Imperium Lupi

by Adam Browne

  Black Rain: The hyena name for the catastrophe that befell all the races eons ago. Scholars believe it may have some truth, perhaps referring to a previous gradual pollution of the world from ashen rain, or worse, some manner of disaster involving black-imperium. Some hyenas call today’s Ashfall the second black rain.

  The Bloc: The jumbled territory north of the river over which many small packs contest dominion. It is a very dangerous and tough place to live or do business; wolves from the main packs rarely venture there.

  Bloodfang: The oldest pack on record. They dominate the east of Lupa and have monopolised most imperium and food imports; a worrying situation for the other packs.

  Blue-imperium: Highly prized and quite rare, blue-imperium contains almost as much energy as purple, but without the psychotic effects. However it is seldom ingested on purpose, since it is more useful stabilised and melded with steel to create extremely hard and durable kristahl. The Eisbrands make much use of blue-imperium in their mighty swords.

  Centipede: A predatory invertebrate with thirty to over a hundred legs, dependant on species. The imperial, or colloquially sewer centipede, is a giant species that actively seeks imperium any way it can, often devouring imperium addicts living in the Wall Slums, but also tackling Watchers, Howlers and anyone else with a corona, or anything that threatens it. In the wild it feasts on giant millipedes, woodlice and other harmless browsers.

  Chakaa: The hyena answer to the Howlers, they are forbidden to use white-imperium by their beliefs, but unlike wolves they cope well with the psychotic side effects of purple-imperium. Even so, Chakaa are often unstable and are sidelined by the exacting standards set by noble-born hyena society, and only tolerated at all for their great strength and usefulness in battle.

  Chunta: A bitter drink laced with purple-imperium, which Chakaa quaff to replenish their strength and stave off the rot.

  Citizen: Any beast, little or great, that is not a Howler, but has the right to live and work in Lupa.

  The Common Ground: Colloquially called the Common, this contested ground left over from the war was gifted to ALPHA to administrate.

  Corona: The invisible field of energy that pervades and surrounds imperium, especially in the context of Howlers, who can often sense one another’s presence.

  Dayfly: A waterborne insect with a long, two or three-pronged tail. Hatching in the spring, they take a year to reach maturity, whereupon they grow wings and take flight in great nuptial swarms over the water. The adults die within a day or two, the females laying their eggs upstream of where they hatched before they expire.

  Dead Cities: The evidence of previous great civilisations are said to still stand in long-forgotten parts of the world, though few beasts venture there for fear of their lives.

  Dead Zone: An area of Lupa sealed off to the citizens as a result of an industrial accident, usually a black-imperium spill. It is thought by some archaeologists that the Dead Cities were made uninhabitable by a similar, if catastrophic accident.

  Den: Typically one per district, a Den is where Howlers work, train and live. If married, a Howler’s family will usually live nearby, since Dens do not generally have excess accommodation, though Hummelton Den is a famously notable exception, being able to house all the Den Fathers, Elders and their retinues when it is their turn to host the Pack Summit.

  Den Father: The ‘father’ of an entire pack, very often an old and potent Howler. They are voted into power by the Elders of the pack they serve, but once seated they cannot be removed save through death, abdication, or impeachment. Den Mothers are much rarer owing to the scarcity of female Howlers, though Pack Hummel currently enjoys the leadership of Den Mother Cora.

  Den Guard: Elite Howlers who are sworn to guard the Elders and Den Father of their pack. They wear longer mantles than the average Howler.

  Dirigible: A rigid balloon filled with lighter-than-air gas. Many companies are exploring flight, but none have yet devised a lifting gas that is not explosive.

  District: An area of Lupa, or Hummel territory, governed by an Elder; there are rarely physical barriers between districts, only lines drawn on maps.

  Donskoy: One of the great Eisbrand lines. Most Eisbrands are related to one of just a pawful of sprawling, extended families.

  Eisbrand: The richest pack. Their territory is kept fairly clean by the coastal wind. They make their money importing fine silks and other luxury goods from across the water.

  Eisenglanz: An alloy created by infusing imperium ash with steel or other metals, making it more durable and more able to resist plasmatic attacks. It cannot be lifted by a Howler’s corona, nor easily melted.

  Eisenpelz: The suit worn by Eisenwolves. The recipe for eisenpelz metal is unknown, but it is almost indestructible. Melting down an eisenpelz and recasting it compromises its strength, thus its durability is at least in part due to the manner by which it was originally moulded.

  Eisenwolf: The name given to wolves of exceptional imperious power who don the ancient eisenpelz suits found in the Dead Cities. They have been outlawed under the Lupan Laws, though loopholes exist and few packs, if any, have destroyed their collection.

  Elder: The wolfen governor of a district and its Den; usually a powerful Howler. There are traditionally thirteen per pack.

  Ember: Self-combusting tubes of lung-rotting poison that serve as a stopgap between stings. Embers self-ignite with a yellow-imperium tip, which is not to be inhaled, and contain a further cocktail of low-grade imperium, fruit or menthol flavourings, plus a few minims of taubfene. The last ingredient offers relief from rot pains but makes them highly addictive.

  Erde: The green world beasts and bug inhabit. The word is capitalised when referring to the planet, and not when referring to the soil under a beast’s paws.

  Far Ashfall: The polluted land stretching eastwards to the Sunrise Mountains, very few plants can survive here. Held by the Bloodfangs, it remains the only practical rail and road route between Lupa and Hummelton.

  Felicia: The capital of the cats across the Teich. It is a sprawling city not unlike Lupa, with similar mounting problems of imperium pollution. Felicia is governed by a constitutional monarchy.

  Founders: The six wolves who founded Lupa some time after the great calamity that destroyed civilisation. Most packs claim some of their own were amongst them, if not all. Their statues stand, amongst other places, in Petra Square.

  Freiwolf: Usually a healthy wolf who does not adhere to any one pack, having no pack name, nor loyalties, therefore. In the past, if a Howler wished to have healthy cubs, he or she would often seek a Freiwolf, since two Howlers rarely produce viable offspring, though some used to try regardless. However, since the Lupan laws outlawed Howlers marrying and breeding with each other, the only option for amorous Howlers now is to marry a Freiwolf. The ancient quandary facing Freiwolves and their families has not changed. To accept a Howler’s advances brings not only the protection and prestige of a pack name, but also the restrictions of loyalty and the danger of becoming a target in any future dispute between packs.

  Gelb: An ancient, semi-natural mine complex in the Sunrise Mountains that has been exploited for imperium time and again over the centuries. Its tunnels extend for hundreds of miles and most of the passages now lie abandoned and uncharted. The entire region around Gelb is situated on an imperium plume, which continuously heats and replenishes the water table with imperium. Mineral-saturated groundwater percolates through porous limestone rock, depositing raw imperium. Today, Gelb is a specialist prison camp where errant Howlers, Watchers and other dangerous criminals are sent to work off their debt to Lupan society.

  Giacomo Valerio Monocycles: The famous monobike manufacturer founded by the long-dead Giacomo Valerio, a pioneer of imperium technology. Giacomo supply most packs direct with all their monocycle needs, though the proud Greystones stubbornly use their own brand. The GVM-12 ‘Springtail’ is the mono of choice in Lupa, being cheap, reliable and easy to control. Other extant models include th
e more powerful GVM-20 ‘Dragonfly’ and special-order GVM-8 ‘Spider’, the latter a legend in Howler circles, as only the most skilful riders can tame it.

  Grand Howler: One rank down from Elder, there are typically two to four Grand Howlers per district.

  Grand Prefect: There are five Grand Prefects in ALPHA including the Alpha himself. They are nominally equal, beneath the Alpha.

  Graumeer: The sea to the east, often grey and stormy.

  Green-imperium: The most common variety of useful and naturally-occurring imperium, forms green ore and semi-stable crystals which can be combusted raw from the Erde. Used in industrial processes and in the fireboxes of imperium engines.

  Greystone: The largest pack by number, they dominate the south and control the importing of many raw materials, such as iron, which they smelt and turn into all Lupa’s wares.

  Howler: Wolves who have contracted the rot and serve a pack in return for a ration of white-imperium. Howlers are usually found and trained in their teens.

  Howler Codex: The voluminous manual that describes a Howler’s duty, memorised in detail by few.

  Howler Cub: Howler recruits, accepted but still in training at one of the many academies.

  Hummel: The only serious pack that lives apart from Lupa, they grow the food that keeps the great city ticking over.

  Hummelton: Everdor’s capital, yet it is only the size of a large Lupan district. The burning of imperium is strictly limited to protect the environment.

  Induction: The process by which a candidate Howler’s bloodstream is saturated with white-imperium for the first time. Once undertaken induction cannot be reversed, and a Howler becomes reliant on stings to survive for the rest of their lives even should they stop using their abilities altogether.

  Imperium: A powerful, often beautiful mineral with many diverse properties still doubtless undiscovered. Imperium is both a blessing and a curse. Without it beasts would still live in mud huts, yet with it they suffer ill health and barren landscapes. Left to its own devices, imperium naturally grows into many forms, decays over time and returns to the Erde without causing much ill effect, even enhancing local flora and fauna. It is the meddling of beasts that upsets nature’s delicate balance.

  The Imperium Heart: A heart-shaped medal of pure red-imperium crystal. Though not intrinsically valuable, this highest and rarest accolade is awarded by the Den Fathers only to those Howlers who have performed some exceptional deed in the name of the Republic Lupi. The word ‘EXALT’ is inscribed above the heart, and Howlers are expected to stand whenever a bearer of the Imperium Heart enters a room.

  Jua-mata: The most powerful hyena tribe, now reduced to prisoners on the Reservations, but for a few THORN rebels.

  Kristahl: Steel melded with imperium, which renders it stronger and more conductive. There are many recipes for kristahl and new discoveries are made every year, but the two most popular alloys are blue and red kristahl, created with blue and red-imperium respectively. The colours of the metal are almost indistinguishable, though when compared the eye can tell the cold sheen of an expensive blue-kristahl blade from the warm tones of a cheaper red-kristahl one.

  Little Beasts: The encompassing term used by wolves and cats for creatures who are meek; rats, rabbits, mice etc. Some races fall into grey areas, like the surly hogs and free otters, but a simple test is ask yourself whether you have been conquered and have any territory or country still ruled by your kind. If not, you are probably a little beast. This is not a foolproof assessment, since the hyenas have been conquered and nobody in their right mind regards them as little. As with most things in life, it is not as simple as all that.

  Lupa1: The sprawling capital city of wolfkind and the whole Lupine Continent. It is home to millions of beasts descended from those races the wolves have conquered and co-opted over the centuries. The tonnes of imperium burnt here every day rains down as ash, clogging the streets and killing most plant life.

  Lupa2: The recognised currency of Lupa, consisting of colourful imperium-weave notes and kristahl coins. One lupa is one-hundred pennies.

  Lupan Laws: The basic laws of wolfkind that cross pack boundaries and districts, sometimes overriding pack by-laws, sometimes not - as always in matters of litigation things are complex. However, if no pack can point to a territory as theirs, then the law there will always revert to Lupan Law. Large swathes of the Lupine Continent fall under these rules, including South Rostsonne, the Sunrise and Sunset Mountains, and parts of Everdor.

  Lupan Wall: Lupa’s city wall, which has shifted and grown several times over the centuries to encompass the expanding city. Sections have also been laid tangentially across the city to separate pack territories, whilst other interior arms have been raised to contain the dangerously polluted Dead Zones.

  Mantle: The poncho-like cloak that Howlers wear, complete with a hood to guard from the ash and rain.

  Matriarchs: The female hyenas that rule the tribes through council and advise the Queen. They are rarely seen, protected as they are by the fighting males. Chieftains, even Princes, must defer to the decisions of the Matriarchs, but can appeal to the Queen directly, who can overrule all.

  Monobike: The prime transport of Howlers, ‘monos’ are one-wheeled bikes stabilised by gyroscopes. They are able to navigate the narrowest alleys and turn on a penny. Only Howlers can ride them so they are rarely stolen, save for their precious imperium components. Grand Howlers and up often ride in cars, though some still prefer the thrill of a monobike.

  New Materials: The blanket term for the ever-growing range of cheap, imperium-based substances coming to market. New materials are produced by melding various metals and other compounds with imperium, and even its ash. They are often used to make moulded modern furniture and fireproof interiors.

  New Tharona: Properly ‘New T’arona’, in Lutran dialect, an otter colony on the Graumeer coast named for T’arona, the capital city of otterkind located far to the south. New Tharona is not sovereign otter territory, but managed under Eisbrand law. Many Eisbrand families live there, and Howlers often visit to take in the clean sea air and bawdy pubs.

  Pack Summit: The annual meeting of the Den Fathers and their Elders, cyclically held in each pack’s capital territory. When it is Hummel’s turn to host the Summit, once every four years, Lupa is, for a few days, emptied of authority above that of Elder.

  Plasma: The energy released by a Howler when tapping into his or her imperium reserves. The actual visual phenomena – the arcing coils, flashes and explosions – are merely a result of the air heating up and glowing at temperatures of many thousands of degrees.

  The Politzi: Lupa’s police force, consisting largely of hogs, rats, rabbits and other lesser beasts who are for the most part unable to wield imperium directly.

  Prefect: Members of ALPHA, Howlers in all but name granted the authority to investigate other Howlers for illegal activity.

  Purple-imperium: Considered the next down from white, purple or violet imperium is slightly more common and its energy is easily tapped. However, it is undesirable for Howler consumption since it tends to accumulate in the brain where it can cause headaches, blackouts, fitting and even psychosis.

  Queens Town: Cat colony on the east coast, independent of Lupan Law. It was allowed to remain sovereign Felician territory as part of an ancient peace settlement between Felicia and Lupa. It is the first port of entry for any cats, or other beasts, coming to the Lupine Continent from across the Teich.

  Red-imperium: Similar to blue-imperium in its properties, red makes good kristahl, but is much cheaper since it is much more easily found. It is less conductive than blue-imperium, however, and takes greater energy on the part of the wielder to use.

  The Reservations: After their final defeat by wolfkind, the hyena tribes were forcibly relocated to fenced-in territories near Lupa, where some claim they are not only being purposely starved to death, but actively murdered. This is vehemently denied by the officials overseeing the Reservations.


  Riddle District: A rough border district that polices the Bloodfang-Greystone arm of the interior Lupan Wall. Riddle suffers from a high crime rate and is famous for recruiting and maintaining a retinue of exceptionally tough Howlers.

  River Lupa: The filthy river than serves Lupa; no one is sure whether the city is named for the river, or the river for the city.

  The Rot: A degenerative disease caused chiefly by black-imperium. The constant ingestion and inhalation of ash, which contains traces of black-imperium, will eventually induce the rot in any beast. Howlers paradoxically enhance and damage their bodies by purposely stinging themselves with imperium. This extra energy source encourages muscle growth, promotes faster wound-healing and maintains a corona that, whilst a scientifically understood phenomenon in Lupa and Felicia, is to some cultures indistinguishable from magic. The use of any imperium creates more ash and black-imperium in the bloodstream than accidental inhalation and ingestion alone, leading to rot symptoms such as shooting pains in the bones and muscles, poor vision, amnesia, nausea and, eventually, renal failure and death. To live a long life as a Howler it is best to practise self-restraint.