The Immortal Crown

by Richelle Mead

  He gave his reflection in the darkened mirror one last, fond look before he turned around and headed deeper inside the building, off to see what his master had planned for him next.

  AGE OF X GLOSSARY

  Arcadia—Post-Decline country formed by part of the southern and southeastern former United States. It possesses moderate technology and a religion-centric government. There’s a lot of tension between it and the RUNA, both because of current border disputes and Arcadia feeling as though it was abandoned after the Decline.

  Age of Decline—Official name for the fifty years between ephistopheles and the discovery of its vaccine.

  Age of Renewal—Official name for the period of time following the discovery of the Mephistopheles vaccine and the rapid rebuilding of Gemman society that followed.

  Age of X—Tongue-in-cheek political term for the RUNA’s next age, its “unknown age” to come.

  Annexed Lands—New territory recently conquered by the RUNA, usually undergoing unrest as they adopt Gemman policies and uniform culture.

  Cain—A hereditary set of genetic defects created from Mephistopheles. It often involves damaged skin and hair, poor fertility, and asthma. It usually only shows up in those without mixed genetic backgrounds, like the patricians or those from the provinces.

  Castal, castals—Slang term for those who belong to the castes.

  Castes—Slang term for patrician groups, those who clung to their ethnic heritage and were exempted from genetic mandates after the Decline because of financial contributions to the early government. Patricians identify with a particular culture (Irish, Egyptian, etc.) and select for features associated with that

  culture. Many patricians still live off of that early wealth and have established aristocratic mini-societies on special regions

  allocated to them, called land grants.

  Church of Humanity—A “secular religion.” The only religion officially endorsed by the government. Although it has temples and priests, there is no deity involved. It is meant to encourage decent, humanitarian ways of living, which are synced up with the RUNA’s laws and philosophies.

  Consul—One of two leaders of the RUNA’s senate. Consuls are elected from currently serving senators by other senators. A very powerful position.

  Contraceptive Implants—Mandatory devices all Gemman women get upon puberty and are required to keep until they’re twenty- years-old.

  Decline—Name for the years immediately following Mephistopheles’ devastation.

  Division of Sect and Cult Investigation—The sub-department within Internal Security that the servitors work out of. Sometimes called SCI.

  Eastern Alliance—Called EA. The RUNA’s sister country, formed from parts of former China and Russia. It shared many genetic policies with the RUNA, including population swapping, but has a looser stance on religion. It nearly matches the RUNA in technology and order. Its primary language is Mandarin, followed secondarily by Russian.

  Ego—A small handheld device that functions much like a smart phone and then some. It controls communications and is synced to the media stream, as well as the owner’s identity chip. Unless a special code is entered, egos will not function if they’re too far away from the owner’s chip.

  Gemman, Gemmans—The term for citizens of the RUNA. It comes from the country’s motto, Gemma mundi, which means “jewel of the world.”

  Genetic Mandates—A set of laws that the RUNA employed to create a diverse population resistant to Mephistopheles. Part of this included forcibly swapping parts of the population with others from the EA. For much of the RUNA’s history, citizens were not allowed to reproduce with those who wouldn’t produce genetically diverse offspring. Later, the law was amended to allow freedom of reproduction but with monetary penalties to those who didn’t reproduce optimally. In the current day RUNA, there are no penalties, but those who still seek genetically diverse mates receive stipends from the government.

  Genetic Resistance—A numeric score, from 1-10, that identifies how resistant an individual is to Mephistopheles and Cain. The more mixed the person’s background is, the higher their score tends to be. Most plebeians now have 8-10. Patricians average around 5.

  Identity Chips—A small chip in the left hand of each Gemman citizen. The chip is keyed to the person’s DNA and an entry in the National Registry, which contains all of their basic information. Chip readers scattered throughout the country regulate who enters secure areas and also help locate criminals and outsiders.

  Internal Security—The ministry within the RUNA that handles threats and security inside the country’s borders. The Division of Sect and Cult Investigation, which the servitors work out of, is part of it.

  Land Grants—Exclusive regions of the country that patrician groups are allowed to live on. Most are in the middle of the country. Although the land grants have a caste’s cultural slant, Gemman loyalty is still strongly enforced, and borders are kept open to Gemman officials.

  Media Stream—The RUNA’s equivalent of the Internet, containing access to the country’s data, resources, and entertainment channels (there is no separate television service). The Media Stream is a public resource, accessible to all citizens through egos and home screens. Called “the stream” for short.

  Mephistopheles—Common name for a virus released into the world in the early twenty-first century that killed half of the earth’s population. Those of diverse genetic backgrounds have greater resistance to it and the hereditary disease it created, Cain. A vaccine created in the RUNA fifty years after the virus’s release has mostly wiped it out.

  National Registry—Database of all Gemman citizens, containing their basic and genetic information. Identity chips are synced to the Registry, and all citizens must have names of Greek or Latin origins.

  Patriarchy, Patrician, Patricians—Those who clung to their ethnic heritage and were exempted from genetic mandates after the Decline because of financial contributions to the early government. Patricians identify with a particular culture (Irish, Egyptian, etc.) and select for features associated with that

  culture. Many patricians still live off of that early wealth and have established aristocratic mini-societies on special regions

  allocated to them, called land grants. “Caste” and “castal” are slang terms for patricians used by the rest of the country.

  Plebeian, Plebeians—Term for most of the RUNA’s population, those created from its genetic mixing programs. Most plebeians have dark hair and eyes, with tanned skin.

  Population Limits—Gemman women are only allowed to have

  two children before being sterilized unless they can provide proof of financial and social stability to care for more. Those qualifying may have up to four children total, with no exceptions.

  Praetorian, Praetorians—The RUNA’s “super soldiers.”

  Praetorians have a small positive feedback implant in their arms that will increase whatever neurotransmitter is being actively produced in the body. For example, when adrenaline is naturally produced in a fight, the implant will increase the body’s production, enhancing the praetorian’s abilities. Praetorians are divided into color-coded cohorts and serve for eighteen years, from age 22-40.

  Primary Schooling—Elementary school in the RUNA.

  Provinces—The generic term used by Gemmans for any part of the world that isn’t the RUNA or EA. It isn’t an official designation in those regions, which range from semi-organized countries to completely unregulated regions.

  Republic of United North America—Commonly called the RUNA. A country formed from Canada and parts of the former United States during the Decline. It is the most stable and technologically advanced country in the world. Its primary language is English, followed secondarily by Spanish. Its official colors are maroon and dark purple.

  RUNA—Pronounced “roo-na.” See Republic of United North America.

  Secondary Schooling—Collective term for middle school and high school in the RUNA.

  Serv
itor—From the Latin “servitor veritatis” or “servant of the truth.” Government employees of Internal Security who license and investigate religious groups. Although much of the job is paperwork and interviews, some situations become volatile, and servitors have quick access to law enforcement and military resources. Their sub-department is the Division of Sect and Cult Investigation.

  Stream—See Media Stream.

  Tertiary Schooling—A required two-year degree that all Gemman citizens must complete, starting when they’re eighteen. Unlike primary and secondary education, which is fairly standardized, tertiary education is more specialized to the person’s interests, in the hopes of encouraging continuation with a four-year college degree. Those starting college by a certain age have their education paid for by the government.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Richelle Mead is the author of the international number one bestselling Vampire Academy series. Her love of fantasy and science fiction began at an early age when her father read her Greek mythology and her brothers made her watch Flash Gordon. She went on to study folklore and religion in college, and when not writing, Richelle spends her time drinking lots of coffee, watching reality TV, and shopping for dresses. She works in her pajamas and has a passion for wacky humor— especially if the 1980s are involved. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives with her family in Seattle, Washington.

  Visit www.RichelleMead.com to find out more.