Vampire Lexicon

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Anarch

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A rebel among the Kindred, one with no respect for the elders. Most fledglings are automatically assumed to be anarchs by the elders, and are despised as products of the 20th century.

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Barrens, The

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The areas of a city that are devoid of life- graveyards, abandoned buildings, and parks.

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Becoming, The

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The moment one becomes a vampire; the metamorphosis from mortal to Kindred. Also called the Change.

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Book of Nod

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The "sacred" book of the Kindred, tracing the race's origins and early history. It has never been published in its entirety, although fragments are known to exist in various languages.

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Beast, The

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The drives and urges which prompt a vampire to become entirely a monster, forsaking all Humanity. Vide Man infra.

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Blood

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The vampire's heritage. That which makes a vampire a vampire, or simply the actual blood of a vampire.

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Blood Kindred

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The relationship between vampires of the same lineage and clan. The idea is much the same as among mortals; only the means of transmission are different.

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Blood Oath

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The most potent bond which can exist between vampires; the receiving of blood in an acknowledgement of mastery. This grants a mystical power over the one who is bound. Vide Blood Bond infra.

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Brood

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A group of vampires gathered around a leader (usually their sire). A Brood may in time become a clan (qv).

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Caitiff

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A vampire with no clan; frequently used in a derogatory fashion. To be clanless on not a virtue among the Kindred.

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Camarilla, The

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A global sect of vampires in which all Kindred may hold membership. Its rule is far from absolute, and it serves as a debating chamber more than a government.

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Childe

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A derogatory term for a young, inexperienced, or foolish vampire. Plural forum is Childer.

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Clan

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A group of vampires who share certain mystic and physical characteristics. Vide lineage, bloodline.

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Diablerie

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The cannibalistic behavior common among Kindred, involving the consumption of the blood of another vampire. The elders do so out of need, whereas the anarchs do so out of a desire for power.

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Domain

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The fiefdom claimed by a vampire, most often a prince. Invariably a city.

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Elder

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A vampire who is 300 years of age or older. Elders consider themselves the most powerful Kindred, and usually engage in their own Jyhad.

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Elysium

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The name given for the places where the elders meet and gather, commonly operas, theaters, or other public places of high culture.

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Embrace, The

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The act of transforming a mortal into a vampire by draining the mortal's blood and replacing it with a small amount of the vampire's own blood.

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Fledgling

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A young, newly-created vampire. Vide Neonate, Whelp.

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Generation

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The number of steps between a vampire and the mythical Caine. Caine's Get were the second generation, their brood the third, and so on.

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Gehenna

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The end of the Third Cycle; the impending Armageddon when the Antediluvians shall awaken and devour all vampires.

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Ghoul

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A servant created by allowing a mortal to drink Kindred blood without the draining that would give rise to progeny.

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Haven

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The home of a vampire or the place where it sleeps during the day.

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Hunger, The

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As with mortals and other animals, the drive to feed. For vampires, though, it is much more intense, and takes the place of every other drive, urge, and pleasure.

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Inconnu

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A sect of vampires, mostly Methuselahs, who have removed themselves from both mortal and Kindred affairs. They state that they have nothing to do with the Jyhad.

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Jyhad, The

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The secret war being waged between the few surviving vampires of the third generation, using younger vampires as pawns. Also used to describe any sort of conflict or warfare between vampires.

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Kindred

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A vampire. Many elders consider even this term to be vulgar, and prefer to use a more poetic word such as Cainite.

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Kiss

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To take the blood of a mortal, or the act of taking blood in general.

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Lupine

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A werewolf, the mortal enemy of the vampires.

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Lush

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A vampire who habitually feeds upon prey who are under the influence of drink or drugs in order to experience the sensations thereof. Vide Head.

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Life, The

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A euphemistic term for mortal blood taken as sustenance. Many Kindred regard the term as affected and prissy.

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Man, The

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The element of humanity which remains in a vampire, and which strives against the base urgings of the Beast (qv).

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Masquerade, The

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The effort begun after the end of the great wars to hide Kindred society from the mortal world. A policy reaffirmed after the time of the Inquisition.

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Prince

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A vampire who has established a claim of rulership over a city, and is able to support that claim nil disputandum. A prince often has a brood(qv) to aid him. The feminine form is still prince.

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Riddle, The

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The essential dilemma of a vampire's existence - to prevent the occurrence of greater atrocities, one must commit evil deeds of a lesser nature. The proverb is: monsters we are lest monsters we become.

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Rogue

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A vampire who feeds upon other vampires, either out of need or perversion. Vide Diablerie.

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Sabbat, The

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A sect of vampires controlling much of eastern North America. They are violent and bestial, reveling in needless cruelty.

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Sect

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General name for one of the three primary groups among the Kindred - the Camarilla, Sabbat, or Inconnu.

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Sire

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The parent-creator of a vampire, used both as the female and male form.

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Vessel

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A potential or past source of blood, typically a human.