GURPS: Church and State Glossary

Adept: One who has a magical power or skill that is not spell casting.

Arch Prior: Elected by and from the Curia to lead the Church for a term of life. Can be impeached.

Ascendant: A mortal who has ascended to a higher state of being; often becoming one of the archetypes in the four houses of the gods, but sometimes a lone unaligned actor.

Curia: Council of church leaders who set Cannon law, interpret doctrine, appoint bishops, archbishops, and elect the Arch Prior of the Church

Frankalmoin: [1], land tenure by which a ecclesiastical body holds land. This is the law under which the Church gains estates and becomes a ridiculously large landowner.

Knights Service: The obligation of service to land holders to provide knights or men-at-arms to their lord [2]. Can be paid out in some cases by paying the Knights Fee [3] or Scutage [4] instead.

Man-at-arms: A professional soldier of some standing, usually with land of his own, wealthy and skilled enough to own and fight from a horse. Status 1 or 2 if particularly wealthy or with good land. Often with some minor talent.

Methuselah: A mortal who has dramatically extended his life through magic or divine intervention. (At least four spells or elixirs allow this, and a mage of Talent often turns his endeavors to pursuing this in their later years.)

Minor Talent: A person with magery, and some skill as well in an area requiring magery (spells, imbuements, powers, etc). Usually grants status 1 and can demand certain social perquisites such as increased dowry, law rights, etc.

Sergeant-at-arms: A professional soldier of some minor standing, usually status 1. Normally fights on foot. If he gains enough wealth and skills to buy a horse and fight from horseback, he likely will be considered a Man-at-arms.

Serjeanty [5]: An obligation by a freeman to his lord above that of Socage, but below Knights Service, which obligates the Vassal to a specified service. Often soldier duties (thus sergeant at arms), but also includes the level of enfeoffment found with verderers [6], reeves, heralds and such.

Socage: The obligation of a yeoman (freeman) without status owes his lord [7]; usually just a set fee. Lowest of the vassal obligations (not including serfs).

Talent: A person of significant magical talent (magery or imbuement level 3, or other significant talent)

Tenant-in-chief: A vassal directly under a lord, usually reserved for the tenants in chief of the sovereign owing fealty directly to the King; equivalent to the "Lords of the Realm" or the "Peerage".

Thane: A sworn man. A professional soldier and a freeman (yeoman) usually enfeoffed[8] to a knight or lord. Men and Sergeant at arms are Thanes.

Traditions: Seven schools of thought to pursuing magic. Thaumotology must specialize in a given tradition. The traditions mark the magical theory as that tradition understands it. (see GURPS: Church and State Magic

GURPS: Church and State