Editing The Judges of Tehom (section)

=A Brief Glossary=

'''''Full Glossary Here: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jfBr2000PQw3k_L4FXh8bpJgpkN0vEzTRk-DU-p0I3c/edit?usp=sharing Full Glossary for the Judges of Tehom]'''''

* '''Archonic War'''.  The preferred form of violent conflict between Tehomin city states.  Rather than having a conflict between militaries, the city states of Tehom often will have a duel between champions to determine the outcome.

*'''Archon'''.  An Archon is one of the superhuman Few who has a position of authority within a cosmopolis.  The type of power or authority is not defined by the term Archon: one could be a military position, a governmental role, a magnate of a particular industry, or anything else.  Many use the terms Archon and the Few interchangeably, though this is not technically correct.

*'''Cosmopolis'''.  A Tehomin city-state.  An independent political entity, a cosmopolis is a sprawling sustained by international trade, the powers of Archons, and the hinterland territories under its control.  Cosmopoli, save for some key exceptions, are ruled by Archons.

*'''The Course'''.  The Course is a channel in the middle of the Set Islands that collectively form the most developed, prosperous, and populated area of the planet.  From space, the Course looks like nothing but cities and sea.

*'''The Few'''.  In-setting term for superheroes, individuals who have some degree of power that goes beyond normal humanity.  The Few may be magical in nature, users of super-science like powered armors, altered on a biological level by science (intentionally or accidentally), or they could be a heredity mutant and therefore part of a Lineage.  Some members of the view do not even truly have super powers as such, but are rather exceptionally trained individuals.  Different city-states think about the Few differently and organize their societies and legal codes accordingly.

* '''Founders'''.  Members of the few who are not members of established bloodlines of power (in other words, they are not legacies).

* '''The Kairos Covenant'''.  An alliance between Srimec City, Pinnacle, Saltmerche Citadel, and a dozen smaller cosmopoli.

* '''Kleocracy'''.  The neo-feudal form of government that dominates Tehomin society.  It is the rule of the glorious, the rule of the superhuman Few over the Many, combining temporal power with celebrity.

* '''Legacy'''.  A legacy is a hereditary bloodline within the Few.  In short, they are mutants who exhibit superhuman powers.  Some cosmopoli, like Pinnacle, are actively run by lineages, while in others they are distrusted as being detached from the Many.  Some forms of cryptotechnology exist that can identify lineages, and sometimes even suppress lineage-based powers. 

* '''The Many'''.  Baseline humanity.  The Many are the vast majority of the population, and they are "normal" humans.  Due to the history of Tehom as a lost colony, the range of physical variation associated with different races is present, though society is not as explicitly organized around race and ethnicity as many societies on Earth.  The main question is which cosmopolis is home.

* '''The Set'''.  The Set is gigantic archipelago near the equator of Tehom.  The vast majority of habitable land is found among the Set Islands, and as a consequence, it is home to the vast majority of Tehom’s human population.  The Set’s ecology is almost completely Terran in its character, though some precursor life remains around the edges.  The deep oceans far from the shallow waters of the Set are a source of mystery and dread for much of the population, and its dark abysses are havens for pre-terraform Tehomin life.

* '''The Tide's Eye'''.  A unique phenomena to the planet Tehom which alters probability and imbues some people and objects with powers.  Little is known how it functions.

* '''Ventures'''.  Organizations lead by Archons.  They may be oriented toward business, governmental responsibilities, or something else.  The key trait is they are a formal organization recognized by a cosmopolis.