A.The world and its language

World glossary

ADVANCED COGNITIVE MANOEUVRES: Highly dubious abilities alleged to allow operants to bend material reality to their conscious will. Treated sceptically by most operants.
ASSETS: An unofficial agent of an intelligence service, typically recruited by operants for in- theatre work. Knows very little of the big picture.
ASTRAL DOOR: Operant’s term of art for a dead- drop, used to pass sensitive material without risking face-to-face meetings.
ASTROLOGY: Most common belief system in the world, with various specific interpretations depending on the culture. Portofiro is full of informal shrines to various stars.
CARABINEROS: Portofiro’s specialized law enforcement, more arrogant than GMs, with nicer uniforms. Occasionally called the ‘big hats’.
CONTROLLER: An operant’s desk-bound supervisor/support liaison. Knows most of the big picture.
DOUBLE: An operant’s partner in- theatre. One double typically plays the role of ‘lead’.
EMTERR: Also L’Empire Sans Territoire. A centuries-old combination of investment bank, fund, and the wealthiest intelligence apparatus in the world.
FOUL LOCAL SCHNAPPS: Portofiro’s local poison of choice.
GUARDIA MUNICIPAL: (Or ‘GMs’) Standard street police force in Portofiro — beat cops, traffic officers, and observers of petty crime.
IN-THEATRE: The zone of action where an operant is working. NEVER ‘in the field’.
INTELLIGENCE: What spies gather and trade. Sometimes ‘information’ or ‘material’, but NEVER ‘intel’ or ‘lore’.
JEFA: Luzian brand of canned coffee with iconic red and black packaging.
KALJO KASS: Communist theorist, one of the minds behind post- historical materialism.
LA LUZ: (also: The Illuminated Empire) - A still-dormant power, described as ‘techno- fascists’. Their intelligence service is The Weeping Eye.
LATOUR-WOOLGAR TREATY: Agreement between The Developed World and The Superbloc that dramatically restricts the possibility of military conflict between nations. Resulted in the so-called End of History.
MONOTHEISTS: Fanatics in Mircea. Looked down on by most people in the Developed World.
NESTORISMO: Idiosyncratic and opportunistic ideology associated with Sweet Nestor.
NULL PERSONA: A former spy declared a traitor, never to be spoken of or interacted with.
OPERANT: A spy working for an intelligence service. Knows some of the big picture. Employs assets for their in-theatre work. NEVER ‘operative’ or ‘agent’.
OUROBOROS BLACKS: Luzian cigarettes, easily recognised by its black rolling paper.
PC RECREACIÓN: Another local pelota squad. A tax haven for rich foreigners and sex perverts.
PELOTA: Variant of handball played in Portofiro and La Luz. Local Portofiro clubs include Quisach- Essilk and PC Recreación.
PERRO PALE: Your de-facto beer.
PORTOFIRO: Where you are. As of 66, an independent city-state. While not part of the Developed World, Sweet Nestor accepted a stabilisation loan from EMTERR four years ago. The local currency is the sol.
POST-HISTORICAL MATERIALISM: Official ideology of the Superbloc since the End of History. Holds that the class- struggle is over, though what replaces it has yet to emerge.
PROLETFOLK: One of the only musical subgenres sanctioned in the Superbloc.
PUMP-AND-DUMP: Operant’s term of art for ‘blackmail’.
QUISACH-ESSILK: Quisach district’s local pelota squad.
REMEMBRANCER: Desk-bound operants who comb through collected intelligence.
STABILISATION LOANS: How EMTERR exerts control over states desperate to join the Developed World.
STAGECRAFT: Term of art used by operants for their sources, methods, and tactics. Good stagecraft keeps you from getting killed.
STURDY PONY: Portofiran cigarettes. They get the job done.
SUPREMA 100S: Cigarettes from the People’s Republics.
SWEET NESTOR: Self-styled’ Supreme Leader’ of Portofiro. First emerged as a Communist before establishing himself as an autocratic ruler. Has been in power since the year 28.
THE DEVELOPED WORLD: Common name for the richest capitalist nations along with their vassals and colonies. All nations in the Developed World have ties to EMTERR.
THE MANUS FATI: People of all backgrounds may refer casually to the Manus Fati – the Hand of Fate. ‘Shaking the Manus Fati’ means to die.
THE OPERA: Officially ‘The Operant Bureau’, intelligence service of the Superbloc. Headquartered in Novessa.
THE SUPERBLOC: (also: The People’s Republics; SUPR) A union of over seventy left- wing states. Their intelligence is handled by the Opera.
THE WEEPING EYE: Feared secret police of La Luz.
ZERO OUT: Operant’s term of art for ‘eliminate’ or ‘kill’. Operants or assets who’ve been killed are said to have been ‘zeroed out’.