Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Glossary of Terms from THE LIVING BOOK OF LORE

“…and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man’s.”

* Most are immortal and can regenerate from injuries. The stronger breeds can only be killed by mystical fire or beheading.

* Their eyes change to a breed-specific color with intense emotion.

* Also known as Loreans.

“When a maiden warrior screams for courage as she dies in battle, Wóden and Freya heed her call. The two gods give up lightning to strike her, rescuing her to their hall and preserving her courage forever in the form of the maiden’s immortal Valkyrie daughter.”

* They take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning.

* They possess preternatural strength, speed, and senses.

* Without training, most can be mesmerized by shining objects and jewels.

* Also known as shield maidens.

“A proud, strapping warrior of the Keltoi People (or Hidden People, later known as Celts) was taken in his prime by a maddened wolf. The warrior rose from the dead, now an immortal, with the spirit of the beast latent within him. He displayed the wolf’s traits: the need for touch, an intense loyalty to its kind, an animal craving for the delights of the flesh. Sometimes the beast rises…”

* Also called werewolves, war-wolds.

* Each possesses the Instinct, an inner guiding force, like a voice whispering in one’s mind.

* Enemies of the Vampire Horde.

* Two warring factions, the Horde and the For-bearer Army.

* Each vampire seeks his Bride, his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he finds her.

* A Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath and making his heart beat, a process known as blooding.

* Tracing is teleporting, the vampires’ means of travel. A vampire can only trace to destinations he’s previously been or to those he can see.

* The Fallen are vampires who have killed by drinking a victim to death. Distinguished by their red eyes.

“In the first chaos of the Lore, a brotherhood of vampires dominated by relying on their cold nature, worship of logic, and absence of mercy. They sprang from the harsh steppes of Dacia and migrated to Russia, though some say a secret enclave, the Daci, live in Dacia still.”

* The Fallen comprise their ranks.

“…his crown stolen, Kristoff, the rightful Horde king, stalked the battlefields of antiquity seeking the strongest, most valiant human warriors as they died, earning him the name of Gravewalker. He offered eternal life in exchange for eternal fealty to him and his growing army.”

* An army of vampires consisting of turned humans who do not drink blood directly from the flesh.

* Kristoff was raised as a human and then lived among them. He and his army know little of the Lore.

“…immortal possessors of magical talents, practitioners of good and evil.”

* Mystical mercenaries who sell their spells.

* Separated into five castes: warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress.

* Led by Mariketa the Awaited.

“…their origin unknown, their presence chilling.”

* Spectral, howling beings. Undefeatable and, for the most part, uncontrollable.

* Also called the Ancient Scourge.

“Only through death can one become an ‘other.’ ”

* Some beings, such as the Lykae, vampires, and demons, can turn a human or even other Lore creatures into their kind through differing means, but the catalyst for change is always death, and success is not guaranteed.

“And a time shall come to pass when all immortal beings in the Lore, from the Valkyrie, vampire, Lykae, and demon factions to the phantoms, shifters, fey, and sirens…must fight and destroy each other.”

* A kind of mystical checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals.

* Occurs every five hundred years. Or right now…