Following is a brief summary of terms familiar to most wraiths. It is divided into three sections, namely Common Parlance, Old Form, and Vulgar Argot.
Common Parlance:
A
Angst: The power of the Shadow.
Artifact: An object that has been changed to hold mystical powers.
B
Byway: Paths through the Tempest that are relatively "safe" to travel.
C
Caul: An ectoplasmic covering that shields newly-dead wraiths. In some ways, it serves to protect, but it warps perception until it removed.
Charon: The founder of the Hierarchy. He has been missing for decades.
Circle: A group of wraiths, typically banding together for mutual protection.
Citadel: An individual stronghold within a Necropolis.
Cohort: A Circle of Hierarchy wraiths.
Corpus: The spiritual body of a wraith.
Cult: Any one of hundreds of a Heretic sect who espouses a particular path to Transcendence.
D
Deathlord: One of the seven leaders of the Hierarchy. They dwell in Stygia.
Domain: Territory held by a wraith or group of wraiths.
Doomsday: The day when Oblivion shall consume all reality. Alternately, when all the dead shall walk the earth.
Drone: A wraith who has lost its sentience and identity.
E
Enfant: A recently-deceased wraith. Enfants are amnesiac, and their Cauls still cover their faces.
F
Far Shores, The: Distant, mysterious realms within the Tempest. They often correspond to mortal beliefs about the afterlife.
Fetters: The ties that bind a wraith to his old life, and to the living world.
G
Gang: A Circle of Renegade wraiths.
Guild: In the past, an organization that taught the secrets of an Arcanos. The guilds were disbanded long ago.
H
Harrowing, The: A nightmare experienced when lost in the Tempest. Harrowings are extremely dangerous, injurious experiences.
Harvest: To gather the newly dead, either as Reaper, mentor, or slave trader.
Haunt: A place in the Shadowlands where the energy of death is strong. It is easier to affect the living realm when in a Haunt.
Hierarchy, The: The largest organization of wraiths in the Underworld. It was founded by Charon years ago as a means to help wraiths reach Transcendence. Over the years it grew twisted and corrupt.
Heretics: Those who believe another, better afterlife awaits those who Transcend.
Hell: Any of countless realms claiming to be the "true" Hell. There are so many of these that they are collectively referred to as "The Thousand Hells," or simply, "The Thousand."
Host: A mortal possessed by the use of Puppetry.
L
Legions: The army, police, and enforcement arm of the Hierarchy.
Lemure: A young wraith, only recently deceased.
M
Maelstrom: Intensely powerful and destructive storms that occasionally emerge from the Tempest and ravage the Shadowlands.
Malfean: An elder Spectre or beast of the Void.
Mask: A stygian artifact worn by many wraiths, to conceal their true identity, or as a badge of office.

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