Glossary

Awakening: test of courage and strength of spirit which leads to the subject coming into his/her Gift, a supernatural power, if he/she passes the test.

 

Blood-Contract: Contract by which a human Consents to surrender his/her blood (and sometimes soul) to a vampire for a promise in return that the vampire must fulfill.  The vampire has the choice to accept or reject the Contract.  Upon acceptance, he/she must fulfill the bargain or risk retribution from the unfulfilled human soul in the form of a curse.  See also Consent.

 

Blooded Mate: the chosen partner for each Dark One.  Once the Bond is formed between two Dark Ones, it cannot be broken unless a third party has prior claim of blood or flesh. The third party can elicit a Challenge to one of the Bonded Dark Ones to obtain rights to the other. The Challenge is fought to the death. Save in the case of a successful Challenge, the Bond cannot be broken except through death. Blooded Mates do not need to take the blood and souls of others to survive. However, they must take blood and sex from each other on a regular basis, else they will weaken and eventually go mad and/or die.

 

Blood-Slave: a human or Pure One, often the latter because of their power and immortality, whose primary role is to provide blood as sustenance to a vampire master.  Usually, a Blood-Slave also surrenders his/her body for carnal pleasures to the vampire master.  This obligation continues until the master grants release.

 

Cardinal Rule: Sacred Law number three for the Pure Ones, thou shalt not engage in sexual intercourse with someone who is not thy Eternal Mate.  See Sacred Laws.

 

Challenge: see Blooded Mate.

 

Chevalier: a combination of Pure and human warriors who stand as the first line of defense against rising vampire Hordes and human menace.

 

The Chosen: six royal guards of the New York-based Vampire Queen, Jade Cicada.

 

The Circlet: five royal inner council members of the Pure Queen.

 

Consent: a human’s willing agreement to surrender his/her blood (and sometimes soul) to a vampire.

 

Cove: base of the New York-based vampire hive, with dominion over the New England territories in the U.S.

 

Dark Goddess: supernatural being who is credited with the creation of the Dark Ones.  She is a deity to which Dark Ones pray.  It is unclear how or whether she is related to the Pure Ones’ Goddess.  See also The Goddess.

 

Dark Laws: One, thou shalt protect the Universal Balance to which all souls contribute.  Two, thou shalt maintain the secrecy of the Race.  Three, thou shalt not take an innocent’s blood, life, or soul without Consent.

 

Dark One: supernatural being who prefers to live in the night and who gathers energy and prolongs his/her life by feeding off the blood, and sometimes souls, of others.  Dark Ones are born, not made. Sometimes confused with the term vampire.

 

Decline: condition in which or process of a Pure-Ones’ life force depleting after he/she Falls in love but does not receive equal love in return.  The Pure One weakens and his/her body slowly, painfully breaks down over the course of thirty days, leading ultimately to death unless his/her love is returned in equal measure.

 

The Dozen: see Royal Zodiac.

 

Ecliptic Scrolls: events past, recorded by the Keeper of the Dark Ones.

 

The Elite: six royal personal guards of the Pure Queen.

 

Eternal Mate: the destined partner to a given Pure soul.  Each soul only has one mate across time, across various incarnations of life.  Quotation from the Zodiac Scrolls describing the bond: “His body is the Nourishment of life.  Her energy is the Sustenance of soul.”

 

Gift: supernatural power bestowed upon Pure Ones by the Goddess.  Usually an enhanced physical or mental ability such as telekinesis, superhuman strength and telepathy.

 

The Goddess: supernatural being who is credited with the creation of the Pure Ones.  She is a deity to which Pure Ones devote themselves.  She protects the Universal Balance.

 

The Great War: circa 2190 B.C., the Pure Ones who had been enslaved by the Dark Ones rebelled against their oppressors en masse.  At the end of countless years of bloodshed, the Pure Ones ultimately regained their freedom, and the Dark Ones’ empire lay in ruins with the members of the Royal Hive scattered to the ends of the earth.

 

Hive: society of vampires with a matriarch, the Queen, at the head.

 

Horde: small groups of vampires with no Queen, typically composed of Rogues who band together for ease of hunting.

 

Lost Soul: describing a soul placed in the wrong body, time or space.  Lost Souls seek death and destruction at worst, battle with dark emotions and debilitating depression at best.  Their existence detracts from the Universal Balance.  Releasing them from their current corporeal capsules to rejoin the world at the right time restores the Balance.

 

Nourishment: the strength that Mated Dark Ones take from each other’s blood and body through sexual intercourse. Once Mated, they will no longer need others’ blood to survive, only that from each other. Sexual intercourse is required to make the Nourishment sustaining.

 

Pure One: supernatural being who is eternally youthful, typically endowed with heightened senses or powers called the Gift.  In possession of a pure soul and blessed with more than one chance at life by the Goddess, chosen as one of Her immortal race that defends the Universal Balance.

 

Rogue: lone vampire who does not belong to an organized vampire society or Hive.

 

The Royal Zodiac: twelve-member collective of the Elite, the Circlet and the Queen of the Pure Ones.

 

Sacred Laws (Pure Ones): One, thou shalt protect the purity, innocence and goodness of humankind and the Universal Balance to which all souls contribute.  Two, thou shalt maintain the secrecy of the Race.  And three, thou shalt not engage in sexual intercourse with someone who is not thy Eternal Mate.  Also known as the Cardinal Rule.

 

Shield: referred to as the base of the Royal Zodiac, wherever it may be.  Not necessarily a physical location.

 

True Blood: a vampire born of Dark parents.  See also Dark One.

 

Universal Balance: underlying order that is essential for the continuation of time.  The idea that everything exists in cycles or pairs—good and evil, darkness and light, past and future, right and wrong, male and female, life and death, etc.  Disruption to this balance leads to destruction, chaos, and eventually, the implosion of time and space.

 

Vampire: supernatural being who prefers to live in the night and who gathers energy and prolongs his/her life by feeding off the blood, and sometimes souls, of others.  Contrary to prevalent beliefs (see Pure Healing), vampires are both made and born.  Some vampires are Pure Ones who have chosen Darkness rather than death after they break the Cardinal Rule.  Some are humans turned by other vampires. Some are True Bloods that are born of two vampires, more accurately called Dark Ones.

 

Zodiac Prophesies: events yet to come, foretold by the Seer of the Pure Ones through the Orb of Prophesies.

 

Zodiac Scrolls: events past, recorded by the Scribe of the Pure Ones.