Glossary

Bōsōzoku — An Outer Class youth subculture of various biker gangs and clubs found in the Midcity and Undercity. Typically identified by their wild fashion styles, mêlée weapons, and flags on their motorcycles. Usually seen (or heard) taking part in high-speed joyrides through city streets, riding bikes with exhaust systems modified to be as disruptively loud as possible, and causing general public disturbances. Their numbers are known to be extremely large - even more than the Underlord syndicates - yet the chances of the bōsōzoku uniting and posing any kind of challenge to the status quo are microscopic, due to the inherently chaotic nature of their subculture, and lack of interest in the racketeering and organized crime employed by more professional thugs. Bōsōzoku often have noticeable aesthetic themes for their groups, as seen by each gang often having a uniform style with their clothing, motorcycles or other gear.

Racism is rampant among bōsōzoku, as seen by the fact that most gangs are made up of particular species groups united against other gangs of a different species, though it manifests mostly in the form of violent bullying, street brawls, and gang skirmishes rather than the more depraved acts of outright murder that are common among more "professional" crime groups. Firearms and murder are rare among bōsōzoku, who are usually delinquent youths rather than cold-blooded killers, though acts of manslaughter and other non-premediated deaths resulting from aggrivated circumstances (i.e. gang fights, street battles, and other heat-of-the-moment killings) are common. Premeditated murder, when it occurs in the bōsōzoku world, is seen as a very huge deal.

Chancellor Mara Kadesh — A female wolfhawk hybrid, she is the head of the ruling civilian government administration of Einheit City. A former associate of Dr. Frey, and widely known pro-Ministry community activist ever since Dr. Frey's assassination, Kadesh was elected Chancellor in 23 ECE in an electoral race widely considered a sham by the Outer Class, due to the fact that only UniClass candidates were permitted to run for office. Although a ubiquitous figurehead for the city, Kadesh's administration is considered by most Outer Classers to be only nominal, and a mere propaganda tool of the Ministry used to provide the illusion of democracy. Comrade Kadesh is also credited as being one of the early supporters of the Neo-Sŏn'gun doctrine, which ensured public trust and reliance upon the Ministry. More recently, however, the UniClass has been looking less to the Ministry and more towards Kadesh to solve the Toride's economic problems.

Dr. Avram Frey — A rabbit scientist and utopian visionary. Born in the now-destroyed colony of Haladan II, from where he championed the causes of inter-species peace and tolerance. Forced into exile with his followers, which later on led to the discovery of Einheit City and its repopulation. Assassinated on December 21st, 5 ECE, allegedly by purebred Colonial terrorists, according to the Ministry investigation on his murder.

Heart Machine Council — Originally a group of Dr. Frey's hybrid retainers who discovered the Heart Machine in 0 ECE during the early exploration of Einheit City. They began work on activating the Heart Machine soon after discovering it, operating in complete isolation and without supervision, allegedly for security reasons. After the Heart Machine's activation and Frey's assassination, the HMC absorbed itself into the newly-formed Ministry.

Hybrid — One who is of mixed species heritage, such as a kangaroo/wolf, bird/antelope, or fox/rabbit/lynx/lizard. Many hybrids combine their species names to describe themselves; a wolf/raccoon may refer to himself as a 'coonwolf', a jackal/catamount a 'jackamount', and so on. By Einheit City law, hybrids are defined as those composed of mixed higher species, meaning that a fox/wolf would be considered pure Canine and not a true hybrid, while a fox/cat would be considered a true hybrid for the mixture of different higher species. Purebreds may voluntarily become hybrids by undergoing genetic reassignment. UniClass citizenship is required for all hybrids. Most hybrids become UniClassers, though a tiny number, less than 1%, choose to remain as Outer Classers, and are classified as traitors by the Ministry. While they are also hunted by the Ministry for their crime, outlaw hybrids are often just as viciously persecuted by purebred Outer Classers.

Korvulgr — A huge Norskr-speaking ursine Colony, one of the last large purebred power-players before the AbZero Bombings. Closely allied with the canine colony of Yerushalem VI. The colony was defined by its massive unheated city, fierce battles for honor among the populace, abduction of womenfolk from other families, constant revelry and merriment with great feasts and mead, and their near-mystical concepts of technology. Korvulgr warriors almost never used guns, instead preferring to destroy their foes with heavy, brutal weaponry or strong hands. The Colony was supported by a purely ground-based bererker military; their fortifications, however, were impressive- surrounded by hundreds of massive fire- and lava-spewing turrets and flaming grease, spiked ball, or lava-burst launchers, Korvulgr had never been under threat from invasion even once in its history.

Even today, Korvulgr warriors are one of the most widely feared in hand-to-hand combat, raised since birth to be immensely physically powerful, short-tempered, and nigh-unstoppable on the battlefield- male and female alike. Very few Korvulgr came into Einheit before or after the bombings, as the UniClass ideal was seen as morally repulsive, and the city was seen as unworthy of Korvulgr presence. However, they still rove in bloodthirsty bands over the Nightlands, setting up masterful ambushes capable of taking down even Ministry Scouting teams. Their remaining numbers are unknown. The term Korvulgr can also mean a person from Korvulgr.

Kossaks — A once numerous, diverse clan-based martial culture of purebred nomads, famed for their prowess in battle with primitive weapons and seemingly mythical ability to thrive as a people in the eternal night outside the warmth and safety of the Colonies. Legendary pathfinders, warriors, and masters of the Nightlands wilderness, the Kossaks were often the subject of many stirring tales; accounts of imperiled travelers being aided through treacherous lands or protected from hostile creatures by mysterious Slavic-accented riders...Or of outposts raided and convoys plundered without quarter or remorse.

After the discovery and settlement of Einheit City, the Kossaks arrived in Einheit City, attracted by the bravery of the refugees and the tales of Frey's vision, and used it as a supply base and temporary home in between their Nightlands exploits. For the centuries prior their arrival in Einheit City, the Kossaks, being of several nation-clans (voiskos) divided by species and even by the purity of a given bloodline within a species, frequently feuded amongst themselves. Yet this changed when Dr. Frey, sensing an opportunity for peace, helped negotiate co-operation between the Kossak voiskos in the city.

Due to their strictly purebred family traditions, Eastern Orthodox religious faith, and martial culture, the Kossaks were seen as an obstacle to the Ministry's plan for utopia. Many were accused of working with the Colonies, despite the fact that multitudes of them fought on Einheit City's side. Entire clans were declared "Enemies Of The People" and wiped out, while the remnants ended up in disease-infested purebred ghettoes, viciously quarrelling among themselves as Ministry manipulation undid the peace agreements forged by Dr. Frey. The Ministry's lockdown of the city proved to be the final blow, effectively crippling the Kossaks of their ability to be an independent, nomadic, adventuring people, or to flee the increasingly oppressive city.

Presently, the Kossaks in Einheit are a ghost of their former selves. Many purebreds make questionable claims of Kossak blood, perhaps hoping to impress or draw attention, though in reality there are few true Kossaks left, most of them aging wanderers, and only a few scattered families and fragmented clans remaining. Kossaks can sometimes be identified by their long cherkesska coats and shashka sabres, though still remain a rather reserved and mysterious people, even towards other purebreds. It is claimed by the Ministry that there are still some Kossaks left in the Nightlands who, allegedly, are taking part in the Nightlander Siege, yet these claims are widely questioned by many purebreds.

Nightlanders — According to the Ministry, Nightlanders are primarily made up of Colonial purebreds who survived Operation Boreas, and are hence said by the Ministry to have a hostile disposition towards Einheit City and hybrids. The exact numbers of Nightlanders are not presently known since the Ministry does not permit free travel to or from the city in order to collect data, though the Ministry claims that they are organized into several guerilla groups which are said to be behind several attacks upon the Vorhang, occasional small/medium-scale rocket attacks. For obvious reasons, Nightlanders are practically never, if ever, seen in Einheit City.

Outer Class — See Purebred. Can also refer to incredibly rare cases where a hybrid has defected from (or has simply never been part of) the UniClass.

Purebred — One who is purely of one species, such as a draft horse, a tiger, husky, or a crow. By Einheit City law, crossbreeds within one higher species (such as a tiger/lion, cobra/python, eagle/hawk, or coyote/fox) are still defined as purebreds. Purebreds are not permitted to join UniClass society unless they undergo genetic reassignment, hence they are by and large extremely impoverished. Purebred society is racked by violent crime and drug abuse, as well as state persecution from the Ministry whenever political protest or rebellion is detected. Racially-fuelled violence between different purebred races is also common, though a few dissident purebreds claim that the Ministry has indirectly forced or manipulated such conflicts to occur. Also referred to as "Outer Class".

Syndicate — A term for any of the powerful purebred crime syndicates who hold control of large parts of the Undercity, generally led by a single Underlord or crime boss. Also note that "The Syndicate" may be use when referring to any and all organized crime groups in the city, rather than bothering to mention which syndicate in specific. i.e. "Don't be late with your shipment, Mac. I don't think I need to remind you what happened to the last guy who was late on a job for The Syndicate." Also see Underlord.

Tetton — A colony of Italo-speaking felines who were at war with the canine colony of Umatari. Known for their vivid art, fabrics, cuisine, and other high-quality goods, as well as their strong sense of familial duty. They had a belief in the women of the Colony being able to speak to the ghosts of the fallen, and in some superstitious Tettoni women living in Einheit, they still claim this skill. Their Colony had been mostly corrupted and crushed some 40 years back by social unrest and the relentless Umatari, and they were all but ruined by the time the AbZero bomb hit, able to put up no defense whatsoever to the brutal efficiency of the Ministry.

Umatari — A colony of Yamato-speaking canines (both wild and domestic breeds) who were at war with the feline colony of Tetton. Known for their brutal effeciency in the art of warfare and their encouragement of hatred and bloodthirst. They worshipped an ancient god of destruction devoutly, and blood sacrifices were common among their culture. They fought the Ministry ruthlessly, but their technology was limited, and they were easily crushed underfoot. No known Umatari exist today, either being wiped out entirely, or blending in with the rest of the populace in Einheit.

Underlord — A common term given for any Outer Class/purebred individual possessing great wealth and power, most commonly through means of organized crime or neo-feudal street warlordism. Syndicate lords, Mafia Dons, Yakuza oyabun, drug barons, and certain cult leaders would be some examples. Leaders of smaller street gangs generally are not considered powerful enough to be called Underlords. The term originated from the fact that all of the aforementioned crime lords dwell in the Undercity, where it is less likely that they would interfere with the Ministry. Although they do tend to make their personal lairs in the Undercity, Underlord crime rackets extend well into the MidCity above.

Despite Ministry presence, much of the MidCity's non-UniClass areas are under the control of one Underlord's syndicate or other, and it isn't uncommon for violent turf wars to break out between rival organizations, often times on grounds of species differences. Additionally, most of the city's non-UniClass economy and industry is under the control of the Underlord syndicates, which has worsened the condition of purebreds already impoverished due to the Ministry's oppression. Virtually all Underlords are purebred. It is widely believed by purebred dissidents that the existence of the Underlords and their criminal organizations is indirectly supported, or at least intentionally permitted by the Ministry, as means of keeping the Outer Class too divided or oppressed by its own citizens to form a unified threat to the Ministry.

Anglic — One of Einheit City's main languages, next to Germanic, Arabi, and Yamato. (Real world equivalent: English.)

Arabi — One of Einheit City's main languages, next to Germanic, Anglic, and Yamato. (Real world equivalent: Arabic.)

Avestan — An incredibly rare language spoken among small groups of highly religious purebreds. (Real world equivalent: Avestan is a language used purely for Zoroastrian scripture, but is otherwise a dead language.)

Cree — A rare language spoken in Einheit. originating from native Nightlanders. Also called Cree-alsa. (Real world equivalent: Algonquin.)

Espano — A common language spoken in Einheit. (Real world equivalent: Spanish and Portuguese.)

Gaulic — An uncommon language spoken in Einheit. Also (rarely) called Fronsai. (Real world equivalent: French.)

Germanic — One of Einheit City's main languages, next to Anglic, Arabi and Yamato. (Real world equivalent: German.)

Hebraic — An uncommon language spoken in Einheit. Can be considered a dialect of Arabi in some circles. (Real world equivalent: Hebrew.)

Italo — An uncommon language spoken in Einheit. Spoken mainly by the Tettoni felines. (Real world equivalent: Italian.)

Norskr — An uncommon language spoken in Einheit. Also called Norski, Nordic, or Norsk. The language of the bear-colony of Korvulgr, as well as the cervine gang known as the Skullhammers. (Real world equivalent: A blend of Old Norse and Norwegian.)

Romi — A rare language spoken in Einheit. Also called Romani. The Rromo, a tiny nomadic group of many different species, are the only major speakers of Romi. (Real world equivalent: Romani.)

Sanskri — An uncommon language spoken in Einheit. Also called Hind. (Real world equivalent: A blend of Sanskrit, Hindi, and other Indian languages.)

Sinitic — A common language spoken in Einheit. (Real world equivalent: Chinese.)

Slavic — An uncommon language spoken in Einheit. Also called Russo. The Slavic dialect of the Kossacks is called Kossack. (Real world equivalent: a blend of the Slavic languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, and Czech.)

Suomi — An uncommon language spoken in Einheit. (Real world equivalent: Finnish.)

Svenska — An uncommon language spoken in Einheit. (Real world equivalent: Swedish.)

Tagal — A rare language spoken in Einheit. (Real world equivalent: Tagalog.)

Yamato — One of Einheit City's main languages, next to Germanic, Arabi, and Anglic. (Real world equivalent: Japanese.)

Comrade — (n, title) Formal title used by UniClassers and Ministry personnel when addressing one another, in a similar manner to Mr., Mrs., Sir, Madam, etc. Generally not used among purebreds/Outer Class. "Comrade" is never used by UniClassers when addressing Outer Classers.

inbreeder — (n, adj) UniClass derogatory slang for purebreds.

Enemies of The People — (n, phrase) The label given to those accused of any form of anti-Ministry, anti-UniClass, anti-Ministry behaviour. Most commonly used by the Ministry, when referring to political dissidents, rebels, religious believers, homosexuals, and anyone else who is considered actively working to sabotage the cause of Unity. "Enemies of The City", "Enemies of Peace", or "Enemies of Unity" are other commonly used terms, with roughly the same meaning.

gulag — (n) An informal term for Corrective Labor Facility. (See: laogai, Corrective Labor Facility )

Highcity — (n) Another unofficial term for the Toride.

laogai — (n) An informal Sinitic-language term for Corrective Labor Facility. (See: gulag, Corrective Labor Facility )

night — (n) Aside from its literal meaning, "night" is often used in place of the more archaic "day" in common conversation, due to the obvious fact that there simply is no day, nor has there been any for several thousands of years. Also note that "Goodnight" does not hold the bed-time farewell meaning that it did in the Time of Light, but is often used as a normal greeting instead. Examples: "Somenight we have to meet up and talk business." "I haven't had a drink in like five nights." "Last I saw him was yesternight."

slith — (n, adj) Derogatory slang for reptiles. Derived from the word 'slither'.

take the White, to — (verb, phrase) A slightly informal term for enlisting with the Ministry.

White — (n) Slang term for the Ministry, due to the predominantly white color theme adopted by the Low Ministry. Can be derrogitory, though is sometimes used in positive context by Ministry personnel. (See: "take the White, to")

wilnine — (n, adj) Slang for wild canine (wolves, dingoes, foxes, coyotes, etc).

"xix" — (n) Or xix Mythos. Term for the mythos of the Underqueen/Seven concept, as well as their combined "name" when speaking of the monstrous pantheon. Rarely capitalized.

"zek" — (n) Slang term for a Corrective Labor Facility inmate. Originated as a term for individuals presently imprisoned in the CLF system, it is now more commonly used when referring one who is of the tiny minority of ex-inmates who survived their sentence and were returned back to Einheit City. Zeks are typically broken and severely traumatized individuals. (See: Corrective Labor Facility )

Colonies, the — The network of city-states in which civilization survived after the Sun's darkening centuries ago. Each Colony was highly fortified, so as to protect its inhabitants from hostile Nightlands environment which began to appear after the Sun's death. Over thousands of years, the Colonies became divided over racial differences, which led to the Species Wars. The Colonies were completely annihilated by Einheit City on December 22nd, 29 ECE during Operation Boreas, effectively terminating large-scale civilization outside Einheit City walls. However the Ministry claims that many hostile Colonial purebreds survived Operation Boreas, and are now presently to blame for the alleged Nightlander Siege.

Corrective Labor Facility — The official term for the network of labor-facility / concentration camps controlled by the Ministry in the remote Nightlands. Also commonly abbreviated to "CLF". Informally referred to as gulags or laogai, usually by the Outer Class. Relatively little is known of the inner workings of the CLF system, as the majority of offenders sentenced to them are never heard from again beyond, in a few cases, a letter informing the inmate's family of their death. Those few who have survived their CLF sentences often return to Einheit City broken and scarred, both mentally and physically. It is known that within the facilities a climate of fear is fostered, and those who refuse to bend to the will of the Ministry are inevitably those who die first.

When a former "zek" has been returned to society, they are almost always shattered beings, too traumatized to ever consider offending again. Ministry personnel who are deemed unsuitable for normal field duty yet not deserving of discharge or more severe punishment are often re-assigned as CLF guards. The CLF system is also what produces much of the fossil fuel and ore used by Einheit City. The locations and the exact number of Corrective Labor Facilities are unknown, though the names of a few facilities have surfaced in recent years: Tartarus, Kwan-li-so, Zolovki, Archenon, and Daehŭng. (See: zek )

ECE — 'Einheit City Era'; the current dating system. Dating or historical records kept by the Colonies were often contradictory or unreliable, hence the creation of the ECE calendar upon Einheit City's founding. The current year is 33 ECE.

Einheit Civil Militia (ECM) — Einheit City's original city defense force, established in the first months of the city's settlement by Dr. Frey's followers. An all-volunteer paramilitary consisting of citizens united under Frey's cause, the ECM was responsible for maintaining public peace and guarding the city's borders from the occasional incursion by Nightlands creatures.

When Frey's assassination brought the Species Wars to Einheit City's gates, the ECM was caught unprepared to deal with the massive Colonial threat, and thus came under the command of the newly-formed Ministry authority. Due to the Ministry's extremely high enlistment standards which only a small percentage of citizens could meet, and the fact that the Ministry was a hybrid-only organization, many citizens, hybrid and purebred alike, joined the Einheit Civil Militia. Additionally, the ECM had several underground chapters formed in Colonies where rebels allied to Einheit's cause became members, working in their home Colonies to sabotage their war efforts from within. While the Ministry's strength lay in its legendarily advanced combat skill and strategic cunning further bolstered by Architect-influence technological supremacy, the ECM relied upon its large numbers of motivated volunteers, eager and ready to obey the Ministry's commands to aid their city.

As Unity was adopted as Einheit City's guiding social science, the Ministry initiated a gradual re-organizing of the ECM's structure, in which hybrids and purebreds were re-assigned to segregated units, and hybrid members became more likely to receive promotions or awards, due to allegedly superior performance by hybrid soldiers. Towards the end of the Species Wars, casualty rates for purebred ECMs soared due to inadequate ammunition or equipment, being ordered by the Ministry to engage in infantry-wave tactics against superior Colonial forces, or simply being left for dead in the Nightlands when the Ministry failed to provide post-mission aerial extraction. Following the nominal end of the war, most of the ECM was deactivated and its hybrid service members given veterans' support by the city government.

The Ministry claims that previous wartime estimates of the percentage of hybrid and purebred enlisted personnel were inaccurate, and that purebreds played a mostly insignificant role, whereas hybrids are claimed by the Ministry to have volunteered in greater numbers and with overall higher performance and loyalty. Because of this, many purebreds who served in the ECM have been denied veteran's benefits and ultimately neglected by the city government.

Presently, the ECM only exists as a skeletal department of Chancellor Kadesh's civilian government, and with a small number of hybrid ECM's serving as ceremonial guards for the Kadesh administration. Technically, all able-bodied citizens can be conscripted at any given moment, should Chancellor Kadesh, who is the nominal commander in chief of the ECM, order it to be reactivated.

Flame of Unity, the — The chief symbol and banner of Einheit City. Consists of a torch encircled by a wreath. Became Einheit City's symbol in the city's early years, due to it being a common element in designs found throughout the numerous Architect statues found throughout the city.

Neo-Sŏn'gun (also spelled as 'Neo-Songun') — A Ministry political philosophy which appeared during the first few years after Dr. Frey's assassination and Einheit City's entry into the Species Wars. Neo-Songun is an evolved form of traditional Songun ("military-first doctrine"), yet the core difference between Songun and the Einheit City form of Neo-Songun is the involvement of Unity politics. Neo-Songun asserts that an enlightened Unity society is only possible as long as the Ministry plays an active, leading role in society, and that society remains in a state of constant militancy, where the wishes of the individuals, capital, and commerce are given dramatically low importance. In more mundane application, Neo-Songun translates to the Ministry's influence in UniClass communities, industry, education, child rearing, media, and public thought in general. Neo-Songun should not be considered an alternative philosophy to Unity, but more as a secondary school of political theory.

Nightlands — The hellish, cold nightmare-wastelands outside Einheit City, and the rest of the planet's surface. Named for their permanent state of lightlessness. Very little life exists in the Nightlands, though there is a thin and chaotic ecosystem of non-sentient eyeless creatures, many of which are extremely dangerous predators and monstrous aberrations, such as snowrunners. The Ministry does not permit citizens to freely travel into the Nightlands without special papers, claiming that the ongoing Nightlander Siege has forced the border closure. Presently, only Ministry personnel and UniClass hybrids with special permission are permitted to venture into the Nightlands, though such excursions are rare due to the Nightlander Siege.

Nightlander Siege, the — The common term for what the Ministry claims is the current conflict facing Einheit City. According to the Ministry, the Nightlander Siege began on February 6th, 31 ECE when a Vorhang gate was attacked by a purebred suicide bomber named Fitzgerald "Fitzi" Simmons, who was declared to have been involved with ex-Colonials she made contact with in the Nightlands. Anticipating further attacks, Einheit City immediately went under complete lockdown, with all incoming and outgoing traffic limited to the Ministry, and a small number of specially-selected UniClass civilians working for the Ministry. Soon after this, the city came under sporadic missile attacks from the Nightlands, and it was claimed that resource collectors outside the city were being attacked by purebred guerilla forces composed of survivors from Colonial armies. Presently, missile attacks from the alleged Nightlanders occur almost every week, causing scattered, though sustainable damage to the MidCity, and a few rare hits on the Toride.

The Ministry is reluctant to release any specifics on the Nightlander Siege, such as enemy troop strength, intelligence, or information on its progress in combatting the Siege. Due to the Ministry ordering a lockdown on Einheit City the economy has slowly grown unstable. The Ministry is able to fuel itself on its own reserves and resources. The UniClass, however, is experiencing new levels of economic hardship as the prices for commodities rise and private corporations come under increasing strain. Due to the Ministry seeming more focussed on combatting domestic threats and the vaguely-defined Nightlander Siege, hybrids are increasingly looking towards the UniClass corporations and the civilian government led by Chancellor Kadesh for a solution to their concerns.

Species Wars, the — A series of civil wars, inter-city wars, and genocides waged between the divided species groups of the Colonies. The exact date of the beginning of the Species Wars is unknown, but most figures suggest that the first conflicts began 2000 years ago, and gradually spread from that point, resulting in the Colonies rarely co-operating between one another, and science and resources being directed towards military purposes rather than rebuilding the world. While some Colonies enjoyed periods of relative calm due to temporary treaties or ceasefires, there were never any points where fighting or genocide stopped altogether, and there were always at least four or five major conflicts occurring at any given time.

The intensity of the Species Wars increased horrifically in the final hundred years before Einheit City's discovery, leading to a few Colonies actually being destroyed wholesale. The entry of Einheit City into the Species Wars in 5 ECE further inflamed the situation, to where levels of massive-scale conflict previously thought impossible or ludicrous became standard order of battle, and the use of previously forbidden biological, chemical, nanotech and tactical-nuclear weapons became commonplace. Einheit City became the de-facto victor by annihilating the Colonies in a storm of global AbZero bombings, which ended most civilization outside Einheit City in 29 ECE. However, the Nightlander Siege still plagues Einheit City, and inter-species violence between Outer Class purebred groups is extremely common in the Midcity and Undercity, hence there are some schools of thought that assert the Species Wars are not truly over.

Uni-Juche — A Ministry political philosophy which arose around the time that Unity became the city's guiding political science. Uni-Juche, in simple terms, is a policy of unified self-reliance for a given society, and isolation or uninvolvement with entities which do not hold Unity as a guiding social principle, coupled with select secular Socialist ideals. In the case of Einheit City, UniClass private industry being heavily regulated by the Ministry, private enterprise being held accountable by the Ministry, and a general sense of placing priority upon the hybrid social collective rather than the individual, the corporation, or commerce. Uni-Juche should not be considered an alternative philosophy to Unity, but more as a secondary school of political theory.

Unity — The Ministry-supported form of utopian science that claims that hybridization is the only realistic path to true peace and equality. The final goal of Unification is that all species interbreed over several generations until becoming one singular species, which would eliminate all racial division, and thus eliminate the very potential for racial discrimination. Unity asserts that the instinctual urge to breed within one's own species goes against positive evolution. Hybridization is championed as the next step to higher evolution, and that hybrids are not only genetically superior, but incapable of racial discrimination. By Unity theory, purebreds, on historical grounds (see: Species Wars ) are considered evolutionarily obsolete and holding a genetic disposition towards violent and discriminatory behaviour, and must therefore be regarded as inferior until they submit to Unity.

AbZero Weapons (Absolute-Zero Weapons) — A terrifying form of weaponry pioneered by the Ministry during the Species Wars from uncovered Architect artifacts. AbZero weapons are devices which, instead of causing thermal damage like most explosives, use extreme cold. When detonated, the device eliminates all thermal activity on a molecular level within the blast radius in a matter of seconds, essentially flash-freezing the target to absolute 0 temperature. Milliseconds later the AbZero device explodes, causing a cold blast wave which spreads massive kinetic devastation. The only time which city-scale AbZero weapons were ever used was by Einheit City during Operation Boreas, which resulted in the end of the wholesale annihilation of the Colonies. Smaller-scale AbZero weapons in the form of grenades, artillery shells, missile warheads and so on are used in combat by the Ministry, and were the cause of much terror for Einheit City's enemies during the Species Wars.

Aerodyne — Heavier-than-air craft which achieve flight through motion. More commonly, 'aerodyne' in Einheit City refers to flying vehicles which combine jet propulsion and limited anti-gravity fields to achieve flight. Smaller and usually faster than skyships, aerodynes can be simply described as planes or 'flying cars', though come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from tiny single-seater civilian craft, to the heavy Ministry bombers used in the Species Wars. Aerodynes are most commonly used by the UniClass and, in militarized forms, the Ministry. Aerodynes do exist amongst the Outer Class, though are often outdated or cheap models.

AirCam — An automated airborne audio-visual surveillance drone, capable of low-speed hoverflight. Several thousand AirCams are in operation throughout Einheit City, primarily in the Toride and Midcity. Average models are typically one and a half feet long, and have a quiet whirring engine sound. They have multiple lenses to provide an array of differeny viewing methods, and a built-in miniature searchlight. As a safeguard against illegal tampering or theft, all AirCams are resistant to EMP effects, are fitted with a tiny tracking device, and may also override their E-Fluid power cell to explosively self-destruct if remotely ordered to do so. Despite being relatively cheap to produce in mass quantities, AirCams are notoriously difficult and dangerous to tamper with.

Citizen Rehabilitation Collar — Citizen Rehabilitation Collars may vary slightly in model in some cases, though virtually all include a tracking device which allows the Ministry to monitor the wearer's position at any given moment, an audio microphone to allow audio surveillance, and a small euthanasia shot in the event that the Collar should be seriously tampered with (as a safeguard to prevent illegal removal), or be remotely ordered by the Ministry for the wearer to be euthanised if needed. Generally this is a form of what the Ministry calls corrective rehabilitation for UniClass citizens who have committed low to mid-level crimes, or exhibited antisocial/anticivil tendancies, yet are still considered to have potential to be cured of their ways in order to continue living as proper citizens. It has also been used on select Outer Classers in some situations.

Collar, the — Another term for Citizen Rehabilitation Collar.

Doubleway Telescreen — A telescreen that has a connected microphone array, as well as an image-capture device, networked with other telescreens. Essentially, doubleway telescreens allow one to engage in real-time audio and visual communication with a separate party on another doubleway telescreen.

E-Fluid — The liquid which is charged and pumped by the Heart Machine to provide electrical power and fuel to Einheit City. E-Fluid is relatively simple to create in Toride refineries out of basic compounds, yet is useless until charged by passing through the Heart Machine. The Heart Machine and a small number of Ministry-only machines are the only known devices capable of recharging E-Fluid. After being charged, the fluid is pumped through a citywide network of tubes and pipes. The E-Fluid's energy is then tapped by electrical receivers as it pumps through the area, which then distribute the electrical power throughout their respective buildings. E-Fluid that has been sapped of its power charge is channeled back to the Heart Machine, where it is recharged and redistributed back into the city.

E-Fluid may also be used as a basic flammable heating liquid, and has an extremely long burn life, at least 10 times that of petroleum. Once its flame has exhausted its energy charge, the E-Fluid is useless, and should either be discarded or pumped back into a Heart Machine vein and returned to the energy cycle. The Toride by far consumes the most E-Fluid, while the Midcity and Undercity receive far less, and are often subject to random shortages and dry periods. E-Fluid is slightly similar in appearance and texture to crude oil, though has a blue-ish black colour and is known to burn in unusual, often unpredictable colour spectrums.

Einheit Deco — The style of architecture and industrial design which became prominent in Einheit City's early years of construction, and endures well into the present to some degree. Einheit Deco could best be described as a fusion of numerous architectural styles heavily altered by Einheit City's unique technology, multilingual society, utopian symbolism, and with underlaying influence from the more hyper-advanced pseudo-Gothic foundational/skeletal structures left behind by the Architects thousands of years prior. Gears, pipes, vents, steel rivets, searchlights, Socialist Realism, flag standards, torches, and Unity-influenced utopian imagery are dominant themes in Einheit Deco.

The design style has taken on a few noticeable differences in various parts of the city by the present age. The Toride has for the most part stayed true to the Einheit Deco school of design, though in increasingly monochromatic white/grey color themes, resulting in a clean, sterile industrial feel contrasted with the Toride's abundant greenery. The MidCity and Undercity lean towards more complex and layered style with only hints of the original Einheit Deco mixed into it all, mostly as a result of urban decay and improvised repairs and reconstructions, resulting in a chaotic pipe and cable-tangled slum mutation of Einheit Deco, as function-oriented constructions are built on top of existing structures without the luxury of consideration for architectural appeal.

Genetic Re-Assignment — A process of genetic re-organization, where the end result is transforming a purebred into a hybrid. By use of a Ministry procedure derived from ultra-classified Architect technology, purebreds who seek UniClass citizenship have their DNA seamlessly combined with that of another race, with the end result being a hybrid, both in genetic makeup, and in physical appearance. The process is said to be highly safe and efficient, though the treatment itself takes roughly eight days, during which the individual will be put under general anaesthesia in a genetic alteration tank in a Ministry gene center inside the Toride until their hybridization treatment is complete. During this period, their DNA and physical makeup will be changed radically, essentially making them identical to one who was born as a hybrid. Wet-wiring may also be done in order to remove certain memories, in order to better separate the individual from their previous life.

Genetic re-assignment is mandatory for purebreds who seek to become UniClass citizens. After passing the initial basic requirements, a purebred will be entered into a waiting list until they are called for an appointment to a gene treatment center inside the Toride, where they will be escorted by Ministry personnel to their respective center at the appropriate time and date. However it is known that purebreds who exhibit more socially-beneficial traits (i.e. job skills, age, good health, intelligence, pre-existing obedience to Unity, etc.) are given priority queue placement over purebreds who are considered less desirable, the latter of which often have to wait for several months or more before being summoned for genetic re-assignment. For this reason many of the more dedicated purebreds seeking hybridization enroll in Ministry-funded Unity education centers in order to jump-start their 'mental evolution' to make their transition from purebred to hybrid smoother, and to advance more quickly in the waiting list.

Aside from seeing rather nondescript laboratory facilities before and after going under general anaesthesia for the procedure, very little is known about the exact mechanics or science which go on behind the scenes of the Genetic Re-Assignment process, as the Ministry has kept much of it wrapped in deep secrecy. Only select UniClass personnel with extremely high security clearances are assigned to work with Genetic Re-Assignment.

See the Classes page for more information on Genetic Re-Assignment.

Heart Machine, the — Einheit City's core source of electrical power and heating; it is housed in a ultramax-security zone at the peak of the Toride, no living individuals but the High Ministry and a few select individuals in the rest of the Ministry have ever come into direct contact with it, let alone understand its inner workings.

Hoverdyne — Vehicles which use hover engines instead of ground traction. A common type of land vehicle in Einheit City. Generally found among the UniClass, though lower-quality models are found among the Outer Class as well. The Ministry uses several models of militarized hoverdynes. Hoverdynes have several advantages over ground-traction terradynes, in that they are not as affected by road weather conditions such as ice and water, nor have trouble traveling over pot-holes and small debris. However, some hoverdynes have a harder time making sharp high-speed turns which terradynes can more easily navigate. Hoverbikes, a sub-category of hoverdynes which are basically hovering motorcycles, also are a common sight in Einheit City.

Skyship — The common term given for heavy airborne vessels, which achieve aeronautic lift through inertia drive or gravity-alteration field engines. Skyships saw extremely heavy use during the Species Wars by numerous cities, especially Einheit City, whose Architect-influenced technology quickly surpassed Colonial skyships in quality, while the Colonies had superior numbers. Widely varied in size, skyships could range from being agile corvette gunships 40 meters in length, to hulking 900 meter air dreadnaughts. Skyship battles were a common sight during the Species Wars. Presently the Ministry has reactivated many of its skyships to combat what it claims is a massive terrorist siege surrounding the city. Civilian skyships are common, often used to haul heavy freight from one side of the city to another.

Sky Furnaces — Ancient automated ships in permanent high-altitude flight in the planet's atmosphere. The original Sky Furnaces launched soon after the Sun's darkening several centuries ago, as a last-ditch effort to keep the planet from sinking to the temperature of space. While the world would never again see daylight, the Sky Furnaces did manage to maintain a temperature range of -45°F and 40°F in most regions, thus providing survivable (though still very cold) temperatures, and continue to do so to this day. Very little is known about the Sky Furnaces or how exactly they control temperature, since there have been few attempts to research them closely, though it is rumoured that their performance has begun to decay in recent years, for reasons unknown. Sky Furnaces vary in size and shape, though most are thought to be at least three kilometers in length. It is also thought that they may have similarities to the more advanced ancient Architect technology found in Einheit City, which suggests at a possible connection between the smiths of the Sky Furnaces and Einheit City's foundations.

Telescreen — A device that utilizes a cathode ray tube to display video on a fluorescent screen, usually accompanied by audio speakers. Telescreens are most commonly found in public places in Einheit City, where they are used as a means to broadcast news reels, changes in supply rations, and other Ministry-approved messages to the general public. Mostly found in the Toride and MidCity.

Vorhang, the — The colossal defensive wall which surrounds Einheit City. An ancient Architect Era construct, the Vorhang was refurbished and added to by the Ministry during the Species Wars, turning it into an even more formidable defense, complete with heavy gun and missile installations, and several Ministry stations. Today, the Vorhang is as heavily fortified as ever and serves as a giant Ministry installation which monitors MidCity activity and the Nightlands outside, as well as the front line against the Nightlander siege surrounding the city. The Vorhang is second to the Toride in terms of Ministry personnel and hardware found at it.

Wet-wiring — Also informally referred to as "neuro-hacking". A Ministry procedure in which an individual's central nervous system is, in very simple terms, accessed and mapped in a manner similar to an organic computer. The mind is analogized as software, while the physical brain and its neurons are analogized as hardware. Extremely little is known about the procedure outside the Ministry division which specializes in it, as it is is one of the more secretive sciences practiced by the Ministry. What is known is that wet-wiring is generally used as a means of extracting information from an individual's mind that proves too difficult to acquire through conventional interrogation tactics or questioning. Wet-wiring is also suspected to be used on those who undergo Genetic Re-Assignment during their extended period of unconsciousness, which possibly explains why the majority of purebred-to-hybrid UniClassers have very little recollection of their previous lives aside from memories which tend to result in desirable citizen traits.

Previously, wet-wiring was to some degree used as a means of correcting UniClassers detected as being guilty of malignant thought, yet were still considered redeemable citizens. However the Ministry has begun practicing this less, due to the low success rate of "reprogramming" certain undesirable traits. In particular (though not a complete list) homosexuality, rebellious thoughts, and religious belief, for reasons unknown, have proven extremely difficult to reprogram through wet-wiring. Hence the Ministry generally resorts to use of the Citizen Rehabilitation Collar or other rehabilitative measures in cases where the individual in question is considered possibly salvageable, though much more severe punishments are also used to eliminate such tendencies among the UniClass population.

Actinian plants — A type of non-chloroid plant. Actinians sway and move their petals/tendrils like that of a sea anemone, and grow in the wild, mostly in the Undercity. Doesn't need light to grow, like most Non-Chloroids. Often considered quite beautiful. The Night Lotus, a Flower considered holy to The Cult of the Golden Lotus, is an incredibly rare and unusually beautiful species of Actinian. Uncommon.

Chirper — The Chirper is a tiny (no longer than four inches from nose to tail) gliding pest animal. Its soft, velvety skin is a dull grey in color, and four mostly useless milky-colored eyes adorn its tiny skull. It hangs from the walls of caves, but can also be found through civilized areas, where it uses its fixed baleen-filter mouth to eat microscopic particles from the air, its long throat and strong lungs working as a sort of filtered vacuum. It has no vocal chords- its name comes from the unique sound it makes when it rubs the bristled hairs on its front feet together. Its bones are made of an incredibly light, hollow, quartz-like material. This causes their bodies to vibrate with the unique echoing ambient call, and while it's both unnerving and noisy, it also interferes with radio transmissions because of the wide range of incredibly low and high frequencies it covers. Because of their habits to create massive swarms, they are generally kill-on-sight for any group. Their meat is tough and fishy tasting, and generally unpleasant, but obviously preferable to synth-meat. Their clear bones and baleen are used for jewellery. Gender dimorphism is minimal, the females being slightly heavier-set than the males. Common.

Cow — Refers to a broad range of similarly shaped pack and meat animals. There are a large variety of unrelated animals that fall in this category. The Hua Yaw Cow, for instance, is a large, six-legged pack animal, generally with several sets of curving black horns coming from the sides of its neck. It has thick, shaggy gray fur that hangs down to the ground. There's also the Redscale Cow, which is a broad-shouldered reptilian animal with brown and red patterned scales, two tails, and no eyes. Generally, anything that's larger than a person, and can be used as a docile beast of burden or a food source, can be called a cow in Einheit. Common.

Deep Ant — Large, often colorful colony-based insectoids, Deep Ants are capable of amazingly intelligent ambush and trap tactics against their prey- which sometimes, turns out to be an unwitting person. They have a notoriously voracious appetite, and if food is scarce they turn on one another for sustenance. Their colony is headed by an intricate hierarchy consisting of several layers of dominance, topped by three elite organisms: the alpha soldier, which controls the lower-level Deep Ants and carries the patriarch on its back; the sporegiver, which enables fertilized eggs to begin developing; and the patriarch, who is responsible for fertilizing the rare female Deep Ants of the hive. These predators are large, usually averaging two feet in length, and their antler-like mandibles are capable of holding a person in place while the inner mandibles saw at their limbs. Additionally, they excrete powerful pheromones when killed that alert the entire hive to an attacker in a mile-wide radius, causing the unknowing victim to crush one pesky ant, only to be swarmed by twenty seconds later. Highly, mindlessly violent, these are best to be avoided, though their "antlers" fetch a high price with trophy collectors. Common in the extremely deep, undeveloped areas of the Undercity.

Drummer Crab — Otherwise known as Drummers, or usually just "Crab" when referring to the meat. A medium-sized (three feet tall when reared back) animal with violent tendencies. Drummers are known for the unique sound they make. Their gut is actually a bioluminescent sac, which they fill by breathing in through large spiracles lining all the way around the base of their blue and yellow shell. This causes a wailing, quavering inhale as the sac bloats up underneath them, and then they use their eyestalks to beat on the sac like a drum before deflating it again with a siren-like howl. After waiting for a response, they'll fill their sac and begin the cycle again, until the potential mate- or enemy- is within range of the crab. Both males and females do this territorial act, and both are highly aggressive against any shapes they deem threatening. Poor eyes mean that any remotely glowing or moving shape is fair game to a flurry of aggressive blows, tackles, and kicks from sharp hooves- locals know to stay away from their mating areas unless they're going to hunt the beasts.

The adults don't have mouths to eat, their only function being to mate the moment they shed their last molted casing. They make their home deeper into the Undercity, where rubble is common, their hooves uniquely matched for the treacherous cliffs and rock scrambles. Attempts to keep them as pets have ended poorly, between the animal's near-constant, deafening noise and violent, destructive behavior (a drummer crab can trash any fence that holds them within minutes). They're a favorite among syndicates for cockfighting, though the winner is often quickly slaughtered for its meat. Crabmeat is pale and colorless, but if the crab is young enough the meat can be shot through with beautiful bioluminescent veins, making it a favorite gourmet meat for those willing to pay the extravagant prices. Almost all parts of the crab are worth something on the markets, especially its decorated "drum", its eyestalks, and its hooves. Its shell is commonly used for makeshift armor among the braver, more tribal gangs of the Undercity. Uncommon.

Fungi — Refers to a broad range of mushrooms, molds, and even semi-sentient growths that pepper the Undercity and parts of the Midcity. Fungi are often large and have bioluminescent properties. They do not require light to grow. Different from plants in that fungi have a different process of procreation, generally by dropping a powdery substance called spores from structures called gills, to fertilize the ground around them. They tend to have a softer consistency than plants, and are often used in cooking. There are many different strains, including a high percentage of toxic species. They are found especially often in damp, cool areas, like the caves of the Undercity or basements of derelict buildings. Very common.

Ice Wurms — One of the dominant Nightlands predators. The average ice wurm is an eyeless monstrosity covered in dark grey carapace-like plating, having a tri-segmented mouth full of hundreds of jagged, inward-pointing teeth, and can sometimes be heard producing a long, drawn-out howling sound. Young ice wurms are typically 5 meters in length, and do not stop growing so long as they live. Adults grown as long as 85 meters have been officially recorded, while Nightlander rumours claim of a few wurms over 125 meters in length, aged in centuries. Although extremely dangerous and requiring heavy weapons to kill, ice wurms are easily driven off by very bright light due to their extremely photosensitive carapace. Ice wurms are one of the world's main predators, though their few numbers due to rare reproduction have kept them from being numerous enough to destroy most other Nightlands wildlife. Never seen inside Einheit City. Only in the deeper, less traveled regions of the Nightlands.

Manta — A type of wild airborne creature native to the world's skies. The typical air manta is a large, fin-winged creature with a diamond-shaped body plane and a long tail. Adult mantas have been recorded growing as large as 60 feet across. Several variations have been noted between different species of manta, as some have been observed to possess glowing bioluminescent properties, electrical generation capabilities, and an aggressively predatory disposition, while more docile species appear to feed soley on microscopic air spores, and have been observed curiously gliding alongside skyships. Some have been noted to travel together in pods, while other species appear to be more solitary. Unlike most Nightlands wildlife, air mantas seem intrigued by artificial energy signatures and small or dim lights, yet are very easily driven off by intense illumination, which is harmful to their photosensitive skin.

Air mantas primarily use biosonar/echolocation for navigation and communication, their long, drawn-out wailing songs a common sound in Nightlands skies. Air manta meat, though somewhat expensive due to the risks involved with Nightlands hunting and the Ministry's extremely tight restrictions over Nightlands travel, is one of Einheit City's most favored sources of non-synthesized food, being noted for its tender texture and lending itself well to a wide range of cooking styles. However, it is extremely expensive, often out of the price range of outer classers, and is seen as a special commodity even among the UniClass. Very rare in Einheit City, though sometimes seen from the Vorhang or from high altitudes.

Plants — Plants fall under two types in this setting: chloroid and non-chloroid.

Chloroid plants are green-leafed, and require specific, expensive care and special lighting. They are grown in only the wealthiest of hydroponics facilities that can afford the seeds (namely, UniClassers). These plants have been extinct or domestically grown for thousands of years, as they no longer occur in nature. Common inside the Toride, extremely rare everywhere else.

Non-chloroid plants do not require light to live, and can thrive in a broad range of harsh climates; from clinging to the upper levels of skyscrapers, to hanging over a boiling river of magma, these organisms find incredible ways to survive. When someone mentions plants, they are almost speaking of this vegetation — leafless, often colorless or striped with bioluminesence, the average plant draws nutrients from dirt, corpses, or even the materials in structures, in order to sustain itself. Very common.

Snortbull — A quadruped Nightlands Predator. Snortbulls are pack animals, who are known to hunt very efficiently, coordinating their group to outflank, sandwich or trap their prey. They are heavy bodied creatures with thick plate of carapace over an insulating layer of fat, and strong bones and muscle. Even the smallest variations of the Snortbull can kill a grown person. Though rare, a few examples of Snortbulls held as pets or guards have been known. Snortbulls are migratory creatures, and move in elaborate patterns trough their territory. This can lead to them disappearing from a specific location for months on end, and wherever easy food sources appear, snortbulls tend to flock. Due to this, they are rarely encountered. They often appear in multiple packs of sizes anywhere between three and thirty individuals. The Animal derives it´s name from the grunting and snorting noises it makes to communicate with its kin, and with which to impress and scare potential attackers and prey. Uncommon.

Snowrunners — A non-sentient predator present in the Nightlands outside city walls. Due to their extremely deadly and stealthy nature, there are very few reliable eyewitness accounts of snowrunners, and none have ever been captured alive. What few images have been captured of them suggest that snowrunners are large, predominantly white-furred, four-legged carnivores with a somewhat draconic appearance, partially covered in plate carapace, and having no visible eyes. Snowrunners are thought to operate in a pack hierarchy. Never seen inside Einheit City.

Architects, the — The ancient civilization or race that built Einheit City tens of thousands of years before its discovery by Dr. Frey's settlers. An extinct civilization, no information has been found as to why they created Einheit City, why they abandoned it, or what became of them. Based off of operational relics found in Einheit City during its discovery, the Architects are known to have possessed nearly godlike levels of technology. Most Architect technology and knowledge was collected and assimilated by the Ministry, which has made it by far the most advanced military organization in known history, with the WhiteGear being the most obvious example of the Ministry using Architect ways. Many of the ancient statues that still stand in Einheit City depict members of vague species. For this reason, UniClass archaeologists and educators theorize that the Architects were hybrids.

Chaos Pocket — Said to be a result by some of the rifting footsteps that Seven leaves behind, or (un)naturally occuring from unknown forces as the materials of reality clash and tear. Chaos Pockets are bends in the fabric of space or time that are potentially deadly to pass through or near to. Most common in places in the Undercity (and sometimes the Midcity) that are derelict, or known areas of unexplainable behaviour, these anomalies are capable of a range of bizarre effects, from causing irreversible, violent insanity, to crushing a person down to a singularity. Others manipulate the pull of gravity, or act as windows to haunting alien landscapes. The possibilities are nearly endless, and highly unpredictable.

Destiny Error, The — A book written by a canine scientist, Haka al-Sunnah, an associate of Dr. Frey's prior to his death. Its core topic is the theory of The Voice, its symptoms, and its history in relation to Einheit City's timeline of political and technological events. The book saw a very limited underground publishing run in 26 ECE and went almost entirely unnoticed, and most known copies have since then been destroyed by the Ministry, and its possession or distribution is severely illegal, often carrying the death penalty. Copies of it are extremely rare, and often have missing pages or entire chapters. Dr. al-Sunnah himself has been missing for years.

Drone — Those unfortunate people who deal with the Red Knight are eventually called upon to repay their debt to the monster in terrible ways. These demi-monsters are servitors of Seven, people who go about their everyday life with a truly dark secret. They are the agents of Seven, working in the areas of manipulation, information, bullying, and even assassination when the Red Knight demands it. Perhaps their most notable, and horrifying, defining trait is the mutations that overcome them anytime they're near Seven or a Chaos Pocket. Impossible, disturbing transformations wrack their body, resulting in monsters that bristle with tentacles, sacks of acid-spit, molten metal, bare skeleton, or even more obscure results like losing sections of body in chaos, resulting in bizarre time jags where limbs will be floating a foot behind where they're supposed to, or even be completely vanished (including, disturbingly, their heads). These transformations are hand in hand with unimaginable agony, as suits Seven's taste for torture and despair.

Drones tend to have a feral response when in their Drone form, as well as when they're near other Drones (whether in Drone form or not). This can result in what seems like completely random fights between strangers who are secretly Drones, or even moments of overwhelming passion depending on what the nature of their instincts are rooted in when they boil to the surface. Drones tend to be short-tempered even if they were peaceful before meeting Seven, growing enraged at small things and seeking to solve problems through might rather than patience. A furious Drone while transformed to their monstrous form is almost as terrifying as Seven himself, and they often will mindlessly destroy until pacified- often fatally- through force. The exception to this rule is when a Drone comes in contact with a Lotus- they may not like the Lotus in question, but instinctually they will never harm them, nor will they allow them to come to harm, sacrificing themselves if need be until the Lotus can escape. Despite this ferocity, Drones maintain full intelligence and memory while in Drone form- they are usually so overwhelmed with emotion that they have a hard time thinking straight.

Fimbulvetr, the — The period of time since the Sun's destruction; in other words, the current age. The exact age of the Fimbulvetr is unknown. Most estimates place it to be 10,000 years old at the very least. "Fimbulvetr", when translated into Anglic, refers to the long winter and period of wars and hardship which preceeds Ragnarok.

Lotus — A follower/worshipper of the mythos of the Underqueen. They are known for being amazed by mundane things and seemingly innocuous surroundings, finding a deep beauty in everything their Underqueen has gifted into the world. Lotuses often have mental instability, including severe hallucinations, paranoia, lethargy, constant ecstasy and mania, or debilitating depression and dementia. It varies between individuals, sometimes so drastically that one may seem completely sane next to another who's a gibbering maniac. The common ground between them all is a fanatical love and unquestionably eternal bond to the Underqueen- even if their opinions on Her will are varied.

They share a subtle psionic bond with nearby Lotuses, to the point that they often feel fondness for them before they even know the person. Their relationship with Drones (known to Lotuses as "Cousins") is surprisingly friendly-- Drones will never harm a Lotus, and often instinctually protect them over their own wellbeing. Despite this, the two groups rarely interact, and find actual comaderie nearly impossible due to their conflicting natures.

Lotus Cult, the — Otherwise known as the Cult of the Golden Lotus, this is the group that worships the monster known as the Underqueen. Up to 31 ECE, this group was a widely spread, chaotically shared concept, more of a moral network than a religion. In The Great Parade of 31 ECE, however, the cult was widely demolished, only a very few resisting the Underqueen's inexorable pull. After the Underqueen returned from death, a new cult was slowly formed- however, this new Lotus Cult didn't have the ambiguously binding pull that the last did; they quickly split into different sects (sometimes informally called Petals), each preaching a different standard of worship.

Great Parade, the — The informal term for the mass suicide-cleansing of the Lotus Cult in 31 ECE, where they followed Seven, carrying the comatose body of the Underqueen, down to their deaths from toxic fumes and burning agony in the depths of the planet. A very few were able to either resist the pull, or were purposefully detatched from the call by the Underqueen before The Great Parade began. During this cleansing, both the Underqueen and Seven are said to have died, but they returned in early 32 ECE and began collecting new cult members.

Missing, the — Blanket term given to the many individuals in Einheit City who have disappeared without a trace in the years following Dr. Frey's death, and to the present. Disappearances of seemingly random outer classers are common and go unchecked and uninvestigated by the Ministry, leaving friends and family of the missing individuals at a loss. Some UniClassers are thought to have vanished as well, though exact numbers are difficult to determine due to the Ministry blocking most independant investigations into the matter. Theories regarding this phenomena suggest that the Ministry is either attempting to coverup its inability to protect even UniClassers from going missing, or that the Ministry is actually involved with the disappearances. Other possible explanations connect the disappearancs to cult activity, The Voice, the Underqueen, or Underlord crime syndicates.

Red Knight, the — Another name (or title) for Seven, describing the legends where he is Protector of the Underqueen. See Seven and the Red Queen.

Red Queen, the — Another name (or title) for the Underqueen. Many consider Her colors of red (and sometimes black) to be a direct metaphorical opposition to Unity's colors of white and gray.

Sector 2 — A realm of ghosts and memories, the green-hued, constantly shifting pseudo-reality known as Sector 2 is the home of the Underqueen, accessible only when She wills it. To back this rumor, any trying to reach the physical location of Sector 2 as shown on Undercity maps will never find their destination. Whether because the myth is true, or there was a simple mapping error, it simply seems to not exist. It is said to be an echo of Her vast mind itself, and travelling there un-creates the person for that length of time. Therefore, to be lost in Sector 2 is to be removed from reality forever.

Seven — Also known as the Red Knight. Though not as widely known or whispered about as the Underqueen, Seven is still a tremendous presence in horror stories, dark rumors, religions, and often used as a scapegoat when disappearances are never explained. He's said to range between 7 and 10 feet tall, though people have described him as even larger, or more of a force than a physical being, like an uneasy feeling or a thick, greenish fogbank. He has a mangled face which is a blend of taut leathery flesh, thick carapace, and mismatched eyes (one large, black, and insectoid, the other small and pus-white, with a cross-shaped pupil).

Most surprising of all seems to be the cross-cultural aspect of this mythos — Seven and the Underqueen may have different names or titles, but the shared elements are eerily exact. In the lore, Seven drags naughty people away or eats them alive; most recently, it is said, to transform them into disgusting monsters known as Drones, using them as personal slaves until he grows bored of them and consumes them. He gladly kills any he can lay his hand on, but his bloodthirst will never quenched. He is an actively cruel and evil monster to contrast the Underqueen's aloof, kinder mystique. He's said to be The Destroyer, and he and the Underqueen play an endless game of making and unmaking, with neither the ultimate victor. Since 32 ECE, when Seven returned from The Great Parade, he has grown in power and independence from the Underqueen, being seen as more of a contrasting peer than a servitor or lesser.

Though Seven (and the Underqueen) are considered a myth by the vast majority, a growing number of people swear to have seen the monsters, and there's been blurry photos surfacing recently in increasing frequency. The Ministry doesn't accept these photos as evidence, and often quickly silences those who spread such panic-causing rumors.

Underqueen, the — Also known as the Red Queen. The Underqueen is the stuff of fairy tales, both playful and sinister, that parents teach their children to respect or fear, depending on the culture that person comes from. Some believe Her to be some sort of fae queen from another, magical realm, who walks the planet to grant wishes of unfortunate people. Others say She's a demonic presence which watches you from every reflective surface, waiting for you to say Her name before dragging you away to an eternal hell or mental prison, taking over your body to trick your friends and family. Still others claim Her to be a psychic ghost, a sort of energy echo, perhaps of a trapped Architect spirit who was left behind when the Architects vanished. Another theory is that She and Seven are escaped results of a Ministry experiment to blend the perfect, elite hybrid, which ended in catastrophic disaster. Lore suggests that She's capable of traversing space and time in a heartbeat, and weaves the fabrics of time and fate together, constantly rebuilding the web of destiny as Seven destroys it.

There is a cult following for the Underqueen known as the Cult of the Golden Lotus (or simply Lotus Cult). Since 32 ECE, when the Underqueen returned from The Great Parade, She has barely been seen, and her followers are much less certain about their beliefs than back when She actively walked among them.

While the myths and legends are varied and nigh limitless, there is common ground that people can agree upon. She is not a beast nor is she a person, instead some sort of unknown species never previously seen. The Ministry denies both Her and Seven's plausibility as a form of cult activity and typical Outer Class superstition, and this seems to be backed by the fact that Ministry libraries- even the Top Secret ones- have no trace of their presence within them.

Voice, the — A blanket term for the para-psychological and para-physical phenomena said to exist in or around Einheit City. Theories behind The Voice are extremely varied and numerous, though many commonly claim that The Voice is an entity related to Einheit City's decline into social and political turmoil, as a cause or an effect. Symptoms of The Voice can include but are not limited to: audio/visual hallucinations, "prophetic" dreams/visions, unexplainable vanishings, the increasing rate of cult activity and psychological disorder in the city, and possible distortions in reality. A few cases are believed to have resulted in death or irreparable damage to a victim's sanity, or even physical manifestations of The Voice, described as temporary pockets of pseudo-reality.

So far only a few books have been published on the matter, and all are extremely illegal (see Destiny Error, The ), now largely forgotten. Only a tiny percentage of the population is thought to hold any form of belief in The Voice, and are almost always outer classers at that. The UniClass is vastly unaware of anything known as The Voice, due to the Ministry erasing information about it whenever it appears, covering up any possible Voice phenomena, and the disappearances of those who attempt to spread word of it. Because no consensus can be reached between the scattered believers in The Voice, theories relate it to everything from the Ministry, to God, to to the end of the world, to the Underqueen, and any number of other conspiracy or doomsday theories.