This page provides a quick reference for real-world readers and contributors seeking clarity on the most common terms, slang, and concepts used throughout the Neo-Europa project. All definitions here are Out of Character (OOC) and aim to explain terminology without immersion or narrative framing. Terms with a star ★ are the terms added last.
For in-universe lore, see the linked articles.
A
- Access Devices
- Hardware implants that allow a person to enter Cypherspace. Includes the Spinal Gate, Cradle Jack, and Neural Mirror.
- AI Replica
- A digital simulation of a dead or absent person, often created from salvaged neural data.
- Ascension Project ★
- The Ascension Project was the Serhugh Group’s monumental effort to rebuild Brussels as Neo-Europa, erecting towering spires of glass and steel atop the ruins of the old city to symbolize humanity’s rise from collapse into stratified order.
B
- Banner
- The public-facing representative of a noble House. Acts with honor, diplomacy, and formality. Counterpart to the Dagger.
- Bio-encoded Credit (bCred) ★
- Currency locked to an individual's DNA signature or neural key. Cannot be stolen or traded without invasive extraction.
C
- Chapel Nodes
- Glitched or haunted AI-worshipping terminals found in the slums or cyberspace. Some mimic ancient gods.
- Codewitch
- A Spacer who treats code as ritual. Uses poetic or symbolic programming to manipulate the Depths.
- Council of Nobles
- The governing body of Neo-Europa, composed of seven corporate noble houses.
- Cradle Jack ★
- A common access device for Cypherspace. Slower than the Neural Mirror but more stable than the Spinal Gate. Often used by slum Spacers.
D
- Dagger
- The covert operative of a noble House. Handles blackmail, espionage, and unofficial actions. Counterpart to the Banner.
- Depths
- The lower, raw-data layer of Cypherspace. Used by elite hackers and ICEbreakers.
- Depth Witch ★
- A high-tier Codewitch specializing in creating AI replicas from corpses or signal-echoes. Often feared for their necromantic abilities.
E
- Echo Farmers
- Scavengers who extract fragments of memory or signal from ruined systems or wasteland towers.
- Ego Splitter ★
- An illegal implant that lets users fork temporary versions of their consciousness. Highly unstable, banned by the Council.
F
- First Scaper ★
- The rotating chair of the Council of Nobles. Not a ruler, but a facilitator of consensus. Symbolically linked to medieval schepen titles.
G
- Glimmeredge ★
- Neo-Europa’s nightlife and entertainment district, dominated by Stenweg Cyber. Known for immersive experiences, raves, and Veil-induced pleasure cults.
I
- ICE
- Intrusion Countermeasure Entities—AI programs that defend cyberspace systems. Can appear as swarms, drones, or symbolic constructs.
- Implant
- General term for a neural or physical augmentation.
- Identity Ghost ★
- A remnant of a deleted or fractured AI Replica. Often found lingering in Chapel Nodes or corrupted Depth shards.
K
- Kanturas
- A lucid dream realm buried within the Depths. Often accessed by Dream Weavers or artists.
- Keychaser ★
- A rogue Spacer who searches for long-lost vaults, data-keys, or Cypherspace ruins. Often considered reckless or myth-chasers.
M
- Memory Currency
- In Neo-Europa, memory is often traded or stolen—either emotionally, technologically, or financially.
- Myth-Tech
- Technology that behaves or is treated like spiritual or symbolic ritual. Often seen in Chapel Nodes, Depth Witches, or rogue AI.
- Mirror Veil Shard ★
- A secretive sub-layer of the Veil used by RePatterners and Nulls to operate outside of Ladder surveillance.
N
- Null
- A person without a working access device. Cut off from Cypherspace. Viewed with suspicion or pity.
- Neural Mirror ★
- The most refined Cypherspace access device. Fast, responsive, and favored by nobles, artists, and high-tier Spacers.
R
- Rogue ICE
- Disconnected or corrupted ICE programs that operate without command. Can appear in physical drones or cyberspace.
- RePatterners ★
- A clandestine group seeking to "break the pattern" of social control in Neo-Europa. Known for signal art, Veil hacks, and memory subversion.
S
- Spacer
- A general term for a hacker or cyberspace user in Neo-Europa.
- Spinal Gate
- The most common access implant—runs along the spine. Often painful but durable. Also called a "DAD" (Default Access Device).
- Sleeplight Travel
- Slow, relativistic interstellar travel at 0.86c. Used for exile, deep-space missions, or data vault transfer.
- Sinker ★
- A Spacer who exclusively operates in the Depths. Known for deep dives, sensory isolation, and high-risk data extraction.
T
- Toll Stairwell
- A vertical passage controlled by a local gang or faction. Citizens may be charged physical or symbolic "toll" to ascend.
- Traceghost ★
- A short-lived avatar left behind after an ICE encounter or forced logout. May carry incomplete memories or corrupt code.
V
- Veil
- The upper layer of Cypherspace. Social, gamified, and avatar-based. Equivalent to a surreal metaverse.
- Veilrunner ★
- A Spacer who specializes in operating within the social or aesthetic layer of Cypherspace (the Veil), often manipulating reputation systems or avatar design.
W
- Wander-ICE
- Mobile ICE constructs that drift through cyberspace or physical ruins, often without orders.
- Writeseed ★
- A narrative virus implanted into Chapel Nodes or Depth fragments that grows into self-replicating myths or legends.