legionnaire
Any soldier in the Imperial Legions, especially the common foot soldier.
lighter
Any starship small enough to make landfall on a planet.
Linon
Moon of a gas giant in DELOS system, formerly the demesne of the exsul House Orin and site of the Battle of Linon in ISD 15863, in which Alistair Marlowe killed the entire house.
logothete
A minister in any of the governmental agencies of any palatine house, used colloquially of any civil servant.
MAG rifle
A class of small arms that uses magnetic coils to accelerate a slug of tungsten or depleted uranium.
Mandari
An ethnic group semi-detached from Imperial society, most commonly found staffing the massive interstellar trading corporations.
Mazdayasna
An ADORATOR cult dating back to the Golden Age of Earth focused on the worship of the fire god Ahura Mazda, sometimes called Zoroastrianism.
Mericanii
The ancient first interstellar colonists. A hyper-advanced technologic civilization run by artificial intelligences. Destroyed by the Empire.
Messer/Madam
Polite address in the Empire, used of anyone without formal title.
Museum Catholic Church
An ADORATOR cult dating back to the Golden Age of Earth focused on the worship of the incarnated God Jesus Christ and His Father, the Creator of the universe.
Nipponese
The descendants of the Japanese colonists who fled Old Earth system in the Third Peregrination.
nobile
Blanket term referring to any member of the palatine and patrician castes in the SOLLAN EMPIRE.
Norman Freeholds
Region of settled space beyond the Imperial frontier, peopled by individual human colonies.
offworlder
Refers to a person not born on a given planet, sometimes derogatory.
Omana
An Imperial colony in the NORMAN EXPANSE, formerly a freehold annexed by the Sollan Empire.
Omphalos
The gas giant in DELOS system about which LINON orbits. A hotbed of methane mining operations.
opera
Any scripted narrative entertainment, musical, dramatic, or serial—interactive or otherwise.
Orbital Defense Force
The fleet maintained by any palatine lord for the defense of his or her planet or system.
pagan
The practitioner of any religion other than that of the HOLY TERRAN CHANTRY.
palatine
The Imperial aristocracy, descended from those free humans who opposed the MERICANII. Genetically enhanced, they may live for several centuries.
patrician
Any PLEBEIAN or plutocrat awarded with genetic augmentations at the behest of the palatine caste as a reward for services rendered.
peltast
An unshielded foot soldier. Light infantry.
phase disruptor
A sort of firearm that attacks the nervous system. Can stun on lower settings.
plasma burner
A firearm which uses a strong loop of magnetic force to project an arc of super-heated plasma across short to moderate distances.
plasma howitzer
Essentially a scaled-up PLASMA BURNER, used primarily as an anti-tank and anti-air weapon.
plebeian
The Imperial peasantry, descended from unaltered human stock seeded on the oldest colony ships. Forbidden to use high technology.
poine
A structured, small-scale war carried out between imperial palatine houses. Subject to the scrutiny of the INQUISITION.
prefecture
In the Empire, any administrative district ruled by an ARCHON.
Principalities of Jadd
Nation of eighty former Imperial provinces in Perseus that revolted over palatine reproductive rights. Heavily militaristic and caste-driven.
Prior
In the Chantry clergy, the chief cleric in a PREFECTURE.
prudence shield
A form of ROYSE FIELD used for security, especially in coliseums or in starship hangars. Traps air and fast-moving objects.
repulsor
A device which makes use of the ROYSE EFFECT to allow objects to float without disturbing the air or environment.
Royse Effect
A method discovered by Caelan Royse for manipulating the electroweak force. Allows for the existence of force fields and repulsors.
Royse Field
Any force field making use of the ROYSE EFFECT to stop high-velocity objects from penetrating their energy curtain.
sanctum
A Chantry temple.
scholiast
Any member of the monastic order of researchers, academics, and theoreticians tracing their origins to the Mericanii scientists captured at the end of the Foundation War.
Shintoism
An animistic ADORATOR cult dating back to the Golden Age of Earth, focused on the worship of various genius loci called kami and practiced almost exclusively among the NIPPONESE.
sign of the sun disc
A gesture of benediction made by circling thumb and forefinger and touching forehead and lips before holding the hand up to the sky.
sirrah
An honorific used to refer to one’s social inferiors, usually males.
skiff
A flying craft about the size of a motorbike.
Sollan Empire
The largest and oldest single polity in human-controlled space, comprising some half a billion habitable planets.
St. Christopher
In the Catholic religion, a holy man—possibly mythical—said to have had the head of a dog. The pagans believe he protects travelers and guards the doors to their churches and communities.
St. Maximus
In the Catholic religion, a holy man and scholar. Patron of the parish and township on DELOS that bears his name.
strojeva
An artificial person of Durantine manufacture, usually combining organic and machine parts.
stunner
A low-power PHASE DISRUPTOR used to cause temporary paralysis and even loss of consciousness. Choice weapon of law enforcement personnel.
Summerfair
A midsummer holiday celebrated throughout the Imperium. Its date varies from world-to-world, depending on the local calendar.
Temeria
A planet in the DURANTINE REPUBLIC in the Outer Perseus.
terminal
A telecommunications device for accessing a planet’s DATASPHERE, usually worn on the wrist.
Theravada Buddhism
Strain of the Buddhist adorator cult adhering to the Pali Canon. Believed to be the oldest strain of that faith.
Tyras
Once a NORMAN FREEHOLD in the nearer regions of the Expanse. Tyras was annexed by the SOLLAN EMPIRE in ISD 15842 and put into the hands of House Jurnau. It remained an Imperial territory a mere 374 years before the planet was destroyed by the CIELCIN in ISD 16216, culminating in the complete extinction of House Jurnau.
viceroy/vicereine
The ruler of an Imperial Province appointed by the Emperor. The title is typically heritable, but is not always so.
White Sword
A ceramic greatsword used by Chantry Cathars for formal executions, especially of the nobility.
Wong-Hopper Consortium
The largest of the MANDARI trading corporations, holding several government contracts, especially in the terraforming industry.
xenobite
Any life form not originating in terranic or human stock, especially those life forms which are considered intelligent; an alien.
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