Jargon Flashcards
acreage (n.)
The feeding grounds bestowed to a Kindred by an overlord; also, one’s feeding rights in general. “I’ve got acreage from Benedict, but there’s nothing there to eat most of the winter.”
black rent (n.)
Service or taxed labor owed to a lord, typically in exchange for granted lands, that involves murder, skullduggery or betrayal; less commonly, any corvée (q.v.) demanding shameful or illegal behavior on the part of the vassal. (In this case, illegal is subjective, possibly referring to Kindred Traditions, the Prince’s laws or mortal laws.) “These streets look all right, but some nights, I swear, this place isn’t worth the black rent.”
citizen (n.)
Among Carthians, a participatory member of society (as opposed to one who resides within the government area but does not serve, attend court or otherwise participate), especially a participant in the Carthian State (q.v.). Among the Carthian Movement, the word “Kindred” is synonymous with citizen; vampires who do not contribute to society are called, simply, vampires. The term citizen is often reserved for those Kindred who have little or no formal status in the Carthian covenant; covenant-member citizens are called Carthians. “We expect something a little bit more than that from our citizens, Kindred.”
drudge (n.)
A socially acceptable disparaging synonym for one’s corvée or rent, especially when the labor involved is tiresome or unglamorous. (Customarily, it is rude to refer to another Kindred’s feudal service as drudge.) “I’ve spent the last three nights doing drudge for Sycorax, and now I want to remind myself why I bother.” (v., slang) To do the labor that makes up one’s corvée or feudal service. “You’re going to spend the rest of your Requiem drudging or fighting off your overlords, and now’s the night to choose which.”
fortify (v.)
Traditionally, to protect a site, domain or subject against attack or coercion; this may involve arming local minions, sealing or disguising a building or bribing assets. In modern nights, this term is more often used to describe efforts to protect something’s anonymity or secrecy. Thus, in some domains, fortifying a person may mean hiding him away or smuggling him out of the city. “You saw today’s paper — we’ve got to fortify the whole operation before somebody goes poking his nose around the garage.”
freeborne (adj.)
Not involved in feudal politics beyond tenancy; not subject to a rent of servitude (but not necessarily free of rent by payment). Sometimes, a vassal without bonds to any covenant (even if the subject vampire maintains membership in one or more). “It’s the freeborne Kindred who have real freedom, but they pay a price in power for it.”
masquerading city, the (n.)
Any city with a Kindred court or government, especially one with a feudal organization; the vampire population and its associated happenings; vampire society. (Also, the masked city, the mask-city) “Benedict’s a weak liege lackey, and every common lord in the masked city knows it.”
parish (n.)
Any domain belonging to the Lancea Sanctum. In a strict Sanctified diocese, only those domains belonging to Kindred of the cloth in good standing are called parishes. More commonly, any domain wherein power resides with a Sanctified vampire or is linked to a ministry of the Spear may be called a parish. “Tonight we’ll hear sermons written by Priests from three parishes.”
roost (v.)
Among vampires, to spend the day nested in public lands or in another Kindred’s territory without permission; especially in an undesirable, shameful or vulnerable place. (n., jargon) The place where a vampire roosts; alternately, a vampire who roosts. “He’s fled into the Hopkins Projects and, as I hear it, taking to roosting in tenement basements and storage lockers.”
sang (adj.)
Relating or pertaining to blood; especially in regards to business or politics. This terms seems to have originated among the Damned of Montréal and spread throughout the United States during the 1970s and ’80s. Often, the term is used in a faux-French style, after the noun it describes. “Edgar, you’ll stay away from that bloodsucker and his sang plans if you know what’s good for you” or “He only leaves that house sang standing for one reason, and it’s not so you can sleep there.”
scots (n.)
Informally, Kindred who dwell outside the feudal society or any recognized feudal hierarchy; derogatorily, synonymous with barbarian. This is not a hold-over from Roman times or medieval England, as some believe. Rather, its use as a term for “outsiders” originated in the 18th century as an allusion to the times when the people of Caledonia (Scotland) were kept out of civilized lands by Hadrian’s Wall. “Don’t go down there without cash or blood to buy off the scots past 74th Street.”
Society (n., with the; adj.)
Of or pertaining to feudal culture and hierarchy among the Damned; of or regarding the Invictus; with the, the Invictus (e.g., “He’s in good standing with the Society”). “The Duke’s a Society lord with secret allies in every covenant.”
State (n., with the; adj.)
With the, all the Carthian turf in the city, even if noncontiguous; the Carthian body politic. (“When you find him, take him past Manigault Avenue and exile him from the State.”) Also, anything of or pertaining to the Carthian Movement (“He’s a State pleb looking to get ahead”).
underneath (preposition, adv.)
Among the feudal Kindred, the notion of being “underneath” is seldom negative. A lord may describe a vassal as being “underneath my title” as a way of saying the vassal is under his protection and authority; thus the lord protects him like a roof. In contrast, a grateful Kindred might declare his trust in a lord (or even the Prince) by saying “the lord underneath our feet,” in reference to the feudal adage, “The lord is the land.” Thus, “underneath” implies sturdiness or an unshakable foundation. (To insult a Kindred, one should say or imply that she is “beneath” or “below,” rather than underneath.) “We’re Hounds underneath Sycorax, asshole, so you put that thing away unless you want it cut in half.”
