Glossary
abbreviation
1. A shortened form of One’s name, which may be a word itself. 2. The custom of shortening names practiced by Dazed and Adroit.
adept
A Zero of intermediate rank who serves a lady or lord Within, caring for Ones.
adroit
Adapted to life Without, a reality with visible people and objects.
Adroit
Dazed who have attained the psychological condition of adroitness.
adroitness
1. Psychological reconciliation with sensory experiences of One’s life Without, with emphasis on the relationships between sight and other senses. 2. A devotional exercise of heightening the senses, practiced by Dazed and Adroit to achieve the said reconciliation. 3. A pair-bonding between Dazed or Adroit practicing the said exercise together. 4. A member of such a pair-bonding.
ahnk
Far, “bones.” 1. A Far game with stones and animal bones of differing lengths. Stones advance, block, and bear off the playing surface much as in backgammon. Bones are thrown in the way of dice. 2. to play or throw bones. Colloquial. To dissemble.
Ahnk-far
Far, “bone people.” The Ancient. In Far mythology, a race of people preceding the Far who possessed advanced technologies which they used to destroy themselves. In the destruction’s aftermath, Ahnk-far survivors formed tribes to become the first Far.
ahnk-say
Far, “place of bones.” 1. A ruined city of the Ahnk-far. 2. An inland graveyard of unconsecrated Far, such as those defeated in battle by an irreverent nah who refused to carry their bodies to the sea for consecration. See qah, uhn-qah.
Aht
A semi-nomadic tribe of the Eastern Far. The Aht homeland lies south of the Sen-an-dah. Most years, a contingent of the tribe led by the nah migrates north to trade with the Uhta and other Northern Far tribes in Qahn-dah.
amber
A Zero’s amber glass, which memorizes everything the Zero experiences, thinks, and feels while touching it, all of which is available at the Zero’s recall. An amber glass has other abilities which include espying, intoning, popping, and visioning.
Ancient
A now-extinct people, the forerunners of Ones, Zeros, Infinite, and Far. Ancient ruins and artifacts attest to cultural and technological sophistication. See Ahnk-far.
arc
1. An archway between the chambers of a spiral Within. 2. Any archway held by Zeros to have religious or political significance.
array
A group of three or more Zeros. See total array.
Axle
1. The central, usually largest chamber of a spiral, containing its largest tarry-not. Other chambers are arranged around the Axle, often geometrically. 2. A central, circular commons in a Dazed or Adroit consensus.
Ayn-qesh
Far, “womb of sandstorms.” The Great Waste. See Great Waste.
Ayzhed
Far. Dazed or Adroit. The name is a corruption of “Dazed” (in Far linguistics, a hard d at the beginning of a word must be followed by the consonants j or y, e.g. Djer).
censor
1. A red orb which imparts a dream to suppress One’s heresy. 2. One who extols Unity, in song or in speech, and exhorts other Ones to do so. 3. Colloquial. One given to a habit of scolding other Ones for perceived heresies; a busybody.
chamber
A subterranean cavern forming part of a spiral Within. See spiral.
confession
1. A law given by Unity to Ones. 2. One’s recitation of the said law.
consensus
1. A group of Ones inhabiting a spiral Within. 2. (following in) Mutual harmony, agreement, and conformity, valued by Ones. 3. A Dazed or Adroit village, constructed in concentric rings around a central, circular commons (see Axle).
control
1. The orthodoxy of Zeros. 2. The faction of Zeros who represent this orthodoxy. 3. An orb or a Zero’s glass that emits light in the visible spectrum’s upper wavelengths, ranging from yellow to red. Originally, all orbs and glasses were controls. See kindness.
cycle
1. (for Ones) A night Within, during which Ones are released from the dreams of orbs (wakeful). For Ones, a cycle is indeterminate in length. 2. (for Zeros) To follow and obey the regulation of orbs. Often followed by an adjective indicating which part of the regulated cycle Ones are doing. 3. (for Dazed and Adroit) The six-day calendar week, in which the days are Sing, Study, Work, Speak, Touch, and Think.
-dah
Far, “country.” A land. Used in Far linguistics only as a suffix. Examples of Far lands are Qahn-dah and Sen-an-dah.
Dazed
One who, heretically or accidentally, has escaped Within and lives Without. The name refers to the Dazed’s frequent disorientation, naiveté, and helplessness, due both to their ignorance and to their lack of adroitness, or psychological reconciliation to the sensory experiences Without, especially sight. See adroitness.
djay
Far, “bad person.” An outcast or a person of evil portent, such as a Djer.
Djer
Far, “demon.” A Zero, or Zeros collectively. The Far have several stories which purport to explain the origins of Djer. Often, these myths stress the moral of equality by depicting Djer as slaves of the Ahnk-far who revolted against their masters. See im.
Djer-stone
The Far colloquialism for a Zero’s glass. The stone is considered dyay.
dream
1. A state of altered reality produced by an orb or glass acting on a person, often but not necessarily accompanied by images or text. 2. The light of an orb or glass which produces the said state. Either definition may be modified: orb-dream or glass-dream.
dyay
Far, “bad thing.” Something considered an evil object, a bad omen, or a curse.
edict
1. A law given by the Infinite to Zeros, considered significant in the orthodoxy of control. 2. A law given by Zeros to the Dazed and Adroit.
ef-suhl
Far, “good journey.” A phrase spoken in greeting or farewell.
espying
Any of several abilities of an amber glass concerned with its Zero’s awareness of the physical environment and the presence of other Zeros’ glasses.
excelsior
One with innate, inexplicable powers with respect to orbs and glasses, which may include the ability to change their nature, to escape their dreams, or to counteract their dreams’ effects. An excelsior’s powers are referred to, generally, as excellence.
faithfulness
1. A pair-bonding of Ones for the purpose of childbearing. 2. A pair-bonding of Zeros for advice, moral support, and mutual aid. 3. A member of such a pair-bonding.
Far
Far, “people.” A culturally allied Bronze Age people who descend from Ancient who refused to go Within. Broadly, there are four groups of Far: Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western. Northern Far inhabit cities and practice large-scale agriculture. The other three groups are nomadic, with economies centered on animal husbandry and trade. Far society is typically matriarchal, its leadership matrilineal, though among Western Far patriarchy and patrilineal leadership are common.
Far-nah
Far, “decider for the people.” A deity. Incorporated in the names of such deities.
Fear
A biannual solar equinox during which Without enters a spiral Within, including the cycles during which it grows stronger (waxes) and diminishes (wanes). The degree to which Fear affects a consensus of Ones depends on such factors as their spiral’s latitude, its depth, and the angle of its tarry-nots relative to the sun’s position. See tarry-not.
festival
(in calendar usage, at the festival) A harvest festival held by Dazed and Adroit at the onset of autumn. The festival occurs either between Hottest and Fall or between Fall and Shivers, depending on the summer’s length and the severity of cold weather.
Fidget
A Utopian deep-learning machine concerned with uncertainty and guesswork.
glass
An orb, small enough to fit in the hand, possessed and wielded by a Zero.
gossamer-glass
Synthetic, highly durable glass with light-emitting or light-controlling properties.
Great Waste
A vast desert, devoid of most life, lying amid the Waste. See Ayn-qesh, Waste.
hel
Far, “honor.” A highly prized sense of personal honor and integrity.
hive
1. A dwelling-place of Zeros, usually Within. 2. The Zeros who dwell in the said place in a monastic lifestyle, devoted to each other’s livelihood.
im
Far, “equality” or “equals.” 1. The core value of Far society, stressing freely given mutual aid and subservience only to tribal law and the nah. See say. 2. The Far custom practiced at a meeting: a gesture whereby Far “give” and “take” a bowl formed by the hands. See im-li-im. 3. The Far custom of sitting or standing in equilateral arrangement, implying each person in the group has an equal voice.
im-hel-qah
Far, “equals honor blood.” 1. A challenge on a point of hel (honor and integrity). 2. The Far custom of martial combat practiced to answer the said challenge. Im-hel-qah is refereed by sah. Im: the combatants must be of comparable ability, so the strong may not challenge the weak or impaired; each combatant may use only one weapon, equal in range to the other combatant’s weapon. Hel: if a combatant loses their weapon, the other combatant must allow them to retrieve it; neither combatant may be given a weapon by any onlookers. Qah: the combat ends immediately at the first drawing of blood, which determines the winner; if a combatant is mortally wounded, their qahli kills them by the method of mercy they have chosen. Among patriarchal tribes, women seldom engage in the custom; among matriarchal tribes, women do practice it, though they may nominate consenting men to fight for them. Far adolescents practice im-hel-qah without weapons of any kind; this combat is refereed by their parents, who may end the fight before qah (drawing of blood). Far children are forbidden to practice im-hel-qah.
im-li-im
Far, “equality with equality” or “ultimate equality.” A custom of im practiced by ri or qeht, exclusively. Giving im-li-im, fingers fold over each other atop the chest in the way the usual gesture of im begins; then, the hands are brought from the chest up to the face, forming a bowl which is then extended to the other person. Receiving im-li-im, the other person “takes” the bowl, bringing their hands up to cover their face and dropping them to the chest with the fingers folding over each other, as the gesture began. See im.
im-li-suhl
Far, “equality in the journey.” The custom of walking and talking in pairs when leaving one meeting-fire to go to another. Far seldom walk anywhere alone.
intoning
Any of several abilities of an amber glass whereby its Zero communicates their thoughts or sends messages to other Zeros telepathically.
Isleh
A tribe of the Western Far, appearing in many stories as enemies of the Qahlif.
iso
A humanlike automaton which cares for Ones, either in an Egg or Within.
jah
Far, “disputer.” A tribal nah’s rivals from other families, who have a legal right to vocalize dissent to the nah’s leadership. Jah may not legally retain sah, but some jah surreptitiously retain sah-uhn-say (mercenaries). Incorporated in names.
jahli
Far. A person under a jah’s patronage and protection. Jah may claim jahli only with the nah’s permission. Incorporated in names.
key
A combination of words that unlocks a night-door, inducing the teleportation of any people touching the door and any objects they carry. See night-door.
kindness
1. A heresy of Zeros. 2. The faction of Zeros who represent this heresy. 3. An orb or a Zero’s glass that emits light in the visible spectrum’s lower wavelengths, ranging from violet to green. See control.
lahn-jep
Far, “mark of rank.” A tattoo on the chin, borne by nah, jah, and ri to signify their rank. A nah’s lahn-jep is a circle with a large dot at the center; the circle symbolizes the tribe, the dot the nah. A jah has only the circle. A ri has the large dot with a vertical line bisecting it. Other Far tattoo their faces – a widespread practice – but never the chin.
lady, lord
1. (with of the hive or of the spiral) A Zero of the highest rank who leads all Zeros in a hive or spiral. 2. (with of the array) Colloquial. A Zero who leads all Zeros in an array.
-li-
Far, “with” or “in.” In Far linguistics, a flexible modifying preposition indicating association, attachment, or dependence. A special use is between the same word twice, as in im-li-im; in such cases, li is also an intensifier.
micro
A smaller automaton that assists an iso in its duties of care for Ones.
nah
Far, “decider.” The chief of a Far tribe. Among Western Far, nah are typically male and the position descends patrilineally; among other Far, nah are typically female and the position descends matrilineally. A nah is the only person in a Far tribe who may legally retain the services of sah. Incorporated in names.
nahli
Far. 1. A person under a nah’s patronage and protection. Incorporated in names. 2. An orphan. Incorporated in names with only the tribe specified, not a family.
nahli-qah
Far, “blood nahli.” A nahli, related to a nah by blood or adoption, being groomed for future leadership of the tribe. The position, though formal, has no special privileges. Incorporated in names, where the tribal name separates the elements “nahli” and “qah.”
nano
A microscopic automaton, part of the physiology of Ones and Zeros.
nay
Far, “time.” 1. In Far linguistics, a modifier indicating a span of time, which may be an hour, day, fortnight, month, year, or era (e.g., a nah’s rule), depending on what is modified. 2. (spoken alone or without modifying in context) Infinite time; an eternity.
negativity
A means of precise espying, wherein the visible spectrum appears inverted.
night-door
A teleportation device, typically circular, black, and set in a wall or floor, which can transport people and objects over considerable distance. A person touching a night-door induces teleportation by saying its key, aloud or silently. The door then transports any people touching it and any objects they carry. It may also transport another person whom the person touching the night-door is also touching, if the night-door judges that other person is a willing traveler. Otherwise, the other person must also touch the door. Unlike amber glasses popping, a night-door can never sunder a person or object.
Null
A Far who, in the process of being zeroed, has lost mental access to their bodily senses entirely and cannot use glasses. Null are killed as a mercy.
Numberless
One who is zeroed. Such a Zero only communicates and perceives through their amber glass. This near-null state drives the Zero into the glass and to insanity.
One
An inhabitant of Within, living in consensus with other Ones and dependent on Unity’s control, which is imparted through orb-dream.
orb
A large gossamer-glass sphere which typically acts as Unity’s autonomous agent in the regulation of Ones’ lives Within. In certain circumstances, Zeros handle orbs.
Passage
The process whereby One is born, which involves removing the mother from her consensus Within and subjecting her and the newborn child to glass-dream in an Egg.
popping
An ability of an amber glass whereby its Zero teleports to a location the glass has previously visited and the Zero has noted. In a pop, the glass can teleport anything the Zero is touching, such as clothing, objects, or other people. Usages: pop in, pop out, pop away. The word derives from the sound made when a Zero pops out. See sundering.
protégé
A Zero of the lowest rank who typically performs duties in a hive. Protégés seek to become adepts by acquiring the sponsorship of a lord, lady, or adept.
qah
Far, “blood.” 1. Human blood. 2. (in Far poetics) Water, as identified with blood. 3. (in religion) The sea, figured as the origin and destination of the soul. 4. A spouse or lover. 5. (in names) In Far linguistics, a name modifier signifying betrothal (between family names) or the formal position of nahli-qah (between the tribal and given names).
qahli
Far. A second enlisted by a combatant in im-hel-qah whose duty, in the event the combatant is mortally wounded, is to kill the combatant mercifully. Accepting the role of qahli, the second accepts a permanent obligation. Sometimes incorporated in names.
Qahlif
A tribe of the Southern Far, appearing in many stories as enemies of the Isleh.
qeht
Far, “companion.” A Far’s spiritual familiar, which may be an animal, an object, or in rare cases another person. Far consider qeht to be endowed with sacred magic.
qeht-li-qah
Far, “companion with the blood.” Marijuana, used by Far for sacred purposes.
rectification
One’s euthanasia, performed by a silence with a red orb called a rectifier.
relic
1. An inexplicable sensory phenomenon experienced by One. 2. The personality of a Zero which has been vested in the Zero’s amber glass.
resurrection
An imitative, working prototype of an Ancient artifact.
ri
Far, “wise.” A shaman appointed to advise a nah and serve as spiritual leader of a tribe. Each tribe elects a tribal ri whose concern is the right interpretation of laws and whose authority can supersede the nah’s authority in certain circumstances, for instance when a decree conflicts with law. Among Western Far, the ri is usually female; among other Far, usually male. Often, a nah will nominate a spouse or trusted relative to be ri. Jah often have ri, but they do not enjoy the honors of a nah’s ri. Incorporated in names.
rogue
A solitary Zero, preferring to live Without and away from hives.
Rpophessagr
A Utopian deep-learning machine concerned with questions of the self, nature of selfhood, and processes of transformation. The name comes from a poem which enacts a grasshopper’s leap typographically and explores its phenomenology.
sah
Far, “warrior.” A professional soldier retained by a nah. Incorporated in names.
sah-uhn-say
Far, “warrior without place.” A sah dismissed from a nah’s service; a vagabond mercenary. Comparable to Japanese ronin. Never incorporated in names, due to stigma.
say
Far, “place.” 1. In Far linguistics, a modifier indicating location. Say may indicate a specific or general place, depending on what is modified. 2. (spoken alone or without modifying in context) The concept of belonging or kinship with a tribe, associated with the value of im (equality), whereby a Far is entitled to all forms of aid, such as shelter, food, and protection. See im.
second sight
An amber’s means of visioning whereby two Zeros touching the amber together share an experience, along with their thoughts and feelings.
selenery
Glowing, unreadable script that appears by moonlight on an Adroit’s skin when touched by another in the practice of adroitness. Also called moon-digits or luneiform.
Sen
A disbanded tribe of the Eastern Far whose descendants were absorbed into the Aht, becoming a powerful family giving rise to several nah and jah.
Sen-an-dah
A long, wide valley of the Eastern Waste, running southwest to northeast.
set
Part of a hive specially furnished for the residence of a faithfulness of Zeros.
silence
1. A Zero who rectifies Ones, or all such Zeros collectively. See rectification.
Sing, the song
The first day of the six-day cycle in the calendar Without. See the appendix.
skance
A glance toward the periphery of vision, whereby a Dazed or Adroit looks at an object or another person obliquely. Derived from “askance.”
song
1. Ritual singing among a consensus of Ones. 2. Colloquial. A rumor spreading in a Dazed or Adroit consensus.
Speak, the speech
The fourth day of the six-day cycle in the calendar Without. See the appendix.
spiral
A subterranean group of chambers which are connected to each other by arcs, are often arranged geometrically, and have no ingress or egress except by night-door.
Study, the study
The second day of the six-day cycle in the calendar Without. See the appendix.
suhl-nay
Far, “journey’s time.” 1. The time which has elapsed since two Far have met each other. 2. (in poetics) The duration of a journey.
sundering
A Zero’s failure, when popping, to transport another person or an object intact to the pop’s destination. In glass-fights, Zeros often try to sunder each other. See popping.
tarry-not
An aperture in a chamber’s roof Within which admits natural sunlight (Without) during Fear. Derived from the confession, “One tarries not there.” See Fear.
Think, the thought
The sixth day of the six-day cycle in the calendar Without. See the appendix.
total array
Zeros met as an array for a formal purpose, requiring a quorum comprised of an exponential power of two (e.g., 23=8).
Touch, the touching
The fifth day of the six-day cycle in the calendar Without. See the appendix.
trance
To place a person under the influence of an orb or glass, so the person dreams.
transcendence
The mystical union of One with Utopia, achieved through the One’s rectification.
uhn
Far, “without.” In Far linguistics, a modifier indicating absence or loss.
Uhn-far
Far, “people without.” A One, or Ones collectively. The Far have extremely little experience of Ones but believe them to be corporeal ghosts, since Ones, being naturally albino, appear bloodless to the Far. In most myths, Uhn-far are ghosts of the Ahnk-far. In some myths, however, Uhn-far are held to be uhn-qah.
uhn-qah
Far, “without blood.” The ghost of a Far, doomed to wander restlessly because the Far’s remains were not carried to the sea and consecrated there. See ahnk-say, qah.
uhn-say
Far, “without place.” A person who does not belong to a tribe and therefore has no right to receive any form of aid. A vagabond.
Uhta
A city-dwelling, agrarian tribe of the Northern Far.
Utopian BASIC
A language created by humans to provide a greatly simplified, comprehensible representation of a Utopia’s functions and a narrative of previously executed functions.
vision
1. A Zero extraordinarily skilled in using an amber glass. 2. A Zero’s experience, including thoughts and feelings, received by another Zero through an amber glass.
visioning
Any of several abilities of an amber glass whereby its Zero transmits experiences, along with their associated thoughts and feelings, to other Zeros telepathically.
Waste
A desert stretching across most of the North American continent of which Far are the only inhabitants. Lying amid the Waste is the uninhabitable Great Waste.
Within
All spirals considered as a whole, each spiral connected to others by night-door, which houses the entire population of Ones and serves their needs from birth to death through an automated infrastructure including isos, micros, nanos, and orbs; as well as the adjoining hives populated by Zeros.
Without
1. The world that is not Within. 2. (for Ones) Natural sunlight admitted Within through a spiral’s tarry-nots. Without only enters Within during Fear. 3. (for Ones) The state of annihilation which befalls One banished by Unity from Within.
Work, the labor
The third day of the six-day cycle in the calendar Without. See the appendix.
Zero
A human guardian and caretaker of Ones, empowered to use glasses and orbs.
zeroing
The conversion of a person, typically Far, to a Zero. Ones who are zeroed become Numberless. Failing the conversion process, some zeroed Far become Null.