Sixth Tradition: Destruction: Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine elder. Only the elder among thee shall call the blood hunt.
Lexicon
This is dialect used by vampires as a form of code. Know it well.
The Beast: The inchoate drives and urges that threaten to turn a vampire into a mindless, ravening monster.
The Camarilla: A sect of vampires devoted primarily to maintaining the Traditions, particularly that of the Masquerade.
Childe: A vampire created through the Embrace - the childe is the progeny of her sire. This term is often used derogatorily, indicating inexperience. Plural childer.
Clan: A group of vampires who share common characteristics passed on by the Blood. There are 13 known clans, all of which were reputedly founded by members of the Antediluvians generation.
Coterie: A group of Kindred who work together under a common purpose, whether this be clan, gang, wartime, or even diplomatically related.
The Embrace: The act of transforming a mortal into a vampire. The Embrace requires the vampire to drain her victim and then replace that victim's blood with a bit of her own.
Generation: The number of "steps" between a vampire and the mythical Caine; how far descended from the Firat Vampire a given Vampire is.
Ghoul: A minion created by giving a bit of vampiric blood to a mortal without draining her of blood first (which would create a vampire instead).
The Jyhad: The secret, self-destructive war waged between the generations. Elder vampires manipulate their lessers, using them as pawns in a terrible game whose rules defy comprehension.
Kindred: The race of vampires as a whole or a single vampire.
The Masquerade: The habit of hiding the existence of vampires from humanity. Designed to protect the Kindred from destruction at the hands of mankind, the Masquerade was adopted after the Inquisition claimed many Kindred unlives.
The Sabbat: A sect of vampires that rejects humanity, embracing their monstrous natures. The Sabbat is bestial and violent, preferring to lord over mortals rather than hide from them.
Sect: A group of Kindred arguably united under a common philosophy. The two most widely known sects currently populating the night are the Camarilla and the Sabbat.
Sire: A vampire's "parent"; the Kindred who created her.
Torpor: The deathlike sleep common to the undead, particularly among ancient vampires. Torpor may be entered voluntarily (certain unded, weary of the current age, enter torpor in hopes of reawakening in a more hospitable time) or involuntarily (through wounds or loss of blood).
Sects:
The Camarilla: A sect of vampires devoted primarily to maintaining the Traditions, particularly that of the Masquerade. Clans in this are the Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue.
The Sabbat: A sect of vampires that rejects humanity, embracing their monstrous natures. The Sabbat is bestial and violent, preferring to lord over mortals rather than hide from them. Clans in this are the Lasombra and the Tzimisce.
The Inconnu: A sect of vampires, usually elderly ones, with unknown agendas. Most are rogues that do as they please, all working together. It is believed they're the group looking for the reincarnation of Caine.
The Anarchs: A sect of vampires who reject the Traditions, wish and strive for power, and believe they should rule over all, humans and vampires alike.
Independants: These are clans that do whatever they wish,and sometimes other vampires of clans do too. Clans that are independant are the Assamite, Cappadocians, Followers of Set, Giovanni, and Ravnos.
Gehenna:
The end of days, the apocolypse, whatever you wish to call it. This is the time when the Kindred believe that the Jyhad will end with the Antediluvians rising up and destroying vampire and mortal alike. Others believe this is the time when Caine's reincarnation with rise up once more and end the existence of all of the Kindred.
Clans:
Assamite: A clan of assassin vampires from Araby that are occasionally hired by other Kindred to murder enemies. They also practice diablerie, or black magic dealing with demons. Many clans believe they work for older generations in hopes to bring Gehenna.
Brujah: The clan know for being both scholars and warriors, striving for perfection in both mind and body. They wish to be accepted in the mortal world, so many of them have become Anarchs. Their main thing to use are modern day weapons in their battles.