Here is a handy glossary of definitions for some of the new language that developed thanks to transhuman abilities unlocked thanks to the Nex. For a printable, layered PDF you can distribute at the game table for your players, see the link below:
All-The-Way Blue: Also known as “vivid”, “blue locked, and “true seer”. A term describing and referring to an extremely rare individual who can see the Nex auras of Linked beings in color and is immune to the effects of the Yellow Shift. Their Nex aura remains an uncorrupted blue color. All player characters in the Han Cluster are all-the-way blue.
Capped: Short for “Carapaced”, the state of a Linked being when its X-Ghost is integrated with its physical body. Ever since the Nex Revelation, all Linked beings have developed dim colorless auras, easily seen when close up.
Colorblind: The vast majority of those in human space who can’t see Nex aura colors and are susceptible to the effects of the Yellow Shift. The opposite of all-the-way blue.
Crystum: A very rare substance found on certain planets and asteroids that acts as fuel for the crystum hyperdrive engine. The crystum drive allows for faster than light travel in space.
Draxel: A tiny implantable chip designed be a “Nex lens” that focuses a Linked being’s inherent connection to the Nex for varied effects and purposes. Draxels may be loaded with X-Gear (see below). Draxels are also used as conduits for instant point-to-point interstellar communication via two unique satellites called draxel relays (see below).
Draxel Tapper: Rare individuals with the talent to manipulate, tap into, and disrupt the Nex-energy flowing through their own draxels and the draxels of those around them. Draxel tappers can spy on others through their draxels, trace people’s locations, make draxels feedback on their users, and more.
Draxel ID: A unique identifier that results from the keying of a draxel to an Linked being. Draxel IDs are one of a kind and can never be duplicated. Draxel IDs are required for access to draxel communication, the ReUnia Interstellar Network, and X-Gear.
Draxel Relay: One of two orbital satellites in human space that facilitate instant interstellar communication between individuals (a.k.a. draxel communication). One relay is in orbit around Neptune, and the other orbits the dead planet Nebakazor in the Han Cluster.
Ghost Traveling: An ability that allows one’s X-Ghost (but not their physical body or any physical equipment) to travel instantly to the X-Ghost (whether Capped or Ghosted) of someone they are X-Bonded with, or to an X-Node they are keyed to.
Ghosted: The state of a Linked being when its X-Ghost is separated from its physical body (a.k.a. its Sleeper—see below). These separated X-Ghosts are semi-corporeal, have a glowing aura, and may look different in appearance than their physical bodies (see Nex Avatar).
Ghostless: A being that does not have an X-Ghost (like most animals). Also refers to humans who were born without an X-Ghost, a deadly condition that usually claims their lives within their first year.
Hope Expedition: A mass migration of tens of thousands of people to the Han Cluster from Earth.
Hope’s Break: A culminating event that resulted in the fissure between the two societies of Earth and Edenic. It created a cold war of paranoia and resentment that endures 300 years later.
Linked Being: Any being, whether human or an intelligent machine that is “Linked” to the Nex and therefore has an X-Ghost. Every Linked being can detach their X-Ghost from their physical body, leaving behind a Sleeper. Doing this takes a limited action, and their X-Ghost separates from their body, which then immediately falls into a deep coma until their X-Ghost returns to it.
Linked Machine: A machine or artificial lifeform (with its own body) that has become self-aware, sapient, and has “Linked” to the Nex and manifested its own X-Ghost. Linked machines, like humans themselves, are another form of Linked being.
Nex, the: Short for Nexus, an adjacent dimension to the physical world. Though it coexists with our reality, the Nex follows a different set of natural laws. It’s presence became known to humanity during the Nex Revelation, and unlocked several transhuman abilities (and connected to thousands of robots) over the course of three centuries. No one yet knows why it exists, how it was formed, the full range of possibilities it offers, or the threats it represents.
Nex Architect: Exceptionally powerful and dedicated individuals who have gained a unique, intuitive understanding of the Nex. Some Nex Architects like Karina Lutz (inventor of the draxel), Freestand (inventor of X-Gear), and Liberator (inventor of the artificial Nexarium) have made discoveries that have changed the course of human history. There have only been a small handful of these adepts in human history.
Nex Avatar: The visual appearance of a Ghosted person (i.e. their X-Ghost when separated from their body). A Linked being’s Nex Avatar is always the “manifestation of the person they truly are inside.”
Nex Divers: Rare adepts particularly attuned to The Nex. These individuals can channel Nex-energy directly through their, bodies and affect the experiences and perceptions of other Linked beings around them.
Nex Revelation, the: A series of events occurring after humanity’s arrival in the Han Cluster that revealed the existence and influence of the Nex. Almost all humans, and, later, an increasing number of AI machines, manifested X-Ghosts to become Linked beings. In ensuing decades, humanity learned to unlock additional abilities while entire fields of science, technology, philosophy and religion were born.
ReUnia: A non-centralized, non-proprietary interstellar network based in the Nex that handles all monetary and property ownership records and stored information exchange. Access to ReUnia requires a Draxel ID. ReUnia was developed by a joint Earth-Edenic consortium under the leadership of Karina Lutz. It remains the most significant joint collaboration between the two civilizations since the split apart during Hope’s Break.
Sleeper: A Linked being’s physical body separated from its X-Ghost. Sleepers are left in a vulnerable sleep-state when separated from their X-Ghost. If a Sleeper takes damage, it’s X-Ghost takes damage, and vice versa. If one dies, so does the other.
Yellow Shift: A mysterious shift of the colors of people’s Nex auras toward yellow. Only all-the-way blues can see it, and even then, most of them haven’t seen it yet. The colorblind can’t see it at all.
X-Bonding: A rare phenomenon whereby two or more Linked beings who have developed a deep emotional connection or shared an experience of intense stress can bond together. Those who share an X-Bonded can telepathically communicate with each other directly through the Nex no matter their distance apart (without the use of draxels). Moreover, X-Bonding allows one’s X-Ghost (but not their physical body) to Ghost Travel instantly to someone they are X-Bonded with.
X-Gear: X-Gear is a blanket term referring to semi-corporeal, Nex-based tools, weapons, clothes, and armor projected from a draxel thanks to special lines of code that have been loaded onto it. X-Gear must be custom tuned to an individual’s Draxel ID by a X-Tuner in order to work. X-Gear was invented by a Nex Architect named Freestand.
X-Ghost: The semi-corporeal manifestation of a Linked being that exists partially in the Nex. A being’s X-Ghost can be integrated within their physical body (a.k.a. Capped), or they can be separate from their body (a.k.a. Ghosted). When Ghosted, X-Ghosts are semi-corporeal and exist between the worlds of the Nex and the physical plane. They take penalties when interacting with physical objects, but are still blocked by physical boundaries and obstacles. A solid wall is still solid to an X-Ghost. When Capped, X-Ghosts reveal themselves only as a faint glowing aura surrounding the physical form.
X-Node: Rare, and mostly only available to certain military organizations and planetary governments, these are powerful pieces of Nex-based technology that allow specific, keyed Linked beings to send their Ghosted forms directly to the X-Nodes, effectively acting as if they are X-Bonded to them but at much shorter range. The most well-known example of these devices are the “Wraith Nodes” used for planetary security on Edenic.
X-Powers: Powers cast by Nex divers, Draxel Tappers, and Nex Architects.
