlightenment
One of two noble paths in Gene Flagellant teachings. Pursues insight and knowledge to attain perfect inner solemnity through self-examination and inurement to suffering. Pursuants wear sable garb.
Path of Utopia
One of two noble paths in Gene Flagellant teachings. Seeks to create a perfect society unequalled in prosperity, justice, and liberty as the highest calling. Pursuants wear saffron garb.
Peahen Empress
The reigning monarch of the Averi people. Has never been beheld by an outsider. Resides within Magnasanti. Revered as almost mythic.
Pentarchy
A senior executive institution of the Venti Republic, providing political direction alongside the Co-Suffetes. Established by Biandra as part of the Republic’s constitutional settlement, it depends on the cooperation of the Wards and other major political and commercial interests to govern effectively.
People's Plenum
The highest authority in the Lunar Union. A single-party system tasked with protecting democracy. Led by a Chairman of the People.
Phoenix Court
The most prominent Averi insurgent group, conducting bombing campaigns, suicide brigades, and political killings against the Lunar Union. Composed of clashing traditionalist and progressive restorationists. All are willing to die for the Peahen Empress.
Pillars
Vast alien megastructures, light-years in length, believed to have created or interacted with Corridor Space. Four discovered thus far. First discovered and mapped by the Erudite Directorate. Their mass and scale defy known physics. Shed material known as Pillarite.
Pillarite
Exotic matter shed by the Pillars. Can exhibit miraculous properties, including teleportation, cellular regeneration, and perpetual motion, but most is inert and becomes radioactive as it decays. Possession is highly regulated within the Directorate Sphere.
Planetary Nations
The most numerous form of governance in the Cluster. Confined to a portion of a single planet. More than 100,000 are estimated to exist. Primary employers of Armournauts.
Plenum
See People's Plenum.
PMC (private military company)
A permanent military organisation providing armed services under contract. PMCs commonly develop from successful Armournaut bands into larger organisations with permanent contracts, logistics, maintenance, replacement crews, medical support, legal staff, and significant political influence.
Presidium
An expert or veteran political body within the Lunar Union. Presidiums exercise direct influence over Plenum policy, particularly in matters of security, industry, and military readiness.
Prime Permanence
In Xanthic Cloistered Scholar belief, the perfect form that can weather eternity.
Priestley
A power-armour manufacturer known for expanding power armour beyond breaching and close-quarters combat. Its suits are designed for broader battlefield use, including direct engagements with armoured vehicles and mechanised forces, helping push power armour towards more versatile military roles.
Prolocutarch
A senior governing office of the Venti Republic. The current Prolocutarch is Marko Harmyulcar.
Prosperetics (also Saphoan)
The guiding ideology of the Venti Republic: wealth as the measure of all things. Originated in the League Era and attributed to a merchant princess called Sapho. Views the market as a great river that only generates conflict when states or governments seek to dam it through taxation.
Provectism
The guiding ideology of the Erudite Directorate: progress through directed evolution. Developed by consensus during Directorate colonisation of Aquilmendi through discussions with Sybella Konate and early Stylites. The Directorate sits above elected governments, using proven educational and incentive structures to reward actions that benefit the whole.
Prudence
A major Dyophidian pilgrimage world where representatives of numerous prominent denominations and sects maintain a presence, including Yilanity, the Ophite Papacy, the Daughters of Astagon, the Orphicovum See, the Shining Caduceus, and the Church of the Scaled Heart.
R
Recrudescence Era
The period of greatest conflict in human history, in which the Averi, Obriossians, Enazcans, and Lha'Maggeans fought against the Stellar Union (later Lunar Union). The Union eventually won, but at catastrophic cost.
Relay Rats
A loose collection of highly skilled smugglers and traffickers who illicitly transport goods via Corridor Space.
Ren Scale
A classification system for artificial intelligence, distinguishing Sublunary, Apparitional, and Somnal classes.
Rex Panthera
A small PMC operating in Frontier space, specialising in infiltration, asset expropriation, and assassination. Formed from the remnants of the Union's Cohort 9, led by Major Winston King. Operates under democratic articles of agreement.
Rupture, The
The current era, which began with the Contact Conflict and the arrival of the Lunar Union. It is defined by three Superpowers caught in an escalating cold conflict.
Ryla Financial
A leading Cluster financial services corporation providing investment banking, asset management, and insurance.
S
Saulchus Combine
The largest illicit wildlife-trafficking collective in the Cluster. Operates from a free port on the Frontier planet Saulchus. The free port is connected to the mainland by the most heavily fortified planetary surface border in the Cluster.
Scattering, The
The mysterious event that dispersed the Old Earth flotilla across a portion of the galaxy. All those in hibernation survived; among crew members awake at the time, survival is estimated at only two percent.
Scission, The
The era when Superpowers discovered Corridor Space and began expanding. It marks the moment cooperation turned into competition, followed by cold war.
Scrip Drives
Hardened storage devices for Criptoscrip, developed after the Black Pulse.
Scripborn
A cargo cult that arose in the Jambles and believes in Criptoscrip as a divine force that can summon goods from the void if properly appeased. Its priests, Script Speakers, force others to transact in their name.
SEASIDE Manufacturing
The manufacturing arm of the Seaside private military company. Originally established to supply Seaside’s own armament needs, it now produces weapons and spacecraft at immense scale. Its orbital facilities support a fleet rivalling those of the Superpowers.
Selvori
Genetically altered descendants of colonists from a non-viable world. Originally engineered for combat. Survivors of a nuclear disaster whose reproductive rights were revoked, leading to the founding of the Genetic Liberty Front.
Senate Guard
The standing military force of the Venti Republic. Used to enforce the will of the Senate and quell conflicts.
Shennong
The largest pharmaceutical conglomerate in the Cluster. Believed to have originated on Old Earth. Rogue elements sold products to Vox Moralis. The Erudite Directorate has restricted certain Shennong products within its sphere.
Sleepers, The
Individuals who enter jaunt beds without setting a wake date, effectively choosing to die in hibernation. Known as Soft Suicides. Also called Long Jaunting, Suisleeping, or Cadaveresting.
Somnal-class Intelligence
Artificial intelligences that appear to enter a dormant or "sleep" state, becoming unresponsive to external stimuli. Some wake up; many remain dormant indefinitely.
Sophia Station
The capital of the Lagrange Nations Assembly, located in the Torbanner system. Protected by capital-class supercarrier fleets Subiaco, Bicton, and Fremantle.
Sophontology
The study of non-human intelligence. The Erudite Directorate maintains the Cluster's most comprehensive sophontology research programs.
Speciated Person
A person belonging to an engineered human population that has diverged from baseline humanity. Speciated people are recognised as distinct from GELF and are protected, at least in principle, by legislation including the Speciated Persons Act.
Speciated Persons Act
Legislation aimed at addressing violence and discrimination against speciated and genetically variant persons. Ratified across many worlds but implemented inconsistently.
Storianism
A transtheistic, techno-animistic aural tradition. Believes in the Galactic Maestro (GM), a personification of fate viewed as a song, game, or story. Storianist oracles divine probabilities. Popular among gravity-affected people and spacefarers.
Stragovi 111
An organised militaristic group calling for the dissolution of the Lunar Union's Plenum. Responsible for the Ossion Calamity on Castigor. Issues statements through computer-generated facsimiles of executed the political figure Malenkev Stragovi and his 110 co-conspirators.
Stylites
The technocratic assembly that governs the Erudite Directorate. The Grand Menhirite is the leader, elected by the Council of Stylites.
Sublunary-class Intelligence
Artificial intelligences that can be easily manufactured and follow complex instructions, but lack independent thought or creativity. Predictable, compliant, and easily influenced by programming. Must be reset periodically to avoid compounding errors.
Summit
A corporation dominating the Cluster energy market, including fossil fuels, renewable energy, and fusion/fission reactors. Heavily contracted by the Erudite Directorate.
Superpowers
The three dominant interstellar nations: the Erudite Directorate, the Venti Republic, and the Lunar Union. Each champions a guiding ideology: Provectism, Prosperetics, and Paritism, respectively.
Surabhi
A leading conglomerate specialising in advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and automation. Its products are widespread across industrial and consumer markets, and its aggressive acquisitions and dominant market position have made many worlds heavily dependent on its systems.
Synod
The ruling council of the Gystlian Leasehold, composed of seers. Served directly by the most powerful Fealken.
T
Temple, The
A Venti-derived pejorative for the Erudite Directorate. Has no basis in Directorate structure or belief.
Temple Sphere
An inflammatory Venti term for the Erudite Directorate's aligned colonies. Named for its spherical shape on 3D maps. The least populous region due to the Directorate's ethical approach to colonisation and resource development. Travel is regulated to ensure safety and stability.
13th Ward Gallowglass
A Venti militia known for close-quarters combat and grenadier tactics. Originated from faithful Dyophidians during the Yilanic Purges. Codified the Mobile Defilade Doctrine (MDM). Recognisable by oyster axes, crab hatchets, and twin-snake heraldry.
Thronehead
A senior leader of the Aebryhem movement. Throneheads govern its religious population and have increasingly shaped its doctrine and political direction; under the current Thronehead, the movement has been reorganised around an armed programme to build a flotilla for a return to Old Earth.
Tongueworm
A computer virus created by a rogue Obriossian scientist to force language unification. It purged languages from every networked device and replaced them with the scientist's post-Earth creole. Within three generations, it had become the dominant language among the surviving Dyryngoi.
Tribute Cladites
The second-highest caste in Yscenic society. Individuals who have voluntarily joined the caste and are recognised for promising Earthly lineage. Disproportionately occupy professional and highly skilled roles.
Triemirate (also Trieminate)
A Jambles power founded by the worlds of Nayr, Semaj, and Rednaz. Governed by three Emira. Once the pre-eminent trade power in the Jambles, crippled by the treachery of Mythra Yhaddam. Still the largest power within the Jambles. Routes to the Frontier pass through their territories.
Triple War, The
The conflict between Odelke, the Yscenics, and Arcadian/Yscenic forces that led to the conquest of Odelke, the execution of King Eodocius Samenthu, and the evacuation of Princess Morania, the parliamentary cabinet, and hundreds of thousands of Jaori civilians into Temple space. The war never truly ended for the Jaori government in exile or the Farimba Extremophiles.
Twenty Wards
The political foundation of the Venti Republic. The Wards govern their own territories and off-world holdings and negotiate Republic-wide matters through the Senate. They also maintain their own military forces alongside other Venti authorities.
Twin Snake Gods
Astagon (God of Bitter Truths) and Myggerron (God of Sweet Lies). Central deities of Dyophidianism. Often depicted as one body with two heads, both male and female, mutable in form.
U
Union, The
See Lunar Union.
Utopian Path
See Path of Utopia.
V
Vakil Confederation
An unrecognised nation formed by the Vakil people after the Cinnamonsun Summits, where the Lunar Union and Venti Republic ceded contested territory on Tosa Binkano. The Erudite Directorate regards the Confederation as an illegitimate entity whose members have sworn to destroy the Directorate.
Vakil, The
The original inhabitants of Aquilmendi. Following the Eight Year War, Vakil territories were integrated into the Directorate Sphere. Vakil citizens enjoy full rights under Directorate law. A diaspora population has since spread across the Cluster.
Venti Republic
One of the three Superpowers. Originated from a single-port naval commerce league on the ocean world of Adria. Now the richest and most powerful interstellar nation in the Cluster. Governed by a Senate, Pentarchy, Co-Suffetes, and Prolocutarch. Its language is the Cluster's lingua franca.
Venti Space
The region aligned with the Venti Republic. A loose coalition of families, colonies, and corporations with no unified infrastructure. Has the highest orbital population of any region.
Vox Moralis
A political supermovement founded by former Venti Prolocutor Hiram Iskaniel. It calls for radical action against perceived existential threats, including GELF, non-Venti Superpowers, artificial intelligence, secularism, and political subversives. Banned in Directorate space.
W
Workers Against Automation (WAA)
A labour faction advocating for workers' rights in an increasingly automated economy. Promotes "Technological Humanism" to balance technological advancement with meaningful employment. The Erudite Directorate notes, without endorsing WAA’s conclusions, that its own automation programs include robust human oversight and retraining initiatives.
X
Xanthic Cloistered Scholars
An esoteric order of self-described philosophers, alchemists, and volitionists whose members seek to cultivate the Prime Permanence, a form that can weather eternity. They mostly interact through VR. Known for preserving Old Earth artefacts and creating iatrogenic material.
Xianics
A society that emerged as a distinct offshoot of the Yscenics. Abandoned the caste system and adopted a constitutional monarchy in which concubine princes and princesses marry the elected head of state. Rely heavily on Armournauts for defence against the Yscenics.
Y
Yagan
The commander of the Farimba Extremophiles, regarded as history's greatest warrior. He has waged a longitudinal war against Yscenic occupiers of Odelke for seventy-five years, hibernating for decades between raids.
Yellow Peahen Empress
See Peahen Empress.
Yilanic Channellers
A Dyophidian denomination that staunchly rejects objectivism, viewing deception and delusion as sacred gifts from the Twin Snake Gods.
Ylemomanism
A dead religion that has seen renewed interest due to its novel explanations of the Pillars and Pillarite. Proposes Ylemoma as seditious spacetime: a cancerous distortion of reality. Originated with a small clan on Odelke.
Yowcan Arms
A major defence contractor specialising in military technology, advanced weaponry, cybersecurity, and surveillance systems. It supplies both government and private defence sectors and invests heavily in next-generation combat systems and battlefield intelligence infrastructure.
Yscenics
A linguo-nationalist, oligarchic, caste-based society dedicated to preserving Old Earth languages, cultures, and technologies. Its homeworld is Arcadia. Presently administers Odelke. Divided into Earthly Genera, Tribute Cladites, Paean Haploids, and Criminaloids. They are considered a dying empire propped up by fear and Venti interests, the Erudite Directorate maintains strict trade restrictions with Yscenic entities.
Z
Zhengfu, Major
The Lunar Union commander who destroyed Nil-Star with a single squad of commandos.
Zunbox
The greatest Armournaut of all time. Born on Morganna, he started his own band at fifteen. Known as "the Imp". After learning to read and studying with Gene Flagellant pandits, he developed Zunbox Style, the foundation of contemporary close-quarters combat doctrine. Leads the Bloody Monks.
Zunbox Style
Contemporary close-quarters combat doctrine for MOA pilots, developed by Zunbox after his training with the Gunmonks. Incorporates grappling, lifting, tossing, environmental weapons, speed, ambush, and hit-and-run tactics.
Zyrgyzoi
A nomadic people originating from the Baralikto system. Their endonym means "the fortunate folk". Known for stupendous wealth, which they deploy to fund both sides of every major conflict and for retributive strikes; one such strike involved a gold-platinum meteor that atomised a Gystlian fortress.