Glossary of Terms

In this page, which I will continue to expand and update as often as I can, you will find an alphabetical list of terminology I will be using in Pendulum: Empyrean Order. *As I continue to develop these concepts, I fully anticipate having to rename or reorganize these terms.*

### 0-9

* **112th Armored Legion** - A division of the Exalted Crusade's Advanced Combat Infantry to which the characters Eleste Raia Kosla and Halvard Krein belong.
* **815th Starborne Division** - A division of the Aequitas Principium's Mobile Infantry to which the characters Paz Draken and Ualis Reev belong.

### A

* **Ablative Armor Plating** -An advanced ceramic-polymer material capable of discharging directed kinetic force and converting it to usable electrochemical energy.
* **Adjudicator** - An Okala elder charged with the responsibility of ensuring order and safeguarding the dignity of the Okala people. Similar to a judge crossed with a governor.
* **Advanced Combat Infantry** - The feared military that stands at the very core of the Exalted Crusade.
* **Aequitas Principium** - (*EY-quit-us prince-ih-PEE-um*) - Roughly translating to the "Foundation of Fairness", the Aequitas Principium is one of the two great powers of Humankind that developed after a cataclysmic series of events collectively known as 'The Schism" drove humanity to flee from the Earth (often known in this time as the Paradise Lost).
* **Akashium** - (*uh-CASH-ee-um*) - A rare, dense element found almost exclusively within the metallic core of asteroids and the rocky satellites of the rogue planet, Nomad, Akashium has several profound properties that have made it a vital wartime resource, most specifically when it comes to providing defensive countermeasures to most forms of long-range combat.
* **Alariisia** - (*ah-lah-REE-see-uh*) - A walled Okala settlement in the Riisi River Valley on Pendulum
* **Albatross** -
* **Apotheosis** - (*uh-PAW-th-ee-OH-sis*) - Also known colloquially as 'The Entity,' the Apotheosis is a sentient, highly intelligent extradimensional life form. It is the major antagonist of the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.
* **Armored Personnel Carrier (APC)** -
* **Arris Loe** - (*AIR-iss LOW-way*) - One of the most prominent characters in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.
* **Ascendant** - (*uh-SEND-ent*) - The dominant symbiont quantum-tethered to an Aux in which the majority of its vital neural resources are housed and shared via their unique Quantum Entanglement Tether.
* **Assault Frame** -
* **Autoscopy** -
* **Aux** - (*OX*) - A sophisticated artificial sentience housed within a drone-like orbital satellite that acts as an assistant, partner, and autoscopic extension of the consciousness for its ascendant symbiont.

### B

* **Ballistic Javelin** -
* **Benkaasa** - (*ben-KAH-suh*) - A veteran Jurist who volunteered to assist Rukahl in searching for his missing children. Superior Jurist to Nakiis
* **Biowear** -
* **Bodaka Snake** - A breed of non-venomous constrictor snake indigenous to the Bodaka region of the Gliesean Habitable Zone on Pendulum. They are akin to anaconda or python
* **Bos Taavo** - (*BOW-ss TAH-voh*) - an inert volcanic mountain peak within the massive mountain range that forms the sunward geological barrier of the Gliesean Habitable Zone on Pendulum.

### C

* **Carapace** -
* **Chemifilm** - Similar to palladium printing, Chemifilm involves the placement of photographic negatives onto emulsion-coated sheets of paper before exposing them to ultraviolet light.
* **Compu-terminal** - Solid-state terminals that grant access to large central computers via networking cables. The Okala have yet to develop technologically to the point where computers can be self-contained in a portable format.
* **Courser** - (*CORE-sir*)
* **Criterium Equites** - (*cree-TEAR-ee-um EK-wit-ees*)

### D

* **Daggerfly** - Similar to a cross between a dragonfly and a luna moth, daggerflies possess a preternatural instinct that alerts them to changes in the air far too subtle and insignificant for other species to notice unaided by technology. They are prized by Okala hunters for this reason.
* **Denma** - (*Den-Mah*) - An Okala huntress. She is a secondary character featured in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.
* **Dirigis** - (*DIH-rih-jus*) -
* **Doso** - (*DOH-so*) - An Okala elder who serves as one of the leaders of the Alariisia Settlement.
* **Dreamterror** - The Okala equivalent to a nightmare. There is no day-night cycle on Pendulum.
* **Drokha** - (*d-ROW-kuh*) - A blunt, ring-shaped thrown weapon that builds a significant electromagnetic charge as it flies through the air.

### E

* **Earth** -
* **Einsteinian Block Universe Modeling** -
* **Eleste Raia Kosla** - *(Ell-ess-t R-eye-ah K-owe-s-lah) -* S1C Eleste Raia Kosla, adjutant of K2C Halvard Krein, is one of the most prominent characters in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.
* **EM Coil Rifle** -
* **Entity (the)** - see *Apotheosis*
* **Eternalism** -
* **Exalted Crusade** - One of the two great powers of Humankind that developed after a cataclysmic series of events collectively known as 'The Schism" drove humanity to flee from the Earth (often known in this time as the Paradise Lost).

### F

* **Flechette** -
* **Fulminalloy** -

### G

* **Galat** - (*guh-LOT*) - An Okala male who serves the role of a senior Jurist, or Juristarch, in the Okala Settlement of Alariisia.
* **Ghost of Revalle** (the) - (*reh-VAH-l*) -
* Govoan (*go-VOH-un*) - One of the political districts within the Okala Heartlands.
* **Gliese 1061** - (*g-LEE-suh*) - A red dwarf star approximately 12 Light Years distant from Earth. Its third planet, Gliese 1061d (aka Pendulum) has a habitable region in which the majority of this book takes place.
* **Gliesean** - (*g-LEE-zee-un*) - The human term for the Okala, indigenous sentients from the planet Pendulum, aka Gliese 1061d.
* **Griffon** - (*g-RIFF-un*) -
* **Guen** - (*g-WEN*) - As an Aux, Guen is a sophisticated artificial sentience housed within a drone-like orbital satellite that acts as an assistant, partner, and autoscopic extension of the consciousness for her ascendant Savant, Arris Loe. She is a secondary character featured in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.

### H

* **Halvard Krein** - (*HAL-v-ard k-RAY-n*) -a soldier in the Exalted Crusade's Advanced Combat Infantry, 112th Armored Legion. He is one of the most prominent 'Point of View' characters featured in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.
* **Hannibal** -
* **Harak Laam** - (*HA-rock LAW-m*) - An inert volcanic mountain peak within the massive mountain range that forms the starward geological barrier of the Gliesean Habitable Zone on Pendulum.
* **Heartlands** - A region of the Gliesean Habitable Zone on Pendulum. It is the source of much of the Okala people's notable advancements in technology.
* **High Advisory** -

### I

* **Incarnati** -(*in-car-NOT-ee*)
* **Ionic Charged Particle Accelerator (ICPA)** -

### J

* **Jakaro** - (*juh-CAR-oh*) is an Aux, a sophisticated artificial sentience housed within a drone-like orbital satellite that acts as an assistant, partner, and autoscopic extension of the consciousness for his ascendant Savant, Vitari Lisk. He is a secondary character featured in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order. Jakaro also likes being called *Jack*.
* **Jurist** - An Okala peacekeeper who serves as an executive arm of the Adjudicators.
* **Juristarch** - (*JOO-riss-tar-k*) - A high ranking Jurist, akin to a Lieutenant or Captain.

### K

* **Karad** - (*kuh-ROD*) is an Okala holistic mender. He is a secondary character featured in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.
* **Karambit** - (*kah-ROM-bit*) -
* **Known Heavens** -
* **Korsoma** - (*core-SO-muh*) - A male Incarnati representing the Ego of the extradimensional entity known as the Apotheosis.

### L

* **Lambs** -
* **Lomm** - (*LAH-m*) - The son of Rukahl and Maraii and older brother of Reisa. He is 300 transits old, or a little less than 10 Earth Years.

### M

* **Maraii** - (*muh-RAH-ee*) - The late wife of Rukahl and mother of Lomm and Reisa. She perished from a wasting disease about thirty transits (1 Earth Year) before the lights first began to appear over Pendulum.
* **Mobile Infantry** -
* **Moirai** - (*MOY-rye*)
* **Mos'kaafa** - (*moh-s-KAH-fuh*) An Okala religious ceremony signifying one's commitment to carry on a sacred duty previously entrusted to an elder family member who must, for one reason or another, resign from this duty.

### N

* **Nakiis** - (*nah-KEE-ss*) -
* **Nomad** -

### O

* **Okala** - (*oh-CALL-uh*) - A sentient race of four-armed humanoid aliens indigenous to a select, habitable region of the planet Pendulum (aka Gliese 1061d).
* **Oko** - (*OH-koh*) - an Okala mechanic and craftsman. He is one of the most prominent 'Point of View' characters featured in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.

### P

* **Paradise Lost** -
* **Paz Draken** - (*p-OZ d-RAY-kin*) - A soldier in the 815th Starborne Division of the Aequitas Principium's Mobile Infantry. He is one of the most prominent 'Point of View' characters featured in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.
* **Pendulum** -
* **Perpetuum** - (*per-PET-you-um*)
* **Pilot Control Interface (PCI)** -

### Q

* **Q-Nex** - (*CUE-nek-s*) -
* **Quantum Entanglement Tether** (*QET*) -

### R

* **Raal** - (*rah-AAL*) - An Okala militant, and Oko's mate, who was killed when she became trapped between the rival forces of the Aequitas Principium and the Exalted Crusade and took indiscriminate fire from both sides of the conflict.
* **Rainier Accords** -
* **Raskarii** - (*ross-KAH-ree*) - One of the political districts within the Heartlands. Raskarii is renowned for their advancements of science and the rapid proliferation of modern technology, essentially dragging the Okala people out of the stone age and into a more civilized era.
* **Rekana'sii** - (*reh-CON-uh SEE*) - Hand-made clay beads approximately a half-inch to an inch in diameter. They are traditionally crafted by Okala as an act of preserving a physical reminder of something they feel gratitude for, be it a person, a precious object, or an important event in their lives.
* **Reisa** - (*ray-ISS-uh*) - The daughter of Rukahl and Maraii and younger sister of Lomm. She is a little over 150 transits old, or a little less than 5 Earth Years
* **Resonance Weapons** -
* **Revalle** - (*reh-VAH-l*)
* **Rubicon** - (*ROO-bih-con*)
* **Rukahl** - (*roo-CALL*) - An Okala male and single father of two young children who came to Alariisia seeking refuge due to the perceived threat posed by the strange lights appearing in the skies over Pendulum.

### S

* **Savant** -
* **Schism** - (*s-KIH-zum*)
* **Second Skin** -
* **Stormrunner** -
* **Softpoint** -
* **Sol** - (*SAW-l*)
* **Starward** - On Pendulum, to face away from the sun is to face starward. The opposite of sunward. Within the Gliesean Habitable Zone, this equates to 'west'.
* **Suncutter** -
* **Sunward** - On Pendulum, to face toward the sun is to face sunward. The opposite of starward. Within the Gliesean Habitable Zone, this equates to 'east'.
* **Symbiont** - An organism that lives in symbiosis (cooperative, mutually dependent partnership) with another organism.

### T

* **Templa** - (*TEMP-luh*) - A male Incarnati representing the Superego of the extradimensional entity known as the Apotheosis.
* **Theis** - (*th-EE-iss*)
* **Transit** - The period of time it takes Pendulum to complete one revolution around its red dwarf star. It is the equivalent of just over 12 Earth Days.
* **Trappist 1** - (*TRAP-ist*)

### U

* **Ualis Reev** - (*WALL-iss REE-v*)
* **Unknown Heavens** -
* **Urtiin** - (*er-TEEN*) - An Okala mistranslation of 'earthling'

### V

* **Valkyra** -(*val-KEE-ruh*) - A female Incarnati representing the Id of the extradimensional entity known as the Apotheosis.
* **Vanagandr** - (*v-ON-ug-on-der*)
* **Vitari Lisk** - (*vee-TAR-ee LIH-s*k) - A Savant in service to the Exalted Crusade. She is one of the most prominent 'Point of View' characters featured in the novel, Pendulum: Empyrean Order.
* **Vox** - A communications device that transmits and receives analog audio transmissions akin to high-band radio.

### W

* **War Talon** -
* **WISE-0855-0714** -

### Z

* **Zant** - (*z-ANT*) - A unit of time roughly equating to 80 Earth Seconds. The Okala possess two hearts, one of which (also known as the Zant) beats in unison with every other living Okala as part of a shared synchronous circadian rhythm, pumping a neural hormone to their brains at a rate of nearly once every 80 Earth Seconds.
* **Zantik** - (z-ANT-ick) - The suffix -ik designates a group of 1,000. Therefore, a Zantik is 1,000 Zants (8000 Earth Seconds, or 133 Earth Minutes).
* **Zed Axial Pinch Gun (aka ZAP Gun)** - A taser-like weapon that deploys an EM Field to limit the expansion of charged plasma to a singular direction (the Zed Axis), then launches high-intensity electrical impulses through the captured filament of plasma. Weapons of this type can be scaled given sufficient levels of available power. The same EM pinch fields are employed in propulsion systems, especially those used for lateral maneuvering in space vessels.
* **Zeligrande** - (*ZEH-lih-grand*)

MORE TO COME

Last Updated October 25, 2023

1. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/symbiont