Vampire (World of Darkness)

The Vampires are a species that feature in World of Darkness.

History

Vampires were a race of undead humans that came to inhabit the world. Vampire mythology as detailed in the Book of Nod which spoke of their origin. According to it, after Caine killed his brother Abel he was exiled by God to Nod located in the East of Eden. Outside of Nod, he came to meet Lilith who taught him the basics of vampiric power. At this time, he was also cursed by God's Angels to be vulnerable to fire, sunlight and the treachery of his descendants. Caine then traveled to Enoch, the First City of the human race. There he embraced its ruler and became the God-King of the city, embracing three childer as the Second Generation. These three childer in turn embraced the thirteen Antediluvians who became the founders of the vampire clans.

Some time after this, the Antediluvians rebelled against the Second Generation, after which the Great Flood covered Enoch in water. The Antediluvians survived for 40 days under water, devouring their own, until the floods receded. Some time after the flood, the Antediluvians build the Second City, which they rule over as Gods, until Caine returns to pass judgement on them. Caine curses each of the Clans, then leaves. The Antediluvians spread across the world at this time, travelling to various places and embracing further descendants. Eventually, they sink into Torpor. Vampires fear Gehenna, the time that the Antediluvians will rise from Torpor and devour their descendants, then Caine will return in judgement. The Camarilla claims Gehenna is a fraud, and that there are no Antediluvians. In contrast, the Sabbat is strongly Noddist and sees defeating the Antediluvians as their entire purpose.

Overview

Vampires were created through the Embrace whereby the blood was drained from a candidate with it being replaced by a small amount of their own. This caused the corpse to rise as a vampire, usually instantly though in some cases those of the highest generations may appear to lie dead for some time before they awaken. The vampire who initiated the Embrace was known as a Sire whilst the newborn vampire was the Sire's Childe.

After being Embraced, their internal organs withered away, and almost all their body fluids were replaced by blood. The only exception being the stomach, which pulsed with the blood that the vampire consumed.

Whilst the act of giving the Embrace will create a new vampire, this creature will have a potential power level lower than that of his or her sire. Thus, the further distant in relation to Caine the vampire is, the less powerful the vampire will be, and there are no recorded instances of vampires of higher than fifteenth generation.

Nominally, every vampire is Embraced into a Clan, which is a line of vampires tracing their ancestry back to a common Antediluvian. Each Clan has specific strengths and weaknesses, as well as their own distinct history. A vampire without a Clan was Caitiff, generally a second-class citizen in vampiric society.

Nominally, every vampire is Embraced into a Clan, which is a line of vampires tracing their ancestry back to a common Antediluvian. Each Clan has specific strengths and weaknesses, as well as their own distinct history. A vampire without a Clan is Caitiff, generally a second-class citizen in vampiric society. Most vampires belong to one of two major sects: the Camarilla and the Sabbat. The Camarilla consists of those clans who are dedicated to preserving the Masquerade and (generally) their Humanity. The Sabbat are dedicated to the coming Gehenna and the superiority of the vampire species over humanity. It should be noted that the distinction is not between Good Vampires and Bad Vampires as much as between Bad Vampires and Worse Vampires (which is which depends largely on who you ask). The Camarilla and Sabbat are violent enemies.

The largest of the vampiric sects, the Camarilla was formed by the coming together of seven of the Great Clans in the fifteenth century, largely as a response to the growing threats posed by both the Catholic Church’s Inquisition and a large-scale revolt of vampire Anarchs bent on overthrowing what they perceived to be an oppressive undead hierarchy.

Known clans included:

• Clan Ventrue :
• Clan Tremere :
• Clan Brujah :
• Clan Gangrel :

In addition to these two Sects, several lesser divisions exist. Vampires who reject both Sects in favor of more independence are grouped into a loose community called Anarch. Several Clans are loyal primarily to their Clans, and are independent of the major Sects. In addition, there is a group of mysterious elder vampires, the Inconnu, who eschew all politics in favor of their own projects. However, not every Kindred belongs to a Sect, nor swears fealty to a Clan, Prince, Bishop, or other such entity - these Autarkis often lead solitary unlives not unlike hermits or outcasts.

There were also an increasing number of 'clanless', these were vampires who were abandoned by their sires immediately following the Embrace and who are ignorant of their clan status; a vampire cannot choose to become clanless. They are called Caitiff by the Camarilla, and regarded as a sign of the Masquerade spiralling out of control, therefore gaining little respect from their elders. The Sabbat, on the other hand, gladly embraces the clanless (which they call Panders) into the sect. The more superstitious see the growing numbers of these vampires as an omen of the coming Gehenna, the Final Nights of prophecy when all children of Caine will be destroyed.

Vampires observe a set of customs that exists somewhere between being coded into their undead natures and a social contract that’s ratified every night among the courts of the Damned. Not every vampire affords the idea of the Traditions the respect they deserve — the Sabbat in particular make bold claims about the flaws of the Traditions and the weak wills of those who hide behind them — but in practice, most vampires observe the Traditions to some extent. This is most true of the Masquerade, for as bold as the Sabbat or Anarchs may be, even they don’t have the concentrated might to stand against a world of mortals who learn the secret that the undead walk among them.

Interpreting and enforcing the Traditions is the privilege and responsibility of the Cainite rulers. In some domains, particularly those of non-Camarilla Sects, both the titles and the Traditions themselves may vary, but the core principle is found everywhere: that an undead authority makes the rules and woe to any who feel that they don’t have to heed them.

Members

• Caine :
• Brujah Antediluvian :
• Haqim :
• Absimiliard :
• Set :
• Baba Yaga :
• Augustus Giovanni :
• Dracula :
• Helena :

Notes

• Vampires were created by White Wolf where they featured in the setting of the World of Darkness universe.

Appearances

• Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook:
• Vampire: The Dark Ages Rulebook:

External Link

• White Wolf Wiki Entry

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