05. GLOSSARY

[rinne]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=width, 350px, true][atrb=id, glossary][classy=fieldbody_n]• ASSIAH + GEHENNA, the world humans live in (assiah) versus the world demons live in (gehenna). travel to gehenna by humans is impossible, while demons can only inhabit assiah by possessing a physical body similar to their own. • COAL TAR, basic demons who possess fungi and are airborne, often associated with rotting. though they are at the bottom of the demon food chain they far outnumber any other species, and become an instant threat if they band together. these are usually the first type of demon a person sees after undergoing a mashō. resembling floating black puffballs, they gather around darkness, dampness and humans that have a dark nature, making them a good barometer of demonic activity. • DEMONS, inhabitants of gehenna. lead by satan, they aim to take over assiah and make it a hell on earth. they are invisible to humans who haven't received a mashō, but their effects can still be felt tangentially. not all demons are malicious, however: some are neutral or even cooperative towards humans. the latter can form contracts and be summoned by tamers. • DEMON KINGS, the eight ruling demons, also known as the baal. they are all so powerful that they require a human body of significant strength to possess, and the most powerful and their leader, satan, will inevitably destroy his host. the kings are also all siblings except for one. they are as follows: ASTAROTH, demon king of decay AMAIMON, demon king of earth AZAZEL, demon king of spirits BEEZELBUB, demon king of insects EGYN, demon king of water IBLIS, demon king of fire MAMMON, demon king of air SATAN, king of demons • HALFLINGS, the result of intercourse between a possessed human and a regular one. all halflings have secondary physical traits of their demon heritage (which need to be concealed in public and are sensitive to touch) and can use abilities inherited as such. they can become exorcists as well, but are often looked upon with suspicion or outright hostility in the field. • MASHŌ, literally "demonic emblems" (魔章). these are any wounds inflicted by a demon on a human. receiving a mashō is the only way to see demons, and so is the first step to becoming an exorcist. therefore, they are usually administered under controlled conditions by trained professionals. • MEISTERS, the five disciplines in which an exorcist can specialize. when arriving at true cross as an exwire, a student selects one meister: that is what they will be studying for their years at the academy. upon graduating, they may choose to remain within that field or branch out into others. consider them majors, in a way. all of them are invaluable to the art of demon hunting, though: no one is perfect alone. KNIGHTS, knights use blades of that have been blessed to inflict damage on demons. from longswords to katanas, all varieties are valid, only being limited by the preference of the particular exorcist. this meister is one of the most popular, and for good reason: a knight can inflict the most raw damage on a demon, but at the cost of range and defense. DRAGOONS, the conceptual opposite of a knight, a dragoon uses guns loaded with bullets of various materials to repel demons. these vary from silver bearings for werewolves to sharp wooden stakes for vampires. although a dragoon has excellent long-range capabilities, they can be backed into a corner and disarmed, leaving them helpless. ARIAS, an aria specializes in reciting various religious prayers and texts to damage demons indirectly. these texts are usually cited from the bible, but depending on the cultural background of the target and the aria themself, different ones may be used. an aria uses mainly defensive abilities, however, so they lack ways to react if taken by surprise. TAMERS, tamers are unique in that they fight demons with demons. they inscribe magic circles to summon familiars, with whom they’ve formed a contract to fight. this gives them powerful abilities that wouldn’t normally be at their disposal, but all tamers need to be careful. if their circle breaks, they’re rendered useless, and a sufficiently powerful familiar can break a contract. DOCTORS, instead of fighting on the front lines, a doctor specializes in healing injuries of both the mundane and supernatural types. they have to be well-versed in the various species they may come across and how to properly counter them, making a doctor an invaluable member of any exorcism team. however, this comes at the cost of being unskilled with conventional weaponry.[/classy] • POSSESSION, the art of a demon taking over a human or other body to exist in assiah. most demons prefer possessing a body that is similar to their own, but they all show a like for humans as targets. an exorcist's primary job is to destroy the link connecting the two, dispelling the possession and sending the demon back to gehenna while leaving the host unharmed. powerful enough demons can destroy their host from sheer instability. • RANKINGS, all exorcists are ranked on a series of levels by the vatican to determine their strength and reliability. the higher one is, the more skill and experience they have in the field, and therefore the fewer there are. they are as follows: [style=margin: 3px 10px 0px;]EXWIRES, the rank above a page. to become an exwire, a page must pass the exwire authorization exam, which helps to determine which meister they would be best in. exwires usually do menial jobs like cleaning a demon's cage, helping to collect samples, et cetera. along with their new responsibilities, they also continue to study demonology. to become an exorcist, an exwire must pass the exorcist authorization exam which is administered at the end of their high school career. note that true cross west foregoes the page step and automatically determines an exwire’s meister upon entering. therefore, student = exwire. PROFESSIONALS, upon passing their examination, an exwire becomes a ranked exorcist, who is allowed to perform exorcisms on their own. they are grouped into subranks based on skill: lower second class, lower first class, middle second class, middle first class, upper second class, upper first class, honorary knight, arc knight, paladin. there is only one exorcist who can hold the rank of paladin at any time, and they are considered the leader of them all. honorary knight and above are off-limits to non-canons. any character who wishes to be an upper second or first class must be above 30 years old.[/classy] • SUMMONINGS, the art of using a magic circle to summon a demon from gehenna, often to do the summoner's bidding. this is the only other way besides possession for a demon to enter assiah. if the circle is broken by the summoner, the demon is sent back to gehenna automatically; however, if the demon breaks it, they are released from the summoner's control and can rampage.