Glossary

• Atlas Facet: See: Facet, Atlas

• Atlas Keepers: A consortium of collaborative Travellers archiving their stories through the stars. Comprised of the seven Facets.

• Basdus: An old Vy'keen word that means "to return," but can also be translated as "to do again," "to do over," or "to reinvent."

• Beacon-Child: A colloquial name for the Beacon-Entity.

• Calm Before: The era preceding the Great Shift.

• Cha’kers: A simple Vy'keen game of strategy played with rocks on a tiled board.

• Culture Facet: See: Facet, Culture

• Facet: A general category of expertise within the Atlas Keepers with which individual Keepers can affiliate. The seven Facets are Atlas, Culture, Fauna, Flora, Gadget, Geo, and the Providers.

• Facet, Atlas: The faction of the Atlas Keepers dedicated to understanding the Travellers' role in the universe, the fabric of reality, and the Atlas itself.

• Facet, Culture: The faction of the Atlas Keepers devoted to generating, preserving, and encouraging creative works.

• Facet, Fauna: The faction of the Atlas Keepers concerned with discovering, studying, and documenting animal species.

• Facet, Flora: The faction of the Atlas Keepers dedicated to investigating the aesthetic, nutritional, and medicinal qualities of planetary flora.

• Facet, Gadget: The faction of the Atlas Keepers tasked with manipulating metallic elements, circuits, software, and simple machines.

• Facet, Geo: The faction of the Atlas Keepers committed to exploring all the terrains the universe offers.

• Facet, Providers: See: Providers, The

• Fauna Facet: See: Facet, Fauna

• Flare Signal: The energy discharge given off by Travellers during their creation or rebirth. Can be pinpointed with specialized technology.

• Flora Facet: See: Facet, Flora

• Gadget Facet: See: Facet, Gadget

• Geo Facet: See: Facet, Geo

• Great Shift: See: Shift, Great

• Kept, the: The Travellers monitored by, or in contact with, the Beacon-Entity who do not also possess an official Atlas Keeper status.

• Living Ship: A biological starship, hatched from a Void Egg.

• Lost Traveller: A colloquial name for the Traveller Key-Glyph.

• Phase Phenomenon, The: Bea'key's name for the cosmic event that threw her and Bo'gus into separate regions of the galaxy.

• Providers, the: The faction of the Atlas Keepers that applies the other Facets' data for practical uses.

• Shift: The term for a significant cosmic change that modifies, creates, or destroys aspects of the Atlas' equation.

• Shift, First: See: Shift, Great

• Shift, Great: A recalculation within the Atlas that altered the universe almost beyond recognition. This event is believed to have given life to the Beacon-Entity and other anomalous creatures.

• Shift, Second: A moderate recalculation in the Atlas' equation that shifted planetary palettes, sparked an influx of sea creatures, and gave rise to anomalous lifeforms.

• Shift, Third: A large recalculation in the Atlas' equation that birthed new planets and stars, altered existing planetary landscapes, caused universal extinction of all existing fauna, and generated new waves of biological and technological creatures in their wake.