Black Widow Bokator
The martial art developed specifically for use by scythes. Citra and Rowan both excel at Bokator; in their second apprentice test, Rowan breaks Citra's neck in a Bokator contest.
BladeGuard
The Scythedom's elite security force. In Scythe, the BladeGuard usually works to protect and aid High Blade Xenocrates.
conclave
A meeting of regional scythes to discuss policy, remember the gleaned, test apprentices, and punish infractions. Conclaves are held three times a year, each for one day: Vernal Conclave, Harvest Conclave, and Winter Conclave.
cultural audit
The ethnic breakdown of the people a scythe gleans, to be sure that scythes are gleaning evenly across ethnic groups and not showing cultural bias. If a scythe fails their cultural audit, they risk having their gleans assigned rather than choosing on their own.
deadish
The state of being dead, but not permanently; pre-revival.
genetic index
The index of a person's genetic makeup, represented by five numbers. Citra's genetic index is 22-37-12-14-15—Caucasoid, Afric, PanAsian, Mesolatino, and Other. Scythes' gleaning requirements include spreading their victims across the genetic index equally.
gleaning
Killing performed by scythes, which results in the permanent death of the person being gleaned. MidMerican scythes are expected to glean 260 people a year, or about five a week. Scythes get to choose their manner of gleaning, within reason.
The term originates in ancient times, when the poor would trail behind farmers and take the stray stalks of grain they left behind, which is considered the earliest form of charity. Many scythes consider their work the same way, a crucial and sacred service for society.
elegy
An elegy is a song or poem of sorrow, lamentation, or melancholy, usually for the dead. In Scythe, "elegy" is also the plural noun for a group of scythes.
MidMerica
The central region of what used to be North America, one of 25 regions in the world. Rowan and Citra were born, raised, and trained in MidMerica. MidMerican scythes meet in Fulcrum City for their conclaves.
nanites
Nanorobots or microbots in the blood of humans and animals. Nanites can alter pain, healing, metabolism, and endorphins. When his teachers think he's depressed, Rowan's nanites are tweaked to cheer him up. High Blade Xenocrates chooses to not use his nanites to lose weight.
Patron Historic
The great person from the Age of Mortality whom scythes name themselves after when they graduate from their apprenticeship. Citra takes Anastasia Romanov as her Patron Historic; others include Marie Curie, Nelson Mandela, and Song Yinxing.
primordial ooze
Water in a Tonist monastery that's brimming with microbes and diseases from the Age of Mortality, including smallpox, polio, Ebola, and anthrax. Citra thinks it looks like dirty water, and the stench is stuck in her nostrils long after smelling it. Scythe Goddard's head falls into a pool of primordial ooze.
the Scythedom
The Scythedom is the organized body of scythes, divided into regions depending on geography and governed by the World Council, which is headed by the Supreme Blade.
spat
Short for "spatula," a derisive term for new apprentices, building on the joke that all they're good for is flipping their scythes' burgers.
splatting
Intentionally rendering oneself deadish by falling from a high place. Tyger loves to splat; Rowan tried it once and didn't care for it.
the Thunderhead
The Thunderhead is the sentient, omniscient extension of the cloud. The Thunderhead came into existence in the year 2042, and it marked the end of the Age of Mortality. The Thunderhead manages logistics and laws worldwide, with the sole exclusion of the Scythedom. The Thunderhead speaks to Citra while she's deadish, and it expresses disappointment that it's unable to make mistakes that it could learn from.
Tonism
Tonism is a post-mortal religion that scythes generally view as a cult. Their symbol is the bident or tuning fork. Tonists view death by scythes as unnatural and don't recognize it. Tonists worship the vibrations of the universe, and they seek the Great Vibration that will free them from stagnation. Extreme Tonists might blind themselves or cut out their tongues to better appreciate their other senses.
turnover
The noun form of the act of "turning over" or "turning the corner," when one's biological age is reset to the age of one's choosing.
unsavories
People who find enjoyment in activities that border on the fringe of the law, sometimes even breaking the law. Unsavories are always caught by the Thunderhead; some troublesome offenders are tweaked with shock nanites in their blood to deter breaking the law again. An unsavory kisses Scythe Faraday's ring without his consent, stealing immunity for a year, and Scythe Faraday scares him in return.
the World Code
The code of laws that govern the world, as decided upon by the Thunderhead. The tenth scythe commandment exempts scythes from the World Code.
