Obscure Nouns of the Imperium Trivia Quiz

Answer: Winnarans

The Winnarans are mentioned in the Lore Compendium (in "The Galaxy Awakens" section) included with the game. They are the same species as the Winnu, but have culturally diverged drastically. The Winnarans spent the last 3000 years on Mecatol Rex as the custodians after the Lazax were exterminated, while the Winnu grew on their own home planet. The Winnu believe the Winnarans should help them assume the mantle of rulers of the galaxy, but the Winnarans are not so sure. In the game, the Winnarans are represented by the custodians token on Mecatol Rex, which can be removed for one victory point by spending six influence. The Winnu faction ability lets them bypass this cost.

Incorrect answers: The Empyrians and Titans are two new factions introduced in the "Twilight Imperium" expansion, "Prophecy of Kings." The Keepers are an enigmatic caretaker race from the "Mass Effect" video game series.

Answer: The Shaleri Anomaly

The Shaleri Anomaly was, for the longest time, a spooky place in space where ships seemed to go missing for no reason, and eventually established routes avoided the anomaly. Recently, with the reveal of the ethereal Ghosts of Creuss, the fate of those ships is no longer in doubt.

Incorrect answers: The Atharal Gas Torus is made of the shared gasses of the three home planets of the Argent Flight. The Heart of the Galaxy is a region of space shown in the map of the galaxy in "Embers of the Imperium" sourcebook for the "Twilight Imperium" role-playing game (based on the "Genesys" system). The Eye of the Universe is a space anomaly from the 2019 video game "Outer Wilds."

Answer: Grace and Lucas

The Yin Brotherhood faction sheet starts off only saying that Darien Van Hauge had lost both his children to the Greyfire disease. Later, it says he cremated his wife on the Hill of Grace, named after their daughter. That night, he began construction of the monastery of Lucas, named after their son.

Incorrect answers: Archon Tau and Archon Ren are the twin homeworlds of the Xxcha Kingdom. Jacen and Jaina, from the "Star Wars" Legends timeline, are the twin children of Han Solo and Princess Leia. Hallie and Annie are the twin sisters from the 1998 film, "The Parent Trap."

Answer: New Moscow

New Moscow is only mentioned on the Federation of Sol's faction sheet. There is no information about where it is located on the Earth. The current leader of Sol, its High Minister, is Juan Salvador Tao.

Incorrect answers: New Angeles is a major city in the "Android" setting, also owned by Fantasy Flight Games. New Vegas is a city from the "Fallout" video game series, and New Mombasa is the location of Earth-based levels for the "Halo" video game series.

Answer: Quieron

A Quieron is a "leader who speaks for all the Hacan," according to the Emirates of Hacan faction sheet. The Hacan exist mostly as a federation of clans, each with their own fleets for trade and warfare. The Quieron co-ordinates these clans to present a united front when facing the other species of the galaxy.

Incorrect answers: Quinara is the name of the Sardakk N'orr home world. Quann is the name of a neutral planet from the game, and the location of the crisis that started the Twilight Wars in the lore. Quarren are a squid-faced alien species from "Star Wars."

Answer: The Mahact Plateau

No defining features of the Mahact Plateau are mentioned in any of the materials provided in "Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition." In "Embers of the Imperium," a sourcebook for the "Twilight Imperium" setting using the "Genesys" role-playing game system, the edge of the Mahact Plateau is said to have many treacherous gravity wells, making navigation difficult.

Incorrect answers: the Korprulu Sector is a Terran region of space in the "StarCraft" video games. The Attican Traverse is a region of space from the "Mass Effect" video games. The Fingers are a region of Westeros from George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels.

Answer: Miashan

There are two habitable planets in the Mallac system. The Naalu, ever-obsessed with beauty, insist that they originate from the lush Druaa, while scientific evidence puts their origins on the swampy Maaluk. On the other hand, the Miashan, a winged species probably native to Druaa, have been enslaved by the Naalu and are forced to perform all the menial manual industrial labour on Maaluk.

Incorrect answers: The Gashlai, also known as the Embers of Muaat, were enslaved by the Hylar. The Yssaril Tribes were the Naalu's first ally. The Semanora are the native species of the neutral planet Sem-Lore.

Answer: Jorun

The Clan of Saar's home system is the Jorun Asteroid Field, but mechanically in the game it is not treated as an asteroid field (a hex tile that one may only move through or into after researching the Antimass Deflectors technology).

Incorrect answers: The Passage of Tears is a star route that leads to the Mentak Coalition's home world, Moll Primus. Houw Shanan is the name of the Saar's holy day. Gavar was Ragh's last name, the Saar who led the clans to the Jorun asteroid field.

Answer: Gerr Root

Gerr root is said on the Emirates of Hacan faction sheet as being from their homeworlds and to be intoxicating. On the Xxcha Kingdom's faction sheet, it is said that the diplomatically and philosophically inclined Xxcha enjoy debating while smoking gerr root.

Incorrect answers: Starflowers are used by the Hacan to make textiles. Avinberries are found on the neutral planet Tar'Mann. The Black Lotus is the most expensive card made for the collectible card game "Magic: the Gathering."

Answer: Doolak

The Hylar (the species of the Universities of Jol-Nar) were ready to participate in the Twilight Wars, but almost as soon as it began, the species was hit by the Doolak plague, contracted from the Doolak Mountains on Muaat, a planet they had subjugated and enslaved. Instead of rapid expansion, the Hylar lost a quarter of their population and most of their existing empire to the Sardakk N'orr, and the Gashlai were able to secure their freedom.

Incorrect answers: The Yin Brotherhood is looking to find a cure for the Greyfire Disease that ails them all. The Yborin Plague from Maaluk (a Naalu home world) killed the crew of the Dies Opulen, which was then reanimated by the Arborec to be their first translators and ambassadors. The Krytos virus was a synthetic virus from the 1996 Michale A. Stackpole novel, "Star Wars: X-wing: The Krytos Trap."

Answer: Ao

The Letnev home system has no sun, but they still depend on oxygen to survive. Ao is found all over the underground labyrinths of Arc Prime, producing oxygen.

Incorrect answers: Meet Grass covers most of Moll Primus, the Mentak Coalition home world. Menn Root is a prized vegetable from Retillion, the Yssaril home world. Flaah spores are the communication substrate that let the Arborec maintain their hive mind.

Answer: Fianni

The Fianni swamp is the size of a continent on Retillion. The profitable menn root grows along the edges of the swamp, which brought in off-worlders to cultivate it. They did not know that the Yssaril dwelt deeper in the swamp, but did notice the terrifyingly high death rate of menn root farmers and equipment failure. Eventually the Yssaril made themselves known to the galaxy and were recognized as the rulers of Retillion, but outsiders still don't know the exact location of the capital city, Wueca, somewhere deep in Fianni.

Incorrect answers: Dunlain Crater holds the only surface city on Arc Prime, the home world of the Barony of Letnev. Torvus Bog is from the 2004 video game "Metroid Prime 2." Bubblegloop Swamp is a level in the 1998 video game "Banjo-Kazooie."

Answer: Lael

Darien Van Hauge fled to Lael after illegally experimenting with cloning in Lazax space. His descendant clones eventually became the most numerous group on the planet, took over, and renamed it after their "father." They also named their flagship the Van Hauge.

Incorrect answers: Ixth is the name of the lost holy planet that, in the "Prophecy of Kings" expansion, became the home planet of the Mahact Gene Sorcerers. Rakis is the new name of the planet Arrakis in Frank Herbert's 1981 novel, "God Emperor of Dune." Bob was the humourous name given to New Earth in the 2000 movie "Titan AE."

Answer: Tuuran beasts

While the Hacan have advanced technology, spaceships, and an understanding of economics and business, on the surface of their home worlds, they live quieter, simpler lives. They have cities on dust sleds that are pulled by Tuuran beasts to chase cooler, more hospitable climates as the seasons change.

Incorrect answers: Daartar hounds are predators found on Wren Terra, a planet in the Barony of Letnev's home system. Arctic sharaks are a predator native to the neutral planet Bereg. Neffish are predators from Druaa that are kept as pets by the Naalu, and inspired their icon and starship designs.

Answer: The Maandu Edict

This factoid is from the report by Mohthom Iq Seerva at the beginning of the "Learn the Play" booklet, and was originally printed in "Twilight Imperium: Third Edition" in 2005. The Maandu Edict legally placed all warships under direct Lazax imperial control, but when it was issued, the Federation of Sol, the Barony of Letnev, and the Universities of Jol-Nar all seceded, escalating the Quann Crisis into the Twilight Wars.

Incorrect answers: The Eyrie Decree is the action selection mechanism for the Eyrie Dynasties faction in the 2018 board game "Root." The Proscriptions of Sulla were lists of people made by the real Roman statesman Sulla in 83 BCE, after his civil war with Marius. Anyone on the lists could be legally executed by anyone without a trial, and the lists could have names added overnight. A writ of mandamus is a court order used in contemporary law to compel a government official to perform their duty.