NOVICES
Guardians who are still completing their first century of training. Younger Guardians receive general instruction; as they pass a half-century, however, they typically begin their specializations: focused training with specific weapons. Also called fledglings (can be derogatory).
The area within Hell where human souls (and disobediant demons) are tortured.
THE PROPHECY
She waits below.
The dragon will rise before the lost two.
The blood of the dragon will create a door and destroy another; Caelum’s voice will sing it closed with ice and fire and blood, and be lost until she claims her new tongue.
The blood that heals will release the dead unto judgment, and the judged unto Heaven. And upon the destruction of Michael’s heart, Belial will ascend to the Morningstar’s throne.
Punishment can refer to either the torture that humans receive in the Pit, or to the punishment that demons receive when they have broken the Rules or displeased Lucifer. Most often, the latter kind of punishment also takes place in the Pit.
In most cases, punishment isn’t eternal — even humans in the Pit are eventually released. For those in the frozen field, however, it is eternal.
During a ritual, symbols are carved into flesh — usually to cast a spell. In transformation spells, the blood from the wounds is typically ingested by the being who is being transformed.
Free will plays a part in most rituals; the spell might be disrupted if there is resistance or if the being refuses transformation.
Demons and Guardians have to follow the Rules, which state that human free will must be honored, and human life cannot be taken.
In Caelum, the archives hold the history of the Guardians. Much of the history is recorded on the Scrolls, which Michael writes in his blood. The Scrolls cannot be vanished into a cache (except by Michael), teleported, or taken through the Gates.
Three symbols — silence, surround, and lock — combined with a touch of living blood form an invisible shield around a closed area. No communication of any kind can cross the shield, and nothing from outside can cross into the protected area unless it is carried by the person whose blood was used to activate the spell; things from inside can go out, however (for example, someone standing within the shield can shoot someone outside the shield). Only the person who set the spell can leave an return through it. If no living person remains inside the shield, the spell breaks.
The focused weapons and combat training that a novice undergoes toward the end of the first century after their transformation. Usually, it isn’t taught by the novice’s mentor, but a Guardian who is a master of that specific weapon or fighting style. A novice will complete many different specializations before they become a full-fledged Guardian and given assignments on Earth.
The ancient script for the Old Language. Most demons, Guardians, and vampires cannot read it.
In the correct formation and with proper activation (typically with blood), the symbols can be used to create spells. Rituals often consist of the symbols being carved into flesh, and the blood ingested. The shielding spell is the combination of the symbols for “silence,” “surround,” and “lock,” and activated by living blood.
VANISH
The verb used when a Guardian places an object into his cache.
VENOM (HELLHOUND)
Hellhound venom is extracted from the venom sacs beneath a hellhound’s tongue. In beings of the first order (angels, demons, and nosferatu) a trace amount of hellhound venom in their bloodstream can slow them down; a greater amount will paralyze them.
Hellhound venom has no effect if it enters the bloodstream of a halfling. The effects of ingesting hellhound venom are not known, and it has the scent and taste of a ripened peach.
A wager is as binding as a bargain, but is not dependant on the parties fulfilling an obligation; a wager is dependant on an outcome of a situation. Because demons cannot control outcomes and the risks are greater, they do not often enter into wagers.