Terminology

This page is a list of terms used in the Renaissance Army series. In some cases these represent the specific vocabulary of the RAM and its personnel.

If you want to learn more about military formations and sizes, please visit this page.

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A

Adjutant – An officer who assists in running a command.

  • In the KNM, an adjutant is a Staff Officer assigned to a unit commander.
  • In the RAM, an adjutant is a Staff Officer assigned to a unit, not to an officer.

Aide-de-Camp – An officer who assists a superior in their duties.

  • In the KNM, an aide-de-camp is a junior officer assigned to a general officer.
  • In the RAM, an aide-de-camp is a Staff Officer assigned to an officer, not to a unit.

Alice – A common nickname for an Alvanist man, referring to their religious pacifism as being womanly.

Alvanist – A religion group founded in New York City in the early 22nd Century, it spread quickly throughout Atlantic America, finding most adherents in the Great Lakes regions.

Archive – A location, usually a small fortification or city-state, that retains knowledge of technology and science long lost to the rest of the world.

Athens – The RAM training camp for staff personnel, somewhere in Walker County.

At the Rifle – A phrase first used by the Michigan Marine Corps; it means to serve as an common enlisted personnel.

Automatic – A term commonly applied to sub-machine guns.

B

The Beacon – A civilian broadsheet in the Liberated Counties that began publication early summer of 2476.

Before Time – A common phrase in Atlantic America to describe the world that died in the 21st Century. Usually used by rural folk.

Black Carbine – A RAM term for intermediate caliber carbines carried by Olympians and other elite units.

C

Chosen Company – A company within a battalion or regiment made up of soldiers who have proven themselves in battle, or passed some other test.

Chosen Rifle – The official name for a scout of the Special Services Group, often called a Kit.

Codes – A simple set of standards provided by the RAM to guide simply trained members in their roles. Examples include: Code for Conduct in Combat; Code of Authority; Code for Civlity.

Commissary – An officer or department tasked with keeping a unit fed.

Commissioned Officer – A commissioned officer is an officer in a military organization who has the full range of rights and responsibilities of his ranks.

Creeds – A formulative statement for roles and branches, to guide its members. Examples include: The Medic’s Creed, the NCO’s Creed.

D

Dakota Language – A language commonly spoken the length of the Dakota Territory, it’s a mixture of English, Spanish and several native languages. Variations are common between cities, regions and nomadic tribes.

Dakota Territory – The Dakota Territory stretches from Texas north into Canada, and from the nations along the Mississippi River into the Rocky mountains. The population consists of city-states of various sizes, nomadic tribes of herders and raiders, and family plantations that have survived for generations. To some it is a lawless place for outlaws and criminals. To others, it is a place of freedom and opportunity.

Dawson Family – One of the founding families of the Iron Range Republic, the Dawson family was intimately connected with the IRR and its successor, the Iron Republic of Minnesota. Very rare was the government that did not have a Dawson in the cabinet or among its leaders. After the Commonwealth War, the Dawson family was all but hunted down to extinction. Any surviving members do so under a penalty of death. Rumors exist that some survive in internment camps or far off lands, but so far these remain rumors.

E

F

Field Army – A formation of the Royal Army of North Mississippi, commanding by General Prince Stefan. The Field Army is the offensive force of the kingdom, meant to bring the war to their enemies.

Field Regiment – A formation in the RAM.  A field regiment is sent into a county and works to subvert the nobility and win the support of the local civilians. They conduct unconventional operations, such as ambushes and raids.

G

H

Holiday – The RAM medical camp, both for training new personnel and for tending to the current medical needs.

I

Iron Republic – A name for the Republic of Minnesota. The government of that nation was derived from the Iron Range Republic, a rather spartan and austere formation that eventually gained control over much of Minnesota. Even when it became a larger nation, it still called itself the Iron Republic, after those ancestors who survived on the iron range.

J

K

Kit – A RAM nickname for a member of the Special Services Group, who act as couriers. So called after their leader, Major Fox.

KNM – The Kingdom of North Mississippi.

L

LAMB Gun – A common term for light machine guns, or those that are carried and fired by one person. The name is derived from the Lansing Armament Manufacturing Bureau, whose Year 2313 light machine gun became a popular and widely copied weapon. Both the RAM and the Royal Army used LAMB guns of various makes.

Lexington Organization – The military organization made up of the various nations of Atlantic America. Fought against the Commonwealth. It was never officially dissolved but ceased to exist after the end of the war.

M

Mardurer – A nickname for a member of the Renaissance Army. It comes from Vittorio Montessori, Count Walker, the first nobleman to have to deal with the RAM. Not an English speaker, Montessori called the rebels Mardurers, a mistranslation of either murderer or marauder. The name was common in the early year of the rebellion but has fallen out of favor as the Renaissance Army has asserted itself and taken over its image.

Mardurer’s Maze – A common phrase for the paths and walkways around a liberated town. RAM units use the maze for endurance and calisthenics training.

N

North Watch – The area between the Verendrye forests and Lake Superior is watched by a force called the North Watch. Originally established by the Iron Republic, the Kingdom of North Mississippi continued the practice, watching for signs of an offensive by the kingdom of Quebec. It currently stands as a reinforced infantry corps, supporting three massive fortresses called the Ursas, or bears.

O

Old Guard – A term used in North Mississippi to describe Minnesotans who long for the return to the Iron Republic.

Olympia – The RAM headquarters, somewhere in Walker County.

P

Provost – A term used to describe military personnel used to enforce laws upon other military personnel.

  • In the KNM, the provost is responsible for policing supply lines and taking control of prisoners after a military action.
  • In the RAM, the provost is considered to be a successor to the county yeomanry, providing not just military but civil law enforcement functions.

Q

Quartermaster – An officer or department responsible for keeping a unit armed and housed.

R

Range Riot – An uprising in 2472 in the Mesabi Iron Range, within the Kingdom of North Mississippi. The riot had great initial success, but was quickly crushed.

Red Castle – The Archive enclave in Duluth; one of the smallest Archives in the Collective.

Renaissance Movement – An all-encompassing term that includes the military, civil and political activities that are part of the new Renaissance.

Renaissance Name – A code-name chosen by Renaissance commissioned and warrant officers, to protect their identities. 

Rhodes – The RAM training camp for engineers and technical trainees, somewhere in Walker County.

S

Sparta – The RAM training camp for combat troops, somewhere in Walker County.

T

Technological Age – A common phrase in Atlantic America to describe the world that died in the 21st Century. Usually used by educators and historians.

The Tribune – The RAM broadsheet, an official periodical published by the generals to the units of the RAM.

U

V

Verendrye – The name for the large area of forests and lakes that makes up much of North Mississippi’s northern border. Over time the people who lived there also became known as the Verendrye.

The people are considered barbarians by many city-folk, who hear tales of them living in the forests and passing down weapons from one generation to the next. Those who deal with them on a regular basis believe them to be fairly normal people, just ones with a much closer understanding of nature than more ‘civilized’ people.

W

Warrant Officer – A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who has a special or technical authority but does not gain the full rights and responsibilities of an officer.

Workshop – A civilian camp of engineers and inventors, somewhere in Walker County.

X

Y

Yeoman – In North Mississippi, Yeoman are men hired by counts to enforce law and order upon the population of their counties. The quality of yeoman ranged from hired thugs to dedicated professionals.

Z