Rod Rees - [The Demi-Monde 02]

by Spring (v5. 0) (epub)

  The secret society of WhoDoo mambos, dedicated to protecting the Demi-Monde should Lilith ever return.

  Confinement, the:

  The mythical event describing the original sealing of the Demi-Monde behind the Boundary Layer. As a consequence of the Fall of the Pre-Folk from grace with ABBA (see also Lilith), ABBA punished the peoples of the Demi-Monde by confining them behind the impenetrable Boundary Layer in order that they should not corrupt the rest of ABBA’s Creation with their Sin. Only when they have repented all their Sins, have come to Rapture and returned to Purity, will ABBA, once again, smile upon them and allow them to be reunited with the rest of the Kosmos.

  Confusionism:

  Confusionism is the religio-philosophical system that held sway in the Coven until it was toppled by HerEticalism in 996 AC. Although it is now something of an anachronism in the Coven, Confusionism (and especially its subform WunZianism) still informs much of Covenite life, thought and moral attitudes.

  crypto:

  Term commonly used to refer to all spies and third-columnists active in the Demi-Monde.

  Current:

  ImPuritans believe marriage to be a repressive and unnatural form of pair bonding, and hence not an acceptable form of union in the Quartier Chaud. Partners who engage in extended sexual or reproductive unions refer to each other as Currents, indicating the non-permanent nature of such unions.

  Daemons:

  Mischievous and occasionally malignant (when in league with Loki) spirits who manifest themselves in the Demi-Monde. They may be identified by their ability to bleed.

  DAEmon, the:

  The assemblage of computational engines in the Future History Institute that makes up the Data Analysis and Evaluation machinery used to run the HyperOpia 4Telling program.

  Dark Charismatics:

  The coterie of men (and only men have been recorded as Dark Charismatics) who exhibit the most extreme and malicious form of MALEvolence. Dark Charismatics, though physically indistinguishable from the host population, are extremely potent and possess a perverted and grossly amoral nature. As such, Dark Charismatics present a morbid threat to the instinctive goodness of Demi-Mondians. The only reliable means of identifying Dark Charismatics is by the examination of their auras by Visual Virgins.

  Determinism:

  The belief that as all actions of Demi-Mondians are preordained by an omnipotent and omniscient ABBA, they are bereft of free will. A belief in Determinism is central to the Clockwork Universe Conjecture and the concept of Intelligent Design.

  Dizzi:

  A rare and very potent aphrodisiac, the use of which is much favoured by the ruling class in NoirVille.

  Dork:

  Derogatory slang for a woman who practises HerEticalism or displays LessBien tendencies.

  Dynamics of Sexuality, the:

  The means by which the sexual appetites and enthusiasms of individual CitiZens in the Quartier Chaud are measured:

  pianissimo:

  very soft

  piano:

  soft

  mezzo-piano:

  moderately soft

  mezzo-forte:

  moderately hard

  forte:

  hard

  fortissimo:

  very hard

  exCommunication:

  Punishment imposed by the CIA on those demonstrating aberrational tendencies or opinions. This generally involves the removal of the miscreant’s tongue, thus rendering him or her an ‘ex-communicator’.

  exCreatures:

  The aquatic nanoBites which inhabit the rivers of the Demi-Monde and which are responsible for the consuming of sewage pumped into the rivers, thus rendering it harmless and capable of being washed through the Boundary Layer.

  Flagellum Hominum, the:

  The only book to survive the conflagration that followed the Fall, the Flagellum Hominum (Scourge of HumanKind) is believed to contain all the knowledge and the enchantments of Lilith. Unfortunately as the book is written in the – as yet – undeciphered Pre-Folk A script, the vast majority of what it contains is unintelligible.

  Fleshtivals:

  Masques which celebrate notable events and anniversaries in the Quartier Chaud, and which are associated with the total sexual licence afforded to participants.

  fiduciary sex:

  The sexual activity indulged in by Visual Virgins. As they are unable to enjoy penetrative sex (the loss of their virginity severely impairs their powers as an Auralist), Visual Virgins have perfected the art of provoking orgasms in their ‘prey’ by the stimulating of their imagination and the generation of sexual fantasies.

  ForthRight:

  The Demi-Mondian state created by the union of the Rookeries and Rodina. A corrupted remembrance of the Real World term Fourth Reich.

  Future History:

  The OutComes resulting from the application of preScience and the empiricalisation of 4Telling.

  Future History Institute:

  The organisation established to apply preScience to the prediction of changes and movements in the financial futures markets.

  galvanicEnergy:

  Electricity. Discovered by the ForthRight scientist Michael Faraday.

  Gang of Three, the:

  The group of Medi-based Dark Charismatics (comprising Maximilien Robespierre, Godfrey de Bouillon and Tomas de Torquemada) who led the breakaway of the Medi from Venice, and thus provoked the Great Schism.

  GrandHarm:

  A member of the Quartier Chaud’s police force. A corrupted remembrance of the Real World word gendarme.

  Great Beyond, the:

  The vast and heavily forested area of the Demi-Monde that lies outside the Boundary Layer.

  Great Schism, the:

  The Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), made by the three city-states constituting the Medi, which signalled their break from Venice.

  Hel:

  The Demi-Mondian term for the underworld. A remembrance of the Norse word Hel.

  HerEticalism:

  The official religion of the Coven. HerEticalism is a religion based on female supremacy and the subjugation of men. The HerEtical belief is that Demi-Monde-wide peace and prosperity – an idyllic outcome given the HerEtical tag ‘MostBien’ – will only be realised when men accept a subordinate position within society. Such is the extremist attitude of MostBiens that they are lampooned throughout the Demi-Monde as ‘LessBiens’.

  HimPerialism:

  The official religion of NoirVille, based on an unwavering belief in male supremacy and the subjugation of women (or, as they are known in NoirVille, woeMen).

  Holistic Feminism:

  This is a term coined by Carolina Otero in her book Let’s All Be Pulled Together to describe a nuSociety where men and women function in perfectly compatible and mutually supportive unison. In a nuSociety governed by Holistic Feminism not only do Women equal Men, and Men equal Women, but neither is intent upon dominating or subjugating the other.

  Hub, the:

  The grass and swampland area situated between the urban area of the Demi-Monde and Terror Incognita.

  HyperOpia:

  The Future History program employed by the Future History Institute.

  iChing: ImPuritanism:

  The Covenite method of divination and 4Telling. The official religion of the Quartier Chaud, Im-Puritanism is a staunchly hedonistic philosophy based on the belief that the pursuit of pleasure is the primary duty of HumanKind and that communion with ABBA can only be achieved during orgasm. The ultimate aim of all those practising ImPuritanism is the securing of JuiceSense: the experiencing of the extreme pleasure that comes from an unbridled sexual orgasm. To achieve JuiceSense requires that men and women are spiritually equal and that man’s proclivity towards MALEvolence is controlled and muted.

  InDeterminism:

  The contention that ABBA has (by the use of Daemons and Dark Charismatics) made certain aspects of the Demi-Monde unpredictable.

  Intelligent Desi
gn:

  First proposed by the Covenite thinker Pierre-Simon Laplace, the acceptance that the Demi-Monde (and hence Demi-Mondians themselves) was designed and created by an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent deity-ABBA or, as Laplace calls it, the Intelligence – has given rise to the widely held belief that all actions by Demi-Mondians are preordained, that the Kosmos is Deterministic in nature (and in Nature), and that Demi-Mondians are consequentially denied free will. The success of preScience in discovering an underlying pattern to the history of the Demi-Monde (the so-called Clockwork Universe Conjecture) has done much to promote the success of Intelligent Design among the thinking classes.

  jad:

  The swing music that came out of the JAD. A corrupted remembrance of the Real World word jazz.

  JAD:

  The nuJu Autonomous District, the area of NoirVille settled by the nuJus and granted independence by His HimPerial Majesty Shaka Zulu, in exchange for the supply of Aqua Benedicta.

  JuiceSense:

  The ultimate orgasm. A corrupted remembrance of the Real World word jouissance.

  Li:

  The precise and unbending protocol that determines all HerEtical conduct within the palaces of the Empress Wu.

  ‘Liberté, Egalité, Fornication’:

  Slogan of ImPuritanism and of the Quartier Chaud.

  Lilith:

  The semi-mythical Shade witch – an adept in the esoteric knowledge of Seidr magick – who corrupted the Demi-Monde and brought down the Pre-Folk. The Dark Temptress who initiated the Fall.

  Living&More:

  The dietary and life-style mantra of UnFunDaMentalism designed to detoxify the body. A corrupted remembrance of the Real World word Lebensreform.

  Living, the:

  The fundamental element of life, usually portrayed as two snakes or dragons spiralling around one another.

  MALEvolence:

  The theory developed by the Quartier Chaudian thinker Mary Wollstonecraft which postulates that war is caused by men but suffered by women. In her Theory of MALEvolence, Wollstonecraft identified that men, by their natural and undeniable inclination to obey orders (no matter how nonsensical or barbaric such orders are), are susceptible to disproportionate influence from their more unbalanced superiors, and hence are inevitably and inexorably drawn towards violence as a solution to disputes. The muting of MALEvolence is the ambition which led to the creation of ImPuritanism. Consideration of MALEvolence was also instrumental in prompting Michel de Nostredame to identify the malignant Dark Charismatics lurking within the Quartier Chaudian population. A corrupted remembrance of the Real World word malevolence.

  Man2naM:

  The practice of NoirVillian men who exchange bodily essences in order to enhance their Manliness.

  Mannez:

  Symbol of ImPuritans.

  Mantle, the:

  The impenetrable crust of the Demi-Monde, situated below the topsoil.

  Mantle-ite:

  The indestructible material used by the Pre-Folk to construct sewers, water pipes, Blood Banks and the Mantle.

  Medi, the:

  The area of the Quartier Chaud which has made a unilateral declaration of independence and broken away from the hegemony of Venice and the Doge. The Medi comprises the Districts of Paris, Rome and Barcelona.

  MostBien:

  The more extreme HerEtical belief that a state of MostBien – or the achieving by women of political, religious, economic, intellectual and sexual supremacy in the Demi-Monde – will only be secured when the male of the species has been removed from the breeding cycle.

  nanoBites:

  The submicroscopic creatures which inhabit the soil layer of the Demi-Monde. They consume everything (except Mantle-ite) and convert it into soil.

  NoN:

  The official term in the Coven for a eunuch. A corruption/contraction of the phrase he ain’t got none.

  nonNix:

  The ForthRight term for an individual who has – because of racial, social, political or sexual deviancy – relinquished all rights and protection enjoyed as a citizen of the ForthRight.

  Normalism:

  The philosophy of nonViolence, civil disobedience and passive resistance developed by Aaliz Heydrich.

  nuJuism:

  The religion of the nuJu diaspora, this is an unrelentingly pessimistic religion that teaches that suffering and hardship are life-affirming, and are endured to prepare the followers for the coming of the Messiah who will lead them through Tribulation to the Promised Land.

  Par Oiseau:

  The pan-Demi-Monde communication network, established by Guglielmo Marconi, linking all city-states by the use of pigeons trained to home on specified Par Oiseau Boxes (Po Boxes). Weight considerations make PigeonGrams necessarily brief.

  PigeonGram:

  See Par Oiseau.

  Pre-Folk:

  The semi-mythical race of godlings who ruled over the Demi-Monde before the Confinement, and who were brought low by the sexual connivings of the Seidr-witch Lilith. The demise of the Pre-Folk is known in Demi-Mondian mythology as ‘the Fall’. UnFunDaMentalism teaches that the Pre-Folk were the purest expression of the Aryan race. Also known as the Vanir.

  preScience:

  A Venetian school of philosophy dedicated to the study of (and the making of) prophecies and 4Tellings, especially in the areas of economics and finance. The greatest of all preScientists are Professeur Michel de Nostredame and Docteur Nikolai Dmitriyevich Kondratieff of the Future History Institute, Venice. A corrupted remembrance of the Real World word prescience.

  Qi:

  A Confusionist concept, Qi is the energy flow which surrounds and permeates all living things. It is the unseen and unseeable élan vital of the Living, which in turn energises the soul which resides in all things constituted by the Living.

  Quizzies:

  Slang name for Inquisitors.

  RaTionalism:

  An avowedly and uncompromisingly atheistic creed developed by the renegade Rodina thinker and ardent royalist Karl Marx. RaTionalism rejects all supernatural interpretations with respect to events in the Demi-Monde.

  RightNixes:

  The youth wing of the ForthRight.

  Seidr:

  The ancient magick of the Vanir and of Lilith.

  Shades:

  The slang term for NoirVillians.

  Solidified Astral

  The substance which makes up the soft tissue of all

  Ether (SAE):

  Demi-Mondians.

  Solution:

  A cocktail of vodka and soda with one or more shots of blood. Usually available in 5 per cent, 10 per cent and 20 per cent strengths of blood.

  SS:

  Soldiers of Spiritualism, the military wing of the Ordo Templi Aryanis.

  steamers:

  Steam-powered vehicles popular in the Demi-Monde.

  SubMISSiveness:

  HimPerialism contends that as punishment for Lilith’s connivance in the Fall of Man, ABBA decreed that henceforward woeMen would be required to conduct themselves according to the precepts of subMISSiveness, that is, they must be at all times Mute, Invisible, Subservient and Sexually Modest. Only in this way may woeMen earn the forgiveness of ABBA.

  Suffer-O-Gettism:

  A contraction of Make-Men-Suffer-O-Gettism, the militant/terrorist wing of the HerEtical movement. Suffer-O-Gettism is dedicated to the use of violence and intimidation to achieve female supremacy, the subjugation of men and the ushering in of MostBien. The leader of the Suffer-O-Gette movement is Jeanne Dark.

  Terror Incognita:

  The area extending in a radius of four miles around Mare Incognitum, and bounded by the Wheel River, constituting an unexplored region of the Demi-Monde. No explorer venturing into Terror Incognita has ever returned. A corrupted remembrance of the Real World term Terra Incognita.

  ThawsDay:

  The 60th day of Spring, when the nanoBites wake from their Winter hibernation. After ThawsDay, only the most desperat
e or the most stupid of Demi-Mondians venture into the Hub.

  UDI:

  see Great Schism, the.

  UnderMentionables:

  A catch-all term for those considered by UnFunDa-Mentalism to be racially inferior and hence subhuman (including, inter alia, nuJus, Poles, Shades, HerEticals, Suffer-O-Gettes, HimPerialists, RaTionalists, those of a sexually deviant disposition and those deemed to be genetically flawed). A corrupted remembrance of the Real World word Untermensch.

  UnFunDaMentalism:

  The official religion of the ForthRight, UnFunDa-Mentalism is a religion based on the philosophy of Living&More, or life reform, which espouses clean living, vegetarianism, and homeopathy and an abstention from alcohol, blood, tobacco and recreational sex. Heavily suffused with the occult and a belief in the existence of a Spirit World. Aleister Crowley is head of the Church of UnFunDaMentalism.

  UnFunnies:

  The slang name for UnFunDaMentalists.

  UnScrewed-Liberation Movement, the:

  A female-only protest organisation formed by Jeanne Deroin and Aliénor d’Aquitaine in response to the policies of the Medi Senate, acting under the influence of the Gang of Three, to impose UnFunDaMentalism as the religion of the Medi.