Glossary
Note: If you have a question about a word or term not in this glossary, or other questions about the WoL Universe, please email me at info@weapons-of-legend.com
Agency Disorders: On March 15, 2396, a dozen near-simultaneous terrorist attacks on twelve separate worlds triggered an interplanetary conflict. On one side were the forty-nine worlds of the Galactic Alliance and seventeen Independent Worlds, known as “the Coalition.” The opposite side comprised hundreds of rogue government agents from the Coalition worlds, mercenaries, pirates, terrorists, criminal syndicates, and their shadowy benefactors—known officially as “the Cabal.” The non-linear conflict lasted three years, ending as abruptly as it began.
Agnashi: (Ahg-nash-ee) The most feared order of mercenaries and assassins in the galaxy, only an Agnashi’s ferocity and skill surpassed their advanced weaponry. Their ranks comprised all sophont species from every planet in the sector, including the Galactic Alliance. After the Agnashi war ended in 2236, Galactic Alliance and Independent Worlds envoys drafted the Galactic Charter. The treaty banned the Agnashi Order itself, making any government, corporate, or individual benefactor guilty of War Crimes by hiring its services.
The Agonies: The five sons of Huagjyn, one of the Fallen, the five Hellborn brothers are identical tall figures cloaked in shadow with glowing red eyes. With insubstantial forms in the mortal plane, the demons will possess corpses and transform into vampires should the need arise. Their names, from eldest to youngest, are Shaytek, Agmakan, Alaja, Rakasan, and Cythra.
Blade of Crimm: With a golden dragon hilt and a tavacel blade protruding from its opened maw, the Blade of Crimm is synonymous with the Na’dari Order. Men and women who endured the grueling training and passed the trials earned the right to take the Final Oath to become Na’dari. The Blade of Crimm is the symbol of that right.
Brotherhood of Xanthus: A Na’dari order based on Carath. Thousands of years ago, the original monks served Master Xanthus, the wizard who defeated the demon Alamentnox and united the Carathian Empire as the first emperor. After Xanthus departed from Carath, the monks guarded his temple and the relics. All Brothers of Xanthus take a vow of poverty. When they are not working in the temple’s gardens or training in martial arts in the courtyard, the monks study Xanthus’ works in the library or pray in the sanctum.
The Deceptions: The children of Varikan, one of the Fallen, the four Hellborn thrive on manipulating mortals to ruin. Sagikol, the Trickster, is the eldest and leader of the Deceptions. Xhelobis, the “Spider Queen”, is the most powerful of the Deceptions and the only sister. Arvertis “the Slide” wreaks havoc as a shape-shifter. The youngest, Tuzakis “the Snare,” gains his victims’ confidence through their greed and depravity.
The Demon Wars: Three of Tevaljan’s demon sons, Wrathe, Naufratax, and Malumor, ruled Bongoria with iron fists twenty-five hundred years ago, with the Miserian death cult serving as a dark theocracy. The cultists ensured the Bongorians fell into line while conducting daily sacrificial ceremonies in each city in praise of their false gods. This dark and horrific period lasted three decades, until the remaining member of the last royal house to survive the initial Miserian purge emerged from hiding. Armed with one of the Weapons of Legend, the young man who would become King Eddard the Great led the united people of Bongoria against their Miserian oppressors—ridding the new realm of the three demons and their dark theocracy.
Galactic Alliance Intelligence (GAI): An intelligence agency serving the entire Galactic Alliance, the GAI comprised agents from all Galactic Alliance worlds and species. These highly-trained agents conducted Intelligence/Counter-Intelligence operations, Counterterrorism, Pirate Interdiction, and other missions of a confidential nature. They also formed task forces with the GMS, Galactic Alliance military Spec-Ops units, and other intelligence agencies from Independent Worlds to counter interplanetary narcotics, weapons, and sophont trafficking.
Galactic Marshals Service (GMS): The Galactic Marshal’s Service is the Federal Law Enforcement Agency of the forty-two Galactic Alliance Republics. Elected as the highest-ranked Law Enforcement official on their respective world, each Galactic Marshal has thousands of agents under his or her command in dozens of divisions. These divisions range from White Collar Crime, Narcotic Interdiction, Counterterrorism, Fugitive Apprehension, Personal Security Details, and countless forms of investigations.
Glotova: (glow-toe-vah) Glotava was an explosive gel produced on worlds that did not sign the Galactic Charter. A small, half-decimeter packet (approximately two inches) had a fatality radius of ten meters, which was equivalent to the standard Galactic Alliance High Explosive (HE) grenade.
Isurids: (eye-sir-ids) A sharklike, bipedal species that inhabits the ocean-covered world of Uwao. A large species, the average male’s height and weight are twenty decimeters and one hundred twenty-five kilos (six-foot-six/two hundred seventy-five pounds, respectively). Female Isurids average about eighteen and a half decimeters (six-foot-two) and weigh eighty kilos (one hundred seventy-five pounds). To survive outside their natural environment, Isurids wear saltwater-filled helmets equipped with filters to oxygenate the circulating water. They also wear body gloves under their clothing designed to maintain the same moisture level on their sandpaper-like skin as if they were in their normal underwater habitat.
Jym Zadir: (Jim Zah-deer) With the same training level and fighting prowess as the Na’dari, the Jym Zadir are theological and philosophical opposites. While the Na’dari served as guardians of various faiths, worshipping the Creator, the Jym Zadir served the Miserian faith as assassins. What makes the Jym Zadir more dangerous than Na’dari is their complete disregard for life, even their own. A Jym Zadir will eliminate a target or die in the attempt. Should one return without killing the assigned target, the dark monk will suffer a slow and agonizing death.
Krags: The Krag is a bipedal species that inhabits the world of Rakog and its protectorate, Arkog. With an average size comparable to humans and other species, Krags have scaly faces and torsos, and the rest of their bodies are covered with coarse fur. Their large, round eyes and lantern jaws filled with sharp, jagged teeth give Krags a fearsome appearance, exacerbating their reputation as violent aggressors.
Miserians: A death cult that worships the Miseries: Naufratax, master of chaos; Malumor, bringer of disasters; Evorsis, fire-bull of destruction; Alametnox, shadow dragon of despair; and the eldest and most powerful of the five demons, Wrathe, the lord of war. The Miseries are the sons of Tevaljan, the King of Hell and Lord of the Dark.
Na’dari: (Nah-dar-ee) An ecumenical order of monk-warriors dedicated to defending sophont-kind from evil, ranging from terrorists to unspeakably horrifying demons and their sorcerer minions. Fortunately for the Na’dari, fighting demons and their powerful mortal servants is a responsibility that primarily falls upon the wizards with whom the Na’dari served the Creator. While wizards are “demis” with powers and abilities known as “the Gift,” Na’dari are highly skilled warriors trained in hand-to-hand combat, sword fighting, and mastery of all laser weapons. Comprising all species from many worlds in the sector, each Na’dari endured grueling months of training in their novitiate to earn the Blade of Crimm.
NERO: From “Nyt Saeb Eidyn Rheath Oedan,”—which is old Sirron for “New Dawn Human Species Collective.” A movement started by Adan Teufeix on Sirronia in 2392, the NERO Party had speciesist views towards all sophont non-humans. By 2415, the NEROs had a presence in human-independent worlds Sirronia, Dirane, and Saperia, and the human Galactic Alliance worlds Admeria, Earth, and Riner Prime. While the NERO groups on the five other worlds became criminal organizations profiting from sophont trafficking and illicit narcotics and weapons trading, the Sirron group focused on politics—taking control of Sirronia’s government. On February 2, 2425, with the Triad’s aid, the NEROs overthrew the Sirron Republic—and Sirronia became a protectorate of the Carathian Empire.
Ophidan Imperialist Revolutionary Front: Also referred to as “the Front,” the Ophidan Imperialist Revolutionary Front was formed in 2388 on the Ophidan worlds of Lampla and Kopla. The radical group's goal was for the seven Ophidan-populated planets to leave the Galactic Alliance and establish an “Ophidan Empire” with Prince Radon Gostro, the Lamplan King’s younger brother, as Emperor. Within a year, Front chapters formed on the Ophidan republics of Kimla, Locer Prime, Yila, Cuska, and Jarper. After the Front’s acts of violence spread across the seven Ophidan worlds, the governments and other Galactic Alliance worlds declared them a terrorist organization. While the majority cut ties with the organization, hardline Front members resorted to organized crime, including sophont trafficking. Despite the Ophidan Imperialist Revolutionary Front being declared a terrorist organization, some Ophidan politicians and corporate executives supported it in secret.
Ravec Siyon: Old Tandran for “Predator Faction,” the Ravec Siyon was a radical group that believed Tandrans were superior to other species. Because the group comprised over a third of Tandros’ noble houses, the Imperial government ignored their activities or risked starting a civil war. Short of open rebellion, the Ravec Siyon acted with impunity on Tandros, Davros, and Idoros. There were also numerous unsubstantiated accounts of noble members of the Ravec Siyon consuming the flesh and blood of other species.
Sisters of Mercy: The Sisters of Mercy have convents throughout the sector on every Independent World and planet in the Galactic Alliance. They include women of every species and walk of life, as other Na’dari orders do. The founding members named the order for the angel Mercy, not the virtue itself. Each sister keeps her given name but replaces her surname with one of Mercy’s four sisters: Grace, Faith, Hope, and Joy—hence, the name of the order. Like the angelic namesakes, the Sisters of Mercy are compassionate and always willing to help those less fortunate in the Creator’s name. They are also fierce warriors who suffer no fools. One should go to great lengths never to cross a sister. Otherwise, that individual will learn a humbling and painful lesson.
Sophont: A twentieth-century science fiction term originating on Earth, a Sophont is an intelligent being. The term now refers to the twenty-six known intelligent species in the sector.
Tavacel: (tah-vah-sell) A silver-colored metal known for its high melting point, tensile strength, and lightweight, tavacel deposits are located on Galactic Alliance and Independent worlds as well as several asteroid fields. Because of its high melting point and lightweight, tavacel is used to produce starship engines and laser weapons. Tavacel’s superior strength-to-weight ratio to steel makes it ideal for weapon blades—its high melting point makes it compatible with nano-thread technology that superheats the blades.
Vampire’s Mark: A vampire’s bite. Unlike common misconceptions depicted in stories, however, the victim does not transform into a vampire. The vampire’s bite, or mark, allows the demon to track and locate the victim after their death so it can possess the corpse.
Weapons of Legend: Weapons forged by angels to protect mortals from demons and their sorcerer servants. These weapons come in various forms, with hundreds scattered throughout the galaxy. Terakaris, the Sword of Justice, was forged by the Archangel Michael and is part of the set, including the Sword of Truth.
Wyrm Blade: A derogatory term used by enemies of the Na’dari Order, especially the Miserian death cult, in reference to the dragon-hilted Blade of Crimm.
Note: If you have a question about a word or term not in this glossary, or other questions about the WoL Universe, please email me at info@weapons-of-legend.com