Guide to the Underwater World

Above: The world above the waterline; dry land. aka: surfaceside, surfside, Upper.

Below: The world below the waterline; wet land and open ocean. aka: Under, Underwater, reefside, Lower.

Cetean: "KEE-tee-en" The once-Earth based Underwater People. 

Com(s): communication systems of a computronic nature, often tied into the biomechanical implants of most Cetean citizens and many other advanced peoples; may display on projected, holographic or solid screens.

Enforcement: the Cetean equivalent of city police force. They don't get the important cases, but they do secure a lot of the crime files and investigation labs. Mostly, they watch the street cameras and patrol during curfews. 

House(s): Cetean society is divided into Houses, which are self-sufficient, matriarchal and much like cities in their own sprawling complexes. Ex: Requiem, Lamna, Martelo.

Jump(s): Descriptive of portal(s) used by Ceteans and other races/peoples capable of space travel; may be used to enter atmospheres directly; strictly regulated. 

Katafygio:  "kat-ah-FAY-yo" New Cetean home planet.

Kentro: "KEHN-troh" Cetean capital city.

Names: There are some strange naming conventions in Cetean society. Houses are run by particular lineages, none of whom use last names. Instead they use first names only, followed by qualifiers like, "Scholar Son" or "First of the House" or just "Of House (whatever)." Within Houses, you have Families or Tribes, which are not directly related to the House but remain within the House's purview, and they use non-House identifiers, like a last name or geographical location. Below that you have families or units, which are the common folk, who use last names. Few Houses use patronymics anymore, but occasionally it will pop up. For more, see the Glossary entry on Houses.

Necros: "NECK-rohs" Classification of any Witches, Wizards, Warlocks that work with Dead magics and their supporters.

Hel: "HELL" The underworld. (As related to Greek concept, not as related to the world Under the surface of the water.)

Anne: Requiem House Teacher of Cetean young. Voice like a bell, short fringe, bright eyes. Anne is short for Anemone.

Beast: He's retired.

Beatrice: Requiem House Matriarch, Prime Minister of the Ceteans, and all around Bad A** Babe.  Largely held to be responsible for the end of the Recent Wars and the creation of the Alliance. Tall, athletic, black fringe, black eyes, gray scale coloration.

Bryant: retired medic, now mostly in research. Tanned-looking, brown coloration, broad and stocky, clear brown eyes.

Cordon: Foodie at heart and an avid trouble maker with partner-in-crime Logon. Navy blue eyes.

Damien: musician, lots of piercings. *wink wink*

Divina: housemaid to Requiem, Harrock's daughter. Yellow-brown coloration, dark fringe often in bun style, soft brown eyes. Really likes chocolate cake. Renowned kinkster in Kentro. 

Elijah: ecologist/conservationist working with Katafygio residents and nature to have better relationships, to help both thrive together. Surfer-boy looks, all browns and hazels. 

Francis: Requiem Security Chief, originally from Lamna House. Teak-colored scales, tattooed all over. A tank. Don't mess with him.  Pleasure Dom and doesn't hide it. 

Fiona: One of the Council Elders. Meddler. 

Harrock: Butler to in Requiem House (the manse, not the societal unit). Father to Divina.

Jared: Leanne's ex-husband. Human. Secretary of the Ass-Hat Committee.

Kane: House Requiem's Head Chef. 

Logon: racer, risk taker, partner in crime to Cordon; dark eyes and fringe. 

Leanne Travis: human, 5'3", chestnut hair, cherry-wood eyes, dark gold skin tone. Sociology/art major. Uses ambulatory aids due to nerve damage sustained in a automobile collision. Holds people accountable and will not take any "baloney."

Mirandha: Khatte. Captian of the Capitol Guard and Zane's best friend. Striated sandy skin in sapient form, with slanted gold eyes, divided upper lip, longish nose, reddish brown hair with gold highlights, pierced ears. Feline form is brindle, ecru and fawn to cinnamon and umber. 

Niel: pronounced like "Kyle" but with an N. Writer/story teller. Cloudy gray eyes. Doodles comics with Vester on sometimes. Constant daydreamer and moon-eyed over a certain someone. 

Penny: Dean of History and Culture at Cetean University, and Sven's boss. Gray skin, primary-red hair, part Cetean. 

Philip: Prime Aide to the Prime Minister, being groomed to replace Beatrice. Sophisticated formal aesthetic, pale scales, dark fringe, dark eyes. 

Sven: short for Svenrir, but don't ever call him that. Relic Hunter for Cetean University. 6'1", green/blond fringe, cerulean eyes, dark gray scales that transition to pale blue on his belly, striations and spots along his back and flanks. Thin, bowed lips, high cheekbones, narrow nose, firm jaw. A grumpus if ever there was one.

Talin: vowed devotee of the Temple. All pale colors, almost like he's been bleached.

Vester: short for Sylvester. Chief of Records for House Requiem and for Cetean people. Bonded mate to Beatrice. Former military scribe. Silver fringe, and silver/blue eyes. Think of nacre, and Oceanic White Tip.

Zane: retired soldier of the Cetean military. Best friend of Mirandha. Thick, dark wavy/curly fringe, green eyes. He;d say he has a glowing personality but he just shines. No, really, he glows. 

Updated often!

Binding Ceremony: Humans would call this a marriage, though the Ceteans call it a contract. Traditionally arranged between Cetean Houses or Cetean family units within a House, but more commonly decided mutually by modern couples. The couple walk to each other over a symbolic distance, speak their promises while wrapping their hands with a piece of specially-treated kelp, then mark each other. Modern couples most often choose a symbolic marking, rather than the full act before witnesses, in which the couples gently bit each other. To make the binding legal, the couple must present their marks after a set period of time, and the contract must be signed and witnessed before being filed with the House and Chief of Records for the Ceteans. "Brother-by-bond" would be a brother-in-law by human terms.

Coms: communication devices, usually part of a greater computer network. 

House: Cetean peerage. Ruling families of a House do not retain last names, taking House titles instead. Within the House, many other Families or Tribes exist, most with surnames. Surnames may be based on tradition or geographic identifiers. Some within a House choose to begin new names, though most struggle to assert their place within the intra-House hierarchy. Inter-House relationships are uncommon, though not discouraged. These choose one House to be their primary, usually the female's House, and take the name associated with that Family, or are adopted into that Tribe. A rare few choose to divide their time, hyphenating the names of any young born of the match. Most Houses have a primary residence for their ruling families. Ex: House Requiem, ruled by Matriarch Beatrice, Record Keeper Vester, Prime Philip, etc... Their seat of power is Requiem House, the family manse and traditional home of Requiem ruling families in the past. 

Implants: Nearly all Ceteans and residence within Alliance space have a communications implant of some kind. Some models enable A/V recordings, location tracking, advance scanner modes, etc.

Intaeri: a humanoid insect Race. Usual organization is colony; drones surrounding a queen. Excrete pheromones that cause those nearby to feel calm, often also eliciting brain frequencies conducive to mental and emotional processing. Frequently they pursue careers as therapists and counselors to other Races, sometimes in other fields eliciting thoughtful contemplation. Their pheromones may also be used as an indirect defense mechanism, causing hallucinations and even stroke in enemies. 

Jump(s): Descriptive of portal(s) used by Ceteans and other races/peoples capable of space travel; may be used to enter atmospheres directly; strictly regulated.

Khatte(s): abbreviated name for feline shifter peoples, like Mirandha, pronounced with a dental click at the end.

Mates: may be used to refer to friends, but more often used to refer to a pair joined in love, i.e. bound mate, bonded mate, mothers and fathers. Humans might say 'partner' in the same way, but that term lacks the spiritual/emotional aspect, according to Ceteans. 

Medic(s): Most Ceteans say medic, rather than physician or doctor. Some medics double as nurses, or specialize in a particular area of medicine. Usually identified by the red patch or band on their uniforms.

Necros: "NECK-rohs" Classification of any Witches, Wizards, Warlocks that work with Dead magics and their supporters.

Tokens: small metal discs bought for currency from a designated seller or token girl, then exchanged for the service depicted on the face. Most pleasure houses use standard sets, though the specialties houses will have sets for each expert in their employ and tend to be quite varied. To date, only one design has been banned by the Cetean Council. 

There is a lot of food mentioned in my Underwater Series, but recently I've had requests for special cocktails in particular. In the coming months, I will be updating the menu to include the dishes, specific recipes, and the real-life meals that inspired the fictional dish. 

Beatrice's Signature Drink: (From Passion's Power) 2 oz rye vodka, 1/2-1 oz vermouth, combine in glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with pickled onion.