• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Overview

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Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide

This document defines:

• Content creation terminology (what words mean in-universe + how to format them),
• Translation rules & hints (preferred renderings, rationale, and "avoid" list).

Use it as the single source of truth when writing narration, dialogue, glossary entries, and translator notes.

• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Terms Canon
• 1. Peoples & Terms Canon

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Terms Canon

1. Peoples & Terms Canon

(singular/plural, adjectives, gender notes, register rules)

1.1 Global conventions (apply everywhere)

Register policy

• Exonym (EN, neutral) for narration/exposition.
• Endonym (in-world, may be gendered) for dialogue, ritual formulas, oaths, self-identification, and identity claims.

Huskspace terminology (3-layer naming)

• Hallucinatory Complex -- everyday neutral label (capitalize as a named phenomenon).
• Secondary Weiss Effect (SWE) -- scientific register; introduce once, then use SWE.

• Huskspace -- slang/crew speech.

• verbs: to husk out, to go Huskside

• adjective: husked (e.g., "a husked vision")

Core people-terms

• Energete / Energetes -- humans with bio-energy disciplines (Brahmins, Vehdens, Vooduns, Gematras, Pompilians, Astlans).
• Techno-human(s) -- humans from technologically developed worlds (e.g., Largitas).
• Barbarian(s) -- relative/poetic label (use carefully; character voice matters).

Institutions / roles

• Antis / Antises -- elite Energete wave operators.
• Leader-Antis -- highest office (capitalize; treat like a formal title).

Artifacts / marks / entities

• Gematrix → gematrices -- artifact; adjective gematric.
• Tavro -- enslaving physiological brand (italicize on first mention per book, then plain Tavro).
• Loa -- spirit entities (capitalize; singular = plural).

Practical formatting rule: if a term has (1) an official name, (2) a scientific name, and (3) slang, introduce them together once per book, then stick to the context-appropriate register.

• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Terms Canon
• 2. Morphology & grammar quick-table

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Terms Canon

2. Morphology & grammar quick-table

Note: Astlans appear first in Trilogy 3, books 7–9.

• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Terms Canon
• 3. How to mark gender when needed

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Terms Canon

3. How to mark gender when needed

• English demonyms are generally gender-neutral. Only use feminine forms where the canon specifies a traditional pair.

• a Brahmini woman

• a Vooduni woman

• Narration prefers exonyms. Endonyms belong to self-identification, ritual speech, lineage formulas, and in-world ethnography.

• Narration: "She is Voodun by birth."

• Dialogue/ritual: "I am Vooduni of the House of Loa."

• For roles/titles with established gendered pairs, use the pair:

• e.g., Houngan (m.) / Mambo (f.)

• Otherwise keep titles gender-neutral:

• Kay, Legate, etc.

English demonyms are generally gender-neutral. Only use feminine forms where the canon specifies a traditional pair.

• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Terms Canon
• 4. Races & Peoples -- phonotactics and morphology (name creation rules)

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Terms Canon

4. Races & Peoples -- phonotactics and morphology (name creation rules)

When inventing personal names, keep phonotactics consistent with the reference cultures:

• Brahmins: Sanskrit/Hindi roots; theonyms and virtues (e.g., Dharma, Shakti stems).
• Vehdens: Avestan/Persian roots; fire motifs; Kay as regnal title.
• Vooduns: Yorùbá/Fon/Kongo/Haitian Creole flavor; integrate Loa epithets where appropriate.
• Gematras: Hebrew/Aramaic forms; scholarly titles (Mar, Sage).
• Pompilians: Roman tria nomina; Latin institutional naming.

Guardrail: if a name "sounds cool" but breaks phonotactics, it will feel non-canon faster than any plot inconsistency.

• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Terms Canon
• 5. Consistent capitalization

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Terms Canon

5. Consistent capitalization

Peoples and races (capitalize): Brahmins, Vehdens, Vooduns, Gematras, Pompilians, Astlans, Energetes, Techno-humans, Barbarians.

Institutions/titles (capitalize when formal): Senate, Kay (as a title: Kay Vahram), Mar, Sage, Leader-Antis, Legate, Royal Council.

Artifacts/technics/entities: Gematrix, Tavro, Loa.

• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Terms Canon
• 6. Quick singular → plural glossary (consistency checklist)

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Terms Canon

6. Quick singular → plural glossary (consistency checklist)

• Energete → Energetes
• Techno-human → Techno-humans
• Barbarian → Barbarians
• Gematrix → Gematrices
• Loa → Loa
• Pompilian → Pompilians
• Brahmin → Brahmins
• Vehden → Vehdens
• Voodun → Vooduns
• Gematra → Gematras

• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Terms Canon
• 7. Key supporting terms (preferred phrasing)

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Terms Canon

7. Key supporting terms (preferred phrasing)

• Energete ability (avoid "energetic ability" -- reads as "vigorous.")
• Gematrix / gematrices / gematric (artifact + adj. locked)
• Tavro -- enslaving physiological brand (italicize on first mention per book)
• Loa -- invariant plural; capitalize

• Canon Terminology & Translation Style Guide
• Terms Canon
• 8. Name/style guardrails (authoring rules)

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Terms Canon

8. Name/style guardrails (authoring rules)

• Exonyms in narration, endonyms in dialogue/ritual quotes.
• First mention per book of the layered concept: "Hallucinatory Complex (scientifically, the Secondary Weiss Effect, SWE; slang: Huskspace)."
• Capitalize institutions/titles when used formally: Leader-Antis, Kay, Senate, Royal Council.
• Pompilian naming: Roman tria nomina.
• Gematric technicals: gematrix / gematrices; gematric (adj.).
• Voodun roles: Houngan (m.), Mambo (f.), Papa honorific OK.
• Astlanic roles: preserve tl, tz, hu, qu clusters; do not anglicize.