Lexicon, Belial's Brood
Terminology used by outsiders in reference to the Forsworn (as opposed to terminology they use themselves) is not included here. Otherwise, this lexicon is an addendum to the one presented on pp. 84–87 of Vampire: The Requiem.
- Adversary, the: The common name among Forsworn for the source of the vampiric soul, the one true “deity” of all vampires. Some ascribe to it the traits of the Judeo- Christian Lucifer, while others feel the scope of the Adversary is beyond such familiarity. (Also Demiurge.)
- Antinomian: A member of the Brood faction known as the Pandaemonium.
- Archon: A member of the Brood faction known as the Roaring Serpent.
- Archontes: Official covenant rites and ceremonies. Given the covenant’s disparate nature, Archontes are few and mostly revolve around the Vaulderie.
- Belial: The messianic figurehead who stands at the core of Forsworn belief. Some Brood members hold that he was the first vampire, some that he was the anti- Christ, others that he was just an ordinary man blessed by the Adversary. If a single truth exists as to Belial’s identity, it has been lost to the Fog of Eternity.
- brother: A male member of the Brood, to another Brood member.
- covey: A tight-knit coterie of local Brood members.
- Choronzon: The Discipline practiced by the ritualist priest caste of the Forsworn.
- Credentes: Brood vampires who have not ritually adopted the Therion bloodline; though old form, the term still sees regular use among more scholarly Forsworn.
- Crux, the: The unique group bond shared by members of a Brood covey, instigated and articulated through repeated practice of the Vaulderie.
- Demiurge: The term used by the Brood in antiquity, and still used by Brood scholars tonight, to describe the source of the vampiric soul. (Also Adversary.)
- Djinn: A member of the Brood faction known as the Throne of Smokeless Fire.
- dynamei: Smaller and/or more localized covenant rites. Where an Archonte is performed by coveys the world over with little variation, the look and function of a dynameis may vary wildly from covey to covey, and from faction to faction.
- Faustian: A member of the Brood faction known as the Mercy Seat.
- Forsworn, the: The inhuman vampires of Belial’s Brood (singular and plural).
- Hyletic: A member of the Brood faction known as the Scarlet Rite.
- Investments: Gifts of transformation and power, manifested by the Forsworn through their bond with the Demiurge and their commitment to the Pursuit.
- Mercy Seat, the: A faction of Brood members who believe it is their mandate to guide the soul of humanity into self-wrought ruin.
- Nameless, the: Perhaps the oldest and most powerful of Brood factions, the Nameless hold that Belial was begotten of the Demiurge, and that he will return.
- Pandaemonium, the: A strong and populous faction, the Pandaemonium draws vampires who are attracted to the classical occult trappings of their ethos. Only a portion views the Demiurge as the Biblical Lucifer, but the Forsworn all revel in sacrifice.
- pneuma: In the Forsworn trinity of existence, the spirit.
- Perfecti: A name for the Therion, this term sees the most use among the Scarlet Rite.
- Pursuit, the: A common term for the ongoing process by which a Brood member unlearns what he was taught as a human and inherits his legacy as a vampire.
- Roaring Serpent, the: A major Brood faction whose age and power rivals that of the Nameless, the Roaring Serpent holds that Belial was the first vampire.
- sarx: In the Forsworn trinity of being, the flesh.
- Scarlet Rite, the: Perhaps the smallest of the major factions of the Brood, the hedonistic Hyletics pride themselves on their appetite for degeneracy and vice.
- sister: A female member of the Brood, to another Brood member.
- soma: In the Forsworn trinity of being, the body.
- Therion: The “Bloodline of the Beast,” the ritualist priests of the Forsworn.
- Throne of Smokeless Fire, the: A Brood faction whose members vie constantly with other Forsworn in their bid to gain ever more personal power and influence.
- Trinity, the: The tri-partite essence of existence, composed of the pneuma (spirit), the sarx (flesh) and the soma (body).
- Unlearned, the: A term used by the Forsworn to indicate non-Brood vampires.
- Vaulderie, the: The central rite of the covenant, the Vaulderie involves the ritual pooling and sharing of Vitae among covey members. The Vaulderie forges powerful social and mystical bonds that are essential to the Brood’s philosophies and practices.