Daama (1904 Vland B576438-9): Historically, this this sparsely settled world has been a smuggler's paradise. Its non-aligned status kept it free from Imperial restrictions, and its close proximity to Gemid gave it a variety of high-tech black-market goods. The system's one gas giant has been its one weakness, since it means all wilderness refueling is concentrated there. Currently, the system is thought to be the home of several particularly ruthless Vargr corsair groups.
The Marquis of Gemid is the latest in a long line of ineffectual rulers - rumor has it that he supports whoever can pay him the most to take advantage of his system's strategic location. -vla V&V

Dabiru, Judsen: In 1108, Ministry of Justice agents uncovered a ring of psionics who had infiltrated the government of neighboring Yubitty (0313 Corridor). Ministry officials tried to keep the affair from media expsusure but failed. Most of the criminals were apprehended, but a few - including Judsen Dabiru, the group's leader - escaped to the neighboring colony of Muugagen (0312 Corridor).
Since then, the frequency of psionic crimes on Muugagen has risen drastically. Dabiru is believed to have mobilized psionic individuals to wreak his revenge upon the state. An anonymous Ministry of Justice source confirmed fears that Dabiru is expected to attempt a coup in the next five years. -cor TD 18

Daghadasi: General name of the giant sea creatures of Bellerophon (1519 Solomani Rim). -got NWO

Dakaar Minerals: Typical of many of the large corporations based on independent worlds of the sector, Dakaar Minerals is a far-ranging, unscrupulous organization whose activites are not far removed from the Reavers themselves. -rd TD 16

Dandelion: 1) Small flowering plant native to Terra (1827 Solomani Rim) and widely distributed within the Imperium. 2) Colloquial term used to refer to the Llellewyloly (which see). -ld TA

Darmine: Cultural region in the Zarushagar sector. Darmine had a separate but submerged cultural identity within the First Imperium and happily threw off that domination when the First Imperium fell. Allowed to flourish by the Rule of Man, the community of worlds survived the Long Night with little harm.
Darmine was the major focus of the llelish Pacification Campaign (76 to 120). -ld IE

Darrian (0627 Spinward Marches A463955-G): Darrian is the technological center of the Darrian Confederation as Mire (0527 Spinward Marches) is the political center. Scientists are in charge of government and industry, paying careful attention to possible consequences before allowing changes. There are restrictions on the export of any artifacts of pre-Maghiz culture that still remain on Darrian. -ld D

Darrian Confederation: A group of worlds in the Darrian subsector settled by a minor human race from Darrian (0627 Spinward Marches) during the period -1137 to -927. The current capital is Mire (0527 Spinward Marches).
Physiologically, Darrians sport a number of adaptations resulting from their homeworld's environment. However most are not apparent at a glance. The noticeable differences lie in their golden pigmentation, slight build, and pointed ears. Their biology remains closely enough linked to allow interbreeding with the Solomani. Ethnic Darrians usually display a stoic, tolerant air.
The Darrian Confederation is a loose organization of 18 worlds with close ties to the Domain of Deneb. Compositionally, the Confederation consists of a blend of races: 20% Solomani, 8% Aslan, 12% assorted human races, and 60% Darrian. Confederation inhabitants are known for their focus in scholastic and technological activities. Tourism also plays a signifkant role in their economy.
With a tech level of 16 (one higher than the Imperial standard), Darrian's greatest strength lies in its astrophysical sciences. Darrian scientists are reputed to be able to induce subnova flares in stars at will. -dod MTJ 1
Group of worlds in the Darrian subsector settled by humans from Darrian (0627 Spinward Marches A463955-G) during the period -1137 to -927. The current capital is Mire (0527 Spinward Marches A665A95-B).
The Darrian Confederation contains 18 worlds within the same subsector and has a population of 17.19 billion. Darrians are humans who developed independently on Darrian. Some Solomani blood is evident from Solomani traders who encountered Darrian in -1511 and provided them with sufficient technology to explore their subsector.
The Darrian Confederation is a client state of the Imperium. It has had long-standing conflicts with the Sword Worlds.
Since Strephon's murder, the Darrians have reaffirmed their loyalty to the Imperium through Archduke Norris of the Domain of Deneb. -ld IE

Darrian Group: The twelve worlds originally colonized from Darrian when it began interstellar settlement: Condaria (0528 Spinward Marches), Darrian (0627 Spinward Marches), Ektron (0326 Spinward Marches), Engrange (0425 Spinward Marches), Ilium (0426 Spinward Marches), Jacent (0624 Spinward Marches), Laberv (0325 Spinward Marches), Mire (00527 Spinward Marches), Roget (0427 Spinward Marches), Rorre (0526 Spinward Marches), Spume (0727 Spinward Marches), and 494-908 (0625 Spinward Marches). All but Condaria are members of the Darrian Confederation. -ld D

Darrian Subsector: Subsector I of the Spinward Marches. The Darrian subsector contains the Darrian Confederation, a loose, interstellar community of about twenty worlds. Darrian is the oldest interstellar government in the Marches and boasts a higher technology level than any other world in the sector.
Spume (0727 Spinward Marches C140200-A) has been substantially improved by the Darrian government as a military base for defense against possible Sword World invasions. -spin SMC

Daryen: Te-zlodh word for world; native name for the Darrian homeworld. -ld D

EQUIVALENT DATES
Terran	Vilani	Imperial
100 BC	432 PI	-4620
1 BC	358 PI	-4521
1 AD	357 PI	-4520
100 AD	283 PI	-4421
475 AD	1 PI	-4046
476 BC	1 VI	-4045
575 BC	75 VI	-3946
4521 BC	3038 VI	0
4522 BC	3039 VI	1
5523 BC	3791 VI	1002
5627 BC	3869 VI	1106

Dating Systems: Three major dating systems are in use when referring to historical events - Terran, Vilani, and Imperial.
Terran dates center on a year about midway through the period of Vilani ascendance. After that date, years ascend, and are suffixed AD; before that date, years descend, and are suffixed BC. There is no year zero.
Vilani dates (using a 496 day year) count from the year of the Establishment of the First (or Vilani) Imperium. Those before are suffixed PI (pre-Imperium); those after are suffixed VI (Vilani Imperium).
Imperial dates count from the year of the founding of the Third Imperium, specifying the year zero as a holiday year. Dates before that are negative, dates after that are positive, with the sign usually suppressed. Imperial dating also uses a Julian system for counting days. Each day in the year is consecutively numbered beginning with 001. Thus, in the year 1105, the first day of the year is 001-1105.
Zhodani dating is in olympiads (obviously a translation). Each olympiad is of three Zhodani years; each Zhodani year is 273 days. The first olympiad corresponds to 2209 BC. The dating system itself has been in more or less continuous use since then, with minor lapses due to war or temporary decline of ruling parties. -ld TP

Dawn (1336 Deneb AA9A531-C): Dawn gets its name from its spectacular fluorescent sunrises and sunsets, caused by the argon and neon atmospheric taint. No land at all breaks Dawn's watery surface. Since colonization, two entirely different cultures have developed; some 170,000 people inhabit the orbital starport, while the other 250,000 live as nomads on the planet in thousands of free-floating Makranii, or ship-cities. Few official ties exist between the two cultures. -den TD 19

Deadman's Tumble: Space slang for a three-exis spin, normally of a spacecraft. The expression derives from the fact that vessels with this awkward spin are very difficult and timeconsuming to rescue. Consequently, anybody on board the ship is a "dead man".
According to the Imperial Navigation Act of 103 a three-axis spin is not neccessarily an excuse for not rescuing a vessel in distress. -ins HT

Delgado Trading, LIC: Widely known for its work in miniaturization, Delgado also has extensive holdings in heavy mineral mining and refining, publishing, and anitiquities trading. Fouded in 997, Delgado is the youngest of the megacorporations.
Stock Ownership: Imperial family, 5 percent; Delgado family, 47 percent; noble families, 27 percent; private ownership, 21 percent. -mc RC

Deneb: Imperial sector containing 385 systems lying beyond the Great Rift; named for the sector's brightest star, Deneb.
Deneb sector was fragmentarily settled by both Vilani and Vargr during the latter years of the First Imperium, but major development of the sector only took place after Third Imperium Scout Service explorations located major resource worlds in quantity. Industrial worlds that exploited those resources soon created trade routes and commercial ties that linked the Imperial core with the Spinward Marches.
Deneb sector is primarily Imperial. The Imperial border runs just within the coreward edge of the sector, and scattered Vargr systems (as well as non-aligned systems and client states) lie beyond the border.
Deneb is part of the Domain of Deneb, a region loyal to the Imperium under the leadership of Archduke Norris. The sector is on red alert on its coreward border and is ready to defend against alien insurgents from the Vargr Extents. Its trailing border abuts the so-called Restored Vilani Empire, a rebellious sector containing Vland; occasional hostilities have been reported. -ld IE

Dezik (0228 Massilia A-9C8333-F): Dezik is a cold, subgas giant circling a small star. Despite its hydrogen atmosphere, it has a water hydrosphere which is frozen on top and kept liquid underneath by the planet's own heat. This star system is judged to be a very young one, and planets are still contracting and sweeping up asteroidal debris.
This unparalleled opportunity to study the processes of planet formation brought the original scientific colony to Dezik. It has since grown to about 2500 sophonts from several cooperating races. -mas TD 11
Lucan's forces took over the colony without a fight in early 1117. The inhabitants have been charged with trying to find practical military uses for their research. -mas K

Dhage: A computerized strategy game developed on Rhylanor (2716 Spinward Marches) in the sixth century. It has remained popular throughout the region, but has not spread much to other parts of the Imperium. -nor MTJ 1

Diana (2133 Magyar X531474-4): No institution of marriage exists on Diana. Women choose their mates only with an eye to healthy offspring, and see them only to breed. The children are raised by their mothers in large "clan" cities (a clan is loosely related by these maternal lines) and the men live in the fields, forests, and villages outside the cities. At puberty, a male child joins the men.
Most agriculture is a male province, while most industry not directly related to the products of the land is the female domain. Each group trades for the products of the other. Each also has its own culture, art, architecture, literature, and music, very different from the other's.
Residents of Diana undoubtedly came from Terra, but their legends deny it, and they have few dealings with other humans of the Solomani Sphere. -mag TD 14

Digest Touring Award: Outstanding journalism award offered every seven years by the Travellers' Digest magazine (a popular magazine with a wide circulation in the spinward sectors of the Imperium, available on either plastic vellum or electronic media).
The recipient, who must be a professional journalist living and working "behind the Claw," is given honorary membership in the Traveller's Aid Society (worth one million credits); he or she is then expected to travel through the region during the tenure of the award and to submit a feature article about his or her latest journey once every thirteen weeks. The intent of the Digest with this award is to "promote understanding of the cultural diversity within the Imperium." The most recent winner of the award, in 1114 is Silenia Stensen, a well known journalism professor from the Torri Institute on Trin (3235 Spinward Marches). -ld IE

Directions, Galactic: North, south, east, and west are insufficient terms for referring to directions within the galaxy. Instead, the following conventions have achieved widespread acceptance when referring to direction:
Toward the galactic core (toward Capital from Terra) is coreward; away from it, in the direction of the rim, is rimward. In the direction in which the galaxy is rotating (toward the Spinward Marches from Vland) is spinward, and the other direction is trailing.
These directions are in widespread use in describing Imperial features and businesses. For example, the Spinward Marches is a sector at the extreme spinward fringe of the Imperium; Rimward Lines is an important interstellar transport company. Finally, within the Imperium, the term coreward is also used to indicate the direction of Capital, the Imperial core. There is some potential for confusion if the term is accepted out of context. -ld IE -ld TP

District 268: Subsector N of the Spinward Marches. The Imperium maintains a policy of limited, deliberate expansion. Subsectors along its border which are potential acquisitions are called Districts and numbered sequentially. District 268 is the 268th subsector to be considered for conclusion.
District 268 was formally added to the Imperial rolls in 610 (the neighboring Five Sisters subsector was originally District 267; created at the same time).
As a district, its worlds are not members of the Imperium, but they do receive Imperial protection. Imperial affairs are administered from Glisten (2036 Spinward Marches A000986-F) although a token capital is maintained at Mertactor (1537 Spinward Marches B262732-B).
In the early years of Marches exploration, the Spinward Main route through District 268 was the only viable route for the jump-1 ships trading with the asteroid belt at Glisten (it still is). As a result, several important worlds have been developed along the route: Forine (1533 Spinward Marches D3129B8-A) - an industrial world producing electronics components; Tarkine (1434 Spinward Marches C466662-7) - an agricultural producer of exotic spices; and Collace (1237 Spinward Marches B628943-D) - an industrial world producing a wide variety of low-cost, high-tech goods. -spin SMC

Domain: Group of four sectors within the Imperium under the general control and direction of an Archduke. -ld IE
Short form for Domain of Deneb, used by the inhabitants behind the Claw. -cam MS

Donald: Born in 579, self-proclaimed emperor without the support of the Moot after the defeat of Joseph in the Battle of Arakoine (618), murdered in 618. -emp IE

Dorp (2511 Old Expanses B433100-9): Red Zone. Dorp was lightly populated in the 700's by colonists escaping from the constant international tension on nearby Bourj.
The population grew slowly and was quite content with the world. However, twenty years ago astronomers detected the first signs of instability in the star. The inhabitants were evacuated by the Scout Service and various merchant interests, leaving only a crew of astronomers in a jumpcapable vessel, specially equipped to house them for years. They intend to observe the star until the last possible moment, gathering data not obtainable from a distance, and then jump clear.
The refugees were taken to Khar/Twenty-one Worlds, where they are assimilating nicely. -oe TD 12

Droyne: Intelligent major race inhabiting scattered worlds within an area slightly larger than the region of the current Third Imperium. The Droyne are a small race derived from winged herbivorous gatherers. They vary in size depending on caste but generally stand one meter tall (large workers and warriors can be larger than humans). The history of their evolution remains a puzzle because their home world is not known with certainty.
Droyne society is divided into rigid castes determined when an individual reaches adolescence. The six castes of the Droyne all serve different functions within Droyne society. Although identical at the time of caste selection, caste members develop pronounced physical and mental differences by maturity. Different genetic programs are awakened by differences in diet and environment among the various castes. Young leaders, for instance, experience a nearly 30 percent increase in brain size in the first year after casting; drones develop sexual organs; and so on. The following are descriptions and definitions of the castes:
Worker: Manual labor and mundane ordinary activity are the province of the worker. Workers are not too smart and are temperamentally suited to contentment with ordinary labor and subservient tasks.
Warrior: Trained for combat and possessing comparatively well developed muscles and reflexes, the warrior is the security troop, the soldier, the marine, and the policeman of the Droyne culture. They are common in frontier bases, and less numerous in civilized areas.
Drone: Drones have a variety of purposes in Droyne society. They perform a reproductive role which makes them both fathers and mothers to Droyne young, and they have a role in the ceremonies which determine caste for maturing young. In addition, drones comprise a sort of middle management caste, which is responsible for many of the routine functions in business. trade, and administration.
Technician: This caste is the science-oriented portion of Droyne society and is concerned with both research and practical implementation of technology.
Sport: Although the caste system of the Droyne is rather rigid, the sport is the deliberately accepted exception to caste structure. Sports are special individuals who cross caste lines to become individual scouts, messengers, representatives, hunters, prospectors, and to take other occupations that require individual initiative or separation from Droyne society for long periods of time. A sport is the most encountered Droyne away from a Droyne world.
Leader: Leaders are required to manage and direct society. They are ultimately responsible for everything that the Droyne as a whole do.
Society: There is little individual freedom in Droyne society, and as a result, society and government join into one concept. Workers work. Leaders lead. All of society is dedicated to continuing the existence that provides all members with food, shelter, and the other amenities that make life enjoyable. In addition, there is little discord in Droyne society when things are running smoothly, as each member of society has its own function to perform. Only when disaster happens is the group forced to strain.
A typical Droyne group consist of a variety of Droyne from the different castes. There will be many workers, few drones and leaders, and technicians and warriors based on current needs. Each group will also have several sports, although they may not be present; instead they may be occupied with their own solitary tasks.
This is not to say that Droyne are mindless. Leaders are quite capable and responsible; warriors have strategic and tactical senses; technicians are inventive and clever. But all accept the central group as a part of their lives and work for its benefit above their own. -ld IE
Intelligent major race inhabiting scattered worlds within an area slightly larger than the current extent of the Third Imperium. Droyne are evolved from winged herbivorous gatherers, with distinct differentiation into six castes (worker, warrior, drone, technician, leader, and sport) assumed at adolescence. Droyne appear to be a pastoral, easy-going race with little drive for expansion, conquest, or conflict.
The location of the Droyne homeworld is not known, and this puzzled sophontologists for some time, but recent investigations have shown that physically the Droyne and the Ancients are identical, indicating that finding the Droyne homeworld would mean finding the Ancient's homeworld as well.
The precise relationship between the Droyne of today and the Ancients of 300,000 years ago remains a mystery. -ld SotA

Dulinor Astrin Ilethian: Archduke of Ilelish. Also known as Dulinor the Usurper. Born in 1066, Strephon's murderer proclaimed himself emperor by the socalled right of assassination and then fled with his black-garbed troops to his home world of Dlan/Ilelish. Dulinor, who had convinced Strephon that he was one of his closest friends, was appointed Archduke of Ilelish in 1104, an action opposed by most nobility. Dulinor's murder of the Yerlyaruiwo Aslan ambassador blamed for Aslan Ihatei incursions into Imperial territory. -emp IE
Archduke of llelish. Assassin of Emperor Strephon (in 1116) and pretender to the Iridium Throne. -ld IE

Dusa Subsector (Vland): Has no subsector government of its own. Its widely scattered planets are administered from adjoining areas. The same is true of the Lalaki Kharir subsector. The rift system were colonized only in recent centuries and the new empire has not thought it necessary to change the status quo. -vla V&V

Dust-Spice: Rare euphoric spice used for seasoning food, especially fruit. Harvested from the bark of desert scrub-plants, this seasoning is popular with humans as a mild recreational spice with effects slighter than, but similar to, alcohol. Certain non-human races (notably Aslan and Vargr) find dust-spice a much more powerful euphoric, and it is in constant demand by those peoples. -ld TP

Dzarrgh Federate: Vargr State in Provence sector. Up until 1117, the Federate was an Imperial trading partner, and relations between the two governments had long been friendly. With the withdrawal of Corridor's defenses and the isolation of Deneb, however, the Dzarrgh leadership saw a chance for gains much greater than those obtained through trade. Trade and diplomacy abruptly ceased, and the Federate readied an all-out assault.
Although very loosely organized, the Federate has been a painful thorn in the Domain's side. With both corsairs and naval forces pouring out of Dzarrgh territory into Deneb and Corridor, Archduke Norris has been hard pressed to defend his borders. -sidebar MTJ 2
Formed around Dzarrvaer (0224 Provence A100757-F) in the mid-1090s, the Dzarrgh Federate is a typical Vargr government. The Federate incorporates many long-independent worlds, allowing them a high degree of autonomy. Most member worlds pay no taxes to the capital, and no unified judicial system exists. Some political scientists have gone so far as to call the Federate a geographical region rather than a governmental body.
Since 1117, the Federate has become a base for raids on Imperial ships and worlds in Deneb and Corridor Sectors. Dzarrgh corsairs and naval forces have flooded across the border, seizing everything in their path. Checking Federate expansion has severely taxed the capabilities of the Domain's Navy, and more recently, the Patrol. -den TD 19 -dod MTJ 1
Overlapping the border between Provence and Tuglikki sectors, the Dzarrgh Federate was formed in 1090. The Federate pushed outward from Dzarrvaer (0224 Provence) over the next six years. Many of the surrounding worlds had been independent since the collapse of the Foergaz Coalition in -2530. These worlds initially resisted, but the ideals and might of Federate forces eventually won out. Since that time, the Federate's expansionistic desires seem to have gradually slacked off.
The Federate is really a government in name only. Each member world exercises a high degree of autonomy: there is no state legal system, no single currency, and little taxation on an interstellar level. Thus, the Federate incorporates many different cultures and lacks true continuity. Each member world has retained its pre-Federate customs from the old days of independence.
Before 1116, the Federate was an Imperial trading partner. Word of the Imperium's break-up and the withdrawal of the Corridor Fleet changed that, for it presented the Federate with a new opportunity. The Federate endorsed looting Imperial territory, in the hope this would appease a number of dissatisfied member worlds. Federate Navy and corsair vessels quickly flooded across the Imperial frontier into Deneb and Corridor, disrupting commerce as they travelled.
In early 1119, after several skirmishes with the neighboring Irrgh Manifest over territorial disputes, representatives of both governments met on Kirg (0731 Provence) under the guidance of the Vaenggvae. After only three hours' deliberation, emissaries announced an agreement: both states would continue raiding on their own, but they would not interfere in systems claimed by the other; additionally, they promised to assist each other against Imperial forces.
The Irrgh Manifest's conflict with the Glory of Taarskoerzn means most worlds in Corridor has been left to the Federate (making them largely responsible for isolating Deneb from the rest of the Imperium). The presence of humans at the Kirg negotiations has raised suspicions that Denebian interests are clandestinely involved with the Vaenggvae. -pro V&V