Glossary

• Atlas Facet: See: Facet, Atlas

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

• Basdus: A 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: 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 Providers.

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

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

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

• Facet, Flora: Faction of the Atlas Keepers investigating planetary flora aesthetically, nutritionally, and medicinally.

• Facet, Gadget: Faction of the Atlas Keepers tasked with manipulating metal, circuits, software, and simple machines.

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

• Facet, Providers: See: Providers, The

• Fauna Facet: See: Facet, Fauna

• Flare Signal: 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

• Kept, the: Travellers monitored by or in contact with the Beacon-Entity who do not possess 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 split her ship into two copies of itself and sent her and Bo'gus to separate sectors of the galaxy.

• Providers, The: Faction of the Atlas Keepers that puts the other Facets' data into practical use.

• Shift: A significant 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 the Beacon-Entity and other anomalous creatures new life.

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

• Shift, Third: A large recalculation in the Atlas' equation that birthed new planets and stars, altered existing landscapes, and generated even more biological and technological creatures.