Ancients - the original humans, masters of science and technology, builders of robots, cities, and Rowtes, rulers of this planet and beyond. It is generally agreed that they ruled for at least several hundred years. A great cataclysm (or series thereof) called the Apocalypse ended their reign and destroyed the Ancients. Their closest descendants are sometimes called “pure” humans.
The Apocalypse - sometimes called The Great War, the event(s) of devastation that killed the Ancients and left their society in ruins.
Arker - a low ranking member of the Ministers of Xter. Arkers deliver the Ministers’ orders and judgements and handle most mundane tasks of the Ministers.
Aspirant - a lower-echelon member of the Mystics of Xter. Aspirants are normally in training for some single vital skill or task, and handle much of the day-to-day administration of the affairs of the Mystics.
Axenjear - a person skilled in the identification and management of local plant creatures.
Blaksnoes - Black clouds dropping thick black slushy power or (when accompanied by high winds) a black sleet. Blaksnoe is lukewarm and toxic if ingested; just walking around in a Blaksnoe storm unprotected is dangerous. Usually Blaksnoes last several hours, and is safe to wait out in your home. After Blaksnoes, everything outdoors must be scraped clean and discarded - usually the stuff is scrapped into big piles and buried somewhere. Particularly bad Blaksnoes have orange-gray clouds and its snoe is especially toxic.
The Bound - a long, flat, featureless, rectangular plane material set into the earth. Its surface is smooth but extremely hard (impervious to weapons). Over thirty meters wide in some places, The Bound runs north and south for tens of kilometers, perhaps more. The Bound goes in many directions at Enderz, then runs south past Xter to at least Sowthtown. It is generally agreed that The Bound (and others like it, like The Hway) were built by The Ancients as giant trails. Most merchants and travelers use the Bound when moving between towns because it is safer than the wilds and their many dangerous predators.
Captain - a senior Militia officer of Xter. Captains achieve their rank by consistently proving themselves as capable fighters and leaders, in times of crisis and in peace. Captains receive their charges directly from the Ministers, who’s will they execute in the defense of the city. Captains are assigned an area within Xter to which they give their day-to-day attention, but all Captains are involved in any issue that relates to the city’s security and overall health. Each Captain will have several Leftenants reporting to them, and exert their influence over much of the city.
Chipalope - a small animal that resembles a striped squirrel with tiny, deer-like antlers. Relatively harmless, although the horns can do puncture damage and they will bite if provoked.
DarkOx - a strong, bulky, and skittish four-legged herbivore, with a tough, lumpy, pot-marked hide. Their hide is an iridescent dark green at birth, but deepens to an indistinguishable violet as they mature. Each has a unique arrangement of thick, sharp horns, with six to eleven tines. Darkoxen form large nomadic grazing herds and roam even into the wildest regions.
Enjinear - a person skilled in constructing firm and safe houses, lodges, and buildings using available materials.
Factsen - a religious rank of leadership within the Suns of Honey religious group, a nomadic cult that venerates Honey Suns cereal as a divine gift from an ancient deity.
Gold - a pressed circle of gold, 2.5mm in diameter, weighing 35 grams; the preferred currency of the age.
The Great Migration - A mass migration of animals that passes near Xter each spring. Over a three to four-day period, seemingly disparate groups of creatures exit the Deep Swamp and swing northwards. Xter holds a festival of sorts during this annual event as the animals rarely bother the city.
Hawkmen - usually over a meter tall, these mutant falcons have dexterous, human-like hands at the ends of their long, spindly legs. They are martial, intelligent, and speak their own language as well as that of humans. As individuals, they are not necessarily dangerous, nor overly eager to fight; once committed, they fight savagely. When aroused, they take flight in huge numbers, perhaps in the thousands, and completely devastate an area. More than one town has disappeared completely after angering the Hawkmen. The location of their towns and villages is not known.
The Hway - similar to The Bound, the Hway has a rougher texture by comparison. The Hway joins The Bound at Enderz, and runs west for tens, perhaps hundreds of kilometers.
Indian Rain - These indigo-colored clouds are usually preceded with thunder, then drop yellow rain, which is toxic to those exposed unprotected. In places where the yellow rain is allowed to pool it can make people sick. Otherwise, the effects generally dissipate quickly following the end of any showers.
Kap Plant - This living plant resembles a pinkish sunflower. It grows a single large stalk with vine-like extensions, each with few broad leaves. Its “flower” is actually a disguised mouth appendage, complete with droopy colored “petals” arranged around a “seedpod” mouth, which covers several chitinous teeth. When young, it is fairly soft, rubbery, and immobile, subsisting primarily upon sunlight and opportunistic carrion offerings (often growing in creatures’ dens). As it gets larger, it gains more flexibility and control of its main stalk, able to bend its mouth over and clean-up leftover meat scraps or small insects or animals. By the time it reaches 1 meter, it aggressively seeks out and bites prey within range. Large specimens (2.5+ meters) usually have drooped-over stalks, which they stealthily maneuver over prey beneath them, suddenly dropping, swallowing victims whole, then straightening back up and rending and digesting them at their leisure. These plants are often used are home disposal units, as their gullet can digest almost anything it can swallow. In Xter, once the plant is found bent-over, it is “put out to pasture” outside the town walls facing the swamp edge.
Kemister - a person skilled in the blending of disparate items to create different, useful products.
Leftenant - an officer within the Militia of Xter. Leftenants are experienced officers that have proven themselves in some fashion. They normally have three or more Sirgents and dozens of soldiers under their command. They answer to Captains.
Militia - Police force, military, judges, and executioners all rolled into one force, the Militia of Xter handles a variety of jobs to keep Xter safe for its citizens. The day-to-day work of the Militia is run by various Captains at the direction of the Ministers, who pay their salaries. Other communities also have Militias or other police and military forces, but may organize them in a different fashion.
Minister - The Ministers are charged with the overall safety and well-being of Xter, most notably providing generalship and leadership in major emergencies. They wield the Ancient weapons held by the Mystics in defense of Xter, and upkeep Xter’s small force of Cavalry and another force of Knights that guard the Ministers and serve as shock troops in major conflicts. The Ministers rarely appear in public except for major annual festivals or emergencies, but usually dispense their will through their servants (called Arkers) or through the Mystics.
Mystic - In Xter the Mystics serve as judges, councilors, technicians, interpreters, psychics, historians, knowledge repositories, and advisors, primarily to the Ministers, but also to Citizens. Almost all community-wide projects are handled under their supervision as “knowledge masters.” The Mystics are known to have a repository of Ancient artifacts somewhere within The Tower.
Order of Humanity - An armed, feudal, quasi-religious order that believes that all mutant influences must be eliminated. They preach that mutant servants rebelled against the Ancients and caused the Apocalypse. They believe themselves to be the direct descendants of the Ancients and have been charged with a divine crusade to avenge their ancestors’ deaths by toppling and killing all mutants.
Rowtes - long, flat, featureless, rectangular planes of material set into the earth; see The Bound and The Hway
Sirgent - an officer of low distinction within the Militia of Xter. Sirgents usually gain their position through experience, fighting prowess, or demonstration of leadership. They are normally assigned some specific civic duties and sometimes become well known for this. Sirgents are usually in charge of a handful of Militia soldiers. They answer to Leftenants and Captains.
Smither (“Smithers of Xter”) - a person who works in a Foundry (iron and metal ore smelting, separation, mold making, and casting). The Smithers of Xter are metal artisans that produce iron, bronze, steel, and other alloyed products. Some of this high-quality work goes into weapons, armor, plating, and other defensive items for the inhabitants of Xter. Most are most mundane items like lanterns, stirrups, locks, gears, plumbing, etc. Occasionally purely artistic items such as figurines and statuettes are produced. Finished mundane items are normally sold in the Marketplaces of Xter, and from there are resold to other communities far and wide.
The Tower (of Xter) - The Tower of Xter is a building of the Ancients, around which Xter was supposedly built more than 100 years ago. Most of the Ministers and Mystics of Xter reside within The Tower, along with its secrets. Speculation and gossip surround the mysteries regarding The Tower’s interior and defenses.
Yuros - thought to be a type of money used by The Ancients. Yuros have variety of bright colors and symbols upon them, but their meaning is unclear. They are practically indestructible. Where accepted, Yuros are normally traded at five (or more) to one in favor of gold (each of the different styles of Yuros having the same value). Many larger towns use Yuros instead of minting (or distributing) their own gold.
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