Blue Bloods: Keys to the Repository

Book of Laws: The Blue Blood record of all investigations, judgments, and punishments

Breath of God: The ability of any Blue Blood to bring light to the tunnels of Lutetia with a wave of the hand above a torch

Burning: The burning the blood of a vampire, thus destroying the immortal blood and all its memories

The Call: The hypnotizing seduction a vampire can use to call a human to him or her for the Caerimonia Osculor

Caerimonia Osculor (the Sacred Kiss): The regulated ritual of feeding on a human familiar’s blood. There are stringent rules, as no human is ever to be abused or fully drained. The Code of the Vampires forbids performing the kiss on another vampire. The Sacred Kiss marks a human as the vampire’s own—they will always be bonded.

Candidus Suffragium (the White Vote): A vote for the leadership of the Coven; it must be unanimous. The White Vote should only be called if a Conclave member feels that the Regis is not leading the Coven properly. It has been called in America only three times: in Plymouth, after Roanoke, when John Carver attempted to unseat Myles Standish; in New York, after the Silver Blood was called to the Repository, and Lawrence van Alen replaced Charles Force; and by Forsyth Llewellyn, after Paris, where Mimi Force prevented a unanimous vote.

The Code of the Vampires (the Code, or the Blue Blood Code): A stringent rule of ethics, not unlike the Ten Commandments. The Blue Bloods hope the Code will help bring about their eventual return to Paradise. It states that humans are not to be dominated or toyed with, but to be respected, so that the Blue Bloods will bring light and harmony and peace to this world.

Compulsion: A seed of an idea that can be placed by a vampire using the glom

The Conclave of Elders (the Conclave): The Coven’s highest leadership. The Conclave makes decisions for the future of the race.

Conduit: A Blue Blood’s human assistant and caretaker who helps him (or her) navigate the human world and keep the Blue Blood existence a secret. A position of exalted servitude, many Conduit families serve their Blue Blood families for hundreds of years as doctors, lawyers, accountants, financiers, and even best friends. Every member of a vampire family is assigned a Conduit at birth, but many have let go of their Conduits in recent years. If a vampire expires, a Conduit is given two choices: work in the Repository, or have his or her memory erased.

The Conspiracy: A subset of the Committee, dedicated to keeping the existence of the Blue Bloods a secret from the Red Bloods by spreading false information and legends. Many of the myths are rooted in truth.

Consummo Alienari: The little known fifth factor of the glom. It allows complete control over another’s mind, subsuming the other’s will. For Red Bloods it means instant death; for vampires irrevocable paralysis.

Contineo: A spell that holds a ward in place

Corruption: The process by which a Blue Blood becomes a Silver Blood. By marking a Blue Blood vampire with the Sacred Kiss, the Silver Blood poisons the sangre azul, turning the Blue Blood into a monster like itself. It is not an immediate transformation however, and the poisoning is dependent on the amount of blood drawn from the victim. The process can be reversed, or stopped with adequate intervention. The Corruption is complete once the infected Blue Blood takes a fellow Blue Blood vampire to Full Consumption, taking another immortal spirit into its own consciousness.

Coven: A group of vampires living in an area and registered with the Blue Blood community (ex: the New York Coven, the European Coven)

Croatan: An ancient name for the Silver Bloods, meaning “Abomination”

Cycle of Expression: What vampires call the length of their lifetimes. After approximately one hundred years, the physical shell expires, leaving only a single drop of blue blood, which will be implanted in a vampire woman when it is time to call up the spirit for another cycle. Between cycles the vampire rests, evolving, until his or her next Expression. The closely monitored cycles are key to the Blue Bloods’ continued invisibility to the world.

Dimidium Cognatus: A being who is half human, half vampire.

Unlike the other Blue Bloods, this is a new spirit without a past. The only example in current history is Schuyler Van Alen.

Dissipation: Another term for Full Consumption

Dormi: A spell to put someone instantly to sleep

Elder: The title of Elder is given to a Blue Blood who has served the Committee well for many cycles. This title is usually given upon the one hundredth Cycle of Expression.

Emeritus Member: A Conclave member who has retired. Many were called back to duty after the Rio massacre.