One:Lintar-Ratnil

Lintar-ratnil is a phrase believed to have magical or neuro-linguistic properties.

The phrase is chanted by refugees, abductees, and escapees from the upper midwestern territory under the control of Fyvush Finkel, a charismatic militaristic Wisconsonite cult leader.

Scholars have put forward two mutually exclusive hypotheses as to the purpose of the phrase:

1) To praise, support or bring closeness to Fyvush Finkel. Based on this interpretation, all the Finkel cult uses the phrase, and the escapees are unable to break free of the brainwashing of the Finkel cult. The palindromic nature of the phrase may invoke to some essential property of Finkel’s existence within the timeline.

2) To protect against some influence encouraging loyalty to, or preventing physical transportation away from, Finkel. If this is the case, the escapees use the lintar-ratnil formula but the rest of Finkel’s cult do not. If so, this implies the existence of some sort of internal resistance movement, because to date scholars have found no knowledge or use of the phrase outside of Finkel’s territory. Palindromes in magic are often used for purposes of protection.

If the second hypothesis is correct, then while the phrase allows the escapees to leave the physical bounds of Finkle’s domain, its is ineffective in freeing them from his influence. Most refugees experience episodes of self-harm and aggression. (The so-called SoBo Massacre was the tragic characteristic outcome of a mass southward migration from Finklel’s territory.)