Archmage
An Archmage is a mage of such exceptional power that they have reached an understanding of their chosen Sphere beyond the scope of normal Masters. Only Archmages sit on the Council of Nine Traditions. There is only one Archmage residing in San Fransisco: the headmaster of the Mercurius Maximus Academy, Morgan Grimhild.
Awakened
Awakened refers to any creature who is aware of and participates in the magical world. Sleepers can become Awakened by exposure to the magical world, but there is a heavy risk of madness as their minds are overloaded. The noun version is Awakened, and Awakened are said to be Awake.
Aware
The halfway state between Asleep and Awake. Some people are said to be Aware of the magical world without fully participating or grasping the scope of the Awakened world.
Camarilla
The Camarilla is the most organized of the vampiric sects, an elite club that favors tradition and control of the mortal populace from behind the scenes. They are the original creators of the Masquerade, and have a  presence in most major cities with significant Awakened population... with a few exceptions, such as the city of San Fransisco. The Camarilla holds little sway in the city due to the high Kuei-Jin population, though they have recently made a grab for power by instituting the first Prince of San Fransisco.
Changeling
Changeling is a modern catchall term for both Kithain and Lost, meant to unite the types under one identity and label.
Concordia
Concordia is the main city of the Horizon Realm, and the location of the Council Chamber for the Council of Nine Traditions. It is a pocket dimension in which mages are able to travel and practice magic freely.
Council of Nine Traditions
The Traditions are a collection of magical traditions united by a common theory of magical Spheres, as well as a common purpose: the defense of magic and myth against the oppressive, static and safe Technocratic paradigm of predictability and control. The Council of Nine Traditions is effectively a governing body of mages, made up of nine powerful archmages.
Fera
The term Fera is a collective term to encompass all of the Changing Breeds - the animal shifters and their kin. Able to transform from a human form to a beastial one, Fera are the keepers of the earth and the land. Or at least, they were at one point. Typically very family-oriented, the Fera of San Francisco comprise of several family groups as well as independent ‘lone-wolves’. San Francisco has a fairly mixed population of Fera, from the Ratkin of the sewers to the Nuwisha of the city’s edges, to a small Mokele population in the Bay proper and the Garou of the surrounding Bay Area. Typically, they range on their own, though most fall in line under the leadership of Hector Asisara, a Corax werecrow who acts as the de facto head of the Pan-Fera Confederation, a political and social group dedicated to organizing and protecting Fera among the city. Though different groups of Fera may have different relationships to one another, within the city, they tend to group together and protect each other. More info on Fera.
Gallain
Gallain is the term created for the warped, monstrous creatures that come from the Hedge. Not quite Fae, not quite Changelings, and not quite sentient, these beings have been appearing through the Golden Gateway as the barrier weakens and wanes. They break through the barrier and cause havoc in the city among both the Awakened and Sleeping populations, and have a mysterious knack for overriding the Umbral Engine that masks most Awakened activity from Sleepers. The Gallain are the most pressing threat to the city as of now.
*Note: for the purposes of Golden Gateways, we are not following the World of Darkness canon definition of Gallain.
Golden Gateway
The Golden Gateway refers to the magical barrier that prevents Arcadian Fae and noble Kithain alike from entering the city of San Fransisco. It was created by Lady Joan nearly 100 years ago to create a place free from the influence of nobility, a place in which Changelings of all types could exist freely outside of a  strict heirarchy.
Kindred
The Kindred are the classic western concept of the vampire. They must feed on human blood, called Vitae (and in some cases, non-human blood), to keep from entering the starved and animalistic Frenzy, in which they will hunt down and kill anything with a pulse until satiated. In the modern day, Kindred are able to ‘ethically consume’ vitae through blood donations and willing ‘feeders’ who consent to being fed on without killing. Kindred are grouped into multiple clans that dictate their abilities and powers. Kindreds belong to the clan of their sire, or the Kindred who embraced them and made them undead. In San Francisco, the Kindred population is incredibly small compared to other major cities due to the high Kuei-Jin presence. The Camarilla has made an attempt to establish a presence in the city with the establishment of a new Prince, the Giovanni heir Dante Costello. Dante holds control of the Bank of America and has been pouring money into philanthropic projects around the city in order to garner favor among the citizens, to varying success. His inner circle and those allied with him are known as The House of Gold. More info on Kindred.
Kithain
Kithain refers to the Changelings born from mortal dreams and living in the mortal world, sometimes even among mortals. These Changelings differ from the True Fae in that their power draws not from Arcadia but from the mortal world itself, from the dreams and hopes and fears of mortals. There are as many Kithain types as there are types of people, each with their own traits and abilities. The Kithain world exists parallel with, yet hidden from, the mortal world, and has a strict hierarchy in which Kithain are divided into the Sidhe, the Kithain nobility, and the commoners, the rest of the Kithain. The Kithain world is divided into Kingdoms, which correspond to real-world areas. Not all Kithain subscribe to their hierarchy, and some actively work against it. In fact, San Francisco was founded partially by these Kithain who desire freedom from this structure. Lady Joan, a Clurichaun hailing from the East Coast, created the very barrier that keeps out Sidhe and True Fae alike, and established the colony of Kithain and Lost known as the Free Folk, who do not ascribe to any hierarchy. After the disappearance of Lady Joan, the informal leader of the Free Folk is the Brewer known as Antimony. More info on Kithain.

*Note: for the purposes of Golden Gateways, Thallain are included in the same general definition of Kithain and are not inherently ‘evil'

Kuei-Jin
The Kuei-Jin are known to the west as the ‘eastern Kindred’. However, the similarities start and end with the fact that both are undead. Kuei-Jin are souls shut out from the Wheel of Reincarnation, forced to inhabit corpses that are powered by Chi, the life force that runs through all living things. How this Chi is consumed varies from individual to individual, but the most potent and powerful Chi comes from human beings. Similar to Kindred, ethical consumption of Chi is possible via consensual feeding. Some Kuei-Jin put themselves on the path toward salvation through their eternal lives, attempting to get back into the Wheel, but others embrace their damnation. Those in the Red Deer Court are a mixed variety, and no one is quite sure where their leader, Shufen Gao, stands. She has been a bastion in the court since its inception, and no matter her views, she defends those loyal to her. Her influence spreads across the entire San Francisco Chinatown, and nothing happens in the area without her knowing it. More info on Kuei-Jin.
Lost
Lost is the (some would say derogatory) term referring to Changelings who were taken, wandered into, or were lured through the Hegde and into Arcadia to become servants, tools, and playthings to the True Fae. Their time in Arcadia changed them irrevocably, and they are forever changed and warped by their purpose in Arcadia. Even after they find their way back to the mortal realm, they still hold on to their warped purpose through abilities and rituals. Historically, the Lost are shunned from Kithain society, though they have been embraced and welcomed by the Free Folk of San Francisco. San Francisco has become something of a safe haven to the Lost, united by Lady Joan with their Kithain cousins under one name: Changelings. The current informal leader of the Free Folk, Antimony, is a Lost Brewer Changeling. More Info on Lost.
Mage
Mages were once human beings who managed to survive the madness of Awakening via exposure to the magical world. Every human being is born with a spark of magical potential, and Mages have managed to harness this spark and use it to manipulate the very world we live in. Mages utilize different schools of magic known as the nine spheres, which refers to the various forms of reality. However, altering reality comes with a price. If mages manipulate this reality in front of Sleepers, they fall at risk of a Paradox, which can backfire and cause magical harm to the mage. Mages have their own society separate from the mortal world, existing on a separate plane known as Concordia. The center of Mage power exists in the Mercurius Maximus University, the most prestigious secondary university for the study of magic. The University is led by Headmaster Morgan Grimhild, an Archmage of the Mind Sphere of Magic. More info on Mages.
Masquerade
The Masquerade is an idea put forth originally by the Camarilla as a code to protect both the Awakened world and the Sleeper world, but it was soon adopted by the wider Awakened world for the same reasons. The Masquerade is as follows:
    Do not, intentionally or not, reveal your true nature to those who are Asleep.
    Do not, intentionally or not, reveal the existence of the Awakened world to those who are Asleep.
    Do not, intentionally or not, harm those who are Asleep utilizing your true nature.
    Do not leave behind any evidence of the Awakened world.
Sphere

A Sphere refers to the distinct realm of magic a mage specializes in. There are nine spheres total: Correspondance, the element of connection between apparently different things; Entropy, the principle of chance, fate, and mortality; Forces, the understanding of elemental energies; Life, the mysteries of life and death; Matter, the principles of inanimate objects; Mind, the potentials of consciousness; Prime, the understanding of the Primal Energy in all things; Spirit, comprehension of Otherworldly forces and inhabitants; Time, the strange workings of chronological forces and perceptions; and the Tenth, the mysterious, perhaps mythical, sphere that mages have theorized on for centuries.
Sleeper

Sleepers refer to regular, run-of-the-mill human beings with no knowledge of or connection to the magical world. The noun version is Sleeper, and Sleepers are said to be Asleep.
Umbral Engine

The Umbral Engine is an invention created in New York City nearly one hundred years previous that acts as a city-wide glamor, masking most minor and moderate Paradoxes and Masquerade breaches. Though it is powerful, it is not foolproof, and is particularly susceptible to Fae magic.
Vox Phantasma

The Voice of Dreams. This is a person who embodies the spirit of the Awakened world of the city, the boundless limits of magic. They protect and hold the magic of the city and connect the Awakened world to the Sleeping world. They are the counterbalance to the reality of the Vox Populi. When both Voxes exist in a city, it is said that the city is in perfect balance and an explosion of magical culture and energy will be released, revitalizing the city and bringing about an era of peace and prosperity.
Vox Populi

The Voice of the People. This is a person who embodies the spirit of the Sleeping world of the cities, the grounded nature of reality and community. They protect the Sleeping world and the delicate balance between the Awakened and Sleeping worlds, and connect the Sleeping world to the Awakened world by acting as a liason between the two. They are the counterbalance ot the magic of the Vox Phantasma. They are also the defender of the Masquerade.