Notes Spoilers Below... Fukushima       Most of Hoshi no Sabaku takes place in Fukushima City, in the likewise named Fukushima Prefecture. The Fukushima region is north along the east coast of Honshu (the main island) from Tokyo, and is, not coincidentally, the hometown of Yuuya Aoi, the novelist who first conceived of the story that became Hoshi no Sabaku. The Fukushima region has a reputation for glass craft both decorative and functional, and it is a major export. Valuna       Most of what can be said regarding Hoshi no Sabaku's alien cultures can only be derived from context, so while it's impossible to say anything for certain, it is possible make guesses. It appears that in the language of the aliens, the term mother world and the name Valuna are synonymous. Valuna's government is a theocracy, controlled by what appears to be a council of elders. (The two that appeared in Hitoshi's flashback were probably members of the general council, while the one that appears in the main story is identified as the genrou, which I translated as just elder. Incidentally, genrou is a term given by the Japanese to members of the ancient Roman Senate.) The whole government structure is succinctly called the Temple. In Valuna's past, the Temple was responsible for uniting the planet under one government, and in all likelihood that unity allowed Valuna to take to the stars. Over the years the Temple has made the Taliya a politically powerless, but necessary, symbol of authority. It's quite possible that the Spike chip was invented expressly to reign in Taliyas. The Temple's ability to control the people is based largely on the power of the Taliya, and when there is no Taliya, it is vulerable from forces both internal and external. E'dyua       E'dyua likewise seems to be synonymous with colony world, and it's populace differs dramatically in appearance from those of Valuna. It is unclear if the E'dyuans are a different species, a genetic alteration on the Valunan race (maybe deliberate genetic adjustments to suit E'dyua's environment?), or something else all together. At any rate, E'dyua has been fighting for independence from Valuna for at least 600 years. It's governmental structure is sketchier than Valuna's but it is demonstratably a military state, and seems to be a dictatorship. Unable to rely on a deity as Valuna is, E'dyua has developed it's technology instead. Only E'dyua knows the secrets of Saitia. The Taliya       The Taliya is the single life which the Talshas 'falls in love' with. The name Taliya is usually given the meaning 'god', and occasionally the meaning 'lover'. The 'single life' part is of importance, because the Talshas will only grant things directly pertaining to the Taliya. Basically, this makes the Taliya a superman - someone with a lot of powers that _could_ be used to protect others, (but just as easily to destroy things,) but not to heal them. Taliyas are made rather than born, and a Taliya to-be undergoes genetic alterations in the process of becoming one. Thus, some of the Taliya's powers are ingrained and inheritable. In the Valunan religion, the descendants of Taliyas are priests. Hitoshi is the great-grandson of a Taliya. Saitia       Saitia has the meaning variable substance, and is liquid-like, malleable, and can mimic other substances. Of it's three types, black is the most common, then silver, and gold is the rarest. E'dyua apparently developed black Saitia first, and (according to Hitoshi's deductions,) created gold by accident. All the gold Saitia was used to create Juou. Later, silver Saitia was developed, and Jui was created. It seems that the process for creating silver Saitia is reproducible, though difficult, and when Arc nearly destroyed the gold and silver children, Jui was submitted for repairs. Juou wasn't. However, Juou now seems to have an additional power to control black Saitia as easily has he controls his own. Though Valunan authorities don't seem to know exactly what Saitia is, they know that it is close to sea water in composition (and conducts electricity very well). Which explains why Mana smells the ocean when Juou is near her. Back