Labyrinth

Definitions for game-specific terms, both relating to parts of the game's setting, and game mechanics and roleplaying. This page is intended as a reference, rather than something you should actually read all the way through, as the terms are also generally described on their relevant pages.

[ ]: often used to mark out-of-character text embedded in otherwise in-character text
Ballgowning: roleplaying in-character romances
CAMPO: Campaign Organiser, the head(s) of the GM team
Debrief: an extra meeting at the end of the game where we discuss what happened and reveal secrets
Downtime: the part of the game in between sessions, involving written rather than live roleplay
Eternity: an extra, public turnsheet at the end of the game about the rest of the character's life
Fluff: aspects of the game's storytelling not represented by game mechanics
FOIP: “find out in play”, i.e. the GMs aren't going to tell you now but perhaps you'll find out later
GM: the people who plan and run the game
IC / in character: part of the fiction of the game
Metagaming: a player using OC knowledge to decide their character's actions, where the character does not have access to that information, especially in cases where this is inappropriate (it isn't always)
NPC / non-player character: character played by the GMs
OC / out of character: real, non-fictional
PC / player character: character whose part a player plays
Physrep: costume and props
PvE: “player vs. environment”, situations where PCs are in competition with NPCs or the world at large (e.g. monsters in the Labyrinth)
PvP: “player vs. player”, situations where PCs are in competition with each other, either directly or indirectly
Quirk: a game-mechanical trait describing an aspect of a PC's circumstances and plot
Rank: a numerical representation of skill, magic or social status level
Session: the part of the game involving physically meeting and acting (synonymous with “uptime”)
Skill: a game-mechanical trait describing a PC's ability to do certain categories of task
Turnsheet: a written description sent to the GMs of a player's plans for a downtime, and the GMs' response describing how those plans go
Uptime: the part of the game involving physically meeting and acting (synonymous with “session”)

Alasset: a major province, the breadbasket of the Southern Empire
Altalyria: a major province, the breadbasket of the Northern Empire
Arbiter: soldier of the 13th Legion's 2nd Cohort, administers law
Arshabeya: the Purdanist goddess of darkness and good
Calling: the particular criterion Sathists believe is used to evaluate each person's success in life
Centurion: mid-rank military leader of the 13th Legion
Chapter master/-ess: leader of a chapter within a holy order
Church of the Guardian: The organised church following the Unspoken Word religion
Clan: a group of related Gentens with similar designs
Cohort: major division of the military of the 13th Legion (1000 soldiers)
Corpunia: a major province of the Northern Empire, harsh but rich in resources
Creed of Moderation: a common part of almost all Gentens' designs, forbidding excess proliferation
Crown of Horns: the crown of the Tharenan Empire, now lost
Custodian: soldier of the 13th Legion's 1st Cohort, guards the city
Damya: title of the Ezu merchant caste
Delegate: members of the ruling council of Dolom
Delegation: the ruling council of Dolom
Design: the basic desires chosen for a Genten by their parent
The divine medium: a rare substance used in the spiritual practices of the Ezu priest caste, also known as ether
Divine Mysteries: the religion of the Ezu Plateau
Divine servant: members of the Ezu servant caste who serve the priests directly
Dominion: major ecclesiastical province of the Church of the Guardian
Dragon's ichor: an oily gel produced by Dragonblooded, highly flammable on contact with the air
Dragonblooded (pl. Dragonblooded): people with variably draconic features, often nobles
Eosena: the Eastern continent
Ether: a rare substance used in the spiritual practices of the Ezu priest caste and the forges of the 13th Legion
Eyestone: the Slimefolk's eyes, which can be added, removed and re-used
Fist art: Ezu unarmed martial arts styles
Fixed clan: Genten clan with a written specification for a design which all members must follow
Flame sac: small organ in the neck of Dragonblooded that produces and expels dragon's ichor
Forgemaster prime: head forgemaster of the 13th Legion
Forgemaster: high-rank civilian leader of the 13th Legion
Fre: a tall, thin Ssar morph, with larger skulls
Fusion: either the process of Slimefolk combining together, or the resulting merged individual
Gatekeeper: tribune of the 13th Legion's 1st Cohort, in charge of guarding the city
Genten: people with bizarre desires and hard shells
Grandmaster/-ess: leader of a holy order
Great House: the noble houses descended from Kallia's companions, second only to the imperial house
The Guardian: the god followed by the Unspoken Word religion
Guildmaster: guild members with an administrative/leadership role in the Allied Guilds
Helat: a major province of the Southern Empire, Kholeis's hinterland
High arbiter: tribune of the 13th Legion's 2nd Cohort, in charge of law
High custodian: centurion of the 13th Legion's 1st Cohort, in charge of guarding the city
Holy order: a sort of organization within the Church of the Guardian which performs some specific charitable purpose
Inner Gods: a 3-part goddess of the Divine Mysteries, who creates the world, guides it, then destroys it
Inner Sea: the sea at the centre of the known world
Kanuum: a mountainous border region of the Northern Empire
Kholeis: a major province of the Southern Empire, highly urban
Kythara: the island where the Labyrinth is located
Labyrinth: an enormous network of strange and often inhabited underground chambers
Lav: a broad, stocky, short-snouted Ssar morph
Legate: ruler of the 13th Legion
Livery: distinct clothing styles which mark guild membership in the Allied Guilds
Lord captain: A high-ranking governor in the Southern Empire
Lord governor: A middle-ranking governor in the Southern Empire
Lord prefect: A low-ranking governor in the Southern Empire
Lyrian Empire: Tharena's ancient rival, long since defeated
Master of the inner territories: tribune of the 13th Legion's 3rd Cohort
Master of the outer territories: tribune of the 13th Legion's 4th Cohort
Mentor: a Wildborn who acts like a surrogate parent to another Wildborn they discovered, teaching them to change form, and bringing them into civilisation
Mithura: the Purdanist god of light and evil
Morph: one of the specialized varieties of Ssar, with different physical traits
Most Eminent and Reverent Order of Word-Keepers of the Temple of the Scale of the Guardian: the holy order which rules Kythara and runs the base camp where sessions take place
Muella (pl. Muella): mushroom people
Muella Circle: group of Muella raising their children communally
Nanteia: a major province of the Southern Empire, important for trade with the West
Northern Empire: one of the successor empires to the Tharenan Empire, styles itself The Divine Empire of Tharena
Overworld: the world outside the Labyrinth
Palonia: a major province of the Northern Empire, notable for its art and age
Path of the Crucible: the field of magic for creating specific substances and compounds
Path of the Earth: the field of magic for creating solids in bulk
Path of the Hammer: the field of magic for creating detailed objects and tools
Path of the Heavens: the field of magic for creating fluids in bulk
Path of the Moon: the field of magic for growing plants and influencing the weather
Path of the Mountain: the field of magic for enhancing strength and toughness
Path of the River: the field of magic for enhancing agility
Path of the Sun: the field of magic for creating fire, light, etc.
Pathaan: an ethnic group which remains somewhat unassimilated in the Northern Empire
Praetorian guard: the 13th Legion's legate's personal guard
Pree: title of the Ezu warrior caste
Principia (pl. principiae): leader of a dominion, the highest rank in the Church of the Guardian
Public servant: members of the servant caste who govern the Ezu Plateau
Purdanism: a dualistic religion popular in Altalyria
Roshi: title of the Ezu servant caste
Sathi: an ethnic group which remains somewhat unassimilated in the Northern Empire
Sathism: a religion of ambition, popular in Corpunia
She Who Lights the Fire: the first of the Inner Gods of the Divine Mysteries, the creator
She Who Smothers the Flame: the third of the Inner Gods of the Divine Mysteries, the destroyer
She Who Stokes the Flame: the second of the Inner Gods of the Divine Mysteries, who guides the Ezu people
Slime: synonym for Slimefolk
Slimefolk (pl. Slimefolk): people made of amorphous goo
Spawning: group of Ssar siblings born together
Ssar (pl. Ssar): cold-blooded people with lizard-like features
Supreme duke/supreme duchess: the successor and junior partner in governance of the Southern Empire's emperor.
Surimutum: a hotly contested border region of the Northern Empire
Tharenan Empire: the old empire which divided into The Northern and Southern Empires
Thengi: an ethnic group which remains somewhat unassimilated in the Northern Empire
Thyslann: the world where Labyrinth is set
Tik: a short, lithe, long-snouted Ssar morph
Tribune: high-ranking military leader of the 13th Legion, in charge of a cohort
The Unspoken Word: the state religion of the Tharenan Empire
Weapon art: Ezu martial arts styles using weapons
Wildborn (pl. Wildborn): animals who randomly developed sapience
Word-Keepers: the Most Eminent and Reverent Order of Word-Keepers of the Temple of the Scale of the Guardian
Yama: title of the Ezu priest caste
Yulaia: the heartland of the Northern Empire surrounding the ancient city of Tharena
Za-Rin: a nature-worshipping religion of the Land of Endless Sky
Zong-Di Shao: the Western continent

The World

Eosena: the Eastern continent
Inner Sea: the sea at the centre of the known world
Kythara: the island where the Labyrinth is located
Northern Empire: also called the Divine Empire of Tharena
Overworld: the world outside the Labyrinth
Southern Empire: also called the Tharenan Empire
Thyslann: the world where Labyrinth is set
Tharenan Empire: the old empire which divided into The Northern and Southern Empires
Zong-Di Shao: the Western continent

13th Legion

Arbiter: soldier of the 2nd Cohort, administers law
Centurion: mid-rank military leader
Cohort: major division of the military (1000 soldiers)
Custodian : soldier of the 1st Cohort, guards the city
Ether: a rare substance used in the forges of the Legion
Ether Forge a forge which uses ether to reach temperatures capable of working with metals unique to the Labyrinth
Forgemaster: high-rank civilian leader
Forgemaster prime: head forgemaster
Gatekeeper: tribune of the 1st Cohort, in charge of guarding the city
High arbiter: tribune of the 2nd Cohort, in charge of law
High custodian: centurion of the 1st Cohort, in charge of guarding the city
Judge: centurion of the 2nd Cohort, in charge of law
Legate: ruler of the Legion's Military
Master of the inner territories: tribune of the 3rd Cohort
Master of the outer territories: tribune of the 4th Cohort
Praetorian guard: the legate's personal guard
Tribune: high-ranking military leader, in charge of a cohort

Allied Guilds

Guildmaster: guild members with an administrative/leadership role
Livery: distinct clothing styles which mark guild membership

Ezu Plateau

Damya: title of the merchant caste
Divine servant: members of the servant caste who serve the priests directly
The divine medium: a rare substance used in the spiritual practices of the priest caste, also known as ether
Fist art: unarmed martial arts styles
Public servant: members of the servant caste who govern the Ezu Plateau
Roshi: title of the servant caste
Pree: title of the warrior caste
Weapon art: martial arts styles using weapons
Yama: title of the priest caste

Free City of Dolom

Delegate: members of the ruling council
Delegation: the ruling council

Kythara

Labyrinth: an enormous network of strange and often inhabited underground chambers
Most Eminent and Reverent Order of Word-Keepers of the Temple of the Scale of the Guardian: the holy order which rules Kythara and runs the base camp where sessions take place
Word-Keepers: the Most Eminent and Reverent Order of Word-Keepers of the Temple of the Scale of the Guardian

Land of Endless Sky no specific terms

Northern Empire

Altalyria: a major province, the breadbasket of the empire
Corpunia: a major province, harsh but rich in resources
Kanuum: a mountainous border region
Lyrian Empire: Tharena's ancient rival, long since defeated
Palonia: a major province, notable for its art and age
Pathaan: an ethnic group which remains somewhat unassimilated
Sathi: an ethnic group which remains somewhat unassimilated
Surimutum: a hotly contested border region
Thengi: an ethnic group which remains somewhat unassimilated
Yulaia: the heartland surrounding Tharena

Southern Empire

Alasset: a major province, breadbasket of the empire
Great House: the noble houses descended from Kallia's companions, second only to the imperial house
Helat: a major province, Kholeis's hinterland
Kholeis: a major province, highly urban
Lord captain: A high-ranking governor
Lord governor: A mid-ranking governor
Lord prefect: A low-ranking governor
Nanteia: a major province, important for trade with the West
Supreme duke/supreme duchess: the Emperor's successor and junior partner in governance.

Dragonblooded (pl. Dragonblooded): people with variably draconic features, often nobles
Genten: people with bizarre desires and hard shells
Muella (pl. Muella): mushroom people
Slime: synonym for Slimefolk
Slimefolk (pl. Slimefolk): people made of amorphous goo
Ssar (pl. Ssar): cold-blooded people with lizard-like features
Wildborn (pl. Wildborn): animals who randomly developed sapience

Dragonblooded

Dragon's ichor: an oily gel, highly flammable on contact with the air
Flame sac: small, muscular organ in the neck that produces and expels dragon's ichor

Gentens

Clan: a group of related Gentens with similar designs
Creed of Moderation: a common part of almost all Gentens' designs, forbidding excess proliferation
Design: the basic desires chosen for a Genten by their parent
Fixed clan: clan with a written specification for a design which all members must follow

Muella

Muella Circle: group of Muella raising their children communally

Slimefolk

Eyestone: the Slimefolk's eyes, which can be added, removed and re-used
Fusion: either the process of people combining together, or the resulting merged individual

Ssar

Fre: a tall, thin morph, with larger skulls
Lav: a broad, stocky, short-snouted morph
Morph: one of the specialized varieties of Ssar, with different physical traits
Spawning: group of Ssar siblings born together
Tik: a short, lithe, long-snouted morph

Wildborn

Mentor: a Wildborn who acts like a surrogate parent to another Wildborn they discovered, teaching them to change form, and bringing them into civilisation

Divine Mysteries: the religion of the Ezu Plateau
Purdanism: a dualistic religion popular in the Altalyria region of the Northern Empire
Sathism: a religion of ambition, popular in the Corpunia region of the Northern Empire
The Unspoken Word: the state religion of the Northern and Southern Empires
Za-Rin: a nature-worshipping religion of the Land of Endless Sky

Divine Mysteries

Inner Gods: a 3-part goddess, who creates the world, guides it, then destroys it
She Who Lights the Fire: the first of the Inner Gods, the creator
She Who Smothers the Flame: the third of the Inner Gods, the destroyer
She Who Stokes the Flame: the second of the Inner Gods, who guides the Ezu people

Purdanism

Arshabeya: the goddess of darkness and good
Mithura: the goddess of light and evil

Sathism

Calling: the particular criterion Sathists believe is used to evaluate each person's success in life

The Unspoken Word

Chapter master/-ess: leader of a chapter within a holy order
Church of the Guardian: The organised church following the Unspoken Word religion
Dominion: major ecclesiastical province
Grandmaster/-ess: leader of a holy order
Guardian Goddess: the god followed by the Unspoken Word religion
Holy order: a sort of organization within the Church of the Guardian which performs some specific charitable purpose
Principia (pl. principiae): leader of a dominion, the highest rank in the Church of the Unspoken Word

Za-Rin no specific terms

Glossary

Out Of Character Terms

In-Character Terms Alphabetically

By Location

By Species

By Religion

Labyrinth