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Wraith: The Oblivion lexicon

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This is an index of terms appearing in the Wraith: The Oblivion lexicon.

Core rulebook[]

Note that the distinctions of Common Parlance (CP), Old Form (OF) and Vulgar Argot (VA) are only used in the original Wraith: The Oblivion Rulebook; these distinctions do not appear in Wraith: The Oblivion Second Edition.

  • Advocates: Powerful wraiths of a Heretic cult dedicated to recruiting souls for a realm in the Far Shores. They are persecuted and hunted by the Hierarchy. (OF)
  • The Agency: Slang for the Hierarchy. (OF)
  • Angst (CP)
  • Arcanos (plural Arcanoi) (only a Game Term in 1E)
  • The Arcanum (CP)
  • The Arisen (OF)
  • Artifact (CP)
  • Body Snatcher: A wraith who possesses the living. (VA)
  • Boo Job: A premediated attempt to scare the Quick. (VA)
  • Boojum: A nasty critter, usually one of the unidentified denizens of the Tempest. (VA)
  • Brain Sucker: Slang for a wraith who us s Phantasm or the lesser Puppetry powers. (VA; only in 1E)
  • Byway (CP)
  • Caste (20e)
  • Catharsis (only in 2E as a Game Term)
  • The Caul (CP)
  • Charon (CP)
  • Circle (CP)
  • Citadel (CP)
  • Cohort (CP)
  • Consort (OF)
  • Corpus (CP)
  • Creepshow: Slang for the Tempest. (VA; only in 1E)
  • Cult: An unflattering name for one of the countless Heretic sects. (CP)
  • Dark Kingdom (20e)
  • Deathlord (CP)
  • Dictum Mortuum (only in 2E)
  • Domain (CP)
  • Doomsday (CP)
  • Doomshade: Slang for a spectre. (VA)
  • Doomslayer (only in 2E)
  • Dothead: A wraith that was a hanger-on in life, following fickle fashion and fads without real contribution. (VA; only in 1E)
  • Drone (CP)
  • Eidolon (OF)
  • Enfant (CP)
  • The Far Shores (CP)
  • Fetters (CP)
  • Flesh Freak: Derogatory term for a Skinrider. (VA; only in 1E)
  • The Fog
  • Freewraith: A wraith who is not actively serving in the military. When a Maelstrom hits, however, everyone is considered part of the reserve.
  • Gang (CP)
  • Guild (CP)
  • Great Maelstrom (20e)
  • Harrowing (CP)
  • Harvest/Harvesting: The act of cutting Enfants free from their Cauls and initiating them into the Shadowlands. Many Harvesters are actually Slavers, and the initiation they offer consists of a pair of manacles linked by Stygian steel chains. (CP)
  • Haunt (CP)
  • Hell: Supposedly, a place of punishment for wicked souls. In the Underworld, a joke of the first order; there so many false hells that they've become something of a tourist attraction for the more adventurous among the dead. (CP)
  • The Hellbound: Nickname for a wraith thought to be well on his way to domination by his Shadow. (VA; only in 1E)
  • Helldiver (20e)
  • Heretics (CP)
  • Hierarchy (CP)
  • Host: A person possessed using Puppetry. (CP)
  • The Isle of Sorrows (only in 2E)
  • Juice (VA)
  • Legacy (OF)
  • Legions (CP)
  • Lemure (CP)
  • Maelstrom (CP)
  • Malfean (CP; only in 1E)
  • Mask (CP; only in 1E)
  • Meat: Mortal Flesh (VA)
  • Meat-Chains: The human body (which ties down the spirit) (VA; only in 1E)
  • Mitty: A wraith whose deepest regret is not having lived while he had the chance. Mittys are surprisingly common. (VA)
  • Moleman: Wraiths who claim to have experienced the stereotypical "tunnel of light". The term is not considered to be a compliment. (plural molemen) (VA)
  • Necropolis (CP)
  • Nephandi (CP; only in 1E)
  • Neverborn (20e)
  • Nhudri (20e)
  • Nihils (CP)
  • Oblivion (CP)
  • Obolus (CP)
  • Onyx Tower (CP)
  • Passions (only in 2E as a Game Term)
  • Pathos (CP)
  • Plasm (CP)
  • Projectors (CP)
  • Psyche (only in 2E as a Game Term)
  • The Quick (CP)
  • Reaper (CP)
  • Regret: Used strictly for storytelling purposes, a character's Regret is the thing that they wished they'd done during their living days. Used to define a character during the generation process. (only in 2E as a Game Term)
  • Relic (CP)
  • Renegades (CP)
  • The Restless (CP)
  • Risen (only in 2E)
  • Scrooger: A wraith that uses Phantasm frequently. (VA; only in 1E)
  • The Shadow (CP)
  • Shadowguide (only in 2E as a Game Term)
  • The Shadowlands (CP)
  • The Shroud (only listed in 1E as a Game Term)
  • Skinlands (VA)
  • Slumber (CP)
  • Soulfire (only in 2E)
  • Soulsteel (20e)
  • Spectre (CP)
  • Stormrunning: Taking a shortcut across the Tempest, as opposed to a using a Byway (VA)
  • Stygia (CP)
  • Tag: Using Arcanos on other wraiths for practice or for nonlethal duels. (VA; only in 1E)
  • The Tempest (CP)
  • Terminals: Small, rundown realms in the middle of the Tempest that serve as way stations for those traveling to Stygia. Terminals are grim, Kafkaesque places where Ferrymen rest and unruly passengers are sometimes abandoned. (CP; only in 1E)
  • Thorns (only in 2E as a Game Term)
  • Thrall (CP)
  • Tithe: The amount of Pathos due a wraith from a Fetter or a haunt. (CP)
  • Transcend/Transcendence (CP)
  • The Underworld (CP)
  • The Veinous Stair (only in 2E)
  • The Void (CP)
  • Wraith (CP)

Other sources[]

Hierarchy[]

Oracles[]

  • Aleph: Leader of the Augur Oracles, first letter of the Hebraic alphabet.
  • Annihilation
  • Ass-In-The-Hole: Derogatory term for a Clairvoyant or a Gambler without a deck of cards; ref. not having an "ace in the hole"
  • Augur
  • Blade-Boy/Blade-Girl: Slang term for Augur hopefuls.
  • Blades of Jade/Jade Blade
  • Blind-Eyes: Wraiths who have no Oracle Sight.
  • Clairvoyant
  • Clairvoyants: Leaders of the Clairvoyant Oracles - Dama D'onore (female) and La Guardia (male).
  • Clearsight: The ability to scry the future perfectly with no ability to change it.
  • Dealer: Leader of the Gambler Oracles.
  • Delphic
  • Do the Delphi: Expression referring to vague prophecy, especially when done deliberately.
  • Doomsayer
  • En-lil: An ancient seer who would scry using animal sacrifices to the gods.
  • Enochian
  • Fulguriatores: Ancient Oracles who read weather patterns for prediction.
  • Gambler
  • Grimas: Stregherian term for "male", or "High Priest".
  • Haruspices: Ancient Oracles who used animal sacrifices for prediction
  • Kassandra: Slang for the Oracles
  • Lady/Our Lady/The Lady: An affectionate contraction for the Lady of Fate
  • Mouri: Derogatory term for a Doomsayer; ref. similarities to Mourners.
  • Prophet: Leader of the Doomsayers.
  • Pythian: A Delphic Oracle with active and accurate Sight while scrying.
  • Sight: Any of the Oracular abilities to see into the possible future.
  • Signbearers: Seconds-in-command of Doomsayer cultists.
  • Sofit: The altered symbol used for a Hebrew letter when it is written at the end of a word.
  • Strand (of the Web): One possible outcome of the future.
  • Streghs: Clairvoyants who follow the Stregherian belief of creating one's own destiny.
  • Trusks: Clairvoyants who follow the Etruscan belief of preordained destiny.
  • Unblinking Eyes: Slang term for Oracles; occasionally confused with Monitors and Mnemoi.
  • Ventricle: Derogatory term for an Augur; ref. Auricle intead of Oracle.
  • Web/Lifeweb
  • Whisp

Sea of Shadows[]

Silent Legion[]

  • Jumper: A wraith who attempts to commit a second suicide after realizing they're still "alive." This term comes from the most common practice of suicide effective in the Underworld, which is the act of diving headlong into a Nihil.
  • The Quiet
  • Shadow-Nudging: The act of influencing a mortal on the brink of suicide to follow through with it, or the act of "assisting" at a critical moment. This is frowned upon as both a violation of the Dictum Mortuum and, more importantly as far as this pragmatic Legion is concerned, a potential Angst-builder.
  • Steel Martyr
  • Wrist-Slitter: A would-be Jumper who hasn't figured out the rules of the Shadowlands well enough to pick a suicide method that works. This is often used as a general derogatory term for a clueless or stupid wraith.

Spectres[]

World of Darkness: Tokyo[]

Dark Kingdoms[]

Bush of Ghosts[]

  • Abiku
  • Akua: Literally "sweet messenger," or the dreamself. One quarter of the four-fold soul of the wraith, the akua enables the Ibambo to collect and utilize pathos.
  • Chioneso: The Psyche. The word chioneso means "guiding light."
  • Dark Kingdom of Ivory
  • Goredenna: The Shadow, the quarter of the soul that directly opposes the chioneso. The word goredenna means "black cloud."
  • Hagundo
  • Ibambo (Plural Abambo)
  • Ile Aiye: The material world. It means "House of Life."
  • Ile Olokun: Meaning "House of the Deep," this is another term for the Bush of Ghosts.
  • Ile Orun: This is the "House of Heaven." and as such, is similar to the Far Shores, Ibambo go to the Ile Orum to await rebirth.
  • Inina (plural Anina): The Abambo, Sinkinda, and other spirit forms of Africa's dead.
  • Ivory Queen
  • Lost Kingdoms
  • Oba: One of the rulers of the Yoruban people of Nigeria in the medieval period. They claimed descent from the Pharaohs of Egypt.
  • Ocean: The realm of pure chaos that surrounds the Lost Kingdoms and borders on the Shadowlands; supposedly the Creator formed all of reality from the Ocean. Analogous to the Tempest.
  • Old Gods
  • Ori'bi: This corresponds to Angst, although the concept is slightly different. Literally this means "Bad Head."
  • Orisha
  • Mla Watu
  • Sinkinda: Bush of Ghosts term for Spectre
  • Sikhumbuzo: Literally, Sikhumbuzo means "reminder" or heart life. It is the quarter of that soul that relates the ibambo to their familial and material Fetters.

Les Invisibles[]

  • Abyss
  • Baka: Wraiths dominated by their darker side; Shades
  • Connaissance
  • Cosmic Mirror: The Creole term for all of reality.
  • Creole: Term used to designate anything native to the Caribbean, especially Haiti.
  • Founts: Areas of the Mirrorlands where the Abyss has seeped through; Nihils
  • Govi: An earthern pot used as a Fetter by Les Invisibles; see Retrier d'en bas de e'eau
  • Gros-bon-ange: The closest Creole approximation to "soul," or Psyche.
  • Hounfor
  • Houngan
  • Invisible: The part of the Cosmic Mirror made up of the Mirrorlands and the Abyss; in essence, the Underworld.
  • Island Below the Sea
  • Les Chevaux: "The Horses"; the term used by Les Invisibles to describe Creole mortals.
  • Les Invisibles
  • Les Morts: "The Dead"; the term used by Les Invisibles to describe non-Creole wraiths.
  • Les Mystères
  • Loa
  • Mait'Tete
  • Marronage: A term once used by slave overseers to describe a possessed mortal running wild and escaping; now occasionally used for a particularly flamboyant use of Puppetry
  • Mirrorlands
  • Mount: The Creole term for possession.
  • Nanchon: A group of Creole wraiths bound to the same family; a Circle.
  • Petro
  • Rada
  • Retrier d'en bas de e'eau: "Reclaiming the soul from the waters of the Abyss"; ceremony performed by a Houngan that fetters a Creole wraith to a govi.
  • Serviteur: A Creole wraith who uses Connaissance.
  • Surface: The mystical barrier between the Visible and the Invisible; the Shroud.
  • Ti-bon-ange: The "conscience" of a person that sperates from the Gros-bon-ange immediately after death.
  • Visible: The half of the Cosmic Mirror populated by the living; the Skinlands.

Sea Which Knows No Sun[]

Swar[]

  • Apsaras
  • Asuras: Name given to wraiths who oppose the enforced servitude of Swar
  • Atman: The soul and the self; the individual. (20e)
  • Brahman: The highest reality. Unification of the Atman and the Brahman is the goal of Samsara. (20e)
  • Bhur: The Loka of the Living.
  • Bhuta: Indian spirits roughly equivalent to Doppelgangers
  • Bhuvar
  • Gandharvas
  • Gunas: The attributes of the "Soul."
  • Gurdwara
  • Khalsa
  • Loka: One of the seven upper worlds in Indian cosmology.
  • Nagas
  • Pisacha: Evil, malformed wraiths; Shades
  • Rajas: The Guna pertaining to active attributes, corresponding to the Passions and Pathos.
  • Rhakshaza
  • Samsara: The karmic cycle of rebirth leading to enlightenment.
  • Satva: The Guna of refinement. It corresponds to the Psyche and Eidolon.
  • Sea of Shiva: The Indian term for the Tempest.
  • Soma
  • Sthula Sarira: The physical body of the living
  • Sukshma Sarira: The Corpus of a Wraith
  • Svarga: Used by Indian wraiths to refer to the Loka of the Host of Swar, wherein lies the City of Delights. Often used by outsiders to refer to the entire Dark Kingdom. (20e)
  • Swar
  • Tala
  • Tamas: The Guna of Coarseness, corresponding to the Shadow and Angst
  • Tvashtriyas
  • Vharuna
  • Yama

Yellow Springs[]

Wraith: The Great War[]

  • Ace: Pilot who has downed five or more opponents in aerial combat
  • Amaterasu: Japanese Sun Goddess
  • Annals of Pestilence/Journals of Bone
  • The Beaufort-Granogrec Scale
  • Behest
  • Benandanti
  • The Black Mask
  • Bleak Legion
  • Boche: Nickname the allies applied collectively to Germans
  • Boer: A South African of Dutch ancestry
  • The Breathless Dead
  • The Bush of Ghosts
  • Bushido: The Japanese “Way of the Warrior”; the essential spirit of the samurai
  • Cataphractoi
  • Concertina: A type of barbwire
  • Displace
  • Doughboy: Slang for American soldiers during the war
  • Flesh Corps
  • Fourth Great Maelstrom
  • Geisha: Japanese female performer, musician and artisan of the highest order; often mistakenly considered mere prostitutes by Westerners
  • Generals of Oblivion
  • The Great War
  • Imperialist
  • The Insurrection
  • Johnny Songbirds: Itinerant Chanteurs
  • Lost Generation: Label applied to the British youngsters who were nearly wiped out by the War to End All Wars
  • Loyalist
  • Ministry of Intelligence
  • Moriman
  • Mutilé
  • Nawab: Indian government official
  • Night Mail
  • Night of Short Chains
  • No Man's Land: In the War to End All Wars, the battlefield that extends between opposing sides’ trenches
  • Office of Maelstrom Preparedness
  • Pals' battalions: Groups of British and Scottish soldiers who enlisted together to fight in the War to End All Wars
  • Pandemic: A global epidemic (e.g., the Spanish Flu)
  • Sappers: British term for soldiers who tunnel beneath enemy emplacements to plant and deploy explosives
  • Sati: Indian practice of “widow burning”; immolation of a surviving wife on her husband’s funeral pyre
  • Scavenger Folk
  • Shellshock: a traumatic response among soldiers to modern warfare; symptoms include flashbacks and disorientation
  • Somme
  • Soulwelding
  • Stosstaktics: German battle plan, characterized by strong pushed forward
  • Tenno: Japanese Emperor, chief of the dominant Yamato clan.
  • Tommy: Slang term for British soldiers
  • Twilight Era
  • Uitlander: African term for foreigner, outsider; also, white man or Caucasian
  • Ukiyo: Japanese term for entertainment sectors of the populace
  • War to End All Wars
  • Yamato Damashii: The “national spirit of Japan”; philosophy combining reverence of the Emperor with appreciation for modern weaponry and tactics
  • Yank: Slang term for American soldiers; used mainly by Europeans

References[]

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