Glossary

A

Abaddon: The sun at the center of the solar system

airship: A lighter-than-air flying vehicle. An airship has a baloon filled with a light gas (in Squawk this is usually hydrogen) a gondola that carries passengers and cargo and some kind of propulsion system for thrust and steering.

Alchemist: In the Xanadu Empire, an alchemist is an expert in the Eight Elements system of alchemy. Alchemists are consulted about medicine, chemistry, agriculture, industry and social issues.

Alchemy: In the Xanadu Empire, alchemy refers to the Eight Elements system. This system is used to analyze and create materials, diagnose and treat medical conditions, monitor the health of organisms and plan for stability or change in complex systems.

alchohol: A flammable liquid with harmful but sometimes stimulating effects when ingested. Alcohol created from plant matter is often used as a fuel. Many cultures regulate or even prohibit the production and concentration of alcohol and other chemicals perceived as dangerous.

animal power: Animal power ultimately derives from the sunlight that makes plants grow. While animal power is not the most efficient way to transform sunlight into work, it is a very common type of power because the animals can be bred and trained to do work with a minimum amount of supervision. (See beasts of burden) Manual labor performed by intelligent species is also a kind of animal power.

antigravity: A hypothetical weak force of repulsion that acts on all objects with mass, sometimes used in science fiction flying machines and spacecraft. No such force has been discovered in Squawk. Weightlessness can be simulated by floating in water, or flying in a powerful wind tunnel. Objects can be levitated by traditional engines or very strong electromagnetic feilds (For example: Also see Wikipedia. .)

Anthrosaur: An outdated term for intelligent species. This term is not used anymore.

Apocalypse: A book of prophecies, written in mystical poetic language. Although it is used by some mainstream religions, it is also popular with eccentrics and mad scientists who claim to learn esoteric scientific, magical or spiritual knowledge from their interpretations of this book. (Also see Necronomicon.)

archosaur: A group of animals that includes birds, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodiles and all animals more closely related to them than to other reptiles. Archosaurs are the most common air-breathing vertebrates and the most common large animals in the skies, water or lands of the Squawk worlds.

artificial gravity: Squawk has no technology for creating gravity apart from the natural gravity of all massive objects. Gravity-like effects are often simulated by acceleration, like the typical spinning space habitat. These centripetal acceleration systems are informally called artificial gravity. Magnetic boots and other simple devices can be used for gravity-like manuevering where centripetal acceleration is inappropriate.

Artisan: Artisans produce manufactured goods. They are usually skilled specialists as opposed to low skill industrial workers who are more easily replaced. Artisan is a very important and highly respected occupation in the Xanadu Empire.

Asgard: a gas giant just outside the temperate zone

asteroid: A rocky object smaller than a planet or dwarf planet.

asteroid belt: A ring of asteroids around the sun (see The Underworlds.)

Ava: A subpolar country of Peleg inhabited by bird-like species with midieval technology

B

bacteria: Simple single-celled microscopic organisms. Animal and plant cells contain symbiotic bacteria (mitochondria, chloroplasts) that produce and harness energy. Bacteria are used in Squawk biotechnology as free floating-organisms, internal symbionts, and within cells (like mitochondria.)

Basilisk: A scaly intelligent dinosaur species with a short tail and long powerful legs

beam propulsion: A form of propulsion where the energy comes from a remote source. Beam propulsion can be highly efficient because the vehicle does not need a large power plant, but it makes the vehicle dependent on a laser or particle beam from an external power plant, and beams can be absorbed by intervening matter such as a planetary atmosphere. Beam propulsion is only used in situations where these limitations are not a serious obstacle. Also see Wikipedia.

Beanstalk: Another name for a space elevator. In Squawk, beanstalk can specifically refer to self-repairing elevators which can function for centuries without replacement.

beasts of burden: See animal power and beasts of burden in the bestiary

Behemoth: A common name for sauropods and all huge animals with very long necks

Bioarmor: A living suit of protective clothing. Bioarmor is a wearable symbiont. Bioarmor can be designed for combat or protection from hazardous environments like outer space. Bioarmor suits often complement their host's biology by recycling air and water or providing extra sensors. (See carapace and skin)

Biocannon: An organ, appendage or other biological system that fires projectiles. The classic biocannon contains a cluster of tubes each containing a continually growing column of projectiles alternating with propellant. The propellant is stable until activated by special nerves, allowing for precisely controlled single shots or volleys of fire from a single biocannon. Biocannons are sometimes part of bioarmor, slaves or golems.

biomass: Biological material used as fuel. Biomass is usually consumed by burning, digestion or fermentation.

Biotechnology: Technology that uses living organisms. Biotechnology is very important in Squawk because biotechnology can be highly efficient and self-sustaining. Some of the biotechnology is ancient, while other biotechnology is continually evolving.

bird: A group of flying dinosaurs with feathery wings. Some birds have lost the ability to fly. In Squawk some flightless birds are called Ratites (if they have vestigial wings and short tails) or Goblins (if they have claws and long tails.)

Blackbird Clan: A Peleg culture. See Blackbird Clan page.

C

Cannibal: See Cannibal culture on Peleg.

Carapace: A hard, solid type of bioarmor, named after part of the exoskeleton or shell of some arthropods and turtles. (See Bioarmor and Skin)

The Central Powers: The dominant nations of Maia before the Maian Civil War were called the Central Powers. The Central Powers included nations from every continent of Maia, but shared common cultural and religious traditions. The combined influence of the Central Powers - when they were cooperating and when they were in conflict - amounted to industrial, political and cultural hegemony of the planet. Competition between the Central Powers led directly to the Maian War, and their weapons were involved in the most horrific tragedies of the war.

charcoal: Plant (or animal) matter that has been heated without oxygen to create a black porous substance that is mostly carbon. Charcoal is used as a fuel and an ingredient in gunpowder. Charcoal is also an important part of soil engineering in late-stage terraforming. The supply of charcoal is limited by the amount of plant and animal matter available. (See biomass, gunpowder, terraforming, Also see Wikipedia.)

Chimaera: A creature created by combining parts of different species. A Kobold whose toes have been surgically replaced with Goblin claws would be a chimaera. Some chimaera are even more mixed up and may even include Golem parts. Creating Chimeras is an advanced surgery technique (see Surgery.)

Clockmakers: A secret society professing the belief that all known species were created by intelligent designers. The clockmakers are secularists, rejecting explanations of origins based on appeals to religion, superstition and theories of gradual change. The clockmakers seek to understand the mechanisms of creation and how they can be used or improved upon. In spite of this abstract purpose, Clockmakers are implicated as villains in the most outlandish legends and conspiracy theories. Their unsavory reputation sometimes results from the tendency of unorthodox thinkers and mad scientists to seek membership in the Clockmakers.

Cockatrice: (idea) Cockatrice is an idea for an intelligent arboreal species with a long flexible feathered body. (An older species called Cockatrice has been replaced by Gryphons.)

cold-blooded: A cold blooded or ectothermic animal does not maintain a constant body temperature to the same degree as a warm-blooded animal. Cold-blooded animals use food more efficiently, but can have difficulty with cold climates and sustained athletic activity. Also see Wikipedia.

Collective Defense: A decentralized security network. Collective Defense are sometimes criticized as being a militia or vigilante group. The group's membership and leadership is fluid and rotating. Collective Defense has the largest presence where it's supporters are concentrated - usually on smaller worlds that can't support or hire a police force, such as the habitats orbiting Midgard's L4 lagrangian point.

Constriction: a grappling martial art named after the giant constrictor Guivres which crush and suffocate their prey. Constriction is a favorite martial art for fighting in zero gravity (freefall), and may have been developed in zero gravity environments. Constriction sparring involves two wrestlers trying to get each other in a choke, joint lock or position where one opponent can no longer defend himself against strikes. Constriction sparring sometimes involves blunt knives or cords to simulate close-range weapon fighting.

Crocodilian: A group of archosaurs that includes crocodiles and alligators (see Also see Wikipedia..) Informally, crocodilian may be used to describe any archosaur with superficially primitive features (long horizontal body with a long tail and scaly skin) such as Draconians, Gargoyles and Dragons.

D

The Dark Woods

A real life game that was never publicly released, developed by the same team that invented Squawk, and a direct ancestor of the Squawk RPG. Like Squawk, later versions of the Dark Woods had no human characters. Most of the PCs were fantasy monsters. The Dark Woods eventually developed into a player vs. player tabletop RPG.
A Squawk asteroid world in the Abbadon system more or less modeled after the Dark Woods game (where PCs are monsters who are rapidly growing in their capacity to create havoc and eat "villagers".)

Day: A full day-night cycle. For planets and freely rotating moons, a day is the time it takes for that world to revolve around it's axis. For tidally locked moons, a day is the time required for the moon to orbit it's planet. Other worlds may not measure time in days at all, or they may have cycles called days which may or may not correspond to daily activities or lighting levels, and may or may not be based on the natural day length of some other world.

dinosaur: Dinosaurs are bird-like archosaurs with an erect posture and long limbs. Triceratops, Brachiosaurus, Tyrannosaurus and even birds are dinosaurs, but pterosaurs and crocodiles are not dinosaurs (although they are all archosaurs.)

Displacer: Displacers are an old idea that has been removed from Squawk. A hole in the universe that allows instant travel from one part of the universe (on one side of the hole) to another part of the universe (on the other side of the hole.) A displacer could be compared to a "wormhole" except that it is a large gate that a creature could walk through accidentally.

Djinn: Intelligent swarms which can superficially imitate animals and other forms

Down: When navigating through space in the Abbadon star system, "down" means "towards the Sun" (or "towards Abbadon.")

Draconian: A crocodile-like intelligent species. Draconians are scaly amphibious bipeds with short, stubby arms, wide toothy snouts and long, thickly-muscled tails.

dwarf planet: An object large enough to collapse into a sphere from it's own gravity, but which is not a planet or moon.

E

Edegene: The furthest planet from Abaddon in the temperate zone. Edegene is a naturally inhabitable planet ruled by the rival Terraformer and Overlord factions. See Edegene page.

Eight Elements: Xanadu Alchemy describes matter and energy flowing through eight stages called Elements. Xanadu's Eight Elements model Alchemy is a combination of physical and social science, philosophy, practical medicine and applied chemistry.

The Electric Age: Folkore and archeological evidence indicate a massive Elf civilization characterized by mastery of electrical power and electronic systems. This civilization ended abruptly, but no one is sure what caused the age of electricity to end.

Elf: An intelligent avian species with short necks and long, clawed arms. See Elf page.

Emigration: Travel in Squawk is usually limited to travel between different planets within the Abaddon system, but in theory it is possible to travel to other solar systems using advanced propulsion technologies such as nuclear pulse propulsion. Even with an unlimited budget, traveling to the nearest stars would take generations, or at least decades. No evidence of a successful trip to from abaddon to another solar system has been discovered.

energy source: In Squawk primary energy sources are limited to the natural energy of the star Abaddon, it's planets and their moons. The worlds have been terraformed too recently to have significant fossil fuels. See solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, tidal power, biomass, fuel, geothermal, fission, fusion, Also see Wikipedia.

Evolution: In Abbadon, the religious doctrine of evolution asserts that all life has evolved from simpler forms under the influence of divine principles. The proposed "Tree of Life" connecting all species is often used as an analogy for or representation of divine powers. Although widely accepted as a matter of faith, this idea cannot be proven by scientific methods. There is no fossil record of life before the founders of Abaddon arrived with their advanced technology. (Compare to the athiest theory of Creation.)

F

feathers: Also see Wikipedia.

fission: Also see Wikipedia.

fossil fuels: Also see Wikipedia.

Founders: beings who discovered Abbadon and colonized life on its worlds. Belief in Founders having actually existed is controversial. Some cultures (Terraformer cultures especially) believe that they are the direct decendants of the founders. Other groups reject the idea of founders in favor of Divine Evolutionary theory, though the two ideas are not totally incompatable.

freefall: The technically correct term for what is commonly called zero gravity. (See zero gravity.)

fuel: Also see Wikipedia.

fuel cell: Also see Wikipedia.

fur: Some creatures in squawk have a downy plumage that is similar to fur. Also see Wikipedia.

fusion: Also see Wikipedia.

G

gas giant: Also see Wikipedia.

Gargoyle: A reptilian intelligent species with adaptive camoflage. See Gargoyle page.

Gate Keepers: a secret order bent on controlling information and power throughout Abbadon. To become a Gate Keeper one must be invited, accept the invitation, and then survive years of grueling training in a Gate Keeper monastary. Gate Keepers are named after their belief that they are on the verge of discovering the location of a Displacer Gate that will take them to the home world of the Founders. The Gate Keepers were once sect of the Symbiotic Order that was researching Oni technology, but "learned too much" from the Oni to continue to hold to the philosophy of the Symbiotic Order. Gatekeeper philosophy focuses on how to get and maintain power, and totally rejects the idea of openness of information, though they still have Synerga Weapon technology and still practice Syncrace.

geothermal power: Also see Wikipedia.

Goblin: A common name for small and medium sized predators that catch prey with their hands, including most of the smaller predatory dinosaurs. Usually goblins are feathered creatures that are more intelligent than their mesozoic relatives.

Guard: the heroic occupation in the Eight Element model associated with Lightning. Guards specialize in Hand to Hand combat in order to protect specific places or groups.

Ghoul: a type of "undead." If someone is infected with that which causes undeath before they die, they become a "ghoul."

Golem: a robot. In Abbodon golems are usually made using biotechnology, often with parts and tissues grown seperately and then put together by skilled artisans or surgens. The Terraformers and Oni are a whole culture of particularly intelligent golems that reproduce by making more golems.

Gremlin: An intelligent species of small bald theropods. See Gremlin page.

Gryphon: An intelligent species. See Gryphon page.

Guivre: Snakelike creatures. See Guivres in the Bestiary.

gun: a weapon that uses explosives to launch projectiles. Guns are usually small enough to be carried by Intelligent Species, though larger guns called "cannons" have also been invented.

gunpowder: Also see Wikipedia.

H

habitat: an enviornment that will support life... often much smaller than a whole-planet.

hair: fuzzy stuff that sometimes grows out of skin, depending on specific species.

Harpy: This was the "original" intelligent species design (in fact the Harpy's original name was "anthropomorphasaur" or "anthrosaur" for short.) It looked something like a Kobold with no tail and a beak instead of a snout. Eventually this design included the communication abilities that Elves now have in Squawk. This design has been influential on the Orc, Elf, Kobold, and Gryphon intelligent species design. The Harpy has been intentionally removed from the list of intelligent species since it's unique features had become redundant in the face of the newer intelligent species designs. "Harpies" are no longer used in Squawk, though it is likely that the name "Harpy" will be used for some other creature in Squawk in the future.

Hobgoblin: Hobgoblins are a race of intelligent goblins. They are feathered dinosaurs with long toothy snouts.

hydroelectric power: Also see Wikipedia.

hydrogen: Also see Wikipedia.

hydroponics: Also see Wikipedia.

I

Immigration: Travel in Squawk is usually limited to travel between different planets within the Abaddon system, but it is generally believed that Abaddon was settled by visitors from other star systems (see Founders.) These founders could have used nuclear pulse propulsion or other advanced propulsion technologies. The journey would have been very expensive and would have taken decades or generations. It is possible that the founders immigrated at different times or even from different stars.

Imp: A common name for small, usually long-tailed "rhamphirynchoid" pterosaurs. See Bestiary.

Ion Drive: Also see Wikipedia.

J

Juggernaut: See Juggernaut culture on Peleg.

K

Kobold: Intelligent arboreal dinosaurs. See Kobold page.

L

L1: Also see Wikipedia.

L2: Also see Wikipedia.

L3: Also see Wikipedia.

L4: Also see Wikipedia.

L5: Also see Wikipedia.

Lagrangian points: Also see Wikipedia.

laser: Also see Wikipedia.

Lyndwyrm: Long-tailed bipedal predators with small arms. See Bestiary.

M

Maelstrom: A large moon of the gas giant Midgard. Although it has a breathable atmosphere Maelstrom is completely covered in an extremely deep ocean and uninhabited. The solid surface of Maelstrom is too dark, too cold and has too much pressure for life to survive at the bottom of the oceans.

magnetic sail: Also see Wikipedia.

Maia: A moon of the gas giant Midgard. Maia has a physical geography, continents, oceans and climate zones similar to Earth.

Maian War: The Central Powers of Maia tried to peacefully resolve their differences through negotiating a one-world government. However, this new government was not able to get the individual nation states to disarm their nuclear weapons. Eventually a Great War broke out which quickly escalated into an all-out nuclear holocaust. The Great War ended Maia's Western and Eastern civilizations, totally destroying the one-world government. (Archeologists have since discovered that the first "nuclear attack" that started the Great War was not from one of the nation states, but was in fact a large meteorite that happened to hit a large population zone by chance, and that this accident superficially appeared to be a nuclear weapon strike at that time.)

Meridian: another name for Radix.

Mesozoic: A period in Earth's (real-life) geological history between about 65 million and 250 million years ago. In some ways, Mesozoic ecosystems resembled life in the Squawk worlds, such as the promintent roles of large dinosaurs and other archosaurs.

microbe: Also see Wikipedia.

Midgard: A gas giant with several inhabited moons and the largest planet in the Middle Worlds. See Midgard page.

milpa: a legume, grain, and vegetable crop-cycle-rotation process that can be maintained indefinitely and feed the population that maintains it.

mini-magnetospheric plasma propulsion: Also see Wikipedia.

Minotaur: Intelligent horned lyndwyrms. See Minotaur page.

Mirage: A dry sandy planet with a few small salty oceans. Mirage is inhabited by Djinn and similar organisms that can be harnessed to create realistic holographic illusions.

Monk: a heroic occupation in the Eight Elements model associated with water. Monks hide out in monostaries so that they can focus on things they find important, instead of dealing with tasks of a "normal" life.

Monopolis: A city that covers a planet by the same name, tidally locked with Radix. See Monopolis page.

Monopolis Trading Company: The ruling political force on Monopolis. Monopolis has no government, but a single company (also called the "Corporation") rules this Monopolis with an iron fist. The Corporation (who's official name is the "Monopolis Trading Company") is involved in interplanetary commerce, trading with those worlds strong enough militarily to oppose the Corporation, and exploiting those who aren't. Monopolis's "Shock Troopers" are made up mostly of a Mantacore population that was captured from its home world of Protea, and bred to be super soldiers.

moon: A large object orbiting a planet

N

nanotechnology: Also see Wikipedia.

natural gas: Also see Wikipedia.

Necronomicon: Many various books have been called "Necronomicon" in Abbadon. Some have been valuable genealogical tomes, while others have been devises of the most sinister kinds of magic. One of the more sinister variations of the Necronomicon was able to sprout insect-like legs and sneak away when no one was looking.

Nereid: An ice covered planet with liquid oceans beneath the frozen crust. See Nereid page.

Niflheim: one of the sparsely populated upper worlds of Abbadon.

Ninja: The heroic occupation in the Eight Elements model associated with shadow. The stealthy Ninjas gather intelligence and may occasionally perform assassinations.

North

Nuclear Pulse Propulsion: Also see Wikipedia.

O

Ogre: A gigantic long-necked intelligent dinosaur related to sauropods and prosauropods.

Oni: A culture of intelligent golems. The Oni were originally a warrior clan of the Terraformers, who's priorities changed to be focused on combat effectiveness instead of being focused on traditional Terraformer philosphy. The Oni are now sworn enemies of the Terraformers, and violence usually results when the Terraformers and Oni encounter each other. Oni are visably different from the Terraformers in that Oni are always optimized for combat, having various forms of camofluage and weapons integrated into their body designs.

Orc: A huge amphibious bird-like intelligent species with a toothy beak and webbed claws instead of wings.

Overlords: Long ago in Terraformer history, a political faction (the "Overlords") arose involving archosaurian Intelligent Species and some of the Terraformer warrior clans. This political faction advocated a more efficient social structure involving a strict hierarchy and highly specialized occupations. The Overlords eventually created the Oni in a war that Terraformer civilization has never fully recovered from.

P

Pachyderm: A common name for armored reptiles. See Bestiary.

Paradise: an old name for Protaea. This term is no longer in use.

particle beam: Also see Wikipedia.

Peleg: A moon of the gas giant Midgard. Peleg is covered in shallow seas. The only dry land on Peleg is the thousands of islands and atolls that break the surface.

planet: An object orbiting the sun which does not have any larger objects crossing it's orbit.

Port Centrifica: one of the Underworlds, made from a hollowed-out asteroid. It is famous for its labor relations problems with its Golem population. Port Centrica's Golems were not originally intelligent, but Golem makers there started experimenting with Terraformer technology. The labor problems started when the Golems became intelligent enough to have a high level of reading comprehension, and established their own official branch of the Symbiotic Order. (Port Centrifica's "Symbiotic Order" is more of a labor union for Golems than anything else, though it does have the usual characteristics of a branch of the Symbiotic Order.) Port Centrifica has a sport in which Golems race and fight against each other through dangerous labyrinths. (The Symbiotic Order considers this sport to be exploitive, since many intelligent golems have been forced to compete against their will.)

Protaea: An inner moon of the gas giant Midgard. Protaea has large continents formed from coral reefs and very little mineral resources.

protofeathers

Pterosaur: A group of flying archosaurs with leathery wings connected to a single long finger. Some pterosaur species in Squawk (such as Trolls) have lost the ability to fly.

Q

R

radio: the most common way to communicate electronically in the Abbadon system

Radix: A planet tidally locked with Monopolis. See Radix page.

Ratite: Also see Wikipedia.

Rocket: Also see Wikipedia.

S

scales: Also see Wikipedia.

scutes: Also see Wikipedia.

Seraphim: Mercenary clans with a distinctive style of bioarmor. The seraphim were once gaurdians of sacred sites.

Skin: Also see Wikipedia.

Slave: a type of hand-to-hand weapon made from biotechnology, which taps directly into the user's nervous system. When used properly a Slave acts as if it were part of the user's body. There are many types of Slaves, ranging from florescent retractable swords to whip-like tentacles.

The Solar Guard: an interplanetary police force (named after the Abbadon star, or "Sun.")

solar sail: Also see Wikipedia.

Space Elevator: Also see Wikipedia.

stable orbit

stealth: an important survival ability that allows one to sneak away from predators hunting you, or allows you to sneak up on prey that you are hunting. It is literally the ability of undetection.

Stun Sword: a type of Slave that looks a blade of florescent gas, and which delivers an electric shock (instead of cutting the opponent.) Stun swords generate the electic shock based on force of blows, so that the harder a target his struck with the Stun Sword, the more intense the electric shock. Stun Swords are nonleathal weapons that rarely do permanent damage to targets, and are produced primarily by the Symbiotic Order and only issued to members of the Symbiotic Order.

Surgery

A type of medicine that actually involves slicing open the patient and manipulating his innards.
A type of magic that involves medicinal surgery plus adding body parts from another organism. Advanced Surgery Magic includes the creation and modification of Chimeras.

swarm: Also see Wikipedia.

Symbiotic Order: a very large organization who's mission is to establish moral and physical "sustainability." The basic rule of "sustainability" according to the order is to ask "would this action still be good if everyone did it?" If the answer is "yes" than a given action is considered to be good. The order is generally in favor of vegetarianism, living in extended family units, respecting indigenous cultures, radically democratic governments, local decision making, open access to information and maintaining natural environments. The Symbiotic Order resulted from archosaurian Intelligent Species learning from traditional Terraformer philosophy. The main difference between Terraformer philosophies and the teachings of the Symbiotic Order is that the Symbiotic Order favors Divine Evolution theory while Terraformers usually embrace Atheist Creation theory.

The symbiotic order can vary a great deal from culture to culture. For example on the world of Peleg, in the Xanadu Empire the Symbiotic Order has become a recognized state religion, while in the republic of Utopia the symbiotic order is a fraternity that most members of government belong to. Besides the common philosophy that the variations of the Symbiotic Order share, most branches of the symbiotic order practice some form of Syncrase, Yoga, or Synerga.

Syncrase: a martial art that involves the use of Synerga. Syncrase focuses on efficiency and evasion. In sparring opponents try to stay standing while knocking, sweeping, throwing, or (most often) pushing the opponent to the ground. When available, Syncrase sparring sometimes uses Stun Swords. The main calestenics involved in Syncrase is "Yoga" (exercises intended to help increase control and sensitivity to Synerga.)

Synerga

the bio-electric/magnetic field tied to an organism's central nervous system, and related chemical bodily processes. "Yoga" is a type of exercise that tries to enhance a body health through Synerga training, and "Syncrase" is a school of martial arts that openly embraces Synerga training.
a school of magic that focuses on Synerga-based technology.

Synerga Beam: a type of long-range Synerga Weapon.

Synerga Cable: a type of Synerga Weapon that looks and acts like a tentacle.

Synerga Staff: this Synerga Weapon can divide into four shapes:

a long staff
a pair of clubs
a 3-sectional staff
a 9-section whip

Synerga Weapon: Slaves that specifically use the Synerga of users.

Synerga Whip: another name for a Synerga Cable.

T

Tao Rho: an extremely offensive striking martial art. Most of Tao Rho's defensive techniques are counterattacks. Originally based off of the fighting strategy of lyndwryms, Tao Rho is a popular martial art in many militaries in Abbadon. Tao Rho sparring includes some unarmed kick boxing, one on one weapon sparring, and team vs. team battle field sparring with weapons and shields.

temperate zone: A shell around the sun representing the distances at which planets and moons can support life "naturally" (without being sealed inside some kind of shelter.)

Terraformers: a culture of intelligent Golems that is perpetuated by intelligent Golems building new intelligent Golems. Most Terraformers believe that they are the culture that originally founded Abbadon. Terraformers do indeed have the best habitat development technology, and are masters of very sophisticated biotechnology in general.

Terraformers are spread throughout the Temperate Zone and the Underworlds of Abbadon. This scattering took place during a massive war with the Overlords, in which the notorious Oni golems were invented and used. Terraformers are still occasionally in violent conflicts with the Oni.

Terraformer philosophy is almost identical to the philosophy of the symbiotic order, the main exception being that Terraformers embrace Atheist Creation theory while the Symbiotic Order embraces divine evolutionary theory.

Tidal Locking: Also see Wikipedia.

tidal power: Also see Wikipedia.

Titan: A naturally armored intelligent species. See Titan page.

Tombkeepers: an ancient secret order who's goal it is to protect ancient artifacts and archeological finds from exploitation. Tombkeepers tend to be heavily armed, and "shoot first and ask questions later."

transfer orbit: Also see Wikipedia.

Troll: Intelligent flightless swimming pterosaurs. See Troll page.

Trydeen: See Trydeen page.

U

Unclean

The Underworlds: Asteroid worlds near Abaddon. See Underworlds page.

Unicorn: an Intelligent Species design that is still being developed. So far the idea is that the Unicorns would be a species of intelligent Ornithopods that would have a prominent single horn growing out of their foreheads.

Up: when navigating through space in Abbadon, the direction "up" means "away from the Sun."

The Upper Worlds: the worlds so far away from the Sun in the Abbadon system that they are no longer in the temperate zone.

Utopia: See Utopia culture on Peleg

V

Vampire: Intelligent blood-drinking pterosaurs. See Vampire page.

Vigilante: someone who takes the law into their own hands.

W

warm blooded: Also see Wikipedia.

wind power: Also see Wikipedia.

Wraith: a type of undead. When that which makes things undead infects a host after it has already died, that host becomes a Wraith. (This in contrast to a Ghoul which is infected before the host dies.) Occasionally a Wraith may be made of an otherwise inanimate object, which was the case once with a book (a "necronomicon" that sprouted insect-like legs.)

Wrestler: a heroic occupation in the Eight Elements model associated with the element of earth. Wrestlers are professional athletes who compete in unarmed combat sports.

Wyvern: Large, usually short-tailed "pterodactyloid" pterosaurs. See Bestiary.

X

Xanadu: See Xanadu culture on Peleg

Y

Yggdrasil: See Yggdrasil page.

Z

Zealot: a heroic occupation in the Eight Elements model associated with the element of fire. Zealots are priests or ambasadors for specific causes, and specialize in the arts of communication.

zero gravity: Freefall. When all of the objects in a local environment are freely falling, none of the objects are massive enough to have significant gravity and none of the objects are spinning in a way that simulates gravity (see artificial gravity) the environment is informally described as "zero gravity". The objects are still affected by the gravity of Abaddon and nearby planets, but since they all experience the same acceleration, there is practically no gravity in the local frame of reference.