Have you ever read an issue of Gambit with the thieves or assassins in it and came across a term you didn't know the meaning of? Or perhaps you've read some of my fiction and had the same problem? Well, wonder no more! This is the official dictionary of those words in Guild life you don't know the meanings of!

CASKET OF ALL TOMORROWS: A chest opened in a special religious ceremony (see THE UNVEILING) intended to reveal information necessary for the Unified Guilds to fulfil their destiny and tell Remy how to lead the guild to the resurrection of the Old Kingdom. When the chest was opened, it was empty to everyone's surprise except for thief Theoren Marceaux and assassin Gris-Gris, because they had been ordered by Remy's father Jean-Luc LeBeau to destroy the information and jeopardize Remy's position as guild patriarch.

DEADLIFE MISSION: A Guild ceremony where the thieves examine (and sometimes go back to, as in Gambit 12-14) the past in an attempt to understand the present and protect the future.

ELIXIR OF LONGETIVITY: A potion given to the thieves in return for their tithe. The potion gives them the ability to stay young-looking. For instance, Mercy LeBeau is fifty years old but doesn't look a day over twenty-five. There is a risk with taking the potion, however, as Julien Boudreaux found out. He took it and in the end, he looked like one of the demons you see on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". For the most part, the thieves accept this risk, and I have yet to see any of them end up looking like Julien did. I think the reason he turned out that way is because he was crazy and maybe the elixir reacted badly to that. :)

EXTERNAL: The Externals are near-immortal mutants with extraordinary powers. Candra, the Guild benefactress, is one. It is supposed that she is the one responsible for providing the Guilds with the Elixir and the Power.

FIRST KILL: Title of the second-in-command of the Assassins Guild. Currently held by Gris-Gris, who was the second-in-command, or besider, of Marius Boudreaux for years before Marius died. When that happened, Gris continued (and still continues) to be Bella Donna's besider, which means he still holds the title.

HARVEST MASTER: Title given to the second-in-command of the Theives Guild and passed down from generation to generation of the same family. Theoren Marceaux is the current Harvest Master. He was preceded in the position by his grandfather Rouler and his father Belize.

HARVEST DISSEMINATOR: I don't know if this title is hereditary like "Harvest Master" is, but I assume so. The current member of the Thieves Guild to hold this title is Genard Alouette. He is the person responsible for selling or giving away any bounty (things stolen by the guild) that does not pertain to the resurrection of the old kingdom.

MOMENTARY PRINCESS: A valuable gem used to travel through time, see the future, that kind of thing. The Thieves Guild have been trying to acquire it at least since 1891 without having any luck, although they've come close.

TILLING: A type of coming of age ceremony for the thieves. when a young member of the guild clans reaches his thirteenth birthday, he must go on his very first job for the guild. If he is successful in stealing the appointed item, he will become a full member of the Guild. If he isn't, he will never be a full member. An older member of the Guild goes with him on the tilling, as his sponsor. This sponsor is not allowed to assist him in any way.

THE TITHE COLLECTOR: A rather evil man who works for Candra. He is the one who travels to New Orleans every seven years to get the tithes from the Guilds and bring them back to Candra in Europe. He seems to have energy-based powers which allow him to project some type of blast. He may also have enhanced strength, as he managed to toss Remy accross a room and survived a beating at the hands of Julian Beaudreux's rebellious Assassins, despite his elderly appearance. It can be assumed that Candra is the one who gave him the powers.

THE UNVEILING: A guild religious ceremony performed by Minister Tome and Minister Hoard (who are aided by Tante Mattie, Bella Donna Boudreaux, Theoren Marceaux and Gris-Gris) that ends in the opening of the Casket of all Tomorrows in an attempt to show the guilds how to achieve their destiny in resurrecting the Old Kingdom.

TITHING: Every seven years, possibly since the founding of the Guilds, both the thieves and assassins have had to give a "tithe" to their benefactress Candra the External. In return for this, she gives the thieves the elixir of longetivity and the assassins their supernatural powers.

TRAITEUR: Spiritual healer. Tante Mattie is known as the "traiteur" to the Thieves and Assassins Guilds. I tried to find an exact meaning for the word, but have had no luck, save for what Tante Mattie calls herself in Gambit 17, which is spiritual healer.