Glossary
I offer this glossary as a spoiler-free alternative to the one at the end of Aniel’s Plight. It includes some of the characters and locations you will discover as you venture through my Demonic Tales From Beyond the Veil.
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1. Algul: A demon who traded the power of vampirism to the Kings Bloxnivux and Oonelestemep in exchange for their souls and those of anyone with whom they shared the blood.
2. Andras: One of six dukes ruling Hell. The first mortal soul to solve the Devil’s Delectation Labyrinth.
3. Aniel: She is on the hunt.
4. Beacon Street: The premier place in the city to quench your mortal desires or be murdered.
5. Benedetti, Rupert: A former Mazarath Police detective. Velic’s first partner and mentor.
6. Black Rose, The: The finest restaurant in Mazarath. Also known as Levicia’s Rose.
7. Blighted Sap Elm: A rare black-barked tree exclusive to Hell, often harvested for its impenetrable inner ring and used in the highest quality armor, if the sap does not kill you during extraction.
8. Bliss: A common and highly addictive street drug in Mazarath’s ghettos, most of which is manufactured by Pierce.
9. Blood Badge: The street nickname for the red badge worn by the police department’s Bounty Division. The term’s use increased with Detective Lyons’s killings.
10. Blood Bequeathment: A mandatory passing of blood from one vampire to another upon death. Algul’s blood must always be contained within a vessel.
11. Bloxnivux: A king from prerecorded history and leader of one of the first three world-conquering mortal armies.
12. Bogeys: Slang for demons.
13. Charles: Rafferty’s torturer.
14. Clara: Runs an occult shop. Sister to Knox.
15. Clara’s Alchemy and Occult: A front for…
16. Collapse, The: When society broke down, and cities like Mazarath became self-governing.
17. Constructs: Bodies created from recycled demon and Nachtubi parts, used to house souls in Hell.
18. Crossroads (rift): Tears between realms caused during a prerecorded event where a large angelic offensive entered a mortal realm to contain an apocalyptic vampire threat. In doing so, they fractured the Veil, creating crossroads between the mortal realms, Hell, and worse. As a consequence, no angel ever again entered the mortal realms with their immortality and powers intact.
19. Damnation Fields: The one place in Hell no one wants to visit.
20. Demonmelt: The rapid decomposition or explosion of a host’s body when a demon is expelled.
21. Devil’s Delectation, The: A labyrinth in Hell where souls compete for a chance to forego their damnation.
22. Discarded, The: Exiled angels cursed with blindness and solitude for eternity.
23. Dotti, Ms.: A police officer and wall guard who acts as a grandmother figure to Velic. Best damn cookies in the city.
24. Echo Shard: A crystal of condensed demonic or holy power left behind after the death of a magic-wielding soul.
25. Eddie Deadfingers: The obnoxious radio host of Mazarath City's Underground Radio. He ranks fourth on the police’s bounty board.
26. First War, The: A series of battles between angels and demons that resulted in forging the Six Mortal Realms.
27. Forcas: A fallen angel and leader of the Discarded.
28. Handyman, The: A mid-level gangster and art enthusiast. The sixth name on the bounty board.
29. Harrowing City, The: Hell’s capital city.
30. Hellspeak: The primary language in Hell, created from the jumbled words of six mortal realms.
31. Hellwardens: Demons tasked with overseeing Hell.
32. Holliday, Brett (High Dive): A rookie police officer and Velic’s partner in the Bounty Division.
33. Host: A mortal body possessed by a demon.
34. Hostwriter: Highly sought-after by demons with a story to tell.
35. Hutton, Hannah: A police sergeant and firing range instructor.
36. Jeffries, Joseph (JJ, Juke): Velic’s questionable informant.
37. Kaskin, Caesario: An ancient vampire experiencing the first stages of dementia. Grandfather of Illario.
38. Kaskin, Illario: Vampire and grandson of Caesario.
39. Kaskin, Mortugav: The Kaskin Vampire Clan’s first leader.
40. Kiliestund: A king from prerecorded history and the leader of one of the first three world-conquering mortal armies.
41. Kilo: Emma’s dog.
42. Knox (real name classified): Clara’s brother and leader of…
43. Lalli Park: Mazarath City’s largest park, where something is hidden.
44. Levicia, Chase: Barely a teenager, she escaped from high society and her gangster mother.
45. Levicia, Madam (first name unknown): The wealthy and mysterious owner of the Black Rose restaurant, whose daughter fled high society. With ties to the underworld, Velic and her often trade information and favors.
46. Lyons, Jonesy: Velic’s former teammate and a Blood Badge holder who went rogue. He leaves the dead bodies of drug dealers he kills out for public display. Painting their faces red is his signature. He ranks third on the police’s bounty board.
47. Malphas: A demon and one of six dukes controlling Hell.
48. Mazarath City (The Maz): A seaside city recovering from war.
49. Mazarath, John, J: Nicknamed Spearhead, he served as an infantry division commander before the collapse. He disobeyed orders and diverted his troops to save the city of his birth, which later bore his name. He is the father of Mayor Rebecca Mazarath.
50. Mazarath, Rebecca: The first and current mayor of Mazarath City. She oversaw the construction of the city wall and implemented Red Zones. She remains in power, backed by soldiers who were once loyal to her father.
51. Mazo: The coins became the only accepted currency in Mazarath when paper money failed. Made of precious metals, one gold mazo equals twenty silver ones. A profile image of General John J. Mazarath is stamped into the front of the coin. On the reverse side is a lobster and two crossed harpoons. Written beneath is “Keep Evil at Bay.”
52. MazPat: Mazarath Patriot. Those who fought in or supported the war.
53. McWerth, Emma: Runs a bookstore inherited from her father.
54. McWerth’s Used Books: Emma’s store. Books are a valuable commodity in a disconnected world.
55. Mistyrot Mountains: A mountain range in Hell where something is hidden.
56. Quortun, Izniz: The first fallen angel to test the limits of soul residue absorption and catalog it. It did not turn out well for him.
57. Nachtubi, The: Hell’s original denizens and caretakers, souls who had served their damnation and are reincarnated as succubi or incubi.
58. Oonelestemep: A king from prerecorded history and leader of one of the first three world-conquering mortal armies.
59. Ornias: An angel who stole a portion of Algul’s vampiric power. By doing so, he transferred weakness to the sun and holy magic to the vampires.
60. Pierce, Rocco: A top-level gangster who controls Mazarath City’s ghetto and is responsible for most of its drug operations. He is the first name on the bounty board.
61. Prescott, Alex: A fisherman and Emma’s childhood friend.
62. Rafferty, Anton: A top-tier gangster controlling Mazarath City’s upper class. He resides among the wealthy on Ocean Avenue.
63. Red Zones: Unpoliced areas in Mazarath City.
64. Rodriguez, Major: The commanding officer of Velic’s police district.
65. Samael: A dashing and powerful demon. Narrator of Aniel’s Plight.
66. Screechwood Basilisk: A two-headed and intelligent riding mount in Hell, it is the optimal choice for traveling through ash storms due to its thick hide and ability to traverse arduous terrain without needing water. Their eggs must be stolen and hatched, for they become feral if their first scent is of their mother.
67. Sintrip: A new red drug on the rise in Mazarath City.
68. Six Mortal Realms, The: Distinct realms in various stages along an unending cycle of self-annihilation and rebirth. Mazarath resides in the Fifth, a realm near the end of its lifespan.
69. Slickers: Velic’s favorite place to get stoned and hydrated.
70. Soul Residue: An invisible substance left behind when souls pass through the Veil.
71. Soulform: The spirit form of demons between hosts.
72. Spakowsky, Hobbes: The leader of a resistance group fighting against banishment and the wall. He ranks fifth on the police’s bounty board.
73. Spook: The tech expert for the…
74. Telica: A historical vampire figure and the seventh leader of Clan Kaskin.
75. Tribunal War, The: A three-front conflict fought before recorded history by the armies of kings Kiliestund, Bloxnivux, and Oonelestemep.
76. Van Zandt, Ace: Pseudonym used by the demon Samael and his hostwriter.
77. Veil, The: The netlike barrier between realms that blocks the passage of all but souls.
78. Velic: A Mazarath City police detective assigned to the Bounty Division.
79. Void, The: An endless black smog-filled space surrounding the Veil and separating realms.
80. Xelthus: A demon and one of six dukes controlling Hell.
81. Yeznith, Bohuslav: A serial killing doctor and second on the bounty board.
Aniel’s Plight© Copyright 2025 by Ace Van Zandt. All Rights Reserved.