A church or cult, unique to Mars, in an ancient Martian civilization, of which they are the rightful heirs. The Re-Born obey the mystical Emperor of Time of Mars-That-Never-Was. They genetically modify to have bright red skin and four arms, and style themselves “warriors,” though on the whole they tend to be peaceful, if somewhat visually distinct.

Memcordist

Person who records and broadcasts their entire life, from birth to death, to anyone who cares to follow in exchange (hopefully) for donations. Memcordists are thankfully few—Pym is perhaps the most famous nowadays—but remain ubiquitous.

Memory pendants

Cheap trinkets, mass-manufactured in YIWU and elsewhere. Allow the wearer to remove a small memory and store it in a gemstone pendant. Often sold on the streets and used by disappointed or tragic lovers to preserve moments of happiness or pain.

N

Nakaimas

“Black magic.” The word comes from the original Bislama, but now refers to the sort of WILDTECH that really shouldn’t be capable of doing what it does.

Nirrti the Black

Pirate and leader of a resistance army on Titan, based out of the Kraken Sea. Nirrti’s pirates notoriously tear out their nodes and are not susceptible to subversion by digital means. It is not entirely clear what she is fighting against, but Nirrti the Black is feared as much as she is respected, and the Kraken Sea is usually avoided by commercial flights.

Node

A bio-digital growth embedded in a human embryo before birth, interfacing with the brain and central nervous system and growing together with the host. Nodes provide immediate and intimate access to the CONVERSATION. It is as much an organ of the human body as a heart is.

O

Ogko

He never existed (as he himself wrote) and his The Book of Ogko is full of such contradictions. Ogko has no believers, but many followers, and Okgo shrines can be found in many of the inhabited worlds.

Others

Digital entities possessing consciousness as well as intelligence, first evolved by Matt Cohen and colleagues in their Jerusalem labs, then released (by a sympathetic mob) into the CONVERSATION. Others evolve in the BREEDING GROUNDS. They seldom involve themselves, at least directly, in human affairs.

Outer System

Jupiter, Saturn and the farther reaches generally get lumped together—at least by those in the Inner System. The distances are vast and, as the saying goes, “Things get weird in the Outer System.”

P

Pacmandu

Mythical layer of primeval code lying deep below the GUILDS OF ASHKELON and other game-universes. The WU EXPEDITION attempted to use an in-game singularity to reach it. It was lost, and its members flatlined in the physicality. Stories persist: and it is said that the ultimate reality is a small white ball bouncing between two lines, endlessly.

Polyport

Polyphemus Port, often and affectionately shortened to Polyport, is the main city and spaceport on Titan.

Q

Quietude, the