CABALISM:  An arcane Xaphan art freely mixing technology, herbal lore, stolen medical practices and magic.  Seen in the League, and in some quarters of Xaphan space, as frauds and mystics, Xaphan Cabalism does appear to have some level of learned competence.  The obscure sect of the Hospitalers known as the Ephysians often exchange information with Cabalists. The mystic Zahuti of Wenrick was a noted Cabalist.

CALVERT: 1)—One of the original seven tribes of man symbolized by a fish, the Calvert settled in the lower eastern seaboard of the southern continent. The Calverts found themselves struggling after relocation to Kana and needed constant care from both the Elders and the other tribes to survive. Eventually, many of the Calverts were relocated to Onaris were they prospered much better. The Principal Great Houses of Calvert are the House of Calvert, Pitsfield and Dee.  Calverts are rather slight of build, hazel-eyed and sandy-haired, though occasionally green-haired children of Calvert are born.  Though they are of a smaller size than the Vith and the Esthers, Calverts tend to be a bit stronger than the rest.  The Tribe of Calvert is sometimes said to hail from the mythical green-haired Tribe of Tartan, one that no longer exists of modern League society.   2)—A coastal region of the southern continent south of Esther where the remaining Calverts on Kana live.

Calvert houses abandoned the practice of minting their own coins at the beginning of the AX time period.  They adopted the Remnath solaris as their standard.

CAMALOPARDUS: Bright constellation of four primary stars (Alcalla, Ecar, Savel, Penta) that can be seen throughout the League and Xaphan space. Often called the Sisters Constellation. Due to its stellar positioning well beyond the boundaries of the League, it is recognizable in most parts of the League and in Xaphan space as well. The area of League space where Camalopardus is the only visible stars within a 5 hex field is known as Coordinate 0.

In Xaphan space, Camalopardus is known as “Loach”, named after a mythical evil being the Xaphans believe in.

CAMILLA, BARONESS OF SORRANDER (ne: of CAROLINE) (002894ax–)(X)–Baroness Camilla of Sorrander is a Xaphan warlord, criminal, painter, socialite and would-be queen of Xandarr.  She was born 52nd daughter of the House of Caroline in Wilhelmina. Gene-splicing is a common practice with the Carolines, and Camilla was selected to be particularly intelligent and ruthless.

Craving power and notoriety, she married into the House of Sorrander, and quickly murdered her way to the top, becoming a baroness in 003002ax. Quickly going through the Sorrander’s coffers, she embarked on a long career of theft, stealing great masses of treasure from other Xaphan Houses. She is an accomplice of the House of Charn and commands a fleet of Ghome 52 battleships, making her a force to be reckoned with.

Camilla has had a long obsession with the planet Xandarr and has frequently tried to install herself as its queen. She has declared King Balor I and his queen Zoladerra squatters on her fiefdom and demanded they be taken into custody and executed many times. She created a stir when she presented herself to the League Ex-Commons and made a formal demand for war against Xandarr and that she be recognized as its queen.

Camilla has often attempted to foster the rumor that she is, in fact, Princess Marilith of Xandarr in hiding. Her claim has never been proved or dismissed.

CAMMARA: Ancient home world of the Elder-Kind during the iconic CX Epoch. Cammara was said to be a wonderful world, even surpassing Kana in its richness. It was while living on Cammara that the Elder-Kind received the Gifts of Youth and Health from the Elders. Cammara’s exact location is lost to the ages, the Elders having last set foot there over 200,000 years prior. The mysterious House of Want, who vanished from the League centuries ago, were said to have transported themselves back to Cammara and live there in luxury to this day.

CANISTER: The League’s “ace” weapon, the canister is constructed of Elder Tech making it a weapon of unlimited destructive power. The canister resembles a medium-sized guided missile.  Configurable from a small damaging puff, to a star destroying blast of devastating power, the canister cannot be outrun, out maneuvered, or otherwise escaped. The canister makes use of “blinked” material from a neutron star for a variety of effects. Once used, the neutron star material is then blinked back out. A fail-safe built into the canister weapon would “blink” the weapon out of existence should a hostile force attempt to “transport or otherwise teleport it away. The Zero Weapon, prototype, discovered by Princess Marilith, played on this failsafe and caused the weapon to detonate instead of blink out.

CARAHIL:  1):  A mammalian scavenger living in the bilges of the Temple of Sygillis of Metatron. Feasting on Silver tech, Carahil grew in size and intelligence. Carahil be-friended Captain Davage when he entered the Temple and carried him aloft as they battled the attacking Black Hats. Eventually, Carahil escaped Metatron with the clones of Sygillis, never to be seen again.

2): Carahil is a Nargal spirit created by Lady Poe of Blanchefort. Her brother, Captain Davage, often told stories at dinner of his brief time in the city of Metatron where he befriended a giant seal-like creature named Carahil and had admired his wisdom and goodness.  Lady Poe listened to the dinner-time stories and was captivated. She was a newly trained Shadow tech female and was fast discovering her considerable talent for creating Silver tech familiars. She decided to put her new-found skills to the test and create an exact replica of Carahil, using vast amounts of Silver tech and the detailed recollections of Lord Davage in the process. She located a dry fountain basin in the Telmus Grove and began the long process of creating Carahil, running herself dry several times. As she worked she became very fond of the unfinished creation and began adding more to the mixture than she first intended. She added libraries worth of knowledge and arcane lore, cook books, joke books and other such things she thought would make him well-rounded. When he was nearly ready, she added the essence of a kindly dog from the kitchens. That evening, Carahil opened his eyes for the first time.

Carahil quickly grew in power, and he drew the attention of the Celestial Arborium, a fraternity of powerful creatures watching the continuity of the universe. Carahil passed the four Criteria of Deuum and the Arborium asked him to join.

Carahil has a fondness of lost and little creatures and will go to great lengths to assist those he feels need help. He loves giving gifts when he can. Considering himself to be “incredibly good-looking”, Carahil’s gifts are usually tiny images of his own likeness. He is also a relentless prankster–those he favors are often victims of his pranks.

He is the patron god of Xandarr and is memorialized with many shrines and temples, the largest being a park on the banks of the River Torr called 1000 Carahil Park. Children often draw pictures of him and write little notes, leaving them at the flippers of his statues and hope he hears their call. It is also tradition that fresh-baked cream pies placed on a sill will attract him.

Carahil’s Secret-Talker is Mabsornath, the former Cat God of Zall-88. Mabs appears occasionally in a place called the Cat God Pub. There, the answers to many questions may be had and the voices of those far away may be heard. The Cat God Pub appears in different guises to different people and it never is encountered in the same place twice. Carahil and Mabs are thought to be romantically involved.

CAREW, HOUSE OF: House from the Z-Encarr continent on Planet Fall, the Carews grew to fame mining Boron, Argon and Bromine gasses from the atmosphere.

CARG: Sword, (House Blanchefort) —The CARG is a tube or pole-shaped, hilted shaft that is usually adjustable in length. The materials and general appointments of the weapon vary greatly, but, the CARG is generally a rather heavy weapon. The surface of the CARG’s tube feels smooth to the touch, however when moved in the correct fashion, it can slice through most any material it contacts, the cutting stroke making a characteristic whistling or droning sound.

CARINA: Seventh planet of the Beta Lepitus system, Carina is an odd matriarchal world where the presence of men is tolerated but not encouraged. The original inhabitants of Carina were members of a vast harem that served the Emperor-King of Ming-Moorland, a Non-League world several clicks away. The Emperor-King abused the harem, often tormenting, killing them and selecting them to fight to the death. They developed a powerful hatred and mistrust of men in general. The planet became a League world in 00271ex at the request of the Sisterhood of Light. The Sisterhood of Light has several strongholds on Carina. There are vast convents on Carina where, according to legend, women are taught the dark arts of the night, of hates and of revenge–all parts of the science known as Gynology. The largest cities on Carina are Sapherta and Lescern. Carina is very far from its mother star and is a very dark world, even when in full daylight. The planet is warmed to a fairly balmy level by a copious amount of geo-thermal energy. Though generally thought to be from Planet Fall, the sect of dirty courtesans known as the Erynes actually hail from Carina.

CAROFABS (qv: Frauds, Impostors): Name given to Ladies taking advantage of a fad in the League to seek brides at the ruins of House Caroline in Hala. These ladies often would hide amid the ruins or Waft in, and present themselves to any prospective gentleman who might be waiting there, claiming to be a Lady of Caroline.

CAROLINE: 1)—The Lighthouse of Caroline is a stronghold of the Sisterhood of Light situated in the Straits of Elder, north of Zenon. Of all 25 strongholds of the Sisterhood, Caroline is the most mysterious—its function or purpose has never been made plain.

2)—Xaphan world, fourth planet of Tu, settled by the House of Caroline in 0001ax. Though Xaphans, the Carolines were always a fairly benevolent folk and secretly welcomed League Great Houses to their presence. After the First Battle of Mirendra 3, many battered Fleet vessels found safe harbor over Caroline. The largest city on Caroline is Wilhelmina.

CAROLINE, HOUSE OF: Xaphan (Hala): Xaphan house formerly of Hala ancestry who settled on a small world named after them in the Tu Mervolin system in 0001ax. Always a friendly House, the Carolines were favorable to the League and greatly assisted the Fleet after the First Battle of Mirendra 3, providing them safe harbor, an act that helped save many Fleet ships. For their help, the League Ex-Commons reinstated the House of Caroline’s patent in 03194ax.

The Carolines often powder themselves and wear lacy black or dark blue gowns. Familial giantism runs in their genes. In an odd twist, the LosCapricos weapon of House Caroline is the VERY MARY, a garter with odd mystical properties. Worn by the ladies of House Caroline, the VERY MARY spirits away a Caroline damsel whenever she might find herself in mortal distress. The VERY MARY deposits the Caroline damsel amid the ruins of their ancient castle in the Halalands of Kana. An old fad in Hala goes as thus: single gentlemen, seeking a bride, venture out to the ruins of Caroline on a moonlit night, bearing gifts. If fate smiles, it is said a Caroline maiden might pop out of nowhere.

CAT GOD, THE:  An odd and rather elusive nexus of  both knowledge and locale, the Cat God appears to different people as different things.  It generally appears as a public establishment of some sort, usually a pub, eatery, smokery, library or other place where one may sit and gather with others.  Its description varies, however it is generally agreed upon to be plush and comfortable, decorated in a rather greenish motif and numerous statues of cats. Another constant with the place is it proprietor, a smoky, beautiful woman with green hair named Mabs. While in the Cat God, most, if not all of one’s questions may be answered, items that have been lost may be recovered and dead ancestors may be found there.  The Cat God is never seen twice in the same place, and most, while visiting it, almost never realize anything unusual is happening around them until they have exited. A return visit always yields nothing, the Cat God having vanished.

CATHEDRAL OF BONE AND WIRE:  A dark cathedral situated at the mouth of the proverbial “Destroyer’s Road.”  The cathedral was said to be made of twisted bones and old, rusted wire and was haunted by a terrifying dark spirit who hated itself as much as it did all life. The Nillists of Punt attempted to control the creature whom they called “The Clacker” with worship and burnt offerings.

Formerly, the cathedral was the site of a place known as the Hall of Mirrors where many things could be discovered. According to the lore of the Grandmaster, “The Clacker” took the place over and, hating the sight of itself, destroyed the mirrors and rebuilt it in bone and wire.

CELEBRANT:  Celebrants do not officially exist in the League, though they are freely spoken of in Xaphan space. A Celebrant is a man or a woman who has been designated for the purposes of selective reproduction. A Celebrant is covered in a certain type of 4-D tattoo that cannot be seen by any but a select few, and can stimulate the senses of certain individuals. In Xaphan space, Celebrants are used to entice and seduce pre-selected people for purposes of blackmail or to create a desirable genetic pairing. In the League, it is said that the Sisters use Celebrants to draw genetically favorable couples together, though the Sisters claim that they use no such tricks. Love-stricken individuals have, on occasion, attempted to make themselves into Celebrants hoping to capture the heart of those they love with varying degrees of success.

CELESTIAL ARBORIUM An assemblage of Elemental Spirits at the “Top of the Universal Tree.” The Arborium meets and seeks to discuss and maintain the cosmic balance. The Leader of the Arborium, always a temporary assignment, distributes “visions” to the various members—these visions may be glad tidings or portents of death and destruction. The members of the Arborium cannot directly take action as a result of their visions (ie, they cannot prevent the coming of a bad vision), they are bound by the rules of balance, breaking the rules shall cause the offending member to be punished, usually by being transformed into a demon. Instead, the members are encouraged to inspire, to lead and give hope. Several known members of the Arborium are: Carahil, Maiax, Bathloxi, Footpad, and Mabs. The inverse of the Celestial Arborium is the Windage of Kind, a collection of demons hoping to cause chaos and throw balance out of order.

CEROS: Other (House Probert) —The CEROS is a small hand-held metal device composed of five interlocking metal arms. It is normally made of either gold or silver. When thrown, the CEROS converts into a plasma-like form of energy and will fly in a straight line regardless of wind or other influences. At a pre-determined distance, the CEROS will reverse its course and return to the thrower’s hand. The CEROS may also be bounced off of obstacles. It will penetrate any organic matter effortlessly. It may be effective against armored targets at short range.

CHARN, HOUSE OF: Xaphan (Vith): Xaphan House settled on the distant world of Charn. The Charns were reviled for being directly responsible for the extinction of the House of Bodice, as they stole the Bodice’s food, propulsion and navigation. Xaphan commanders of Charn ancestry are generally given no quarter by captains of the Stellar Fleet.

CHASTE, CHURCH OF: Small monastery located southwest of the city of Bern. Originally built as a home for wayward girls known as St. Marsha’s, it eventually became the official headquarters for the Order of the Chaste, the Loyal and the Supportive, otherwise known as The Lambs and was renamed. The Lambs were well-liked in Bern for their holo skills, for their willingness to provide room and board for those in need, and for their listening skills. Once crumbling, the fathers of Bern assisted the Lambs in restoring the edifice and even added a wing.

CLACK-N-BOIL RIVER:  Mountain river located west of the Gallian Plain on the Planet Bazz. It feeds the Sea of Bazz at the city of Fox-Phillister. In 245700AX, the Sisterhood of Light, showing their displeasure at the Moab artifact Paramel being housed in the city of Kana-Jana, made the river boil for one day, filling the sky with fearsome clouds.

CODIS: Radiant C-Class star located at 9am in the constellation Corvus (The “Beak” of the Crow) with an apparent magnitude of 1.25 as seen from Kana. A blue-white supergiant, Codis is the fourth most luminous star in League-held territory. Codis, or Codis MU as it was known in the ancient charts, was a star that once supported the 25 Elders prior to their death in the EX Time Epoch.  It was of an ideal size, age and spectral type to support the Elders nutritional needs, additionally, Codis supported no planets bearing life, making it even more desirable for Elder consumption. It was first discovered by the Vith in 10,4252DX as the Hicand star system previously supporting the Elders began to break down.  Coveting its abundant energies, the Elders led their collection of servant across the cosmos on a journey that lasted three stellar years, marking the beginning of the EX Time Epoch.

After the passing of the Elders, the Sisters declared the region around Codis a place of mourning forbidden to all stellar traffic.  The nearest populated planet is Planet Fall, 66,000 stellar miles leeward.

CONE, HOUSE OF: Remnath: Prominent House from the Remnath city of Jacarta, the Cones are notable for their feud with the House of Tyrol. Lady Sephla of Cone was a bitter rival of Lady Jubilee of Tyrol and was always looking to humiliate her in public. When Sephla’s younger Sister, Vendra, announced at a Nether Day ball that she’d fallen in love with Lord Stenstrom (the older) of Belmont, Lady Jubilee, seeking to humiliate her, decided to steal him away. Jubilee also fell in love with Lord Belmont, was successful in stealing him that night and was soon married him. Vendra was so hurt, she went to the Sisterhood of Light and obtained Wirguild–a public permit to seek mortal vengeance against Lady Jubilee. Vendra sought to have her revenge by attacking Jubilee’s children, most commonly against her son, Stenstrom the Younger. The Sisters eventually revoked the permit, as they wished Lord Stenstrom to live, though Lady Vendra never stopped trying to attack him through indirect means. The Sisters eventually incarcerated Lady Vendra in Twilight 4 and held her for several years until they were forced to release her by order of the League Ex-Commons.

The current Cone children: Sephla, Soran (M), Tenada, Vendra, Terru, Derlith (M), Dann (M), Merci.

CONOX: 1)–Modern line of Monamas considered to be a weaker, or “lesser” strain than the Anuians, or “Greater Monamas” of old who were generally wiped out by the Kestrals centuries prior. Conox make up over 99% of the modern Monama population. Conox, though rather small and sleight of stature, are still much stronger, faster and heartier than a standard Elder, and are not as prone to becoming sick and dying when away from Kana. Conox also have a higher resistance to cold temperatures than the Anuians, though prolonged exposure to temperatures under 60 degrees will eventually kill them as well. 2)–Language distantly related to Anuie spoken by various Monama tribes. Conox lacked a written alphabet for much of its history, until incorporating the League Common alphabet in 000492ax.

CONTRABULATE: (v)  To dream of doing great harm.  Method used by the Black Hat Sisterhood of mentally attaching themselves to a person of interest and invading their dreams, where the Black Hat then tortures and kills the person.  Comes from the Vith word Contrabolus which means an evil dream given form.

CONWELL, HOUSE OF (Esther/Xaphan): An old House of Esther blood, the House of Conwell is currently a Split House—some fleeing to the Xaphans in 0000ax. The Xaphan contingent settled on a Planar world they called Wunderland in 0002ax.

CONVERSATION PARK: A large, for profit attraction built inside a vast warehouse, formerly a fish cannery, in the city of St. Edmunds on the docks, east of Calvert Square. It featured vast holographic landscapes populated by “Conversation Automatons” which paying visitors could approach and strike up a conversation. The park was created/funded by Lord Marvat of Catherbaum, a noted local and staunch advocate of Calvert and its people. St. Edmunds was known on Kana as a “Lonely Hearts” city populated by single, uninteresting personages, and Lord Catherbaum reasoned that a place where people could go to “practice” striking up conversations and forging relationships in a safe, non-threatening environment might help his people and erase the “Lonely Hearts” image. The park proved to be popular, featuring different settings on different days: A Rainy Day, a Sunny Day, Nether Day, and so on.

CONVOCATION OF THE FLEET: A gathering of Fleet admiralty, members of the Science Ministry, prominent members of academia and the League Ex-Commons, and of the Sisterhood of Light. The Convocation is always in session in the Edinborough Star Chamber at the Fleet Headquarters in the city of Armenelos for well over 500 years. It is the Convocation’s mission to listen to Fleet Call-Outs, Disturbances and other complaints, debate their merits and determine what if any action will be taken by the Fleet.

At any given time the Convocation consists of: 25 Admirals, 25 key members of the Science Ministry, 25 members of League Academia, 25 elected officials of the League Ex-Commons and 5 Grand Abbesses of the Sisterhood of Light with each individual serving for three days before being replaced.

In the long history of the Fleet, all Fleet Battles and other major movements and edicts have all come from the Convocation.

CORMAND-GRANDE, WILHELLA (OF WAAM) (BH):  The “Mad Black Hat of Waam” Wilhella Cormand-Grande is unique amongst the Black Hat ranks.  A “celebrity” in Waam, Black Hats are generally sullen and wicked, Willhella, however, is known to walk the streets of Waam, shopping and lunching.  She has been married several times to several Clovis Lords, has a publicist, and often contributes to the local Xaphan posts.  She is also one of the few Black Hats known to talk her way out of a battle.  She is most famous for throwing parties at her skyscraper-like temple in Waam where thousands of people are invited.  It is not wise to refuse her invitation. In her “Top of the Universe” restaurant, she was said to be able to grant wishes.

CRANIMER: Other (House Durst) —The CRANIMER is an enigma and an embarrassment for House Durst. It is an odd collection of tubes, wires and balls that no current Durst knows how to properly assemble or fire. Ancient stories tell of the CRANIMER being able to hit vessels in orbit from the ground.

CRICKET HUT:  (or, Cricket Shack) Any inexpensive and often seedy lodging establishment that shields the paying occupants from telepathic intrusion and assures mental privacy.  The name “Cricket Hut” come from the faint chirping sound created by the telepathic dampeners.

CRONYNS: Mythical creatures said to plague the League world of Bazz. The Cronyns once lived in the deep oceans of methane on Bazz prior to the planet’s terraforming in 0744ex and plagued the personnel assigned to that task. The Cronyns apparently fled the plant after the terraforming was completed. Afterwards, every 400 years they attacked Bazz, causing a series of convincing and destructive illusions called the ‘Time of Cronyns’. The legendary “It” man from Bazz, Darius Jones, apparently faced and defeated the Cronyns.

The current whereabouts or physical description of the Cronyns is not known.

CROWE, FIDDLER (???) : Hero supposedly from Cammara, the long lost home world of the Elderkind during the CX time epoch.  Crowe is supposedly immortal, as is his wife, Queen Wendilnight of Mons Eagle.

CURTAIN WALLED CITY (CWC): Confined areas, oftentimes a large building, where the inhabitants rarely venture outside, speak strange languages and wear odd clothing and consider themselves sovereign, or outside League control. A Oak-1, a grouping of three high-rise buildings in the city of Tusck on Onaris is considered a CWC as the mysterious inhabitants often spend the whole of their lives never venturing out. The Empire Hotel in St. Edmunds and the city of Waam in Xaphan Space are also considered CWCs.

CYANS: (qv: Light Blues) The common Vith people of the north without the benefit of hailing from a Great House.  The great Vith hero Holt of the Mountain was a Cyan.  Cyans generally do not have Vith Gifts.

CYBERLING: (qv: Changeling) An “unreal” person with a detailed, yet fabricated history, including bank accounts, fake receipts, fake friends, etc. Cyberlings are illegal in both the League and the Xaphan Empire, and those responsible for them face imprisonment if caught.

CYPHERLOCK: A key. A cypherlock may be any object or device containing a tiny spool of tightly wound wire. Encoded on the wire is a character, either a letter, number, symbol or phrase. A cypherlock is often used in conjunction with other cypherlocks to guard treasure or other valuables.

copyright 2015, Ren Garcia