Glossary

Auriaster	‘Star of Gold’. Light that has been made to behave somewhat like a fluid. It is used to conduct energy, and if formed into elaborate patterns can be made to perform calculations. It is the basis of thaumatic technology, particularly eidolons. Not to be confused with yliaster.
Cosmonaut	‘Traveller of worlds’. An explorer, scientist or even tourist who ventures forth in a voidship.
Eidolon	Developed with knowledge acquired from the Keystone of mind, an eidolon is Veltheria’s answer to computers. They range from having just about sub-human mental capacity to possessing calculation abilities far surpassing the most profound genius.
Exquisitor	A variety of philosopher who studies the world through the empirical method – observe, induce, deduce, test, evaluate.
Feriaster	‘Star of iron’. Feriaster is a magically transmuted ‘alloy’, though not a true alloy in the alchemical sense. It is a metal produced by applying properties to iron that have been derived from other metals, or less commonly vice versa. Usually this is to create lighter or harder forms of steel. Feriaster is the backbone of most structures, and forms the chassis of most voidships.
Infinium	The ‘engine’ of a voidship, which allows the vessel to translocate. Perhaps four dozen people in all the world are knowledgeable enough to repair and maintain an infinium; only a handful understand the full complexities of one.
Ipseity	The property of belonging to one reality as opposed to another.
Keystone	One of six mysterious artefacts which either represent or have authority over the Paradigms. Anakhu for life, Cáwi for continuum, Jádu for the wyrd, Riyu for mind, Ylias for energy; and Máua for harmony, the only Keystone capable of undoing the direct work of another.
Lineage	The human species is divided into five lineages – all of them can interbreed with one another, of course, and there are very few communities with fewer than three lineages among them. The lineages are elves, terrans, titans, dwarves and gnomes.
Lodestone	A very broad term for any crystal configured to store or manipulate energy in one form or another. Many are specifically grown to hold patterns of auriaster. Lodestones have any number of purposes, from shard weapon ammunition to utility styli and even the control interfaces for voidships and eidolons.
Lucent	A lucent is a deliberately destabilised lodestone filled with erratic patterns of auriaster. When the fragile shell breaks upon impact with a surface, the auriaster collapses into a mixture of harmful radiance and kinetic force, very similar to that generated by a shard weapon. The result is, in effect, a throwable crystal bomb.
Minion	A minion is a machine with independent means of locomotion, usually fitted with a primitive eidolon. They are used for a variety of domestic and industrial purposes.
Mithril	A silvery substance with the properties of both a metal and a ceramic (a common dwarven name for it translates as ‘moon glass’). It is extraordinarily light, but sturdy, and can take an edge. It is resilient in the face of magic, and is often used to store or stabilise thaumatic objects, even the Keystones. Given its resilience and low weight, it is used to form the outer hulls of voidships.
Old Tales	Legends from the long past, tales of knights facing dragons, gods tricking errant mortals, and the like. Little distinction is made between these and history, at least in terms of their value to society. There are no canonical versions of the Old Tales; it is part of their nature to evolve through being told, and Storykeepers each have their own methods.
Paradigm	The six fundamental principles underpinning reality: life, continuum, wyrd, mind, bond and harmony. Each Paradigm is represented by, or under the control of, one of the Keystones.
Philosopher	A scholar who studies through analytical methods, by far the most common in Veltheria.
Seeker	A cosmonaut or ultranaut who is specifically designated to venture from the ship for some purpose.
Shard weapon	Wands and staves specifically hewn to draw energy from disused lodestones and discharge that energy in the form of force ‘shards’.
Sorcerer	A person who has learned the subtle art of personally wielding magic. Sorcerous disciplines, known as arcana, are each thought to be tuned to the Paradigms.
Storykeeper	The closest thing Veltheria has to clergy – someone who memorises and recites the Old Tales.
Stylus	A wand, ring or other talisman featuring a lodestone. Almost everyone has one, and they allow the use of thaumatic devices. Some are augmented with other low-level magical effects.
Sunstone	A natural or alchemically grown crystal resembling faintly amber-coloured quartz, which can be worked into sturdy blades. Sunstone can draw energy from disused lodestones in a manner similar to shard weapons, which can bestow upon them extraordinary sharpness.
Thaumatics	Any piece of technology that works on magical principles. Thaumatic devices manifest powers which, like sorcery, are based on the abilities of the Keystones, but usually use auriaster as both a power source and a means of manipulating reality.
Thaumaturge	An expert on the creation and maintenance of thaumatic devices.
Translocation	Translocation is the instantaneous disappearance of a person or object from one place and appearance in another. It is most often performed using pre-established translocation circles or portals, but for larger subjects (such as voidships), the complex calculations require advanced eidolons and an infinium.
Ultranaut	‘Traveller of the beyond’. A person who travels into other planes of existence or, lately, realities.
Veltheria	The name abstractly applied to the human world. At present this encompasses the entire solar system to which the homeworld, Veltheria Prime, belongs. Humans have colonised their homeworld’s moon and nearby planet, and have facilities of various kinds on other bodies in the solar system.
Voidship	Any vessel capable of instantaneous travel (translocation) into hostile environments such as space, or other worlds.
Wyrd	The Paradigm which encompasses magic. It is the fundamental property of the universe that events happen as opposed to not happening. It is the reason that nearly impossible events sometimes occur, and is sometimes conflated with the idea of fate.
Yliaster	‘Star-stuff’, popularly known as ‘philosopher’s stone’ is the volatile prime material, able to be given any physical qualities by a skilled enough smith. A sufficient quantity could create an ideal lodestone, capable of operating indefinitely. Not to be confused with auriaster.