Generations and Cainite Mythology

[Tami]

Antediluvians
3rd Generation

These ancient vampires, if they exists at all, are likely the most powerful creatures in the world. Members of the Third Generations, the Antediluvians are only two steps removed from the First Vampire, Caine. Antediluvians, when they choose to rise from their long sleep, affect all with whom they come in contact; according to the few fractured accounts of their doings, they possess virtually godlike power. According to Kindred legend, there were 13 original Antediluvians, though some ahve allegedly been destroyed. Their eternal struggle, the Jyhad, touches all Kindred, and innumerable layers of manipulation and deception make the plots of these Ancients almose imperceptible.

Methusaluhs
4th-5th Generations

If the Antediluvians are the Kindred's gods, the terrible Methuselahs are demigods and avatars. At a point between a vampire's thousandth and two thousandth year, a grave change overtakes the Kindred. Sometimes the change is physical, while at other times it is mental or emotional. Whatever the nature of th change, the end result ids that the vampire no longer bears any semblance of humanity. Having truly moved from the earthly realm of the supernatural, the Methuselahs often retire into the earth, where they may avoid attempts of diablerie by lesser Kindred. Kindred greatly fear the Methuselahs, who are accorded any number of horrifying characteristics. Rumres speak of Methuselahs whose skin has become stone, of everything from hideous disfigurement to unearthly beauty that cannot be looked upon. Some are believed to drink only vampire blood, while others control the fates of entire nations from their cold tombs.

Elders
6th-8th Generations

Elders are Kindred that have existed for hundreds of years, and typically range from sixth to eighth generation. With centuries of accumulated cunning and terrible thirst for power, elder Kindred are the most physically active participants in the Jyhad - they do not suffer the long fits od torpor that the Methuselahs and Antediluvians, but they are not so powerless or easily manipulated as the younger Kindred are. Princes, powerful primogen and justicars tend to hail from these generations, though it should be noted that European holders of these titles tend to be lower generation and greater power the their American counterparts. The Eighth Generation is certainly the lowest generation to which one may be considered an elder, though this seems largely arbitrary.

Ancillae
9th-10th Generations

Ancillae are relatively young vampires (between one and two hundred years of unlife) who have proved themselves as valuable memebers of the Kindred society. Ancillae are the lackeys to greater Kindred, and - if they're clever or lucky - tomorrow's elders. Ancillae is the rank between neonate and elder, signifying that the Kindred has cut her teeth (so to speak), but lacks the age and experience to become a true master of the Jyhad. Because the world's population has grown so in the last two centuries, the vast majority of vampires are ancillae or neonates.

Neonates
11th-13th Generations

Neonates vary from newly released fledglings to indolent Kindred of a hundred years or more. Marked by the stigma of not yet having proved themselves to the elders, neonates are inexperienced vampires who might one night make something of themselves - but, more likely, will fall as pawns in the schemes of the other undead.

Fledgings

Also known more loosely as "childer" (although every vampire except Caine is someone's childe), fledglings are newly reborn vampires still under the tutelage and protection of their sires, the vampires who created them. Fledglings are not considered full members of Kindred society and are often treated disrespectfully or as the sire's property. When her sire decides her childe is ready, the fledgling may become a neonate, subject to the prince's approval.

(Vampire: the Masquerade 3rd edition. Page 30-31, 56) Cainite Mythology

[Tami]

Generations and Cainite Mythology

According to the most widely accepted history of the Kindred, the race of vampires issued from the progenitor vampire. Caine. Banished into the land of Nod after killing his brother Abel, Caine was cursed by God and thereby became the first vampire. Thereafter, Caine sired three childer, who in turn sired their own childer, and on and on.

An oft-referenced collection of Kindred lore known as The Book of Nod, contains numerous illustrations of the Kindred's creation myth. Unfortunately for those who wish to know it all, the book engenders more questions than it answers, and even forms the basis for one of the other theories of Kindred origin, the Lilith Cycle (which is decried and suppressed as heresy by the Camarilla).

In the end, there are no immediately forthcoming answers. Indeed, there may be no answer to the mystery at all.

Caine
Reputedly the "father of all vampires," Caine is more myth than reality in the modern nights. Some of the Fourth Generation, as well as certain members of the Sabbat, claim to have met a being who referred to himself as Caine, but the story has filtered through so many individuals and layers of the Jyhad that no one can precisely tell where truth ends and fabrication begins.

Skeptical Kindred have noted a lapse in the myth of Caine: If Caine's first childer are of the Second Generation, and thereby two steps removed from Caine, what, if anything, was the First Generation? Certainly, Caine himself is not "First Generation," as he can hardly be one step removed from himself. The question will likely go forever unresolved.

Second Generation
According to Kindred texts of unknown authenticity, Caine sired three childer. Created to ease Caine's sorrow, Caine's childer (some accounts agree on the names Zillah, Irad and Enosch, though the last is frequently referred to as Enki) carried out their unlives in the First City of Enoch.

Little is known of the Second Generation -- presumably they sired the Third Generation, but nothing is known of them after their childer rose up against them in the nights of the First City. Likely, the Second Generation perished in the Great Flood or at the hands of their childer.

Third Generation
The Third Generation, vampires known as Antediluvians (for they predate the Great Flood), supposedly gave rise to what are called clans in the modern idiom. Recently, tales of active Antediluvians have become rampant, and new accounts of their movements, while dubious, arise nightly. Although the Camarilla scoffs at the notion of surviving Antediluvians, four Antediluvians have been observed with varying degrees of credibility. Lucian and Mekhet, obviously pseudonyms for clan founders wishing to remain anonymous, are the only widely known names of active Third Generation vampires. Clan Giovanni and its founder reportedly confer regularly, while an inhuman creature some say is the founder of the Tremere has been seen recently in Mexico City. Certain Antediluvians are said to have been destroyed, but none can corroborate these statements.

The Antediluvians are the true players of the Jyhad, an ancient and terrible game predicated upon the thwarting of the other members of the Third Generation. The turns of the Jyhad are inscrutable, but the Antediluvians have pawns in every corner of the Earth, carrying out the directives of their sleeping masters. The rules are as unknowable as the players themselves are, and everything from outright war to centuries-long games of espionage seems to be de rigueur.

Whether or not the game has always been one of movement and counterattack is likewise unknown -- are these the rules, or has the Jyhad degenerated into petty hamstringing? Some vampires, noting the origin of the word Jyhad, also wonder if there are other factors at play. It is possible that some of the Kindred involved in the Jyhad have attained the fabled peace of Golconda, and may be trying to aid -- or hinder -- others in attaining that state of transcendence. Certainly, they are counteracted as well by foes who do not wish this to come to pass.

Antediluvians are almost divine in their scope of ability, and possess powers unimaginable by those not of their caliber. Jyhad scholars have hypothesized that the Third Generation are the last vampires to have true mastery over life and death, and may be destroyed only if they so choose or if one of equal power bests them. These same Kindred wonder if perhaps the Jyhad is a contest, with the last Antediluvian left without suffering the Final Death named as winner.

Fourth and Fifth Generations
These powerful vampires are known as Methuselahs. They are millennia old, exceedingly rare, and almost as powerful as the Third Generation. Few of these generations remain active participants in the Jyhad, as their potent blood is craved by Kindred younger than they. Many Methuselahs take refuge in hidden torpor, where they may avoid attempts at diablerie by lesser Kindred and control their own forces in the Jyhad. In recent years, a number of powerful Methuselahs are whispered to have risen in far corners of the Earth, and the most influential members of the Camarilla's Inner Circle and the Sabbat's regent and prisci are rumored to be Methuselahs.

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Generations
Most of the powerful, visible masters of the Jyhad are members of generations six through eight. Kindred of these ages have concentrated areas of influence and wield significant quantities of power (enough to make them prime pawns in the Jyhad, though these vampires find it inconceivable that they themselves may be manipulated). Princes, powerful primogen and justicars tend to hail from these generations, though it should be noted that European holders of these titles tend to be of lower generation and greater power than their American counterparts.

Members of these generations are commonly referred to as elders. The Eight Generation is certainly the lowest generation at which one may be considered an elder, though this seems largely arbitrary. Most members of the Eighth Generation and below were sired long before the modern nights, and are thus accustomed to power and high station.

Ninth and Tenth Generations
Kindred of the ninth and tenth generations play a dangerous game. Often too old and experienced to be associated with the lesser neonates and ancillae, but too raw and weak to hold their own among the elders, the Ninth and Tenth Generations find themselves left to their own devices. They do not require the governance that the wilder, younger Kindred do, and so they meet the night on their own terms. Much like mortal adolescents, the Ninth and Tenth Generations are getting a taste for the power and influence they may soon come to possess.

11th, 12th and 13th Generations
Neonates and young ancillae, members of these generations are relatively new to the curse of vampirism. Although they are powerful creatures in and of themselves, at least compared to the mortals upon whom they prey, their newfound powers are nothing compared to Kindred hundreds of years their elders. Most Vampire players' characters will be of these generations.

14th and 15th Generations
A woeful modern development, these thin-blooded Kindred have appeared in recent years. The blood of Caine is so weak in them that some are rumored to be able to bear the light of the sun and partake of mortal food. Many Kindred scholars look upon the influx of these vampires with fear, remembering passages in The Book of Nod that make reference to the "Time of Thin Blood." This time is said to presage the coming of Gehenna.

[Tami]

Ancient Lore

The verbal history of the Kindred -- though some insist that it is more legendry than history -- occupies a position of great reverence in vampiric society. The most popular and widely accepted myth is that of Caine, the First Vampire and slayer of his brother. An elusive text know as The Book of Nod chronicles Caine's exile and his subsequent journeys eastward. Much of what is "known" about Caine originates in various passages of The Book of Nod, though little exists to corroborate the book or its validity.

In the beginning there was only Caine.
Caine who sacrificed his brother out of love.
Caine who was cast out.
Caine who was cursed forever with immortality.
Caine who was cursed with the lust for blood.
It is Caine from whom we all come.
Our sire's sire.
For the passing of an age he lived in the land of Nod.
In loneliness and suffering.
For an eon he remained alone.
But the passing of memory drowned his sorrow.
And so he returned to the world of mortals.
To the world of mortals.
To the world his brother and his brother's children had created.

As Caine returned to the Children of Seth (the name that vampires came to call the kine), many believe that he went about the construction of a great city, in which vampires coexisted with mortals. Some Kindred historians speak of this period as an idyllic time of harmony, though more cynical Cainites say that the vampires inflicted themselves upon the Children of Seth like a plague. It is believed that the 13 clans came into existence at this time, as Caine's childer sired childer of their own. Breaks in the narrative suggest that there may have been more than 13 members of the Third Generation, or more than three members of the Second Generation. Cainite cults dedicated to the progenitor's myth claim that there may have been as many as 100 members of the Third Generation, but no evidence is forthcoming.

Though he became ruler of a mighty nation, he was still alone.
For none was as he. His sorrow grew once again.
Then he committed another great sin, for he begat progeny.
[Of whom there were only three.]†
But from them came more progeny, Caine's grandchilder,
And then Caine said, "An end to this crime. There shall be no more."
And as Caine's word was the law, his brood obeyed him.
The city stood for many ages,
And became the center of a mighty empire.

The city's nights were numbered, the tales continue, and God sent the Great Flood to erase the wickedness Caine's childer brought to the world. Mortal Biblical accounts place this event as the one in which Noah built his ark to escape the fate humanity had brought upon itself. The vampires who survived became know as the Antediluvians, for they had received the Embrace before the Flood.

But then came the Deluge, a Great Flood that washed over the world.
The city was destroyed,
And its people along with it.
Again Caine fell into a great sorrow and went into solitude.
Becoming as a dog amidst the wastes,
And leaving his progeny to their own ends.
They came to him and begged him to return,
To help them rebuild the city.
But he would not come with them,
Saying the Flood had been sent as punishment
For his having returned to the world of life.
And subverting the true law.

Without their father Caine, the vampires fell to petty bickering and warring among themselves. Murder and avarice became the rule for Kindred, and though they tried to re-create the glory of their First City, the resulting Second City was a den of intrigue, treachery, bloodlust and diablerie.

So they returned alone to what mortals were left
And announced that they were the new rulers.
Each created a brood,
In order to claim the glory of Caine,
Yet they did not have his wisdom or restraint.
A great war was waged, the elders against their children,
And the children slew their parents.

It was these kinslayer vampires who gave rise to what are commonly referred to as clans, siring the Fourth and lesser generations. Their lack of wisdom, however, prevented them from seeing that their childer would rise against them as they had against their sires. As this became obvious, the Ancients adopted the great game, their war of supremacy, the Jyhad, and went into hiding to direct their movements from secret havens.

Inevitably, this terrible war resulted in the collapse of the Second City, and the Kindred and the Children of Seth scattered to the ends of the Earth, where they could exist relatively free from the monstrous influence of the Antediluvians. This belief was folly, however, as the power and influence of the Third Generation know no bounds. Thus, the stories say that to this very night the Jyhad continues to rage, with all Kindred but pawns in the cannibalistic war of the elders.

The rebels then built a new city
And brought to it [13] tribes. ††
It was a beautiful city and its people worshipped them as gods.
They created new progeny of their own,
The Fourth Generation of Cainites.
But they feared the Jyhad.
And it was forbidden for those childer
To create others of their kind.
This power the elders kept for themselves.
When a childe was created, it was hunted down and killed,
And its sire with it.
Although this city was as great as Caine's, eventually it grew old.
As do all living things, it slowly began to die.
The gods at first did not see the truth,
And when they last looked about them it was too late.
Their city was destroyed and their power extinguished,
And they were forced to flee, their progeny along with them.
But many were killed in the flight, for they had grown weak.
With their authority gone, all were free to create their own broods,
And soon there were many new Cainites,
Who ruled across the face of the Earth.
But this could not last.
Over time, there came to be too many of the Cainites,
And then there was war once again.
The elders were already deep in hiding,
For they had learned caution.
But their childer had founded their own cities and broods,
And it is they who were killed in the great wave of war.
There was war so total, that there are none of that generation
To speak of themselves any longer.
Waves of mortal flesh were sent across continents
In order to crush and burn the cities of the Cainites.
Mortals thought they were fighting their own wars,
But it is for us they spilt their blood.
Once this war was over,
All of the Cainites hid from one another
And from the humans who surrounded them.
In hiding we remain tonight,
For the Jyhad continues still.

† Several Kindred historians believe this line to have been mistranslated through the millennia between the First City and the modern nights. The notes of early historians indicate this line has been interpreted as "Of whom there were as few as three" in some transcriptions of The Book of Nod.

†† Most Kindred accept this number as 13, seeing as how there are 13 clans known in existence, but at least one of the fragments of The Book of Nod alludes to "three by 10" instead of "three and 10" with reference to the Third Generation. This indicates, to some Kindred, that there once may have been as many as 30 distinct "clans," if indeed they have passed into extinction at all.