Below are common terms/slang used by our community; if you would like your own added to this list, drop a comment.
Blood: A symbol for Body. Blood, as part of one's own body, holds religious significance, used as seals for promises, blessings and treaties.
Body: A term used by Materia Shamanism adherents, representing sludge. One's own body is seen as belonging to the sludge. See Mother
Canyon: A major biome. Read more about landmarks and typical inhabitants here.
Chosen Family: A mixed species (including even predator and prey) group who raises a Sludge-created offspring. Those fostering the orphans are still referred to as just "parents" (rather than "fosters/adoptive parents").
Cleric: Someone who typically specializes in working with sludge pools. This is a faction you can pick for your Character. Read more here.
Dark Mother: Contaminated sludge pools. Any age of sludge can become a Dark Mother, but their age determines what kinda damage they can do. Old Dark Mothers will mutate you in the course of trying to "heal" you, Mature Dark Mothers are the most dangerous (they produce the horrors), and Young Dark Mothers... well, they aren't so bad, they're just kinda gross and produce less edible, non-edible stuff, or sometimes poisonous stuff. See Mother
Defender: Someone who typically specializes in defending other animals on missions, or who work as guards. This is a faction you can pick for your Character. Read more here.
Explorer: Someone who typically specializes in exploring and sharing knowledge about environments with other animals. This is a faction you can pick for your Character. Read more here.
Final Passing: A term referring to ending one's continuous rebirth by the sludge. One's remains are placed in the Tumulus burial mound located in the Canyon.
Forest: A major biome. Read more about landmarks and typical inhabitants here.
Fringes: Areas outside of Primordia are known as the Fringes. Laws are not as enforced in the Fringes due to animals living farther apart from each other and sharing resources far less. See Primordia
Happy Sludge Day: A big, communal birthday party, annually held on the Spring solstice in the Canyons, which is usually when the Birth Mother produces a ton of babies.
Horrorbeasts: Massive mutagenic monsters which emerge from Dark Birth Mother sludge pools, known to lead animals astray and into their jaws. See Dark Mother
Materia Shaman: An adherent, or animal who follows the main societal religion.
Materia Shamanism: The name of the most common "religion" found in this society, focusing on the relationship animals have with the mutagenic sludge. Read more about it here.
Meat Mother: A sludge pool that is young and produces mystery meat (rather than making complete animals or healing existing animals).
Midden Heaps: A huge dung heap. Where players can leave their dung and find out who has recently left theirs!
Mind: A term used by Materia Shamanism adherents to refer to the symbolic relationship they have with plants. See Plant Mind.
Mother: Mutagenic sludge pool. Specifically though, Mother is the name of a goddess of sorts, the fauna to the flora's Tree/Plant Mind and the mineral's Celestial Spirits. Mother is yang: creation and life bestowing, the #1 entity to defer to.
Young mothers are "fresh", in that they most closely resemble the first sludges that were manufactured long ago. Meanwhile, mature mothers have that bank of DNA you need to be creative with growing new stuff (rather than just copying what you're exposed to). Some rare, elderly mothers can even heal animals.
Mountain: A major biome. Read more about landmarks and typical inhabitants here.
Mutagenic Sludge: A pollutant like substance that exists all over the place in this world. It takes various bits of organic matter and attaches them onto other lifeforms. This is how very elaborate mutations have formed on animalkind. Animals refer to it as Mother. See here for more on mechanics.
Paw armistice: A truce system to protect weaker animals from stronger ones. Read more here.
Pebble Hot Springs: A hot spring at the top of the Mountain known for soothing aching muscles.
Plant Mind: When referring to material manifestations, any non-moving (inanimate) plant or fungi that produces edible matter. For Materia Shamans: The yin to the Mother's yang - offering wisdom, guidance, shelter.
Primordia: A paradise with different biomes, where animals share resources, build community, and face the Horrorbeasts and dangerous natural world together. When they leave Primordia, they are in what's called the Fringes. Fringes
Rebirth: When animals die, they can optionally be placed in the Birth Mother to have their bodies reformed. When they eventually, someday, re-emerge from the sludge, they are not the same being exactly - they will have gained some kind of mutations and lose most of their memories. What happens to the character has a lot to do with how much material the Birth Mother had to work with and how long their genetic material stays in the pool.
Sludge: A pollutant like substance that exists all over the place in this world. It takes various bits of organic matter and attaches them onto other lifeforms. This is how very elaborate mutations have formed on animalkind. Animals refer to it as Mother. See here for more on mechanics.
Spring Equinox: A holiday. Tons of food is prepared and then shared in one big feast in the Forest. The Meat Mother receives a huge portion of the food, with each attendee carefully placing their offering into the pool under a Cleric's oversight. Afterwards, the animals make a trek together to the Canyon, participating in a communal dance under the stars for a prosperous harvesting year. Those looking to have the Birth Mother located there create offspring for them will donate their own organic material as well, with guidance from a Cleric.
Star Spirit: A nickname for anything that emits light, be it bio-luminescence or celestial bodies like the sun, moon, or stars.
Soul: A term used by Materia Shamanism adherents, represented by light and luminescence. Due to the continuous nature of sludge-induced rebirth, souls are believed to exist beyond the "flesh" until Mother is ready to incorporate them. Bioluminescent creatures are said to be extra full of "soul".
Stone Table: a somber rock formation in the Canyon used for ceremonies in which animals let their own blood as a seal for promises, blessings, and treaties.
Story Circle: A place in the Canyon where animals jovially gather under the stars to hear their favorite Teller spin a creative tale
Talking with Mother: A risky practice of dipping one's body in sludge, done as self admonishment to atone for perceived wrongs.
Teller: An animal known for giving especially entertaining oral performances / stories. See Story Circle
Tree Collective: A mass of very loosely trimmed and woven tree canopy with many nests, primarily inhabited by arboreal creatures. Some locations are shaped from many different species of tree, and others are one massive clonal specimen (like Pando).
Trifecta ritual: Daily ceremony performed by Clerics who collect symbolical ingredients (such as leaves, blood, and bio-luminescent mushrooms) and add them to the Birth Mother with flair to "appease" the pool.
True Death: A term referring to ending one's continuous rebirth by the sludge. One's remains are typically placed in the Tumulus burial mound located in the Canyon.
Tumulus: Burial mound for "final passing" located in the Canyons. Used by those who are not inclined to return their dead to the Birth Mother pool.
Warren: A group of caves, burrows, or stick-nests on the ground with soft bedding materials like moss or dried grass, and sometimes a piece of "decor", such as pebbles or quartz.
Weaver: Someone who typically specializes in performance art, a certain skill not covered by the other factions, or making (extremely simplistic) items. This is a faction you can pick for your Character. Read more here.
Winter Solstice: A gift-giving holiday where you take an approved organic item you want to give, and with a Cleric's blessing, dip it into a known-mutating (but usually harmless) Dark Mother... then try to find someone who'd like to take home whatever freaky item you get back out.
Wisdom Tree: A massive tree in the center of the Forest, whom the animals hold deep reverence for. Its organic materials are used by Materia Shamans to represent "mind" in their symbolism. When animals are reborn from the sludge, their memory is hazy... Consuming some plants, like the leaves of the Wisdom Tree, is believed to grant "access" to hidden memories, and are ritualistically added to Birth Mother pools.
Blood: A symbol for Body. Blood, as part of one's own body, holds religious significance, used as seals for promises, blessings and treaties.
Body: A term used by Materia Shamanism adherents, representing sludge. One's own body is seen as belonging to the sludge. See Mother
Canyon: A major biome. Read more about landmarks and typical inhabitants here.
Chosen Family: A mixed species (including even predator and prey) group who raises a Sludge-created offspring. Those fostering the orphans are still referred to as just "parents" (rather than "fosters/adoptive parents").
Cleric: Someone who typically specializes in working with sludge pools. This is a faction you can pick for your Character. Read more here.
Dark Mother: Contaminated sludge pools. Any age of sludge can become a Dark Mother, but their age determines what kinda damage they can do. Old Dark Mothers will mutate you in the course of trying to "heal" you, Mature Dark Mothers are the most dangerous (they produce the horrors), and Young Dark Mothers... well, they aren't so bad, they're just kinda gross and produce less edible, non-edible stuff, or sometimes poisonous stuff. See Mother
Defender: Someone who typically specializes in defending other animals on missions, or who work as guards. This is a faction you can pick for your Character. Read more here.
Explorer: Someone who typically specializes in exploring and sharing knowledge about environments with other animals. This is a faction you can pick for your Character. Read more here.
Final Passing: A term referring to ending one's continuous rebirth by the sludge. One's remains are placed in the Tumulus burial mound located in the Canyon.
Forest: A major biome. Read more about landmarks and typical inhabitants here.
Fringes: Areas outside of Primordia are known as the Fringes. Laws are not as enforced in the Fringes due to animals living farther apart from each other and sharing resources far less. See Primordia
Happy Sludge Day: A big, communal birthday party, annually held on the Spring solstice in the Canyons, which is usually when the Birth Mother produces a ton of babies.
Horrorbeasts: Massive mutagenic monsters which emerge from Dark Birth Mother sludge pools, known to lead animals astray and into their jaws. See Dark Mother
Materia Shaman: An adherent, or animal who follows the main societal religion.
Materia Shamanism: The name of the most common "religion" found in this society, focusing on the relationship animals have with the mutagenic sludge. Read more about it here.
Meat Mother: A sludge pool that is young and produces mystery meat (rather than making complete animals or healing existing animals).
Midden Heaps: A huge dung heap. Where players can leave their dung and find out who has recently left theirs!
Mind: A term used by Materia Shamanism adherents to refer to the symbolic relationship they have with plants. See Plant Mind.
Mother: Mutagenic sludge pool. Specifically though, Mother is the name of a goddess of sorts, the fauna to the flora's Tree/Plant Mind and the mineral's Celestial Spirits. Mother is yang: creation and life bestowing, the #1 entity to defer to.
Young mothers are "fresh", in that they most closely resemble the first sludges that were manufactured long ago. Meanwhile, mature mothers have that bank of DNA you need to be creative with growing new stuff (rather than just copying what you're exposed to). Some rare, elderly mothers can even heal animals.
Mountain: A major biome. Read more about landmarks and typical inhabitants here.
Mutagenic Sludge: A pollutant like substance that exists all over the place in this world. It takes various bits of organic matter and attaches them onto other lifeforms. This is how very elaborate mutations have formed on animalkind. Animals refer to it as Mother. See here for more on mechanics.
Paw armistice: A truce system to protect weaker animals from stronger ones. Read more here.
Pebble Hot Springs: A hot spring at the top of the Mountain known for soothing aching muscles.
Plant Mind: When referring to material manifestations, any non-moving (inanimate) plant or fungi that produces edible matter. For Materia Shamans: The yin to the Mother's yang - offering wisdom, guidance, shelter.
Primordia: A paradise with different biomes, where animals share resources, build community, and face the Horrorbeasts and dangerous natural world together. When they leave Primordia, they are in what's called the Fringes. Fringes
Rebirth: When animals die, they can optionally be placed in the Birth Mother to have their bodies reformed. When they eventually, someday, re-emerge from the sludge, they are not the same being exactly - they will have gained some kind of mutations and lose most of their memories. What happens to the character has a lot to do with how much material the Birth Mother had to work with and how long their genetic material stays in the pool.
Sludge: A pollutant like substance that exists all over the place in this world. It takes various bits of organic matter and attaches them onto other lifeforms. This is how very elaborate mutations have formed on animalkind. Animals refer to it as Mother. See here for more on mechanics.
Spring Equinox: A holiday. Tons of food is prepared and then shared in one big feast in the Forest. The Meat Mother receives a huge portion of the food, with each attendee carefully placing their offering into the pool under a Cleric's oversight. Afterwards, the animals make a trek together to the Canyon, participating in a communal dance under the stars for a prosperous harvesting year. Those looking to have the Birth Mother located there create offspring for them will donate their own organic material as well, with guidance from a Cleric.
Star Spirit: A nickname for anything that emits light, be it bio-luminescence or celestial bodies like the sun, moon, or stars.
Soul: A term used by Materia Shamanism adherents, represented by light and luminescence. Due to the continuous nature of sludge-induced rebirth, souls are believed to exist beyond the "flesh" until Mother is ready to incorporate them. Bioluminescent creatures are said to be extra full of "soul".
Stone Table: a somber rock formation in the Canyon used for ceremonies in which animals let their own blood as a seal for promises, blessings, and treaties.
Story Circle: A place in the Canyon where animals jovially gather under the stars to hear their favorite Teller spin a creative tale
Talking with Mother: A risky practice of dipping one's body in sludge, done as self admonishment to atone for perceived wrongs.
Teller: An animal known for giving especially entertaining oral performances / stories. See Story Circle
Tree Collective: A mass of very loosely trimmed and woven tree canopy with many nests, primarily inhabited by arboreal creatures. Some locations are shaped from many different species of tree, and others are one massive clonal specimen (like Pando).
Trifecta ritual: Daily ceremony performed by Clerics who collect symbolical ingredients (such as leaves, blood, and bio-luminescent mushrooms) and add them to the Birth Mother with flair to "appease" the pool.
True Death: A term referring to ending one's continuous rebirth by the sludge. One's remains are typically placed in the Tumulus burial mound located in the Canyon.
Tumulus: Burial mound for "final passing" located in the Canyons. Used by those who are not inclined to return their dead to the Birth Mother pool.
Warren: A group of caves, burrows, or stick-nests on the ground with soft bedding materials like moss or dried grass, and sometimes a piece of "decor", such as pebbles or quartz.
Weaver: Someone who typically specializes in performance art, a certain skill not covered by the other factions, or making (extremely simplistic) items. This is a faction you can pick for your Character. Read more here.
Winter Solstice: A gift-giving holiday where you take an approved organic item you want to give, and with a Cleric's blessing, dip it into a known-mutating (but usually harmless) Dark Mother... then try to find someone who'd like to take home whatever freaky item you get back out.
Wisdom Tree: A massive tree in the center of the Forest, whom the animals hold deep reverence for. Its organic materials are used by Materia Shamans to represent "mind" in their symbolism. When animals are reborn from the sludge, their memory is hazy... Consuming some plants, like the leaves of the Wisdom Tree, is believed to grant "access" to hidden memories, and are ritualistically added to Birth Mother pools.
