Continuation Encyclopedia

Continuation Overview Some Character Bios Writngs Art Encyclopedia Timeline Contributors' Guidelines Contact

Continuation Encyclopedia

A work in progress. People are alphabetized under their most commonly used name. Warning: Though I've attempted not to give away too many "punch lines," this encyclopedia includes potential spoilers for Continuation writings.

Key: languages: A - Ashtorian, D - Dabunè, K - Keshnul, R - Ranlan, T - Tapanayn, V - Vunizh

A-F G-L M-R S-Z Pronunciation Key Vunizh Letters: Standard Alphabet

Abte'nyq (early: Abtenyq): (A: "the forwarder") Last (ninth) of the Aejdarian/Ashtorian Clans. Clan Founder Abte'nyq was a Ranlan, Leng Ázoram, who resisted the Aejdarian takeover of the planet R'Aej (previously Zeinnéfa). His resistance failed but was considered so inspiring by the warlike Aejdarians that they posthumously made him a Clan Founder and incorporated the Ranlans who wished to stay on R'Aej into that Clan.

Aejdar: (A: "water navigator") A small tribal nation formed from disaffected Leddies and Ranlans, the Aejdarians prided themselves on their prowess in battle, courage, honor, art, and religion. They divided themselves into Nine Clans; Clan affiliation dictated place in society. They originally supported their society by hiring themselves out as mercenaries but only under a strict code of honor. Early in their history, they gained permission from Leddra to inhabit a star system in Sylmor, which they named the Traedah, after their God, Trashae (later Tra'hae). Their name eventually shifted in pronunciation to "Ashtorian." Language: Aejdarian (i.e. early Ashtorian). Religion: Aq-Trahae.

Afebat: Though first colonized, the far less populated of the two galaxies held by the Sama Empire. At the War's End, some Afebat planets were devastated, but a few survived, becoming autonomous planets and providing colonists to reinhabit Selboon. Perdita is an Afebat planet. Afebat is connected on the Tide-Track to Selboon and Diatonan.

Ag-Diat: (V: "Reason-worship") A popular Leddie religion, predating Ag-Ork and focusing on the importance of expanding the knowledge and understanding of humanity in science and philosophy. It emphasizes the virtue of questioning, evolving, relearning, and striving. Its patron is the elder Good-God, Diatal. It has much in common with the Ranlan Dwo but focuses more on individual enlightenment than the evolution of humanity as a species.

Ag-Ork: (V: "Oikridztal-worship") The most widely practiced religion in Leddra. Oikridzhal (international: Orkysal) was a legendary prophet during the Leddie-Sama War, who preached the achievement of peace through renunciation, calmness, and love of humanity. Though, he is considered the younger of the Good-Gods, in Ag-Ork, his teachings take precedence over those of Diatal, the elder Good-God and patron of progress. The most well-known sect of Ag-Ork is Kovam, a school which uses the teachings of Oikrydzhal to help hypertelepaths control their mind-reading ability.

Ahma'hé (early Ahmahé): (A: "poet") The oldest of the Nine Aejdarian/Ashtorian Clans. In legend, Ahma'hé was a prophet who convinced Leddra that Aeshtar had been chosen to inherit the planet of RšEbsyn. Traditional rulers of R'Ebsyn.

Aq-Tra'hae: (A: "Tra'hae-worship") The religion of Aejdar/Ashtor. It holds that the universe was created by the almighty, all-good God, Tra'hae, who named the lesser gods as regents over humans. Humans who live lives of courage, service to the gods and society, self-sacrifice, and faith will join Tra'hae after death. Humans who fail to achieve this will be sent to hell for the space of one Turn (an incarnation of the universe - several billion years) or until Tra'hae deems their souls ready for ascension. Hell can be a place of purifying pain but is primarily a state devoid of the presence of Tra'hae. A female aspect of Tra'hae, Trahašem, is respected but peripheral in the religion.

Ashtor: Nation that arose, in the wake of the Kiri-Sama War, due to the expansion of the Aejdarians into Sylmor and Selboon. The Nation eventually achieved control of Sylmor and large parts of post-War Selboon. The people of Ashtor generally comprise decendants of the Aejdarians, Leddie and Ranlan immigrants, and Sama refugees. Culturally, they place a strong emphasis on national and familial loyality, religious faith, artistic expression, and discipline and have imperialistic tendencies. The Ashtorian people collectively refer to themselves as the Naha'jûn. They are ruled by a governing council and strongly empowered prime minister called the Naha'jé. Religion: Aq-Tra'hae. Language: Ashtorian. Capital: Zahn in Sylmor.

Ashtorian: (1) A member of the Ashtorian Nation. (2) Referring to Ashtor. (3) The language of Ashtor, most nearly related to Vunizh, also strongly influenced by Ranlan, and superficially by Dabunč. Largely analytic. Writing alphabetic: Vunizh letters.

Átymar the Convener: (K: "war gift") Kiri. The Bringer (K: "vanir") of Onáda (c. 1000 B.E.) who was largely responsible for the Convention of Kiri Worlds. He also became a pivotal figure in raising the status of men in early matriarchal Kiri society. Also called the "Leaf King" or "Leaving King." He was the lover of Samlla of the Fallingwind House.

Bringer: (K: "vanir"). Traditional title of a male worldkeeper among the Kiris. Roughly equivalent to a king or governor, depending on the planet and historical period. (cf. the female title: keeper.) "Bringer" suggests an agency which accepts the necessity of change.

Codurn: (D: "world of flight") Sama capital planet in Selboon, among the most devastated in the War's End.

The Continuation: Collective name for the Daughter-based civilizations that survived the biospheric collapse of Daughter.

Convention of Kiri Worlds: In the Kiri Empire, the establishment of the jetháti as a force for cultural unification and conservatism, the declaration of the Kiri worlds as a single government with Onáda as the capital planet c. 1000 B.E. The Convention is chiefly credited to Átymar the Convener and Samlla of the Fallingwind House.

Cordec from Meena: (Cordec: T: "steady foot") One of the original seven Jana Walkers, abandoned Jana after his first Walk but became spokesman for the Jana Project to the rest of Perdita.

Dabunè: The language of the Samas. A linguistic isolate from other National languages, though superficially strongly influenced by Vunizh. Largely synthetic. After the War, the language diversified into a number of dialects, and sometimes different languages, usually unique to one or a few surviving societies of Sama refugees. Writing traditionally pictographic.

Dáromur Báwmaw: Famous Ranlan singer on R'Aej at the time of the Aejdarian conquest of the planet. Life-sharer of Leng Ázoram. Her music is known for its tone of protest and poetical metaphoricity.

Daughter: The planet from which the ancestors of the peoples of the Continuation came. Daughter is thought to have been a colony world of the planet called Mother [Earth] and to have been populated as part of an experiment surrounding the engineering of telepathy. As a terraformed planet, it is thought to have been relatively unstable and fell into an ecological decline as a result of insufficiently regulated experimentation and expansion on the part of the North Ra-Leddis, who were the ancestors of the Kiris. Unable to repair the damage inflicted on the planet, the Nations fled into space to seek other homeworlds.

Diarchs: The Worldkeepers of Onáda, who oversee Kiri foreign affairs and have considerable influence in internal affairs. Traditionally, they are a married woman (Keeper) and man (Bringer).

Diatal: (V: "reasoner") The surname of Ybebbo, the elder Good-God of the Leddies, and patron of reason and social and scientific progress. He is pictured sometimes as a dedicated teacher and diplomat and sometimes as a trickster, confounding the forces of stagnation. He is also commonly presented in a female aspect, though the male is more usual. He is the prime figure in the religion Ag-Diat, the most widely practiced Leddie religion until the advent of Ag-Ork.

Diatonan: (V: "home of reason") Capital galaxy of the Leddies, later the only galaxy held by the Leddies. It is connected on the Tide-Track to Fóraval, Sylmor, Ybenna, Afebat, and Selboon, making it a natural international meeting place.

Do'sé, Ba'lahr Y-Quo'dem: Naha'jé of Ashtor from 2060-2117 A.E. He was a moderate expansionist. Replaced by coup by Naeq Sha'blonoc. He belonged the clan Do'shé.

Doshé (later Do'shé): (A: "singer"). Seventh Aejdarian Clan. In a time of bleakness on Lanebib, an orphan boy, Ymmoq sings a fanciful tale of seven dragons, which brings the people joy. Throughout his life, he rises through the ranks of Aejdar, accomplishes and sings many exploits, and finally composes a massive opera of the history of the Nahajûn, which captivates all of Lanebib and restores happiness to the planet. The work is said to be only partially extent.

Dwo: (R: "rule/law/way") The Ranlan religion/philosophy, which considers expanding complexity and knowledge to be the goal of life in the universe. The ultimate aim of Dwo is the evolution of humanity (or all consciousness, in some versions) into an all-knowing, all-understanding awareness. To that end, the Ranlans research a variety of consciousness/knowledge-enhancing techniques, from computer networks, to cybernetics, to meditative practices. They also consider human genetic engineering to be a possible option but have opted to move so slowly with the technology that no significant genetic difference has yet been observed between Ranlans and any other Continuation peoples.

Dwóva (earlier Dwófa): Ranlan world that, in the later Jana era, became a center of sociopolitical power due to its superior capabilities in the use of and defense from Jana. The planet was considered oppressive by many of its own people and its interstellar power was finally broken in a rebellion led by Gív Amamádi.

'Eblia Te'Zhano Yoq: In the early Jana era, a prominent Ashtorian translator and commentator. Her well-known translations include The Hour before Morning and Málorvat.

Elek Onx: Sverra-human hybrid from Manyrock, a sometime Outlier Striver against Ashtor, ultimately condemned for murder. As a historical figure, he is insignificant, but his identity was publicized in the quasi-historical novel, The Hour before Morning, which explored his time in Ashtorian prison.

Elidairos: Shonac god associated with reason, prophecy, and song. Considered the least insane of all Shonac gods.

Elleen from Lo Renna: (Elleen: T: "illuminated") One of the original seven Jana Walkers. She emigrated to Onáda and became a féyshelaz, one who communicates telepathically with animals.

Enzah: (later: En'zah) (A: "the dance"). Eighth of the Ashtorian Clan Founders. After her marriage to Tomeq Shahmtat, Merhavem, a street dancer, vowed never to dance for any but him. Tomeq, however, was killed in a feud with Lobeq, who threatened to take over the family. Merhavem made a deal with Lobeq: if her dancing pleased him well enough, he would let her family go. He agreed but warned that her dancing would not please him enough. It did, and he released her family. She was given the epithet, Enzah.

Evil-Gods: Presarro and Usuzh. The two Leddie deities thought to be charged with causing trouble for humanity and the Good-Gods. They are not evil, in the usual pejorative sense, but rather represent the need to explore and learn from negative impulses.

Fennoc: King of the Shonac gods. A figure associated with strength and reason.

Feyléna: (K: "animal land") Colonized by the Kiris, the seven terraformed planets of this galaxy were set aside as refuges for non-human Daughter-world life. During the War, the Samas sought to colonize these planets, considering them an uninhabited haven from the Quark-Shift Plague. By the end of the War, six of the Seven Planets had undegone serious ecological catastrophes, despite which some human colonies remained and survived, along with much Daughter-world life. The galaxy connects on the Tide-Track to Fóraval, Jelin, and Selboon.

Féyshelaz: (K: "animal speaker") Among the Kiris, one trained in the rare gift of cross-species telepathic communication with non-humans engineered to have human type telepathy.

Fóraval: (K: "escape into night") First settled, most populous, and capital galaxy of the Kiri Empire. It connects on the Tide-Track to Jelin, Feyléna, and Diatonan.

Four Gods: The protypic Leddie religion of the Four Gods aspouses a belief in four ruling deities, two Good-Gods, the Silent God and Diatal, who favored humanity, and two Evil-Gods, Presarro and Usuzh, who laid obstacles for humanity. All are believed to be essential to the proper functioning of human society.

Ghanior Y-See'voya Hastri'nom: (born Ghanior from Senarna) ("Ghanior" T: "pale fire"; "Y'See'voya": matronymic; "Hastri'nom" proported to be a made-up name) One of the original seven Jana Walkers, introduced Jana to Ashtor, father of Kedren West-of-Now.

Gív Amamádi: Ranlan revolutionary and Jana Walker largely responsible for the overthrow of Dwóva.

Good-God: A Leddie deity considered to have a predominantly beneficent outlook towards humanity. Originally, the two Good-Gods were the Silent God (elder) and Diatal (junior). Later, the Silent God became an overarching, supreme deity, while the Good-Gods came to be seen as Diatal (elder) and Oikridzhal (junior). They are countered by the two Evil-Gods.

Gorusmas: Daughter-world race from which the Samas decsended. The last race to colonize Daughter.

Gorustat: The Sama Empire as a political entity.

Hebrojé Ychen-Rayem Doshé: A primary Aejdarian adversary of Leng Ázoram over the rule of the planet R'Aej. He was also one of the Aejdarians who came to respect Ázoram's courage.

Hypertelepath: Someone whose native talent for telepathy is so extreme that it becomes difficult to not to read the thoughts even of mind-blocked individuals. Usually, hypertelepaths will take suppressing drugs, study strict mental disciplines, or avoid most human contact. The most noted philosophical school for hypertelepaths is the Ag-Ork sect, Kovam. The condition is rare.

Imasrase: (T: "the pilgrim") Name given to Miri West-of-Now when she came to be worshiped as a goddess on Perdita after her translation into Jana.

Jae: (acronym from D: jagunoän-emboän: "tachyon-quark") A technology discovered by the Ranlans and developed by the Samas, jae shifts matter into a different dimension, allowing for near instantaneous space travel, many times faster than rippling. It was originally used to move unmanned space ships, later used to move people through Jana. Notoriously difficult to implement safely, jae caused the Quark-Shift Plague that devastated the Sama Empire before the Kiri-Sama War. Later Jana experiments are so low power as to be relatively harmless to the environment, though still hazardous to Jana Walkers. The "quark" part of the name is something of a misnomer; in fact, jae tachyon-shifts all sub-atomic particles, not just quarks.

Jana: (T: jae + "land") (later: Chahna; later: Chahn) The dimension into which a jae field shifts matter, thought to have been created or stabilized by an intelligent agency on account of the mathematical precision with which shifts through Jana can be accomplished. Within Jana, thoughts appear to be convertible to physical substance so that skilled travelers can create their own environments. Over the centuries, as Jana has been more commonly used by humans, it has become less stable and more difficult to move through or exist in. Some Shonac sects consider Jana to be the plane of the gods.

Jana Dweller: A being who lives entirely in Jana. The best known is Imasrase.

Jana Program: Perditan program run by Sylan West-of-Now and Micor the Bright, which pioneered the technology that allowed human bodies to travel through Jana in relative safety.

Jana Walker: Someone who can enter into Jana and return to our physical universe. The original seven are: Talya, Ghanior, Laran, Sorquel, Cheseson, Elleen, and Cordec.

Jasen West-of-Now: (K: "honor") Son of Sylan and Nevan, brother of Miri, grandfather of Laran and Jessa.

Jelin: (K: "apple island") Sparsely populated galaxy settled and held by the Kiris. It connects on the Tide-Track to Fóraval, Feyléna, and Diatonan.

Jenchae, Denned: ("Jenchae": A: "god honor"; "Denned": D: "forgiveness") b. 1990 A.E. Commonly called by his given name, Jenchae. Outlier leader, best known for espousing intercultural awareness between Outliers and Ashtorians. Born on Yorûn, educated as a lawyer in Ashtor, subsequently considered a criminal rebel leader by Ashtor.

Jessa West-of-Now: (T: "to leap up") Granddaughter of Jasen West-of-Now, sister of Laran, mother of Kedren. A Perditan priestess.

Jetháti: (K: "pure people") Kiri religious order charged with perpetuating Tórvathen (nature worship) beliefs in Kiri society.

Kedren West-of-Now: Second generation Jana Walker, son of Ghanior Hastri'nom and Jessa West-of-Now, first overseer of the Ashtorian Jana Project.

Keeper: (K: "kinev"). Traditional title of a female worldkeeper among the Kiris. (cf. the male title: "bringer.") łKeeper˛ suggests maintaining the biospheric stability of the world being kept.

Keshnul: (K: "mother tongue") The language of the Kiris. Closely related to Vunizh and Ranlan. Largely analytic. Since the Convention of Kiri Worlds, the Onáda dialect has been considered standard. Other dialects very widely from region to region, several often simultaneously current on a given planet. Writing alphabetic in Keshnul or Vunizh letters.

Khebyq (later Qhe'byq): (A: "by the journeying star") The second of the Nine Aejdarian Clans. In legend, Khebyq was a reluctant war hero, who ultimately led the Aejdarians to a victory against enemies of Leddra for which they were rewarded with possession of the Traešdah. Khebyq is the traditional ruling clan of the planet Lanebib.

Kiri: (K: "the incomplete people" or "winter people") (1) A member of the Kiri Nation. Considering themselves largely responsible for the ecological devastation of Daughter, the Kiris became a strongly ecocentric society early in the post-Daughter period. Once among the most expert mechanical and biological engineers in the Continuation, the Kiris largely abandoned the use of high technology, returning to a stone age level of civilization, with their higher technology and computer records managed from underground tech centers. Since the Convention of Kiri Worlds, their anti-tech ideology is perpetuated by their religious order, the Jetháti, who travel from community to community reinforcing anti-tech traditions. Kiri communities, in general, comprise no more than a few hundred individuals. Community government varies, but representatives to larger bodies are determined by caucus, the exception being the worldkeepers, who take hereditary seats, but may be fairly easily removed by coup or impeached by a consensus of regional representatives. The Kiri Empire comprises Fóraval, Jelin, and Feyléna. The empire is represented internationally by the diarchs, worldkeepers of Onáda. Religion: Tórvathen. Language: Keshnul. Capital: Onáda in Fóraval. (2) Referring to a Kiri person, custom, etc.

Kiri-Sama War: (Also "the War" or "the War of Good Politics") Dispute, seldom openly military, between the Kiris and the Samas over the use of the Seven Planets engineered in Feyléna. In brief, the Kiris wished these planets to be set aside as refuges for non-human Daughter-world life, while the Samas wished colonize the planets as a means of escape from the Quark-Shift Plague. After an escalation in aggression in which the Samas seemed to be gaining the upper hand, the Sama Empire was suddenly devastated by an unidentifiable disaster, which destroyed virtually all life on most Sama worlds and became known as the War's End.

Kovam: (V: "mind-taxing") A sect of Ag-Ork, dedicated to the strict discipline and renunciation for the purpose of training hypertelepaths to utilize their abilities wihtout causing harm to themselves or others.

Lanebib (later Lane'bib): (A: "metal") Second planet in the Traedah, home of the Ashtorian military academy. An artificially sustained, entirely urban planet.

Laran West-of-Now: (T/V: "crimson woman") Granddaughter of Jasen, aunt of Kedren. One of the original seven Jana Walkers, Laran became the Jana ambassador to Leddra. Her children, Mey and Asoiya, became the first Pey Jana Walkers.

Leddie: (1) A member of the Leddie Nation. The Leddies are the most pluralistic of the Nations. Culturally, they vary widely from planet to planet, united by a general political and economic ideology. Within Leddra, each planet governs its own affairs, provided it meets minimum standards as set down by the Leddie National government, a representative democracy overseen by a president. In general, Leddies are considered to excel in political diplomacy and social sciences. Because of their high degree of planetary autonomy, they have difficulty regulating information and technology and are slow in mounting a large-scale response to international situations. Physically, they are related to the Kiris and Ranlans, are often dark-complected, but can be quite pale, and typically have red or brown hair. During the War, they controlled the regions of Diatonan, Ybenna, and Sylmor. In post-War times, their sphere shrank to Diatonan. They practice many religions, of which the most common is Ag-Ork, an off-shoot of the second most common, Ag-Diat. Language: Vunizh. Capital: Rha-Lutran in Diatonan. (2) Referring to Leddra, the Leddies, or a Leddie.

Leddie-Sama War: A conflict occuring c. 1460-1423 B.E., primarily on the planet Lurmor. A planet in Leddie space occupied by both Leddie and Sama populations since early colonization, Lurmor became the site of increased intercultural tensions and populations expanded. Tensions eventually subsided due in a large part of non-aggression policy established by Oikridzhal.

Leddra: The astrographic designation of the Leddie Nation; the Leddie Nation as a political entity.

Léyvia Lelfeylénta: (K: "sea star" "human-animal"; the surname is traditional for Kiri Diarchs) Kiri Diarch during the Kiri-Sama War, she was known as a charismatic and ingenious politician. She died in the War's End and subsequently became a legendary figure.

Mae'charn-Han: (A: "tales of nine") Aejdarian text detailing the history of the Nine Clans.

Málorvat: (archaic K: "new engineered human") 1) In Kiri legend, genetic engineer who contributed to the destruction of Daughter by attempting to manipulate nature to create perfection and immortality. Through the death of his friend and lover, Sajeth, he eventually learned the error of his ways and accepted the rightness of death. 2) Epic poem relating these events, dates from before the Founding of Onáda and is the oldest extant Kiri text.

Manyrock (previously "Tsoürn"): Selboon world that escaped the worst of the War's End devastation and was subsequently terraformed back into relative biospheric health by sverra colonists. Later sverra and Sama colonists formed a hybrid culture. Mostly desert.

Meravyn Sanston: (A: fr. "Merhavem" given name of Clan Founder Enzah, fr. "Mervashem," goddess of love, "a golden love") Sverra-human hybrid from Manyrock, wife of the healer Trenod Sanston. Her arrest and imprisonment by Ashtor was detailed in The Hour before Morning.

Micor the Bright: Sverra physicist and political leader from Perdita, co-developer of the Jana Project with Sylan West-of-Now.

Miri West-of-Now: (diminutive of Mirllagíra: K: "daughter of mirlla") Daughter of Sylan and Nevan. She became the first person known to be transported via jae into Jana. As a Jana Dweller, she came to be worshiped as the Perditan goddess, Imasrase, the Pilgrim. The Jana Program was founded primarily for the purpose of contacting her.

Mirlla: (K: rougly "way of life") Kiri philosophical term for the laws of physics and the process of survival of the fittest, whereby the forms and structures best suited to exist naturally become the ones to persist in the universe. The core of Kiri religion and philosophy, mirlla is an idea much revered.

Mon: Shonac goddess of love.

Monedor: (D: "night of Mon") Primary Shonac sex festival, usually celebrated in planetary autumn.

Morkínev: (K: "new keeper") Kiri term of respect for a powerful female foreign policy leader. Post-War. Male equivalent is Morvánir.

Morvánir: (K: "new bringer") Kiri term of respect for a powerful male foreign policy leader. Post-War. Female equivalent is Morkínev.

Mother: Thought to be the world on which all Daughter-world life originated, little is known about Mother. A few fossil records and general information on its planetary and organic evolution are extant, mostly in the hands of the Kiris.

Mute: 1) A person lacking a functional telepathic center in the brain; 2) having such a lack.

Naeq Sha'blonoq (born Zehahrem Boroc on the planet Hahûn). Naha'jem of Ashtor from 2117-2137 A.E. Despite her origins on an impoverished, provincial planet, Naeq rose quickly in the Ashtorian military, attaining the position of Naha'jem by coup following a military victory against the Leddies. She was a militant expansionist.

Naha'jé: (A: "follower") The prime minister of Ashtor. Feminine: "Naha'jem."

Naha'jûn: (A: "land of the Naha'jé") The Ashtorian people collectively, as identified by a telepathic background presence generated by each individual to provide a group presence and sense of solidarity.

Naqlem Teme-Morjem Doshé: Primary author of the Tale of Abtenyq and promoter of peace between Aejdarians and Ranlans on R'Aej. Wife of Hebrojé Doshé.

Nation: A group of culturally distinct people whose sphere of influence extends over more than one solar system. Typically there have been four in the Continuation. War era: Leddies, Ranlans, Kiris, Samas; post-war: Leddies, Ranlans, Kiris, Ashtorians.

Nern: (K: "earth mother") Ancient Kiri goddess associated with cycles of planetary life, supplanted by Volsénlla in many places.

Nevan West-of-Now: (K: "tree") Kiri historian. Researcher into the history of jae and chronicler of the development of Jana. Husband of Sylan West-of-Now, father of Jasen and Miri West-of-Now.

Nine Clans: The nine Clan affiliations of the people of Aejdar, later Ashtor. In Aejdarian society, Clan affiliation was nearly all-important. In Ashtorian society, Clan affiliation may be a source of familial pride, yet many modern Ashtorians lack such affiliation. The history of the Clans is described in Aeshtarian text, the Maecharn-Han, or Tales of the Nine Clans. The Clans are Ahmahé, Khebyq, Shamtaht, Yor, Sorq, Tamehelem, Doshé, Enzah, and Abtenyq.

Oikridzhal: (V: "great calm") International form: "Orkrysal." The surname of Dhano, a legendary Leddie prophet during the Leddie-Sama War. Traditionally, he was a military leader who caused great destruction during the war, before discovering that the path to inner and outer peace lay in renunciation, calmness, and love for humanity. He then left his wife, husband, and daughter to spend the rest of his teaching his discoveries to the Leddie people. He later came to be considered the fifth of the Leddie Gods, the younger of the two Good-Gods, and the founder of the religion of Ag-Ork. Some legends consider him a hypermind-reader and founder of the Kovam sect as well. He sometimes called "the Finder of God."

Onáda: The first planet to be terraformed and settled by the Kiris (or any Nation). The capital of the Kiri Worlds. A largely experimental planet, Onáda was populated with a number of engineered species, including various humanoids and telepathic animals. After numerous initial failures to achieve biospheric stability, it ultimately became one of the most ecologically complex and stable planets in the post-Daughter period.

Outlier: 1) A person from an Outlying Planet. 2) referring to such a person or planet.

Outlying Planets: In the post-War era, the planets of Selboon that were primarily recolonized by Samas (and sometimes Leddies). The term is Ashtorian in origin and reflects the Ashtorian conception of these planets as provincial Ashtorian territories.

Overking/queen: Highest ruler of the Sama Empire, a hereditary position originally passed to the eldest son and later to the eldest child of either sex. Impeachable by Parliament.

Perdita: (Kiri-Sama War era: "Berdida") (D: "planet of stars") A Sama prison planet of Afebat in the War, Perdita later became isolated from space and developed a Sama-Kiri hybrid culture. Due to intervention from the West-of-Now family, it became the planet to pioneer Jana technology. Language: Tapanayn.

Pey (early Epeylléyti) (K: "mist people") A humanoid species engineered by the Kiris, typically paler and more slight than humans. Strong telepaths. Their sensitivity to noise and chemicals has contributed to their retention of a low-tech lifestyle. Their society is organized around the unit of the "nn," life partners paired from birth or early childhood. When one nn dies, the other is expected to commit suicide. In the Jana era, the Pey's telepathy enabled them to become adept Jana Walkers and a policing force in Jana. In the later Jana era, they widely hybridized, both biologically and culturally, with humans.

Presarro: (V: "night walker") The elder of the Leddie Evil-Gods, typically considered a counterpart of Diatal. Associated with chaotic, self-serving, and cruel behavior, he is also usually depicted as an expert philosopher and even an occasional savior, providing a added depth to Diatalšs more conventional morality. Occasionally figured as female.

Quark-Shift Plague: Disease caused by jae contamination (partially jae-shifted quarks), an epidemic in the later Sama Empire. Jae contamination tends to increase the frequency of errors DNA and other organic molecules. Severity of the disease depends on extent and duration of contact with jae contamination.

Qhe'byq: see Khebyq

Ra-Leddis: Daughter-world race from which the Ranlans, Leddies, and Kiris descend. On Daughter, the Ranlan-Kiri race lived predominantly in the northern hemisphere, while the Leddie race lived in the south.

Ranláfa: (R: "Ranlan world") Capital planet of Ranlax in Ybenna.

Ranlan: (R. spelling: Ránlan, international without accent mark) (1): A member of the Ranlan Nation. In most fields, Ranlans are the most technologically sophistocated of all Nations. They specialize particularly in space travel and cybernetics, being the only Nation not to have banned the construction of sentient machines or cyborgs. Culturally, they are isolationist, though not hostile, revealing few of the details of their society. Internal government is managed through a network of computerized legal entities, strictly regulating technological safety standards, along with a more relaxed social code. Disputes are resolved through intensive logical argumentation. Once a small Nation, in post-War times, the Ranlans came to occupy all of Ybenna. They were the first to make contact with the alien species, the Ybians and remained their primary human contacts. Historically, the are closely related to the Kiris. Physically, they tend to be dark-complected, black or red-haired, and tall. Religion: Dwo. Language: Ranlan. Capital: decentralized Ybenna. (2) Referring to the Ranlans or Ranlax. (3) The Ranlan language, closely related to Keshnul. Largely analytical. Writing alphabetic in Ranlan or Vunizh letters. Ranlan letters serve as international phonetic alphabet.

Ranlax: (R: Ranalágaza) (1) The Ranlan Nation collectively. (2) The astrographic region under Ranlan control in Ybenna.

R'Aej: (A: "water planet") The fourth planet of the Traedah, the only fully ecologically engineered of the system's four planets, it is the home of the Ashtorian courts. Originally held by the Ranlans under the name Zeinnéfa.

R'Ebsyn: (A: "desert planet") The first planet of the Traedah to be settled by Aejdar. Largely desert.

Rha-Lutran: (V: "planet of the plains") The capital planet of Leddra in Diatonan.

Rippling: Standard means of faster-than-light travel, developed in the early post-Daughter period as a result of studying the function of the Tides. Rippling spaceships create small wormholes that allow them to jump from point to point in space. Since human technology has not been able to determine a way to calculate or power a long jump, rippling ships progress by a series of short jumps, producing a maximum "speed" of about 2 light years per hour.

Sama: (1) A member of the Sama Nation. The ancestors of the Samas, the Gorusmas, are thought to have been the last group to settle on Daughter and were culturally distinct from the Ra-Leddis. Initially highly relgious and artistic, the least technologically advanced of the Nations, they came to pursue technological development furiously in the wake of the destruction of Daughter. Their society retained its sense of cultural loyalty and isolation despite becoming extremely populous. A highly ritualistic, family-oriented, and hierarchical people, devoted to the Shonac religion, the Samas believed that the aim of life was to reunify a sundered universe through spiritual and technological means, as well as everyday life acts. Sama government was comprised of a complex parliamentary system, overseen by a hereditary, but impeachable, Overking. Due to certain unwise tech-development choices, the Samas finally fell victim to the Quark-Shift Plague, occasioned by jae contamination. Their civilization was virtually obliterated in the War's End. Surviving Afebat peoples formed planetary governments or small coalitions and eventually recolonized parts of Selboon under harsh conditions. Religion: Shonac. Language: Dabunè. Capital: Codurn. (2) Referring to a Sama person or thing.

Samlla of the Fallingwind House: (K: "horse") Kiri philosopher and theologian (c. 1000 B.E.) whose main contention was that the goddess Volsénlla does not exist. Pivotal figure in the Convention of Kiri Worlds.

Selboon: (Kiri-Sama War era: "Selboon [Shorc]") (D: "prestigious [golden way]") Capital galaxy of the Sama Empire. Most organic life on the Tide-Track worlds of Selboon was destroyed in the War's End. Over the centuries, some worlds were recolonized by Sama refugees, Leddies, and Ashtorians. Conflict over control of Selboon ended with Ashtor's successfully claiming several Selboon worlds, while the remainder gained autonomy. It is connected on the Tide-Track to Afebat, Ybenna, Sylmor, and Feyléna.

Seven Planets: The seven terraformed planets of Feyléna in dispute during the Kiri-Sama War.

Shesen Shadowdell (born Shesen from Oja): (Shesen: T: "judging a probable jump") Most proficient of the original seven Jana Walkers, became an expert in Jana Dwellers and Kiri Jana ambassador. Called the Morvénir among the Kiris.

Shi-Durn (early Sheedurn): (D: "white world") Originally an Afebat resort planet for the Sama Empire, the planet escaped the War's End devastation and subsequently became a major base for the Jana era Pey.

Shonac: (D: "golden way") Sama religion which holds that the universe has been sundered from an original whole and must be reunited into a state of wholeness again. This reunion must take place through a properly ordered reunion of various elements, or disunion will be the result. One of the primary sunderings is the separation of the plane of the gods from the plane of humanity. The gods are thought to live in a non-linear, dream-like world of chaos. Their pain and confusion in this world results in troubles in the human plane, which humans must combat by offering the gods mental support in the form of logic and stability, sometimes express through music. In Perditan Shonac, "logic" is replaced with "love."

Silent God: Primary Leddie deity. Formerly held to be one of the two Good-Gods, the Silent God has since come to be considered an almighty, all-knowing creator, beyond good and evil, often representing universal mysteries beyond human comprehension.

Sorkuel from Sobin: (T?: origin unknown - "comet"?) One of the orginal seven Jana Walkers, brother of Talya, lost in Jana, becoming the first casualty of the Jana Program.

Sorq: (A: "spear"). Fifth Aejdarian Clan. There is famine on R'Ebsyn. A mystic casts a spear into a rock, saying whoever retrieves it will save the people. Sorq retrieves it to much rejoicing, but nothing he does helps the famine. Finally, in frustration, he casts the spear into the clouds. Immediately, the rains fall and the famine is broken.

Sverra: (V through K: "sillera" "fairy") Humanoid species engineered by the Kiris in the early Onádan period. They differ from humans in the possession of an additional chromosome set and other modified genes which confer a metallic-based skeleton, sturdier flesh, increased muscular stength, non-melanin solar protection (resulting in a wide variety of morphs from white to black), and a life expectancy of about 1000 years. Most live in the Kiri Empire. A large population also inhabits post-War Manyrock in Selboon. In Keshnul, they are called "Tralorváti" ("strong engineered humans")

Sylan West-of-Now: (V: "student") Leddie astrophysicist. Co-developer of Jana technology with Micor the Bright One. Wife of Nevan West-of-Now, mother of Jasen and Miri West-of-Now.

Sylmor: (V: "harbor of the student") Galaxy settled by the Leddies and held by Leddra until 861 A.E., when the Leddies ceded it to the Ashtorians. It is connected by the Tide-Track to Diatonan, Ybenna, and Selboon.

Tahhomah Ychen-Dyodum Yor: Aejdarian Leader of the planet R'Aej at the time the Aejdarians wrested control of the planet from the Ranlans. Uncle of Naqlem Doshé.

Talya from Sobin: (T: "magic") One of the original seven Jana Walkers, the sole survivor of the last unsuccessful team to attempt to reach Jana before the first Walkers achieved the feat. Sister of Sorkuel.

Tamehelem (later: Tamehe'lem): (A: "face of the messenger") The sixth Aejdarian Clan. In a dispute between the Ranlans and the Ashtorians over salvage rights to an ancient ship, the Ranlan leader, Uban, sends his sister, Tamehelem, as a messenger to seduce the Nahajé Ahmjen. They fall in love, but he refuses to give up the ship. She returns to her brother, who tells her to try again. She goes back to Ahmjen, determined to stay with him, but on the way, she receives a message from Trashae saying that the ship is cursed. He believes her, but her brother does not. When Uban claims the ship, it blows up.

Tapanayn: (K/D: "Dabunè") The language evloved on the planet Perdita in the post-War years. A dialect of Dabunè, strongly influnenced by Keshnul. Largely analytic. Writing alphabetic in Vunizh letters.

Tech Center: Underground Kiri installation designed to house and maintain high technology and computer records. They are traditionally marked with the saying "Eval lyne" ("let die").

Telepathy: (K. uses "mind-reading") Ability to directly discern the feelings, thoughts, and/or words of another individual without physically perceivable sensory input. Engineered into all Daughter-world races, the human telepathic center in the forebrain sends and receives neural impulses with other individuals' telepathic centers by emissions broadcast through eyes, nose, and skull. Unless trained to mind-read, humans instinctly retain an imperfect mental block on all incoming/outgoing signals. Training results in an ability both to send and receive and to block more proficiently. Native telepathic talent varies widely from a basic ability to sense emotions to hypertelepathy. People born without a functional telepathic center are referred to as mute. Codes of conduct surrounding telepathy vary widely from culture to culture. The Samas reserved the conscious use of telepathy for their seers. Kiris, Leddies, and Ranlans typically block (to varying degrees) in public and share thoughts (to varying degrees) with intimate acquaintances. Ashtorians share thoughts only with intimate relations but maintain a background telepathic presence, which collectively defines the Naha'jûn. Like verbal communication, telepathy can take any number of forms, from universally comprehensible to very personally specific, vague to precise. In general, it is considered a less reliable means of communication than spoken language and is typically not admissable in courts. The Kiris are unique in having engineered telepathy into non-human animals. Cross-species telepathy is rare; humans who practice it are known as feyshelázi among the Kiris.

Tide: Any of several large, stable wormholes, allowing for almost instantaneous travel between two fixed points in different galaxies. Thought to be artificially constructed, the Tides were discovered by the refugees from Daughter and utilized in a system of transportation allowing for the colonization of a few hundred planets in the vicinity of the various Tides. They are used by Ybians, as well as humans. They typically mark National borders for the peoples along the Tide-Track.

Tide-Track: Collective name for the region inhabited by the societies that live in the vicinity of the Tides (or "on the Tide-Track") and use the Tides as a unifying system of transportation.

Tórvathen: (K: "nature worship") The Kiri religion/philosophy which holds that nature is everything and everything is a part of nature. Reverence for all things, unified under the concept of mirlla, is a central teaching. Some sects consider humans to be one of the great evils of the universe. Worship of the goddess Volsénlla is sometimes an accompanying belief. Expert practitioners of Tórvathen form the Kiri religious elite, the jetháti.

Traedah (later Trae'dah): The core star system of Ashtor, original home of Aejdar. It consists of four planets: R'Ebsyn, Lanebib, Zahn, and R'Aej.

Tra'hae (early Trashae): (A: "the supreme God") The God of Aejdar/Ashtor, considered to be the ultimate creator, all-powerful, eternal, and all-good. Tra'hae demands obedience to his law and virtue in life and doles out his justice accordingly. He created the lesser gods as regents over humanity. His female aspect, Traha'em, is less emphasized.

Tralorváti: (K: "strong engineered humans") See sverra.

Trashae: See Tra'hae.

Trenod Sanston: Sverra-human hybrid from Manyrock, a hypertelepath and renowned healer.

Uramésha: Kiri world that used comparatively high technology before the Convention of Kiri Worlds. A civil war on the planet ended with the use of a weapon of mass destruction, an event which catalyzed the Convention and subsequent stricter limitations on the use of high technology.

Usuzh: (V: "unaccountable") The younger of the Leddie Evil-Gods, usually figured as female, occasionally as male. She is a trickster figure, more mischievous than blatantly cruel, though capable of extreme cruelty on rare occasions. She is occasionally considered a counterpart to Oikridzhal. Very early, she was a counterpart of the trickster aspect of Diatal.

Veils: Symbionts with the Ybians, they are non-verbal sentients that resemble sea slugs.

Volsénlla: (K: "star treasure") Kiri goddess, considered to be the sole creator of the universe, one of a race of gods each charged with the construction of a separate universe. Anthropomorphic depictions of her are understood to be for mere human convenience, and her existence itself is often questioned in Kiri philosophy. On Perdita, Wolsena came to be regarded as a negative figure, a callous, unheeding goddess.

Vunizh: (V: "speech") The language of the Leddies, also international lingua franca, related to Keshnul and Ranlan. Largely analytic. Writing alphabetical in Vunizh letters, which are the standard international alphabet. Dialects may vary slightly by planet.

The War: See Kiri-Sama War.

The War's End: The disaster that marked the end of the Kiri-Sama War and the destruction of the Sama Empire and most organic life on most Sama planets.

West-of-Now: (translatable to any language, originally from V: "vorshta" ["west] and K: "mora" ["now"], a pun on the name of planet "Vorshtamor" V: "West Harbor," home planet of Sylan West-of-Now) Kiri/Leddie family whose stranding on Perdita set in motion the development of Jana technology. See Sylan, Nevan, Miri, Jasen, Laran, Jessa, Kedren.

Worldkeeper: Highest Kiri authority on a given planet. A worldkeeper is empowered to make unilateral decisions regarding planetary participation in interplanetary affairs but is traditionally expected to abide by the advice of the representatives of the his or her planet's various regions. A worldkeeper can be impeached by consensus among the representatives. The Worldkeepers of Onáda (Diarchs) stand in the same relation to other worldkeepers as the others do to their regional representatives. Traditionally, a planet's worldkeepers are a married female/male couple and the position passed to the couple's eldest child (in early times, eldest female child) and that child's spouse. Worldkeepers, however, may be unmarried or elected by regional representatives in the case of an impeachment. The female title of a worldkeeper is "keeper," the male title "bringer."

Ybebbo: (V: "second seer") See Diatal.

Ybenna: (V: "second") Galaxy settled by Ranlans and Leddies but early on ceded to the Ranlans. It is also the home of the Ybian species. It is connected on the Tide-Track to Diatonan, Sylmor, and Selboon.

Ybians: (V: "Ybenna ones") The only non-human, spaceship-using species to communicate with humans. Natives of Ybenna. Encountered by the Ranlans c. 1500 B.E., the Ybians are a liquid-dwelling species, roughly resembling manatees with four arms, about the size of dolphins. They have a symbiotic relationship with a species called the Veils, non-verbal sentients resembling sea slugs. They are a non-agressive, mildly inquisitive species, whose primary project in space appears to be engineering planets for colonization to ensure the survival of the life forms of their homeworld. They have limited but constant contact with the Ranlans.

Yor: (A: "surrender to God's will") The fourth Aejdarian Clan. Founder Medhebaq Khebyq Yor was betrayed by his brother Sylseq and spent years seeking revenge. When he had Sylseq's life in his hands, however, he relented and offered forgiveness. When a guilty Sylseq demanded death instead, his brother refused, whereupon Sylseq killed himself, a great crime in Aejdarian society. Medhebaq, then, realized that he should have killed his brother and spent the rest of his life atoning for his error.

Zahn: (A: "shrine") Capital planet of Ashtor, third planet in the Traedah. Entirely waterbound. Traditionally governed by the Clan Shamtaht.

Zeinnéfa: (R: "world of art") (see R'Aej) Ranlan name of the planet R'Aej. Ranlan society on the planet was marked by an interest in art and aesthetics uncharacteristic on other Ranlan worlds.

Pronunciation Key

Since these languages evolve over many centuries and planets, pronunciations should be considered approximate.

In all languages "er" is pronounced as in Latin (i.e.: as in "air")

Ashtorian:

Vowels:

a: as in "all"
ah: as the final a in "Aha!"
e: as in "bed"
é: as "ay" in "stay," but not a dipthong (i.e., as "ee" in German "See" or "Beethoven") (Found only at the end of words)
i: as in "see"
o: as in "cost" (closer to British than American pronunciation)
u: as in "book"
û: as in "spoon"
y: as in "in"
ae: as in "ice"