Glossary
Adibadi: Our distant ancestral cousin; very closely related to the primate species from which the Luratian people evolved. Adibadis are to us what the gorilla or chimpanzee are to the humans of Earth. Their personality and character, however, more closely resemble the domesticated dog. Adibadis are loyal, communicative, highly relational, easily trainable, eager to please and happy to serve. They are gentle playmates of our children and loving members of the families with whom they live. Adibadis are large and strong, yet nimble with their hands and fingers. The average trained adibadi can lift heavy stone tiles, carry them a great distance and then arrange them in an even and level array to form a smooth, sturdy outdoor flooring. Adibadis are excellent gardeners, and given that many Luratians grow much of their own food, adibadis are prized pets. Adibadis are native to The Continent, and were domesticated 8,000 years ago.
Adri: The sixth day of Luratia’s six day week. See also Days of the Week.
Alteron: One of The Continent’s two supersatellites. Alteron is the larger of these satellites and serves the key function of collecting and transmitting solar power to Luratia, which is then wirelessly distributed world-wide utilizing the theories of Nikola Tesla. Alteron is a fully equipped base for excursions to space. Alteron is home, at any given time, to 48 residents — trained technicians, astronauts, scientists, astronomers and others who maintain daily operations. The residents of Alteron and Forton, the other supersatellite, work on a rotating schedule of 90 days on and 30 days off. See also Forton.
Amand Tree: A hardy tree native to the tropical zones of Luratia. The amand tree grows abundantly in thick groves and bears a sweet, nutritious fruit.
Artunne: See Continental Union.
Asi: Asi is a nutty grain similar to buckwheat. It grows so easily and abundantly almost every family has a thicket of it in their yard. Asi is one of the most nutritiously complete foods growing on all Luratia. It is one of the first solid foods our infants are fed; it is one of the few foods the aged and ailing can eat; it has been the favorite source of sustenance for the legions of soldiers who once fought for these lands centuries and millennia ago; our archeologists say that asi was eaten by the first humans half a billion years ago.
Bisri: The first day of Luratia’s six day week. See also Days of the Week.
The Buku Tree: The buku tree is best known for its bioluminescence. This unusual plant, the only of its kind on Luratia, has thin leaves with a unique property of absorbing and storing photons in its cellular structure. During nightfall, the leaves radiate the stored photons, creating a glow-in-the-dark effect that lasts from 4 to 8 hours, depending on the size of the tree. Given that a Luratian day is 20 hours, a half a dozen buku trees could illuminate an outdoor area from sun down to sun up. See the Wiki article on the Buku Tree.
Clarkon Substance: An organic material — composed entirely of carbon atoms — used in virtually thousands of applications, a few of which include semiconductors, building materials, medical instruments, food packaging, holophones and transport vehicles. Clarkon is 200 times stronger than steel and thousands of times lighter in weight. It also happens to be the most efficient conductor of electricity of any substance or material known on our planet. The scientists of The Continent discovered clarkon 326 years ago. The scientists of Earth have discovered the very properties of this unique material very recently, and your 2010 Nobel Prize for Science was awarded for this magnificent discovery, a material they call ‘graphene’. See the Wiki article on the Clarkon Substance.
Continental Union: Also known as The Continent. The single sovereign nation that spans the entirety of the continent Artunne. Artunne is the largest of Luratia’s six continents, slightly larger than the country of Canada. The nations of Artunne unified as a single sovereign nation 348 years ago. Since that time a long and spectacular political, social, and cultural transformation has flourished. Long before its union, the nations of The Continent were progressive and forward thinking. They surpassed all other nations of Luratia in establishing equal rights, fair wages for workers, excellent educational programs, parental licensing and training, and meritocracy-based governments. Five hundred years ago, these countries had achieved the social progress of your Scandinavian countries. Today, The Continental Union would seem a perfect society by Earth standards. The people of The Continent are genuinely kind, loving, compassionate, trustworthy, honest and generous. They are what you would call a virtuous people. This is not to say that the people or society of The Continent are perfect. Both have evolved tremendously and are evolving still. See the Wiki article on the Continental Union.
Days of the Week: Luratia has a six day week. In The Continental language these days, in sequential order, are: Bisri, Misri, Kodri, Hodri, Nadri and Adri.
Forton: One of The Continent’s two supersatellites. Forton is the smaller of these satellites and serves many functions. Like the Alteron satellite, Forton collects and transmits solar power to The Continent, which is then gridlessly distributed world-wide through the conductivity of clouds. Forton hosts a powerful telescope which broadcasts images of space to large public screens found in urban areas across The Continent. Given that the planet is almost continuously shrouded in cloud cover, Luratians catch only the slightest glimpses of the stars and planets that populate their night skies. Forton is home, at any given time, to 32 – 36 residents — trained technicians, astronauts, scientists, astronomers and others who maintain daily operations. The residents of Forton and Alteron, the other supersatellite, work on a rotating schedule of 90 days on and 30 days off. See also Alteron.
Glorungia (Ungi): The glorungia, known colloquially as ungi, is a shelled land/sea animal that possesses metamorphic properties similar to a butterfly. In the fourth year of life, the glorungia undergoes a year-long physical transformation, a process that is protected and concealed by his shell. When he emerges transformed, the new creature, known as an ungi-chi, is a beautiful 6-legged insect with social and playful qualities. The glorungia has a 25-year life span and is a favorite pet to the children of Luratia. See the Wiki article on the Ungi and the Ungi-chi.
Groile: A type of grassy moss that grows abundantly on tropical beaches and in the forests of the wetlands on The Continental mainland. Groile is soft and comfortable and free of feeders since they are filled with a very pungent liquid that no type of living creature is interested in eating. Patches of groile serve as seating areas wherever they are found: on private lawns, in public parks, on school grounds, in outdoor amphitheatres.
Hodri: The fourth day of Luratia’s six day week. See also Days of the Week.
Kodri: The third day of Luratia’s six day week. See also Days of the Week.
Luratia: 380 light years from Earth, Luratia is a rocky, oceanic planet that harbors land, sea and air creatures. Luratia bears remarkable similarities to Earth due to several advantageous facts: 1) our suns are of the same spectral class and the same general size, heat and luminosity; 2) our atmospheres share similar properties, particularly the chemical composition of the “air that we breathe”; and 3) our planets are close in size, similar in geologic composition and ideal for harboring and sustaining many types of life forms. Luratia is 17% smaller than the Earth, has 6 continents, 3 oceans, no moons and almost continuous cloud cover. Our average world temperature of 113° F makes Luratia twice as hot as Earth, whose average world temperature is 57° F. Our year is 299 days long, our 10 months are 30 days each and a single day is 20 hours. See also Luratians. See the Wiki article on the planet Luratia.
Luratians: The people of Luratia are in many ways remarkably similar to the people of Earth. This is due largely to the fact that Earth and Luratia share so many similar planetary characteristics. Luratians stand on average 5 feet high. We have two legs as do you, a muscular tail not unlike that of the kangaroo, and two hands with five fingers and a thumb. We have eyes with enlarged pupils and cat-like ears. We possess complex language and communication skills; a self-reflective, logical, and creative intellect; nurturing instincts toward our young; an innate drive to create community, culture, and civilization; and a spiritual impulse – the desire to know, honor, and exemplify the very Source of life itself. See also Luratia. See the Wiki article on the people of Luratia.
Misri: The second day of Luratia’s six day week. See also Days of the Week.
Nadri: The second day of Luratia’s six day week. See also Days of the Week.
Pairing Process: Throughout their 6 year education at one of The Continent’s 3 Transition Schools, each student is paired with a companion, a same-age, same-sex Continental native. The initial 2 weeks of each new school year provides for various group activities through which the first-year students and newly arrived companions become acquainted. During this time, the students and companions pair up through mutual assent. See also Transition Schools, Transition Students, Transition Companions. See the Wiki article on the Transition Companions.
Pure Sky: At any given time, most of Luratia, with the exception of the two poles, is almost continuously shrouded in cloud cover. This cloud cover ranges from thick heavy blankets of clouds that stretch miles in height to the virtually imperceptible wispy-thin type of cloud that exposes areas of cloudless sky. Many of the languages of Luratia refer to this as ‘pure sky’. When weather factors benevolently conspire to produce a pure sky condition, it is a significant event. The planetary broadcasts that span all of Luratia are quick to dispatch the news and provide moment-by-moment detailed reports of the geographic location and the movement of a pure sky condition. So popular are pure skies that a Continent-supported broadcast, known as Pure Sky Global, devotes continuous coverage of the entire planet’s sky conditions.
Space-Based Solar Power: Luratia’s primary power source is solar energy. We capture solar power in space, using massive arrays of photovoltaic panels that orbit our world as do our satellites. With magnificent efficiency and scale, our sun’s energy is harnessed, immediately converted to electricity with clarkon semiconductors, then transmitted via microwave to a receiving station on The Continent, where it is stored and distributed to surrounding areas. This electricity is delivered through the clouds, which cover our planet day and night. Clouds — whether thick layers of thunderheads or thin threads of water condensation — are an excellent conductor of electricity. Every area of Luratia, if the right receiving gear is present, has access to this free, abundant energy. See also Clarkon Substance. See the Wiki article on Space-Based Solar Power.
Sub-Orbital Airbus: Luratia’s sub-orbital airbus is a rocket-propelled craft that traverses long distances in a short time by ascending to a very high altitude and arcing in the direction of its destination. For coast-to-coast flights on The Continent, the sub-orbital airbus achieves an altitude of 50 miles above sea level. For intercontinental voyages, it is typical for the altitudinal lift to peak at 70 – 90 miles, which provides passengers a view of Luratia that, otherwise, only our astronauts know.
Transition Companions: Throughout their 6 year education at one of The Continent’s 3 Transition Schools, each student is paired with a companion, a same-age, same-sex Continental native. The Transition Companions are volunteers and train for their assignment. Initially, the companions perform the vital role of lingual and social interpreter, while the Transition Students gain proficiency in The Continental language and acclimate to the ways of Continental society. See also Transition Schools, Transition Students, Pairing Process. See the Wiki article on the Transition Companions.
Transition Schools: Three specialized international training schools for forward-thinking, service-minded kids of Luratia. Students begin their studies at age 13 and graduate at age 19. Located on island campuses of The Continent, these schools serve a two-fold purpose: 1) to intelligently guide their maturation and character development along the enhanced lines of personal excellence, social service and higher values, while also 2) providing a basic education in math, science, cosmology, language, history, culture, philosophy, governing and economics. See also Transition Companions, Transition Students, Pairing Process. See the Wiki article on the Transition Schools.
Transition Students: Students of the Transition Schools are voluntary candidates who apply for admission and are selected by an Admissions Committee, which operates from the Continental Embassy based nearest the country of each applicant. Prospective students, with the participation and support of their parents, submit a statement of interest at or before the age of 12. See also Transition Schools, Transition Companions, Pairing Process. See the Wiki article on Transition Student Graduates.
Ungi (Glorungia): The glorungia is a shelled land/sea animal that possesses metamorphic properties similar to a butterfly. In the fourth year of life, the glorungia undergoes a year-long physical transformation, a process that is protected and concealed by his shell. When he emerges transformed, the new creature is a beautiful 6-legged insect with social and playful qualities. The glorungia is commonly called ungi, and the transformed ungi is called an ungi-chi. The glorungia has a 25-year life span and is a favorite pet to the children of Luratia. See the Wiki article on the Ungi and the Ungi-chi.
PLACES
Artunne: The former name of the continent now known as The Continent or The Continental Union. Artunne is the largest continent on Luratia, slightly larger than the country of Canada. The countries of Artunne consolidated as a supranational union similar to the European Union. This supranation later dissolved its national borders and unified as a single sovereign nation. See the Wiki article on The Continent.
Berutae-kli-ton: Literal translation “town at the end of the Berutae River”. A coastal town in the south west quadrant of The Continent. The great Berutae River flows here into the ocean. Berutae-kli-ton is the demarcation point at which the western coastline and the southern coastline meet.
Continental Union: Commonly referred to as The Continent and formerly known as Artunne. See also Artunne. See the Wiki article on The Continent.
Courton: The township where Lin and Van live, located in the semi-arid western half of The Continental Union. One of The Continent’s 7 universities is located here, the University of Courton.
Dina: An island located off the southern coast of The Continent, home to one of The Continent’s 3 Transition Schools, specialized training schools for young adults from the other countries of Luratia. See the Wiki article on the 3 Transition Schools.
Lida: An island located off of the southern coast of The Continent, well known for its beautiful volcanic caldera sculpted by millions of years of erosion and fertilized by the ash-dense soil. Lida is home of one of The Continent’s 3 Transition Schools, specialized training schools for service-minded kids from around the world. See the Wiki article on the 3 Transition Schools.
Sortoria: The stellar neighborhood, also referred to as the local system, to which the planet Luratia belongs. Sortoria is home to over 700 inhabited worlds, some of which share the same sun. Sortoria is immediately adjacent to Satania, the stellar neighborhood to which the planet Earth belongs. See the Wiki article on Stellar Neighborhoods.
University of Courton: One of The Continent’s 7 universities. Here, Van teaches courses in Astronomy, Planetary Geography and Planetary History and Culture (he is the world expert on Earth, in fact). Lin is the University’s Associate Dean of the Department of Teacher Education, responsible for instructing and certifying teachers and teaching assistants who are assigned to The Continent’s public school system or to one of the 3 Transition Schools that receives students from all over the world.
Vona: One of 20 islands that dot the perimeter of The Continent — the sovereign Continental Union — and one of 3 of these islands that are home to the campuses of the seven specialized Transition Schools created for the education of students from all parts of the world. See the Wiki article on the 3 Transition Schools.
Vona-cri-par: A small coastal town adjacent to the island of Vona. Literal translation, “port next to Vona”.
Wershonia: Luratia’s second largest continent has six countries and, among them, two languages: Welbi, spoken in the South and Culti, spoken in the North. In recent decades, a movement to unify the language of Wershonia has been accepted by all nations and implementation of this effort is now underway. Northern Wershonia is modern, having traded with the people of The Continent since the invention of ocean-worthy boats. A thick mountain range separates the North and the South, which made travel between them difficult until the invention of aircraft. The steep, rocky coast north of Bree is uninhabited by people. Northern Wershonia ranks second to The Continent on virtually every measurable metric: quality of life, equality of the sexes, social progress, technical and medical progress, longevity, education, economic health and political progress. The countries of Wershonia are quickly moving toward supranationality, with a single language and a single government. The southern countries of Wershonia are hesitant to dissolve their sovereign status but political scientists believe that within 150 years the continent of Wershonia will be a single sovereign nation. See the Wiki article on Wershonia.
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