Glossary

The Assamites use many terms which are not common among the rest of the Kindred. The following glossary lists those words used in this work which may not be familiar to the lay reader. (A general Kindred glossary will be included in the VtM section.)

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Alumut

Originally, the name for the Assamites' castle stronghold. Since the Treaty of Tyre, however, it has come to refer to the current location of the Master and elders of the clan. It is also used as a metaphor for the Assamite clan as a whole, especially the clan's spirit and ideals.

Amr

The chief magician of the clan; one of the du'at.

Antitribu

The group of Assamites who escaped the Curse and allied themselves with the Sabbat.

Asabiyya

The Assamite tradition of loyalty to the clan and to other clan members.

Caliph

The military leader of the clan; one of the du'at.

Castellan

An Assimite in charge of a location or group of Assamites away from Alamut.

Curse, the

The Treaty of Tyre and the accompanying Tremere ritual which made Kindred Blood poisonous to the Assamites.

Du'at

The three senior members of the clan ~~ the caliph, the vizier and the amr ~~ who are the Master's closest advisors.

Eagle's Nest, the

Originally a translation of the name of Alamut, more recently applied to any of the secret havens of the Assamite elders, or to the leadership of the clan in general.

End

Used as a verb by the Assamites. To end a kafir is to assassinate her.

En'esh

The First City, known to other Kindred as Enoch, Uniech, Enkil or by various other names.

Fida'i

The title given to newly-embraced Assamites, who are serving a seven-year apprenticeship at Alamut.

Haqim

The ancestral Assamite; his name is also spelled Hachem, Hashem, A'shem, and (wrongly) Hassan or Hussein by some European sources.

Haqim, children of

The Assamite Clan.

Heartblood

The collected blood of fallen Assamites, kept at Alamut and used in the clan's most holy ceremonies.

Hijra

"Emigration"; the current state of the clan as it establishes new power bases and works to free itself from the Curse.

Ikhwan

The Assamite tradition of brotherhood.

Jihad

An Arabic term applied to any holy war. Assamites use the word to describe their legendary task of destroying all other vampires, and, by extension, to refer to their whole birthright and position within Kindred society. Not to be confused with the Kindred term Jyhad, which refers to the machinations of the Antediluvians against one another.

Kadd

The Assamite tradition of vengeance.

Kafir

Literally "infidels"; the Assamites apply this term to non-Assamite Kindred.

Khabar

Literally "tradition"; the Assamite belief system and code of honour.

Khayyin

Caine, the first vampire.

Khayyin, get of

All vampires except the Assamites.

Kufr

An Islamic term for heresy, unbelief, and ingratitude. The Assamites use the word to refer to the principles of the Camarilla.

Mumin

The Assamite tradition of faith.

Munafiqun

Literally "hypocrites"; this is an Assamite nickname for the Camarilla.

Muruwa

The Assamite code of honour.

Old Man, the

Also known as the Old Man of the Mountain. The Master of the clan.

One, to become

To rise in power through the Path of Blood until one becomes equal in power to Haqim ~~ in short, to become Second Generation through diablerie or some similar practice.

One, the

Haqim. This term is normally used in a ritual contex, and has mistakenly been assumed to refer to Caine.

Path of Blood

Diablerie: the drinking of the blood of older vampires to gain their power.

Rafiq

"Comrade(s)"; the Assamites' word for themselves.

Scribe

A contemptuous term applied by the clan's warriors to a non-warrior.

Shahid

An Arabic word for a religious martyr. Assamites tricked to their doom by false contracts are known by this title. Some extreme militants use this term for the whole clan, in reference to the Curse.

Silsila

The elders and other respected individuals of the clan, who act as a priesthood for the Path of Blood and as Castellans for bases away from Alamut.

Tajdid

Literally "revival"; the research program dedicated to freeing the Assamites from the Curse.

Taqiyya

The Assamite art of disguise and impersonation; also, the clan tradition of secrecy.

Tyre, Treaty of

The agreement between the Camarilla and the Assamites concluded in 1522, whereby the Assamites surrendered the ability to commit diablerie.

Umma

The Assamite tradition of community. The word also refers to the hoped-for reconciliation of clan and antitribu.

Unconquered, the

The name by which the Assamite antitribu call themselves.

Vizier

The chief scholar and main political mediator of the clan; one of the du'at.