Aetherspace Glossary

Aetherbubble: A world in aetherspace. While any of the familiar worlds can be called aetherbubbles, in casual parlance the word usually refers only to aetherbubbles that are primarily accessed via aetherspace only, rather than through planar gates.

Aethercreatures: The denizens of aetherspace, they are uniformly aggressive. When destroyed they produce Glaetherial Dust.

Aetherdock: The point on any aetherbubble (including the familiar worlds) where an aethership may dock, allowing the crew to embark and disembark. The Aetherplex is the default aetherdock.

Aetherhold: A module that stores cargo. Multiple aetherholds allow carrying more cargo at once.

Aetherplex: A public aetherdock on Avechna's Peak. Can also refer to the aetherdock operated by each nation.

Aethership: The union of a manse with an algontherine egg produces an algotherine entity called an aethership which can travel through aetherspace.

Aetherspace: The space between worlds (or aetherbubbles).

Algontherine: A word referring to the living entity which an aethership is made from.

Algontherine Egg: The origin of life of an algontherine entity. When hatched, it imprints on its owner, and what's left over becomes the Command Chair.

Algontherine Whistle: An artifact sold by the gnomes which can call an aethership across aetherspace, even across planes. Can only be used by the owner on whom the aetherhip has imprinted.

Anchor Module: A module purchased for credits which allows the Commander to create a temporary dock in aetherspace once per day.

Antennae: A diamonut that extends the range of the sensors in an empath grid. Achieves the same effect as the Farhorizon skill (and stacks with it). Also extends the range at which targetting is possible.

Armada: A group of affiliated aetherships travelling together, and the Aethercraft skill used to form them.

Astralsense: An Empath skill to find other ships.

Auronidion Particles: Charged particles which can be purchased with dust at gnome trader ships, once produced by focusing on constructs during weakenings (but no longer). These can be stored in aetherholds and decay over time. Trade them for auronispheres at gnome traders.

Auronispheres: Traded for with gnomes using auronidion particles. Though they can be used as inferior powerstones, their primary use is to power constructs. They can also be sold at the Facility.

Battle Turret: The module operated by a Combateer.

Bombard: A Combateer skill to attack a construct on a nexus world.

Cankermore: An aetherbubble where forces of undeath and mold wage military conflicts.

Cargo: Anything carried in Aetherholds, specifically glaetherial dust or commodities.

Channel: An Empath skill that provides a channel between ships. See also Hail.

Clarionblast: A Combateer skill used to blow up a module on an enemy aethership.

Clarity: An Empath skill that clears afflictions on a module.

Cloak: A module purchased for credits which hides aetherships from long-range scans by ships without cloaks.

Combateer: A crew member operating a battle turret, at one time, those specialized in the Combateer skillset. Combateers perform all offense functions, against aethercreatures, enemy ships, and constructs.

Command Chair: The module operated by the Commander (or pilot). All aetherships must have a command chair.

Commander: A crew member operating the command chair, at one time, those specialized in the Commander skillset. The commander pilots the ship and operates additional modules including aetherholds and their associated scoops, and anchor modules.

Commodities: Similar in concept to the commodities familiar to crafters, but different specifics, these substances have unknown uses but are valuable to the gnome traders. You can trade glaetherial dust for commodities, then sell commodities to the traders (even the same one who just traded it for dust, though better returns can be achieved by comparing commodity prices on different ships).

Colossus: Once, a device built by artisans which can be used to attack constructs during nexus world weakenings - colossi are no longer a part of Lusternia.

Constructs: Refers to things constructed by communes and cities on their nexus worlds, which grant boosts and benefits to the associated nation and its members.

Covey: An Empath skill to extend a ship's natural communication aetherwave to the plane on which it's docked.

Crumkindivia: An aetherbubble inhabited by sugar-plum fae, where an ancient battle between the Pastry Revolution and the Licorice Kingdom is fought.

Deadspace: A Combateer skill to create an area of dead space, or the space thus created. Dead space areas interfere with mapping sensors and communications, cause armadas to break up, and destroy shields.

Deepbond: An Empath skill that binds a crew to a ship such that they will transmigrate on death back to the ship.

Diamonut: One of the commodities in which gnome traders do business. In addition, a number of upgrades to aethership modules are made from diamonuts and can be purchased for credits.

Dissonance: An Empath skill which jams communications in the local area.

Distribution: An empath skill that allows energy from one module to be rerouted to another. The module losing energy will malfunction more often, but the module gaining energy will recover balance quicker.

Dock: See Aetherdock.

Dramube Triangle: An aetherbubble of beaches known to confuse navigation.

Dust: See Glaetherial Dust.

Empath: A crew member operating the empath grid, optionally specialized in the Empath skillset. The empath heals the ship's damage, trades with gnome traders, operates ship sensors, and communicates with other ships.

Empath Grid: The aethership module which is operated by an Empath.

Energy Collector: A module which can draw power from vortices and store it, where it can be transferred to pilots or the ship itself. Energy collectors require crew with the Siphon skill to operate them.

Energy Vortex: A storm of energy in aetherspace. Energy collectors can draw power from them with the Siphon skill, though this will also call out aethercreatures.

Evade: A skill to shake off a ship that's following you. See also Trail.

Facility: An aetherbubble operated by the gnomes where they conduct research. You can sell auronispheres there.

Farhorizon: A skill which extends the range of ship sensors to allow a larger map to be visible, at the cost of ship speed.

Flashpoint: A point which a ship has memorized. A skill is used to memorize and recall these points; a single ship can store 3, but can always fuse to its point of berth (home dock) from prime aetherspace. The Fuse skill is used to travel to flashpoints. In common parlance, the word "flashpoint" sometimes refers both to the point and the process of traveling to it with the Fuse skill.

Flush: An Empath skill that clears all modules on a ship of various afflictions.

Frosticia: An aetherbubble of cold climates.

Fulcrux: The location in an aethership from which people enter and leave.

Funnel: Transferring energy reserves from a person to an aethership. This is done at the Command Chair.

Fuse: A Commander skill that allows an aethership to teleport nearly instantaneously to either another ship with whom the empath has synchronized, or a flashpoint, or the ship's home berth (the aetherdock associated with the owner's nation's private aetherplex).

Glaetherial Dust: The residue of aethercreatures when destroyed. Sold to gnome traders.

Gnomes: Early pioneers of aetherspace, the gnomes developed the means of preparing algontherine eggs to make aetherships.

Gnome Traders: The gnomes maintain a number of ships to trade glaetherial dust and commodities. These ships wander the eddies of aetherspace, though they tend to stay in general areas.

God Realms: The aetherbubble associated with every Elder God who has a shrine in the Transcendantal Fulcrux in Avechna's Peak. God realms can be attacked in order wars.

Grid: See Empath Grid.

Gunner: See Combateer.

Hail: An attempt by an Empath to open a channel to another ship.

Hourglass: A diamonut that doubles the amount of energy gathered by an energy collector.

Hull: The body of an aethership; its strength depends on the aethership's size. When damage reduces the hull to zero, the ship implodes, killing everyone inside. The aethership will reform at the Aetherplex, though it will lose its flashpoints, its cargo, and most of its power.

Immerse: A Commander skill allowing an aethership to hide inside an energy vortex. In this state, energy collectors can siphon power without any risk of tunneling through the vortex.

Jinsunjolt: A Combateer skill allowing a turret to attempt to jolt a docked aethership off the dock. Also does some damage.

Klick: The distance denoted by a single space on an aetherspace map.

Lightning: A diamonut that increases the speed of a battle turret.

Maneuver: A Commander skill to flee despite an enemy ship attempting to Shadow.

Marmuckle: A Combateer skill to afflict all modules on an enemy ship with Murkle.

Marwurble: A Combateer skill to afflict all modules on an enemy ship with Worble.

Mine: A rupture in aetherspace that does damage when a ship or aethercreature comes upon it.

Module: A word that refers to any of the functional parts of an aethership that crew can use, directly or indirectly. See Command Chair, Empath Grid, Battle Turret, Aetherhold, Energy Collector, Ramhead, Shield Orb, Cloak, Anchor Module,

Moon Bubble: An aetherbubble inhabited by the essence of Mother Moon.

Murkle: A Combateer skill which afflicts a module to cause it to malfunction randomly.

Nexus World: The aetherbubble associated with the nexus of a commune or city. Constructs can be built there to strengthen the nexus and its people.

Night Bubble: An aetherbubble inhabited by the essence of Mother Night.

Parasite: An Empath skill to force synchronization on a ship. See Synchronization. Also, a slivven parasite which can infect the ship if it is hit by an aetherbeast. See Slivven.

Pilot: See Commander.

Planarbond: An Empath skill that connects a ship's crew to the aetherwaves they would hear and speak on while on the Prime Material Plane.

Ramhead: A module which allows an aethership to ram another, so that invaders can board the enemy ship. Operated remotely by the Commander.

Regenerate: An Empath skill to revive a blown-up module.

Repulse: A Combateer skill to nudge an enemy ship or aethercreature into an adjoining location. Won't work on ships actively sealing a dock.

Resonance: An Empath skill which makes a ship invisible to aethercreatures.

Roll: A Commander skill allowing a ship to increase its defensive chance of dodging at the expense of its offense.

Rupture: A Combateer skill to lay mines. See also Mine.

Scan: An Empath skill to find other ships in the same environment.

Scoop: Gathering glaetherial dust into an aetherhold.

Screech: An Empath skill that damages any ship attempting to hail or sense the ship. See also Hail.

Seal: A Commander skill allowing an aethership to block off access to an aetherdock or interplanar gate.

Shadow: A Commander skill to prevent enemy ships from fleeing. See also Maneuver.

Shield Orb: A module that has some ability to block attacks like turret blasts, jinsunjolts, and siphon, by taking the damage instead. Can be temporarily disabled by Combateers using the Strip skill, or by dead space.

Shock: A Combateer skill to stun an enemy ship or aethercreature into brief immobility.

Shockwave: A Combateer skill to leave a shockwave which will affect any ship or creature that passes through it as with Shock.

Silentrun: A Commander skill allowing a ship to move more slowly but avoid notice by aethercreatures.

Siphon: A Combateer skill to drain energy from an enemy ship.

Sludge: A Combateer skill that causes the enemy ship to be slowed in its movements.

Sluice: A Commander skill allowing a sudden movement of several klicks at once.

Song: An Empath skill that sends out a distress call.

Spider: A diamonut that increases the effectiveness of an empath grid.

Spin: A Commander skill to avoid being rammed.

Spiral: A Commander skill allowing an aethership to fly in a spiral pattern that increases speed and avoids all attacks for a time.

Starburst: A diamonut that increases the damage done by a battle turret.

Strip: A Combateer skill to disable the shields on an enemy ship.

Synchronization: An Empath skill that links two ships, providing a communications channel between them. Synchronization also allows other skills such as Fuse to work between them. See also Parasite.

Trail: A Commander skill to follow an aethership without permission. See also Evade.

Transverse: An Aethercraft skill to travel through a dimensional rift into an adjacent plane of aetherspace.

Tree of Trees: A small aetherbubble inhabited by the tree of the same name, an incarnation of Spirit Tree.

Tunnel: A Commander skill to intentionally use an energy vortex to travel.

Turret: See Battle Turret.

Vortex: See Energy Vortex.

Weakening: Once, a time when the balance of astrological forces made a nexus world and its constructs vulnerable to attack. There are no longer nexus weakenings.

Wheel: A diamonut that increases a ship's speed. Attached to the command chair.

Whistle: See Algontherine Whistle.

Worble: A Combateer skill which afflicts a module to make it respond more slowly to commands.

Worldscan: An Aethercraft ability to scan a nexus world for constructs and people.

Xion: An aetherbubble on the Elemental Plane which was once the workshop of Xyl.