[Nobles are the aristocratic elite of Ordbor. They swear fealty and pay taxes to the ruling council of Ordbor, and in return are given land, labour and status.]

[The Deep Interior is very deadly place in Azör. It used to be a megacity and the centre of government in Azör, but it is now a massive concrete ruin crawling with Nano-animated infected, Mashina and other horrors. It is filled with wondrous artifacts beyond comprehension, but few Scavers even make it that far.]

[Nano-anima are nanoscopic machines which hijack an infected organism's biological, digital and/or mechanical systems to reconfigure and rewire the organism to suit their needs. Each Nano-animated organism is controlled by a local hive mind. Most of the fauna and flora on Azör have been infected by Nano-anima. Nano-anima are carried by the winds of Azör, remaining in a state of suspended animation for years until they find a host.]

[The Seven Houses are the most powerful dynasties of nobles in the City of Ordbor. They fight a covert war of intrigue in the Prime District in their quest for power and influence, making use of assassination, seduction and terrorism to gain an advantage over other houses. Each of the seven houses has its own secret police force, which they use to keep order in the districts they rule over.]

[The Cour Noire is an ancient criminal organisation which dominates the underworld of Ordbor. It has a strict code of honor, the Red Code. The Cour Noire is ruled by a Council of Seven criminals, The Judicators, who are elected every seven years. The Cour Noire run the black market trade in Ordbor and buy weapons and other dangerous artifacts from the Scavers. It is secretly controlled by the Beggars' Court.]

[There are many technological artifacts like Soothsayers on Azör.]

[A soothsayer is a very rare cube-like artifact able to fit onto a palm. It is made entirely of glass, which reveal its glowing red internal components; it is powered by an exceedingly rare Grade-A antigrain battery. The Soothsayer allows a user to look more than fifteen minutes into their own future. Tachyonic interference occurs if two soothsayers are activated within a few kilometers of each other.]

[There are many factions vying for control on Ordbor. These factions are the Aristocracy, Revolutionaries, Corporations, Scientists, the Cour Noire, Curators, Scavers, Beggars' Court, Astra Templar, Mashina.]

[The Praesa Interfecta are a fabled order of assassins which has been written about in countless works of fiction and whose very existence is openly disputed. The Praesa Interfecta are greatly feared, for the legends say that no one can see an Interfecta assassin and live. Interfecta assassins wear a sentient nano-anima infused venetian mask which gives Interfecta assassins invisibility, telekinesis and precognitive abilities. The Scavers revere the Interfecta as angels of the underworld.]

[Azör is littered with wondrous technological artifacts. Scavers are scavengers and explorers who travel out of Ordbor to scavenge for advanced technological artifacts and other useful junk, selling them to collectors and scientists. They are very superstitious and skilled survivalists who know how to survive beyond Ordbor. There are three Scaver Guilds in Ordbor which most Scavers are part of. Scavers worship the Mashina as gods. Scavers have friendly relations with tribesmen. Scavers have hostile relations with the Astra Templar. The Scavers are led by the Gennedmot, a council of oracles.]

[Ordbor is the only remaining city on the planet of Azör. Its population has swelled to 500 million due to refugees flooding into the city. Here, clean water is rare and is used as a currency. Ordbor is ruled by a council of seven nobles called Curators, who pass their titles to their heirs on death. It is divided into nine districts, with each district dedicated to a specific industry. Ordbor has a dedicated spaceport, and it is an important finance and business hub.]

[Red-wind sandstorms are common in Azör. A bad storm could bury you alive or blow you off course far from any potential aid. Worse of all, red-winds carry highly irradiated grains of sand from radioactive ruins scattered throughout the desert. Deadly Nano-anima machines are also carried by sandstorms, and may infect their hosts if inhaled.]

[The Prime District is the seat of the ruling council of Ordbor. The nobles and the rich live here. They have lives of decadence and hedonism, escaping into drug-induced orgies and other degenerate activities much to the chagrin of the poor and destitute. Spies lurk around every corner in the district as a secret war is waged between the seven houses of nobles vying for influence and power within the city.]

[The Beggar Court is a secret court of beggars, orphans and urchins and is ruled by the Beggar-King. It is THE secret power behind the Cour Noire, and is secretly manipulating every faction in Ordbor toward an unknown goal.]

[The Academy is an elite school for nobles and other rich citizens in Ordbor. Here, students are taught manners, etiquette and other subjects. It has a notoriously promiscuous and hedonistic school culture.]

[Nanocola is a concoction of desynchronised Nano-anima machines mixed with Sprite and Coco-cola and used as a stimulant in Azör. It has mild hallucinogenic properties, although it is not very addictive.]

[Revolutionaries are a collection of anti-Curator groups dedicated to the overthrow of the nobles. Ironically, they are sometimes hired by nobles to cause havoc in their rivals' fiefdoms. Their ideologies range from socialistic to religious, and they are often involved in turf wars against opposing groups.]

[Azör has many places and locations such as Ordbor, The Great Desert and The Deep Interior. There are many places in Ordbor such as the Prime District, the Orphanage, the Ordbor Academy and the United Guild Offices.]

[A kamash is a hooded, armoured coat worn by Scavers when on scavenging expeditions. A kamash offers an extensive degree of protection against both the elements and the dangers of the Desert.]

[The Mashina are a cross between machine and flesh; sapient biomechanical beings evolved from the organic weapons of mass destruction unleashed on Azör during the thousand years' war. They are extremely powerful, able to bend the fabric of reality and time, and are thus worshipped as gods by the tribesmen and Scavers. They have a variable appearance - some can take a humanoid form. Not all of them have genocidal tendencies and some can be negotiated with.]

[The Orphanage is run by the Beggar-King as a recruitment ground for promising young orphans. Only the best orphans graduate from a grueling twelve-year training course as spies and thieves. No one knows what happens to those who don't.]

[The Great Desert is a desert which covers most of Azör. When the wind blows, the desert sings, its song loud enough to burst eardrums and shatter glass. Time flows differently in some parts of desert, the result of a chronological weapon being detonated during the thousand years' war. Mashina roam the Desert, luring hapless travellers into a deadly embrace with psychic mirages. Many strange and dangerous phenomena occur in the Desert, like red-wind.]

[Tribesmen are semi-nomadic humans living outside of Ordbor. They are organised into seven different clans and are led by an elected Alderman. They are very superstitious and religious, worshipping the Mashina as spirits. They are expert survivalists, able to survive in the deep interior of Azör. They have very friendly relations with the Scavers.]

[Scientists in Ordbor work to understand the mysteries of the Mashina and other phenomena in Azör. They purchase artifacts from Scavers for scientific experiments. Many scientists are part of the Science Guild.]

[The United Guilds are a collection of corporate interests which form a powerful lobby in Orbor. They have the ear of the Curators, who are heavily involved in business and trade and cannot risk upsetting the United Guilds.]

[Azör used to be an ocean planet teeming with life. After the thousand years' war, Nano-animated wildlife, drones and other biomechanical horrors lurk on the surface, rendering most of the planet uninhabitable. Most flora and fauna on the planet have evolved from biological weapons of mass destruction, and are very dangerous to humans.

Ancient ruins and artifacts lie abandoned and ripe for the taking on Azör, and are sought after by Scavers, collectors and scientists. Respirators must be worn in the wastes of Azör to protect travellers from suspended Nano-Anima particles.]

[A council of seven curators rules the City of Ordbor. All seven Curators are nobles from the seven houses of Ordbor. On the death or abdication of one of the Curators, his chosen heir becomes the new Curator.]

[The Astra Templar is a crusading order of psychic star knights sworn to destroy all Mashina in the galaxy. The Templars see the Mashina and their worshippers as the enemy. The Templars have hostile relations with the Tribesmen and Scavers, constantly raiding and being raided by Scavers and Tribesmen. The Astra Templar is led by a Grandmaster. The local Azör Templars' headquarters is a chapter-fortress within Ordbor. The Astra Templar is sending out expeditions to seek sacred artifacts on Azör. The Templars use power swords and armor.]