A Vocabulary Guide
May. 28th, 2012 05:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fearlessherosheartBecause Tazendra can and will use words differently.
Amorphia: Elemental chaos of some sort; it is both incredibly powerful and can eat through almost anything. Two sources are contained on the planet Dragaera
Cycle: The sequence of Houses in the order they run the Empire. The cycle turning marks when a new Emperor or Empress (or Republic) takes the Orb. Many Dragaerans regard the cycle as being deeper than 'who runs the empire'; your House being high in the Cycle means fortune favors your House's endeavors. (Hence why the Empire is run by someone from the House at the top of the cycle.)
Day: the Dragaeran day is 30 hours, with an hour being roughly what we'd consider an hour.
Deathgate Falls: The entrance to the afterlife, in the northeast of the Empire.
Demons: Powerful beings that can exist in multiple places at once, but are compelled or controlled by someone else.
Dragaera: The planet Tazendra is from, and the large western empire on that planet.
Dragaeran: The name for Tazendra's subset of humanity.
Easterner: A baseline human. Tazendra isn't too discerning about the difference between, say, an actual baseline human, a Penrose native, a dwarf/hobbit and so on. In general, she'll go by 'a lot shorter than me' and 'can grow facial hair'..
Elder Sorcery: Sorcery that doesn't use the protection of the Orb. Generally considered both risky and the only way to do certain spells. It's also illegal, though most prosecutions we've seen have a political component.
Elf: The eastern name for Dragaerans.
Empire: The Dragaeran Empire, Tazendra's home country.
Encloudening: The perpetual orange clouds that cover the Dragaeran Empire. May be related to millennia of magic use.
Faerie: The eastern name for the Dragaeran Empire.
Furnace: The star the planet Dragaera orbits. Or just any sun; Tazendra has only rarely seen the sun, as the Empire is under perpetual overcast such that only the tops of mountains poke through.
Gods: Powerful beings that can exist in multiple places at once, and cannot be compelled.
House: One of the seventeen Dragaeran castes, named for animals on the planet. They have both physical and temperamental traits; both may be genetic as all but House Jhereg were created by including animal DNA into the basic Dragaeran genetic code.
Jenoine: Exceedingly powerful aliens that created the Dragaerans and Houses. Were kicked out by the gods but occasionally try to come back.
Lords of Judgement: A group of gods that are enemies of the Jenoine and for whatever reason, support the Dragaeran Empire as protection against the Jenoine.
Month: Seventeen days.
Noble's Point: A widow's peak (a dip in the hairline at the center of the face). So called because it is a signature feature of sixteen of the seventeen Houses, with only the peasant House of the Teckla excepted.
Necromancy: The magical art or science of manipulating the different planes of existence. Because 'our world' and 'the afterlife' are two of those, it also includes traditional raising of undead warriors etc.
Orb: An ancient artifact that both marks the head of state of the Dragaeran Empire and acts as a safe way to use sorcery without frying your brain.
The Paths of the Dead: The Dragaeran afterlife. Easterners aren't generally allowed to enter, and living Dragaerans generally can't leave alive if they do get in.
Prince/Princess: The titular head of a Dragaeran House. The Prince/Princess of the House next in the cycle is the Emperor/Empress's Heir. So Phoenix Empress Zerika IV's heir was Dragon Prince Morrolan e'Drien. Well, until Morrolan finally found someone else to take the job roughly 200 years after Tazendra's death.
Seroli: Native intelligent life to Dragaera. Wish the humans, old and new, would go elsewhere.
Seventeen: Keeps showing up; it may have cosmological significance on Dragaera.
Sorcery: A type of magic powered by amorphia.
Undead: A dead person animated either by the presence of his/her soul or by necromancy. The Empire prohibits the undead from holding office.
Week: Five days
Witchcraft: A type of magic practiced in the East that is known for subtle effects and powered by the caster.
Year: Seventeen months or 289 days. Given days are 30 hours, this works out to be roughly the same as a terrestrial year. 8940 hours versus 8766 hours.
The Houses (Aka Dragaera's caste system)
Technically one's caste is independent from one's class, excepting the House of the Teckla. Practically, some Houses tend to be more middle class, and some tend to be mostly nobility.
Phoenix: The House of rebirth, nobility and decadence. Currently only one Phoenix exists, and she's Empress.
Dragon: The House of war and conquest. All are, or have been soldiers. Some are sorcerers.
Lyorn: The House of tradition and duty.
Tiassa: The House of inspiration and catalyst.
Hawk: The House of observation and curiosity. Often scholars, sorcerers or artists.
Dzur: Tazendra's House. The House of heroism and honor. Often soldiers or sorcerers, and almost always well able to kill you dead.
Issola: The House of courtliness and surprise. Often artists, seneschals for other nobles, or diplomats.
Tsalmoth: The House of unpredictability and tenacity.
Vallista: The House of creation and destruction. Often artists or architects.
Jhereg: The House of greed and opportunism. Made up of those cast out of other Houses who can buy their way in. Run the Empire's organized crime. Technically nobles, but usually get looked down on.
Iorich: The House of justice and retribution. Often lawyers and judges.
Chreotha: The House of forethought and ensnarement. Often merchants and craftsmen.
Yendi: The House of subtlety and misdirection. Almost always up to something, often when you least expect one to be.
Orca: The House of mercantilism and brutality. Often sailors or merchants.
Teckla: The House of cowardice and fertility. The Empire's peasantry: over 90% of Imperial citizens are Teckla.
Jhegaala: The House of metamorphosis and endurance. Not peasantry but rarely actual nobility.
Athyra: The House of magic and philosophy. Often scholars or sorcerers.
Amorphia: Elemental chaos of some sort; it is both incredibly powerful and can eat through almost anything. Two sources are contained on the planet Dragaera
Cycle: The sequence of Houses in the order they run the Empire. The cycle turning marks when a new Emperor or Empress (or Republic) takes the Orb. Many Dragaerans regard the cycle as being deeper than 'who runs the empire'; your House being high in the Cycle means fortune favors your House's endeavors. (Hence why the Empire is run by someone from the House at the top of the cycle.)
Day: the Dragaeran day is 30 hours, with an hour being roughly what we'd consider an hour.
Deathgate Falls: The entrance to the afterlife, in the northeast of the Empire.
Demons: Powerful beings that can exist in multiple places at once, but are compelled or controlled by someone else.
Dragaera: The planet Tazendra is from, and the large western empire on that planet.
Dragaeran: The name for Tazendra's subset of humanity.
Easterner: A baseline human. Tazendra isn't too discerning about the difference between, say, an actual baseline human, a Penrose native, a dwarf/hobbit and so on. In general, she'll go by 'a lot shorter than me' and 'can grow facial hair'..
Elder Sorcery: Sorcery that doesn't use the protection of the Orb. Generally considered both risky and the only way to do certain spells. It's also illegal, though most prosecutions we've seen have a political component.
Elf: The eastern name for Dragaerans.
Empire: The Dragaeran Empire, Tazendra's home country.
Encloudening: The perpetual orange clouds that cover the Dragaeran Empire. May be related to millennia of magic use.
Faerie: The eastern name for the Dragaeran Empire.
Furnace: The star the planet Dragaera orbits. Or just any sun; Tazendra has only rarely seen the sun, as the Empire is under perpetual overcast such that only the tops of mountains poke through.
Gods: Powerful beings that can exist in multiple places at once, and cannot be compelled.
House: One of the seventeen Dragaeran castes, named for animals on the planet. They have both physical and temperamental traits; both may be genetic as all but House Jhereg were created by including animal DNA into the basic Dragaeran genetic code.
Jenoine: Exceedingly powerful aliens that created the Dragaerans and Houses. Were kicked out by the gods but occasionally try to come back.
Lords of Judgement: A group of gods that are enemies of the Jenoine and for whatever reason, support the Dragaeran Empire as protection against the Jenoine.
Month: Seventeen days.
Noble's Point: A widow's peak (a dip in the hairline at the center of the face). So called because it is a signature feature of sixteen of the seventeen Houses, with only the peasant House of the Teckla excepted.
Necromancy: The magical art or science of manipulating the different planes of existence. Because 'our world' and 'the afterlife' are two of those, it also includes traditional raising of undead warriors etc.
Orb: An ancient artifact that both marks the head of state of the Dragaeran Empire and acts as a safe way to use sorcery without frying your brain.
The Paths of the Dead: The Dragaeran afterlife. Easterners aren't generally allowed to enter, and living Dragaerans generally can't leave alive if they do get in.
Prince/Princess: The titular head of a Dragaeran House. The Prince/Princess of the House next in the cycle is the Emperor/Empress's Heir. So Phoenix Empress Zerika IV's heir was Dragon Prince Morrolan e'Drien. Well, until Morrolan finally found someone else to take the job roughly 200 years after Tazendra's death.
Seroli: Native intelligent life to Dragaera. Wish the humans, old and new, would go elsewhere.
Seventeen: Keeps showing up; it may have cosmological significance on Dragaera.
Sorcery: A type of magic powered by amorphia.
Undead: A dead person animated either by the presence of his/her soul or by necromancy. The Empire prohibits the undead from holding office.
Week: Five days
Witchcraft: A type of magic practiced in the East that is known for subtle effects and powered by the caster.
Year: Seventeen months or 289 days. Given days are 30 hours, this works out to be roughly the same as a terrestrial year. 8940 hours versus 8766 hours.
The Houses (Aka Dragaera's caste system)
Technically one's caste is independent from one's class, excepting the House of the Teckla. Practically, some Houses tend to be more middle class, and some tend to be mostly nobility.
Phoenix: The House of rebirth, nobility and decadence. Currently only one Phoenix exists, and she's Empress.
Dragon: The House of war and conquest. All are, or have been soldiers. Some are sorcerers.
Lyorn: The House of tradition and duty.
Tiassa: The House of inspiration and catalyst.
Hawk: The House of observation and curiosity. Often scholars, sorcerers or artists.
Dzur: Tazendra's House. The House of heroism and honor. Often soldiers or sorcerers, and almost always well able to kill you dead.
Issola: The House of courtliness and surprise. Often artists, seneschals for other nobles, or diplomats.
Tsalmoth: The House of unpredictability and tenacity.
Vallista: The House of creation and destruction. Often artists or architects.
Jhereg: The House of greed and opportunism. Made up of those cast out of other Houses who can buy their way in. Run the Empire's organized crime. Technically nobles, but usually get looked down on.
Iorich: The House of justice and retribution. Often lawyers and judges.
Chreotha: The House of forethought and ensnarement. Often merchants and craftsmen.
Yendi: The House of subtlety and misdirection. Almost always up to something, often when you least expect one to be.
Orca: The House of mercantilism and brutality. Often sailors or merchants.
Teckla: The House of cowardice and fertility. The Empire's peasantry: over 90% of Imperial citizens are Teckla.
Jhegaala: The House of metamorphosis and endurance. Not peasantry but rarely actual nobility.
Athyra: The House of magic and philosophy. Often scholars or sorcerers.