Cc L A N A> By CLAvton OLIVERCrepris Weinen bys Clay Olver Additional Material on the Treaty of Tyre: Graeme Dovis ‘Additional Mind's Eye Theatre Systems: Deind've Brooks Developed by: Justin. Achill Editor: James Stewart ‘An Director: Richand Thomas Layout & Typesetting: Becky Jollensten Interior ArteMiks Dunia Michael Gaydon Leif ones, Andy Trabbold, Christopher Shy Front Cover Art: John Van Flet Front & Back Cover Design: Becky Jollensten Game Steps {© 2000 White Wolf Pubtihing, Inc. All rights reserved, Reproduction without the written permision of the pub- lisher i expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of eviews, and for blink character sheets, which may be repro- duced for penonalse only. White Wolf, Vampire, Vampire the Masquerade, Vampire the Dark Ages, Mage the Ascen: m, World of Darkness and Aberrant ate registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights te served. 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All mystical and supernatural elements ar fiction and Fora fere White Wolf catalag all 1800-454 WOLF, ‘Check out White Wolf online at herpi//awwwhite-wolf.com: alt.gameswhicewoll and rec gates frp storyteller PRINTED IN USA. ‘Specia THANKS, DAGONCONEDITION Tim “WoDCrackhouse” Avers, for rolling with the punches and finding parry space about a week before the show Richard “Who'e Your Daduly™ Thomas. for becoming Parent instead of weathering the Gandalf Parade. Mike Time To Go Home Sir" Chaney. for beingartste av little as posible. Mie *You Had Buster Go He ‘having more arrests than Chaney. ‘Conrad “Con Humper” Hubbard, for gleaning dates in the dealer's room. ‘Charles “Veteran Gon Humper” Batley, for proba downg the same thing even though rumors remain unsubstantiated Dean “Point of Contact” Burnham, for playing switchboard ‘operator on the convention flor Kraig “Practically Naked Again” Blackwelder, for his sec- ‘ond year of dauntless dancefloor expresion ‘Chad “Dirty Oki Chow” Brown. for being ditched. ha ha. ‘Oh, and for helping “acquire” the amps and speakers. Brian “Steak-and-Rumtastic” Glass, for opening the whole absurd affair with the drunkest birthday ever and my still: drunkest booth shift ever. Becceew ‘The swampy booze-stick behind the bar thar saturated the carpet and still reeks to high heaven. Ta Gi" nis FkL A N B oO oO K 3 so weaite CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: FROM THE TREATY OF TYRE Cnapter One: How Quicky We ForGot Cuapter Two: PRAYERSTO BROKEN STONE Cuaprer THREE: SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF HAQIMINTHE VEAR OF OuRLORD, 1496... hereas.... ‘Tremere, Toreador, Nosferatu, ad Malkavian, gat fier in Brotherfiaod and Mutual Faith known. the Cmarilla, the True and only Rightful Hei Gabue a dese on ead toe Ustonfat end Ditieritic brntices as the Clan denen MMC CAS ies from the Full and Ultimate Extinction of the Clan Assamite that the fol MAGEE OF Ge Fete ts ft peices from, this date per| , The Darke taking te Blood of oer Kindred end as surety fd praia temas toa ritual ta be administered Ch thes rsof the Clan Tremerc, whereby Kindred Blood shall be made poisonous one Clan pees shaft remain aoa eel fy in the territory ceded to she the eae which th a have itstoncal claimed as their own. They shal is te tory, nor stall thiegy permit any unrest of mortals rin to eee oe ney salt not travel, either singly or in o territory, ve Retainers or Servitors of any Rind travel mete this. terdtery, on sn thels ‘kha ‘The Princes of the Camarilla F petit te to call ¢ Blood Hunt aber any Assamite or Assamites ih fs, ive no other reason for such a Blood Hunt beyond ‘inte foodtine... re dae OE ee ence int whiere isctentt reo FoF 0 ther attack by the forces of the Camarilla, The Clan ee sat fer pears rom the Camariffa to verify compliance with this gibi et pany re-for! i ication of Alamut, or me : eens to establish a. forti in breach of this treat and a worldwide Blood Hurit arte eae against those committing the breac "The Camarilla padre 2 cease ei action against the Clan Assamite, and not to violate the borderizo Tay without the sanction re ull Convocation of the Cat nS of the mir of the Can among themselves that no longer py to employ members o an Assamite as i hired assassins, and that wey violating forfeit the protection of their Clans and may # tot Blot Hunt. the fan Assamite undertakes to cease any and ot of its members as assassins for hire... row eT celinetruth shal set you free motto of the Us By way of deve ted States! Central Intelligence Agency thou shale do war motto of Istnel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks (Mossad) From the Chronicle of the Hearesblood, the second er of the Book of the Final Night: appearing almost ubles of Blood. and so it came to pass that House of Hagim was broken bya those nights the war. The hiss of ed the halls of the Mountain. Brother set upon brother, and the Chil: dren washed th foremost cas a the Heartsblood, and the ty of those bartles wis Truth. Or perhaps net 1 set down thishistory ofthe Children of Hagim at the segues ofal-Ashrad, former Amrand now Eldest-bn Exile Although my hands are more ith blade anid blood dx with pen ana ink Taser wo vender T am able, Perhaps i tis small service I may shortcomings of faith and loyaley This work, | am informed, 1s the first chronicle of the Chien of agi tobe frety release from the chambers i Alam nx more thanailenniumm. It ony be expecte, then, 1 nal wisdom repunding the Children, particularly as the Camara holds it, Isto hae chao besil ome for my august boxy (which the Eldest-n-Erile informs me wil be ‘my most likely audience) and the rest of Caine’s inheriions that 1 soy this Everything you know about us i le Te was an easy one to believe, was nov? Hundreds, ands of Bloadthisty — lierally — Arah assas sins, Contract killers slaying vampires forthe greater glory ‘of Caine and Hagin, or “Assam” as you mary misjro- the rest of the Cainite world believed planation of s whose true matives herr grandsites ha fompaten. t ole. Iehept the Children safe forhumndreds of years they tied to find themselues again The problem with telling pod be & chat the tbecume x caught up ini tha she loses sight ofthe uth, amd shestartsto belive the ie herself, The Chien hid heir hisory sowellthat they took thei nen decepion as reality. Indo 0, they forge the soud of what they were made tbe. No longer We began in a manner similar co this Gorm Ove: How Qu We Fotcor 7paltvnes Dealt ee ee sre Oe he ae — dled aly ltve nated a fad, sendng tr ong te ea pets aascaos the Fe e me ierteem sleek tine eee come Teds de some of our children Mace obec jo nome ‘and misery fae nieces and nephews act in such heamsdes gods But what can fond mine ‘th savagery ‘ oP fas of wie witout as? ask you to fring us sich ue ie ss ceretens nd Ts ose ht ned ee ee oe pei ant we fliThave translated that story from the original, uhich is insenbed on clay table that the Eldest-in-Brile has gener- sly lent me for this project, He informs me that it eas {nsenbed sometwo centuries befone the birthof the Chrstion Martyr-God. While it should not be taken in a completely literal sense — the time scale, for instance, seems vastly incomrect — the cone narrative is factual. AS it suggests, the ‘Children of Hagim were not always the band of tasty killers ‘hat most observers now think we are. Ouas isa story of a {alle vival thet of [Reuiah] lr greater than that vad by Meket, and aleader with aision to rival hat of Sauot. Or so the historians of Alamut would have us belive. Over the centuries, I hove been introduced to earying accounts of ovr ovgine, Bor the sala of simplisiy, V have axtempred wo comple a prehistory that adheres most closely to that with thich my intended audience is familiar. Other possiblices wil receive separate examination out of aca- dermis inecrest.nns THe First NicHTs ‘We know our clan Sounder better than many lane know theirs, both from the memories of those who met hin and through his own writings. Hagim was not his real name, for he knew the power inherent in such things, but itwas the moniker he chose for himself after he received the Blood,anditisthe same name by which we sil refer co him tonight. Inhismortal life, Hagim wasa warrior and a hunter, a member of one of the myriad nomadic tribes that followed the migrations of animal herds across the Fertile Crescent and into Asia and Northern Africa. He was highly skilled, but, by his own admission, he was far from the best among his peers, andhe believed that his sire chase to Embrace him more for hisstrength of will than for any quality of skill or appearance. Accounts differas tothe identityof the second-generation Cainite ‘whosired Hagim, butseveral records refertoArikel, the presumed founder of the Toreador line, as Hagim's “sister,” which would make En’esh, or Enoch, the most likely candidate. Until the destruction of the First City, Hagim served as one of its most steadfast defenders. Although Caine’s children were mighty individually, the wealth of the city of Enoch was such that almost all of ics neighbors made an attempt, at one time or another, to raid its walls In some cases, this was from greed; more often, itwas out of desperation to end the city’s preda- tion of the surounding areas. All to0 often, Hagim and hhissiblings bathed their congues and their spears in the blood of mortals whose only offense was hunger. Qrnrna Ont: How Quay We Forcor THe Seconn Ciry Abver the destruction of the Fie City, Hagin wandered for some time. His ater writings suggest chat he had already grown weary of his undying condition and the state of affairs that preceded Enoch’s fall. Haim never stared outright that be knew of his sib lings’ plans to slay their sires, but he strongly implied that he was aware of the possibility and wanted no part of it, Instead, he chose to distance himself from the ‘conflict. Though heknewhe soul noravod icenizcly, he insulaced himself from it whenever possible. ‘Some time during his wandering, Hagim created his fir childe. This individual's name foe 0 history, but the Parables of Blood stae that he was a scribe and a primitive astronomer whom the Ancestor save from being stoned for heresy, This set the trend for many of Hoqins tate Embraces innovatorsand nellectulswhose vision equaled their knowledge of their chosen crafts By the time Hagim learned of the founding of the Second City, its walls had already been tn place for a ccenturyor more. He quietly observed hissiblings progress for decades before deciding to join them. One night, he simply appeared at the gates of the city with a dozen followers and politely requested entry. His brother Mallay was the first to welcome him, giving Hagim home before the restof the Third Generation was aware ‘ofthe newcomer’s arrival. After such a display of hospi- tality, the other Antediluvians were forced to accept Hagim in order to save face The seeds of the War of Ageswere sown well before Hagimestablished residence in the Second City. Krow- ing thar his childer would become neurlefenseless ppawnsin any such conflict, hequicklymadea statement ofneutrality. While thispleased none of his siblings, all cof whem had hoped to recruit him asan ally ora dupe, i also ensured that Fiagim and his Chikiren were less likely to incite the ire of a thied-generation Cainite for any given action. This led them into a sort of political 9equilibrium where they were Largely ignored and left free to pursue their individual craft d studies, Jusnice atementof political at least in the Ishad. As the Cainires Fourth and Fifth Generations of the Second City grew yheady with theirgodlike power, their con less subtle chan those of their sires, andthe n caught in che middle of these disputes, The ThitdGeneration attempted torein in their children, as they were justifiably c about atracting the attentio seiove was eee f the flictsbecam cerned (Caine, bt widespread ke equal extent:the impomible dc co the between the Antediluvians. Only one number hadearned their distrust ‘one who had set himself apart from their squabbles The Anted confronted Haqiin in his own haven proposal was simple: None of them trusted any others enough to allow that individual to hav of power over them, Ho their chi allowed to continue on their present course, Caine's IVUaNs reac consensus and Their f the ‘wrath would certainly come down on the city as a whole. Thus. ame sort of authority must evolue in the Second City thar could protect the Children of Seth the mortals — from the excesses of any given vampire without such actions being seen as Iyhad. Hagim had cat hin and his brood were the best ofa set of bad choice Hagita protested hi he would, Eventuall request, as they knew was Saulot who brought forth nent that would convince fis cousin. The nvwasbeing asked to render was not for the Cainites of the Second City but for the mortals. F relented. The next night, he left the city and var fora year. When he retumed, he brought with dozen more followers, the first of the Second City's judges. The judss anew to prominence in the Second City over thefollowirgdecacks Under Haqim leadership they quashed the firs stimingsof the Warof Ages andrestoredordertoaland whose mortal inhabitants had come to fear their rulers. Fora time ¢ seemed that the Second Cay knew peace However ats both intemal and extemal had merely learned to hide (Caveooe Asset 0Tue Conriicrs WITH tHe ADVERSARY Approximately two centuries after Hagim estab- lished the judges, a cult of demon-venerating vampires appeared on the borders ofthe territory claimed by the Second City. Several decades of strikes and. ‘ounterstrikes gradually mounted toward outright war between the mortal attachés ofthe wo powers. Hagim, sull charged with keeping order within the city, noted a gradual increase in certain blasphemous acts that could only be attributed to these wicked Cainites or theirsympathizers within the various vampiric families, However. the infernalists used a form of blood magic thar Hagim’s judges had little means of countering. Although Saulot claimed hisholy warriors were capable of piercing and nullifying sich demonic sorcery, Hagim shad lierle truer left for the cousin who had all but forced him into the position of law-keeper. Hagim left the city again. When he returned, this timeafter three years, he had only three followers —but all three were once mortal wisade who hed weathered the curse of unife. These sorcerers were the fit pub- licly acknowledged blood magicians of the Second City. Servingalongside the judges yet studying with the scholars, chey seemed co be the middle ground between Hagim’s two sets of Children. The need for strength forced Hagim’s sorcerers to. expand theirranks quickly. The skills ofthe initial rio revealed the extent of infernal influence within the Second City, and the demon-worshippery and their allies reacted like comered wolves. A series of skit- mishes decimated the judges and left two of the three sorcerersas dustin the streets. The survivor became an unwillingand uncomfortable liaison between thejudges: and the Salubri warriors until he could sire and train more blood magicians. During the nextdecade, Hagin brought a score more mortal wizards inco the night, as well as undertaking several personal projects, one of which would not come to light for centuries. The Children of Hagim and the Salubri slowly scourged the demon tribes, known as the Busi, from the |" Second City, using boch patient investigation and ruth~ lessly overwhelming force. Within a century, the last known Baali sympathizer had been fed to the sacred purifying fires. The sorcerers stood down from their hhuning and began tofully explore the power of Cainite virme as the heart of their arts, each one adapting his ‘own mortal techniques to his new condition, A few (Gorn Ove How Qua We fowcor ‘continued co work with the judges, bur most dedicated themselves to research. wae nn hit te te lof gi sdasergence coadanas bathe pm ae else eed helene ba, dalecre a8 mich a: St ee ete ncanagd oan has “ose of moe seems 10, aad they show dumiell eo Ss led ofan ae o's Sopend bdhss anny ha tangent th hee 3 on copied. I chem ad all flaw, it nas smacomania All be often, be acuted av one passin 02 day the exclusion of doening tra carved eel} Urough the Bld, marbing his fost lie auth thst aspect of his personally, Thal fist brood soantally became the gir cathe In the beginning, their meshness barely merited notice thos tome have suppose dastrayed themieloes when donud cents ts the looks of their asdoriad trade SW fom moora aigios dascuad ts thse depths of madness all ue the Laths by which thos wali ite Diese iste Bocas ncetry cat echoes i fou vipiors descend inks rong, and no fou of those wore ualasraed and direclsnless fhe fen int lagi young wnt Mate canine wiolence to some wen ne thoes ee et forteata benfict ena iby juinseit, ts borow & phrate from the Christians, bbical Yalead muiilalon st common, 23 was outrighi dastruc- tom, most often by the ung. ta Other ftatihentt roe offender's swcolued the ritual lahing of 2 portion of the dita amd al Leto Peace Forncarly halfamillennium, the Second Cityenjoyedas snuch ofa gollen age as waspossible forsuch a concentration, FithGencratonsbepanto ave duringthitie establishing ther own domains scrosthe regen, Most ofthe Children of Hagim chose to seay within the confines of the Second City: the judgesto full cheir duty, and the scholars to remain close tw their menter. Hagim took to wandering again, often leaving for ‘up toadecadeto pursue hisownagendas. In his absence, the eldest af his childer whe the city usually. assumed leadership of the households. This grodually became asemiformal honot and position, and the head of Hagim’s estate came to be called the Eldest. Haqim himself gue hie tacit soceptance by saying nothing against it THe Seconp BAALI CONFLICT ‘And then without w Vander ey did. A returned to the Second City with news of their: lord's destruction, They told hamawing tales of pllarsof flame, of spearsof sunlight that struck down they walked in the streets at midnight, of pits that opened in the earth to swallow templesand homes — and of the architects of this horror. “They called themselves Baal ‘The reaction among the Antediluvians was largely ‘one ofdisheliefand suspicion. Had Saulot'swarriorsand Hagim’s judges not crushed the infernalists centuries ago, broken their power and sen their scattered survi- vors howling into the night? Was the honey-voiced satan not sent, broken, into the sea? Surely this was some treachery, another stroke in the Jyhad. Accuss- tions flew, each aggrieved party accusing his rivals of engineering the city’s destruction and planting tales of Baali magicians and demon lords to awaken the old fears. Quietly, Hagim and Saulot sheltered the forgotten mortal survivors of the massacre and listened. Gradu- ally, they became convinced that Charize! had been a setifice, the centerpiece of a ritual whose ultimate objective remained undetermined. Hagim favored fur- ther investigation; Saulot demanded action. Within a formnight, the mightiest of the Salubri warriors rode forth, bent on stamping out the infestation before it could spread ‘The story of their fate iswell recorded and need not be dwelt upon in this account Hagim's broods prepared forbaetle asbest they were able, gathering what allies they had among the other Cainites and taking the then-unprecedented step of suming theie ghouls with ensorcelled weapons: Rather than attempt to defend the walls of the Second City itself, they mustered their forces in the ruins of a village some four nights’ travel away from the walls, along the ‘most likely route of approach for the Balt. Coro0ce Asam 2Most likely,” in this ease, was a poo The judges and sorcerers were in ¢ ing the place they had che thoal mesenger p from exhaustion and a dozen wounds. He earried word that the Second City was under assault from the opposite direction. The Baal, seemed, paid tele heed to conventional meth: xis of travel when they had che wings of demons to peed tl The Eldest, a judge named Mancheak: Children and theie allies and servants on a rapid over: nined to reinforce the City before it mon their way led the land mare Jhekeee utriders The fell. Near dawn, as the ¢ prepared t fom the sun ina network of caverns, thei of spears and flare ne under attack moments aka and h Final Deatla bold off the a ions bought the time to take shelter in the caves, As the remaining judges grouped in the sheltering darkness, they began to they had about their jon. Several had glimpsed familiar faces among bers ofthe broods of Saulor, Ventnue iterated by a st body aseemble what little knowl and Lasombm who had been th ose all of the Children. Manchs it seemed, had week been operating information Bali sympathizers had deftly tricke int tripping away many of the city's most potent defender The day and night that followed were nearly end of the judges and The Baali and thei demon lacke ded the Children of Hagim chrough the it, the many of their enemies, and the aro of the boundand slew w of numbers and the mi the Baal h desperate strength, but the wei mentum of the attack lay with dawn of the second night, the last remainiry ble of the sorcerers gathered in the most defer Asthey prepared their wards or the stone beneath their feet began 1 if the Baali had mustered the very Hi tremble, A ferociot legions of the infernal to sweep the Children from the world. The judges braced thei sorcerers gathered their energie Then blood began tof trickle at first, a few drops eping down through thi (oar Oe: Hon Qacer We fsx 3y becoming a steady Diaspora ankle-deep in cooling crimson Ruall ink flict, th much strength as they had in those first desperate nights. By th av figure, blackened! and charred. its eyes and So umed from itsakull, emerged into the fickeri almost nolicless, slow, as if those of a child tentatively making its way down the ah reever: with barren and blackened fram Baali curses, sor ingle torch that a ghoul had managed to keep and the marching feet of the worl first armies. Grad buming. “Haqim sends me," it whispered, “! am ut- ally, che heirs of Caine abandoned th Shulel. And I am af the Blood sat for she fables! lands chat lay beyond the borders Overthe next century, the Children of Hagimn were Hagim had grown’ ty during the wars. He rarely rook direct action, though circumstances forced and sealing the mouths him to take the field severalt oth cxovered from chelr spent ut massacre in the caverns — they would not bea signifi- The the forefront of the wars against the infernalists ing them back to thelr f hell. The Baali neves ful eters he left to the prodigy ur-Shulgi and a is lst toh dhi While the battles ueainst the Ba judges found themselves performing their original du ies less and less. The childer of Caine had litte call for he pursuit of one of their number wha fed improperly cant threat for millentsia. The Children rebuilr slowly afar and allen unfolded, the arefully, as Hagim watched fi ‘nnught his clan the ways of battle reluctantly, fore had sec dasa to ipl th dren his own failure acrifice his ( prepare them. Gradu Cosance: Assi 4As the broods of the other Ancients abandoned the Second City, Hagim grew disheartened with his duty. He had macpied the veagonabilisy of edminivcting justice to his peers and their descendants, but they scerned no longer willing to accept his performance of the task that they had set for him. Some ignored him. Some openly rejected hur, Most gradually abandoned the hollow shell ofthe cityo which he and hisChildren had twice served as shields and spears. He quietly consulted with his closest advisors then vanished into the wilderness for a year. ‘When the Ancestor retumed, he gathered hisChil- ren and spoke to them. His words, though marred through repeated translations. are still with us tonight. and have formed the basis for many of our line's acts across the centuries: Just as the Children of Night acknowledge the duty of a leader to lead, they alse. acknowledge the duty of hie followers to accepehis ride. Justas the Children of the Beast acknowledge the need fora hunter to hunt, so too do they acknowledge the duty of the prey to be hunted. Yet our contin reject their dey sulrnito ou uate, though they themselves cried out fon ws to render justice undo them. Some among them have said tha our time is pas, that there is mo ferher need for us, tha the city is dead and all would do well wo abandon it before ies final collapse. A grain of eth grows in this — we have tended to the threats without ae the expense of vigilance within. But the fault is notour own, fx larg part, for that les with those who would play chetr games of scepter, sword and lity with the mortals as their tens. Have we further nad for judgement simply because our kind has outgrown a single city. There will be other cities. The crisis that conjromts us tonight is one of duty. We wow ours; cur cousins made it plain in nights long past. ‘And though they may scorn us, our charter of justice has never been rewoked. We, the, must seek new ways in which to administer it asthe methods tharwe have pursued fn the past are no longer the best tools for that trade, They tellus tha the citys dying. We shal leave i tits death throes, then. We will so forth into the war-torn lands, the desens, the mountains, the harsh, barren places that 0 others would claim as their domain. There, we will reserve the memory of these nights against the ravages of time. We will watch, and we will eudy, and ewe will wait. And when the need for ou justice once aga becomes so great that we cannot stand idly by and watch our cousins’ acts, we will come forth, and memory willbe ous spear. The Racestos's dusdain fox the petites of the, ‘remains strong in the clam even lonight. led gabe anes ented win 1 ganpnaaly at dasa ofan tha adeaal of stchanigad imal te ae ne ain “The Dern dake foal at thoy have one sec fe tb polis schtoe te sna, Ths sad ty thal no carp pallcal mee aces on et ect tat ben has cola, eth ce pralispeied oucrd more nec solutions cowie, thus politcal solalion has luo had ts Abincs am the of tha Bamted ‘macns lack of enamies, but olto of allies Perhaps, had we dene move ia lach wth our Exp brabhvn, we would sot hae ban ob eds mith the daring the Loy Mig cd we would amor have hod elation impoiedo0 ah by Te Tremere Snmorlal monn brat imate cant offntascomilad daring the march Paolo stl froth for some of Ute with whom we se anthems thon ta mate of plea te craneasts hall of pce its wsch wa sch to asinaale curtloes, and theres much we have gots lates cbsal the Camanla and the Sebbat olde Depantune Biefly thereafter, the Chikiren of Hagim vanished from the Second City forever. A tiny handful of dissent- es broke from the main body of the clan, rejecting Hagim’s proclamation ofisolation in favor of remaining in contact with the greater body ofthe Cainite popula: tion, such as it was. Most of these were scholars and artisans who felt that a hermits existence would be unduly confining to their works. Among their more loyal brethren, these individuals became Known as “disposed” forthe rejection oftheirhertage, Hagin himself made no move to stop them, perhaps believing thatenforeinghis will would create more problems than it solved. All accounts ofthe clan's exodus from the Second City spunk of tha journey a0 nigh-usscisdurable otal Hiagi lft the city in the height of summer, and the ned for shelter from the sun meant that nearly tied ofeach night was spent breakingdown and re-erecting ‘camp. Many Children went to their Final Deaths as a result of sunlight piercing improperly light proofed tents. The journey proved no less harsh for the mortal servants who followed Hagim into self-imposed exile, for the journey led through scorched and lifeless lands that had bore the brunt of the Baal conflicts. Water was dfficulteo come by food waseven mace scarce, and vitae wasall btuncbtainableoutsidethe caravan ise By the time the travelers reached the foohils ofthe mountains that were Hagin's destination, fewer than 50 Children and pethaps eight score morel servants santo of tha lina (Gavan On: How Quon We Fora 524 was equally danger: had never fallen under the sovereig from refugees of the ther than themselves. Moreover, they had accountof Alamut’s founding is gener- uth. However, it raises several of which pertains to the apparent wers displayed by the Ancest alent is unknown among the Cainites me lear bloodline, which did not come into existence millennia after these events that this it shrictly on educaled quote AsHagim’smmonaland Cainite followers moved deeper tans, thetr supply xwation became progres mare desperate. Hagin was well atcare that those ‘who remained were loyal unto (or, in some cases, past) death, but loyalty was no substitute for sustenance a shelter. The ravelers had no opriem buct to keep moving the tory drrenugh which they passed was to infere w support any sort of settlement. On the night of the winter sobtice, Hagim halted the exodusshoel rise, He spoke one werd: "Here He direst his spear ino the sume at his feet. The moun itself rembled, throwing all save Hagim himself 0 sroiend. When they arose, they beheld a great throne of polished black stone, with the shaft of Hagim's spear pr: ‘ruding from the place where the right han of ano ofthe throne would est. Hagin faced the throne w couastretched, asf commuming withit or the mountain which it had sprung. With «cry, a black-feathered eagle swooped sky, spread is tings the left arm of the tl and regarded Haim with gleamingeyes. Then, as if reach ing some sort of decision, it lew to Hagim’s thoudder. Th Gnnocs Assur 6Ancestor termed to his Children and said, “Here. Our home ‘shere, from this night ual the Last. This place sours, now said Forse — ts gelesy (a sori wi somcober eid ‘dge. This isthe heart penetrated by the spear, the nes of ‘eagles, and i shall ever be known as such.” Witha gesture, Hagim sank into the ground along with the throne. As his followers rushed forward, they found the mouth of acave, sloping downward in along, wide ramp, far wo repulas to be nateral, Upon entering the cave, they discovered a vast network of caverns and passageways whose arrangement mimicked exactly that of Hagim’s pal- ace in the Secind City. Inthe caver that comresponded to the great hal ofthe palace, the explores found Hagim, seated upon the throne, head bowed. His expression appeared pained ar weary, as {hehe tough a res ae, lod ced rma dozen livid wounds. AS Hagim’s eldest chide entered the cavem. the eagle launched itself from Hasim’s shoulder witha shrek, Alleyestumedto follow as it soared upaward — toward the dark, open sky that somehow hung over the habe depth hundred fet ofrckthat hold have boon there Hagim sighed ond vase his head, then stood, grasping his spear for support. “Here,” he repeated, and none could find reasen or wil to contest his decision Since that night, the Eagle's Nest — Alanat — has been the spiritual and physical home of the Children of Hagin. A thousand stories exist about the Monetain and the marvels conained within it ana fraction of them may ven be mue, But Alamut docs exist, and ic remains vr heart even tonight. Although many of us may never again see its silent has, i isa defining aspect of our clan. How ‘many others can boast ahome, abet broken ane bared, in these Final Nights! SILENCE Forseveral thousand yearsafterthe Children settled at Alamut, little of note happened. While this may sects like a coy dismissal of our affairs at the dawn of ‘Wester civilization, the truth is that even Alamut’s Great Library contains years of crop records and trivial reminisces but virtually nothing of meaning to the casual scholar of history. All three castes gradually -rebuile their strength, granting the Blood to worthy morals of Southwest Asiaand North Africa, and these handy people became the clan’sherds —andwards. Few mortals worshipped the Children as gods-on-Earth as they had in the Second City (a state of affairs thar requitedno few eldersto make adjustments to thei self- images),but many clan membersestablished :hermselves asregional lord of protectors of favored tries. Some of (Garms Ove How Quy We aor theirnamesstllingdown the halls ofhistory, albei in forms that few ofthe original bearers woul recognize. During this tme, che castes sertled into the roles familiar to the modem observer. The viziers took it ‘upon themselves to act as shepherds of Seth’sinheri- {oes walking among the mortals and sharing in their achievements, laying the foundations for future growth much as other Cainites were doing in the West. The sorcerers withdrew toacertain extent, clustering around. Hogim and Alamut and pursuing thei individual stud- {esofblood magic, though they often sought outspecific learned mortals for knowledge that they could not acquire elsewhere. The judges, now almost fully turned warrior. served as the spear and shield of the Children. ‘warding their brethren’s endeavors from the interfer- ‘ence of others. we add ame = This ib. thas om be a corbin ceo sa fo senontn tie nights While te res iin mortals of the 2 cnrdaan extend, rele hehe me Jon tetallagent geome that dopenats oe ve nt Seat irenhngat ‘beep enon Aagin's bod was 00 diffrent. In time, the Children spread forth from the Moun- ‘tain and returned to the once-fertile lands that had finally recovered from the Second City’s death throes. In these green valleys, they found thriving mortal populations greater than any they had seen in the ‘barren wastes. And they found the forerunners of other Cainite populations, too, expanding outward from the swildernesses into which they had fled The expansion of the [13] great clans from the ‘Second City had left the area that would become the Middle East with large Cainite populations of the ‘Children of Hagim and the Followers of Set. The views of diate re paras on eligon, vompta mienee ed the proper treatment of mortals were often diametri- cally opposed. Small conflicts erupted throughout the region, encouraged by Cainite strife. While most Ser- ‘paste wee ive canpegh' 0s behave diplomatically sad submissively (or at least maintain low profiles) in onder to coexist peacefully with the Children, many maneu- ‘vered their mortal pawns into striking at clan holdings and herds, “The Children rely espondedin kind, because Hayim encouraged his followers to make the distinction between a master and hisunwiting proxies, He had litle stomach for wholesale butchery of innocents, Thousands of years before mortals coined the term “assassin,” many warriors were already leaning to serkeffom ambush, stalking hase Chinines who fancied! thetselves purpseenisiers‘Slowly, the techniques of the judges found new applica. tons a the tool of hunters. Detites were the most commonly encountered Cainites of the region during this ime, butchey were far from the only ones. Membersof every clan sporadically appeared in the lands that Caine’s inheritors called hhome, seeking knowledge or drawn back by some pri- tmordial call. The Children rendered judgement unto these visitors as individuals, despite pressure from some Second City-era elders to unilaterally condemn thew who betrayed or abandoned Hagim. Those who failed tomeetthe judges’ standards of acceptableconduct and morality either saw thet final sunrises or fled howling ta their European brathron, depending on the severity of theit offenses and the temperamentof the individual warrior. These latter survivors spread tales of the “fear- some black-skinned demons ofthe East,” spreading the roots of a Legacy of far that late wo Uae wnalern nights Scions of nearly every clan settled along the south- ‘emany eastern coast of the Mediterranean and spread ‘inland during this time. The Children did not allow ‘hese seartered groups to establish domain #9 much as they were unable to prevent it. No matter how diligent the warriors were in enforcing what they saw as their borders, they were incapable of being everywhere at ‘once. By the time many Cainite “intruders” were dis- covered, the price of expelling them exceeded the cost of tactfully ignoring them. The Toreador, Nosferatu and Lasombra were the most common, followed by the Brujah and the tribes of Ashur, but every Cainite line had some presence in the area by the time of the pharaohs. This lee the Children pinned in place. Western Asia was the domain of the Tsimisce, who enforced their sovereignty with ruthless enthusiasm and earthy sorcery, Equally strong and aggressive Kindred pre- vented expansion northeast. The south and east were the homes of other horrors chat had little love for Cainites, and the few Children who limped back to Alamut after attempting to move in these directions reported that such Moon: Beasts and Wild Ones had no deste to share their lands and no fears regarding open, conflict should Hagin choose to press the matter, The Setites stymied western movement and, beyond them, the other clans had claimed many havens. This inability to move in any ditection frustrated those elements in the clan who surtured dreams of empire New herds and domains were limited bythe rate atwhich the mortalscould reproduce rather than bythe speed at which the fiontiers of the Children’s territory could expand. Precious resources became the subjects of power grabs thar any modern Camarilla prince would ‘Commooe Asst 8 recognize in an instant. The Children adapted all too well to this mode of conflict. Hagim was less than pleased with this develop- ment, He left the First City to remove himself from the Jyhad: he lefe the Second City toremove his brood from it. The strife between his childer reminded him of rhe behavior ofthe other clans. He nursed a quiet fear that he hod recreated the Jyhad in microcosm by isolating the three castes from theit brethren. This fear mani- fcr iccalf in growing romtlocenans, and the Ancactor left Alamut for up to a decade at a time. During these absences, he left the Black Throne in the hands of his eldest childe present on the night of his departure, tnich oo he had done in the Second City. ‘The final straw fell during the Peloponnesian Wat. ‘Two centuries earlier, a cabal of visiers had tken up residence in Athens, entrancedby that city'scenters of vworshup and learning. A similar group of waerors fad entered Sparta at the suferanee of the city’ Ventruc Frince at approximately the same time. When Corinth convinced Sparta’ elders o enter the Peloponnesian ‘War against Athens, both groups quickly took direct hands in the conflict in order to ensure victory for “their” mortals. In 413 BC. when the Spartans destroyed the Athenian fect, the Athenian Children of Hagim sent ‘emissaries to Alamut to plead for Haqim's favor and to gather allies among the warrior caste to support thei ‘cause. Upon hearing of this, the Spartan warriors sent their own representatives. The delegations arrived at the Mountain on the same night and fighting broke out among their mortal entourages. By the time the sila had restored order, every Greek was dead and five Children lay among the fallen. Hagim flew into a towering fury, nearly destroying the Great Hall in his wrath. Once he had regained the power of speech, he summoned the survivors betore him. In.a shattering tirade, he denounced both groups, the web of European Cainite intrigue in which they had allowed themselves to become ensnared, Then he de- nounced all of his Children for succumbing to the lure ofthe Jyhad. “I gave you the opportunity to rise above the petty treacheriesat which Caine’s ewer childerplay,” Hagim raged, “and you ever prove yourselves unworthy of that ‘opportunity. [am as dutiful father to my ownChildren as any mortal child could ever ask of his sie, and you repay me by fighting among yourselves like starved wolves, then scampering to me to beg for my aid when the tide turns against you. Jackals, all! You sought my favor, but you have earned enly my contempt. I will not save you from yourselves. Until [draw my spear nav theBlack Throne again, you have no sire, and I have no Children. Alamut is no longer my house, for you have left me no peace here.” So saying, he strode forth from the Mountain, striking down the one childe who dared beg his forgiveness. All three castes quicklyasserted that Hagim'swords had noc applied to them, and that they should therefore claimeheclan’s legacy. Thewariors argument was that the Athenian visers had provoked Hagim by being the first to seek his aid in a conflict that was obviously not thein. The viters countered thac the warriorshad been the firs to strike directly at other Children. The sorcer- cers held that they had not been involved in the conflict and thes had done nothing to incur Haqim’s wrath, In the end, the warriors triumphed, less through diplomacy than via intimidation and a willingness to spill more vitae. The sorcerers might have been able to ‘in the wight, eed chey #0 deste, lat dae emaleante Amr of the time counseled neutrality. In exchange for theirwithdraval from the conflict, the sorcerers gained certain concessions, the greatest of which was the ‘ster’ continued survival as a caste. The strug lft the scholars bloodied and battered, but the sorcerers forced the warriors to concede thetr opponents’ contin- ved value to the Children as a whole. Hagim appeared to the clan about once a century after that incident, acting as occasional guardian of advisor but never leading. He nevercommented on the seate of affairs within the Children — or, at least, those to whom he spoke kept the conversations to them- selves. He last visited Alamut in 68 B.C, stayingin the Great Library for close to six months before departing. Those present at the time noted thar the Ancestor seemed disturbed, even openly frightful, and that he spentan inordinate amount of time reviewing theclan's earliest records. He left the Mountain on the night before the first Roman troops marched into Asia Minor to begin Rome's annexation of Syria and Palestine, Jishaald note thad, with rogard to dates, Ihave lake 2 mines libenly in ein this history. Most man-Wrsors aes of: erate ay Muslim calendar, ae hrislian one This system of dating bagins ds count i AD. 622, the yoann which Mohammad ld hus fram Mecas inthe jurney nous haousn a the “Hira.” Fon the sabe of the intended. audionce, which lee seokous its dales by the Christian calender, 1 have spprpriate transpositions. ‘The Ancestorappeared to the Children twice more afverthat. The firs time wasin Antioch acentury late Hagim entered the city with little fanfare (or as little as ‘was possible for a being of his power) and inquired into the researches of the sorcerers who dwelt there. The second was in the period between A.D. 117 and A.D. 120, during which he made a scoreof stopson journey ‘that took hum westward from the Holy Land. In extty 121, a party of mercenary warriors met Hagim in the British Isles, apparently while he was involved in an extended philosophical discussion with the Ventrue elder known as Mithras. Shortly thereafter, the Ances- tor vanished. All subsequent attempts to locate him have failed, NIGHTMARES OF Empire ‘The rise of Western civilization brought the Chile dren of Hagim into close contact with the rest of the Cainite world again. During the time ofthe Greek ety- states and the height of Persian dominance, few cline other than the Brujah, Ravos Setitesandithe Tsimisce hhad enjoyed more than sporadic encounters with the Children. However, as Rome expanded and, later, as Bymntium rote, thosekingdoms’ Caine parasitesmoved ‘with them, srugging in vain to contro the first moral institutions that were more complex than they could comprehend. THe RoMANERA ‘The Children of Hagim never had an extensive role in the Roman empire's life or death, Scattered members of all three castes moved through Roman society, particularly in the eastern and southern regions cof the empire, and no few warriors found mercenary employment as bodyguards or household troop com- manders for wealthy Vencrue and Malkavians. In truth, prior tothe fall of Carthage, the Children as whole paid little attention to Rome. It was no more than a distant rumbling on the horizon of history, and Iran, Egypt, Aram and other parties disputed lands closertohome. With these disputescame variousCainite claimants — and other forces as well. After the Third Punic War, however, the Children could no longer ignore the power that had all but annihilated the North African branch of the clan. The elders of Alamut examined Rome, and at that empire's hheore they saw festering webof Cainite influence that spoke of greater threats yet to arise. For their part, Rome'sownCainite inhabitancsremembered the swords that had aided the Brujah cause during the long wars in Carthage, and thetr rising strength washed away any fear they might have otherwise had of the Children. Rome needed little urging to turn its acquisitive eyes easoward. By the middle of the second century BC., Gorm Oe How Quan Wi Foca 9Macedonia and Thrace wete under Roman dominion. Another century, and Bithinya and Syria followed wit, Putting Rome's knife at the throat of the East Rome was nevera place of particular interest for the ithe Parthian empire was. Aring in fran a century before Rome'sascent began. Parthia spread theragh the Meopctamian region inthe wake ofthe crumbling cleucaldynasty, Many Children encouragedthe Parthian insion, save for those who had maintained close ties to Selec So tosate theirs Parthia arich ground on which ricular hungers, whether for vitae, battle or learning, while others simply wekomed an end to the chaotic infigh that surrounded their homes. Follow- inthe deeoction ofCarthageand te aubeequens Rone ‘expansion west Parthia quickly became al too significant wo the Chikiren as the force holding che Roman Cainites: at bay. All dreecastes devoted themselves to reinforcing Jn yeho could fend of their undead adversaries. of thas fous Cade a held the fic fauth poutLmbrace became active apsinit sme a least 3 entary caer than thin brthson of diferent faiths. The dod of Plosline wporladly itd a ponaory ec of sus clan we foll during tho saelt there — and the Gls of en on oda ofthe clan fl oan fangs and Made By the middle of the second century A.D,, events surrounding Rome had forced the Children to coex with other Cainites or perish. Egypt, Syria, Armes and other outlying lands were now under Roman con- trol, Ventrue, Toreador, Malkavians and others came. to the lands of the Children. In the Alexandria, Damascus and other great cities, the castes cmuleed ite courts of 1c European political dance, tonding favors ul secrets in search of leverage and power. The Parthians and their superb cavalry held the Romans at bay, bur the eastern coastof the Mediterranean was now hhome to far mote undead, and the bloody flower of the Jvhad slowly blossomed agnin. Canmace Although few outside thar clan acknowledge ie in the modem nights, the Brujah fever-dream that w ‘Carthage was home to no few of Haqim's childer. Ou an was the second mostnumerous there after the city Sarit fathers. However, a few Beujah elders who still amber Carthage recall our presence there a a uni fied one. Nothing could have been farther from the th, In che outset, Carthage was a trade center and the heart of Phoenicia. Several visiers with mercantile tests encered into partnerships or competition with led Brujah. As Brujah dominance of the city (Corecoe: Asegrew and their vision of an Elysian kingdom to rival the Second City took shape, Carthage attracted attention trom the warriors and sorcerers who knew their history well enough to recall their castes’ original charter, Surely thisCarthage could not be the paradise that their brethren’s accounts portrayed ittobe, they said, forthey knew all too well the excesses that open existence among mortals brought. Had Hagim not formed their lines co combat such decadence? And yet, when the fire warriors who wiched to he judges again arrived in Carthage, the Brujah greeted them with open arms and kade them stay foras long 2s they liked. The truth arleastin the keginning, was with the talee that ilered hack to Alamut. Corhage wat indeed a city wherein mortals and Cainites mingled freely, each doing his share to further the city's great- ness. The Chikirenstayed,suspiciousat first burgradually sabe Ue Drujals als, Iseiney vey beat so complacent that they forgot the suspicions that had brought them there. No two accounts agree on the exact point at which the Carthaginian Children discarded thetr heritage and joined the Baal’ rites thar the most decadent of the Brujah conducted. At some point between the Fitst and Second Punic Wars, however, avisiting warrior discov- cred this treachery when his childe, flushed with the excitement of the forbidden, invited him to partake of the blood ofa childe sacrifice. He cur his way out of the city and fled to Alamut, his steps dosuged every inch of the way by a pack of maddened traitors and their alles and debauched servants. The initial response was swift and bloody, asa cabal of sorcerers turned the revenanis back upon their masters, some of whom had remained behind in Carthage. By the end of the Second Punic War, warriors and sorcerers cautiously crept into Carthage, guided by the remaining visices who had not succumbed vw the city's madness. Ina city filled with Cainites they couldeasiy