| Name | Description | See Also |
|---|---|---|
| Acheron (star system) | Not only one of the Seven Systems, but the first of the systems to be colonized by humanity some 4,500 standard years ago. In a sense, it is the core of the core systems. | Acheron Prime, Core Systems, Wessex |
| Acheron Prime (planet) | The throneworld of the Imperium and official residence of the Imperial Court (although the emperor often conducts business from the fortified moon of Litochoro). “Standard Imperial Time” for both the length of a day and the year is based on that of Acheron Prime. In fact, all official calendars and chronographs throughout the Imperium are required to display this “standard time” whether or not it relates to local planetary rotations or orbits. Naturally, local timekeeping abounds for both practical and cultural reasons, but standard Imperial time is what is used aboard most ships. Acheron Prime is also the location of the island continent of Wessex. | Acheron, Wessex |
| Aerobraking | A spacecraft maneuver where a ship enters the atmosphere of a planet in order to create drag and change its orbital position without the direct use of rocket engines. Learn more about the actual science behind aerobraking on Wikipedia. | |
| Ansible | An advanced technological device that, through a form of quantum entanglement, allows for near-instantaneous communication faster than the speed of light. Ansibles are one of the key technologies that binds the Imperium together and, while every great house maintains its own networks of ansibles, there are Imperial standards mandating communication between networks as well as networks owned and operated directly by the Imperium. The maximum distance ansibles can communicate with one another varies depending on their build quality, but is usually limited to 50 light years. This constraint leads to ‘repeaters’ and relay stations being constructed. | |
| Arang Pelaiyu | (pronounced “UH-rang Puh-LIE-yoo”). A non-Human, but humanoid species that is aquatic in origin, but appears to have been spacefaring for as long as 100,000 standard years. While not numerous, Arang Pelaiyu can be found throughout the Imperium. | Enclave |
| Arcane | The common name for a dead language, some words or cognates of which may be found in extant languages, notably Belodima and Spranta. Imperial citizens may still come across some Arcane words in legal documents or occasionally in dramas set during the Acheron Thassalocracy. However, these days it is mainly a niche area of study at some universities. Academics refer to the language as “English.” | |
| Auxiliary (robot class) | One of the four main classes of robot in the Imperium albeit the least seen. Auxilliaries are robots designed for military use and are seen in a variety of configurations, including humanoid. Auxiliaries grew in prominence during the Border Wars when House armies attempted to supplement their forces with increasingly lethal killing machines. The atrocities committed by all sides using these robots has led the resurgent Imperium to restrict their use to only Imperial forces. (There are guard robots and security systems with integrated AI, but they generally do not possess the same autonomy or firepower). Even in the face of other criminal activity and social unrest, the Imperium security services pay particular attention to any rumors of unauthorized research into military robotics. Scientists and engineers found to conducting such research are publicly executed -- usually along with anyone foolish enough to finance their ventures. | Robot |
| Barbosa | One of the great houses whose holdings include the core system of Venusia allowing it to continue to wield financial and cultural sway despite diminished political influence following the Border Wars. The current head of house is Duke Rui Barbosa VII. | |
| Batori | A moon in the Shantung system and the site of Batori Integrated Shipyards, the legendary spacecraft design and manufacturing conglomerate which now covers almost the entire surface of the natural satellite. Nearly every spacer wishes his or her ship was “Batori-built” and often pays handsomely for custom parts and fittings to give their own spacecraft that extra edge. The Shipyards are now a public-private partnership administered by House Xinwei-Moore through a lucrative long-term contract with the Emperor. Almost all imperial warships are Batori-built and one of the Imperium's fleets is always on station in the system (a circumstance House Xinwei-Moore would resent were it not for the monits involved). | Xinwei-Moore |
| Bearce | An omnipresent brand of spacecraft parts known, used, and generally liked throughout the Imperium. | |
| Belodima | Belodima (Beh-lo-DEE-ma) originates in Venusia and is spoken by approximately 30% of the Imperium as a primary or secondary language. However, the enduring popularity of Tri-vids about Venusian spacers (e.g. “Space Gauchos”) means many citizens know at least a few phrases in Belodima such as “Beleza?” (“All good?”) or “ficar de boa” (“take it easy.”) | História tensa, Venusia |
| Border Wars | A period of some decades ago during a weaker Imperium when the Great Houses waged massive interstellar war to expand their individual borders. Since there were strict bans on cloning and eugenics due to the ancient System Wars, the Houses employed increasingly deadly war machines and robots. The eventual outcome of the wars resulted in a resurgent, stronger Imperium, the dismantling of many of the house militaries, and strict laws governing robots. Some scholars feel the changes to society were as far reaching as the bans on genetic manipulation which arose out of the System Wars in ancient times. | |
| Burgess | The representative, sometimes elected, frequently appointed, of a legislative body. The most common instance is a planetary ‘House of Burgesses’ with representatives from each town or census-designated locality. | |
| Chaff | Also referred to as “sensor chaff.” Any of a number of ship-launched counter-measures meant to make the ship harder for enemy ships or missiles to target. | |
| Commerce Raider | “Commerce Raider” is the official Imperial term for pirates. Piracy has existed in one form or another since ancient times, but—according to the Imperium—piracy no longer exists. However, while it is next to non-existent in the core systems, it still occurs with depressing regularity in the outer worlds. Because it is usually difficult to predict jump points between star systems and those predictable jump points are usually guarded, pirates attack ships in-system, hoping to capture prey that stray off established trade lanes and therefore may be further away from help. Official reports and documents term these attackers “commerce raiders” which, for some reason, are completely different from pirates. | |
| Core Systems | Usually a synonym for the Seven Systems, though Vendawundjo (the “Eighth System”) is often implicitly included when people refer to the Core Systems. In addition, people on Outer Worlds sometimes refer to the 20 systems closest to Acheron as the Core Systems. | Seven Systems |
| Corvallis (star system) | One of the Seven Systems and the seventh and last colonized by humans in ancient times. Although the star system is just as developed as the rest of the core, it retains a reputation for being more “unspoiled.” To be fair, it features some of the most well-regarded nature preserves in the Imperium. | Seven Systems |
| Courier (spacecraft type) | A small ship built for speed (both in system and via FTL). Couriers are used commercially for important deliveries and militarily as packet ships. | |
| Coutharian | A sentient species that has an uneasy alliance with the human-dominated Imperium. | Uthar Kretik |
| Crossing, The | A single term for the collective sleeper ship expeditions that legend says occurred 4,500 – 5,000 standard years ago, when humans, disgusted with the corruption on Ancient Earth, traveled to what are, today, the Core Systems of the Imperium. | |
| Drundles | Plant-eating pack animals that make sheep look individualistic and dodos part of Mensa. Common in Xinwei-Moore space. | |
| Earth | A mythical setting occasionally used in fairy tales and bedtime stories. Scholars and astronomers (and scholarly astronomers) understand that Earth did and probably still does exist. However, several millenia of cultural prejudice combined with the destruction of most records prior to the System Wars mean that no one is inclined to find out the fate of humanity’s ancestral home. | |
| Enclave | A term used to describe longstanding settlements of Arang Pelaiyu found in just about every system and major spaceport in the Imperium. | Arang Pelaiyu |
| Flatrock | Flatrock is a massive spaceport bordering, but not part of, the territories of several great houses. Its name comes from the fact that the majority of its surface area is on an artificially constructed shelf, lying upon, but far outreaching an ancient asteroid. Based on its convenient location along the trade routes to different houses and its proximity to the Frontier, Flatrock is among the busiest spaceports in the Imperium. Would you like to know more? | |
| FTL | An acronym for “faster than light.” All interstellar spacecraft have an FTL drive or “jump drive” that enables the ship to briefly fold space-time in order to travel faster than the speed of light and bridge the vast gulf of space. | FTL drive, Jump |
| FTL Drive | An essential piece of machinery on any interstellar spacecraft, FTL drives vary greatly in size and power. Variables include the distance traveled with each jump (the longer the better for interstellar freighters) and the time required between jumps (the shorter the better for military vessels). The performance of an FTL drive is greatly influenced by the skill of a given ship’s pilot. Most career pilots know their ship’s drive limitations intimately and are able to coax the maximum performance out of them without drives overheating or other damage. FTL Drives are separate from a ship’s standard propulsion, though the two systems may be used in tandem, especially for in-system travel and/or military situations. | FTL, Jump |
| Functionary (robot class) | The second most common seen of the four main classes of robots, the functionary is usually a humanoid or semi-humanoid robot designed to be an expert at a particular skillset. For example, the Umami Grill chain of restaurants popular throughout the Core Systems use functionaries as their table-side chefs -- astounding customers with their intricate knife work and doubtless explaining the high cost of eating at such an establishment. | Robot |
| Gastonia | A star system adjacent to the Core Systems known primarliy for agricultural exports, though with a growing financial services sector for the past 50 standard imperial years or so. | |
| Giustra Reverse | A spacecraft maneuver using only a ship’s momentum and minimal thrusters to turn the ship 180 degrees in a short amount of time (usually within 5 seconds). This allows the ship to quickly apply thrust in the opposite direction—an especially useful tactic in combat situations. Although such a maneuver has been independently discovered before and since, it frequently credited to Dr. Josiah Giustra, a spacecraft designer and avid racer, who introduced the reverse as well as improved ergonomic pilot controls in the Venusia 5 Million Space Race. The Giustra Reverse has since been a common maneuver taught to combat pilots and can even be employed by skilled freighter pilots (provided they have a good knowledge of their ship). | |
| Grand Armada | A massive fleet of the Imperial Navy said to be able to lay waste to an entire star system. The last known Grand Armada was formed during, and aided in the conclusion of, the Border Wars, but the possibility of the formation of a new Grand Armada keeps the Houses in line—or at least from threatening the Emperor directly. | Imperium |
| Gravity well | Any pull of gravity a large body, such as a star, planet, or moon, exerts on its surroundings. Understanding the strength of various gravity wells is crucial to spacecraft navigation, especially when calculating jumps as most FTL Drives cannot make jumps inside strong gravity wells. Learn more about the real science of gravity wells on Wikipedia. | FTL drive, Jump |
| Haapsalu 3 | The most densely populated planet in the Haapsalu system, which isn't saying much. Haapsalu 3 is largely given over to agriculture and—in recent decades—aquaculture. It has a few active spaceports which enable it to export its foodstuffs to the territories of House Kalmar and the rest of the Imperium. | Haapsalu, Haapsalu 6 |
| Haapsalu 6 | A gas giant in the Haapsalu system with several moons and large asteroid fields at some of its L-points. Haapsalu 6 has historically been a mining location due to rich mineral deposits found in many of its asteroids. However, no mining company has kept a permanent operation since the Border Wars, after which the Saluvian economy switched primarily to the agricultural exports of Haapsalu 3. | Haapsalu, Haapsalu 3, L-Point |
| Haapsalu (star system) | Originally part of the territory of House Malde, it was taken over by House Kalmar during the Second Unification War. | Haapsalu 3, Haapsalu 6 |
| História tensa | Literally “tense story” in Belodima, these programs are a popular form of Tri-Vid serial that usually focuse on Venusian spacers during the Acheron Thassolocracy or similar historical periods. | Belodima |
| House (Imperium) | Usually referred to as “Great Houses,” these hereditary families of nobles constitute the main form of government in the Imperium. Indeed, apart from the Imperial Literacy Programs and other universal mandates, a citizen’s Great House is the only government they ever know. Houses usually hold sway over 5 or more star systems, and constantly compete with one another for more Imperial contracts, corporate interests, or other ways to grow their influence. It is said the Emperor will often play one house against another to avoid the consolidation of too much power by any one house. | Imperium |
| Hraggedor (star system) | One of the Seven Systems and the third colonized by humans in ancient times. In the fifth century of the Imperium (current times), it does not have permanent settlements, but is a commonly used route through the core. | Seven Systems |
| Imperium | An interstellar empire spanning close to 100 star systems, the Imperium maintains control of its realm through a neofeudal form of government where Great Houses administer much of a region’s affairs, but all are linked and are pledged to serve the empire. The Imperial Navy helps reminds both the nobility and common citizenry of this pledge and the threat of a Grand Armada ensures no House will defy the Emperor’s will. | |
| Interloper (spacecraft model) | The last of the Wessex Patrol Service’s Acheron-built survey cruisers. The Interloper is one of the longest-lasting and most beloved starship designs due in great part to the degree a captain could customize the ship to his or her needs. | |
| Jool-Enso | A species of bipedal humanoids believed to be an offshoot of the Arang Pelaiyu. However, unlike that species, the Jool-Enso have a pre-spaceflight society and are therefore only found on one world beyond the Frontier. | Arang Pelaiyu |
| Jump (space travel) | A folding of space and time used by spacecraft equipped with an FTL Drive (sometimes called a “jump drive”). Jump technology is crucial to the functioning and administration of the modern Imperium, although less advanced jump drives date back to ancient times. The distance and frequency of a spacecraft’s jumps are limited by the quality of its FTL drive, the skill of its pilot, and the proximity of gravity wells. | FTL Drive, Gravity Well |
| Kalmar (star system) | One of the Seven Systems and the sixth colonized by humans in ancient times. It is also the home star system of House Kalmar. | Seven Systems |
| Kaoliang | Also sometimes referred to as gao liang je, kaoliang is liquor distilled from sorghum. It has enduring popularity in both the Shantung and Nominal systems and occasionally comes back into fashion in parts of the Acheron system—though never by the aristocracy who view it as “a farmer’s drink.” Kaoliang is not hard to find in most spaceports, though the quality can vary greatly from port to port. | |
| Kilwa | An established and influential spaceport and commerce hub that serves as the gateway between the Imperium and the Frontier worlds in its sector. Although officially autonomous, it is currently within the holdings of House Pradono. | |
| Kochowa, Grainne | (b. 337 SIY) Arang Pelaiyu pilot associated with the Flatrock enclave and the freighter Tyger. Would you like to know more? | |
| Kolkiss District | A district of Flatrock near to the main port dominated by warehouses and light manufacturing. Named for Stefan Kolkiss, one of the original shipping magnates who made his fortunes on Flatrock. | Flatrock |
| L-Point | A common term among spacers also known as libration points—and by academics in the Imperium as Lagrange or Lagrangian Points. It is not uncommon to find asteroids at L-points of certain large planets, such as gas giants. Satellites and spaceports are often placed at L-points due to their relatively stationary position. Learn more about the real science behind L-points on Wikipedia. | |
| Macorum, Reg | (b. 388 SIY) Freighter captain with previous associations to the Zenocrate Cartel as well as Walker’s Brigade during the Border Wars. Would you like to know more? | |
| Monit | The basic form of currency used throughout the Imperium. | |
| Nokari | Originally the warrior caste of the otherwise peaceful Stahnkari race, the Nokari have kept themselves separate from their more academically-minded brethren for hundreds of years. They have built a reputation as resourceful and inventive mercenaries since the Unification Wars. | |
| Nominal (star system) | One of the Seven Systems and the fifth colonized by humans in ancient times. The system serves as the headquarters for a disproportionate number of the Imperium’s engineering and banking firms. | Seven Systems |
| Pirate | See “Commerce Raider” | |
| Plenipotentiary (robot class) | The most human of the four main classes of robot in the Imperium, Plenipotentiaries are typically used as incorruptible diplomatic staff and high-ranking servants by all the Houses. While not rarely seen, many plenipotentiaries are highly customized by their owners and are generally only encountered in high society or in executive positions. | Robot |
| Pradono | One of the great houses. Their holdings border the Stahnkari Cooperative with whom they have a longstanding research alliance. House Pradono has historically emphasized education among its people and its universities and scientific institutes are well-regarded throughout the imperium, especially in the fields of astronomy and physics. | |
| Redback | An inept and soon-to-be-dead spacer, specifically a flunky only good for showing where the sniper is. So named because of the multiple red laser sights that appear on the poor schmo’s back shortly before his demise. Definitely not an homage or reference to any old science fiction program which might have had crewmen in certain colored uniforms meet their deaths with predictable regularity. Nope. Nosiree. | |
| Robot | Any of several different types of autonomous mechanical devices, both humanoid and non-humanoid, that are able to complete tasks independently through some level of artificial intelligence. Use of robots pre-dates the imperium, however there is disagreement whether or not robots came over with the Crossing or were created subsequent to the settling of the Core Systems. Scholars further theorize that the term ‘robot’ comes from Ancient Earth, but no one has czeched to make certain. Nevertheless, use of robots increased dramatically during pre-Imperial times after the invention of jump drives, allowing greater collaboration between robotics firms and universities across multiple star systems. The height of robot production and innovation occurred in the decades leading up to and during the Border Wars. Most houses came to rely on robot auxiliaries to supplement their armed forces as causalities outpaced conscription efforts. With Imperial power resurgent at the conclusion of the Border Wars, the emperor implemented extensive regulation on the use of robots throughout the Imperium, especially in military applications. All robots now require some form of licensure, administered by the Imperial Bureau of Robotics, which divides robots into four classes: auxiliary, functionary, plenipotentiary, and supernumerary. | Auxiliary, Functionary, Plenipotentiary, Supernumerary |
| Saluvian | A native of the Haapsalu system. | |
| Sensor chaff | See “Chaff” | |
| Seven Systems | The original systems settled by humanity and the extent of the “known universe” for hundreds of years. Many classic works of art and literature are set during the ancient times thousands of years ago, when there “were only” the Seven Systems, well before the Imperium. The Seven Systems, in the order they were first settled are Acheron, Shantung, Hraggedor, Venusia, Nominal, Kalmar, and Corvallis. | |
| Shantung (star system) | One of the Seven Systems, the second system colonized and currently one of the most densely populated areas of the Imperium. Shantung is the center of several key industries including communications and increasingly spacecraft manufacture. | Seven Systems |
| Shen Enling | (b. 436 SIY) Medical doctor and xenoanthropologist associated with Reg Macorum and the freighter Tyger. Would you like to know more? | Macorum, Reg |
| Sindanese | A tonal language originating in Shantung and spoken by roughly 35% of the Imperium as either a primary or secondary language. | |
| Slag | Spacer slang term for an asteroid. | |
| Spacer | Anyone who makes a living crossing the oceans of space. There are many romantic archetypes of spacers in novels and tri-vids throughout the Imperium and many spacers are both rich and influential. However, in practical terms, most of the Imperium’s citizens live their whole life on one planet or certainly within one system, and look on spacers with mistrust, as a necessary lower class for interstellar commerce. | |
| Spectrazeen | A wide-spectrum antibiotic, commonly used throughout the imperium. | |
| Spice | Not much is known about the spice... except that it must flow. | |
| Spranta | The common language used throughout the Imperium. 99.99% of the Imperium’s citizens speak Spranta as either their primary or secondary language. Imperial literacy programs ensure this goal. | |
| Stahnkari | A sentient species of non-humanoids that has long-standing and generally amiable relations with the human-dominated Imperium. With their three arms and two head mandibles, Stahnkari merchants and spacers are easily spotted in most major spaceports. However, Stahnkari are best known as academics and technologists and are often employed at universities and in labs throughout the Imperium. While some Stahnkari are Imperial citizens, the majority retain their allegiance to the Stahnkari Cooperative. The comparatively warlike Nokari are a genetically-engineered offshoot of the Stahnkari despite some of the anatomical difference, but noting this relation is an extremely taboo subject with the Stahnkari. | |
| Standard Imperial Year (SIY) | A timekeeping standard throughout the Imperium, the “standard imperial year” is based on the time it takes Acheron Prime, the throneworld, to orbit its sun. “SIY” is expressed both to specify a particular year and for a duration of years. It is sometimes pronounced “Ess Eye Why,” sometimes “See,” and sometimes “Sye” depending on the system and dialect. For example, the end of the Unification Wars and the coronation of the first emperor occured in 0 SIY. (Times before the Imperium are expressed in negative numbers, as in “the third and final Unification War began in –18 SIY.”) Alternately, a duration may be noted, as in “the Third Unification War lasted 18 SIY.” | |
| Supernumerary (robot class) | The most commonly seen class of robot, supernumaries are generally humanoid in shape while clearly machine-like (unlike many plenipotentiaries). They are usually one to three meters in height, depending on their role, and are designed to be deployed and used in groups. Supernumeries are frequently found in factories, mines, and on docks. Their limited AI means they are often supervised by an organic sentient. | Robot |
| Tormar | (b. 422 SIY) Coutharian engineer associated with the freighter Tyger. Would you like to know more? | Coutharian, Uthar Kretik |
| Uthar Kretik | Homeworld of the Coutharian race, but not part of the Imperium. | Coutharian |
| Vendawundjo | The “eighth system” of Seven, a.k.a. the first system colonized after the Core Systems (a.k.a. the Seven Systems). | Core Systems |
| Venusia (star system) | One of the Seven Systems and the fourth colonized by humans in ancient times. Venusia competes with Shantung as one of the most densely populated and developed star systems in the core and Venusian spacers, especially the “Space Gauchos” of the Acheron Thalassocracy are a popular subject of Tri-Vid programs. It is currently part of the holdings of House Barbosa. | Seven Systems, Wessex |
| Vosky, Aidan | Spacer associated with Reg Macorum and the freighter Tyger. Would you like to know more? | Macorum, Reg; Vosky, Andrei |
| Vosky, Andrei | Imperial naval officer during the end of the 5th century SIY | Vosky, Aidan |
| Walker’s Brigade | A group of elite mercenaries also known as the “Red Berets” led by General Tomas Walker. The unit gained notoriety during the Border Wars where Walker’s troops proved to be a decisive factor in several pivotal operations. In part because of its success and because their services were used by several competing great houses, its continued existence was deemed untenable under the newly resurgent Imperium and it was disbanded shortly after the conclusion of the conflict. | |
| Wessex | An island continent on Acheron Prime whose culture came to dominate not only the system, but the whole of the Seven Systems in ancient times through the Acheron Thalassocracy. Although its influence has waxed and waned over the millenia, Wessex still influences—some might say disproportionately influences—cultural trends and mores throughout the Imperium. | |
| Xinwei Prime | A hub of commercial activity—especially communications—and the home of House Xinwei-Moore. | |
| Xinwei-Moore | One of the more powerful Houses. In the past decade, it has often competed with House Clarke-Timurin for influence through the Imperium through methods both legal and very questionable. They like to get their way. | |
| Zenocrate | (Pronounced Zen-NOCK-ruh-tee). A cartel of legitimate and far-from-legitimate shipping and logistics companies that is a major source of organized crime activities throughout much of the Imperium. Though usually travelling separately, its fleet of armed freighters rivals some of the house navies in numbers, and far supasses them in reach—until the Battle of the Skeleton Sea (474), at least. Since 403 SIY, it has been led by Darius Konstantinos. |
Encyclopedia of the Imperium
Being a compendium of interesting characters, locations, and history behind the series Rogue Tyger
Being descriptions of people, places, concepts, and things in the interstellar empire where the show Rogue Tyger takes place.