Game Terms
Dramatic Character: The fictitious characters portrayed by the participants of a Storytelling Game. They are the main characters of the story and the focus of the plot.
Storyguide: The person who chooses to create the plot, portray the Supporting Cast, adjudicate rules, and generally steer the interactive storytelling experience.
Storytelling Game: An interactive storytelling experience, which takes place solely in the imaginations of those participating. One person takes on the role of Storyguide to manage and direct the
experience, while the others take on roles as Dramatic Characters of their own design.
Supporting Cast: Ancillary characters that appear in the story who are portrayed by the Storyguide.
Aeon War, the: The greatest of all wars; the war of the Strange Aeon. Humans and Nazzadi fight for survival against the invading alien Migou and the threat of the returning Old Ones and their Cults.
Arcanotech: A fusion of scientific and mystical principles. Currently, arcanotechnology is based around certain non-Euclidean concepts that result in the application of an inexhaustible power source. Certain arcanotech side effects have led to the creation of mecha as the main-line war-machine of the Aeon War.
Ashcroft Foundation, the: One of the few large corporations to have survived the Aeon War. The Ashcroft Foundation is the organization responsible for the creation of arcanotechnology. It is the key research and development organization for the New Earth Government, and often serves as an advisory body for the
government in other matters as well. Children of Chaos, the: The secret cult of Nyarlathotep, the
Endless One. Upon the Chrysalis Corporation’s discovery of the Rite of Transfiguration, the Children of Chaos infiltrated and took control of the company. The two are now one and are capable of creating the Dhohanoids – their elite soldiers. They follow the will and agenda of the mysterious Nyarlathotep and are said to
be responsible for the Aeon War.
Chrysalis Corporation, the: One of the few large corporations to have survived the Aeon War. The Chrysalis Corporation serves the New Earth Government and its society in a variety of ways. However, secretly they are controlled by the Children of Chaos and work to undermine the New Earth Government from within.
Cthulhu: The most feared of the Old Ones. Cthulhu sleeps the sleep of the dead trapped in the sunken city of R’lyeh. If he were to return, scholars generally agree that it would spell the end of the Aeon War and the destruction of all mortal life on Earth.
Cults, the: When spelled with a capital letter, the term Cult refers to any one of the three major cults threatening the New Earth Government – the Children of Chaos, the Disciples of the Unnamable, and the Esoteric Order of Dagon.
Death Shadows, the: The Disciples of Death’s Shadow; the sect within the Disciples of the Unnamable that believes that mortals must be thoroughly degraded and corrupted so they can be suitable servants upon the return of the Old Ones.
Dhohanoids: The elite agents of the Children of Chaos and the Chrysalis Corporation. Created by the warping Rite of Transfiguration, Dhohanoids are mortals that can shapeshift into horrible monsters – or perhaps vice versa.
Disciples of the Unnamable, the (DOU): The cult of Hastur (the Unnamed One) which is split into two sects. The first are the Death Shadows, who believe in degradation, and the second is the Rapine Storm, who believe in destruction. Hastur has chosen neither sect over the other but both operate under his aegis.
Eldritch Society, the: A secret organization dedicated to helping the New Earth Government. They wage a shadow war against the Children of Chaos and their Dhohanoids and alone hold the secrets of creating Tagers – their symbiotic holy warriors.
Endless Ones, the: The greatest and oldest of all the true and secret gods. The Endless Ones are seemingly made of the most primal energies of the universe. With the exception of Nyarlathotep, they have had little dealing with mortals.
Engel: A cybernetic mech that is part-machine and part-creature – a living mecha. Pilots jack in through the central nervous systems of these giant cyborgs. They are the most fearsome of the New Earth Government’s arsenal. Plural is Engels – a bastardization of the original German.
Engel Project, the: A special cooperative project between the New Earth Government and the Ashcroft Foundation to create a mech that is part-machine and part-creature known as an Engel.
Esoteric Order of Dagon, the (EOD): The cult of Cthulhu and his minions. They exist in coastal regions and on islands and are mainly populated by the batrachian fish-men known as Deep Ones or those tainted with their blood. The EOD hopes to find the lost island city of R’lyeh to once again awaken their god Cthulhu.
Forgotten Ones, the: The least known and least understood of the secret occult deities. Some stories say that they are thought to be responsible for the exile of the Old Ones long ago.
Hastur: Also known as the Unnamable and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. The Dead God Hastur is perhaps the most enigmatic of the Old Ones. Through his tattered regal avatar in Leng, Hastur is the figurehead of his cult: the Disciples of the Unnamable.
Magic: The studied ability to manipulate the energies of the universe in defined ways, known as rituals or spells. Magic is dangerous but very powerful. Its practitioners are known as sorcerers or magicians.
Magician: Any creature who has learned to harness the power of magic through complex ritual. It is mainly used as a title for dabblers. See also Sorcerer.
Mecha: Arcanotech-powered, piloted giant robots used as warmachines. They are an incredibly versatile unit that have all but replaced other machines in battle. Singular is mech.
Migou: Strange alien creatures from Pluto. They are a horrible combination of fungus, insect, and crustacean. The Migou are bent on the enslavement of the Human race, the extinction of the Nazzadi race, and the destruction of the Cults.
Mortal: Any natural creature of Earth that lives and dies on the mortal coil. Mortal is most often used to refer to the dominant sentient species – the Humans and the Nazzadi.
Nazzadi: An alien race genetically designed by the Migou from Human DNA. They were given a fabricated history and culture and sent to destroy the Human race by their creators. Upon revelation of the Migou’s treachery the Nazzadi joined the Human race and are now an integral part of the New Earth Government.
New Earth Government, the (NEG): The unified democratic government of Earth comprised of the remaining Human and integrated Nazzadi populations – 2.5 and 1.8 billion respectively.
Nyarlathotep: One of the Endless Ones. This god has long taken an interest in the affairs of man. Currently he and his cult, the Children of Chaos, guide the actions of the Chrysalis Corporation and their Dhohanoid agents.
Old Ones, the: Powerful alien beings that once ruled the Earth. These dark gods disappeared eons ago but are now returning to once again take their place as masters of this world.
Rapine Storm, the: The sect within the Disciples of the Unnamable who believe that all vestiges of the Human and Nazzadi races must be scoured from the Earth to make way for the return of the Old Ones.
Sorcerer: Any creature who has learned to harness the power of magic through complex ritual. It is a formal term applied to those truly serious about their study. See also Magician.
Sorcery: A more formal term for magic.
Strange Aeon, the: A time foretold by ancient prophecies in which the “stars will come right,” allowing the Old Ones to awaken (or escape their imprisonment, depending upon the reader) and once again visit their predations upon the Earth – the time of CthulhuTech.
Tager: A warrior of the Eldritch Society. A Human or Nazzadi who has undergone the Rite of Sacred Bonding and fused with an extra-dimensional symbiont to become something more than mortal. Monsters with the hearts of men.