This is a quick list of various terms your character would likely know. Most of these terms have their own pages you can check out for more information!

ORGANIZATIONS#

GUILDS#

The six guilds control commerce:

• Mythos: Bioengineering, gene-splicing, cyberware, healthcare.

• Symphony: Entertainment, fashion, news, gambling, vices, the Matrix, blood sports.

• Pegasus: Mysterious and unknown.

• Vulcani: Makers of arms, armor, weapons research, vehicles, heavy industry, etc.

• Sepulchre: The Church. The spiritual authority of the whole city.

• Outriders: Salvaging, scavenging, and surface runs.

GREAT HOUSES#

The nine Great Houses essentially rule the city:

• House Vesalius: Bioengineered leaders of Mythos who believe they have transcended the weakness of the flesh.

• House Rook: Service-oriented warriors who dominate the Lichtorate (the guardsmen).

• House Drepane: The artistic, fashionable, and decadent servants of Symphony's artificial gods.

• House Varga: Owners of Deshret's largest hunting grounds and experts in livestock/husbandry.

• House Valcora: Holders of Deshret's primary aviation fleet; wanders and pilots first and foremost.

• House Qamarat: Miners of the crystals that power Deshret, the wealthiest aristocracy in town.

• House Morcant: Mysterious masked individuals somehow associated with death.

• House Amari: The great garden of Deshret, providing luxury produce - and substances.

• House Kadesh: The truest believers in the city and the backbone of Sepulchre's faithful.

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS#

• The Pagos: The government of Deshret, dominated by the Nine Great Houses.

• The Lictorate: These are the state police, official military AND city watch of the Pagos. Their elite regiment is known as the Dragoons.

• The Church of the Nine: Somewhat synonymous with Sepulchre, this is the official name of the religion Deshret follows.

SLUM ORGANIZATIONS#

• The Cabiri: The mechanics and rogue engineers of the slums.

• Kolkhos: The agricultural collective that controls much of Suburba’s food production.

• The Ophirian League: A "professional association established to preserve orderly commerce in Suburba."

• The Abkal: Protectors and curators of the Cortex, the slums' entryway to Abzu (aka the Matrix).

PLACES#

• Abzu: The official name of the 'Matrix', a dimension of cyberspace overlaid on the real world. Perceived as more a spiritual realm ICly. See Diving for more.

• Arcadia: The residential district for Sixers, aka guild members.

• Delos: The collective name for the floors owned by the guilds.

• Deshret: The name for the city as a whole, encompassing all of the other districts listed here.

• Palatine: The district of the Great Houses and the elite, the deepest level of Deshret. Also referred to as 'the deeps'.

• Suburba: The slums, comprised of the highest levels of Deshret.

• The Surface: The scorched, irradiated wasteland outside Deshret's upper airlocks. Regarded by Church doctrine as permanently cursed.

RELIGION#

• Awakening/Recombination: Coming back after death by the installation of your splinter (see Splintering below) in a new body, a mysterious process done by Mythos and Sepulchre in tandem. Mythos calls it recombination instead.

• Fragmenting: The process of updating your splinter (see Splintering below) to have your most recent memories.

• The Hum: A mysterious sound/vibration that pervades Deshret, said to be the breath of Saint Marrow by the Church.

• Ninefold: The name for a follower of the Church of the Nine.

• Saints: Nine religious figures central to the worship of the Church of the Nine; most faithful have chosen their own patron saint.

• Seals: Eight religious sigils associated with the various Saints of the Church of the Nine.

• Splintering: The process of dedicating a sliver of your soul to Marrow so that Sepulchre can grant you eternal life by guiding their souls back into their bodies after death. See Religion for more info.

TECHNOLOGY#

• Chrome: Cybernetic implants, mechanical prosthetics, neural taps, and internal hardware fitted into organic flesh.

• Diving: One slang term for the act of accessing Abzu, the Matrix. (What is commonly known as 'decking' in many cyberpunk settings).

• Panopticon: The great elevator that connects Floors 2, 9, 10, and 18 (among others) through Deshret. Necessary as the gap between Floors 9-10 is far too extensive to be crossed by foot.

• Pneumatikon: The massive geothermal steam engine and pressure grid powering Deshret's electrical systems and life-support scrubbers. It also relies on the crystals mined and controlled by House Qamarat.

• Sprites: The familiar or spirit-like 'programs' that divers use to help carry out their will in Abzu. See Diving for more information.

GROUPS/PEOPLE#

• Ascended: Nobles who have been disowned from their Houses of birth. The name of course refers to going up in floors - a bad thing in a world where down = privilege.

• Sixers: Slang term for members of the six Guilds.

• Slummers: A resident of Suburba living outside formal guild employment and noble house patronage.

• Splicers: Individuals who have been genetically modified to possess non-human traits.

• Yeoman: A term for contracted laborers, whether to guilds or Houses, without full membership in their organizations.

HISTORY/CULTURE#

• Babble: The pidgin language spoken in Suburba.

• The Burning: The planetary catastrophe ~400 years ago that scorched the surface and forced human survivors underground into the bedrock. See The History of Deshret for more.

• The Founders: The nine individuals who founded Deshret, most of whom became Saints. See The History of Deshret for more.

• Hassan: The language utilized within Sepulchre for religious purposes (and, rumor suggests, occult ritual as well).

• Nisabic: The language utilized in government records and other administrative archives.

• Shinar: The 'common tongue' of Deshret.