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| ETHICAL: |
the
originators of the Riverworld; mysterious group of humans, self-named for
their moral superiority; |
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| GRAIL: |
common
name for the bucket-shaped, metal container that is the source of food for
Riverdwellers; computer machinery in the bottom converts energy from the
grailstones into food and other necessaries based on pre-recorded cultural
menus for the individual; indestructible by means available to the
Riverdwellers; lidded, only can be opened by the owner (see FREE
GRAIL, GRAILSTONE) |
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| GRAILSTONE: |
flat,
table-shaped structure that sit at the both banks of the river, spaced
every mile; five feet high, with a
diameter of fifty feet, appears to be made out of red-flecked granite; three
times a day, it flares with roaring electrical energy, deafening and
startling; if a grail is placed on one of the 700 depressions, it will be
unharmed by the flames and convert the raw energy into edible food; appear
to be somehow linked to the process of translation (see GRAIL, TRANSLATION)
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| FREE
GRAIL: |
a
GRAIL that can be used by anyone; Riverdwellers found a free grail already
on the GRAILSTONE on Resurrection Day, presumably to show them how the
grails work (see GRAIL,
GRAILSTONE,
RESURRECTION
DAY) |
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| RESURRECTION
DAY: |
the
first day of life on the Riverworld; the day when all humans who died
before 1983 found themselves naked, hairless and physically 25 years old,
with a GRAIL beside them, on the banks of the River |
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| TRANSLATION: |
the
process by which Riverdwellers are resurrected at a random location on the
banks, always near a GRAILSTONE; occurs after death on the Riverworld,
always in the morning of the day following physical death; translatees
always appear hairless and naked, with a new GRAIL and a few KILTCLOTHS
(see also WATHAN,
GRAILSTONE,
KILTCLOTH) |
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| KILTCLOTH: |
a
short of cloth with magnetic fasteners; did not appear until the second
day, forcing most Riverdwellers to become comfortable with nudity (see
also RESURRECTION
DAY) |
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| WATHAN: |
a
ball of tendrilous, colored energy that hovers invisibly above every
person's head; the soul; holds all information about a person's life,
including memory, personality and the condition of the physical body;
inexorably drawn to only a body that matches the original in every way,
will wonder the universe aimlessly until its body is resurrected for
it |
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| DREAMGUM: |
hallucinogenic
gum; causes users to have self-reflective dreams; used by the Church of
the Second Chance in meditation rituals (see also CHURCH
OF THE SECOND CHANCE)
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| CHURCH
OF THE SECOND CHANCE:
|
a
theology started by a man named Viro, based on the premise that the
Riverworld is a second chance for humans to attain personal enlightenment;
pacifist; apparently inspired by a visit by X, who instructed Viro to
start the Church (see also
X) |
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| X:
|
aka
Ecks; Mysterious Stranger; a highly secretive agent working against
the Ethicals, in order to save humanity from a terrible, unknown fate;
contacted a number of the Riverdwellers (including Sir Richard Burton and
Samuel Clemens) and urged them to find the headwaters of the River |
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| ESPERANTO:
|
the
common language spoken by most Riverdwellers; spread to the masses by the
Church of the Second Chance |
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