A Ghoul Lexicon

These are common terms used by ghouls and by the more knowledgeable Kindred.

Abject (old form): A ghoul who is completely subservient to his master.
Atlas: A bishop who has the complete trust of his master and is empowered to take action in his master's name. Naturally, there are very few who occupy that position.
Bishop: The most trusted and influential ghouls. cf. Knight and Pawn
Canard: A ghoul of a Prince or Elder who does not have the experience or ability to wield the power normally associated with the position.
Cannibal: A ghoul who has developed a taste for mortal blood, in addition to that of Kindred. cf. Renfield
Cessation (old form): A term for the rough time period when a ghoul, if she was a mortal, would normally have perished from old age. cf. Parturition
Cherished: This is one of a number of terms ghouls have developed to preserve the Masquerade. It is used to refer to a servant of a Kindred (cf master) who is a ghoul and not a mortal servant.
Congregation: An assembly of ghouls, typically for social purposes.
Crepit: Short for "decrepit", this term describes a ghoul who has become worn and broken by her years of service, but is kept alive by her master for whatever reason.
Cultist: One who has been ghouled as part of a Blood Cult. Cultists are usually pawns.
Dusted (slang): Describes the disintegration that occurs when a ghoul who has passed his mortal lifespan stops receiving blood.
Freak: This term is generally used to describe ghouls who have masters from the Malkavian clan of Vampires; more specifically, it is used to describe those ghouls who have been culled from the ranks of the insane.
Ghul (old form): An old name for ghouls.
Driving the hearse (slang): A term for making travelling arrangements for a ghoul and his master.
Hellhound: An animal, typically a dog, who has been ghouled.
Igor: A ghoul who procures Vitae or other items for his master.
Ishmael: A ghoul who is rejected by other ghouls for past indescretions.
Journeyman: A ghoul of average years and experience. cf. Sage and Tyro
Knight: A ghoul who typically provides bodyguard or soldierly duties for his master, or a ghoul of other capabilities who does not occupy the same position as a bishop.
Love Child (slang): This modern term has come about as a description of ghouls who only exist because their masters "love" them. A more derogatory term is "coffin wench".
Master: This is a common euphemism for Regnants, used in order to protect the Masquerade.
Menial: A ghoul who does nothing but care for the base needs of his master - clothing, cleaning, answering the door, etc. These ghouls, of any rank, wield little to no influence.
Mything Link (slang): A Sage or otherwise elderly ghoul who can't stop telling stories about his past exploits and giving out unwanted advice. The old form is "Polonius".
Pantywaist (old form): A vampire who does whatever his ghoul(s) tell him to do. More modern forms include "wimp", and, for the more politically aware, "Bill".
Parturition (old form): A term for the time when a ghoul first received the blood. The modern term is "beginning".
Pawn: A ghoul who has been made solely for his capabilities, but otherwise has no real interaction with the master.
Recreant (old form): A ghoul who often rebels against her master's wishes. The modern term is "Dean", for James Dean.
Renfield: A term for ghouls who have developed "unusual" habits, such as eating insects, etc.
Regnant: A vampiric term for the one who controls the Bond. In this case, a ghoul's master. cf. Thrall
Revenant: A member of one of the families of ghouls.
Ronin: Ghouls who have no master, but engage in various dealings to obtain blood.
Sage: Older ghouls of great knowledge and experience, and often power as well.
Servant: This is a common euphemism for a ghoul. To differentiate ghouls from mortal servants, a question is usually asked in the form, "Is s/he a cherished servant?"
Sisyphus (old form): This term has become reversed from the Greek legend - it now describes a vampire who, for his own enjoyment, refuses to give the blood to his ghouls until the very last moment. cf. Whitehair
Slave: This term describes ghouls belonging to those of the Tremere clan of vampires. These ghouls are typically kept on a short leash.
Sycophant: A term for ghouls who are constantly singing the praises of their masters. Ghouls of the Toreador clan are typically sycophants or love children.
Thrall: A vampiric term for the one who is Bound to another. In this case, a ghoul.
Tyro: A ghoul of very few years and little experience.
Vitae: Vampiric blood. It is the power of this blood that gives ghouls their strength, resilience and immortality.
Whitehair: A term for a ghoul who has passed his mortal lifespan and sometime afterwards, waited just a little too long before receiving Vitae. The term describes the most common effect upon the ghoul, a shock of white hair that suddenly appears.

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