recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Wirashom

The **Wirashom** (*weer-uh-shawm*) is the imperial harem of the Ushanra Empire located in the capital city of Usharbanipal, where the Sons and Daughters of Ushar reside under the protective captivity of the Arluks. Connected is the assembly chambers of the Great Diaar (Shuridiaar).

The Wirashom was originally constructed from one of the arks that came from Sitaram. It was dismantled and the materials of the ship used to build the imperial apartments, along with stone quarried from [Cappadocia].

The royal-blooded residents of the Wirashom are socially divided by the dannoi of their fathers, with neeams being nuclei of celebrity, though not essentially players in their own right). Senior cousins with the loyalty and fear of their kin hold spheres of influence within the harem backed politically by the wealth and strength of their non-royal blood relatives. By birthright, each Daughter of Ushar is an automatic candidate for rumsa, and so securing support in both the Wirashom and Great Diaar requires a great deal of correspondence between shuridanyrs and their eyes and ears in the harem. The House of Ushar is a network of intrigue and back-dialogue of such shadowy renown that it is said the princesses of the Wirashom decide policy in the Great Diaar before the actual session between ministers convenes.

## Notes

>> Prison gangs; eunuchs are the prison guards

x Orange is the New Black
Psionics

> *"The mind is sacred, and any invasion into its precincts is an affront to individual dignity."*
>
>

The **Psychic Arts**, or **Psionics**, are the theories and practices of magic involving the neurological and psychological aspects of the organic body. Psionics are intimately involved with the central nervous system and are thus among the most delicate, specialized arts of the Grand Arcanum, as well as the least understood.

In the context of the Three Estates, psionics covers the relationship between the Second (Psyche) and Third Estates (Animus).

## Psychic Arts

### Telepathy

Also known as *mind reading*, or *communion*.

### Possession

Also known as *mind control*, or *hegemony*.

### Hypnosis

Also called *brainwashing*, or *indoctrination*.

### Illusion

An *illusion* is a distortion of one or more of the senses of perception (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound, balance, temperature, pain, and other chemoreceptors), which a mage can perform by influencing an organism's central nervous system and manipulating the sensory feedback received by the brain. An unskilled or sloppy illusion is unconvincing and obvious, manifesting in errors of detail (sulfurous smells in a flower garden), overstimulation of one or more senses (whispers being heard as screams), or bizarre anomalies from the caster's own leaking subconscious (an illusionist's imaginary relatives manifesting and striking up conversation with his victim).

On the polar end, a clever illusion engages all the major receptors in sensuous harmony without the person becoming aware of the deception.

### Disruption

The *Art of Bedlam*.

* Head aches
* Mind blast
* Seizure; concussion
* Vertigo, confusion
* Disorientation

### Memory

* Memory altering
* Memory wiping

### Oneiromancy

"Dream magic," *oneiromancy* is a fringe art considered psesudomancy by many arcanists, oneiromancy is the inspection and exploration of the subconscious mind. It is a deeper, more invasive form of hypnosis which pulls the caster into the mind of another person, leaving their own body in a semi-vegetative state of trance. Severe neurological damage is thought to be possible if this psionic link is disrupted or broken, which is why clinical trials have not been endorsed by the Arais Emodun, while proponents argue the potential for medical research and therapy outweighs the risk to the caster, for understanding such issues as mental illness, depression, trauma, and other neurological disorders.

## Disciplines

* therapy
* psychiatry
* criminal investigation

## Trivia

* Psionics is heavily inspired by Western Psychology and modern understanding of the human psyche and its relationship to the body's brain and nervous system.
Crackers

Cracker é o termo usado para designar o indivíduo que pratica a quebra (ou cracking) de um sistema de segurança de forma ilegal ou sem ética. "Cracker' é um termo da língua inglesa que significa "aquele que quebra” .Este termo foi criado em 1985 por hackers em defesa contra o uso jornalístico pejorativo do termo "hacker". A criação do termo pelos hackers reflete a forte revolta destes contra o roubo e o vandalismo praticados pelos crackers.

Muita gente acha que hacker (a palavra hack foi criada na década de 50 para descrever modificações inteligentes em relés eletrônicos) e cracker (cracking = quebra) significam a mesma coisa. Na verdade, o termo hacker significa alguém que muda alguns programas através de técnicas simples e inteligentes com intuito de melhorar esses programas. Normalmente o hacker é uma pessoa do lado bom enquanto que o cracker é uma pessoa sem ética ou escrúpulos.

Tipos de Crackers:

1. Crackers de criptografia: termo usado para designar aqueles que se dedicam à quebra de criptografia (cracking codes). Tal procedimento pode ser executado tanto com lápis e papel bem como com uso de computadores: tudo depende da fonte do problema a ser solucionado.
2. Crackers de softwares: termo usado para designar programadores e decodificadores que fazem engenharia reversa de um determinado programa, ou seja, que alteram o conteúdo de um determinado programa pra fazê-lo funcionar de forma incorreta. Muitos crackers alteram datas de expiração de um determinado programa pra fazê-lo funcionar por mais de 30 dias, ou seja, modificam o modo trial para utilizá-lo como se fosse uma cópia legítima, ou fazem um desvio interno na rotina de registro do programa para que ele passe a aceitar quaisquer seriais: tais softwares alterados são conhecidos como warez.
3. Desenvolvedores de vírus, worms, trojans e outros malwares: programadores que criam pequenos softwares que causam danos ao usuário.
Treaty of Serez

The **Treaty of Serez** was a peace treaty signed between the Ushanra Empire and the Continental Congress on DATE which ended the Valpriot War. The Ushanra Empire incorporated into the Senate as a result of the treaty and was heavily penalized as well for initiating hostilities, forced to abolish its tradition of slave-trading and to cede many of its territories seized during its expansionary campaigns in [Spain].

It was signed in the government building of Valpriot city Serez by signatories Dezmon mo Wali and Quirin i-Durem of Ushanra and for Congress, the Modeans General Roan Carson and Admiral Lon Caugher and the Austeners Prince Enrich von ROYAL and Baron Marttan van Herein.

Drayden refused to send an envoy to the meeting and is technically still at war with Ushanra.
Open Source

O conceito de open source foi responsável pelo surgimento de muitos softwares e sistemas conhecidos hoje em dia, como o Linux. O **movimento Open Source Inovation (OSI)**tinha como objetivo principal apoiar e promover a criação de softwares livres, ou seja, os softwares com códigos abertos para os usuários.

O pensamento base para a OSI é de que os softwares, assim como qualquer ferramenta, devem ser julgados por critérios técnicos. Por isso, sua atuação principal é conferir quais licenças se enquadram nos softwares livres e promover suas vantagens econômicas e tecnológicas

Portanto, **o conceito de open source é o software livre**. Para a OSI, um verdadeiro open source deve atender aos seguintes tópicos: distribuição livre, código fonte, trabalhos derivados, integridade do autor, distribuição da licença, não discriminação contra pessoas, grupos e áreas de atuação, não restrição a outros programas e licença neutra em relação à tecnologia. Enquanto os grupos mais conservadores acreditam que a motivação do open source é o anarquismo digital, os defensores dizem que o código livre é uma alternativa de negócio para a indústria de softwares.

No texto a Catedral e o Bazar do autor Eric S. Raymond famoso hacker estadunidense e um dos grandes nomes do "mundo livre" escreve o modelo de desenvolvimento colaborativo, adotado pela maioria dos softwares livres. Compara o modelo tradicional de desenvolvimento a uma catedral, onde, uma equipe bem definida se organiza e desenvolve o seu projeto, entregando o mesmo aos usuários apenas quando estiver concluído. Em contrapartida, Eric apresenta o modelo bazar de desenvolvimento, onde usuários tornam-se parte fundamental do desenvolvimento do projeto, ao realizarem várias tarefas, como reportagem de erros, sugestão de novas funções, suporte técnico e mesmo no desenvolvimento direto.

Eric usa um exemplo próprio para comprovar a viabilidade do modelo bazar de desenvolvimento: ele narra a história do programa fetchmail (programa de recuperação e envio de emails). Nesta história, todos os acontecimentos que o levaram a tornar-se mantenedor do programa estão incluídas, desde o início, quando ele precisava de um programa do tipo e não havia nenhum que suprisse totalmente as suas necessidades, passando pela escolha de programas incompletos, que ele ajudou a melhorar, até culminar com a delegação do cargo de mantenedor do programa que ele escolhera para ajudar. Foi então que ele aplicou ao projeto, a lei chamada por ele próprio de Lei de Linus, onde todos os detalhes do projeto são liberados para os seus usuários, tornando-os co-desenvolvedores do mesmo. Esta lei é resumida pela famosa frase de Raymond "Havendo olhos suficientes, todos os erros são óbvios.", que é a idéia central do modelo bazar de desenvolvimento.

O open source, apesar de ainda ser mal visto por grupos conservadores, tem tido cada vez mais apoio dos negócios tradicionais. Por isso, o código aberto só tende a crescer e começar a fazer parte dia a dia dos usuários.

Exemplos de Open Source

- Pacote Office da Microsoft

- BrOffice

- Firefox

- Audacity

Aluna: Nicole Dias

Matricula: 20124004
Corruption

**Corruption** is a more extreme case of mana duplication wherein sorjin dominates and mutates the natural manageniture of an organism's animus so that they will produce sorjin instead of whatever other mana they originally had.

## Symptoms

Most promafers on Hephestia are not capable of sustaining a sorjin-producing animus, and the cost of hosting one ravages their body. Most amadin-producing organisms' rate of manageniture is in equilibrium with its aetherization rate with the surrounding aethos, but an animus of sorjin consumes the aether around it faster than it can be replenished, resulting in severe withdrawals on the corrupted individual's mind and body.

Because of sorjin's highly corrupting nature, warlocks play a dangerous gambit whenever they perform black magic, and prefer to channel sorjin minimally at their own risk.

## Demons

Among the Sorjachani, the dromuts are famous for their uncanny ability to safely embody corruption, with animi of sorjin which are siphoned by privileged warlocks to channel black magic.

## Involvement

The mage Jeseride is the only known warlock to have conquered the corruption, having successfully incorporated sorjin into his animus.

After he is confined by a subjugation mask and his spellcasting disabled, Jeseride's corruption begins to manifest physically in his skin tissue as black spots (motes of sorjin ioun transmuting under his skin—the motes that develop on the surface or within his inactive radiance just dust off). The flesh around the ioun died with the minute transmutations, slowly converting Jeseride into a self-contained time bomb—similar to how the Alvard victims deteriorated away. Over time, the black spots would coalesce into tumorous pearls that would have to be removed surgically, and they could form anywhere inside of the body.
FLASH MOB

Em inglês, Flash Mob é a abreviação de “flash
mobilization”, ou seja, mobilização rápida. Para ampliar seu significado
podemos dizer que flash mobs são aglomerações instantâneas de pessoas em um
local público para realizar alguma ação inusitada previamente combinada, que
termina e dispersa-se tão rapidamente quanto começou.
 O evento vem tomando formas incríveis e
curiosas nos tempos atuais, principalmente através da dança, que quando
realizada de forma organizada é bastante impactante. Além da dança, outros
artifícios menos populares também podem ser utilizados, como protestos ou
aglomerações em razão de homenagem a alguém ou alguma coisa.
 Uma definição mais simples contribui
para um entendimento mais fácil: São manifestações combinadas através do mundo
virtual, e que acontecem no mundo real. Essa mobilização pode acontecer ao
mesmo tempo e em várias partes do mundo, por pessoas desconhecidas entre si,
mas sempre com um mesmo objetivo.
 Com o surgimento e crescimento
constante das redes sociais e programas de mensagens instantâneas, a troca de
informações e interação entre usuários desconhecidos e que se diferem no espaço
e no tempo, os Flash Mobs se fazem cada vez mais presentes. A interação entre
pessoas que buscam realizar um Flash Mob se dá através do possível contato que
as redes sociais oferecem, e sua divulgação pode ser feita via sms, propagandas
tanto no rádio quanto na televisão, letreiros, folders etc. Os Flash Mobs
surgiram como manifestações públicas, mas hoje em dia alcançam também o cenário
social e econômico.

Raíssa Paula Azevedo Ferreira
Wayman's Almanac

A classic manual on the life of a Wayfarer, recommended reading to legates. The **Wayman's Almanac** was compiled by the adventurer Colwen Bidder, an assortment of anecdotes, stories, survival tips, and other useful information to help new wayfarers get by. Included as well is a simplistic code of honor Bidder described that informed the rules of conduct and basic etiquette wayfarers practiced with one another and their clients.

## Involvement

Noretaid receives a copy and reads it during their travels to improve her Contal-speaking.

## Trivia

* Roetten Strom and Cireias Lorring have both read the full Wayman's Almanac.
Reclamation

A **Reclamation** is a type of holy expedition or military campaign practiced by the different Esshian religions. An individual participating or leading the reclamation is called a **reclaimer**. The Right Eye of God is an identifiable symbol of the reclamations and their patrons, as it would be painted on the shields of early reclaimers.

## Background

During the Purgation Era, King Byreon the Lightbringer initiated a series of Reclamations against the Ephidel Empire.

In the Ushanra Empire, only the Rumsa, as the sole authority of the Diabran faith, can issue a reclamation and appoint a champion to command it.

## In scripture

*"Take my eye...reclaim my Sight...and leave only ashes in your wake."*

> - Oracle of Essha, VERSE NINETEEN WHATEVER
>
>

The story of Essha and the Giants is described as the first Reclamation, as Essha was commanded by God to "reclaim" what was stolen from Him.

## History

### Reclamations of Byreon

*"Press the Fire of Iden to them. Stare them down with his wroth."*

> - King Byreon, DATE
>
>
Suladi Song

The **Suladi Song** describes two things, originally a mythological Weldfan kingdom reputed to lie within the mountains of Ayyarinde in the Grand Augustan, and today its namesake has been adopted by a nativist faction of militant Liashan elves currently fighting as a partisan ally of the Royalist Aorun-Camun Anthem.

## Mythological

There existed a folk legend in the Liashan forests about a city of exceptional, daunting warriors who feared nothing, and so they wore yellow, the color that shows no fear, and challenged the sun itself for its place in the sky. They were called the Sun Warriors, the *Suladi*, and they sang their battle-song into the heavens.

## Historical

[Conquistador]s from the Ioheme Empire and, centuries later, wayfarers from the states of the Continental Congress flocked to the Liashan Concert for its abundance of ancient relics and treasures. They heard of the "city of gold" called Suladi and fruitlessly scourged the forests for the roads that led there, hoping to bring back armfuls of gold. What they failed to understand was the metaphorical nature of Suladi's gold, not representing wealth or treasure, but instead the elves' cultural virtues of courage and bravado.

## Modern

The Suladi militants follow the Yellow Sage, a mysterious demagogue interested in shaping the future a new Liashan Concert without the noise of humanity. After first taking a position of neutrality among the warring parties, the Suladi surprised everyone when they threw in their wary support with the King of the Elves, Prince Nobedan ao Camun, after his less-than voluntary expulsion of foreign support for his military ambitions. Their Lavmoran allies' new Palatine benefactors pressured the House of Laurie to withdraw its ties with the Royalists after a legate's report to the Senate alleged the King's experimentation with necromancy to solve his troop shortage.

The Suladi have since exerted a strong influence over the King, compensating his loss of military funding and arms by gaining the unlikely support of the "yellow bandits." The Aorun-Camun have begun pushing out all foreign presence from their lands and closing ties with the North, shutting down its embassy and recalling its ambassador, who has refused to return to his pending execution for his "collaboration with Northerners."

The Suladi have carved a menacing name for themselves in the conflict, "arm-cutters" who severed the right limbs of elves whom they accused of "taking from the hands of devils." Travelers of the Lia Agrishan can see the disembodied arms strung up in the trees throughout Aleyasha, ghastly warnings to anyone who reaches beyond their grasp.
Samuel Toth

**Aedile** **Samuel Toth** is a high-ranking member of the Arais Emodun and a distinguished mage.

## Involvement

Samuel Toth was a part of the strike team that traveled to Salavia in order to detain the warlock Jeseride. After losing custody of the warlock, Toth returned to Amadi Cais with Myrna and organized the team to perform the autopsy, including the psychoanalyst Cireias Lorring.

## Behind the scenes

Toth was originally a part of the Valpriot Clerics that created the Alvard Bomb.

Toth is secretly a secondary incarnation of the Narangheer Lich, serving discreetly alongside Proconsul Meine as an alternate.

## Trivia

* The name Samuel Toth is meant to be an allusion to Sammael and Thoth, a Judeo-Christian demon and an Egyptian god of knowledge, respectively.
Monetização

Monetização é a transformação de algo em fonte de lucro. Com o uso massivo da internet esse termo passou a ser mais conhecido pois a rede produz muito conteúdo e esse conteúdo pode ser monetizado.

Quando se tem um site, um canal no youtube, um aplicativo ou um blog a ideia é que você produza conteúdo e que esse conteúdo atinja um público. Essa atenção que seu site, canal ou blog desprende faz com que seja interessante para anunciantes terem suas marcas no mesmo espaço que o conteúdo que você produziu e para isso elas, direta ou indiretamente, pagam por essa divulgação.

Para quem deseja anunciar a vantagem é a possibilidade de parear seus anúncios com determinado público. Ex: Um blog que tem como público alvo jovens do sexo masculino pertencentes a classe A e B de 16 até 22 anos é um bom local para anunciar a venda de vídeo games. A desvantagem é a dificuldade de medir a eficiência dos anúncios (nem todo click gera venda).

Para sites, canais e outros meios que anunciam, a vantagem é que (na maioria dos casos) não existe um custo. Esses anúncios ficam separados do conteúdo (normalmente ao lado ou em cima) e podem gerar uma receita alta. Já a desvantagem é que essa renda é instável, o anunciante não tem como prever quantos clicks o anúncio colocado vai gerar.

Uma iniciativa recente foi o Teckler, uma rede social onde as publicações feitas pelos usuários seriam remuneradas de acordo com o número de visualizações. A ideia principal era fazer com que o simples ato de postar conteúdo passasse a ser uma forma de ganhar dinheiro e que isso fosse feito de forma colaborativa. Infelizmente a iniciativa não deu certo e o site encerrou as atividades mas deixou o caminho aberto para o surgimento de novas plataformas para monetização.
Happy Holidays (Christmas Rap)

This is a songfic in which Dodger wishes a Merry Christmas.

## Lyrics

*Uh, uh*

*It's that time of year again*

*December two-five*

*Time for opening presents*

*Families*

*Yuletide*

*It's Christmas*

*M to the E to the double R Y to the X to the Mas*

*Time for parties and celebrations*

*And dancing all night long*

*We're gonna party til the break of dawn*

*Merry Christmas, Happy New Year*

*Hope it's a good one without no fear*

*Happy holidays from the D to the O to the D to the G-E!*

*Dodge!*

**Dodger**: Happy holidays, yo.

## Trivia

* The songfic incorporates the lyrics of Merry Christmas Everyone by Welsh singer Shakin Stevens and John Lennon's Happy Christmas (War is Over)..
Sorjin

**Sorjin** (*sohr-jin*) or *black mana* is a type of high-frequency mana that is universally reactive with all aether.

Spellcasting with sorjin is referred to as **sorcery** or **black magic**.

## Etymology

Sorjin's original name, *icharsarzhen* ("divine wind"), is now only used by the *Marooned* to refer to the original white variant.The bastardized term, sorjin, is tolerated as the name for the black Hephestian version.

The roots *sorja* (sacred, holy) + *jin* (wind, breath). Sorjin channelers commented on the "voice" that occurred to them after repeated channeling. This voice, or command, has been interpreted as the socraj by the Sorjachani, and black magic is described by the demons as channeling the breath of holy spirits, or *jinn*, whose whispers are carried on the 'wind'.

## See also

* Mana
* Anima
* Corruption
* Sorjaharom

## Trivia

* Sorjin is primarily accessed by demonkind because they are the only ones who know how to produce it.
Psi

**Psi** is a type of low-frequency mana, distinct for its long wavelengths and low reactivity with aether.

## Properties

* Luminescence appears red during aetherization.
* During spellwork, all directives are initially versed in psi energy, a filament of thought within a sheathe of stronger mana which shapes the spell.

## Demons

When scrying became possible, the already-maligned races of the Sorjachani became reputed for their glowing red souls, burning like infernal spirits in the matrix of the aethos. Most of the demons naturally can only produce psi energy, capable of tapping into sources of mana but unable to channel from their own animi. Their insidious appearance is a giveaway symptom of their weakness and inability to directly enforce their will into the world of mortals.

## Related

* Aurora
* Meridian
* Radiant
* Anima
* Thauma
* Nova
* Ley
* Sorjin
Veil

Veils, glamor

* [?] A form of illusion magic, except the fandray is making themselves see the illusion, which is then refracted into their collus in the form they have chosen.
* [?] The glamor reflects a spell cast on someone else. If Mirau is making Jeseride see an illusion of herself as a human woman, the colossus ("larger than life") personifies the illusion. The fandray requires a familiar to sustain the illusion, with the successful ensorcellment of the familiar being instrumental in maintaining their disguise. If the illusion is broken or the familiar killed, the colossus will dissipate.
	+ The fandray can invent their own colossus usually.
* If a fandray is attempting to replace someone, they require the compliance of the person to keep them as a familiar to sustain their illusion on. In order for them to steal their identity, the familiar must identify the succubus as their former self. They are psychologically reconditioned into being someone else or "Nothing" through torture or hypnosis, and are convinced that their impersonator is who they say they are. It is crucial for the "host" to completely renounce their identity if the demon is going to seize it for themselves, or else the colossus will fail.
	+ There are some things a fandray can't replicate, which is something they inextricably acquire when their familiar has been divested of their identity. Replacement requires the familiar lose all sense of self, or be too traumatized to reclaim their memory.

## Involvement

"You need to believe I am Keyara. Or else the spell will not work."
The Pestilence

**The Pestilence** is a deadly plague that afflicted the city of Concordia and its surrounding areas.

After the Discontent unleashed the undead Herd created by Jeseride in Concordia, the disease-ridden bodies of the livestock spread a virulent plague throughout the city. With sickness spreading through the populace and the now-freed healers frantically trying to treat the infected, city leaders struggled to regain order and inspire confidence in their new regime, having already attempted to contain the Pestilence by cremating the plagued carcasses of the Herd.

In a futile effort to combat the plague, the newly inaugurated Lord Regent Cumberland pedantically mandated that all citizens should wear protective masks to safeguard against infection, but public outrage has led to the beginnings of a new Discontent, especially as people learned of their new leader's complicity in authorizing the Herd. In an effort to salvage his popularity, the Lord Regent had the mage Eric Oxbee burned in Hunter's Square, declaring him the necromancer responsible for their current crisis. This, of course, did little to undo the damage of the Pestilence, and the opinion on Cumberland's culpability was focused instead of diffused.
Othin

**Othin** is a poison produced and distributed solely by the Batiorum for the Ushanra Empire. It is the only legal substance approved by the Rumsa to provide thegentle death as a means for sanctioned suicide.

## About

The composition of othin is a tightly kept imperial secret, with its covert manufacture reserved to the arcanists of the Batiorum. All that is known about othin is that an unspecified blend of herbs, vitriol, and trolls' blood are ingredients. The last component, trolls' blood, is erroneously believed to have regenerative properties by the hunters who poach them on the black market, and is alleged to be what causes the corpse of the othin victim to "smile."

## Involvement

A vial of othin is found on the body of Ansgav Toram, and after failing to locate his name on the petitioners' list and after checking up on all the recent distributions to make sure the correct people died, Keyara was endorsed by Baharra to be her Eyes and ventured to the Batiorum to probe the possibility that the othin was given to Toram from someone within the conservatory.

## Behind the scenes

Othin is an enchanted poison that simulates the entrance to destiny for suicides by hypnotizing them, numbing their physical senses as the poison aggressively shuts down their body while their mind is entranced by visions of paradise and meeting God. They are then lulled to blissful sleep by cherubs within their lucid dream, a relaxed smile on their corpse.
Truth serum

A **truth serum** is a name for any alcoholic drink. Because of alcohol's toxicity to shapeshifters (dangerously, sometimes lethally, dehydrates them), drinking wine or liquor was used to mixed effectiveness to dispel demons.

Throughout Cremannea, it became common practice to toast to truth by drinking alcohol among friends, proving you weren't a demon. This was an important ceremony performed at the beginning of every political meeting as well, and having so much alcohol on hand before engaging in an emotionally-driven debate probably contributed to more fallen negotiations than anything.

## Trivia

* The Bagharn and Austen amassed great fortune from brewing fantastic beers and wines, due in part to this tradition. Much fear propaganda egged on drinking as a security measure as opposed to a recreation.
* Some extreme inquisitions forcibly made prisoners get drunk to prove their humanity.
* Because of elves' known low tolerance for alcohol, fandrays preferred to disguise themselves as elves, belying their discomfort after a drink as over-sensitivity. Yet another reason elves never won much favor in Cremannean societies.
* Skeptics will often encourage suspicious people to heavy drinking competitions to out them as spies.
Twelve Wonders of Iotheme

The **Twelve Wonders of Iotheme** were legendary artifacts of great magical power crafted by the dwarves of the Shardam Empire with runescript and sold to the Iotheme Empire. The promatleans were responsible for their maintenance and use. While twelve Wonders are written of in Gap documents, only seven are known to date; the natures of the remaining five Wonders remain a mystery.

## History

### The Upheaval

The Sorjachani exploited the Iohemans' Wonders to wreak havoc on Hephestia on a grander scale, constructing Coloma Munda to amplify the effects of the spells. The Upheaval was the period of the demons' concentrated efforts to break down and degrade the native domains into subjugation through arcane warfare using the Wonders.

The Botiac Clerics prevailed against the Sorjachani by learning how to channel mana from their own animi, whereas the promatleans relied on fonts provided by the sorjachani to generate their spells. Now independent, flexible spellcasters, the Clerics were able to outmanuever the predictable demons (who also relied on external sources to channel sorjin, or else used wards to cast spells) and demonstrate new feats of magic.

## The Twelve Wonders

### Rain

Summoned rains to feed the thirsty lands.

### Quake

Caused destructive ground tremors in localized areas.

### Petrification

Turn to stone / Salination (salt the earth; "turn into a pillar of salt") / Dehydration (Drought)
Pnardic dwarves

The **Pnardic dwarves** (*nahr-dik*) are an ethnic group

- fasting

### Tomb-Sweeping Day

A deceased's loved ones, family and friends, make rounds of their ancestors' mausolea and clean them of dust, detritus, and weeds, and then leave votive offerings to honor the dead. Fresh soil replaces old, and any maintenance needed for the burial site is humbly undertaken.

## Culture

### Art

* windchimes
* singing bowls
* gong
* auditorium
* bells; bōnsho (Japanese shrine bells)
* ringing rocks
* deep-cave acoustics; singing and ritual concerts in sacred caves.

• Dwarves have cornered the market on scented candles.

### Names

Dwarven names are notoriously the longest and most complex in the world. Used primarily for record-keeping, the idea around names was that they should define an individual absolutely if they could not be accessed directly—for example, if they were already dead, their formal name would exactly pinpoint whoever it is you were talking about for any given situation. Recent centuries have substantially shortened dwarven names for more flexible and efficient use, consequently making speed dating a much smoother activity.

Nationality • Birthplace • Birth stone • Profession • Clan • Given name

* Nationality – The bagharn the individual identifies with.
* Birthplace
* Birth stone
* Profession
* Clan
* Given name

Informally, but most common, dwarves will simply refer to each other by their clan name followed by their given name (Ex. Cand Gioana).

Dwarves of high-standing or wealth will commonly commission a *senar*, a pictograph that acts as a signature or seal for that person. They are individually unique, used on official documentation as well as carved into edifices donated by the person. Artisans of *senarae* will often artfully incorporate the dwarf’s name in Pnardic or else personalize an iconic image for their clients. The *senar* is not a familial herald; it is reserved to a single individual.

## Language

* *Malu benay* = ugly bastard in Pnardic.
Succubus kiss

The term **succubus kiss** is a colloquial for oral sex. Due to the fandray's lack of sex organs or anything comparable to Hephestian biologies, succubi relied on this technique of seduction to subversively coerce their prey.

## Background

To be "born of a succubus' kiss" is referring to the particularly repulsive and conniving strategy of fandrays stealing their male victims' semen from their encounter and using the material to impregnate a slave or one of their thralls, for the purpose of secretly generating offspring of Hephestian species through surrogate mothers. The unusual offspring created from these pregnancies are called cambions.

While often employed in political history to discreetly produce illegitimate heirs, some pacts deliberately requested the succubus' kiss. The taboo of adultery in Stephedism and most cultures sometimes outweighed the stigma of demonic association. Some morally-obliged men who could not produce an heir relied on the services of these demons to create their children. In the case of women dealers, the curse of infertility or the inability to find a partner could be reason enough to contract the services of a demon to take the matter into their hands.

The lessee would often be unaware of how the child was conceived. The enigma surrounding demonic practices is often reduced to "unknowable magic", even if the truth is something as carnally basic as seminal kidnapping.
Cracker

**Crackers** são pessoas aficionadas por informática que utilizam seu grande conhecimento na área para quebrar códigos de segurança, senhas de acesso a redes e códigos de programas com fins criminosos. Em alguns casos, o termo “Pirata Virtual” é usado como sinônimo para cracker.

Diferente do que se prega na mídia, hackers e crackers possuem propósitos totalmente diferentes. Enquanto o primeiro grupo visa tornar a informática acessível a todos e apenas apontar possíveis falhas de um sistema, o segundo conjunto invade computadores e quebra sistemas de segurança procurando lucrar o máximo possível com a ação.

Cracker e crakeado. Qual a diferença?

 Os termos utilizados para nomear os malfeitores da internet também dão origem a outras gírias virtuais. O cracker, como explicado acima, é a pessoa que invade os sistemas a fim de quebrar os códigos de segurança.

 Quando o malfeitor tem sucesso em suas ações, diz-se que o programa invadido foi crackeado, ou seja, teve a sua segurança quebrada. Há ainda o termo crack, que normalmente é utilizado para fazer referência a uma ferramenta desenvolvida pelo cracker a fim de alterar chaves de registro e licenças de uso de aplicações pagas.
Roach

**Roach**, real name **Pulio Kyvaskes**, is a freed slave and rickshaw driver from Athens lives in the city of Usharbanipal. He is a friend of Keyara's and aids her as an ear in the streets.

## Biography

Roach was enslaved to a man who owned a rickshaw in Athens, where he met the young Keyara during excursions to the city from her family home. He moonlit as an information broker, listening to the gossip of his customers or chatting with them during his fares, passing on whatever was useful to whoever was interested for a small token.

In DATE, Roach said farewell to Keyara as his owner sought the better fares in Usharbanipal.

### Recently

After the Treaty of Serez was signed, Roach was liberated from his owner, whom he surprised with coin to buy the pullcart from him. Having no other trade skills, Roach continued to taxi commuters in the capital, trading more valuable secrets to a new brand of clientele.

## Involvement

Before Keyara and Baharra come to Usharbanipal, Keyara contacted Roach to anticipate her arrival and get their plans moving.

Roach acquires a drake for Keyara.
Silver

The metal **silver**.

Silver is, for some reason, toxic to some of the sorjachani races. Upon discovering this, Hephestians assumed it had mystical, anti-demon (and thus *holy*) properties.

Thaumaturge and ArEm collars and gorgets are made out of silver.

## Myths

The itzhin are often subjected to the myth that silver harms them, stemming from the common but unwelcomed stereotype that the itzhin are demonic beings.

KEYARA

"A silver ring?" Baharra noted towards Loriv. "I had heard silver was harmful to your kind."
Mascad smiled amiably, and even laughed, but Keyara didn't miss the flicker of annoyance that lit the Kailar's sharp face. "Haha, Your Radiance, you mustn't trust all the myths that strangers assign to us. Yes, we are a private people, which admittedly does not lend well to educating the masses, but we are no different than you or the elves we call grandfathers."
Loriv scoffed. "Except that we're blue."
Sacculum

The ***sacculum*** ("sack") is a hooded, face-obscuring cowl worn by Stephedist priests in emulation of the bag tied over Oracle Solemn's head when he was stoned to death. The *sacculum* is a homage to Solemn, meant to conceal God's Inner Light in Man (soul) from "the darkness of man" (willful ignorance; treachery; evil).

In emulation of the Oracle Solemn, all ordained members of the Stephedist clergy wear a specially tailored *sacculum* over their heads as a part of their liturgical vestments. The *sacculum* symbolizes Solemn’s suffering, with darkness and sensory deprivation being major principles in Stephedist ritual. Despite the symbolic effect of conveying blindness, the *sacculum*'s front is fabricated in a way to allow the entry of light into the cowl but to conceal the face underneath, allowing for the wearer to discreetly see through the fabric with little obstruction.

## Design

The *sacculum* has evolved over the generations. Originally just a linen bag with eyeholes or a hood worn reverently by early veters to hide their identities during bygone days of persecution, as Stephedism formalized alongside Hephestia's largest and most powerful theological institution in history, so too did its image. The Stephedist sacculum has since become very regal: braided cords ending in tassels are used to fasten the *sacculum* at the collar, secured with a rich pendant or decorative knot over the chest. Saccula are fashioned from expensive fabrics such as velvet or silk, at some times embroidered with gold or silver filigrees. They are usually black in color.

## Trivia

* Also called Solemn’s Veil.
* Scrying is sometimes referred to as "seeing through Solemn's veil".
* The *sacculum* is only used during ceremonies. During regular hours, veters will simply wear the hat of their rank and station.
* Throughout history, some extreme penitents have used the *sacculum* as a means to end their own lives, pulling the cords so tight around their necks to cause asphyxiation.
Wall of Destiny

The **Wall of Destiny** is the alleged site of Oracle Solemn's execution by stoning in the city of \_\_\_\_, said to have holy properties from the oracle's spilled blood. Penitents seeking visions of their fates travel from around the world to touch the faded sandstone bricks, leaving the wall a collage of handprints from hopeful palms over millennia.
Sheol

A **sheol** (*shole*) is a shantytown in Sitaram, sprawling urban slums that flank the outer walls and hillsides of cities. The sheols are cesspools filled with poverty, disease, overpopulation, hunger, and crime. Minor demons, too weak to spread influence in the cities, often venture into the sheols to carve out their personal niche, establishing fiefs of Underworld territory within these squalid neighborhoods. The demons exchange arcane feats for the tribute and loyalty of their roughshod triunes, more akin to street gangs than disciples and recruited from the thieves and vagabonds of the ghetto. From their dilapidated pavilions, these "lords of the flies" exploit the most desperate of mankind for any measure of power, reaping what little they can from their destitute subjects.

## Trivia

* *Sheol* is the name for the Judaic underworld where both the righteous and wicked are sent to after death, regardless of moral integrity during life.
* The sheols are inspired by the favelas of Brazil and other urban slums in developing parts of the world.
Oracle

**Oracles** (**Oc**.), also called **foreseers**, are divinely inspired clairvoyants with the powers of foresight and divine insight who serve as prophets of God and singularly provide auguries received from the Future, events that have not occurred yet in the timeline of God's Divine Itinerary. The most famous oracles revealed futures of catastrophic events, and their prophecies were notoriously ambiguous in wording. Seers, theological scholars, and priests then later correlate the details of an oracle's revelation with current events, hoping to identify the fulfillment of prophecies previously revealed.

Officially, ecclesiastical councils of the Stephedist Vistern's higher-ranking clerics would convene on the occasions that a prophecy has been fulfilled, of prophecies that have been formally acknowledged as being potentially true. The Stephedist Witness and the College of Diviners review, decipher, and debate the written text of the oracle, natures, authenticity, and validity of possible revelations in Vistern archives.

## Observed oracles

* Essha, the Oracle of Fate.
* Irrah, the Oracle of Penance.
* Yelen, the Oracle of Truth.
* Gap oracles, numerous unnamed or minor false or disputed oracles on vigil during the Gap.
* Solemn, the Oracle of Peace.
* Martan, the Oracle of Doom.

### Other oracles

* Lurraine, the Oracle of Faith.
* Shadir, the Oracle of Life.

## False Oracles & False Visions

A special division of Vistern clerks called the Curia have historically been tasked with verifying the legitimacy of the ravings of would-be oracles against honest, divinely inspired prophets. Men of Yelen have traditionally served as curators on behalf of the Witness, investigating reports of fortune-tellers and gouging the eyes of convicted perjurers.

While many turn out to be insane or charlatans, if the questioned augur's prediction of future events conveys plausibility, the augur's revelation could then be recorded and archived by the Vistern until something happens. In such a circumstance that the details of an augur's revelation can be plausibly alluded to to warrant further investigation, the revelation is then pored over by the Stephedist elite, who render the Vistern's official exegesis about it validity. The disgraced Oracle of Lauroen was almost officiated in this way until the veto of Witness Celebras. It is believed that Lauroen's Oracle remained tactfully censored due to the backlash of Stephedist inquisitors having blinded a true vessel of God's Sight should the Vistern recant its previous verdict.

False oracles in the past were accused of macabre rituals to simulate the oracular visions received by the true oracles. Augury through bones, animal entrails, tea leaves, and necromancy were classified as heresy and outlawed by the Vistern.
Himasser i-Gizthar

**Kailar Himasser i-Gizthar** was an Ushanran general and itzhin aristocrat during the Valpriot War who staged a coup d'etat after the Alvard Incident when he seized control of the Ushocon and ordered the Sacking of Usharbanipal, founding the Ushanran Cabal which removed Rumsa Mizaara ai-Shunra and the House of Ushar from power.

## Biography

### Death

With the return of Fayza, the Cabal acquiesced that Himasser had gone too far and had to be removed, and so as subtly as they could, they began screening for his replacement.

Himasser was approved for the gentle death by the Cabal, who registered his name on his behalf. When summoned to a private meeting by his associates, he was instead presented a vial of othin, and Himasser was obliged to redeem himself and accept the Cabal's offer.

The Kailar was entombed in his birthplace, the Mareshal territories.
Sorjachani

The **Sorjachani** ("blessed children") are the main faction of demons who came to Hephestia from Alaniji.

## Culture

### Science and medicine

When the Sorjachani first made contact with ancient Hephestians, they seduced the mortals with the promises of power and secret knowledge. Communion with the foreigners from Alaniji implied this claim to be true, with evidence suggesting the demons hailed from a more advanced civilization than their own. Many demons established their followings around education, training apprentices in the secrets of the arcane, science, philosophy, and more.

The demons' broad, uninhibited scope for research allowed for them to innovate far beyond what the Stephedist kingdoms of the East permitted, publishing much of what is today's accepted knowledge of the world. Encyclopedias, pharmacopeia, anatomical manuals, astrological instruments, and accurate navigational charts all came from Sitaram, the bastion of renegade demonic power after the Ruin of Ioheme.

Unrestrained by the iron compass of Stephedist morality, demons in Sitaram liberally experimented on their thralls to further their research goals (or in many instances, to satisfy a wicked curiosity). Torture, vivisection, and unspeakable acts of magic were and continue to be practiced by the intelligentsia of the Sorjachani, exploring new ways to manipulate and exploit the mortal form. Despite the heinous source of the information, much of Eastern medicine has been informed by the demons' published works, and their diagrams of the human body revealed centuries of medical breakthroughs. Sex education is one of the most heavily invested fields of study by sorjachani, where in Sitaram the demons practice selective breeding, contraception, and health awareness to control and contort the population.
Promanaeum

The **promanaea** (s. **promanaeum**), also called the **House of Promatles**, were temples of magical scholarship and practice in Ancient Iotheme dedicated to the god of power and ingenuity Promatles. The priests who attended his cult and exercised their powers were the promatleans.

## History

The promanaea housed the Twelve Wonders of Iotheme.

During the Sorjachani Invasion, the promanaea became scholomances for the training of warlock recruits.

## See also

* Aklarra
* Magisteria
* Presidiums
Protectorate

Statistics

The Arais Emodun is divided into two main branches, the educational Magisterium and the policy-enforcing **Protectorate**, each subdivided into specialized departments. The Protectorate is the main authority on deciding arcane law and enforcement, providing emergency response to arcane incidents as well as investigating and prosecuting violations of arcane policy in the East.
Tivar

The **Tivar** culture descends from Weldfan elven slaves brought to Cremannea from the Liashan Concert during the Tivar Dynasty.

## See also

* Ephidel Empire
* Weldfan
* Fidan
* Biascian

## Trivia

* Elven ghettos in Cremalian cities are often called woodworks. Their populations are mostly of Tivar or Weldfan descent.

## Notes

Inspiration:

* Romanian gypsy nomads
* Creole/Cajun slave culture
* Chinese immigrants in other cultures; mystics, medicine men (love potions and clarity), herbalists
* Death-singers; seances and other voodoo dolls (Hair culture)
* Farmer markets
Oracle Martan

**Oracle Martan** was an important prophet of the early Stephedist faith.

## Personal Life

Martan was a strict ascetic who advocated the rejection of earthly pleasures, going so far as to sprinkle ashes on his meals to prevent himself from enjoying food. He had a thirteen-year old wife and had two children by her.

## History

### Martyrdom

Martan's increasingly inflammatory rhetoric and calls for austerity irked many powerful figures in the court of his patron Emperor Reian of Austen, who, at the behest of his ministers, acquiesced to the demands for the clairvoyant's disposal. Reian jailed the prophet and after three months sentenced him to burn at the stake.

## Trivia

* Martan's inspiration draws from two historical figures: the 14th Century Italian Dominican friar Girolamo Savanorola; and the 15th Century French physician Nostradamus.

## Notes

* His oracle condemned mages as the servants and spawn of demons and that their reckless practice of magic defied the physics of God's world, and threatened to unravel the natural universe with their tampering of divine energies to revise what God had established. This event would be called Doomsday, and five signs were believed to herald its onset.