Vampire
Lexicon
Common Parlance
These
are terms commonly used among the Kindred.
Anarch
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.
Barrens,
The
The
areas of a city that are devoid of life - graveyards, abandoned buildings and
parks.
Beast,
The
The
drives and urges which prompt a vampire to become entirely a monster, forsaking
all Humanity. Vide Man infra.
Becoming,
The
The
moment one becomes a vampire; the metamorphosis from mortal to Kindred. Also
called The Change.
Blood
The
vampire's heritage. That which makes a vampire a vampire, or simply the actual
blood of the vampire.
Blood
Kindred
The
relationship between vampires of the same lineage and clan. The
idea is much the same among mortals; only the means of transmission are
different.
Blood
Oath
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.
Book
of Nod
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.
Brood
A
group of vampires gathered around a leader (usually their sire). A brood may in
time become a clan (qv).
Caitiff
A
vampire with no clan; frequently used in a derogatory fashion. To be clanless is
not a virtue among the Kindred.
Camarilla
A
global sect of vampires in which all Kindred may hold membership. Its rule is
far from absolute, and it serves as a devoting chamber more than a government.
Childe
A
derogatory term for a young, inexperienced, or foolish vampire. The plural form
is Childer.
Clan
A
group of vampires who share certain mystic and physical characteristics. Vide lineage,
bloodline.
Diablerie
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 desire for power.
Domain
The
fiefdom claimed by a vampire, most often a prince. Invariably a city.
Elder
A
vampire who is 300 years of age or older. Elders consider themselves the most
powerful Kindred, and usually engage in their own Jyhad.
Elysium
The
name given for the places where the elders meet and gather, commonly operas,
theaters or other public places of high culture.
Embrace,
The
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.
Fledgling
A
young, newly created vampire. Vide Neonate, Whelp.
Generation
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.
Gehenna
The
end of the Third Cycle; the impending Armageddon when the Antediluvians shall
awaken and devour all vampires.
Ghoul
A
servant created by allowing a mortal to drink Kindred blood without the draining
that would give rise to a progeny.
Haven
The
home of a vampire or the place where it sleeps during the day.
Hunger,
The
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.
Inconnu
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.
Jyhad,
The
The
secret was 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.
Kindred
A
vampire. Many elders consider even this term to be vulgar, and prefer to use a
more poetic word such as Cainite.
To
take the blood of a mortal, of the act of taking blood in general.
Lupine
A
werewolf, the mortal enemy of the vampires.
Lush
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.
Life,
The
A
euphemistic term for mortal blood taken as sustenance. Many Kindred regard the
term as affected and prissy.
Man,
Th
The
element of humanity which remains in a vampire, and which strives against the
base urgings of the Beast (qv).
Masquerade,
The
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.
Prince
A
vampire who has established a claim to 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.
Riddle,
The
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.
Rogue
A
vampire who feeds upon other vampires, either out of need or perversion. Vide Diablerie.
Sabbat,
The
A
sect of vampires controlling much of eastern
Sect
General
name for one of the three primary groups among the Kindred - the Camarilla,
Sabbat, or Inconnu.
Sire
The
parent-creator vampire, used both as the female and male form.
Vessel
A
potential or past source of blood, typically a human.
Old
Form
These
are words used by elders and other old vampires. They are rarely used by younger
vampires.
Amaran
The
act of drinking the blood of other Kindred. Vide Diablerie.
Ancilla
An
"adolescent" vampire; one who is no longer a neonate, but is not an
elder either.
Antediluvian
One
of the eldest Kindred, a member of the third generation. A warlord of the Jyhad.
Archon
A powerful vampire who wanders from city to city, usually serving a Justicar. Archons are frequently used to track down Kindred who
have fled the city.
Autarkis
A
vampire who refuses to be a part of Kindred society, and does not recognize the
domain of a prince.
Cainite
A
vampire. Vide Kindred.
Canaille
The
mortal herd, especially that element of it which is the most unsavory and
lacking in culture (whom the Kindred largely feed upon).
Cauchemar
A
vampire who avoids killing by drinking shallowly and taking too little blood to
kill the prey; faut plus chasser, peut mieux dormir. Compare Casanova.
Coterie
A
group of Kindred who protect and support one another against all outsiders. Vide
Brood.
Consanguineus
One
of the ame lineage (usually a younger member).
Footpad
One
who feeds off the derelicts and the homeless, and who frequently does not have a
haven of her own. Vide Alleycat.
Gen
A
Kindred who hunts the nightclubs, districts of ill repute, and other places of
entertainment where mortals seek to pair off. Vide Rake.
Golconda
The
state of being to which many vampires aspire, in which a balance is found
between opposing urges and scruples. The slide into bestiality is halted, and
the individual reaches a kind of status. Like the mortals' Nirvana, it is often
spoken of, but seldom achieved.
Humanitas
The
degree to which a Kindred still retains some humanity.
Kine
A
contemptuous term for mortals, often used in opposition to Kindred. The
expression Kindred and Kine means "all the world."
Leech
A
human who drinks a vampire's blood, yet retains free will. Often he keeps the
vampire as a prisoner, or offers great rewards for the blood.
Lextalionis
The
code of the Kindred, all allegedly created by Caine. It suggests biblical
justice " an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Vide Traditions.
Lineage
The
bloodline of a vampire, traced by embrace.
Methuselah
An
elder who no longer lives among the other Kindred. Many Methuselahs belong to
the Inconnu.
Neonate
A
young, newly created Kindred. Vide Fledgling, Whelp.
Osiris
A
vampire who surrounds himself with mortal and ghoul followers in a cult or coven
to better obtain sustenance. The practice is less common than it once was.
Papillon
The
red-light district; the area of the city made up of nightclubs, gambling houses
and brothels. The prime hunting ground of the city.
Progeny
A
collective term for all the vampires created by one sire. Less formal, and less
flattering, is Get.
Praxis
The
right of princes to rule, as well as the rules, laws and customs enforced by a
particular prince.
Primogen
The
leaders in a city or the ruling council of elders. Those who support the prince
and make her rule possible.
Regnant
One
who has a Blood Bond over another Kindred, through giving said Kindred blood
three times. Vide Blood Bond.
Retainers
Humans
who serve a vampire master. They are generally either ghouls or mentally
dominated by their vampire master. This control is sometimes so complete that
the mortals are unable to take any action of their own volition.
Siren
A
vampire who seduces mortals, but does not kill them and takes only a little
blood after putting the mortal into a deep sleep. Vide Tease.
Suspire
The
dream dance during the final stage of the quest for
Third
Mortal
Caine,
the progenitor of all vampires, according to the Book of Nod (qv).
Thrall
A
vampire who is held under a Blood Bond, and thus under the control of another
Kindred.
Vitæ
Blood.
Wassail
The
final release and the last frenzy. Wassail occurs when the last vestiges of
Humanity are lost and a vampire plunges into madness.
Whelp
A
contemptuous term for any young vampire; originally used only in reference to
one's own progeny.
Wig
Human,
mortal.
Witch-hunter
A
human who searches for vampires in order to kill them.
Whi
Name
for a Cainite who possesses an obsessive interest in mortal fashion and current
events.
Vulgar
Argot
These
words are frequently used by anarchs, although some elders have begun to use
these terms to create a greater effect when they speak.
Alleycat
A
vampire who does not have a haven of any kind, but instead resides in a
different place each night. Also used to refer to those Kindred who feed off the
homeless and other street people.
Banking
The
practice, most widespread among younger Kindred, of taking blood from blood
banks. Chilled blood so long removed from the body is less satisfying, but some
neonates delight in entering a blood bank and drinking to excess. This is seen
by many princes as a breach of the Masquerade.
Banker
A
Kindred who engages in the practice of Banking.
Black
Hand
A
sect that involves itself in diablerie. Vide Sabbat.
Blister
A
vampire who contracts an infectious disease, and subsequently spreads it to each
donor from whom she feeds.
Bloodline
The
vampire's heritage. Vide Lineage.
Blood
Bond
A
mystic servitude to another vampire as a result of taking the Blood Oath.
Vide Regnant.
Blood
Doll
A
Kindred who is held in Regnant by another. The doll is Blood Bound and no longer
free.
Butterfly
One
who mingles among high society of mortals, and only feeds upon the wealthy and
famous.
Casanova
A
vampire who delights in seducing mortals but not killing them, and who takes
only a little blood, erasing the victim's memory of the event when she is finished.
There are rumors that the original Casanova was or is a vampire, but that is not
generally believed. Vide Cauchemar.
Change,
The
The
moment and the process of becoming a vampire. Vide Becoming.
Damned,
The
The
immortal, undead race. All the vampires as a whole.
Donor
A
potential or past source of blood, typically a human.
Farmer
A
derogatory term for a vampire who keeps animals for the purpose of feeding the
Hunger. Vide Vegetary.
Fief
A
sarcastic term for the domain of a clan of prince.
A
vampire who feeds upon those under the influence of a drug, so as to feel the
effect. The term Head is used with a suitable prefix is the vampire
prefers a particular drug. Vide Lush.
Headhunter
An
elder who hunts other Kindred for their blood. Vide Rogue, Diablerie.
Lick
A
vampire. Vide Kindred.
Rack,
The
The
hunting ground represented by nightclubs, bars, and other places of
entertainment where mortals seek to dance, drink, and pair off.
Rake
One
who habitually uses the Rack is a Rake in Vulgar argot; Papillon
and Gentry are progressively older terms for the same.
Sandman
A
vampire who feeds only upon sleeping victims. Vide Cauchemar.
Slumming
The
act of feeding from the homeless and derelicts. A vampire who does so
exclusively is a Slummer.
Stalker
A
mortal who hunts the Kindred. Vide Witch-hunter.
Tease
A
term sometimes used for a female Casanova (qv).
Turf
The
city or section of a city that vampires might try to claim for themselves. Vide Fief,
domain.
Vegetar
A
sarcastic term for a vampire who refuses to take the blood of humans, but relies
instead on that of animals. Vide Farmer.