Glossary
Amnio Sac
n . An amniotic sac or flexible membrane egg where a Vorto fetus matures until they emerge as a hatchling. How fast a hatchling matures in the amnio sac is affected by ambient levels of hormones in the hive, and attention given to the sacs by the chrysalis chamber caretakers. The maturation process can slow or even stop in times of crisis, allowing one generation to stagger their emergence over a longer span in the hopes of outliving the crisis.
Anima
n. Any animal form the Vorto may take.
Anoxu
n. A four-winged flying insect similar to a dragonfly.
Baca
n. A strawberry-flavored green sauce used in recipes.
Blight
n. 1. The specific historic event or outbreak that killed the Vorto queens and numerous males across the planet.
2. A generic reference to a plague or disease outbreak.
3. An expletive or vulgar epithet.
Bond
n. The connection between the queen and members of her hive, secured through verbal contract, intercourse, and a bite mark placed on the queen's neck by the three alphas. The trading of hormones during the bonding process makes telepathic communication possible with the human queens.
v. To form a bond.
Bonding Feast, The
n. A celebratory event where the new queen bonds with the entire hive. Bonding may have already started with the alphas of the hive.
Capo
n. A creature with purple fur that resembles a mountain goat with branching antlers similar to a deer.
Cascade
n. A bathroom.
Caste
n. A division of duties and responsibilities in the hive. Its members are determined by biology and aptitude. Among the Vorto there are three castes; consort, legionnaire, and servitor. Each caste is led by an alpha. Like the spots on a butterfly the Vorto have markings on their chests that designate their caste and rank.
Chrysalis Chambers
n. A room where the amnio sacs holding Vorto fetuses finish maturing and emerge as hatchlings.
Conlatus
n. A competition between two or more hives vying for a queen. The competition comprises three rounds; an erotic dance called the saltare featuring the consorts, a hunt featuring the servitors, and a fight featuring the legionnaires.
Consort
n. 1. A caste of reproductive companions to the queen. Although any member of the hive can have intercourse with the queen, the consorts are the ones capable of passing down their genetic material. They are the smallest caste in a hive.
2. A member of the consort caste.
Culus
n. A creature with red fur similar to a rabbit.
Emerge
v. To be born.
Eridani
n. What the Vorto call the planet. A habitable world with similar conditions as Earth. The planet has a yellow dwarf star for a sun, three moons, and a hydrogen rich pink sky. The mountains and rock are purple from an abundance of quartz, which also makes the oceans and rivers appear violet. On the Vorto planet, the grass, tree leaves, and other vegetation that is green on Earth is yellow from extra carotene, bark and wood are more red than brown. The fauna could be compared to those of Earth's Pliocene epoch.
Fero
n. A mountain, cave dwelling creature that appears to be a mix of a bear and a mountain lion, with purple and gray striped fur. One of the favored anima of the Tumulus Hive.
Flux
n. 1. The gelatinous or shapeless base form the Vorto take. Synonym; plasm.
2. An expletive or vulgar epithet.
v. The action of changing physical form.
Fuse
v. The act of two or more Vorto combining to create a larger being. Fusing tends to happen among Vorto of the same caste in the same hive, because the highest-ranking individual in the fuse is the dominant one controlling the created being. The antonym is to scatter. It takes practice and control to keep from scattering when fused.
Haricot
n. An edible bean which looks similar to green beans, but tastes like zucchini.
Hatchling
n. A baby Vorto.
Hive
n. 1. A single-family community consisting of numerous brothers and one queen, per generation.
2. The centralized area occupied by the single-family unit, similar to a village or estate.
Ignivo
n. A volcano in the Tumulus Hive's territory.
Inana
n. The spirit that runs through everything. Analogous to the Holy Spirit or Collective Soul.
Intech
n. An Earth technology company.
Jofi Berries
n. A fruit that resembles blueberries, but tastes like peach.
Legionnaire
n. 1. A caste of soldiers in the hive. Their duties consist of guarding, patrolling the hive's territory, fighting when necessary, keeper of the rules, dealing with aggressive creatures, and acting as messengers. They are the second largest caste in the hive.
2. A member of the legionnaire caste.
Lunar
n. A unit of time analogous to a month.
Manifest, UFV
n. The experimental Unified Federation vessel which makes its maiden voyage to colonize an Earth-like planet. The occupants are all women classified as convicts, who spend the hundred-year voyage in stasis.
Mucet
n. A vinegar-based dressing.
Nemus
n. The name of the hive that occupies a primarily wooded territory, which borders the mountain territory of the Tumulus Hive. The Vorto of the Nemus Hive possess camo-like splotches on their skin, ranging from yellow, to orange, to red, which help them blend in with the trees in their territory.
Neutral Zone
n. A strip of land separating one hive's territory from another.
Orbit
n. A unit of time analogous to a year.
Pecus
n. A creature similar to a buffalo.
Plasm
n. The gelatinous or shapeless base form the Vorto take. Synonym; flux.
Preparatory
n. A kitchen.
Qua
n. An ingredient in cooking similar to concentrated lemon juice.
Rank
n. The hierarchy within each caste in the hive. Ranks range from alpha at the top, to beta, gamma, delta, and omegas at the bottom. There is one alpha per caste, with varying numbers of the lower ranks. Rank is determined by biology and aptitude. Like the spots on a butterfly the Vorto have markings on their chests that designate their caste and rank.
Raphanus
n. A dish that looks like a chocolate bonbon, but is actually a salty fish ball.
Refectio
n. A life-saving machine that induces healing using a type of laser. This machine is a relic from when the Vorto possessed and maintained more technological advancements before the Blight.
Rotation
n. A unit of time analogous to a day.
Saltare
n. An erotic dance meant to entice the queen which is performed as the first round of the Conlatus.
v. To perform the Saltare.
Screo
n. A predatory bird with purple and gray feathers that live in the mountains. Similar to a mountain hawk. One of the favored anima of the Tumulus Hive.
Servitor
n. 1. A caste of workers or caretakers of the hive. Their duties consist of: farming, hunting, cooking, building, healing, and many other skill sets. They are the largest caste in a hive.
2. A member of the servitor caste.
Shofti
n. A strategic table game.
Simio
n. A creature similar to a gorilla with yellow, orange, and red fur. One of the favored anima of the Nemus Hive.
Span
n. A unit of time analogous to an hour.
Tapo
n. A vegetable with red meat that looks similar to watermelon, but tastes starchy like a potato.
Tellus (29b)
n. What humans call the Vorto's planet. A habitable world with similar conditions as Earth. The planet has a yellow dwarf star for a sun, three moons, and a hydrogen rich pink sky. The mountains and rock are purple from an abundance of quartz, which also makes the oceans and rivers appear violet. On the Vorto planet, the grass, tree leaves, and other vegetation that is green on Earth is yellow from extra carotene, bark and wood are more red than brown. The fauna could be compared to those of Earth's Pliocene epoch.
Tumulus
n. The name of the hive that occupies a mountainous territory, which borders the wooded territory of the Nemus Hive. The Vorto of the Tumulus Hive possess purple skin with dark striations that help them blend in with the rock in the mountains.
Unified Federation
n. A misogynistic plutocracy where the elite from the numerous nation states, which were once independent countries, govern the population of Earth.
Vibrato
n. A sound analogous to purring.
v. The act of making vibrato.
Vorto
n. The sentient alien race that inhabits Tellus that lives in hive-based societies and is capable of changing their physical form.
Ziktheria
n.A disease in the future.