Speak Like An Adelian: WoA Terminology

Posted: January 12, 2012 | Author: Dennis N. Santana | Filed under: Fluff/Inspiration, RPG, Spirits Of Eden |Leave a comment »

This is probably going to be an “evolving” post as I keep updating it with more things and what they mean in the World of Adel. I am not versed in linguistics, so World of Adel does not have a conlang. While I’ve discussed language and nomenclature in Adel beforehand, I haven’t discussed some terms I use repeatedly in the World of Adel, as well as phrases and figures of speech that the Adelians have. I hope this post clears up some of the confusion as to my usage of words like “landship.”

If you have any suggestions or curiosities for words that should be up here, ask away.

Everyday Speech

Namaste!: The most common greeting in Adel.

Spirits defend!: The most common exclamation in Adel. Can also be said like “spirits defend you” or “spirits defend us all” and such variations, again as a general exclamation in a variety of contexts. You might cry “Spirits defend!” when you are afraid and then when you are relieved, for example. It is quite versatile.

Spirits blight!: A common curse in Adel. Can be used by itself, or directed at someone or something, such as “spirits blight you!” or “spirits blight everything!” as a kind of exasperated expletive.

Spirits raise!: A common expression of gratitude or friendliness, directed at someone. “Spirits raise you,” for example. The inclusive form “spirits raise us all” is hardly ever used.

Bless: Basically a common affirmative response. Adelians still use “yes,” but Bless is a more formal word.

Rue: A common negative response. Adelians still use “no,” and especially words incorporating it such as “not” and “nothing” but Rue is a more formal word when you must decline or disagree.

Tail!: A cry for personal space, usually if someone bumps into you, or of course, touches your tail. Iomadi and Damakran have tails, but Cuporo and Droemedae don’t – regardless everyone uses the expression, since the Iomadi are the most prolific of the races, and they’ve propagated most of their figures of speech.

Professions And Ranks

Civil and Military

Villager: The average Adelian is a villager, living in the rural communes from which Adelian civilization began, and which are still its most widespread and prevalent expression. Villagers live in communities composed of tents or huts near natural resources which they carefully use and help propagate and care for. Most villages have contact with towns or even cities, so they know of the advancements society has made. They might even own a few useful technologies (everything in a village is owned by its Guardian Spirit and given to the villagers to use – it’s a sort of religious socialism), such as an autowagon, and they usually own guns and have their own (small) guard contingents. But they tend to prefer living within nature.

Arbiter: A lawyer of sorts, also doubling as a detective. Guards or soldiers and Arbiters work together to uphold the laws – a Guard alone can only arrest someone for a day, and an Arbiter can only make citizen’s arrests. But together they can bring someone to court for prosecution, or detain them longer than a day.

Alchemist: An herbalist or apothecary, making a living through the sale of useful and healthy potions and medicines. Each nation has a list of potions, ingredients and substances that can be made, drank, and traded, and there are quite a number of legal concoctions that a smart alchemist can make and sell for a decent living.

Bard: A general word for an artist, usually a performer, but can also mean a writer, or a painter.

Guard: A member of the local police and defense force. Because of their militarization after the Intolerable War, their police powers are split with the Arbiters to prevent corruption and injustice.

Pioneer: A military engineer. They drive and touch up vehicles, as well as plan out the layout of encampments, the positioning of emplacements and defenses, and the placement of any traps or obstacles.

Grenadier: The average infantry soldier. They tend to have a gun and a sword or mace, and dress in uniform with armored vests worn over it. The army requires initial three-year terms for all soldiers. A person who has served the initial term can become a guard, or leave the army with the ability to return later, at the same rank.

Sentinel: A heavily-armored infantry soldier. Can also refer to just the armored suit.

Magically-Inclined

Academy Mage: An arcane magic-user affiliated and licensed by an official arcane college. Without this affiliation, a mage is subject to more rules and restrictions on his or her magic use. With it, some restrictions are lifted, such as the ban on sales of exotic substances (potions), but the Academy must take responsibility for the wrong-doing of the mage. Many of these changes came about due to, basically, snake oil salesfolk tricking people in cities.

Student Mage: A Mage between 12 and 20 years old who has completed the basic curriculum of an arcane college, and has provisional status as an Academy Mage, but is not yet one in full. Most are kids.

Artificer: A licensed mechanical inventor, someone who has authorization from an academic institution that allows them to innovate and invent new machines. After creating something, they must fully describe to the authorities the rituals by which it was blessed and made safe to use, and what its purpose is, and submit to judgment.

Initiate: A new member of a religious organization, not yet fully capable of divine magic. Initiates are not allowed to wear robes that have sleeves on them, or that are too long, except in the winter.

Oblate: An established member of a religious organization, and allowed to travel on “pilgrimage” for certain established periods of time, to religious destinations all over the continent. Oblates can use magic.

Cherubim: An Initiate of the Seraphim. Cherubim are always girls (no biological males can become Seraphim) and usually between 9 and 16 years of age. They are strong and capable in many ways despite their age. They can do magic, they are about as athletic as the average adult if not more so, and they are quite resilient.

Seraphim: The only Order on Adel which can be considered knightly or paladin-like are the Seraphim, a storied organization in Sargasso where women undergo a powerful investment and swear to serve Sargasso. Seraphim are stronger, faster and more resilient than average folk, and have better magical ability and equipment.

Everyday Measurements

Though I don’t make it a point to use Adelian measurements in the articles, in my fiction stories I will use them since that is how Adelians talk. The measurements are not exact, but work out for the imagination.

Pebble: Each Pebble is roughly an ounce in our measurements.

Ore: Each Ore is roughly a pound (16 Pebbles) in our measurements.

Lode: Each Lode is a ton (2500 Ores) in our measurements.

Span: Each Span is roughly an inch in our measurements.

Step: Each Step is roughly a foot (12 spans) in our measurements.

Stride: Each Stride is roughly a yard (36 spans, 3 steps) in our measurements.

Wing: Each Wing is roughly half a mile in distance in our measurements (2500 or so steps).

Flight: Each Flight is roughly a mile in distance in our measurements (5000 or steps).

Horizon: Each Horizon is roughly 100 miles in distance in our measurements (500,000 or so steps).

Vehicles And Weapons

Arcane Engine: A magic engine design that works by burning arcane reagents, and generating raw “magic power” – kinetic force – that causes movement. Physically the engine is a box, with its sides carved in the shapes of certain necessary sigils, and its interior is made of three different ores. Rubbery “veins” transfer energy throughout the engine, and outside it. If the veins are cut, the engine will stop projecting energy through to whatever it was connected to.

Autowagon: Essentially a car, with significant variances. Adelians put the driver in the back of the car, regulating the arcane engine, and using a set of mirrors, or directions from passengers, to drive. The driver’s niche is a cramped space filled with knobs and pulleys and turn-wheels, and of course mirrors, that is not all that comfortable to work in. Autowagons are convenient, but difficult to drive and especially to turn. When you think of an Autowagon, don’t think of a Ford Model T or a modern car: think more an armored personnel carrier. Essentially a moving contoured box.

Golem: An Adelian Golem is any vehicle with a shape inspired by a biological lifeform, such as a legged walking vehicle. Golems are powered by arcane engines, but instead of using controls like an Autowagon or Landship, a Golem is magically-controlled by a Mage pilot, who moves the Golem as though it were his or her own body.

Landship: Essentially in our lingo a Landship would be a tank. It is a tracked armored vehicle made from exotic Adelian metals (though in a pinch, anything will do to make or reinforce one). The landship has a main body with a crew compartment, in which a crew controls the tank, and munitions are kept for the tank turret which has full 360 degree rotation. The back of the tank is vulnerable – the arcane engine is there, and shots that penetrate will cause it to burst in a small kinetic shockwave that will likely hurt the crew, though usually not outright kill them by itself. I imagine them to be modeled after World War 2 tank designs like the Tetrarch, Sherman and Tiger, but if you like other designs better you can imagine those. It essentially does not matter exactly what they look like, at least not more than their overall function.

The inside of the Landship is a cramped crew quarter with a lot of switches, pedals, wheel-levers, normal levers and the cannon opening and cannon-crank in the turret niche (pulling on it shoots the cannon). The Arcane Engines and driving mechanisms used in landships are a lot more complex than those in golems, because you can’t simply have a mage for every landship – you need normal, non-magic folk to control it with their hands and feet.

Airship: An Airship is any kind of flying vessel that is roughly inspired by a sailing vessel. Airships have simple convex shapes, seemingly rectangular but with a sloping front, about 75 degrees or so. The front slope has a cross-shaped steel mount through which the main cannon appears, and which helps to guide it. The top of an airship (the “deck”) has pillboxes and rails, but while the airship is flying the deck is only used to fight off boarding actions. Rather, the life of the crew occurs inside the airship’s compartments. Airships are powered by arcane engines, and if the force projectors (dish-like protrusions mounted outside the ship) are fatally damaged, the ship will lose altitude and eventually crash.

“25-Ore”: The Adelian designation for the power of a cannon. It refers to the size of the Shell it fires. 25-Ore cannons fire roughly 25 lb shells. That is about mid-range in land cannons. A portable cannon would be about 10-ore, while the cannon on a small landship or on an autowagon would be about 15-ore. The largest land vehicle cannons are 50-ore, on Heavy Landships. Artillery cannons could go up to 75-Ore, while the 100-ore cannon only exists on Airships.

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