Age of Beauty
--- The Second Age of the Great Cycle, when the Middle Kingdom and Spirit
Courts were still close together
Age of Beautiful Sadness --- The Fourth Age of the Great
Cycle, hearlded by the Kuei-jin's forsaking of their Heavenly duties. Human
history begins during this period, and the Kuei-jin trace their vulnerability
to sunlight to this time.
Age of Heaven --- The FIrst Age of the Great Cycle; a time
before time, when all things were one.
Age of Darkness --- The Fifth Age of the Great Cycle; the
time period extending roughly from first contact with the West to present
nights.
Age of Legends --- The Third Age of the Great Cycke; the
mythical prehistory of the Middle Kingdom, when the Kuei-jin walked among
and ruled humanity as benevolent spirits.
Age of Sorrow --- the coming (Sixth) Age; the nadir of the
Great Cycle. Analogous to the Kindred's Gehenna; however, most Kuei-jin see
the Age of Sorrow as a necessary part of existence.
Akuma --- "Devil"; a Japenese-derived epithet for
those Kuei-jin who serve the Yama Kings.
Ancestor --- An old and honored Kuei-jin; specifically, the
vampiric ruler of a court or region. Similar to a Western prince.
Arhat --- A vampire who has completely mastered his Dharma.
August Personage of Jade --- In Kuei-jin myth, the current,
though inactive, ruler of Heaven. When the Sixth Age arrives, the personage
will step down, to be replaced by the Demon Emporer.
Balance --- See center.
Bishamon --- Mistakenly translated as "Bushi."
A house of Japanese vampires.
Black Chi --- Yin Chi
Bodhisattva --- In the Kuei-jin sense, a vampire who has
nearly attained dah, but chooses to forego her transcendence in favor of helping
other vampires progress.
Cathayan --- Cainite term for Asian vampires.
Center --- In Cathayan philosophy, the perfect midpoint between
life and death.
Chih-mei --- a "feral" vampire who has not attained
the enlightnement of a Dharma, or one who has forsaken the path of transcendence.
Ch'ing Shih --- A vampire whose Yin aspect has overwhelmed
it.
Clans of the Sun --- Collective term for the various houses
of Japanese Kuei-jin. (Note that the term "clan" in this context
does not mean the same thing as a Kindred clan.)
Court --- A group of Kuei-jin wu who join together to advance
common material or spiritual goals. A court somewhat resembles such Western
institutions as the anarchs and the Harpies. Many courts use corporations,
tongs or secret societies as pawns and smokescreens.
Cimrson Fever --- A vampiric disease manifesting in Cathayans
whose Yang aspects have become imbalanced.
Dah --- "All-Awareness," i.e. Golconda. The ultimate
enlightened state, which very few ever achieve.
Daimyo --- A Japanese synonym for ancestor; a house leader.
Demon Emperor --- In Kuei-jin myth, the rules who will ascend
to cosmic supremacy to uder the Sixth Age of the Great Cycle. Most Kuei-jin
believe that one of the Yama Kings will become Demon Emperor, though some
think that the wraith tyrant Qin Shihuang, ruler of the Jade Kingdom, will
assume this office.
Den --- A small satori (q.v.), or flash of insight, in which
things suddenly become clear. Such flashes indicate progress in Dharmic journey.
Diao --- Moments of blindness when a Kuei-jin loses track
of her Way and wanders off into a sea of mortal illusions.
Dharma --- A Kuei-jin's path to Golconda. The old form of
the term, Di'hana, has been lost to many younger Kuei-jin; the old ones still
remember it, however, and prefer that term to the modern corruption.
Direction --- An astrologically based influence that allegedly
governs a Kuei-jin's personality and duties. There are five: north, west,
center, east and south.
Dragon Line --- A line of strong Chi connecting two or more
dragon nests. Shen of sufficient power can use dragon lines to transport themselves
vast distances. Dragon lines of Yang are known in the West as "Moon Bridges";
dragon lines of Yin are called "Byways." In the Middle Kingdom these
lines are much closer to "surface" reality that they are in the
Western World of Darkness.
Dragon Nest --- An area where Chi is strong and the Wall
is weak. In the West, dragon nests are known as caerns, haunts, nodes, etc.
Ebon Dragon --- Hun Dun, the first lord of the Dead. Representative
of Yin. Some vampires believe that the Ebon Dragon has been deposed and eaten
by the Jade Emperor; others, that the Jade Emperor is one of the Dragon's
avatars.
Fifth Age --- Age of Darkness.
Fire Nature --- Frenzy.
Fivefold Way --- The five principles that the vampire bodhisattva
Xue taught to his followers. See Great Principle.
Gaki --- A loose term for Japanese Kuei-jin.
Genji-myo --- A "noble house" of Japanese vampires
who are involved with modern corporate culture.
Ghost Dancer --- A Cathayan whose duties entail dealing with
the spirit worlds; commonly used to refer to Cathayans of the west direction.
Golden Courts --- General term for various societies of vampires
dwelling in a specific geographic region largely encompassing Southeast Asia
and Indonesia. Existence in the Golden Courts is often tumultuous and chaotic,
and the vampires therein are infamous for decadent and "barbaric"
practices; however, female Kuei-jin have historically enjoyed much more respectful
treatment in this region.
Great Cycle --- See Wheel of Ages.
Great Principle --- A commonly accepted code of unlife through
which Kuei-jin can cultivate correct behavior.
Green Courts --- Various groups of Kuei-jin inhabiting Korea
and nearby areas of China. The Green Courts are renowned for their love of
jade and the noncommittal stance in larger struggles.
Gweilo --- A Chinese term for foreign asshole, usually white.
The more familiar Japanese version, gaijin, means more or less the same thing.
Harmonic -- A Cathayan of the center direction, one whose
duties entail exploring the vampiric condition and the soul.
Harvester --- A Cathayan troubleshooter and agent provocateur
among the mortal "herd"; a vampire of the east direction.
Heaven --- In Kuei-jin parlance, that inexplicable force
overseeing the interaction of Yin and Yang and ordaining what should and should
not be. Most Kuei-jin see themselves and the rest of the Middle Kingdom as
having fallen from Heaven's favor. Conversely, beings who transcend the eternal
cycle of life and death are said to have reached Heaven.
Heiki-myo --- A house of Japenese vampires who are loosely
allied with the Bishamon.
Hengeyokai --- Shapeshifter.
Hima --- The "goblin lantern" form that masters
of the Ghost-flame Shintai can assume.
House --- Synonymous with "court"; primarily used
in Japan.
Hun --- The "higher," rational half of the soul.
Hundred Clouds, The --- A symbol of ultimate Kuei-jin enlightenment,
when all duties are set aside. See Dah.
Jina --- A vampire who has gained some status in Kuei-jin
society.
Kaja --- The ancient, extraordinarily complex idegraphic
script of the Wan Xian. Kaja influenced, and was influenced by, early Chinese
characters.
Kata --- A series of ritualistic movements whereby Chi is
focused properly and precisely.
Ki --- The Second Disciple of Xue.
Ki Chuan --- A holy book written by Xue's disciple Ki.
Kin-jin --- a contemptuous slang term for Western vampires;
a corruption of a term meaning "people of Caine."
Koa --- Vampiric adolescence. Each Kuei-jin is allotted a
mortal lifetime to act like a child before assuming his duties under Heaven.
Kuei-jin --- An Asian vampire; the term is a recently created
hodgepodge, primarily used by younger vampires. Thought to have derived from
Gui Ren ("demon people").
Kyonshi --- An insulting term for a young, impudent and often
Westernized Asian vampire. Also pronounced as ki-wan chi.
Leyak --- An Indonesian term for shen.
Magistrate --- A Cathayan whose duties entail interpreting
tradition, arbitrating disputes, passing and executing sentences; synonymous
with the north direction.
Mandarin --- A Kuei-jin official with specific duties, usually
involving various functions in Kuei-jin society.
Mandator --- A Cathayan whose duties entail enacting change
or carrying out the will of the courts; generally of the south direction.
Na Kua --- A primordial ancestress in Kuei-jin myth; believed
to have some similarities to the West's Lilith. See Scarlet Queen.
Oni --- A Cathayan who makes excessive use of the Demon Shintai
Discipline (see Raksha).
Palace --- A communal meeting site for all the Kuei-jin in
a region. Often, but not always, the haven of the region's most powerful court
or ancestor.
Penangallan --- Name given to certain sects of matriarchal
vampire sin the Golden Courts region. Penangallan commonly revere the Scarlet
Queen and make extensive use of the Flesh Shintai Discipline, which they hone
to a level of mastery beyond any of their other Disciplines.
P'o --- The "lower," animalistic half of the soul;
in Kindred terms, the Beast.
Quincunx --- A sect formed by the alliance of five important
Chinese courts. While not all Chinese courts pay tribute to the Quincunx,
many do.
Raksha --- Name given to certiain P'o-aspected vampires,
particularly ones who make use of the Demon Shintai Discipline.
Rangda --- A hag-demon widely venerated by Indonesian and
Southeat Asian vampires; believed to be a Yama Queen or an aspect of the Scarlet
Empress.
Running Monkeys --- Slang term for young Kuei-jin, those
40 years old or younger. Also, a Kuei-jin insult for Western vampires, who
supposedly act liek children no matter how old they become.
Satori --- A sudden flash of enlightenment that turns one's
world upside-down. Reaching a satori may take years, or it may occur in an
instant of clarity. In either case, the world never seem the same afterward.
See den.
Scarlet Chi --- Yang Chi (of the type used by vampires).
Scarlet Queen --- The legendary female progenitor of the
Kuei-jin. Oddly enough, representative of Yang (traditionally a masculine
force). A few scholars note her similarities to the Kindred's Lilith.
Scarlet Screen --- a mortal institution used as an unwitting
pawn for Kuei-jin activity.
Second Breath, The --- The reutnr from the spirit worlds;
the Cathayan rebirth.
Serpent-borne --- Vampires who arrived in Japan during the
Fourth Age.
Shadow Nature --- Period when a Kuei-jin's P'o dominates
its body.
Shadow War --- Ritualistic combat between Kuei-jin wu or
courts.
Shen --- Any supernatural/Awakened being.
Shih --- An ancient order of Chinese witch-hunters.
Shikome --- Female, Yin-aspected vampires who serve the Yama
King Mikaboshi.
Sifu --- A respected teacher; also known as master, sabom,
sensei, or tetsu.
Spirit Courts --- The intangible realms adjoining the material
realm. From these places come spirits and Chi. In Western thought, the various
Umbrae.
Strike Force Zero --- A top-secret branch of the Japanese
government dedicated to investigating the supernatural.
Ten Thousand Things --- Creation and everything in it; the
Tellurian.
Tong --- In its vampiric connotation, any group of mortals
that willing and (in most cases) knowingly serves a vampiric master. Compare
with Scarlet Screen.
Uji --- A Japanese term for a court of like-minded Cathayans.
Urn --- A mortal who has potential to become Kuei-jin or
who actually does so.
Wa Nature --- A Kuei-jin's "normal" persona, when
she is not in a frenzied or P'o-possessed state.
Wall, The --- The psychic barrier separating the Middle Kingdom
from the Yin and Yang worls. In the West, the Wall is known as the Gauntlet
or the Shroud.
Wan Kuei --- "Ten Thousand Demons"; elder Cathayans'
name for themselves.
Wan Xian --- "Ten Thousand Immortals"; allegedly
the original name of the Kuei-jin.
Wave Nature -- Rotschreck.
Wheel of Ages --- The eternal cycle of being, in which the
earth suffers through eras of increasing misery, until the nadir of the cycle
is reached and the world begins to right itself toward Paradise once more.
Wu --- A kuei-jin "family"; similar in some respects
to a Sabbat or Lupine pack.
Xue --- The first and most famous vampiric arhat, founder
of the Fivefold Way.
Yama Kings --- Various malignant spirit beings predating
the coming of the Hade Emperor. The Yama Kinds are powerful demonic spirits
who hold the territories in the outer reaches of the Yin and Yang worlds.
Yama Kings of Yang are known as "Banes" in the West, while those
of Yin are termed "Malfeans" by Western ghosts. In the Fifth Age,
the Yama Kings have a link to the Kuei-jin P'o, and they often seek to subvert
Kuei-jin to their service. Ones who succumb are known as akuma: devils.
Yang --- In Kuei-jin terms, the active, positive principle
of life, as well as Chi derived from that principle.
Yang World --- The tumultuous, "higher" spirit
world composed of Yang energy and inhabited by nature-spirts and kami.
Yin --- In Kuei-jin terms, the passive negative principle
of death, as well as Chi derived from that principle.
Yin World --- The negative, "lower" spirit world
composed of Yin energy and inhabited by wraiths and Spectres.
Yome, Yomi World --- A nightmarish "hell world"
formed from defiled areas of both the Yin and Yang Worlds. The Yama Kings
have domains here, and the P'o soul of a Kuei-jin-to-be goes here to be tormented.