From OtherSpace: Encyclopedia Galactica
Common Pyracan Terms
- Adharcsa's Disease (aka Pukk's or Hek's disease) - A rare (and often deadly) Pyracani disease in which bony growths painfully emerge from several places on the body, most commonly the forehead and tops of the feet, causing both a weakening/cracking of the surrounding bone and inviting a variety of infections which can kill. Made famous by the Horned King Pukk, who had bony growths emerging from his head like a stag.
- Albhainn - One of the Twelve Nations, southwest of Murrnainn, southeast of Suibhnne and north of Ghirr. It is fairly warm, but is marked by glacier-scraped flatlands, glacier-deposit hills, and deep lakes. Its capital is Lotis.
- Alopex - A newly-commissioned destroyer in the Pyracan Military.
- Alpha - The figurehead of Pyracan, elected by the Grand Council and tasked with executive duties.
- Aureus - Pyracan's capital, home to around eight million beings and set at the top of an extinct volcano in Ghirr Nation.
- Bonding War - A war fought from 1906 to 1938, led first by Brof Dourragh, and then by his son Wurr, that eventually conquered the world under the banner of the Supreme One.
- Cannainn - Canii: A subrace of Pyracani from Murrnainn Nation, known for their blue-gray eyes and gray fur. While there are no more pureblooded Cannainn, it is considered lucky when these ancestral traits reemerge.
- Canii - Official language of Pyracan, it is a playful, lilting language that originated in Murrnainn Nation.
- Chiarrain - One of the Twelve Nations, it is south of Magnnais on the northeastern continent. It is quite hot, marked by monsoons, tall mountains, and poor soils. Its capital is the holy city of Dirus.
- Ciorrc -
- Ciorrcal -
- Conmarra - One of the Twelve Nations, it is west of Ghirr on the western continent. It is a hilly, green, temperate land.
- Cruadh - A Pyracan wood used throughout the Ancient Expanse as a nearly-ideal wood for gunstocks.
- Cuirrc -
- Daja - A nine foot tall winged reptile with a wingspan of almost thirty feet, it can lift up to thirty pounds into the air, making it a threat to many pets.
- Daucon Corridor -
- Duru - A once-worshipped spirit from the old religion, with dominion over home and hearth and symbolized by a splintered green stick.
- Emmisary King - In the Supreme One faith, it is a spirit that is in charge of universal natural laws and carries out the Supreme One's will on Pyracan. While considered metaphorical in today's society, they were once believed to be actual beings.
- Fyirrik - Roskora: Malicious ghost or Hiver. Not to be confused with spirits.
- Ghasa -
- Ghirr -
- Grand Council - Made up of one elected official from each of the Twelve Nations, they make many policy decisions and elect the Alpha.
- Greimithir - Canii: A Pyracan artform based on the smeared pool of blood and bits of hair and gore left on the floor after a weaponless kill, symbolizing power over one's environment. It has become much more metaphorical in the last two hundred years, with power over technology being a popular theme.
- Guailletilt - An Albhainnian herding weapon consisting of a long wooden haft with a leaf-shaped, winged spearhead like a boar spear on one end and an oversized staff sling on the other, used to deal with flying and charging predators.
- Hotuk
- Hotukkir
- Hysin - A once-worshipped spirit from the old religion, she has dominion over fertility, and is symbolized by a ripped-open litterfruit.
- Ibin - A once-worshipped spirit from the old religion, he has dominion over luck and fortune, and is symbolized by a spear piercing three silver rodents.
- Jitterhips - A Pyracani STD marked by goosebumps, urinary tract issues and twitching muscles in the lower abdomen.
- Jota - A once-worshipped spirit from the old religion, he has dominion over the unburned dead, and is symbolized by a resinous firestick.
- Lios - A powerful hallucinogen that eventually steals the ability to know the real from the imaginary.
- Litterfruit - An orange pomegranate-like fruit, known as the symbol for the spirit Hysin, for its rich reddish-purple dye, and when fermented, as an aphrodisiac additive to mixed drinks.
- Magnnais -
- The Marks
- Midhirr -
- Mionta - A nutmeg-smelling smoked drug, known for its ability to instill a chemical sense of cameraderie, and often paired with alcohol.
- Muirr -
- Murrnainn -
- Nuall - Canii: A subrace of Pyracani from Nuallainn Nation, known for their diminuitive stature, short sandy fur, narrow muzzles and large ears. Many Nuall in Nuallainn continue to eschew modern technology and live primitively in the Nation's vast deserts.
- Nuallainn
- Pack - A nuclear family grouping, including a mother, father, multiple children, and occasionally, a grandmother or grandfather.
- The Path
- Piorra
- Rickirr - Six to eight foot tall bipedal feathered lizard, originally used for herding, and now used as a quick and agile mount.
- Riekki
- Roskora - Official language of Ghasa Nation until 1933, it is still used in many expletives due to its harsh sound.
- Satai - A six foot tall shaggy rhinoceros-like creature, once used as a plow animal, but now used as a sturdy long-distance mount.
- Satailarr
- Sciath - A ceremonial garment like a miniature poncho made up of many tiny feathers put together in a pattern designated by the wearer's tribe.
- Scollainn - An often quite ornate belt, in which tufts of neck hair are displayed from each person one has bested in duels, as a mark of prowess. While not illegal, the Church of the Supreme One won't administer sacraments to someone when they're wearing one.
- Siorc - A once-worshipped spirit from the old religion, she has dominion over the angry seas, and is symbolized by a chunk of storm-destroyed ship.
- Smoke Dirge - A melancholy, operatic genre of music with four or six-part harmonies.
- Suibhnne -
- Supreme One - Pyracan's sole recognized deity, a formless light symbolized by a white sun with red rays.
- Titimbolg - A dangerous (and illegal) game of Pyracani teens, involving tying several dirigible-like bolg together and riding them through the air until they run out of hydrogen or explode.
- Tribe - Vaguely equivalent to a surname, one's tribe affiliation is passed down from fathers to children, and each tribe has its own sciath pattern.
- Truthseeker Play - A highly-ritualized theatrical performance in five parts, involving music, combat, and over-acting.
- Tuathaill -
- Tuinne
- Yir - A once-worshipped spirit from the old religion, he has dominion over tenacity and patience, and is symbolized by a miniature rickirr skull with blue gems for eyes.
- Zik - Pyracan's main meat animal. A four-foot tall brown and white ungulate with rhinoceros-like feet and a short trunk.