Post by Tami on Mar 3, 2007 21:35:45 GMT -5
Primacy of Blood
Blood ties all Cainites together. It was the blood of Abel that cursed Caine, and in turn, it is Caine’s blood that now flows through the dead veins of all vampires. This unholy blood, which vampires call vitae, fuel a Cainite’s existence, but also has other mystical qualities. It is through blood that all Cainites trace their ancestry; from the vampire who created them all the way back to Cain himself. The blood also grants Cainites inhuman strength and reflexes and the blood magic of the disciplines. While the Beast damns Cainites, and Caine’s Curse haunts them, the blood defines them as their own race.
Ties of Blood: Generation
All Cainites trace their ancestry according to how far removed they are from Caine, how many generations down that cursed line they are. When Caine sired in Enoch, her sired the second generation, who in turn sired the third and on and on until the present night. Cainites use generation to describe their heritage as Caine’s children. Those of low Generation, two or three times removed from Caine, are accorded more respect then those nine or ten times removed. In the Dark Medieval night, only 13 generations have been counted, and the wretches of the 13th are seen as less-then-whole by their supposed betters. Indeed, each generation dilutes the blood of Caine, making that generation weaker than the one preceding it. The Book of Nod speaks of a time of thin blood when Caine’s legacy will be so diluted that half-human, half vampire mongrels will overrun the cities and lairs and herald the coming of Gehenna. For this reason, many old Cainites fear the younger ones, distrusting vampires of the 10th, 11th and 12th generations.
Caine
Caine has the dubious honor of being the first among the Damned, the malignant seed from which all other Cainites claim their heritage. Nothing has been heard from Caine since he vanished after the Great Flood, and only those of the third generation have any real memories of the Dark Father. Some Cainites claim to have a met a mysterious wanderer, ancient as the land itself and wearing a cloak made of night. Whether this wanderer is Caine or not, no one knows. Those who believe also fear the night Caine returns, for it is prophesied that he will bring with him a final accounting for his spawn.
2nd Generation
Caine is said to have embraced only three childer--the mythical second generation and sires of the 13 Antediluvians. Like Caine, little is known about the Three, who most likely all met their end in the Great Flood or in the upheavals of the Second City. Even the might Antediluvians are hesitant to speak of their sires, beings of incredible beauty, but also tyrants and demi-gods. It is rumored that one, or all three may have survived and spent the centuries looking for Caine, waiting for his return to rebuild Enoch again.
3rd Generation-Antediluvians
It is with the 3rd generation that myth and legend meet reality. The Book of Nod claims that only 13 vampires belong to the 3rd generation and that each are the progenitors of one of the 13 clans. Only Caine and the Three, know how many of the 3rd generation were actually created. They are quite literally "Antediluvians," having survived the biblical flood by slumbering under the waters to hide from the sun. They are so ancient, it is said, that most can exist only in torpor, that state of dark slumber that affects all Cainites of advanced age. Legend says that when the Antediluvians finally emerge from their slumber, they will devour their clans to sate their eternal hunger, and this will be Gehenna.
4th and 5th Generation-Methuselahs
Known as Methuselahs, the vampires of the 4th and 5th generations are almost as powerful as their sires. Although they are old, some have escaped the call of lasting torpor, and even those who have failed are only condemned to slumber a few centuries at a time. Their power lies in their advanced Disciplines and age. Few vampires of subsequent generations can match a Methuselah's power. It is said they can will volcanoes to erupt and command the legions of Hell itself. Their age is also their weakness, though. Many of the 4th and 5th generations fall victim to their rivals' and enemies' schemes, or they become infected with a deep melancholy. Few recover from this ennui, fading into the veil of time or becoming dispassionate, playing their games of intrigue with a detached intensity--a dangerous combination.
Sixth and Seven Generations
Younger than the Methuselahs and Antediluvians, many of the vampires of the 6th and 7th generations are still elders of Cainite Society. While few Cainites ever cross paths with a 4th generation vampire, most encounter the self-styled lords of the 6th and 7th generations. Although they are not as powerful as the Methuselahs, these Cainites are still formidable opponents, who gladly sacrifice mystical and spiritual power for temporal influence. These Cainites rule over vast kingdoms, donning the crown of monarchs and commanding armies of younger Cainites and mortal thralls.
8th and 9th Generations
Achieving a delicate balance between age and generation, these vampires are the most visible in the 13th century. Although they are young, the blood of Caine flows strongly through their veins, usually enough to give them an edge over those of higher generation. They are nowhere near as old as most Cainites of lower generation, however, which places them in a delicate position. Most Cainites of 8th and 9th generations overcome this disadvantage by siring large covens of childer. In the last century or so, this practice has led to an explosion in the Cainite population, mainly of the 9th and 10th generations.
10th and 11th Generations
While they are comparatively young, most vampires created within the last few centuries belong to the 10th and 11 generations. The blood of Caine still flows through them, but they have only recently overthrown the shackles of their sires and become powers in their own right. The Curse of Caine has not yet blinded them as it has those of lower generations. The night is still full of wonder, and these Cainites burn with passion and conviction, but their undead hearts burn with a furious intensity that makes them forces to be reckoned with.
12th Generation and beyond
Fledglings and neonates, these vampires are separated by blood and millennia from Caine. Nonetheless, all are powerful creatures by virtue of their damned nature. Although they lack the power of the lower generations, the vampires of the 12th generation stand above men, capable of besting the strongest mortal knight in battle and wielding influence over barons, merchants, and counts. The Cainites of the 12th generation are children of the present nights. The vast majority were embraced within the past few decades, which gives them leverage that not even the 6th and 7th generations can claim.
In the 13 generation, facts again mix with rumor and myth. Cainite scholars claim that Caine's blood is so weak in them, that those of the 13th generation are not even full vampires, but Caitiff--wretches unable to survive for only a decade at the most. The few vampires of this generation that have survived are seen as heralds of Gehenna and abominations of Caine's cursing. Most 12th generation vampires are prohibited from siring, and the few that do hide their progeny for fear of being destroyed. Those 13th generation Cainites who survive are treated with both suspicion and paranoia.
Blood ties all Cainites together. It was the blood of Abel that cursed Caine, and in turn, it is Caine’s blood that now flows through the dead veins of all vampires. This unholy blood, which vampires call vitae, fuel a Cainite’s existence, but also has other mystical qualities. It is through blood that all Cainites trace their ancestry; from the vampire who created them all the way back to Cain himself. The blood also grants Cainites inhuman strength and reflexes and the blood magic of the disciplines. While the Beast damns Cainites, and Caine’s Curse haunts them, the blood defines them as their own race.
Ties of Blood: Generation
All Cainites trace their ancestry according to how far removed they are from Caine, how many generations down that cursed line they are. When Caine sired in Enoch, her sired the second generation, who in turn sired the third and on and on until the present night. Cainites use generation to describe their heritage as Caine’s children. Those of low Generation, two or three times removed from Caine, are accorded more respect then those nine or ten times removed. In the Dark Medieval night, only 13 generations have been counted, and the wretches of the 13th are seen as less-then-whole by their supposed betters. Indeed, each generation dilutes the blood of Caine, making that generation weaker than the one preceding it. The Book of Nod speaks of a time of thin blood when Caine’s legacy will be so diluted that half-human, half vampire mongrels will overrun the cities and lairs and herald the coming of Gehenna. For this reason, many old Cainites fear the younger ones, distrusting vampires of the 10th, 11th and 12th generations.
Caine
Caine has the dubious honor of being the first among the Damned, the malignant seed from which all other Cainites claim their heritage. Nothing has been heard from Caine since he vanished after the Great Flood, and only those of the third generation have any real memories of the Dark Father. Some Cainites claim to have a met a mysterious wanderer, ancient as the land itself and wearing a cloak made of night. Whether this wanderer is Caine or not, no one knows. Those who believe also fear the night Caine returns, for it is prophesied that he will bring with him a final accounting for his spawn.
2nd Generation
Caine is said to have embraced only three childer--the mythical second generation and sires of the 13 Antediluvians. Like Caine, little is known about the Three, who most likely all met their end in the Great Flood or in the upheavals of the Second City. Even the might Antediluvians are hesitant to speak of their sires, beings of incredible beauty, but also tyrants and demi-gods. It is rumored that one, or all three may have survived and spent the centuries looking for Caine, waiting for his return to rebuild Enoch again.
3rd Generation-Antediluvians
It is with the 3rd generation that myth and legend meet reality. The Book of Nod claims that only 13 vampires belong to the 3rd generation and that each are the progenitors of one of the 13 clans. Only Caine and the Three, know how many of the 3rd generation were actually created. They are quite literally "Antediluvians," having survived the biblical flood by slumbering under the waters to hide from the sun. They are so ancient, it is said, that most can exist only in torpor, that state of dark slumber that affects all Cainites of advanced age. Legend says that when the Antediluvians finally emerge from their slumber, they will devour their clans to sate their eternal hunger, and this will be Gehenna.
4th and 5th Generation-Methuselahs
Known as Methuselahs, the vampires of the 4th and 5th generations are almost as powerful as their sires. Although they are old, some have escaped the call of lasting torpor, and even those who have failed are only condemned to slumber a few centuries at a time. Their power lies in their advanced Disciplines and age. Few vampires of subsequent generations can match a Methuselah's power. It is said they can will volcanoes to erupt and command the legions of Hell itself. Their age is also their weakness, though. Many of the 4th and 5th generations fall victim to their rivals' and enemies' schemes, or they become infected with a deep melancholy. Few recover from this ennui, fading into the veil of time or becoming dispassionate, playing their games of intrigue with a detached intensity--a dangerous combination.
Sixth and Seven Generations
Younger than the Methuselahs and Antediluvians, many of the vampires of the 6th and 7th generations are still elders of Cainite Society. While few Cainites ever cross paths with a 4th generation vampire, most encounter the self-styled lords of the 6th and 7th generations. Although they are not as powerful as the Methuselahs, these Cainites are still formidable opponents, who gladly sacrifice mystical and spiritual power for temporal influence. These Cainites rule over vast kingdoms, donning the crown of monarchs and commanding armies of younger Cainites and mortal thralls.
8th and 9th Generations
Achieving a delicate balance between age and generation, these vampires are the most visible in the 13th century. Although they are young, the blood of Caine flows strongly through their veins, usually enough to give them an edge over those of higher generation. They are nowhere near as old as most Cainites of lower generation, however, which places them in a delicate position. Most Cainites of 8th and 9th generations overcome this disadvantage by siring large covens of childer. In the last century or so, this practice has led to an explosion in the Cainite population, mainly of the 9th and 10th generations.
10th and 11th Generations
While they are comparatively young, most vampires created within the last few centuries belong to the 10th and 11 generations. The blood of Caine still flows through them, but they have only recently overthrown the shackles of their sires and become powers in their own right. The Curse of Caine has not yet blinded them as it has those of lower generations. The night is still full of wonder, and these Cainites burn with passion and conviction, but their undead hearts burn with a furious intensity that makes them forces to be reckoned with.
12th Generation and beyond
Fledglings and neonates, these vampires are separated by blood and millennia from Caine. Nonetheless, all are powerful creatures by virtue of their damned nature. Although they lack the power of the lower generations, the vampires of the 12th generation stand above men, capable of besting the strongest mortal knight in battle and wielding influence over barons, merchants, and counts. The Cainites of the 12th generation are children of the present nights. The vast majority were embraced within the past few decades, which gives them leverage that not even the 6th and 7th generations can claim.
In the 13 generation, facts again mix with rumor and myth. Cainite scholars claim that Caine's blood is so weak in them, that those of the 13th generation are not even full vampires, but Caitiff--wretches unable to survive for only a decade at the most. The few vampires of this generation that have survived are seen as heralds of Gehenna and abominations of Caine's cursing. Most 12th generation vampires are prohibited from siring, and the few that do hide their progeny for fear of being destroyed. Those 13th generation Cainites who survive are treated with both suspicion and paranoia.