CS & Chi-Town Slang

Bot: Slang for robots with an artificial intelligence; unmanned. 'Borg: Slang for "cyborg." Burbs: The shanty town no-man zones occupied by human squatters, refugees, rejects and criminals. Five to twenty percent of the population of a 'Burb will be nonhuman or renegades like rogue scholars and practitioners of magic. Choppers: Scavengers and Vagabonds who scrounge through debris and garbage collecting valuables and salvaging parts; often chopping large items into smaller, more manageable pieces. Citizen: An member and inhabitant of the Coalition States. D-bee: Slang for "Dimensional Being" — humanoid or bipedal life forms from another world who are often refugees brought to Earth through a Rift, magic, or other dimension spanning force. Many have no way back home and try to make a life on Rifts Earth. Note: Alien creatures who are extremely inhuman or monstrous looking are considered monsters or demons. Dead Boys: Coalition soldiers clad in the famous black armor with the traditional Death's head or new skeleton appearance. Demon: Virtually any evil or monstrous looking supernatural being. Dog Boys, a.k.a. Psi-Hounds: Intelligent, humanoid, mutant dogs created via genetic engineering and "designed" as well as indoctrinated to be loyal protectors of humankind and destroyers of magic and the supernatural. Downsiders: Another name for Low Levelers or LL's, citizens who live on the lower levels (1-22). Also see Grangers, Sludgers, LL's and Low Levelers. Ghosts: Characters living in the Coalition cities but who have no formal, electronic identity. As far as the CS census bureau is concerned, these people don't exist! Ghosts are typically City Rats, Rogue Scholars, Rogue Scientists, mercenaries, smugglers or assassins. They have no known identity or traceable records of any kind, other than 1-20 fake identities. The CS estimates for every 300,000 citizens, one is a ghost. Many citizens consider them to be urban legends and don't believe they exist. Grangers: The citizens of the lowest levels of the fortified super-cities (1-10) and/or slums. Highbrows: The residents of the upper levels of the fortified super-cities where the rich, educated and elite live. Also see Sky Kings and Technocrats. High-Mayor: The political leader and city manager of cities with a population of one million or more or the mayor of highbrow and technocrat levels (typically levels 23-35) at the fortified super-cities. ISS or Internal Security Specialists: The city police and protectors. Lotties: A common slang term for citizens who live high up in the fortress super-cities (levels 23 and higher) or penthouses of normal cities. Low Levelers or LL's: The least derogatory name for citizens who live on the lower levels (1-22). Mayor: The political leader and city manager of ordinary CS cities or LL's (levels 1-22) at the fortified super-cities. Nut-Set or NTSET: The ISS department that specializes in hunting and exterminating practitioners of magic, the supernatural, demons and monsters; "you must be nuts to take a job like that." Pit, the: The sub-level of service, sewer and drainage tunnels below Level One of the fortress super-cities. Psi-Net: The city, psychic defense force. A division of the ISS that specializes in detecting, containing and eliminating rogue psychics and psionic menaces, including the supernatural. They also enforce PRP (Psychic Registration Program) laws. Rejects: Human residents of the Burbs whose application for CS citizenship or residence in a major city has been "rejected." Retros or Retrotechs: People who have rejected high-technology and who prefer to use items of a tech level equal to or below 20th Century Earth, including S.D.C. weapons and materials. It is important to note that these characters don't reject all technology, just high-tech stuff like mega-damage weapons and alloys, genetic engineering, bionics (basic cybernetics may be acceptable), and so on. Many retros are also history buffs and collectors of pre-Rifts artifacts and memorabilia. Sams or Sam: Another name for the flying SAMAS power armor. Sludgers or Sludgies: Usually human and D-bee refugees and fugitives who live or hide in the sewers and between the walls of the great fortress super-cities on the lowest levels (1-4 and sub-levels of service, sewer and drainage tunnels). Sky Kings: Another name for citizens who live on the highest levels of the fortress super-cities; usually reserved for those who live on the top five levels (31-35). Technocrats: The scientific elite of the Coalition States.