Lexicon

Aspect: The archetypal name and nature of a geist; that portion of its makeup that is more iconic than
personal. Usually revealed through the course of binding a krewe.

Autochthonous Depths: The highest and most shallow region of the Underworld.

Avernian Gate: Another term for a cenote, specifically one used to travel directly to the Underworld.

Bargain, the: The moment of death and rebirth where the geist bonds with its mortal host to create a
Sin-Eater.

Bound, the: Another term for Sin-Eaters. Refers to the bond with the geist, but frequently takes on a
secondary connotation of being bound to fate, chance, a second life, or whatever the speaker believes
to be the purpose of her rebirth.

cenote: A place where the wall between the living world and the Underworld is naturally weaker.

ceremony: A ritual invoking the Bound’s power as medium to achieve mystical results involving the
dead and the Underworld.

Charm: A lesser form of memento.

Charonite: A Sin-Eater dedicated to the support and transmission of the Twilight Network.

Codex: A cache of lore and secrets recorded by a krewe and used by another to access supernatural
benefits.

conspiracy: The largest and most influential type of krewe.

cooler: Slang term for a freshly dead ghost; derived from “still-cooling body” and the low temperature
of a morgue.

cult: Another term for a small, intimate krewe.

Dead Dominion: A subregion within the Lower Mysteries of the Underworld.

deathlord: One of the legendary rulers of the Underworld; their existence is unproven.

deathmask: A memento forged from the remains of a destroyed geist.

Erebus: A classical term for the Autochthonous Depths.

Event, the: Another euphemism for the Bargain.

faction: A krewe large enough to have several cliques within itself; often spread over more than one
city.

fetter: A memento made from the anchor of a ghost.

Flesh Fair: A common term for a Sin-Eater gathering.

geist: A bizarre form of ghost, part human remnant and part archetype. Formal plural is Geister, but
English-speaking Sin-Eaters tend to use the less correct “geists.”
grand carnival: A particularly large and formal Sin- Eater gathering.

Great Below: Another term for the Underworld.

griever: Slang term for a human who still remembers a given ghost, and may potentially be an anchor.

Haunt: A cenote or “low place” that has been claimed by a Sin-Eater, krewe, or other entity.

Horsemen: The five archetypal figures of Sin-Eater mythology and symbolism that represent the five
Thresholds.

Kerberoi: Ancient guardians of the Underworld, bound and dedicated to enforcing the Old Laws or
punishing transgressions against them.

Key: A supernatural affinity for a particular aspect of ghostly power.

keystone: A memento specific to one particular geist, symbolizing its bond with the Sin-Eater.

krewe: A group of Sin-Eaters united by a common purpose. Usually ritually bound as well, which
allows them certain advantages through a channel to the Underworld.

low place: An informal term for a cenote.

Lower Mysteries: The deeper, less accessible portion of the Underworld.

Manifestation: One of the ghostly powers at the Sin-Eaters’ innate command.

memento: An object steeped in the power of death, able to activate given supernatural powers in the
hands of one of the Bound. Also called memento mori by more formal Sin-Eaters.

memorabilia: A memento associated with a person, place, or thing of great fame or infamy.

ofrendas: Offerings to the dead.

Old Laws, the: A code of rules that governs the Underworld; laws that govern interaction with the
dead. Kept by the Kerberoi.

plasm: The immaterial pseudo-matter of which ghosts are made; fuel for a Sin-Eater’s power.

Psyche: The base measure of a Sin-Eater’s supernatural power.

Sacrosanct: A Sin-Eater that strives against his fellows out of dangerous beliefs.

Sin-Eater: A human being who has died temporarily and returned to life, or suffered a near-death
experience, and bonded with a geist during the moment of death. The name refers to the implied
burden of the sins of the dead, as well as the potential duty to serve as a medium.

Synergy: The measure of psychic unity between a Bound mortal and geist.

Tartarus: A classical term for the Lower Mysteries.

Threshold: A “type” or resonance of death; a loose category by which Sin-Eaters can identify certain
aspects of death.
Twilight Network: The eclectic network of coded and underground communications Sin-Eaters use to
keep in touch with one another.

Underworld, the: The realm of the dead.

unfettered: A geist that is not bound to a mortal host.

Upper Reaches: The Autochthonous Depths.

Vacant: A former Sin-Eater who has been severed from his or her geist.

vanitas: A memento crafted deliberately by a Sin-Eater.

wake: A gathering of Sin-Eaters for the express purpose of socialization and celebration.

Wretched, the: Bound that have been brought back from death one time too many, serving as empty
shells for their geists to manipulate.

yellowbones: Slang term for a particularly old ghost.