Glossary

A guide to various words, both English and otherwise, in common usage by vampires and those stuck dealing with them. The full Atlantis dictionary is separate, with only those terms most likely to be used in a typical English conversation also being defined here.

Atla: (Atlantean) The traditional name for Atlantis.

Atlantis: The mythical 'lost island' of Greek and other myth, and the place where the first vampire originated.

Azaes: The first vampire- a once-human sorcerer and king who pursued immortality and ultimately "created" vampirism, and who then proceeded to hold unquestioned rule over his descendants for nine millennia, before disappearing. He is sometimes referred to as 'God' by vampires, especially formal/traditional ones

Azaim: (Atlantean) The personal guard and enforcers of Azaes, extremely loyal to him personally. They engage in cannibalism, a practice called kherineth which is taboo for everyone but them, and are widely feared by the typical vampire. Singular: Azaiad.

Bastard: An unnamed vampire who is otherwise operating within the strictures of society (more or less), and is not seen as inherently a threat to the society. Most bastards seek to attach themselves to an established household in hopes of someday acquiring the status of a name and thereby full 'citizenship.' Some defiantly remain independent. Bastards do have some basic rights, but are essentially second-class citizens. Compare 'feral.'

Blades: The most common type (Sign) of vampire, typical front-line combatants.

Blooded: A formal way to refer to vampires-- they themselves do not use the term 'vampire.'

Burn: In the context of 'burning blood.' Everything a vampire does that simulates life in any way uses up energy, to a greater or lesser degree based on many factors. This energy is drawn from the blood of living creatures that vampires have ingested. Accordingly, walking, talking, running, etc. all "burn" a certain amount of blood. Specialized uses such as using one's gifts are even more blood intensive. A vampire generally tries to be mindful of the energy reserve available to them and how much blood they can afford to burn. As a vampire ages, they usually become more efficient at how much blood a given task consumes for them, and achieve a better ratio of "action" to "burn."

Catastrophe: A historical event of mass death for the blooded, either extinction level or at least significantly impacting the global population. There have been Five Catastrophes to date.

Council: The body of jadim who have ruling authority over the affairs of most of the world's vampires. Not all jadim are members of the Council, but all Council members are jadim.

Dark, the: See 'Makh.'

Feral: A vampire whose appetites have overcome them, most typically due to having never received appropriate training in self-control. They are usually unnamed vampires, but while a bastard retains self-control, the feral is distinguished by their lack of that. Their primary concern is satisfying their need for blood at any cost, without regard to secrecy or other concerns. As such they are dangerous to society. They can be killed on sight and have no protections or rights. A bastard has some burden of proof to continually show that they are not at risk of becoming a feral. The term can be used as a slur even on people who do not fit the legal definition, as a way of implying the target lacks discipline, maturity, or social standing. Compare 'bastard.' See also 'feral spiral.'

Feral spiral: A term for the downward, Catch-22 progression common to untrained vampires in which they use their powers in order to hunt, but using their powers makes them hungrier, and they are 'burning' blood at a faster rate than it is being replenished. Untrained vampires do not understand the danger of this. The end result of feral spiral is succumbing to the full feral state.

Freelance: A term for a vampire that is not part of a formal household. In itself the term is neither negative nor positive; some freelancers are well-respected and in high demand for their skills (such as Mr. Castle); others must take any sort of work available in order to earn temporary hunting rights.

Gate (portal): A passageway through the Makh that enables near-instantaneous transport over physical distance. Gates can be either temporary, created at-need by a Gate sign, or there are also large, established, permanent Gates that connect major cities and are used as hubs of transportation.

Gates (sign): The type of vampire that can create Gate portals.

Hands: A type of vampire that is known for their ability to create specialized items.

Jadim: (Atlantean) The bureaucrats, mediators, and judges of the society. Until about six centuries ago, the position had relatively limited power. After Azaes's disappearance, however, the jadim ultimately stepped in to fill the vacuum of power that had thus been created. Currently, a council of the most senior jadim have nearly unrestricted power over the laws of mainstream vampiric society. Lesser jadim also continue to carry out their duties, and report to the Council. Singular: jad.

Makh: (Atlantean) A term for a sort of 'shadow dimension' that parallels the real world. It is inhabited by forces inimical to all life, both vampiric and otherwise. This does not stop vampires-- specifically Shadows, Hands, and Gates-- from using its power in various ways, though doing so can be dangerous.

Masks: A type of vampire known for their ability to shapeshift.

Master: The immediate head of all related or allied vampires in a given territory. A given master may have authority over anywhere from 2 to 6 vampires, as well as possibly a dozen or more humans who are affiliated with the household. [placeholder to add more stuff later]

Nightblade: A specialized weapon, rarer than sunblades, that can be used to heal its wielder using the blood of an enemy.

Prospect: A term for a human who is being considered as a candidate for turning. At this stage this is fairly informal; no official relationship has been entered into. (The human definitely don't know squat about it.)

Proxy: A term for a human who works in a close capacity to a specific vampire, and is very simplistically something like a personal assistant/lawyer/authorized representative rolled into one. Ideally, all humans who eventually become vampires have spent time first as a proxy; however, not all proxies become vampires (or even most).

Seers: A type of vampire known for their ability to predict the future and to "just know" things about other people.

Shadow: A type of vampire known for their exceptional capabilities for stealth.

Shapers: A type of vampire known for their ability to manipulate flesh, bone, and blood, usually for healing purposes.

Signs: The 'type' of vampire someone is; there are nine options.

Sunblade: A specialized weapon that utilizes solar energy and is especially deadly to vampires.

Sworn: A term for any human who knows about the existence of vampires and is sworn to secrecy regarding them; this almost always means that they also work for vampires in some capacity.

Will: A type of vampire known for their powers of mind reading and mind control.

Winds: A type of vampire known for both their external appearance as children as well as their telekinetic abilities.