World of the ShadowGate
Glossary of Terms
A
Amulet – See Celestial Amulet
Amulet of Occultatum – An amulet that hides the wearer from angelic sight, it will also allow the wearer to change their physical appearance.
Archangel – 8th Choir of Angels are the Archangels, who oversee the duties of the Guardians on Earth.
Auctarii, The – A branch of the Catholic Church that works closely with the Guardians while they serve on Earth. They are specifically in place to protect the Sangrael line and the protection of the human Key.
B
Berserker – See Gadreel’s Berserkers
Blood Spell – Spells that involve the use of blood to bind, control or banish. The most powerful of spells.
Burn – The last desperate act of the Powers when they are about to be overrun by the Forgotten. They release all their Illumination to burn the Forgotten.
C
Cast – A DownCast Angel.
Cathedral Porta Sanctuarii, The – See The Sanctuary
Celestial Law – See the Tennents
Celestial Amulet – The charms, crosses and symbols, predominantly in the form of a necklace, that Pure, DownCast and Shade wear to hide their wings. Made from the elements of the stars, these amulets allow them to pass among humans unseen.
Charge (Charges) – The human charges of Guardian Angels
Cherubim – The 2nd Choir of Angels are the Cherubim, Guardians of the Fixed Stars, Keepers of the Celestial Records, Bestowers of Knowledge. Before the Fall Lucifer was the highest of the order.
Choir – See The Choirs of Angels
Choirs of Angels, The – There are 9 levels of Heavenly hosts. The Choirs in descending order:
Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, Guardian Angels.
All but two of the Choirs, the Powers who do battle in the Verge and the Guardians who serve on Earth, dwell in the Citadel.
Citadel, The – This is the highest point of Heaven where the Choirs of Angels and the Throne of God dwell.
Claustrum – the Key.
Custos – A Male Sangrael descendants of the Key. Called “Custos” the Keepers of the Key inside of them. Only females can be the actual Key or Claustrum, the males carry the bloodline in them, thus are Keepers, but they are not the actual Keys. Only a female heir is a Key
Custos es Clavis – Guardian of the Key. An angel or being assigned to protect the Key with their life.
D
Daemos – Created from smoke and shadow God created them to balance out the Light of the Pure with Shadow. Damned at their conception they live now know Earth hidden and hunted, wanting only to escape the curse laid on them at birth.
Dark Guardian – See the Powers
Dark, The – See the Shadow
Darkness – See the Shadow
Dark Nephilim – The offspring of either a Shade and Human or a DownCast and Human.
Death – See Reaper
Divine, The – See the Source
Dominion – See The Dominions
Dominions, The – The 4th Choir of Angels are the Dominions. They regulate the angelic duties and are led by the angel Hasmal.
DownCast – Once Pure angels the DownCast have long ago fallen from Grace.
E
Endless War, The – An unending battle between the Forgotten and the Powers that is waged in the Verge. This war started after the Fall when some of the DownCast and Daemos that were cast out of Heaven became trapped behind the Gate. Now they struggle to escape through the Gate to earth and the only thing protecting mankind are the Powers.
F
Fall, The – After their defeat at the First War 100,000 downcast were banished to earth along with 20,000 Daemos. They fell to earth in a shower of fire and there they remain trapped for all time.
First War, The – When Lucifer demanded free will and refused to bow down to man God ordered Lucifer’s twin, Talis, to destroy Lucifer and his followers. The War between the angels lasted centuries. In the end Talis and his army of obedient angels triumphed and Lucifer and his followers, casting them out of Heaven.
Forgotten, The – The DownCast and Daemos who were unable to escape from Heaven after the Fall. They are trapped forever in the Verge, locked in a never ending battle against the Powers. The Endless War has raged since the Fall as they fight desperately to escape through the Gate, seeking freedom and peace from the war.
G
Gadreel’s Berserkers – Human, angel, or demon, if a warrior in the heat of battle proves to be ferocious and ruthless, the Elohim Gadreel, the Watcher of War claims them as her own. Cursing them with a blinding bloodlust that can only be quenched by copious amount of blood shed.
Gate, The – The portal between Heaven and Earth.
Glamour – The magic ability of Daemos and Sin Eaters that allows them to appear human. DownCast, Pure and Shade use special amulets that magically hide their wings and allow them to pass as human.
Grace – the power gifted to all angels, given by God, fueled by Illumination. What makes them angels. Without it they become mortal.
Guardian – See Guardian Angels
Guardian Angels – 9th Choir the Guardian Angels are earthbound angels who were sent to serve humanity and protect them from the DownCast and Daemos.
Guardian of the Gate, The – An angel who protects the Gate.
Guardian of the Sangrael, The – An angel who protects the human Key.
Guardians – see Guardian Angel.
I
Illumination – The Light of the Source from which all life springs. The source of the Angels’ Grace. It kills all darkness, the Shadow, in all living beings. It will kill all Shade and DownCast that are exposed to it long enough. It can severely burn humans to varying degrees based on the amount of sin in their hearts. Illumination does not affect Daemos as they are immune to heat and fire, though it may stun and weaken them.
K
Key, The – A human conduit through which all dying and reborn souls pass. The Key is a female of a specific bloodline. The Gate is the only means through which souls can be reborn, the Key is the only way the Gate remains open. The human Key can see Angels even when they are in the Spirit Realm. They cannot see through the Glamour of Daemos.
L
Laws, The – See Tennents
Law of Light – See Tennents
Light, The – See Illumination
M
Master, The – a dark presence. Seeks the downfall of God and dominion over all of heaven.
Mortal Realm, The – the physical realm of humans on earth.
N
Nephilim – a human Angel Hybrid. Can be mixed with a Pure, Downcast or Shade. Their angelic abilities begin manifesting between 18 and 22. Do not possess wings but may receive the power to move through time and space, heal or read minds. Others, rarely, develop prophetic dreams. Even rare does a Nephlim possess all 4 abilities. Most receive only one gift.
O
Order of Angels – See The Choirs of Angels
P
Path, The – the road to enlightenment all human souls must travel. Callous rebirths on earth until the soul becomes purified and may return to the Source.
Penemue – an Elohim. The Watcher of the Written Word. Scribe of the Book of the Elohim.
Pit, The – Also called Hell, Hades and Tartarus by humankind, it is a dark region where unrepentant souls must stay for 1000 years until they are ready to be reborn and follow the Path. The Pit is also an eternal prison for those angels and Daemos captured during the Fall or in the Endless War.
Power – See The Powers
Powers, The – The 6th Choir of Angels are the Powers. A warrior class of angels, also known as Dark Guardians, they are not DownCast but are unclean after millennia of bloodshed and war and are unable to enter the Citadel. They remain in the Verge fighting the Endless War. According to St. Paul they are evil and not of the Light. That they are no better than the Shade. He is wrong, without them Earth would have been lost long ago. They are led by Paladin, once the Guardian of the Sangrael.
Principalities, The – 7th Choir of Angels are the Principalities. They are the protectors of religion and they serve at the feet of Metatron.
Principality – See The Principalities
Pure – an unfallen angel. All Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Guardians that still serve God.
R
Reaper – created from the Shadow at the same instant as God by the Source. Carries all souls through the Gate to the Void.
S
Sanctuary, The – a physical sanctuary, headquarters for the Pure on earth. Inside the Cathedral Portae Sanctuarii the Angels are cared for and ministered to by the priests of the order.
Sanctuaries – Points on Earth where there is a thinning of the Veil between the worlds.
Sangrael, The – The bloodline of the Key.
Seraphim, The – The 1st and highest order of Angels is the Seraphim. Angel of love, of Light and of Fire, there is only one, the very first of all Angels, Talis, the Morning Star.
Seven Levels of Creation, The – The Citadel, The Void, the Pit, the Verge, the Threshold, and the In Between and Earth.
Shade – a Downcast angels who fully embraced the darkness, thriving on murder, vice, sin, fear and rape. They are distinguished from the Downcast only because of their distinctive facial tattooing and behavior.
Shadow, The – the dark source from which Errant, Reaper and the Master were formed. The balance to the Illumination. The darkness which resides in all Daemos and Downcast, giving them various abilities, including the ability to heal and shift through the realms.
ShadowGate – A Key born of a human Sangrael and a DownCast angel.
Shift/Shifting – The ability that Pure, DownCast and Daemos possess to move through space from location to location by accessing the Spirit and Mortal Realms. They can move not only themselves from one location to another but other beings as well as physical objects. DownCast and Daemos use Shadow to achieve a Shift, while the Pure use Illumination.
Soulmate – the destined love of a person’s life. The mate of one’s soul.
Spirit – The essence of an angel or Daemos. They were not given a soul like humans, a Spirit is their life force.
Spirit Realm – a realm in which angels can exist to move unseen. The realm in which the human soul exists. Daemos cannot exist in this realm.
Susceptor – A Guardian with the Auctari.
T
Tennents, The – the Laws of Heaven laid down by Ezrael, Watcher of the Gate after the Fall.
Threshold, The – The Threshold is a place of absolute nothingness created as a barrier between the Verge and the Gate. There is no time, direction, sight or sound, no substance within the Threshold. It is the border through which all souls and angels pass.
Throne – see The Thrones.
Thrones, The – The 3rd Choir of Angels are the Thrones. They represent God’s Justice to humanity. They are led by Vision, who is 2nd in command over all of Heaven.
V
Venom – The poisonous venom contained in a Daemos’ bite. Their fangs are hollow and inject the venom much like a snake into their victim.
Verge, The – The Verge was created to contain the DownCast and Daemos who did not escape to Earth after the First War. It is a desolate, blood stained battle ground where the Forgotten are trapped between Heaven and Earth and where the Endless War rages.
Virtue – See The Virtues
Virtues, The – 5th Choir of Angel are the Virtues. These divine beings work the miracles on Earth. They are the bestowers of Grace and Valor. They work closely with the Guardians.
Void, The – All souls pass into the Void to await Judgement and to be reborn as they continue on the Path until true enlightenment is achieved and they can return to the Source.
The ShadowGate: Enter and be saved…
