Spawn of the Antediluvians

“Hail Menele, Altamira, and Uga Dugud, spawn of Troile!
Hail Mithras, Hardestadt, and Orthinia, spawn of Ventru!
Hail Mancheaka, Tegyrius, and Ur-Shulgi, spawn of Haqim!
Hail Mictlantecuhtli, Enkidu, and Matasuntha, spawn of Ennoia!
Hail Montano, Boukephos, and Sybil, spawn of Lasombra!
Hail the Eater, Malakai, and Nissiku, spawn of Malkav!
Hail Yima, Gorgo, and Azazel, spawn of Absimiliard!
Hail Beshter, Helena, and Amarantha, spawn of Arikel!
Hail Tremere, Goratrix, and Meerlinda, spawn of Tremere!“

Camarilla (V5), 2018

Kindred Lore: Black Hand Organization & Ranks

Even though the members of the Black Hand are often isolated from another and work alone, they have some basic organizational structures. But because the Black Hand’s member are so scattered within the Sabbat own organization (not to speak of the secretive nature of the Black Hand), the Black Hand’s own groups and ranks are often only temporarily given/set up.

Here’s a short list of the the ranks and groups within the Black Hand.

• The Kamut is the basic unit of the Black Hand’s operations. It is like a temporary Sabbat pack, with a different terminology to clearly distinguish it from the ordinary Sabbat packs that Black Hand operatives are also part of. A permanent Kamut would be called Column.
• Cadets are trainees of the Black Hand. They have been accepted as candidates, but they’re not yet initiated into full membership in the Hand. This puts them even lower in rank than a rookie.
• A Rookie is a member of the Black Hand who has participated in less than three missions. They are the newly initiated members of the Black Hand, formally known as Mustajib (“deserving ones”).
• “Shakar” (pl. Shakari) is the formal (Assamite) term for an assassin, but among the younger operatives of the Black Hand, slang terms such as “eraser”, “hit man”, and even “terminator” have become equally popular, particularly among those who do not actually function as assassins themselves.
• Removers are the brute strength and paramilitary muscle of the Black Hand, the Cainites whom the dominion can point at an obstacle and simply tell them to “remove” that obstacle.
• A Watch Commander, also known as “Field Marshall“, is an intermediary rank within the Black Hand. He is the leader of the Black Hand operations in a given territory.
• A Second serves a Dominion or Seraph as his trusted right hand and second-in-command (a Seraph’s second has the rank of dominion), whose responsibility it is to see that her supervisor’s orders are carried out.
• Dominions compose a permanent rank between the Seraphim and the rest of the Black Hand members. The dominions are the senior executive officers, the mission commanders who oversee anything from a small operation involving only a single Kamut to a full-scale siege.
• A Seraph (pl. Seraphim) is a Black Hand general, who answer only to the Regent of the Sabbat, and who collectively has absolute authority over all members of the Black Hand. The office of Seraph was created in honor of the fallen Assamite warrior, Dastur Anosh.

Reference:

• Black Hand on White Wolf Wikia

Kindred Lore: Society of Leopold

In the World of Darkness, the Inquisition is an organization within the Roman Catholic Church tasked to rid the world of evil and heresy in all its forms in the name of God. Part of the Inquisition is the Society of Leopold. The Society specifically pursue and fight supernaturals, as they believe that all supernaturals are part of the army of the Antichrist. They are a major threat to every group of supernaturals because of their extensive knowledge, training, equipment, preparation and fanatical zeal.

The roots of the Society of Leopold go back to the Roman days, but the official formation of the group goes back to 1231, when Leopold von Murnau, a German Dominican, was granted special dispensation by Pope Gregory IX. to combat supernatural evil. The following centuries saw quite a few ups and downs, until in 1908 Pius X reorganized the Society, and gave them the freedom to act more independently from the Catholic Church.

---

References:

• VtM: The Inquistion.
• Society of Leopold on White Wolf Wikia.
• The Society of Leopold on Cities in Darkness.

The New Red List

With the publication of the V20 Dread Names book (on June 24th, 2015), the list of vampires on the Red List has been updated. There are some old acquaintances, but also nearly half of them haven’t been on the “old” Red List.  (And for these six new vampires currently no VTES cards exists).

1. Kemintiri (Followers of Set) – Trophy Clan: Ventrue
2. Petaniqua (Baali) – Trophy Clan: Malkavians
3. Dylan (Bruce) (Ventrue antitribu) – Trophy Clan: Tremere
4. Valerius Maior (Tremere antitribu) – Trophy Clan: Tremere
5. Karen Anotos (Gangrel) – Trophy Clan: Gangrel
6. Ayisha Jocastian (Malkavian) – Trophy Clan: Ventrue
7. Francisca Santos dos Rodriguez (Lasombra) – Trophy Clan: Brujah
8. Count Germaine (Brujah) – Trophy Clan: Toreador
9. Alex Swift – Trophy Clan: Gangrel
10. Christopher Barrow (mortal?) – Trophy Clan: Gangrel
11. Kyoko Shinsegawa (Tremere) – Trophy Clan: Toreador
12. Raymond Narcisse (Toreador) – Trophy Clan: Brujah
13. Rabbat (Nosferatu) – Trophy Clan: Nosferatu

The links refer to the White Wolf Wikia pages with some background information on these Red List vampires.

Kindred Lore: Ebony Fox

Among the stories’ passed around the fire at Sabbat esbats or at the communal haven are the exploits of the Black Hand Shakar known only as the Ebony Fox. Most stories identify the Fox as an Assamite of great skill and tenacity, with a quick wit and clever tongue. These stories typically feature daring escapes, dazzling martial arts and the gruesome details of the killings. The Ebony Fox has become a veritable legend, particularly among the assassin groupies who make collecting the known lore and tidbits about the elusive shaker almost an obsession.

In fact, the Ebony Fox is a creation of the Nosferatu antitribu known as Tarbaby Jack as a piece of Sabbat propaganda. Tarbaby’s greatest success came when the Camarilla Justicar Cock Robin declared a Blood Hunt on the infamous Ebony Fox after the Final Death of his mentor and sire, Petrodon. Needless to say, the Ebony Fox has thus far skillfully eluded all attempts to capture or destroy him. Tarbaby Jack, on the other hand, was recently elevated to dominion, and plans to do the same for the Fox, as soon as he comes up with a sufficiently spectacular story.

References:

• Tarbaby Jack on White Wolf Wikia
• Ebony Fox on White Wolf Wikia

VTES Cards with reference to the Ebony Fox:

• Ebony Fox Hunt

Kindred Lore: Treaty of Tyre

The Treaty of Tyre was a truce called between the Camarilla and clan Assamite in 1496. The Camarilla agreed to call off all hostilities towards the clan and stop contracting Assamite assassins, whereas the Assamites agreed to cease their practice of diablerie against Camarilla members , dismantle the defences of their stronghold Alamut, and no longer work as assassins. The Assamite subsequently submitted to a blood curse imposed by the Tremere to prevent any member of the Assamite clan from committing diablerie.

The Treaty followed ten years of violence and near-open warfare between the Camarilla and the Assamites, begun in 1486 when the Camarilla called a Blood Hunt against them (the first and only time a hunt was called against an entire clan). The conflict would likely have continued indefinitely, probably ending with the death of every Assamite in Europe, had not a lone Nosferatu been found to have somehow breached Alamut’s defences in late 1495. The worrying revelation that their stronghold could be found by Camarilla agents forced the elders of the clan to sue for peace, and they agreed to the Treaty early the next year.
Reference:

• Treaty of Tyre on White Wolf Wikia

Cards in VTES with reference to the Treaty of Tyre:

• Revocation of Tyre
• Treaty of Tyre Enforced

Kindred Lore: Golconda

In the World of Darkness, Golconda is a mystical state of enlightenment where a vampire has shaken off the beast, or at least where the beast and the humanity aspects of a vampire are balanced. Golconda was promised to Caine by the archangel Gabriel, while he was in exiled in the Land of Nod. Although Caine never achieved Golconda, the way to Golconda was supposedly achieved by Saulot after traveling to the East, studying under Hindu gurus.

The word Golconda was originally the name of an ancient city in India famed for its wealth of diamonds, and eventually the word came to be used generically as a synonym for wealth. When Danava mystics first applied the word Golconda to the transcendence beyond the feral vampiric state, they were poetically referring to the “spiritual wealth” that this transcendence brings. Golconda is not the first word that the Danava mystics used to describe this transcendent state, but due to proselytizing by Saulot and other Salubri it is the word most well-known to Western Cainite vampires.

One of the vampire social groups associated with Golconda are the Inconnu . The Inconnu are extremely secretive, and one of the theories about the group is, that they have forsaken the Jyhad in order to pursue Golconda. There are rumors that they have abandoned the eternal struggle during the Middle Ages after the diablerie of Saulot by Tremere and (later) after the Sabbat-Camarilla conflicts resulted in an never-ending conflict.
Reference:

• Golconda (VtM) on White Wolf Wikia
• Inconnu on White Wolf Wikia

Kindred Lore: The Red Star

In the World of Darkness, the Red Star is celestial body, appearing during the Week of Nightmares on July 15th, 1999 and heralding the coming of Gehenna. Initially it was only visible to supernatural beings, and to vampires with Auspex in particular. The Red Star is known under different names by the various supernatural beings: Wormwood to vampires, Anthelios (the anti-sun) to werewolves, Telos to mages, and the Eye of Balor to changelings.

Gehenna is the time when the Antediluvians will rise to consume the blood of all the younger vampires and construct a city in which they will rule for one thousand years. The prophecy of Gehenna is most thoroughly detailed in the Book of Nod, the story of Caine’s banishment and cursing by God.

There was a prominent seer cult named The Heralds of the Red Star, which tried to convince other Kindred that the end is much closer than is widely believed. The cult’s leader, V. Harriet Bakos, then tried to persuade the warring factions to put differences aside in order to  survive Gehenna.

There are currently two VTES cards, where the Red Star is depicted, Anthelios the Red Star and The Fourth Cycle.

References:

• The Red Star on White Wolf Wikia

Kindred Lore: Ni Dieu ni Maître

“Ni dieu ni maître!” literally means “No gods, no masters“, and is an Anarchist slogan originating from the late 19th century. The term was originally coined by the French anarchist Louis Auguste Blanqui (1801-1881). He was the founder and editor of a journal with the name “Ni dieu ni maître!” (1880-1886). Also Friedrich Nietzsche used the term in his groundbreaking work “Beyond Good and Evil” (1886). Since the late 19th century the term (or its translated equivalent) is used by Anarchists around the world, but has also been adopted by other political movements and even became part of the pop culture, e.g. Punk bands adopted the slogan, as well as Metal bands later on.

“Ce cri qui n’a pas la rosette,
Cette parole de prophète,
Je la revendique et vous souhaite
Ni Dieu ni maître.”
-— (Léo Ferré, ni Dieu ni maître, 1964)

Kindred Lore: Spell of Life

In the World of Darkness, the Spell of Life is powerful ritual which provides immortality. The ritual was initially developed by Isis, an Egyptian nature goddess, and Osiris sister and wife. The ritual to become immortal follows the cycle of nature in the sense, that all Immortals must die before they become Undying, and not until they have died can they become Undying. While the Spell of Life was able to sustain a body for millennia, it was flawed in that the recipient became a half-dead creature, resembling a walking corpse.

Only after Osiris awoke, he was able to create a new Spell of Life which did not contain the flaws of the previous one. This new version of the ritual was finally able to fill the recipients with life force and vitality, thus creating the Amenti. Those who denied this new version of the Spell were declared Shuankhsen, and are hunted by the Hand of Thoth. The Bane Mummies are the original and primary of the Hand of Thoth, as decreed by Horus, even though other enemies of Horus are persecuted with zeal by the Hand as well.

Reference:

• Spell of Life (White Wolf Wikia)

Kindred Lore: Bane Mummies

In the World of Darkness, the Bane Mummies are mummies raised by Set using the Spell of Life. The five man and two woman, who would become the Bane Mummies, were all Egyptians, mortal followers of Set in the first century B.C. But Set’s knowledge of the Spell of Life was incomplete, and therefore (unlike the mummies raised by the original Spell of Life), the bodies of the Bane Mummies were fused with unholy spirits. Their spirits journeyed in the Underworld after their death, undergoing significant abuse and torments. After their rebirth, their psychological damage became apparent, when they turned towards Apophis (the Egyptian deity who embodies chaos). They believed that they needed to mend an already broken world by letting Aphophis devour it, thus eventually abandoning their creator Set.

Initially there were only seven of them, and they are also known as Apepnu. But the Apepnu became able to create lesser Bane Mummies, which are called Asekh-sen. The seven original Bane Mummies are:

• Tutu the Doubly Evil One
• Quetu the Evil Doer
• Amam the Devourer
• Saatet-ta, Darkener of the Earth
• Hemhemti the Roarer
• Kharebutu the Fourfold Fiend (Kherebutu)
• Hau-hra of the Backward Face

References:

• Bane Mummies (White Wolf Wikia)
• World Of Darkness: Mummy (2nd Ed.), p34

Kindred Lore: NSA Trio

In the World of Darkness, there are three operatives with the US National Security Agency (NSA), namely Bruce Higgins, Maurice Edwards, and Felicity Price, which seems to have a significant deal of information the undead and vampires in particular. This NSA Trio form the core of the NSA’s domestic intelligence bureau, their task is to fight internal threats to the US. After their initial collaboration in the 70s, they put together information about vampires and the vampiric society. In the beginning, they used some of this information, to manipulate vampires into battling each other. After some initial successes, these efforts against the vampiric society have become less effective. There are rumors that the NSA Trio has been fallen under the influence of some outside force, but it is still not clear to the outsider, whether these rumors have a solid foundation or not.

• Reference: Hunter Hunted (p40)

White Wolf Presentation at Tenebrea Noctis

On December 12th, 2015, the Tenebrea Noctis convention was taking place in the Kommandeursburg Blatzheim near Cologne on December 12th, 2015. The event was the World of Darkness convention Europe, with a significant number of guests of honors, ranging from Mark Rein-Hagen and Justin Achilli to Tobias Sjögren and Martin Ericsson. The later talked extensively about the future of the World of Darkness, changes to come and show a peek at what is coming. You can watch the whole talk on YouTube, where VTES is briefly mentioned around 19:30 min, a short trailer of the World of Darkness is shown at 47:30.

Addendum: The video “One World of Darkness” in much better quality (as shown at the end of the presentation:

Kindred Lore: FBI Special Affairs Department

The Special Affairs Department (abbr. SAD) is a division within the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Relatively independent within the FBI, the Special Affairs Division is dedicated to investigating crimes and criminal activity involving supernatural creatures or occult phenomena. Founded in the early 1950’s, the Department is well aware of the threat posed by and has documented evidence verifying the existence of vampires, werewolves, and mages. The Department has also investigated cases involving ghosts and even UFOs in the past. Even though in recent years the size of the Department has been reduced, the bulk of the division’s resources and manpower has almost solely been devoted to criminal cases implicating the activities of either vampires or werewolves.

• Hunter’s Organizations: FBI Special Affairs Department
• Special Affairs Department

Kindred Lore: White Nights Massacre

In the World of Darkness, the White Nights Massacre, was a battle between Baba Yaga’s Army of the Night and a group of Garou taking place in St. Petersburg. Viktor, the general of the Army of the Night, was on a mission for Baba Yaga during the White Nights in St. Petersburg. The city is situated at latitudes near the Arctic Circle, so during late June each year, there are a couple of days where the sun goes down, but the nights never get completely dark.

In order to avoid the sun during these days, Viktor ordered the vampires of the Army of  the Night to hide in the land using Earth Meld. Even if the Garou would discover the Army of Night, he was sure, they would — out of mutual respect — leave the vampires alone. A group of Garous (about a dozen or so), eventually discovered the hiding place of the Army of the Night during the White Nights in St. Petersburg, didn’t really care about mutual respect towards undead creatures, and began to unearth the sleeping vampires. The vampires being completely surprised, and no match for the assaulting Garous in daylight, couldn’t really fight back, and with their general got slaughtered by the lupines.

References:

• Know Your Kindred: Viktor, Ghe Night General.

Kindred Lore: Fortschritt Library

From an outside view, the Fortschritt Library is a private library and college in Vienna, Austria. It houses a large collection of books, ancient and new. In fact, the Forschritt Library situated at the Ringstraße in Vienna, is the head chantry of the Tremere, the heart of House Tremere if you will. Initially there were plans to build a church at the site, but after the funding didn’t came through, the half-finished building was completed with the help of secret patron as lavish, but secular baroque structure in the late 1850s.

In the eyes of mortals, the House of Hapsburg was sponsoring the library, leading to large collection of books, which soon became the focal points of visits by scholars from all over Europe. While this may be true for some parts of the library, the Tremre have gathered knowledge for a far longer time than the House of Hapsburg exists. A considerable part of the library houses rather heretical and blasphemous writings collected by the Tremere for centuries, which are of course kept from the mortal academics.

References:

• The Wounded King (Victorian Age triology Part III)
• Vienna Chantry (Camarilla Wiki)

Remarks: For reference, the picture shown on the Fortschritt Library cards seems to depict the St. Maria della Rotonda church in Rome (as shown above).

Kindred Lore: Sweepers & Other Anarchs

Despite the general impressions the other sects (and the Camarilla in particular) are giving, the Anarchs do have some form of organizational structure. Of course, the structure is somewhat looser than their Camarilla or Sabbat counterparts, but it does exist. Only in contrast to the Camarilla and the Sabbat (to lesser extend), there is no strict hierarchy of power within the Anarch society. Groups of vampires often form up within a few weeks, but easily dissolve at the same rate as well.

There are a number of loose positions within the Anarch society, although often different nomenclature is used depending on the geographical area:

• Barons are the (informal) rulers of an Anarch domain, but often wield not the same power or authority as a Prince or an Archbishop. They try to uphold some sort of peace within their domain and act as mediators, and therefore often try to moderate conflict than enforcing a particular policy.
• Emissaries are the diplomats or middlemen when it comes to negotiating a truce or dealing with other political groups in general. An emissary can be appointed by a Baron, but more often an Anarch group “elects” an emissary from its own ranks to strike a deal with a neighboring Camarilla Prince or trying to negotiate a longer lasting non-aggression pact with a group of Garous.
• Sweepers are responsible for gathering information who’s in a given territory of an Anarch domain. They usually forward this information to a Baron or other Anarch groups of influence, to avoid unnecessary violence or other unpleasant surprises. Sweepers are often not very popular, because most Anarchs view the Sweepers as snitches, while other Anarchs regard the Sweeper’s activity as a necessary evil to keep violence low and limit the influence of other sects.
• The Chameleons are moles who infiltrate groups of vampires outside of Anarch territory and trying to get into positions of power there. They may or may not be involved in intrigues or acts of sabotage, but they will provide information on what they hear and see to other Anarchs.

Reference:

• The Anarch State
• Anarch on White Wolf Wikia
• Guide to Playing an Anarch

Kindred Lore: The Weeping Stone

The Weeping Stone is a sacred relic and pilgrimage site for the Lost Tribe (aka the “True Black Hand“), which is located in the mountainous region of modern Iraq. It is believed to be the resting spot of Zillah the Fair who was turned to stone by Caine.

According to the book Children of the Revolution, the Weeping Stone lies in a strange, desolate valley in the mountainous region of modern Iraq. The stone itself is tall and lushly curved, and a thin, yet steady trickle of liquid course down the stone’s surface, its path over the centuries having worn a rivulet in the basalt.

The liquid from the Weeping Stone is also known as Zillah’s Tears. Those who drink those tears dream during their day hours, experiencing visions of the destruction of the Second Generation.

Reference:

• Weeping Stone (on White Wolf Wikia)
• The Lost Tribe (on White Wolf Wikia)

Roam

“Gypsies, vagabonds and charlatans, the cunning vampires of Clan Ravnos roam the night as they indulge in the most dangerous of games — lying to the liars, tricking the tricksters, and gleefully receiving curses from the Damned. From Bel Air to Bombay, from Shanghai to Sarajevo, these nomadic vampires wander where their citybound Kindred fear to tread. Now learn of the Ravnos’ secret arts, and the centuries of hate that can lie behind a jester’s smile.” — Clanbook: Ravnos (Revised)

Purpose

“The clans of Caine have only recently seen the true face of Clan Assamite. Once assumed to be mere assassins, the Assamites have thrown off the Camarillas debilitating curse and their mantle of silence. A diverse clan of noble warriors, erudite scholars, learned sorcerers and murderous diablerists, the Assamites have stepped forth to claim their legacy in the Final Nights.

The High Price of Undeath.” — Clanbook: Assamite (Revised)

Decay

“Embraced by a fallen clan during nights long past, the Giovanni have always had ambition. Now they bring that ambition to bear on a world they would claim for themselves. With vast wealth, the ability to command the spirits of the dead, and a strict familial hierarchy, the greatest enemy to stand against Clan Giovanni is itself.

The Curse of Caine Stolen” — Clanbook: Giovanni (Revised)

Kindred Lore: The Eye of Hazimel

The Eye of Hazimel is a powerful supernatural item, and one of the major plot devices of the Vampire’s Clan Novel saga of Vampire: the Masquerade.

The Eye belonged to the Ravnos Methuselah Hazimel, and holds great powers of mutation and destruction. In order to use it, its wielder has to replace one of their own eyes with it. The Eye often has a negative effect on its wielder’s mind (and sometimes even his body), pushing the wielder’s personality into unpredictable directions and even altering his physical form.

When ruling much of pre-historic India, Hazimel had used the Eye to monitor what was happening out in the outside world, even when he was resting in his tomb. Later on he used it as gift to other rulers in India in order to ensure their loyalty. A long time the Eye had been forgotten, only known from legends about a gypsies’ “Evil Eye“.

The Eye resurfaced during the assault of the Sabbat on Atlanta in 1999, when the Tremere antitribu Leopold got hold of it. Leopold having an unstable personality (believing that he himself was a Toreador) anyhow, was greatly influenced by the Eye’s power and created a horrific “artwork” of flesh and stone in the Adirondack Mountains (in upstate New York). The local Gangrel became aware of Leopold’s machinations, and therefore got into conflict with him. Except for the Gangrel Justicar Xaviar, he killed a whole warband of Gangrel who were assaulting him. Xaviar’s  request for help was denied by the Camarilla war council in Baltimore soon after, which prompted Xaviar to make clan Gangrel leave the Camarilla.

Hesha Ruhadze, a Setite scholar, after hearing about reappearance of the Eye of Hazimel, set on to retrieve the Eye. A group of Camarilla vampires around Victoria Ash, Ramona and Theo Bell eventually faced Leopold in the streets of New York. Together they managed to kill him in a final combat. In the aftermath of the battle, a deal was struck between the Toreador Justicar Lucinde and Hesha granting him the Eye for further studies.

The Eye didn’t stay too long in Hesha’s possession, because a war party lead by the Tzimisce Lambach, took hold of the Eye. Again the Eye showed its destructive powers by changing Lambach’s body almost unrecognizable. The Eye then got lost, when Lambach’s legion of vampires got eradicated by Ambrogino Giovanni and a group of the Giovanni’s most formidable necromancers near Los Angeles.

References:

• Eye of Hazimel on White Wolf Wikia.
• Know Your Kindred: Hazimel on Charlotte by Night.
• The VtM Clan Novel Saga
• The Eye of Hazimel VTES Storyline 2002
• Lambach’s Legion VTES Storyline 2003

Fester

“The sands of Egypt conceal a frightening menace a cult of vampires dedicated to their fallen lord. The Followers of Set are scattered all over the world, seducing mortals into cults and enslaving other Kindred through their own vices. Yet the Setites do not exist for excess alone: They gather secrets from the darkness that spawned them, secrets that can be yours for a price.”

Blasphemies and Debasement.” — Clanbook: Followers of Set (Revised)

Deviant

From the antitribu who forged the Sabbat to dreaded Dracula himself, the Tzimisce have carved an indelible place for themselves among the society of the Damned. The modern nights have caught up with these monsters, however, who have fallen from their place as masters of hoary estates to degenerates bound by the callous whims of the Sabbat.

The Flesh-Twisted Fiends. — Clanbook: Tzimisce (Revised)

Eclipse

“The Final Nights have twisted the nobility of the Keepers clan, turning them into the aristocrats of that diabolical sect. Their legacy of shadows eclipses the light thrown by their packs ritual fires. But are the Lasombra truly the esteemed leaders of the Sword of Caine or do they simply abuse it to serve their own ends?

The Lords of the Sabbat.” — Clanbook: Lasombra (Revised)