glossary.

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Glossary.

A list of common Lamento terms.


WORLD

Sisa - The land Ribika live in. It is enshrouded in dense forest, and the towns of cats are spread some distance from each other. As a result, many different clans and ways of life have developed.

Ransen - The Capital city. It is apparent that it is somewhat built around old human buildings that're still managing to stand. Dark Winter Festival is celebrated in Ransen.

Karou - A small village to the south. Former home of Konoe. It was once a small and struggling place with very few cats left, which practised sacrifice in order to ensure there was enough to eat. While Konoe was in Ransen, Leaks was experimenting with the town, using cats as practice for his dark magic. Now all that remains are pieces of corpses and an unnatural glow of colour.

Yuukokunotani/Yuukoku Valley - A swampish gorge where the Kira cats live. It's dark and hidden away; Konoe stumbles on it almost by happy accident.

Setsura - The village where Rai and Bardo were born and raised. The cats here have big bodies, rounded ears and thicker tails.

Lake of Mirror/Mirror Lake - An ethereal place North of Ransen. The water here is inexplicably dense and can be walked across. On the far end of the lake is a cave where a vagrant devil used to live and take sacrifices.

The Flower Garden - A clearing in the forest North-East of Ransen, populated by beautiful flowers. At night, they give off a curious glow. Leaks comments to Asato on his first visit there at night that the cats from the city avoid the place — because it's where the Meigi cats go. The flower is sacred to their ceremony of the path of evil, and it's said they eat the petals.

The Magic Enchanter's Cave - The home of Bouju, out in the woods surrounding Ransen. The interior is minimal, with only the items he needs to do his work. Talismans, the stone shrine, and whatnot.

Toride - Leaks's hideout. It's a huge and mysterious, unnatural tree into which a home is built, far south of Ransen in the heart of the forest. The top cannot be seen, and the interior is not natural by any means. It is visually concealed by a space-bending barrier that is disrupted by devil teleportation.

Void - A disease spreading on the world, causing all matter to "reject" Ribika. If a Ribika tries to touch something damaged by the Void, it won't be touched or stirred. It will simply slice through their flesh. Many, many cats have lost their lives this way.

Shiku - A strange affliction of the cat's body which causes parts of it to suddenly disappear. Female cats are especially susceptible to both this and the Void, and thus their numbers have dwindled massively compared to males. In some places there are no females, or only one remains.

Devil's Curse - The curse the devils placed on Konoe, turning his ears and tail black and branding him with the insignia of wrath. Other cats receive marks in their respective storylines — Bardo, pleasure; Asato, sorrow; Rai, joy. It can cause them pain.

Positive Moon & Negative Moon - The two moons of Sisa. Legend has it that the sun was lost and the goddess Ribika could no longer support the moon; it fell into the sea and split into two, creating a moon of light and a moon of darkness. Legend also has it that when they come together once more, weep tears that melt upon the world and turn red as a sore, crying eye, the world will begin again. It's the Oddly Specific prophecies you need to look out for.

CUSTOMS/LIFESTYLE

Touga & Sanga - The most powerful combination of fighters will consist of the warrior (Touga) and the singer (Sanga). When the Sanga "sings" (though this is a music that flows out of their body directly, it also seems to be strongly associated with overall musical talent), s/he produces pure power which flows into their respective Touga. The Sanga may sing in many different ways, some of which are evil, and all of which will eventually exhaust them. The more powerful the song, the quicker they're drained. Some Sanga are of exceptional talent and power, and may be accepted as a candidate for the next Sanga chief. While competition is tough, it guarantees you'll make it into the history books.

"Dark Winter" Festival - Also "Kurafuyu" or 『暗冬』. A ritualistic festival where the cats dress as devils, symbolising the driving out of evil as if it were the Winter. I think. Translation's kinda fuzzy.

The Mating Season - Also 『発情期』。 The Ribika enter heat once a year, on the cusp of winter, though no exact date can be given as it varies from cat to cat. Other cats can smell when a cat has entered heat. It apparently begins somewhere in their mid-late teens and is very overpowering, and may be further stimulated by being near a cat for whom one has strong feelings.

Sacrifice - Due to the dwindling number of places a cat can go to get food, due to the risk of the Void, many villages prey upon their own cats by choosing a sacrifice whenever there's a need for food. The cat is killed, and the cats that want to devour them, devour. It isn't mandatory to eat, but being sacrificed isn't voluntary. Female cats are normally poached off first, being perceived as sweeter and softer.

Diet - Ribika diet mostly consists of nuts, berries, fruits, water, and to a lesser extent, fish or meat. Like "old" cats, they lap up water. Devil diets are somewhat more mysterious — outside of eating Ribika and their souls and whatnot — but it seems like they at least are fond of meat. No surprises.

Kuimu/Kuim - A very delicious sweet-yet-bitter fruit and a fond favourite of Konoe's.

Kadeiru - Fruit soaked with the syrup of a flower. A traditional sweet in Ransen, made when there are festivals and celebrations.

Grooming/bathing - For the most part, the only kind of bathing the cats require is grooming in the morning, using the tongue. Unlike the "old" cats, however, they don't dislike water baths, and have no particular opinion on it. The need for water baths is not that common, and it's only if a cat gets particularly dirty that they'll bother. In that case, they'll bathe in a tub, a spring, or a river.

Black Cats - Cats with black ears and tails are also "bad luck" and are generally killed or driven out of their village. This may be what originally drove Leaks to live alone and disappear into his work, being too dangerous to stay in a village.

RACES

"Two Canes/Staff" - Also "futatsutsue" and 『二つ杖』。 The human race, which has now passed into legend as the father of all Ribika. According to legend, they prospered so much as to resemble a god, which angered the real gods. They were driven underground and all but one male were wiped out.

Ribika - two meanings. Ribika are the cat race now populating Sisa. They are named after the goddess Ribika. Legend has it that the human race/futatsutsue/"two canes" stored two of all the animals under the ground to escape the gods, who regretfully felt they had tried to live above their station. In the end, only a female cat and a male "two canes" remained in this attempt at an underground Ark. Ribika, feeling pity for what the gods had done to the race, took the body of the cat as her own and procreated with "two canes". However, in doing so, she lost her status as a goddess.

Kira - A clan of warrior cats with dark skin. They tend to keep to themselves and are quite shy of outsiders. Their customs are very different to most cats; they do not have any need for currency, and their city is run by a single older chieftan. After nightfall, their soften their footsteps and creep quietly. They have also learned how to apply permanent tattoos on their body.

Meigi - A "dark clan" of cats that worship evil deities. They do not get along with the Kira clan. Prior to becoming a devil, Kaltz was one of these, and sired Asato with a female cat in Kira. After Kaltz left, the pride of the Meigi tribe was forgotten, and they fell to being a pawn for Leaks, believing they will transmigrate to the new world he creates. He uses these cats to his own ends, and when his power increases, their power and dark arts also increase and support him.

Setsura - The large-bodied race of cats living in Setsura, with rounded ears and large, fluffy tails. They are a warlike tribe that often makes trouble with surrounding villages, including the Meigi.

Devils - Alternatively "akuma" or 『悪魔』. Creatures of darkness that can be summoned for contracts - as long as there's something in it for them. They prey on Ribika, and the more emotion a Ribika feels, the more they want to devour them. Many of them have been alive since before the Ribika existed at all, and originate from the humans that came before. All of them govern certain emotions or sensations. Devils aren't born devils; they originate from humans or Ribika who died feeling an overwhelming, overpowering emotion. The odds of becoming a devil, even in those circumstances, are very slim; one can't become a devil for an emotion if another already exists, and they seem to have a neverending lifespan. However, they can also be murdered, and "replaced" by their own killer. While a contract is in place, they cannot die.

The Four Devils - The game features four major devils: Razel (Devil of Wrath), Verg (Devil of Pleasure), Froud (Devil of Joy), and Kaltz (Devil of Sorrow). They all first appear to Konoe in the form of snakes, which curse him with a tattoo and turn his ears and tail black. They were contracted under Leaks to devour Konoe's soul; they all had a hand in trying to overcome him with their sensations, and when they all failed and the curse ended, Leaks almost destroyed them, taking their power for his own and leaving them with about 1/3rd of it. This gave him the power to curse Konoe himself.