Vereva/Terms

General
A list of terms used in the world of Vereva alongside their definitions. This idea contains Ideas, concepts and holidays.

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Aelven Aging Factor
The Aelven Aging Factor is a reference to which Aelves grow old. Aging an average of ten times longer and ten times slower than races with the base factor. An Aelf's life consists of 39 years of infancy and 80 years of childhood and adolescence, reaching adulthood at 150 years of age. The average life span of the Aelf rests at 632 years, marking the average span of adult life to last 482 years.


 * Page(s) of reference: Aging of Aelves

Age of Science Day
Age of Science Day is a holiday in Lorelei that marks the anniversary of the nation as well as promotes the continuity of the Age of Science. The day is community-oriented, being held in parks and city squares large enough to hold a few hundred people. The progression of the celebration begins with a showing of new patented inventions by Lorelei's numerous inventors around noon, followed by fireworks in the early evening. After fireworks, the social standard is to dine out. Most restaurants in Lorelei spend months preparing for the holiday.


 * Page(s) of reference: Holidays of Lorelei

Alpha
In Minotaur culture, the Alpha is the political leader of the Kahremite Empire who earns his status not through election, wealth, skill or merit, but through a smell secreted through his or her skin.


 * Page(s) of reference: Alphas and the Government, Kahrim, Minotaurs

Autumnal Equinox
The Autumnal Equinox is a holiday celebrated in Kahrim on Day 1 of the Incoming Moon which marks the first day of the autumn season. On this day, the final crops of summer are harvested before the winter season. The holiday stems from a long history of home gardening and farming, its purpose to show one's neighbors the fruitfulness of one's agricultural labors. It is the tradition on this day to cook the supper of a neighboring household using one's own pantry of resources. The neighbor is chosen by facing one's front entrance and selecting the household that lives most directly to the right, the preferred cardinal direction in Kahremite culture.


 * Page(s) of reference: Holidays of Kahrim

Beating Heart
Vereva does not spin as it rotates around its sun, thus its sun faces the western side of the planet at all times directed at a focal point in the desert country of Bevesta. The sun's focal point is known as the Beating Heart and is the hottest place on Vereva, opposite of Pömt Mirvë. The Beating Heart acquired its name through two different concepts: Beating derives from its geography—lava fields and sandseas that flow and bubble up endless, boiling eternally. It gets the name Heart from the idea that the goddess Bevesta is assumed to have risen back to heaven there, making it the most sacred place on the planet; the heart of Majicium.


 * Page(s) of reference; Beating Heart, Geography of Vereva

Betas
In Minotaur culture, the Betas are secondary leaders of descending power whose scents allow them to act as runners-up to the Alpha. There are 23 Betas underneath the Alpha of Kahrim.


 * Page(s) of reference: Betas and the Government

Bevesta
Bevesta refers to a goddess as well as a Verevian nation.

Bevesta (country)
The country of Bevesta is a large nation made mostly of a desert climate spanning the southeast stretches of Almsaunde. The nation is, and has always been, historically Thaumaturge with a high fellowship of Majicians.

Page(s) of reference: Bevesta

Bevesta (deity)
As a deity, Bevesta was a mortal goddess who, while pregnant, had fallen to the mortal realm little more than 20,000 years ago. As recounted by folklore, the sentient races nursed her back to good health and helped her climb back to heaven. Because they were so kind, she granted each race a gift that would become inherent to themselves as a reward. The goddess was said to have given birth to her son Xahl on Vereva, whom she left in the mortal realm, entrusting him to watch over the world. Making a tragic mistake, the goddess used up her powers to grant gifts and return home before she could make Xahl immortal. The Bevesdane royal family are believed to be direct descendants of Xahl and therefore the goddess herself.


 * Page(s) of reference: Bevesta, Majicium

Coming of Age
On Vereva, each racial culture has its own rite of passage for adolescents to undergo upon entering adulthood called the Coming of Age. Some coming of age processes are culturally required prerequisites before entering the job force, such as those of the Minotaurs and the Thaumaturges. For Dwarves and Humans, the coming of age is not obligatory, but evading it is considered socially unacceptable. The Aelves also have an important rite of passage that has become a global culture called the Grand Tour.


 * Page(s) of reference: Coming of Age

Crown of the Royals
The Crown of the Royals is a spell still in effect in Bevesta. The spell reveals to the public the identities of the Bevesdane royal family through turning their hair shades of green which is unnatural to all sentient faces of Vereva. The identity is kept public through the cultural tradition of extended hair growth and the prospect of never covering one's head, one of the most prominent religious taboos.


 * Page(s) of reference: Appearance of the Thaumaturges, Bevesdane royal family

Cry for Help
The Cry for Help is a new age religious holiday in Bevesta. The holiday was established after the Thaumaturge's loss in the Heaven's War and is a somber tradition in which Bevesdanes gather in larger numbers in attempt to pray for the forgiveness of Bevesta and earn back Majick.


 * Page(s) of reference: Heaven's War, Holidays of Bevesta, Majicium, Majick

Day of the Molted Horns
Following War Week, the Day of the Molted Horns is a special holiday in Kahrim in which youths return from horn molting. On this day, scents (as well as horn shape for males) are compared and a new Alpha may be crowned if any of the youths' scents are stronger than that of the current Alpha.


 * Page(s) of reference: Alpha, Holidays of Kahrim, Minotaur Culture, Scent of the Alpha

Diurnal Eye
Diurnal Eye is the name of the sun around which Vereva orbits. Vereva's sun and moon are worshipped in the common religion as well in other minor religions throughout the world. Most religions have similar folklore that express the two celestial bodies to be eyes of gods, keeping a close watch over Vereva.


 * Page(s) of reference: Diurnal Eye

Dragoon
A Dragoon is a Verevian cavalier who rides on dragons to do battle. Dragoonism became obsolete upon the Human's invention of the battle airship which made more dangerous the profession when dragons and their Dragoon riders in the sky were able to be bombared with close-range cannons. Modernly, only the land varient of these cavaliers, called Wyrmhearts, are still used in combat.


 * Page(s) of reference: Dragoons

Dwarven Aging Factor
The Dwarven Aging Factor is the basis by which Gnomes and Dwarves age. At approximately 2.34 times the rate of other races (and 23.4 times the rate of Aelves), these two races age the fastest, reaching adulthood at the age of 6.


 * Page(s) of reference: Dwarven Aging Factor

Election Day
In Lorelei, Election Day is a judicial holiday taking place on Day 3 of the Waning Sun in which a new prime minister is to be elected. It celebrated via parades and fireworks after which an obligatory speech to address the populace is given by the new leader.


 * Page(s) of reference: Holidays of Lorelei

Envijë
A body piercing under the bottom lip in Kahrim, called an Envijë, is the most common of cultural Minotaur piercings. The piercings, which are held as the most sacred part of Minotaur culture, are said to represent different social statuses of the wearer. The envijë represents that the wearer joined the Kahremite Army as a voluntary participant, an honor of the highest esteem to the Kahremite peoples.


 * Page(s) of reference: Kahremite Army, Minotaur Culture, Minotaur body piercings

First Drizzle
The first rain of Kahrim's rainy winter season is celebrated with a children's holiday called the First Drizzle which is used to show appreciation to the gods for keeping Kahrim's plains fertile for another year. On this day, children are let out of school to play many rain-related games. A traditional game functioned by having a short race through the rain with the winner of the race being the person who finishes driest, an easy judgment to call because of Minotaurs' superior olfactory perception. Only the winning child would traditionally receive a gift. Today, most Kahremite parents buy presents for all children on this day.


 * Page(s) of reference: Holidays of Kahrim

Graduation Day
In Lorelei, where knowledge is a concept almost sacred, Graduation Day is a de facto holiday in which many denizens (somewhere around 30% of the population) from around the country attend the nearest university to watch the graduation ceremonies of youths becoming scholars. Lorelei lacks the definite coming of age culture that the other nations have, though many citizens are starting to lean toward graduation as the mark of coming into adulthood.


 * Page(s) of reference: Coming of age, Holidays of Lorelei

Grand Tour
The Grand Tour is a coming of age rite of passage began by the Aelves at the end of the Heaven's War. The Grand Tour is a trip around the entirety of Vereva, visiting each nation, that traditionally ends in the ruins of Itanstale in Eidriel. Its purpose is to teach youths the horrors of the global conflict that led to the extinction of the Giants and the Gnomes to dissuade further generations from war. As Aelf culture became better known around the world, the Grand Tour gained recognition as a general rite of passage an by 19435 all races began to participate in large numbers.


 * Page(s) of reference: Coming of age, Grand Tour

Heaven's War
The greatest known conflict in recorded history on Vereva is known as the Heaven's War. The war began when the Thaumaturges of Bevesta took charge to spread their empire and influence on a global scale, believing themselves to be the rightful proprietors of Vereva. The war, fought primarily on the soils of Eidriel, lead to the destruction of the civilizations of two sentient races—the Giants and the Gnomes—whose Dragoons and Wyrmhearts were no match for Bevesdane Majick.


 * Page(s) of reference: Heaven's War

Human Aging Factor
The Human Aging Factor refers to the aging rate of most sentient races. The aging rate is similar to that of Earth's humans where one full year accounts for one unit of aging, eg: 2 years old, 3 years old. On Vereva, Humans, Minotaurs, Thaumaturges and Giants age this way.


 * Page(s) of reference: Human Aging Factor

Hydrophant
In militaries around the world, special battalions were formed by cavaliers who rode Beasts into battle. Among these were the Hydrophants, who rode in on hydra to battle on sea. Hydraphancy was considered the most dangerous of the cavalier battalions and therefore the most honored. Unlike Dragoonism, Hydrophancy existed alongside conflict done by vehicles of the same means (water). Today, only the land variation of cavaliers, called the Wyrmheart, is still used while the air and sea variations have fallen obsolete due to Human's advancement in technology.


 * Page(s) of reference: History of Vy Mirvë, History of Vereva, Hydrophants

Larger Races
The term Larger Races is used to reference all races that kept Humans as slaves over the long history of slavery in Vereva. These races included the Minotaurs, the Dwarves, the Giants, and the Thaumaturges. The term was coined by the Humans who referred to the other races as larger not because of their size, but because of their capabilities that in ancient times kept them superior to Humans.


 * Page(s) of reference: History of Slavery

Liberation Day
Liberation Day is a traditionally Human holiday in Lorelei that occurs on the first day of the year (Day 1 of the Dextral Moon). The day is used to show thankfulness for the Humans' newfound freedom from oppression and the rights to free will and free thought. Liberation Day is celebrated differently by many citizens, the holiday raiding toward the tendency of doing whatever makes yourself feel liberated. While harsh crime and felony are not common on the holiday, Liberation Day can be one of the most dangerous days in Lorelei as many people rally in the streets while racial tensions are high, influenced by alcohol.


 * Page(s) of reference: Holidays of Lorelei

Luring Rock
On the easternmost regions on the Kensillan Continent, several natural crystal forests filled the plains. Collectively called the Luring Rock, the forests shone brightly and acted as beacons to travelers as far as 100 miles (161km) away. The crystal forests, now missing from the lands of Kensilla, are believed to have died off sometime before the Trail to Kensilla.


 * Page(s) of reference: Forests, Geography of Vereva, Kensillan Continent, Plants made of Crystal

Majicium
Majicium is the main religion in the world of Vereva, once followed by all nations as thanks to the gods for the gifts of the sorcery, a practitioner of which is called a "Majician." The religion today is followed mainly by citizens of the nations of Avelamb and Bevesta. There are many gods in Majicium, but the most important is the goddess Bevesta (for Bevesta (nation) vs. Bevesta (deity), see here) who was said to have fallen into the mortal realm and to have been the goddess who granted the sentient races their gifts for aiding her return to heaven. Today, the religion in practice is used in Bevesta (nation) to beg the gods for the return of Majick and in Avelamb to beg the gods to strip Vereva of all its Majick permanently. A common prayer in Bevesdane culture begins "O' Bevesta, Light within our hearts, Diviner of our souls, forgive us sinful children of Vereva," while the Avelonian version reads "O Bevesta, Light within our hearts, Diviner of our souls, punish us unworthy children of Vereva."


 * Page(s) of reference: Heaven's War, Majicium, Majick

Majick
In Majicium belief, Majick was the sentient feature of the Thaumaturges gifted to them the goddess Bevesta. Majick allowed the Thaumaturges to call upon miracles at whim, a trait previously only capable of a small minority of non-sentient flora and fauna.


 * Page(s) of reference: Heaven's War, Majicium, Majick

Nocturnal Eye
Low in the skies of Vereva is its icy moon called the Nocturnal Eye. The moon orbits around Vereva much slower than the moon of Earth, performing a full orbit in a full Verevian year (450 days). Because the seasons of the planet don't vary greatly if at all because Vereva's sun always faces the Beating Heart, the position of the moon in the sky tells Verevians which season is in current progress.


 * Page(s) of reference: Nocturnal Eye

Non-sentient Race
A Non-sentient Race on Vereva references all flora and fauna that cannot communicate inter-species, have little understanding of logic and reasoning, and were not given a sentient feature by the goddess Bevesta.


 * Page(s) of reference: Fauna, Flora

Plate for the Giants
A Plate for the Giants is a traditional meal eaten at the end of War Week in Kahrim before Minotaur youth are sent off for horn molting. The meal begins with heavy foods relative to Minotaur culture that lead up to 5 more gradually lighter courses and end in a final meal consistent with the Giants' diet.


 * Page(s) of reference: Holidays of Kahrim

Pömt Mirvë
The westernmost point on Vereva, called Pömt Mirvë is the coldest place of the world where the sun never shines. It exists in the location polar opposite of the Beating Heart. Pömt Mirvë is about 200 miles (322km) west of Vy Mirvë's westernmost city Aç'üçë.


 * Page(s) of reference: Geography of Vereva, Pömt Mirvë

Prayers
In the Majicium faith, Prayers need to be spoken by Thaumaturges in order to create miracles known as Majick. There are many different kinds of prayers which each have different purposes and effects.


 * Page(s) of reference: Majicium, Majick, Prayers

Scent of the Alpha
The Scent of the Alpha is a strong scent given off by Minotaurs when adrenaline rushes through their system. The scent is usually fragrant and aromatic for women but is always odorous for men. With other races, most can only smell the scent when closeby, but Minotaurs, having a much greater olfactory perception, may be able to smell another specific Minotaur from miles out. The scent acts as a repellent for most non-majickle fauna, though other fauna remain unaware or unaffected by the smell. In Kahrim, the scent is the primary trait used to elect the Alpha with the owner of the most putrid odor being deemed the elected leader of the country. Only five female Minotaurs have succeeded this privilege in written history, while it remains impossible for a non-Minotaur to be crowned Alpha.


 * Page(s) of reference: Alpha, Minotaurs, Scent of the Alpha

Sentient Feature
The Sentient Feature of a race, religiously called the race's sorcery is a unique feature of a sentient race in reference with the other sentient races. The sentient features, by folklore of the Majicium faith, are said to have been gifts of a goddess who granted the peoples powers for aiding her reascension into heaven. The sentient features have different levels of complexity within themselves and significance to their inherent racial culture. For all practicioners of Majicium, these features are considered sacred. For Aelves, their superior longevity is this feature which allows them to far outlive their brother races. For Dwarves, their skin is made to better weather temperature and force. Giants were said to be able to speak to non-sentient creatures while their Gnome counterparts had a skill yet unknown to other races, now lost with time. For Humans, the feature comes in the form of their superior intellect: their capacity for knowledge and learning far surpassing others. Minotaurs were able to fend off unwanted pests through smell, as well as incredible feats of strength; alike ants, they are able to carry loads many times greater than their own mass. Lastly, Thaumaturges were able to pray for miracles called Majick.


 * Page(s) of reference: Aelven Aging Factor, Aelves, Dwarves, Giants, Gnomes, Majick, Minotaurs, Races, Scent of the Alpha, Sentient feature, Thaumaturges

Sentient Race
The Sentient Races of Vereva refers to the seven traditional races that can intercommunicate verbally, having an advanced capacity for logic with the ability to manipulate the ecosystem around them for the betterment (or lack thereof) of their own species and societies. Sentient races are also the chosen gift bearers of the goddess Bevesta. Sentient races are opposed to the non-sentient flora and fauna. The races include the Aelves, the Dwarves, the Giants, the Gnomes, the Humans, the Minotaurs and the Thaumaturges.


 * Page(s) of reference: Aelves, Dwarves, Giants, Gnomes, Humans, Minotaurs, Races, Thaumaturges.

Skypass
The Skypass is a small fraction of the Kalle Mountains between Kensilla and the Great Continent. The way the Skypass' peaks stretch across the ocean suggest that the two continents were one larger continent before the Coming of Bevesta. The Skypass is attributed to helping the Humans of the Great Continent majorly as their main means of transoceanic travel during the Trail to Kensilla.


 * Page(s) of reference: Kalle Mountains, Skypass, Trail to Kensilla

Thaumopaedia
The Thaumopaedia refers to the holy scriptures of the Majicium religion. All of the Thaumaturges' prayers are said to be written here.


 * Page(s) of reference: Majicium, Majick, Prayers

Trail to Kensilla
At the end of the Heaven's War, Humans took the initiative to liberate themselves from slavery in the largest scale emigration in Verevian history known as the Trail to Kensilla. Originating as an emigration to a small Human-run town of Port Neith in the south of Kahrim, the Trail to Kensilla eventually led to a transoceanic movement through the Skypass onto the previously uninhabited continent of Kensilla. This was due to the Minotaurs' disdain for free Humans on their lands. The nation Lorelei as well as the settlement of Abbu-Symbell were formed through the emigration and as word spread, Humans as far as Almsaunde made their own trips to Kensilla to become part of it.


 * Page(s) of reference: History of Vereva, Humans, Trail to Kensilla

Vy Wöihod
Vy Wöihod (pronounced: vee voo-EE-hohd; /viːvuˈiɦod/) is the coming of age rite of passage for youths in Vy Mirvë. Vy Wöihod, loosely translating as "the trip" or "the voyage," is a boating trip through the Hydratic Ocean in which youths (mostly males) are charged to catch as many fish and other sea creatures as possible over a two week period to be eaten in an unnamed feast upon their return. Returning from Vy Wöihod is considered a great honor being that the ocean waters are dangerous, filled with fauna such as hydra and kraken. The youths are charged with the mission without adult supervision despite the dangers, so many form small bands of 10 to 20 shiphands to enhance their chance of survival. Around 22% of youths who attempt Vy Wöihod do not return, their ships lost at sea between the staring point at Aç'üçë and the ending point in Abbu-Symbell in the "Çy ffir vy Wöihod" (Sea of the Voyage.)


 * Page(s) of reference: Coming of Age, Dwarves, Vy Wöihod

War Week
Taking place in the 16th week of the year, usually sometime between the Month of the Outgoing Moon and the Month of the North Moon is War Week, a seven-day holiday in Kahrim used to commemorate the existence of the Giants and the Gnomes, who, in their prime, were allies to the Minotaurs. The week begins with reenactments of the Heaven's War in many places throughout the country on the first and second days, followed by mass recruitments of willing soldiers into the Kahremite Army on the third and fourth day. Martial arts competitions are held through the week and a heavy focus is placed on their championship matches on the fifth and sixth days. On the final day of the week, a feast called Plate for the Giants is eaten at noon, before youths are sent off for their coming of age horn molting.


 * Page(s) of reference: Holidays of Kahrim, Horn Molting, Plate for the Giants

Wyrmheart
In many Verevian nations, entire military battalions ride beasts of the air, land and sea. While the Dragoons of the air and the Hydrophants of the sea have become archaic, the Wyrmhearts—warriors who ride wyverns—still wage many a battle on the lands.


 * Page(s) of reference: Wyrmheart

Xilliones' War
The current conflict on Vereva is called the Xilliones' War, named after the Bevesdane Viscountess. The war, between Kahrim with ally Lorelei and Bevesta with supporter Vy Mirvë began as a need by Vereva/Government of Bevesta for rare resources that are native only to the southern coasts of Kahrim. When the Kahremites denied access to the land and its resources, the Bevesdanes had little choice but to take them by force. Although the war in its 21st year of conflict has had many battles, the struggle is mostly an arms race.


 * Page(s) of reference: Current Year, Xilliones' War