Sabbat/Language

The vampires of the Sabbat have evolved their own specialized patois, much of which takes into account their holy war on the Antediluvians and the attendant rituals and practices that follow it. Particularly old Sabbat vampires even recall terms and phrases that have long since passed into the nights of forgotten history. Although many of these terms are in common use among Sabbat vampires, some of them take on different meanings colloquially, given the lack of formal communication among sect members. Vampires who would “talk the talk” are advised to be aware of everything they say and what it means.

Common Parlance

Abbot: A vampire or ghoul charged with the maintenance of a Sabbat pack’s communal haven.

Antitribu: Literally, “anti-tribe” or “anti-clan.” The antitribu are vampires who have turned their backs on their “parent” clans and now espouse the policies of the Sabbat instead. One notable exception to this rule are the Lasombra antitribu, who have abandoned the Sabbat in favor of independent or Camarilla unlives. Antitribu are generally held in extremely low regard by their parent clans, which is especially true in the case of the Lasombra.

Archbishop: A vampire who serves as the leader of a city under the Sabbat’s influence. Not every Sabbat-held city claims an archbishop; some have councils of bishops.

Auctoritas Ritae: A collection of 13 rituals practiced by all vampires of the Sabbat, upheld in a manner similar to the Biblical Ten Commandments.

Bishop: A vampire who serves or advises an archbishop, or a vampire who maintains Sabbat influence in a city with the aid of others of equal status. (Those who are in the know liken bishops to the primogen of the Camarilla.)

Black Hand: The secret militia of the Sabbat. Some references allude to another organization with the same name. The “true” meaning of this term, if there is one, is a matter of much uncertainty, even among those who claim to be members.

Blood Feast: A victim or group of victims, bound and suspended upside down. Said victims serve as refreshment at Sabbat functions.

Brave: A vampire participating in a war party.

Cainite: A vampire. Sabbat vampires use this term in places where other vampires would use the term Kindred. Sabbat vampires accept and claim descent from Caine, while the Camarilla largely claims him to be a myth.

Cardinal: A Sabbat vampire who oversees the influential affairs of a large territory. Each cardinal is attended by a group of archbishops, who govern affairs on local city levels.

Chief: The leader of a war party.

Code of Milan: An oft-referenced but rarely seen document developed as a code of conduct for Sabbat vampires. Some Sabbat scoff at it, claiming that codifying the sect’s behavior runs counter to everything the Sabbat stands for.

Column: A permanent pack of Black Hand members, usually nomadic.

Communal Haven: A single haven shared by an entire pack.

Consistory: The body of advisors to the regent, composed of key prisci and cardinals.

Convention of Thorns: The treaty that supposedly ended the Anarch Revolt and resulted in the formation of the Sabbat.

Coven: A pack of Sabbat that makes a permanent haven in a city; used to differentiate between “founded” packs and nomadic packs. Most Sabbat cities host numerous covens, in addition to providing “hospitality” to a seemingly endless stream of nomadic packs.

Creation Rites: The special ritual marking a Sabbat vampire as becoming a true member of the sect. The Creation Rites differ from the Embrace in that anyone can be Embraced, but until he receives the Creation Rites, the recruit is not a member of the Sabbat (and thus, not considered a vampire...).

Daughters and Sons (of Caine): All vampires. A similar term with the same meaning is “brothers and sisters.”

Ductus: The leader of a Sabbat pack. This title is a highly subjective one, sometimes held by the meanest thug in a pack while acquired through genuine merit or ritual combat at other times. The ductus decides the logistical affairs of her pack, though the wise ductus gives careful ear to her packmates’ voices.

Esbat: A weekly meeting held by a pack, whether nomadic or founded. Central to the esbats are discussions of events that affect the pack as well as the auctoritas and ignoblis ritae.

Festive dello Estinto: The “Festival of the Dead,” a grand celebration held during the second week of April in Sabbat cities. All covens attend the festival, as do any nomadic packs that can make it.

Fire Dance: A ritual and rough celebration in which Sabbat vampires prove their loyalty and bravery by jumping through raging fires. Many Sabbat war efforts and other events begin with fire dances.

Founded Pack: A coven; a pack of Sabbat vampires that maintains a permanent haven in a city.

Great Jyhad: The war for supremacy in the New World, begun in the 17th century and arguably raging during the modern nights.

Hand: The Black Hand.

Headhunter: A Sabbat vampire who collects the skulls of his fallen foes as trophies. Some headhunters collect only vampire skulls, while others collect Lupine skulls, mortals’ skulls or the skulls of witch-hunters. These trophies are considered great honors in the Sabbat, according to the degree of difficulty associated with claiming them.

Horseman: A nomadic Sabbat vampire, thought to have been inspired by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Hulul: The figurehead of the Assamite antitribu, who is rumored to be ritually destroyed every 100 years.

Ignoblis Ritae: The rituals practiced by individual Sabbat packs to reinforce unity, loyalty and the causes of the Sabbat. These rituals vary from pack to pack, and they are considered less important individually than the auctoritas ritae because they are not as universally useful. Some Sabbat members observe no ignoblis ritae at all.

Jyhad: The eternal conflict with other vampires. Sabbat vampires use this term more loosely than other vampires, because almost all struggle is a holy war from the Sabbat point of view. In his mind, a Sabbat takes part in the Jyhad any time he fights.

Kindred: Non-Sabbat vampires. Most Sabbat use this term derisively, considering Camarilla vampires to be their inferior and laughing at their “big, happy family” of vampires who cower from humankind. Many Sabbat also apply the term “Kindred” sarcastically to vampires of independent clans, whom they perceive as too selfish or foolish to take up the cause against the Antediluvians.

Loyalist: A Sabbat vampire who refuses to acknowledge leaders among the sect out of loyalty to its original goals. Loyalists believe that to be truly loyal to the Sabbat, they must have total freedom. Loyalists are commonly viewed as agitators and dissidents, and they are watched warily by their packmates and elders. Much of the Sabbat’s terrifying reputation among other vampires may stem from the actions of particularly fervent loyalists.

Monomacy: A ritual duel between vampires of the Sabbat, held under formal rules. This duel is a traditional Sabbat means of settling disputes, and it often results in the Final Death of one of the participants.

Nomadic Pack: A pack that travels constantly in its duties to the Sabbat. Nomadic packs maintain no permanent havens, but they sometimes keep hidey-holes and emergency havens throughout their regions of travel. Nomadic packs may also stop in cities for indeterminate periods of time, but they eventually return to the roads.

Nomads: Members of nomadic packs.

Pack: A group of Sabbat who have sworn the Vaulderie to one another. A Sabbat may belong to only one pack at a time – usually the one that enacted her Creation Rites – though she may have ties of blood to other packs from her past.

Paladin: A Sabbat vampire who serves another important vampire as an assassin or bodyguard. Also known as templars, paladins are greatly feared for their disciplined martial prowess. Paladins are forbidden from membership in the Black Hand.

Palla Grande: A grand and terrible festival held on All Hallows Eve, when all Sabbat vampires in a city gather to celebrate and revere the sect. It often takes the appearance of a masquerade ball, and humans are sometimes invited as guests – or refreshments.

Path of Enlightenment: A belief system followed by the more alien members of the Sabbat in place of Humanity. Paths of Enlightenment are moral codes that serve to anchor the Sabbat vampire against her ravening Beast, though some paths encourage “riding” the Beast rather than controlling it. The most common paths practiced by the Sabbat include the Path of Caine, the Path of Cathari, the Path of Death and the Soul, the Path of the feral Heart, the Path of Honorable Accord, the Path of Lilith and the Path of Power and the Inner Voice. Some Sabbat follow the Path of Evil Revelations, though these vampires are hunted by the Sabbat Inquisition as heretics and traitors to the sect.

Priest: The leader of Sabbat ritae in a given pack. The spiritual leader of a pack, the priest is (theoretically) below the ductus in “rank,” though this is not true of every pack.

Prior: An abbot (vide).

Priscus: A Sabbat vampire, often quite advanced in age and/or generation, who advises the regent and cardinals. Plural prisci.

Recruit: An vampire Embraced against her will, usually in the interests of providing cannon fodder for the sect’s conquests.

Regent: The “leader” of the Sabbat, insofar as the sect recognizes one. Only one regent exists at a time.

Sabbat:
1. The vampiric sect that opposes the Camarilla and the machinations of the Antediluvians.
2. A vampire belonging to the sect. Usage: Jasmine is Sabbat, through and through, baby.
3. A group of vampires belonging to the sect. Usage: Yeah, those Sabbat over there have been giving us the once over, and I think the shit’s about to go down.

True Sabbat: A Sabbat who has proven himself to the sect and has received the Creation Rites.

Vaulderie: A mingling of the blood of all vampires in a pack, which is then consecrated by the pack priest and consumed by all members of the pack.

Vinculum: A “blood tie” that creates an artificial loyalty to another member of one’s pack, like a minor blood bond. Vinculum result from partaking in the Vaulderie.

Vulgar Argot

The Sabbat is a violent, hostile, youthful sect, and the young ones’ language reflects as much. Hereafter are some of the (more printable) terms Sabbat vampires casually drop. Many of these terms take their roots from modern slang, with added meaning to vampires, and some even transcend the boundaries of sect, and may be used anywhere.

Bat: An elder vampire of the Sabbat, who often has little in common with younger members of the sect.

Bitch: A probationary pack member, or a Sabbat of lesser status than the speaker.

Chica: A female Sabbat vampire.

Costello: Dismissive term for the Camarilla. (This is suspected to have arisen after some mispronunciation of “Sabbat.”)

Counting Coup: Taking the head of a fallen foe as a trophy (see Headhunter). This practice is sometimes called “scalping.”

Crowley: A derogatory or dismissive term for followers of the Path of Evil Revelations, or vampires who make ostentatious shows of evil for their own sake. These individuals are also known as Ozzys or Mansons by some packs.

Did: Killed. Usage: Yeah, we did the cop, but only after we caught him snooping around the bishop’s haven.

Dog: A Lupine. In certain circles, dog also means an infectious carrier of blood-borne diseases (short for plague dog).

Go Down: A vampire who, usually out of habit, perversity or derangement, commits sexual acts regardless of his or her own vampiric impotence. Also known by a host of other charming epithets including dick, handjob, hummer, etc., usually custom-tailored to the specifics of the vampire in question’s behavior.

Headache: Accidentally killing while feeding. Usage: Danny gave that skinny girl a headache.

Injun or Indian: A member of a nomadic pack.

Juice: Blood.

Keg: A “member” of a Blood Feast. In some packs, these individuals are referred to as pints or longnecks.

Pimp: A vampire charged with gathering vices for packmates. The pimp may procure drugs, alcohol, prostitutes, children or any other indulgences for fellow vampires (or mortals...).

Pipes: An exceptional failure, or an object of derision. Usage: That scouting run you guys did was the pipes.

Poet: A member of the goth subculture, especially one who “dresses like a vampire.” Also known as Shelleys or Byrons.

Shovelhead: A Sabbat vampire created during a siege or other event that necessitated the “quick and dirty” mass Embrace. Also known as a Thwack or a Clang (after the sound a shovel to the head makes, presumably), which is sometimes used as a verb.

Tongue: Sabbat propaganda, or a Sabbat proselytizer, often spread among the anarchs of Camarilla cities.

V: A vampire.

Vato: A male Sabbat vampire.

Witch: Irreverent term for a pack priest, best used out of earshot of the individual in question.

Old Form

Despite its war on the elders, the Sabbat claims some members who are quite advanced in age themselves. These vampires recall the nights when the Sabbat was born, and have carried over or adopted phrases as old as they are. Beware the vampire who speaks in the tongue of the Sabbat elders, for she is surely formidable and wicked beyond belief.

Angellis Ater : The “black angels” of Clan Lasombra, often young vampires who embrace the stereotypical and shallow evils of the modern night in blatant attempts to become monsters.

Kamut: A nomadic pack of Sabbat formed for a specific purpose, such as hunting Lupines, scouting Camarilla cities or exposing heretics.

Lacheur: A young Sabbat, particularly an insolent one. May be used to refer to any young vampire in some cases.

Manus Nigrum: A mysterious subsect of the Sabbat, or one entirely independent about which very little is known. Younger vampires refer to this group, apparently erroneously, as the Black Hand.

Revenants: Individuals who are born as ghouls. Revenants are families of ghouls that have existed for so long with the blood of their undead masters in their veins that it now passes on to each of their descendants as well. The vampires of Clan Tzimisce seem to use revenants most often, and they are often held in suspicion by others who know of their natures.

Shakari: The eldest vampires among the Assamite antitribu. Sword of Caine: The Sabbat.

Voivode: The leader of Clan Tzimisce. Some vampires postulate that there is no single voivode, and the title is one of inscrutable significance to only the Fiends themselves