Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

Lexicon
lexicon • comman parlance
The secret world of the Damned commands its own entire subculture, and this subculture
includes language. In addition to the various proper names and titles that exist only among the
undead, a complete lingual set of vampire-specifi c words and phrases has arisen over time, resulting
in a sort of Kindred “dialect.” Like all language, this dialect grew and expanded, resulting in
the eventual break-off of another, more modern style of speech. These two vampire dialects are
referred to as “old form” and “common parlance.” A third vocabulary, the language of the Kindred
“street,” is new to most everyone and is considered vulgar by all but the most brash of neonates.
Being creatures of stasis, the Kindred loathe unnecessary change, and one can often tell the age
if not the vampiric origins of a speaker by the way in which he uses the terms of his kind.
COMMON PARLANCE
The following terms are used freely and frequently by both neonates and those elder Kindred
familiar with vernacular (or who wish to disguise their true age). Some of the newer words
have come into circulation only in the last few years, but due to their utility or style, they are
not considered vulgar argot. The common parlance lexicon includes a pronunciation guide
for its uncommon vocabulary.
Acolytes: A common nickname for members of the Circle of the Crone.
Ancilla (an • SILL • uh): Kindred too old to be considered neonates, but not yet elders, whose
Requiem has lasted roughly 50 to 150 years. (The plural term is ancillae (an • SILL • eye).)
ancient: The rare vampire who has existed for over a millennium.
Avus (AY • vuss): A character’s “grandfather” or patron in a bloodline from which she is
not truly descended. (See p. 366.)
Barrens: Portions of the city unfi t even for hunting.
Beast: The inchoate urges that drive vampires away from the Man.
Belial’s Brood: A raucous, reckless covenant of vampiric Satanists.
blood hunt: A citywide hunt for a particular Kindred fugitive, in which most if not all local
Kindred are expected to participate.
bloodline: A group of vampires that splits off from a parent clan to form a distinct lineage
of its own. Some bloodlines do not differ from the parent clan in signifi cant ways, while
others claim different powers or weaknesses.
Carthian (KAR • thee • enn): A vampiric idealist who believes in reconciling the Requiem
with the politics and society of modern mortals.
childe (CHILD): Kindred “offspring”; also used to refer to particularly young neonates, or
as a minor insult (akin to calling someone a “child” in mortal circles). The plural is childer
(CHILL • der).
clan: One of fi ve families of Kindred whose lineage links back to times beyond Kindred
memory.
Circle of the Crone: A covenant of ritualistic Kindred that reveres pagan gods, spirits,
pantheons and/or progenitors.
Coils of the Dragon: A mystic way of learning that allows vampires to ignore certain aspects
of their curse, as practiced by the Ordo Dracul.
coterie: A group of allied Kindred.
covenant: A faction of Kindred who share certain political and theological beliefs. The
covenants exist worldwide, though details differ from domain to domain.
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