Unfit (13 page)

  Throughout the Age of Lightning, it is these most powerful of the Electrokinetics who control the world. A Namika typically lives about 300 to 500 years, before his powers begin to weaken and his retainers become bold enough to challenge him.

MCFSG
‒ the Mercantile Collective of Freemen and Specialists Guild. The single worldwide entity that handles all the specialty crafts including all mechanic type, carpentry type and masonry type trades.

  The guild is very protective of member rights. Any Namika who mistreats guild members may see the MCFSG apply punitive actions to their demesne, up to withdrawal of all services. For example, since MCFSG controls most of the world oil supply, a punishment could consist of a fuel embargo. No Namika in recorded history has been able to survive the riots resulting from a fuel embargo.

  The High Family class is closely tied to the MCFSG, which is why they enjoy their many societal privileges.

Merge
‒ 3
^rd
state of telepathic communication where minds unite to perform a specific task.

  A merge has a head (the controller), one or more carriers minds (to add distance), one or more drivers (the engines to give the push), and a focus mind (if the head of the merge is physically beyond the merge’s combined rating).

  The merge acts under one will (that of the head). The minds that comprise the merge retain their own thoughts, but act as one temporary will for the merge’s duration.

  In the telepathic rating system, the rating measures the distance. So an R10 telepath would be able to maintain rapport over a distance of ten metres. An R9 working with an R10 in a merge would get 9 times 10 to cover 90m of distance.

Naiskarin
‒ The special rank of the highest telepath in a given demesne (eg serves directly under the Namika).

  Sometimes a travelling Lightning, who does not yet have retainers, will appoint a Naiskarin. Usually this occurs when he makes official plans to challenge for control of a demesne, so that if he wins he can quickly establish a stable government.

Named Lightning
‒ A Lightning (usually a Namika) officially endorsed by the Council of Lightnings. A named Lightning has agreed to abide by Council principles and regulations.

Named Power
‒ Any one of the major powers (Telekinesis, Telepathy, Chronomancy, Kinesiosis, or Teleportation) or one of their sub disciplines.

Namika
‒ leader of a demesne. A Namika is the Lightning who has managed to gain control of a region and forced all lower Lightnings to either leave or become his retainers.

  A Namika typically chooses his most powerful and/or trusted retainers and grants them the title of Elika. The Elika will vie for control of the demesne after the Namika passes away.

  A Namika is the highest authority in his demesne, since the Council of Lightnings does not interfere in local disputes. See also Council of Lightnings.

Pyrokinetic
‒ (see also, Kinetic) One whose power is to agitate molecules to create heat. Note that most pyrokinetics are also cryokinetics (able to freeze things by slowing down molecules).

Rapport
‒ 2
^nd
state of telepathic communication that allows two-way communication.

  Normally rapport requires two trained minds, or one trained mind working with a very familiar mind, such as a family member.

  Forced rapports are used to gain or remove information from the victim’s mind. A forced rapport on a non-telepath is a headache-inducing unpleasant experience. On a telepath or a trained mind, a forced rapport is not always successful. Frequently attackers will use visual or audible triggers to try to force memories out.

Regular Class
‒ (Aka Working Class, Peasantry, or Serfs) Citizens who till the land or maintain property, are given free basic education and are allowed to pay for medical services. The vast majority of people are Regular class citizens.

Ruling Class
‒ Normally a Namika and his hierarchy of Elika and Lightnings. As stated under the entry for Namika, the ruling class is answerable to no higher power for judicial matters. Therefore few demesnes have court systems.

  In the absence of a Namika, often telekinetics will take control of the demesne. However, since telekinetics typically cannot control telepaths, rule usually slides to whatever Lightning is able to seize the opportunity.

Standard
‒ The common written language.

  Standard was created when the telepaths took control as a way of making communication easier.

  Initially, after the Lightnings took power, people would tend to migrate to demesnes rumoured to have the best conditions. Since policing borders was impossible, Lightnings devised separate writing schemes as a means of discouraging migration. It proved so effective that for some time Standard fell into disuse.

  High Family kept alive Standard writing since they needed worldwide communication.

Tapping
‒ the process of blocking a lightning bolt.

  A bolt is best tapped by releasing its electrons into the ground. Weaves are more difficult to tap, so Lightnings expecting weaves will sometimes use a lightning rod to help.

Telekinetic
‒ (see also, Kinetic) One whose powers are to control protons.

  Telekinetics can lift mass, separate it, and generally crush it or expand it. High rated Telekinetics can manipulate fine particles. The Telekinetic rating system calculates one point per 100 kg of lifting force a telekinetic can produce. So an R10 telekinetic can lift 1000 kg and hold the mass indefinitely.

  Most telekinetics are not adept enough to move fine particles like electrons and neutrinos. As such, they cannot maintain the electrostatic fields required to block telepathic attack.

Telepaths Guild
‒ The collective of telepaths, based from on the Lightning Council’s island.

  The telepaths guild is subservient to the Council of Lightnings. They receive protections from them (the leaders cannot be traded or sold) and in turn they grant their services in recruitment for forcing new telepaths into the system.

  The telepaths guild is divided into several divisions such as a training division, a recovery division, a ranking / placement division (The Gaolodh division), a biopathic healing division and many more.

Teleportive Guild
‒ The teleporter’s guild operates independently, like other worldwide guilds, to provide teleportation services for a fee.

  The teleporters guild is nominally associated with the MCFSG, and will join ranks to deny services when called upon.

  In a conventional agreement with the Council of Lightnings, the teleporters are allowed to take regular class children into custody for training if they demonstrate the slightest potential. This is slightly different from the telepaths, who will usually bypass a low-rated emoter-receiver.

  Teleportive children are all automatically guild members and enjoy many privileges of High Family. This most rare of all the named powers is held as crucial for world communication.

Warren
‒ a centre for healing.

  Warrens typically trade money or goods for their services. They operate independently, but follow a similar structure to each other, conferring through a central office that itself is a warren in a demesne in the region known as Orion.

  Through a long history of mystique, warrens have maintained a system of neutrality from the various worldwide guilds that have risen and fallen around them throughout the history of man. Even the telepath guild’s biopathic division is more allied to the warrens, and trains its people independently of the guild.

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