THE ATELIER / A LIVING VOCABULARY
The Atelier Lexicon
Words we make.
Meanings we carry.
A field guide to the language of our stories, our tables, and the worlds between.
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Here is the home to what we call them.
asumdevelop
When a creator assumingly develops a bridge, hook, or connective thread intended to intersect a player character’s plot— with the understanding that it may be changed, denied, ignored, or rendered unnecessary.
Asumdeveloping treats uncertainty as part of authorship, valuing readiness over payoff.
- Used during prep, not performance.
- Often invisible to players.
- Prevents over-correction when hooks fail.
attourney
A term born of mispronunciation and momentum—originating from kobold propaganda surrounding a grand tourney, long before the spelling was ever clarified. “Attourney” came to represent both contest and counsel in equal measure.
Attourney reflects how authority, competition, and narrative intent can blur when language spreads faster than correction.
- Coined prior to official clarification.
- Widely adopted through kobold propaganda.
- Persists despite knowing better.
overture
A voluntary offering of thought or intent, extended without expectation of response, agreement, or care.
An overture invites attention without creating obligation, allowing interest to determine continuation.
- Signals openness, not commitment.
- May be acknowledged, ignored, or transformed.
- Creates space without demanding entry.
Thoughtless Timeless System
A narrative structuring system that allows events, locations, and relationships to persist and evolve without active tracking or linear timelines. History is registered once, then allowed to re-enter play only when engaged.
The Thoughtless Timeless System — full breakdown →
A working tablecraft definition
swallow hole
noun · environmental hazard / karst feature
A natural opening or funnel where a surface stream plunges underground, creating a tight choke point that traps and drags creatures into a subterranean cavern.
- Prepare
- A hidden, moss-slick opening just wide enough for a creature to fall through under pressure.
- Leave open
- The players' ability to wedge themselves in the bottleneck, find handholds, or anchor a rope.
- Carry forward
- The rushing water slide that drags fallen bodies—and their dropped gear—deep into the subterranean dark.
Foretangle
noun · verb
A glimpse of something forthcoming, deliberately tangled so curiosity has something to play with.
To foretangle is to offer the promise before the reveal: a release date without its title, a draft name scattered into letters, or a clue that becomes clear when its story arrives.
In use: “The next chapter is still foretangled. Pull a thread and see what you can name.”
Foretangled adjective — not yet revealed, but already inviting discovery.
Language grows where we play. Back to the index ↑