Baali

1 Introduction
 Baali

2 INTRODUCTION
Credits Special Thanks
Written By: Ray Jenkins I would like to thank all the Storytellers and players
that I have learned from over the years. You have all
Art By: White Wolf Entertainment been an inspiration and encouragement as I delved
Art Director: Ray Jenkins into the darker corners of Vampire and other settings.
Layout by: Ray Jenkins In addition, I would like to thank all the artists and
writers that have been involved in creating and grow-
Edited By: Mary Kate Jenkins and Ray Jenkins
ing the World of Darkness. You helped to create an
amazing world that captures the imaginations across
the world.
I would also like to thank Nate Siever for giving me
the initial kick in the ass to write this book.
Finally, I have to thank Chris Knuth and Jeff
Meisinger for their support and feedback.

You all have been a great inspiration.

Clanbook: Baali 3
The Lost and the Damned
Author’s Note
As a clan, the Baali are some of the most vile and de-
praved vampires the World of Darkness has ever seen. This careful delineation of what is acceptable and
Not every city or game needs to have them included. what is not makes the majority of Baali among the
Indeed, not every game should have them included. most accomplished demonologists in the world. They
are careful negotiators and manipulators; they are not
At their core, the Baali are a clan that sees the world a clan that makes deals with or contacts the infernal
as a rotting carcass trying to cling to a life that it nei- on a whim.
ther deserves nor appreciates. They want to usher in a
new age of darkness by birthing their gods, Those When used as a scalpel of forbidden knowledge and
Who Wait, into the world. These chthonic beings are horrific consequence, the Baali can be a useful tool in
whispered by the clan to be stirring as the world de- the storyteller’s arsenal. If armies of demons and in-
scends into chaos. fernal hordes to combat are the goals for a chronicle
(or overt infernalism), other clans are much more
While some Baali fight against their brethren, it is not likely to serve as better villains.
to stop these beings from emerging but to delay the
timeline and control their emergence. It is not a ques- Of course, there are exceptions—Negali Baali tend to
tion of if they will awaken, but when. The one thing fall into stereotypes of infernalism and proclaim kin-
all divergent beliefs of the Baali agree upon is that the ship with demons and devils. These Baali, while they
world is a lost cause. There is no doubt or hesitation exist, are in the minority and are often outed by more
in this prognosis. calculating Baali to better hide their activities and
existence. As tensions rise and hunters multiply, Ner-
As antagonists, the Baali have always been difficult to gals are often discovered and destroyed, leaving their
wield effectively. Over time, they became less of a hor- more manipulative brethren of the clan’s core or the
ror and abomination and more a collection of funky Molochim to thrive in their secret gatherings.
powers of the blood and an easy way to get infernal
gifts. They were used in numerous infernal plots or In closing, the Baali should be used sparingly to pre-
“monster of the week” stories. While infernalists can serve their mystique and potency as antagonists. And,
make interesting antagonists, in truth, reducing one- when they are used, infernalist or Nergals in the clan
self to a slave to an infernal being is anathema to the should be an exception as opposed to the rule.
Baali. They are servants of the higher truth—the inde-
scribable beings that dwell in the darkness outside of
this creation. Bowing down to lesser reflections of ~Ray Jenkins
these creatures such as malefic spirits or demons is an
insult to their heritage. Those that fall into this trap
were either never indoctrinated into the truths the
Baali hoard, or they have seriously missed the point.
Alternatively, it definitively marks one as a Nergal.
Most Baali will truck with demons and devils and will
make bargains, but they endeavor to be the ones in
control of the negotiations—letting a demon take pos-
session of one’s soul is a devastating faux pas. While
the clan will give sacrifice and lead others into that
damnation (as it only works toward their end goal),
their soul is usually never on the bargaining table. The
souls of others? Certainly. The Baali’s soul being given
over, and thus losing control to a demon? Not if they
can help it.

4 INTRODUCTION
Introduction 3
Chapter One: What Came First 6
Chapter Two: Playing with Monsters 21
Chapter Three: Voices of the Baali 29
Chapter Four: Dark Secrets 40
Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us 50

Clanbook: Baali 1
2 INTRODUCTION
 Introduction

Baali.
The name is poison on the tongues of kindred
across the world. Spoken of in hushed whispers as
boogeymen and infernalists, the bloodline has been
hounded since it revealed itself in the early days of
kindred society.
The Baali roused the Second City and prompted the
creation of an entire caste of sorcerers from Haqim’s
line. They engaged Saulot’s holy warriors and even
corrupted a few with their gifts of “enlightenment.”
They gathered under Nergal in Mashkan-shapir, and
later Crete, to awaken Namtaru. They were in Car-
thage, encouraging the sacrifices and bloody rites of
the Brujah under Troile.
The Baali have been at the epicenter of atrocities
and genocide since the days that Clan Founders
walked the Earth.
But who are they? Why have they been so often
misunderstood or misrepresented? Are they all leather-
clad Satanists and devil worshippers? Are they follow-
ers of a Lovecraftian Pantheon that dwells just outside
of our universe? What are their goals?
These questions have been touched upon and dis-
cussed many times over—but in this book, we will an-
swer them for you.
Some of the stories may be outright fabrications.
Some may have slivers of truth within them. Others
still may be shockingly accurate. It is up to the reader
how far they wish to take the words in this book.
The Baali bait their prey with offers of enlighten-
ment and forbidden knowledge. Read on if you want
to know more…

Clanbook: Baali 3
 What’s In This Book
This book explores the history and practices of one
of the most, if not the most, reviled bloodline in the
history of the World of Darkness. Within each chap-
ter, you will find the viewpoints and bloody legacy of
the scions of the First Tribe as well as perspectives
from its modern members.
In Chapter One: What Came First, we explore the
history and timeline of the Baali, from their days as
the First Tribe around the Well of Sacrifice in Ashur
to the modern incarnation of the clan that stalks the
night.
In Chapter Two: Playing with Monsters, we discuss
the practices and hierarchy of the clan.
4 Introduction
In Chapter Three: Voices of the Baali, we discuss
tips on portraying the different styles of monsters that
populate the clan and explore the world in their own
words.
In Chapter Four: Dark Secrets, we look at new
backgrounds and merits, as well as adaptations for
Laws of the Night and errata for Mind’s Eye Theatre
4th edition (By Night Studios).
In Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us, we examine
several concepts and character types that work well
within the Baali clan. We also discuss a sample nest
for use in your Chronicle.
 My dearest Valerie,

I know you may be confused by this letter. An apology should be made, I suspect. My love,
I have arranged your current… accommodations. I have stolen you away from the safety of
your life and thrown you to the wolves, so to speak. Don’t panic. Don’t call after me for salva-
tion. I am not the man you believe I am. You saw, like all kine, what I wanted you to see.

And now, you will see even more of what I want you to see.

Pay close attention, as you lay on the damp stone of your oubliette. That scratching in the
walls? Skittering things moving across the floor? These are to be your constant companions.
Enjoy the torchlight, for it will vanish from you within the hour. I believe the absence of light
makes all things clearer. It truly does bring one to a sense of nothingness.

As the weeks pass, the blinders you wear regarding your safe reality will start to slip and you
will perhaps begin to hear… whispers between the spaces in the darkness. Or you will not, and
I will leave you to rot with all the other failures trapped in the walls around you.

Do not fret, my dear, for you are to be part of something far larger and far older than yourself.
While the walls may grow slick with ichor and the scent of rotting flesh may fill your nose…
remember—it was you who chose me at that party. You, who invited me into your life. Consider
this my thank you. Your research into ancient languages was a gift… a favor I will gift you in
return by showing you who those ancient tongues called out to in the dark. The lords whose idols
stood upon the stones you translated… the entities that wait beyond the boundaries of your lit-
tle world.

Scream if you wish. They will consider it a courtesy. I know they hunger to meet you… and
I hunger to give you over to them.

Your love,

Alexander

5 Introduction
 Chapter One:
What Came First
Who Are We?
By Valerie DeCostas, Baali Priestess
There is always a bit of the truth in the most con-
vincing of lies.
The lie is that the dark was empty and formless be-
fore the Light came. The truth, there, is that it was
only mostly formless. There was life in the void, before
the birth of the sun. Potent beings had lived for eons
in the blackness of night only to be forced to flee the
burning of the Light.
They fell like stars from the sky. Where they crashed
into the ground, the Earth split and heaved, creating
massive chasms. Within these darkened pits, the old
gods hid from the searing sun… and they slept. These
beings came to be called the Children of the Outer
Dark, or Those Who Wait. Their existence began in a
reality beyond our understanding—and their power is
absolute.
Over time, people built great cities over the slum-
bering gods, not realizing that the power of the Chil-
dren was what drew humanity. Like flies to honey,
tribes flocked to these locations, drawn there by
dreams and visions. These places were foci of great
power, the sleeping deities below the ground saturat-
ing the very earth with foul energies.
The first people to discover the body of one of these
gods lived outside of a great city called Ashur. We
refer to them as the First Tribe. We do not speak their
true name or acknowledge it. Giving voice to their
6 Chapter One: What Came First…
name gives power to their connection to the Children
and can attract unwanted attention.
While digging a well outside of the city, the First
Tribe uncovered the desiccated body of a sleeping
Child of the Outer Dark. As the light of the sun
struck it, the Child screamed in agony, calling out to
its brethren in a language that was old before time
began. There was power in these words—a power that
shook the ground and rent the souls of the First Tribe.
Even as this Child of the Outer Dark’s flesh melted
and its bones collapsed in the onslaught of sunlight,
the First Tribe realized what they had found. The
words and names that had been spoken burned them-
selves into the souls of all those present and forever
changed them.
They could hear the secret whispers that flowed into
the night from the sleeping titans. They could sense
the burning power that the names of the Children
had granted them—power over the very laws of crea-
tion, itself.
The First Tribe was as power-hungry as any mortal
group—or immortal, for that matter. They sought out
ways to petition these beings, using the names and
words they had learned to entreat the slumbering
Children, stealing more and more power for them-
selves.
The Tribe did not realize, at first, that power is a
two-way street. Utilizing the names and language of
the Children granted them temporal power, yes… but
it also stirred the Children in their dormancy, making
them more and more aware of the world around
them. When the First Tribe had realized their mistake,
it was already too late. The Children had begun to
grow restless in their sleep, and in their dreams, the
First Tribe witnessed the beings rise from their earth-
en wombs, striding as titans of disease and misery
across the world.
In a panic, the First Tribe designed wells, in honor
of the first Child they had discovered, and performed
profane rites and rituals of sacrifice and bloody orgy so
that they might appease their patrons and sing them
back into blissful dreams. As time went on, the First
Tribe developed more gruesome and bloody rites of
degradation to better cater to their dark gods.
Still, those within the First Tribe longed for the
power granted by using the names of the Children. As
a result, they began to dilute the beings’ names. They
changed the names through human language, modify-
ing them and distilling as much power as they could
without drawing the sleeping deities’ attention. It
didn’t always work; some names were too strong, even
when altered. They had to further spread the root
sounds apart so that they would not resound so loudly
to the ears of the sleeping Children. All the while,
wells of sacrifice were filled to the brim with blood
and rotten meat—bodies and souls used as currency to
buy the First Tribe more time to work their magic and
search for safer ways to practice their dark arts.
That time was cut short.
The Birth of the Baali
Generations passed; the First Tribe having spread
out into other nation-states. They brought with them
the secrets of naming and the power that the Children
granted. This spread the subtle worship of Those Who
Wait across the world like cancer. Small threads of the
truth behind such power were revealed every so often,
ending in tales of foul magics and dark gifts that could
devour minds and twist perceptions. What horrors the
First Tribe unleashed upon the world are best left
unspoken… but we do know that it was not long be-
fore they attracted the attention of a wandering demi-
god.
The early children of Caine and his lot were akin to
deities… walking across the land and bringing death
and undeath as they chose, bending a knee to only
Caine, himself. As genteel as they wish to paint their
early societies, they were as bloody as the First Tribe.
Clanbook: Baali
Whether it was out of boredom or out of a desire to
destroy possible competition, an undead god came to
Ashur. There, it discovered the great well of sacrifice.
It witnessed the atrocities and perversions the First
Tribe visited upon captives and slaves in times of
war… and how they devoured their own in times of
peace to appease their dormant gods.
It found these evils pathetic.
The demigod strode into Ashur, deciding to wipe
away the childish rituals of the First Tribe. Its gaze
destroyed the minds of those who stood before it.
Those that were able-bodied were twisted and rent
into weeping distortions of flesh. Those that were
beautiful were turned into horrors. It swept through
the First Tribe like a scythe fitting of Caine’s fields.
Those that survived were thrown into the well of
sacrifice. There, the beast who had destroyed them left
its blood for those desperate and determined enough
to live.
Nergal, the ambitious destroyer was the first to
emerge from the pit, covered in the blood and shit of
his fellows, his hunger clawing at the very depths of
his soul. Moloch was the second to emerge, his mind
enlightened by the depths of depravity and calm wick-
edness of their sire. The third… the third emerged a
broken and hideous thing. It departed from its sib-
lings and sank into the night. Some say it was one of
the pair of lovers, twisted together by the dark power
of the cainite who found them. Others say it was the
most beautiful of the First Tribe and that the undead
god who embraced them could not bear its destruc-
tion. To this day we have not discovered the truth of
the matter. To this day, we do not care.
After clawing their way to the surface, Nergal and
Moloch looked upon the stars and howled in rage.
New strength flowed through their bodies and the
knowledge of the Children was still seared into their
souls.
We never discovered the identity of the antediluvian
that embraced the three. Rumors vary wildly—from
Cappadocius to Tzimisce, to even a member of the
Second Generation. Many of these tales are wild and
can capture the imagination. Others, still, received
quiet support by various clans so that they might paint
their enemies in a more sinister light. Some say the
Tremere, for example, paraded the idea that Saulot or
the Eldest Tzimisce sired our line—while there could
be some interesting truth beneath either, the fact is
7
 that we have no idea what vampire visited Ashur
that night.

The Bastard Children of Saulot?

By Alexander St. Croix, Baali Diabolist

Saulot. Does my use of that name disturb you? Yes,

we know who the Salubri were. More importantly, we
know who and what their founder truly was.

Let me be honest with you, dear. Saulot was no

saint among kindred. He was simply a better vampire
than any of his fellows gave him credit for—he forced
the notoriously neutral Haqim to take a stance against
the excess of the childer of his brethren. He soothed
the fits of Malkav and kept the mad seer spouting
visions and prophecy. He allowed the Tremere to find
him and now his blood flows through their childer.

And he created us.

I’ve heard tales of this supposed saint’s deeds—and

how his childer could recognize our blood in the Dark
Ages. I also know the Salubri hunted us with a fervor
that outshone even the Assamites (and we gave the
clan of Assassins ample reason to hate us). Their ha-
tred almost seems born of something more desper-
ate… such as the desire to wipe away a mistake.

It is clear to me, Saulot was our progenitor.

Darkness Spreads
Our line dispersed after their embrace. Nergal fled
the valleys of the First Tribe and began to journey
toward the Tigris and Euphrates, cultivating a gener-
ous following as he wove magic using his knowledge of
the names of the Children and his potent vitae. Even-
tually, Mashkan-shapir was formed according to his
design and in preparation for a great rite. It was also
here that he created the D’Habi revenant line that
serves us to this day.
Moloch moved across the Phoenician Empire, em-
bracing childer that had blood ties to the First Tribe.
He brought them into the night with knowledge of
the Children and the danger of their awakening. The

8 Chapter One: What Came First…

calculating cainite taught his childer how to steal pow-
er from the slumbering deities while denying them
wakefulness, instructing his offspring in the rites
needed to fill their dreams with blissful torment.
The third… we don’t actually know what the third
did. The unnamed likely had childer. It most certainly
stayed away from both of its brothers. Some stories say
that it returned to the Second City as a thing of beau-
ty, taking up rooms alongside the likes of Arikel. We
cannot be certain what actions the Unnamed commit-
ted, nor if it even survived.
The Second City Beckons…
In the time of the Second City, legend suggests that
we besieged the home of Caine’s childer, nearly bring-
ing it to ruin. What prompted this, I don’t rightly
know, but it is during this time that we gain the ha-
tred of the Salubri and the Assamites. The way it was
told to me was that we wanted our seat at the table.
I’m not particularly sure how much stock I put in
that reasoning. More than likely, the Second City held
resources or secrets of naming that the Baali of the
time coveted. Perhaps Nergal or Moloch… or the
Third set the attacks in motion. From what I do know,
it was not likely to be Moloch’s brood. Moloch’s get
would not use the sorceries likely displayed by the
Baali that attacked the Second City.
You have to understand, accounts from this time
are the vaguest of descriptions set in myth and the rare
written tablet.
What we do know, however, is that our forces man-
aged to infiltrate the Second City, turning various
clans into apostates and followers of our ways. We
lured defenders from the city and attacked ruthlessly.
We turned Assamites, Gangrel, Salubri, and even
Ventrue into allies… using them as agents within the
walls of the Second City to turn its defenses against its
protectors.
In the end, we threatened the city so severely that
Haqim, founder of the Assamites, embraced a new
weapon to be used against our clan—the most potent
of his line’s sorcerers—Ur-Shulgi. While we were
pushed back and our forces at the Second City were
defeated, our clan left its mark on our cousins in ways
that are still felt to this day.
It would not be the last of our rivalry with Haqim’s
get, nor would it be our last battle with Saulot’s holy
warriors.
Clanbook: Baali
Mashkan-shapir
Nergal was not content to merely rule over a city.
The adoring cries of his cultists were not enough to
sate his hunger for power. It was in Mashkan-shapir
that his arrogance took over his sense of reason and
he decided to take the ultimate risk.
After centuries of stealing power from the hibernat-
ing Children, Nergal began a great undertaking. His
ghouls and childer saw to the excavation of a sleeping
Child, and beneath the city, he began working a ritual
to rouse the sleeping god.
In his arrogance, Nergal genuinely believed that he
could take the power of a very god unto himself. As
insane as it sounds, he dedicated the entire city to this
task, willing to sacrifice every living soul to awaken the
creature. Some of his own ghouls revealed this dan-
gerous plan to Moloch, who moved to intervene.
Make no mistake, Moloch was not a hero. He
moved because he had a sense of self-preservation.
Moloch was entirely content to steal power from the
slumbering gods—provided it did not awaken them
prematurely.
It is my opinion that Moloch understood that their
awakening was inevitable. As the world grew and the
diluted names of the Children were passed on and
utilized—as demons and other foul creatures were
pulled from the Abyss using the power of their moni-
kers—it was only a matter of time before they were
drawn to the world fully.
However, Moloch was not ready for them to walk
the Earth just yet. If one were awakened, the others
would surely be roused shortly thereafter. As a result,
the pragmatic cainite did what we do best: he sold his
brother out to save himself.
You see, we have no issue throwing the occasional
Baali to the wolves of the Camarilla or Sabbat now
and again. It helps them feel like they have purged the
“unholy bloodline” from existence in this town or that
town… and allows the rest of us to work unhindered.
In this case, Moloch weaponized the other clans to do
his work for him—to stop the ritual.
It worked.
Nergal’s ritual was halted and the Child remained
asleep. The clan would not see another revival of such
madness until the coming of Shaitan.
9
 In the meantime, Moloch gathered the survivors of
the clan, after the other bloodlines had purged those
they could discover. Under Moloch, they were taught
to leech the power of the Children without stirring
them. They followed under Moloch’s creed of eternal
slumber—not out of some altruistic desire to save the
world from what the First Tribe had nearly awoken…
but to preserve the source of their power and their
own lives.
Moloch’s Influence
After the fall of Nergal, Moloch preached a doctrine
of subtle influence and theft of power. In these days,
some of the viewpoints of the nascent followers of
Moloch, the “Molochim,” seem downright naïve—it
appears that they thought that they could keep the
Children of the Outer Dark asleep for eternity. While
I feel Moloch knew this was folly, his childer and fol-
lowers at the time bought into it wholeheartedly.
It caused us to fight among one another, quietly,
about the nature of the Children and their desires.
As Moloch cast his wrath upon those who would
rebel, he had a competitor that revealed secrets of
Those Who Wait, twisting their names and words into
the rites and rituals that would blossom into infernal
practices.
This upstart was none other than Nergal, himself.
Having survived the travesty of Mashkan-shapir, Ner-
gal began to sow the seeds of infernalism across the
world. Each time names and rites based around one of
the Children were used, they were prodded in their
sleep. Each demon summoned or manifested using
twisted incantations of their names was another call to
awaken.
Nergal understood this well. His time working the
ritual in Mashkan-shapir taught him many things re-
garding the workings of the First Tribe. While he was
still restricted to diluted origins and inexact transla-
tions of the sorcerer-priests of Ashur, his knowledge
was unsurpassed. He knew how to twist and manipu-
late the few combinations of the proper vowels and
consonants that built the foundations of the names of
the Children. Nergal used this knowledge to spread
infernalism, utilizing newly summoned demons and
concepts of evil to fuel his dark rituals.
Moloch cautioned his flock against the use of such
rites. Not only did these things threaten to awaken the
Children, but they also enslaved those Baali foolish
enough to undertake such bargains. However, we
10 Chapter One: What Came First…
The Power of Names
By Reginald Winter, Baali Ritualist, Priest of the Swarm
There is power in a name. A power that flows from
the named to the speaker. We Baali know this power
intimately. The names of the Children of the Outer
Dark burn and bubble with raw power. The mere
mention or intonation of these names burns horrific
knowledge into the soul of any who hear them. The
sounds leave one who has heard them open to the
whispering dreams of the Children and the indeci-
pherable visions that they bring.
We diluted the names until they were virtually un-
recognizable. Modern occultists even invoke some of
them to this day in various rites and rituals. Pagan
gods and other deities obscuring the true origin of the
words they speak and the original powers they
brought.
Even now, evoking certain names has spawned ur-
ban legends—Bloody Mary, Hanako-San—these beings
are spawned by the unspoken knowledge of the Chil-
dren manifesting in a warning: do not call the names
that bring unwanted attention. Playing with such
powers unprepared always leads to ruin.
Baali are nothing if not curious… so we found ways to
twist pacts back upon the demons we summoned,
making offers other than our souls for both power and
knowledge. It worked… much to Moloch’s displeasure.
However, as long as we avoided summoning demons
unto Earth and selling our souls, he was content, for a
time, to allow us to play in the new garden that Nergal
had created.
There was also the problem of Nergal’s surviving
childer. The angry cainites, made orphans after Mash-
kan-shapir’s fall, lashed out at us and the world for
betraying their sire. They were lost. They were angry.
They wanted to tear the world to its foundations.
Nergal, to his credit, allowed these lost childer to
rage and flail, doing nothing to ease their belief that
he had died in his previous attempt to raise a Child to
wakefulness. They served his purpose—if we had
known that he still lived, there is no doubt in my
mind that we would have set out to destroy him.
 In many ways, we saw how their anger began to twist
and warp the clan into what we are now—but that’s a
story for later.
In these ancient times, they began to eat up Nergal’s
droppings as if they were mana from heaven. The
knowledge of new demons and godlings that he quiet-
ly spread through the warping of Children’s names
kept them busy. The worship of minor, perverted
names spawned new religions and deities that hid the
truth of the Children. They became minor things, but
responsive, taking on lives of their own as worship
grew and spread across continents.
Moloch, in his wisdom, was content to let these
more brazen members of our bloodline go about their
horrible deeds. When appropriate, he tried to bring
them into his flock. When they denied, they were
destroyed or left to their own devices.
You see, Mashkan-shapir revealed, in no uncertain
terms, the utter power and threat our blood was to the
rest of the world, let alone cainite existence. The clans
would hunt us to the ends of the Earth. However, if
they were allowed the occasional “victory,” most of us
could go about our work in relative peace and safety.
To this end, Nergal’s orphans could perform their
perverted and shallow rites—in some cases, they em-
braced mortal religions as their own. It was sad and
pathetic, but it brought us to where we are.
Clanbook: Baali
The Emergence of Shaitan
Nergal wasn’t done after spreading infernalism. His
arrogance would not allow him to step into the shad-
ows. No, as we could expect, he returned. This time,
in the guise of Shaitan. He claimed to be the progeni-
tor of the Baali, making a great show of his return to
Ashur.
Of course, his brazen and insane sermons drew his
old childer back to his banner.
With potent blood and mastery of the names of the
Children, Shaian was a threat to be reckoned with.
His power over the blood was impressive and he
seemed to care little for Moloch. Apparently, Nergal
had orchestrated his own fall at Mashkan-shapir and
had set up a game of infiltration and information
gathering. D’habi ghouls, kept faithful to the elder
Baali through regular deliveries of his blood, informed
him of movements and rumors among Moloch’s
brood and other Baali. It allowed him to stay one step
ahead of his brother’s machinations.
Good on him. He’s still a bastard but he knew the
nature of his brethren more than we gave him credit
for—he played their game and seemed to get one over
on them.
It wasn’t going to last, of course.
11
 Above a sleeping Child of the Outer Dark, Nergal
built Chorazin. The rites and rituals performed while
he excavated the ground beneath the city tainted the
ground to this day. It remains a place of power that
has drawn arcanists again and again. Several clans
have used the residual power in the city for potent
rites. Even the Children of Haqim put its altars to
use—as much as they may deny it.
When he was finished, Nergal moved the sleeping
godling to the isle of Crete. It was there that he at-
tempted, again, to awaken the Child, Namtaru.
Once again, the other clans united to put a stop to
his madness, and once again, they were subtly aided by
Moloch’s brood. The waters around Crete burned and
bled. The Earth shook and cracked as Nergal’s ritual
to awaken Namtaru progressed.
In the last moments, he was stopped. The labyrinth
he built around the sleeping Child was destroyed,
collapsing around him. Potent magics were used to
turn the very ground against Nergal and his efforts,
causing destruction on a massive scale.
Rumor has it, Nergal was killed in his failed ritual.
Personally? I believe he was devoured by the waking
consciousness of the Child he served. We know that
Namtaru stirred in its sleep, growing far closer to
wakefulness than it had ever been before. It was no
longer simply trapped in dreams. And that scared the
absolute fuck out of all of us. We were nowhere near
ready for one of our patrons to walk the Earth.
No one has tried to excavate the sleeping titan. Cen-
turies of ritual and sacrifice were given to lull it back
into dormancy. We think it worked, but as plagues
and contagion crawl across the world, how are we to
know? Nergal referred to the god as the Plague Bringer
and the name we refer to it as, Namtaru, has represen-
tation in Mesopotamian beliefs as holding command
over demons of disease. Maybe it’s more active than
we give it credit for…
Moloch’s Fall
It should be obvious by now that I don’t really see
eye to eye with Moloch’s brood. However, that doesn’t
mean I don’t regret his loss. As one of the original
three, and the only one who took a pragmatic ap-
proach (that we know of), he shaped our clan and
ensured our survival. If Nergal’s brood had won out in
the end, I doubt we would be having this conversa-
tion. The Baali would have been a footnote in cainite
history.
12 Chapter One: What Came First…
However, Moloch did meet his end. In Carthage.
Yes, that Carthage. The Brujah clan utopia of hu-
man and cainite co-existence. Carthage was absolute
heaven—for vampires.
Troile, the Brujah progenitor, and Moloch were
close allies within the city. Moloch’s influence eventu-
ally impacted the warrior-scholar so much that Baali
rites began to be celebrated within the city as a stand-
ard religious practice.
The Baali flourished, worshipping at the same altars
as the Brujah and other allies. It was in Carthage that
Moloch became the god, Ba’al-Hammon. Sacrificial
wells were created, in homage to ancient Ashur… and
were filled with blood and viscera of those who gave
worship to Ba’al-Hammon and his divine nature.
Troile allowed this. Rumor has it, Troile partook in
the rituals. If you ask me, Troile let Moloch get away
with many things. My take? Troile and Moloch were a
bit more than allies—which would fit with the whis-
pers of Carthage’s final hours. It is said that Moloch
and Troile descended into the ground together, em-
bracing one another.
In my opinion… this is pure comedy gold. Troile,
the progenitor of a wise, learned clan. A noble warrior
in Brujah myth blood-lover with one of the first Baali.
Then, Moloch, the one who cautioned against being
enslaved. The one who warned against being chained
to bonds, blood-bound and enslaved by his own emo-
tions to an antediluvian.
We never saw him again. Legend has it that the
Earth was sewn with salt and ritual to prevent any
cainite who went into the Earth from ever emerging.
Summer in Rome
Of course, once Rome destroyed Carthage, the re-
maining Baali thrived. We were spread across the
known world at this time, so the destruction of a sin-
gle city was not about to destroy us any more than it
would any other clan.
Rome was so caught up in its superiority that they
didn’t notice when we began to filter through its terri-
tories and cities. We took root. We spread our secrets
as needed. We enslaved and sacrificed the weak. In
short, we did what we always do.
Of course, Nergal’s get would occasionally rise, get
caught, and end up destroyed. It worked out for the
best, in my opinion. Nergal’s followers became the
threat that drew attention and allowed us to survive
and work through the shadows.
Not everything was wine and roses, however. The
spread of the Empire and the gathering of ancient
knowledge? These things threatened to reveal the vari-
ous distillations and modified names of the Children.
Since we knew that this knowledge could rouse them,
the Baali of Moloch’s brood had to work diligently to
further obscure the truth of these names and their
power.
Rome became a central hub for cainites of all kinds.
Mithras rose to prominence in the city, having
brought his cult to the Empire. Our clan, something
of an expert in bloody rites of worship, found this to
be an amusing religion. As it was embraced by more
and more cainites, we quietly began to subvert some of
its worship practices with our own seeds, planting
fragments of the Children into ritual and sacrifice. If
the Mithras Cult was so intent on blood sacrifice, it
was only fair that part of it be deferred to the Chil-
dren to assist in maintaining their dreams.
This arrangement worked in our favor for a time. Of
course, Mithras was nothing if not a jealous “god.”
Most of our planted heresies were destroyed over the
years. By the time he shifted his attention to Londini-
um, we only held the barest of influence within the
cult.
Still, Rome was a pleasing source of knowledge for
us. We planted ourselves as spiders at the center of its
web of influence. Roads expanded the reach of the
Empire and they extended the influence of our nests.
Our influence spread, but so did the chance for
conflict. While roads were a key to successful travel,
they were also a target. We lost many brothers and
sisters in those days, traveling between cities. From
conflicts with Werewolves and other denizens of the
night to reignited conflicts with Salubri holy warriors
and fanatical Assamites, the night grew more danger-
ous for us.
Despite it all, the Roman Empire saw a resurgence
in our clan that would likely have never occurred if it
hadn’t graced history. Our knowledge spread and our
reach grew exponentially as humanity pushed on for
new horizons. It was a symbiotic relationship like any
other. As humans grew in strength, so did we.

Clanbook: Baali 13
 Cursing the Assamites
Our conflicts with Haqim’s childer never seem to
end. While we were content to go about our business,
separate from them, the Assamite clan was not pre-
pared to allow us to exist, much less grow in strength.
They fought us across the known world, taking our
destruction on as a solemn duty. Saulot’s childer,
likewise, took affront to our survival. These two clans,
obsessed with our destruction, sought us out more
than any other.
It was at the fortress of Chorazin that we prompted
another defining moment in the Assamite clan histo-
ry. Once again, it was our presence that altered a fun-
damental aspect of the Children of Haqim. We had
already seen to the creation of the most powerful of
their sorcerer caste—an entire line of the clan made to
combat our magics and allies. In the 7th century, we
would again change the face of the clan with a curse
that would echo through the ages.
Around 636 A.D., we fought the get of Haqim again
in the lands around Chorazin. However, things did
not go as the dervishes had planned. Now, according
to some of our historians, the Assamite clan was hav-
ing internal issues and its elders sought to unify them
against the one enemy they knew could be perceived
as a true threat: us.
It is a role we are accustomed to, at this point, to be
honest.
Regardless, the Assamites sniffed out our presence
in Chorazin. The very grounds around the fortress
were still singing with the dark power that Nergal had
commanded and the lingering spiritual presence of
Namtaru. As the Assamites threw themselves against
our magics and our pawns, we captured one… and
there, deep below Chorazin on one of our most foul
altars, we worked a feat of magic that the clans took
over 800 years to replicate—and even then, they had
our help.
We cursed the blood of Haqim to ever hunger for
blood. As they hunted us like jackals, they would turn
on the very clans around them in their thirst. Our
curse made cainite blood addictive to the Clan of
Assassins, turning would-be judges and self-important
scholars into maddened hounds crying for vitae of
their fellows.
It was beautiful.

14 Chapter One: What Came First…

The Dark Ages
What we now call the Dark Ages, when Princes
warred and religion thrived, was a time of great pro-
gress for our clan—and great challenges. The mortal
world shifted around us and the dominance of Chris-
tianity and Islam over their respective regions grew
more and more solidified. Monotheism began to ex-
tinguish the flames of polytheistic religions in the
West and much of the Middle East—while religions
worshipping many gods flourished in Asia, the West
seemed to ignore these particular regions and instead
focused their Crusades on battling philosophies of the
Abrahamic god.
Our clan has a distinct dislike for items of faith…
but we could not help being drawn to the faithful. For
a learned Baali, there is nothing quite like slowly peel-
ing the delusions of religious belief away and forcing a
confrontation with the raw nature of the universe and
what awaits in the dark with a lifetime of religious
indoctrination. Corrupting the faithful was a game of
chicken. Could it be done before the Baali in question
was burned by the light of faith? Could it be done
beneath the very nose of the church?
Oh, what a time to be undead.
Of course, at this time we also had a solidification of
different cults or leanings within the clan. We all saw
to different facets of our sleeping patrons. Cults of
worship blossomed within our ranks.
Cults of the Destroyer, the Celestial, the Swarm, the
Mystery… they were constructed to call upon different
faces of the Children. Various practices were put into
place among the facets, from the Destroyer worship-
pers who took part of Nergal’s mantle, seeking to
rouse the Children to the mysterious insectoid-idols of
the Swarm and their practice of converting their bod-
ies into hatcheries for the obscene skittering things in
the dark. The Celestial sought out powers beyond
petty notions of “heaven” and “hell,” seeking further
knowledge of the Children of the Outer Dark and
remnants of their names. The Mystery sought out the
origins of their existence—how the Children came into
creation, why they fell, and their relation to the Abra-
hamic god.
Monotheism was our biggest threat, however. Under
the banner of the Church, religions dedicated to any
but the Christian god in Europe and the Islamic god
in the Middle East began to eat away at our bases of
power.
Clanbook: Baali
These two religions threatened our hold on mortals
and their worship of darker gods of old. Our herds
shrunk and our influences dried up as cults were
forced to hide or were annihilated by the rage of the
“pure.”
Nergals, however, took to monotheism oddly well.
They proclaimed kinship with the Devil and sought
out his attentions, performing dramatic rites of sacri-
fice and slaughter—and made life harder for the rest of
us as a result.
The Angelis Ater
I would be remiss if we didn’t discuss one of the
more insane manifestations of our blood.
In the Dark Ages, a group of abyssal mystics and a
nest of Baali got together and thought “wouldn’t it be
awesome if we could touch the void with our powers
combined?” Well… they did it. They didn’t get what
they bargained for, however.
This odd mixture of Lasombra and Baali created in-
fertile vampires tethered to the darkness of the Abyss.
The infection went both ways. Those Baali that were
ritually inducted became something different. Servants
to infernal powers and some odd intelligence in the
dark, they became Azaneali Baali.
If there was any lesson that we should have preserved
from Moloch, it is that we should never tether our-
selves to the infernal. Giving our souls to some minor
demon or even an archdemon is an insult. We serve
beings created before the god of Abraham or Lucifer’s
fall. A Baali selling their soul for petty, temporal pow-
er is utter idiocy.
Regardless, the Angelis Ater exist, much to our cha-
grin. They are something else. Something other than
Baali. Sure, some nests may use them to their ad-
vantage, but they bring trouble. Mark my words.
It didn’t help that Azaneal, the progenitor of this
cursed lineage, claimed Chorazin as his own home
and attempted to declare himself the true power of the
Baali clan. We warred against him, of course.
In the end, the Molochim who led us to battle
against the upstart were scattered by the strength of
Azaneal’s armies and the potent energies of Chorazin
at his command even as Azaneal, himself, met his end.
Chorazin was left in tatters, and the Baali that called it
home were spread across the ground as ash.
15

Where are they now?
Worship of the various facets of the Children fell by
the wayside after the Dark Ages. As the Baali were
further harangued and hunted, large gatherings and
nests grew less popular. Due to this, the organized
worship of these facets of the Baali’s patrons fell by
the wayside.
However, there are hints of all these old sects within
the clan even to this day. Most, if not all Baali under-
stand that the world is ending, hanging by the barest
of threads. They are convinced that the end will come
with the Children awakening and striding across crea-
tion in a wave of destruction. In that coming darkness,
they intend to sit at the head table as Lords and Ladies
over the new world their patrons will create. While it
is not codified, this is a mixture of the Destroyer and
the Celestial.
The Swarm lives on in those Baali who develop an
unnatural kinship and fascination with vermin and
flies.
The Mystery drives the Baali quest for dark secrets
and forbidden knowledge.
These faces of the Children shaped the clan’s curse
throughout the ages, and while they are not usually
worshipped or followed in any formal method in
modern nights, they have impacted the clan’s very
nature. This doesn’t mean that they cannot be wor-
shipped by scholars into the clan’s past… simply that it
is rare.
After the costly battle, Moloch’s brood fled into the
lands of the Tzimisce. There, they made deals and
learned secrets of the fiends’ magic, using their powers
to assist the Old Clan with keeping Kupala asleep in
return for instruction in various methods of sorcery.
At this point, my knowledge of what the Molochim
got up to is a bit hazy. I believe they went under-
ground and started hunting Wells of Sacrifice. From
what I gather, they sought to eliminate wells not un-
der their control. Perhaps it was an attempt to reduce
connections to the Children out-side of their own.
16 Chapter One: What Came First…
The Inquisition
You would think that I would hate the Inquisition. I
don’t. I’m impressed by it. Of course, I didn’t live
through it nor was I hounded by its presence or
burned in its fires, so I might be biased.
The Inquisition scoured the weak from our ranks.
Of course, as you could expect by now, Nergal’s fol-
lowers suffered the most. In those days, sires of the
orphans of Nergal were killed by their own stupidity.
They were caught and burned in the sun or on pyres.
It left their childer with incomplete knowledge of who
and what they were. Instead of realizing the power of
gods that flowed through their veins and burned in
their souls, they prostituted themselves to demons and
proselytized their connection to the Christian Satan,
or the Islamic shaitan or djinn.
In short, they missed the point.
Of course, much like in times past, we let them
burn out and get discovered so that the rest of us may
live.
The Tremere Curse (Or: Cursing the
Assamites, Part II)
Oh, this one was grand.
After the Anarch Revolt settled, the nascent Cama-
rilla was searching for a way to bind the Assamites to a
compact forbidding diablerie. Apparently, they took
issue with Haqim’s childer eating their elders en
masse. They wanted a solution. As a result, clan
Tremere was brought to the fore to execute some sort
of Thaumaturgical prohibition against imbibing kin-
dred vitae.
Let me ask you this… when the Tremere reached in-
to the dark to begin assembling their own clan-wide
curse, where do you think they found answers? How
do you think they managed to curse an entire clan?
Well, it certainly wasn’t with simple preparation and
well-thought-out spells. We had done it once; we could
do it again. While we weren’t directly involved in the
laying of the curse, our lips whispered the right into-
nations of naming and the dreadful requirements of
the rite to eager and skilled blood magicians.
What makes this all the sweeter is that a host of
warriors who felt the curse was akin to a leash fought
their way to ancient Chorazin and performed profane
rites beneath the very city wherein Nergal once
worked his foul magics.
 There, they awakened an ancient altar, using their
own rites, amplified by the corrupt energies that still
saturated the ground beneath the damned city, and
shattered the curse. However, from what I hear, none
of the sorcerers that cast the rite survived to speak of
it, and even the so-called “Unconquered” of the As-
samite Antitribu refuse to discuss what happened that
night.
If you talk to some of the others, they have some in-
teresting theories on why the Assamite sorcerers could
awaken the altars of Chorazin so easily.

The Victorian Era

If the Dark Ages were an interesting time to be em-
braced in our clan, the Victorian Era had to be one of
the most productive. As occultism and the unknown
saw a resurgence in interest, even at the highest levels
of society, our clan erupted with activity.
We come from what were, ultimately, seekers of the
unknown. The First Tribe uncovered the sleeping
form of a Child of the Outer Darkness and twisted its
dying words into a source of power that echoed across
the ages. It is in our very blood to desire knowledge of
what awaits over the next horizon.
The world saw incredible upheaval. The American
Civil War occurred. The restoration of the Catholic
Hierarchy. The Reform Acts. And, above all of it, an
ungodly fascination with the macabre and ancient.
Explorers raided tombs and paraded the remains of
ancient monarchs and dynasties to their homes.
Mummies were unwrapped at social affairs and ex-
amined—and it was such a popular pastime that tour-
ism companies in Egypt sent such delights to Europe-
an countries to satisfy their morbid curiosities and
struggled to fuel the growing trend. While the Follow-
ers of Set were likely both appalled and delighted with
such an interest in the culture to which they are most
closely tethered, we truly saw great gains in this inspir-
ing fascination.
Occult nights, readings of “ancient texts” and un-
covering “ancient deities” allowed us to spread
knowledge of the Children and their former worship.
It was almost as if the damage that monotheism had
done to our cults was slowly reversing course as
knowledge of the dark and esoteric became the new
vogue.

Clanbook: Baali 17
 In these years, and into the Edwardian Era, we rode
high upon this resurgence in occultism. Of course, it
had to end. The Edwardian Era was the calm before
the storm of World War I—and none of us were pre-
pared for the devastation that came to light once
countries allied against one another so eagerly.
We felt it coming, I think. Nations were brimming
with tension. War was inevitable, and it seemed that
the world was just… ready for the right type of spark to
light the blaze. A single assassination set things in
motion and pure human savagery lit fire to the world.
In the end, the humans enjoyed wallowing in their
own bloodlust so much that they held World War II
as a celebration just a few decades after the close of
the first.
Modern Nights
You’ll note that we skipped a whole lot of history to
get here. Trust me, we touched on the more interest-
ing parts.
Through the industrial revolution, Manifest Desti-
ny, the World Wars, the Depression, the Fall of the
Berlin Wall, Communism, Socialism, and everything
in between… we were there. We influenced things
here and there and there spurring on doubt and sus-
picion during the Red Scare, prodding humanity fur-
ther to see what would break and what could remain.
We had extraordinarily little direct influence, of
course, only giving the occasional gentle push now
and again.
Why would we do all of this? Some say we sensed
the end even then; that we knew if we made the Chil-
dren stronger through diluted worship, even in their
dream-locked state, we could draw a little more from
the tap without them noticing. We could coax just a
bit more strength into our rites or could use their
names to bind ever more powerful creatures.
Still, nothing we could do or think of could ever
compete with the horrors that humans delivered upon
one another. Most shocked even us. Sure, it would be
easy to think that we influenced genocides or cleans-
ings… but the truth of the matter is that we had noth-
ing to do with the vast majority. While some of our
clan would take credit for cultivating the capacity for
such acts in the human soul, I believe that they were
fucked even without our gentle nudges.
So, what has changed? A lot, I think. We can feel
the end in the air like an unspoken tension. It may
come in thirty years; it may come at the end of the
18 Chapter One: What Came First…
Was Nergal Right?
By Jean Newton, Baali Ritualist
Those who worshipped the Destroyer wanted to end
things. To awaken the Children and start a new crea-
tion in darkness. Nergal wanted something of the
same… but, in my opinion, he was too arrogant. He
assumed he could take the power of a Child and make
it his own.
Ultimately, the truth is somewhere in between. We
know that the use of their names stirs the sleepers. We
know that they hunger for death and pain. We know
that great sacrifice can awaken them—after all, Nergal
nearly succeeded in Crete. If this is the case, wouldn’t
it stand to reason that the actions of humanity, itself,
are starting to slowly coax the Children into wakeful-
ness?
Maybe this is the end we see on the horizon. Maybe
the slow collapse of humanity is a rite we are all unwit-
tingly participating in that will see to them awakening
and cracking our perceived reality open like an egg—to
birth something new and horrible.
If this is the case, wouldn’t it make sense to be on
the winning side? Wouldn’t it make sense to give our
patrons the offerings they require to grow strong in
their slumber? Many of us think so. There is no point
in trying to stop the inevitable. We need to steel our-
selves for the new darkness to come and give rightful
tribute to our sleeping patrons.
week. We don’t know the timing or all the signs, but
we can feel it in our blood.
We have changed as well. We have seen the more
extreme of Moloch’s brood hunting infernalism while
practicing diabolism. A pragmatic approach, I think.
But there are rumors that they are allied with some
sort of Gehenna cult—which is disturbing.
Some things remain the same. We still gather in
nests on occasion—several Baali working together for
their own ends. Most of us push for the end, wishing
to take this farce of existence to the brink and wipe
the slate clean. Simply put, it’s just time.
Clanbook: Baali 19
 Alexander pulled back the latch on the door. The old metal resisted his efforts, corrosion, and drip-
ping water having held it fast for weeks. Eventually, it groaned in protest but yielded to his strength.
A small smile played upon his lips as anticipation crawled up his spine. He wasn’t certain if he
would find a broken heap or a woman who had experienced revelations… either way, he had a busy
night ahead of him.

When the door opened, the dingy light from the hall spilled into a small, ten by ten room. The walls
and floor were slick with red fluid and other foul liquids. Some had congealed, leaving little islands
floating among crimson rivers. Clumps of rotted flesh still dripped down from the suspended and
despoiled corpses of Valerie’s predecessors. They had been found as gibbering messes after their or-
deals and, as a punishment for failure, he suspended them by hooks, sliced open their bodies, and let
them bleed to death. After all, the blood of failure held a coppery, sharp taste. Not fit for discerning
palates, in his opinion.

Alexander stepped into the room carefully, his eyes adjusting to the darkness and searching for his
prey. He found her, barely visible, huddled against a corner in blood and ichor stained shreds of
clothing. Her once gloriously styled hair was matted and twisted, her skin covered in self-inflicted
scratches. As her eyes turned toward Alexander, he could see she still held the crumpled letter he had
given her.

“They told me you would come back,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from countless nights of
screaming at the void. “I wanted to believe… but I was so hungry…”

Curious, he took a step closer to her, his eyes following her gaze as it fell to her free hand. Her
pinky and ring fingers were shredded, ragged bits of flesh and bone the only remnants visible. The
vampire’s lips twisted into a soft smile as he nodded.

“Do you feel better?” he asked, his voice slithering through the air between them.

“Thirsty,” came the reply. Valerie’s eyes moved over the liquid on the floor as if searching for
something that might quench the dryness of her throat.

Alexander held an arm out to her, reaching down to slit his own wrist. The scent of his potent vi-
tae reached Valerie, her nose sniffing the air and her eyes locking onto the source.

“Drink and be full. We have much to discuss, you and I,” Alexander said, the sound of his words
falling to the floor as the ravenous creature before him latched onto his arm and began to suckle
against his undead flesh.

20 Chapter One: What Came First…

 Chapter Two:
Playing with
Monsters
What are the Baali?
The Baali are often viewed as the worst of kindred
society. In a sense, this is true. The clan seeks to has-
ten the end of the world, awaken their patrons, and
rule over a new age of darkness. Whether or not this is
possible is up for interpretation. Nergal, one of the
first Baali, assumed that it was. He sought to awaken
Namtaru and walk beside the chthonic deity into a
new age of power. Of course, it was doomed to failure.
Moloch, on the other hand, sought to keep the
Children of the Outer Dark asleep through offerings
of ritual sacrifice and suffering. His goal was to steal as
much power from the dormant titans without drawing
enough attention to rouse them from their dreams.
His descendants joined the Black Hand and founded
the Order of Moloch to hunt infernalism because of a
belief that summoning demons would bring the Chil-
dren closer to wakefulness. Yet… they joined a Ge-
henna Cult intent on essentially ending the world.
Both factions view things vastly different from one
another. The descendants of Nergal work to bring
about the end more actively but suffer from incom-
plete knowledge. They are the Baali often more cen-
tered on outright infernalism and devil worship—
because they don’t know any better. Their origins are
confused in their minds and they believe that their
path is the true one.
Then, there are Baali in the middle. They have
knowledge. They see the end coming and they want
to hasten it. They view the Children as patrons and
seek to bring them into the world. To them, existence
is a decayed, broken thing that needs to be replaced.
21 Chapter Two: Playing with Monsters
Currently, Nergal’s get and the Order of Moloch are
in the minority. Ironically, the scions of the two most
powerful Baali to have existed are no longer in control
of the clan’s narrative.
The Baali Embrace
Since the Dark Ages, it has been said that the Baali
are some of the most selective sires of the kindred
race. Their potential childer are watched and tested
before ever being claimed by their sires. Of course,
some Baali embrace out of passion—it is true of all
kindred. In the case of the Baali, this passion usually
comes from an unhealthy obsession with embracing
the religious.
Most sires are methodical, seeking out prospective
childer in the halls of academia—looking for individu-
als who have a lust for uncovering knowledge and
forbidden sites. Linguists, archaeologists, scientists…
all have been targeted for undeath. Even the occasion-
al nihilist has been brought into the darkness along-
side the clan.
While the final criteria for selection and embrace
vary from sire to sire, the act is always a solemn one.
The embrace, itself, is also varied. Some Baali recreate
the act of the clan’s creation—casting their would-be-
childer into a Well of Sacrifice after being drained…
while the sire’s wrist calls out with live-giving vitae. In
some ways, such a dark rite begins to break down the
barriers of conscience in prospective childer much like
Sabbat Creation Rites. Others simply embrace their
childer in the standard method. They drain them and
feed them with minor, but solemn ritual.
 Regardless of the method of embrace, the instruc-
tion of the new childer takes a great deal of time and
effort. The fledgling’s nights are filled with indoctrina-
tion into the dark truths of existence and the presence
of Those Who Wait.
On occasion, a child will be given false information
and let loose. Embraced specifically as a distraction
after a few nights of instruction in satanic buzz words
or false idols. This can serve to calm a city if Baali
presence is suspected. The offending fledgling is cut
down and the city can rest at peace, knowing that the
monster has been killed. Sometimes, these childer
survive and become a new iteration of Nergal’s brood.
Learning just enough to make them dangerous while
utterly missing the point of their worship.
Mingling with other Kindred
Though the name of their clan may not be common
knowledge to the average neonate, there are certainly
elders who may still remember battles and corruption
in ages past linked to the line. On top of the threat of
elders, the Tremere are often versed in the more pro-
fane aspects of cainite history (after all, their line dab-
bled quite extensively in darker arts during the Dark
Ages). And then we have the Nergals… who openly
call themselves heirs to hell and Satan’s mantle. This
leaves a Baali unable to identify themselves, lest they
become hunted and killed.
As a result, it is common for Baali to pose as other
clans or even clanless when they must deal with other
vampires. While some clans are easier to infiltrate
than others, it is still a dangerous prospect. Often-
times, Baali will spend years setting up a network of
contacts and other sources that can back their claim of
clan membership on the off-chance that they will be
required to step into the role of a clan not their own.
Of course, none of this planning can help a Baali
from being blood tested by sorcerers or having their
mind probed for the truth of their heritage. Thankful-
ly, these sorts of invasive tests are incredibly rare and
used only in the most paranoid of domains.
Due to all of this, many Baali prefer to remain un-
known to the vampires around them. They move
through the shadows, avoiding detection and subtly
working their arts. When they are forced to interact
with various forms of kindred government, they are
methodical and careful, attempting to cover every
angle of escape or potential discovery in advance so
22 Chapter Two: Playing with Monsters
that they can lay plans to protect themselves and their
nests.
There is still something to be said about the impact
that loneliness can have on even the Baali. Some ac-
tively seek out gatherings of other kindred, looking for
comfort in the presence of other immortals. They still
have their responsibilities as Baali, of course, but the
allure of stepping out of their isolated existence can
prove powerful.
In these cases, Baali tend to move through courts
with grace and tact. They become known as something
akin to experts in esoteric knowledge. Members of the
clan do not usually start pontificating about obscure
arcane secrets or texts (this, of course, could draw the
attention of the Tremere and potential discovery).
Instead, those who fall within their orbit are slowly
and delicately prodded for their curiosities and depth
of ambition. The Baali then sometimes offer up
knowledge relevant to their target’s interests… and use
it as a precursor for further instruction. The curious
will seek their advice again… and likely come back for
more. Each discussion allows the Baali to slowly mold
their companion, driving them further into depravity
after the Baali has a grasp on their mind.
The Mystery of the Re-Embrace
One of the most dangerous powers the Baali culti-
vated over time has been their ability to “re-embrace”
the childer of other clans, making them reborn into
the clan as apostates. The origin of this ability was lost
in antiquity, but it still exists to this day as a highly
guarded secret of the clan.
Apostates are given a modicum of respect by other
Baali, but as they are not “true” children of the First
Tribe, they seldom rise to prominence within the
clan’s hierarchy. While this can sometimes breed re-
sentment in such adopted members, it has not, to
date, caused any significant strife.
The tool of re-embracing other clans into the Baali
blood has allowed them to successfully infiltrate
countless cities. Able to blend in with their original
clans seamlessly, they can spread the Baali’s works
across multiple avenues that were previously closed off
to the clan.
Apostates are used for intelligence as well, allowing
the Baali to stay one step ahead of hunters from with-
in the sects of kindred, or to know when the most
appropriate time would be to lead their would-be de-
stroyers to the trail of a follower of Nergal’s ways.

Baali are Just Infernalists. Or: How
I Missed the Point
The Baali have long been presented as clever infer-
nalists that lay at the center of plotlines. Over the
decades, some of these plots have been run well while
others have been disastrous. While the Baali, as any
clan, can be used to fit the role any Storyteller sees for
them in their Chronicle, canonically, the Baali are far
more insidious than mere infernalists.
While they do have those within their ranks that as-
cribe to devil worship or Satan worship, these beings
are in the minority and rarely live long. Those that
survive are lucky. They are also the Baali that utterly
miss the point of their existence.
The Baali are heirs to the power of chthonic gods
that dwell beyond the walls of reality. The names of
the Children and the deeds performed to keep them
asleep (or awaken them) have been burned into the
souls of the Baali. While diluted and distorted with
time, this connection remains. One such connection
is the discipline of Daimoinon.
To most Baali, the idea of chaining oneself to a de-
mon is the highest insult. Their patrons are as much
above demons and devils as a human is above an ant.
There simply is no comparison. To sell one’s soul to a
diluted reflection of that grandeur is foolishness of the
highest order.
This is why diabolism is a much more attractive pro-
spect. Selling the souls of others is fair game. Corrupt-
ing others into vile acts that the Baali can profit and
prosper off is the true point in such a maneuver. The
Baali will not risk their own soul—but those of fools
weak-willed enough to be led to the slaughter? They
have no qualms about that exchange.
Apostates are used for intelligence as well, allowing
the Baali to stay one step ahead of hunters from with-
in the sects of kindred, or to know when the most
appropriate time would be to lead their would-be de-
stroyers to the trail of a follower of Nergal’s ways.
The ritual, however, is very demanding and requires
one of potent blood to successfully execute. This
Clanbook: Baali
leaves the number of apostates, while stable, relatively
low—much to the chagrin of some Baali.
Dancing with the Devil
Making deals with demons and devils is always a
tricky subject. The Baali have millennia of practice
with using derivatives of the names of Children and
archdukes that they have entire treatise written on the
subject.
When dealing with infernalism in your game, you
always walk a razor’s edge. Yes, infernalism is the
quick way to power. Yes, some infernal gifts are easy to
quantify—such as access to Dark Thaumaturgy and its
rituals. Others are more elusive and difficult to define.
The few Baali who practice outright infernalism sell
their souls, or shards of it, to their infernal patrons.
This is not a deal with the Children of the Outer
Dark. These deals are made with hell and the individ-
ual demons within it.
Diabolism, however, is the practice of offering up
other services to an infernal entity in exchange for
gaining a benefit or gift. In this case, souls exchanged
are not quite as potent as the Diabolist’s own soul,
offering only a fraction of the benefit.
Besides, one cannot simply murder someone and
claim the soul for a demon. The entire process is ritu-
alized and sanctified. It is a drawn-out, multi-hour
affair of torture, degradation, and befoulment. Once a
soul has been properly broken down, it can be claimed
by the demon it was offered to in exchange for small
slivers of power.
To be clear, the selling of one’s own soul to the in-
fernal is anathema to most Baali. Those that dabble in
infernalism become slaves to lesser reflections of
Those Who Wait. They are viewed as selling them-
selves out to the lowest bidder and are generally held
in contempt by other Baali. When the infernal must
be invoked, it is done carefully and purposefully
through the sacrifice and suffering of others, not the
Baali themselves.
Songs to Those Who Wait
Different than sacrifices or offerings made to infer-
nal patrons or allies, offerings made to the Children
of the Outer Dark are specifically designed and given
to sing the Children back into dreams. These rites and
rituals are profane and as foul as any infernal dealing
but are used to instead keep the sleeping titans
trapped in their dreams instead of awakening.
23
 These sacrifices should be made properly, at a Well
of Sacrifice dedicated to the Children. Often hidden
in the Baali’s haven or isolated locations, these Wells
leak profane power into the world around them, the
most powerful warping the very essence of reality in
their vicinity as they reach out to the dreaming Chil-
dren.
However, not all Baali have access to the safety of a
Well of Sacrifice. These practitioners often make their
bloody sacrifices wherever they can corner their prey.
While not as effective, these types of sacrifices can
make it to the dreams of their patrons with enough
effort.
Sacrifices meant to lull the Children into sleep are
best used as a narrative device. There is no doomsday
clock or metric to reveal how much an individual rite
or bloody offering pushes Those Who Wait back into
dreams, or how worthy one offering is over another.
When we say that offerings without a Well of Sacrifice
are not as powerful and require more work, this is
meant to color the difference between having a dedi-
cated site and performing a rushed, bloody rite in an
alleyway outside of a hotel, for example. A Baali per-
forming a rite without a Well is a priest or priestess
without a proper altar to execute their worship.
The rites of sacrifice performed by Baali are not cod-
ified and are often very personal. While some sires
may teach their childer the rites that they view as hit-
ting the proper cosmic frequency or in what ways of-
ferings must be made to suffer to more sweetly sing to
the Children of the Outer Dark, these rituals are often
colored by an individual Baali’s beliefs and secrets that
they may have uncovered in their research.
Opening the Way
In opposition to those Baali who perform rites to
keep the Children of the Outer Dark slumbering,
some utilize Wells of Sacrifice to attempt the awaken-
ing of their dreaming gods. While, mechanically, this
idea is covered by Elder-level Daimoinon in powers
such as Call the Great Beast, it doesn’t mean that
Baali of higher generation are completely incapable of
stirring a Child or drawing their attention through
dedicated ritual and sacrifice.
Call the Great Beast, and powers like it, represents a
savage assault on the barrier between the world and
the sleeping Children. Through massive sacrifice, the
gathering of appropriate offerings, and the execution
of profane ritual, the barrier between the world and
24 Chapter Two: Playing with Monsters
Have change for a soul?
Diabolism is not as potent as infernalism to begin
with, but it has the promise of becoming a source of
great power over an extended period. As a result, it is
not an easy path for a Baali, or anyone, to walk.
To account for the fact that the Baali is selling souls
other than his own, it is advised that, if they are using
a point system in exchange for selling portions of
one’s own soul, that diabolism not grant the character
as much “currency.” We suggest that offered souls
only count as a fourth or half of their normal value in
a soul trade. This means that for every 4 points of an
offered soul (other than the diabolist’s), the diabolist
only gets 1 or 2 points in exchange. This can help
highlight that selling one’s own soul is still a more
potent offering but allows a diabolist the ability to still
trade some semblance of currency to the infernal be-
ings they summon.
Rituals to offer and properly debase an individual
for acceptance by a demon should likewise be more
elaborate and lengthier. It is suggested that each ritual
of offering take 1 hour per point of Willpower the
sacrifice possesses. Since soul points (or freebie points
for infernal investments) in some systems are based on
Willpower, this means that the more potent the po-
tential sacrifice, the more effort required to make it
attractive to the infernal hosts.
Even with a ritual being performed to properly at-
tract a demon for the offering given, the Baali must
still outmaneuver the demon into accepting the of-
fered sacrifice instead of insisting on the Baali’s own
soul.
Ultimately, the exact costs or benefits of Diabolism
or Infernalism should be left up to the Storyteller’s
discretion.
the sleeping Child in question is rent asunder and a
god emerges into reality.
With powers such as this, what use are the small of-
ferings and rituals of less potent Baali? In reality, the
performance of these rites by Baali of higher genera-
tion (those incapable of achieving the strength of
blood necessary to utilize Call the Great Beast) does
cause a shift. As the First Tribe realized, utilizing the
names of the Children, and working their rituals,
began to cause the minds of the comatose gods to take
heed of the physical world, drawing them closer to
wakefulness. This is not to say that a small nest of
Baali is going to awaken a Child with a few rites a
month and the occasional full-on sacrifice. However,
their efforts can be said to add to the swell of other
nests performing rites to awaken their gods, gathering
energy and slowly becoming a pinprick of awareness in
the back of a Child’s consciousness.
Ultimately, the actual effect of these rites is up to
the Storyteller, but true world-ending power should
rest with Call the Great Beast.
Princes among Devils: Clan Hierarchy
The Baali of modern nights are not as organized as
some would believe. Of course, the Order of Moloch
has cemented itself in the Tal’mahe’ra and have their
own Dominion, but outside of this, many of the Baali
work in solitude or small nests.
Theories have spread stating that each nest of Baali
has thirteen members that all serve under a Lord or
Lady. But the truth of these things is hard to verify.
Perhaps some organized nests of such size are in exist-
ence in large cities or even across several different
urban landscapes—each member seeing to activities in
certain areas, but it is uncommon for such a nest to
exist in small or medium-sized cities.
The majority of Baali live in small nests of two to
three members, each working to see to their own aims
and aligning when possible. Communication flows
between nests as necessary, but it is not often that
large gatherings of the clan occur. Given their own
predispositions toward spiritual corruption and the
taint that they can carry, such assemblies would likely
draw the attention of any mystically inclined kindred
in the area and are, thus, considered dangerous.
Since the false Shaitans and prophets of the past
have all fallen dramatically, very few Baali (even those
of advanced age and generation) tend to make the
same attempts. Sahar-Hanibaal is unique in his posi-
tion over the Order of Moloch and is more of an ex-
ception than a rule.
While the clan can organize across large distances,
the fractured nature of the bloodline makes such
things difficult. From the Nergals to the Molochim to
the average Baali, there are many different goals at-
tached to the bloodline. Nergals are considered

Clanbook: Baali 25
dangerous and often attract the wrong kind of atten-
tion for long-term stability—plus, they tend to burn
out spectacularly. The Molochim have dedicated
themselves to fighting infernalism and keeping the
Children asleep. And the rest, well, they have their
own agendas in mind.
Ghouls and Revenants
Baali utilize ghouls much like any other clan—they
use them to manage their affairs during the day, to
maintain their havens, and to see to other matters.
However, the Baali are more careful in their ultimate
selection of servants.
Ghouls are thoroughly bound to the will of the
Baali in question and even tested for loyalty before
any… sensitive duties or responsibilities are placed
upon them. Of course, body disposal and handling
the bodies of feeding victims are a rather standard fare
for the ghouls of most kindred and Baali… but deliver-
ing sacred or profane relics, seeing to ritual prepara-
tions, and even victim selection is not. Ghouls are
often tested before they are permitted to know of such
things.
As for revenants, the Baali have long held a specific
family as their servants. The D’Habi family of reve-
nants has served the Baali bloodline since the time of
Nergal. The family has been sealed to the Baali
through magic and millennia of servitude. They are
quiet, unassuming, and submissive pawns and tools
for the scions of the First Tribe.
The D’Habi’s loyalty has always been to the clan.
While various factions and orders within the blood-
line may lay claim to specific bloodlines of the family
or arms of their lineage, they have been loyal through-
out the ages.
Paths of Enlightenment
Like many other kindred, the Baali often embrace
tenets of morality that deviate strongly from their
mortal days. Yes, there can be a shocking number of
Baali on humanity, given their predilections toward
sacrifice and diabolism. Sometimes, these Baali simply
do not know of alternative systems of thought; or,
sometimes, they maintain humanity to have a chance
of passing as other clans—or avoiding clans altogether.
26 Chapter Two: Playing with Monsters
Humanity
Surprisingly, there are Baali that adhere to the ten-
ets of humanity. While they may struggle with the
higher prohibitions and guides of behavior, they cling
to the path as they search out other, more amiable
moralities.
Path of Cathari
While the Path of Cathari seems promising for a
prospective Baali at first, the outright murder of indi-
viduals can tend to stifle Baali sacrifices. However,
Baali that follow Cathari make grand affairs out of
tempting a target into sacrificing themselves at the
altar of the cainite, twisting their realities and manipu-
lating their desires so that the Baali gets even more
power out of willing sacrifice as opposed to forceful
bloodletting.
Catharist Baali tend to be dangerous manipulators.
They cultivate skills to lead individuals into their own
damnation.
Path of Night
The Path of Night has found adherents within the
Baali mostly among the orphans of Nergal. The Path’s
attachment to the Abrahamic god seems to find a
purchase with young Baali that know little of their
true heritage. Its tenets are easy to understand and to
follow for one whose worldview was built around
Judeo-Christian upbringing. It is a path of rebellion
against what it once meant to be human.
While the path does demand more and more pur-
pose in action as one progresses, Nergals find it easy to
envision themselves as being blessed by the devil to
carry out the path’s work on Earth.
Path of Power and the Inner Voice
Often followed by Nergals, this path harvests a per-
sonal base of power through sacrifice and offerings to
Those Who Wait. Unfortunately, in their pursuit of
personal power, these cainites often find it difficult to
turn down offers of dark gifts from summoned de-
mons and devils.
Via Hyron: Path of the Hive
In earlier days, many Baali followed the Via Hyron,
also known as the Path of the Hive. While the path
fell out of use as Baali scattered and was rarely ad-
hered to by the followers of Nergal, the path has sur-
vived into modern nights through the Order of Mo-
loch.
 Primarily used to cement cooperation, their stance
against the infernal, and keeping the Children of the
Outer Dark asleep, the Path of the Hive was brought
Blood Magic or No Blood Magic?
to the Black Hand by Sahar-Hanibaal. While this re-
envisioning of the path is primarily practiced by the That is the question. In The Black Hand: Guide to
Baali in the Black Hand, some version of its creed has the Tal’mahe’ra, it is mentioned that the Via Hyron
slipped into common use. held a prohibition against utilizing blood magic before
Lost Paths and Others the battles with the Angelis Ater. Studious individuals
may notice that no such prohibition exists in the Via
There are whispers of the old Via Hyron still surviv- Hyron in the previous Clanbook Baali or write-ups of
ing in ancient nests or of Baali who follow outdated Via Hyron.
moralities built around Sin and suffering… these
whispers have yet to manifest into true examples of While we can speculate as to why, a simple explana-
surviving lost paths… such as the so-called Path of tion can be made, in-universe, as to why Moloch’s
Screams… but this does not mean they are truly ex- followers did not practice blood magic and reference a
tinct. tenet in a path that seems in error—the variant of Via
Rumors abound of Baali who have uncovered old Hyron that they followed was simply not as widely
and forgotten paths of enlightenment or roads from followed as the “mainstream” Road of the Hive, which
before modern times saw to their waning and disuse. had no such prohibition.
Blood Magic and the Baali Again, however, all of this can be changed to suit
the needs of individual Chronicles.
For a time, Moloch’s followers had adhered to a ver-
sion of Via Hyron that forbade learning such magics,
but the rest of the clan did not follow this restriction.
As a result, there were many sorcerers in the clan
over the ages. Once Moloch’s brood rescinded their
ban, even more opened their blood to the ways of
mysticism and magic.
The very nature of the Baali’s rites tie them to magi-
cal practices dating back eons. In some respects, the
First Tribe could be called some of the most success-
ful, early sorcerers of their age. The Baali did not
abandon this birthright. They embraced it.
While their practice may not have been as refined or
codified as other clans, they were still able to learn the
intricacies with ease once introduced to such systems
of magic.
Much like Dark Thaumaturgy, various paths of
Blood Magic are often sought out by Baali for their
utility. They aid in sacrifice, weakening prey, or in
research. Exploring such systems of magic helps sate
the curiosity of individual Baali as they uncover more
secrets and uses for the blood in their veins and curses
on their lips.

Clanbook: Baali 27
28 Chapter Two: Playing with Monsters
 Chapter Three:
Voices in the
Dark
A Clan of Demons
What are the Baali? How do they view the world
around them? These are questions that deserve an-
swers. While we have seen them portrayed as crazed
cultists to chthonic creatures that sleep within the
Earth, we have also seen a great push for their repre-
sentation as enlightened philosophers and archeolo-
gists, searching for answers and keys to the power
hidden in antiquity.
All these portrayals have merit, depending on the
type of Baali one is dealing with and what era they
were brought into the blood. If a chronicle needs a
Nergal for a quick villain that burns out and causes a
huge problem for local kindred, there is nothing
wrong with that. The important part is to remember
that Nergals are the Baali that other Baali find dis-
graceful. While there is nothing the matter with utiliz-
ing Nergals, the problem is that these vampires only
scratch the surface of what can be done with Baali of
more traditional or learned backgrounds.
In times past, and in many cases in the present day,
the Baali operate as Faustian bargainers. They dangle
the secrets of eternity on a string before their prey,
gently pulling the knowledge-hungry closer and closer
to utter damnation. Though this type of Baali still
thrives in modern nights (and can be some of the
more entertaining and challenging to portray), there
are others out there, such as the Molochim.
The Molochim were most recently set into motion
by The Black Hand: Guide to the Tal’mahe’ra, which
29 Chapter Three: Voices in the Dark
set them as a series of mystics intent on keeping the
Children of the Outer Dark asleep at any cost.
This interpretation runs counter to earlier versions
of the clan in modern times as seeking to end all of
creation and herald a new age with their patrons
awakening. However, it does touch on the First
Tribe’s realization that if the Children awoke, the
world would be over and so would their power. But,
like the First Tribe, these Baali cannot help but use
the tools that their connection to these beings have
given them—they still utilize Daimoinon and still un-
derstand the use of names of power.
Then, you have the Baali who understand their dark
heritage and become scholars and researchers of the
dark and mysterious. These Baali are often seen in
concepts such as archeologists or mystics that touch
upon forbidden knowledge, using it to both satisfy
their hunger for power and their curiosity. The clan
leans heavily toward the learned scholar portrayal—but
even those Baali concepts had to begin with an often-
forgotten step: gaining that knowledge in the first
place. Certainly, Baali are given in-depth instruction
in the mysteries of their abilities and their patrons by
their sires, but this does not mean that they do not
seek out truths for themselves or lost whispers of pow-
er hidden in ancient temples and sacrificial sites.
But let’s allow some of these Baali speak for them-
selves…
 The Nature of the World
By Marie Bourbon-Busset, Baali Priestess
Look at the world around you. No, truly look. Do
you see it? The entropy slowly eating away at the fabric
of existence? The world is dying.
Sadly, it wasn’t even our doing.
Existence has always teetered on the brink in some
way or another. From the coming of prophets and
gods to the turn of the millennium. Mankind has
always found some way to turn the metamorphosis of
life into an “end of days” scenario. This time, though?
It’s not hyperbole.
The cainites, or kindred, as they like to be called
(depending on your audience), have prophecies and
signs all lined up in a cute little row cut straight out of
their holy books and sacrilegious texts. Some of them
have panicked, seeing signs of the end around them.
Us? We feel it in our veins. We don’t need scribbled
notes spit from the mouths of insane prophets and
seers. Our very blood sings with the knowledge of the
end.
The Children stir, the humans kill each other in
record numbers… the environment collapses, heaving
with a sickness that humanity has forced upon it.
The Nergals revel and burn, thinking that their in-
fernal pacts have brought about the end—a hell on
Earth in which they will reign beside their fabricated
gods and devils. The Molochim wring their hands and
try so desperately to stem the tide of infernal energies
all while trying everything in their power to prevent
the Children from awakening—while serving a Ge-
henna Cult that only seeks to herald the end of all
things.
Both of our lines of cousins are deluded. The Ner-
gals worship mere reflections and distortions of the
sleeping titans that we call our patrons. The Mo-
lochim work to trade one end for another in which
they think they can come out on top of; that by form-
ing a pact with their new allies they will become wor-
thy enough to be chosen to rule as kings over the husk
of the world.
No. This is no end that has been hefted upon us by
infernalism or even just the stirring of the Children.
All things must come to an end. Even our universe.
The Children stirring is not the cause of the end—it is
merely a symptom. When you hear them whisper to
you in the dark; when their sweet song reverberates
30 Chapter Three: Voices in the Dark
through your being when you utilize your gifts. It is
not them causing the end, it is them singing praises
for it.
They will awaken and be the power that breaks
through the shell of our fragile existence. And there,
on the other side, awash in darkness and glory, we will
step into a new world.
We can either fear this new existence or we can em-
brace it. I know which I choose. What will your deci-
sion be?
Frail Humanity
By Linda Okoye, Baali Curator
I find humanity both fascinating and boring. They
are creatures who have risen above their state as pure
beasts in the wild. They have domesticated the world,
bringing it to heel under the boot of technology and
enterprise. They have tamed the lightning and created
weapons of such incredible potency that they could
end the entire world with the push of a few buttons.
But, at the same time, they cannot even control
their own impulses.
Humans are a source of food, potential embraces,
and worthwhile pawns from time to time. I love them.
Most of us do, I would think. But we’ll never let that
appreciation get in the way of a good sacrifice or mur-
der.
And, yes, we were all human once. We all shuffled
around in our unaware daze, content with the reality
that media spoon-fed us.
Many of us find great uses for humans as cultists, as
servants, and as blood dolls. I don’t begrudge anyone
who comes up with a creative use for the creatures. At
least, not if we remember a simple truth: we are above
them as they are above insects. But they are insects
with purpose.
We often keep ghouls—and may even include them
in ritual preparation once we are assured of their loy-
alty. We will always need mortals for some of our
more… delicate activities. My ghouls are used to trans-
late forgotten texts and to scout out potential sites for
excavation or exploration. I use them as I would use
my own hands—with care and with purpose.
Revenants are where things get a little tricky. You
will hear some of our blood talk about the D’Habi. I
do not trust them. They were created from Nergal’s
blood and while they are supposedly loyal to the clan,
we cannot forget that the D’Habi assisted Nergal in
his attempts at awakening the Children. They turned
on him. They can turn on us.
The World of the Kindred
By Nicolai Wasser, Nergal Demonologist
A thousand welcomes and a thousand pardons—for
the mess, of course. My last meal’s resistance was spec-
tacularly bloody—and satisfying. I do love seeing the
hope in a victim’s eyes slowly die. Don’t you?
My apologies, you did not come here for a sermon
on quality sacrifice or victim selection. We need to
talk about vampires.
Now, when you think of kindred or cainite society,
what do you envision? A Camarilla Prince sitting at
the head of some fancy, polished table? A Baron of
The Anarchs sitting in some bar, drowning in a sea of
leather jackets and metal studs? A Sabbat Archbishop
sitting back in a bathtub overflowing with blood
amidst a low, droning chant?
All of them are fair assessments. But you will find
one unifying theme among all of them. No, I don’t
mean they are all vampires (though true). They are all
in their positions due to back-alley deals, dirty deeds,
and betrayals that they fear will one day topple them.
They are afraid. Afraid of losing power.
In this lies the greatest truth of their existence: they
crave power and fear its loss.
Power is a cruel master. Kindred, cainites, vampires,
whatever you wish to call us, we all yearn for power
and recognition. Some call it a sin straight from
Caine, himself.
If you want to know how to navigate the courts or
gatherings of vampires, learn how to spot the flow of
power. The knowledge in your veins and at your dis-
posal can topple kingdoms. Do not sell it for a trinket.
Do not put yourself out there in a manner that draws
unwanted attention. Those who are worthy of your
knowledge should seek you out, not the other way
around.
Use what you know to twist their desires to your
own ends. Utilize every secret desire and urging until
your “clients” are nothing more than puppets on your
strings. Then, they can be used as a fitting sacrifice to
the Lords of Hell. Remember, while we only have one
soul, we can still gather others for trade.

Clanbook: Baali 31
 Above all, however, don’t forget to clean when
guests come to call. It’s embarrassing to have a bloody
carpet.
The Other Clans
By Jean Costanza, Baali Ritualist
We have… intricate relationships with our fellow
vampires. Truth be told, if most were aware that they
were dealing with one of the scions of the First Tribe
when they made their dealings, we Baali would likely
be attacked on sight.
It is amusing to us, however, that Saulot’s childer
suffer much the same fate.
Still, since cainite existence is integrally wrapped up
in how one deals with their fellows—and since cainites
make incredible pawns when managed carefully—we
tend to be drawn to them like moths to a flame.
Of course, there is always the possibility that one of
us could be viewed more as a curiosity than a threat by
certain clans. In these cases, individuals would make
their own decisions on how to handle our errant
clanmate, but on the whole, the major sects all abhor
our presence and existence.
Assamites
I don’t think that the Assamites that one encounters
these days even realize that we were behind the most
potent curses that ever befell their lineage. Our magics
cursed them with thirst, then our expertise with their
blood assisted the Tremere in levying yet another clan-
wide branding upon their souls.
I suppose we could say, in many ways, that our clan
knows their souls better than any other.
That being said, their downfall will always be their
self-confidence. If you must do battle with one of the
Assamites, reserve your strikes for when they seem
victorious. Arrogance will be the gap in their armor
that you can exploit.
Brujah
If you ever, and I mean ever want to piss off a Bru-
jah, remind them that their founder worshipped at
the very altars made by Moloch. Carthage was not a
paradise in the way that Brujah describe it. Oh, it was
beautiful—for us and those who understand power as
we do… but for them? They would miss the point.
Alternatively, if you must weaponize a Brujah
against another, utilize their pride. They stink of
32 Chapter Three: Voices in the Dark
wounded ego and regret. Twist that and you will find
a leash capable of handling any “warrior scholar.”
Gangrel
I go back and forth on the Gangrel. I really do. On
one hand, they are often treated like attack dogs and
little else in Camarilla domains. On the other hand,
they will so fiercely defend that “privilege” with their
unlives. It’s a walking paradox. They resent being
called animals or the implication that they are little
more than beasts… but then they act the part when
considered members of a sect.
That’s a level of fucked up I can’t wrap my head
around.
If you want to make an ally out of a Gangrel, treat
them like a friend and confidant (within reason, obvi-
ously—don’t be a dumbass). They, like a dog, will be
loyal unto death.
Lasombra
On the flip side, I know exactly where I stand on the
Lasombra. I’ve never met a clan so convinced of their
superiority that they could make a monarch blush.
When you think of it, it feels like they are still trying
to prove that they are better than the Ventrue clan.
What makes me laugh is that the Ventrue don’t
know that they’re even in a competition—unless
they’re Sabbat Ventrue, in which case that rivalry is
still burning for some reason.
Like a Ventrue, they will never forget the debts
owed to them. Unlike most Ventrue, they’ll forgo
collecting on the debt to make a lesson out of some-
one.
Keep that in mind.
Malkavians
The Malkavian Clan is one of the rare bloodlines
that can catch us completely off guard. We can be very
apt at predicting the actions of more straight forward
clans. We understand the thought processes of preda-
tors and we can make plans to account for them—but
the Malkavians have no logical thought process.
Their curse makes them a dangerous variable in any
scenario. The other clans don’t appreciate how valua-
ble that can be.
If you must deal with Malkavians, value their in-
sights—as difficult to decipher as they may be; but,
remember, they can turn on you in ways you may nev-
er expect.
 Nosferatu
What is there to be said about the clan of Absimili-
ard? They skulk. They collect secrets. They sleep in
cellars with rats and insects. The Nosferatu believe
themselves to be far more clever than they truly are.
From what I hear, they rely more on some super-
secure computer network than any actual spy-work.
Sure, a dedicated few might be worthy of something—
gathering their own info through hard work and inge-
nuity, but when most of the clan can just hijack an
internet connection and send off an email for infor-
mation? Why is that viewed as respectable?
I can email my ghoul from this phone and ask for
the Prince’s ghoul’s social security number. All she has
to do is log onto a dark website and we can get it
probably as fast as some “master information gatherer”
from a clan of Count Orlocks.
That all being said, though, if you suspect you have
earned the attention of one of these bastards, watch
your back. Oh, and get the number for a good exter-
minator. They’ll likely send rats in first.
Ravnos
Hahahahahahahahhahaha. Next?
Salubri
Such a sad tale. Poor Saulot, killed for the power in
his veins by a cabal of hungry sorcerers. So sad. So
pathetic. Then again, maybe he let it happen. After all,
who would think a prophet and visionary of his gen-
eration would be so easily devoured?
The children he spawned have faced such horrible
nights. I find it glorious how they have turned from
faith healers and holy warriors to ravenous furies bent
on destruction and revenge. Sabbat, no less.
Our wayward cousins are excellent puppets, now. So
easy to guide around by their rage. Wind them up,
point them at a Camarilla target, and let them loose.
Of course, find a nice spot to watch the fun.
Setites
I don’t mean to begrudge a group of vampires who
are trying to resurrect a dead god. But damn. Get over
it already.
The Setites are what we could have been if we had
bought into religion as a fashion statement. In truth,
some of their magic and their beliefs have solid roots
in things we have experienced and seen. On the other
hand, they buy into their own bullshit far too often to
make them stable—or anything other than predictable.
Setites peddle in vice and sin like a child working a
lemonade stand. And they’re bad at it. Why? Because,
when you think about it, everyone expects this of the
Clanbook: Baali
Setites. And that’s how they shot themselves in the
foot. They’re not corruptors unless you want to be
corrupted. They’re not prophets of sin unless you buy
into their tabloid-esque religious ceremonies.
This isn’t sin-as-a-religious-component. It’s bargain
basement degradation at best. The Followers of Set
could learn a thing or two from our rites. Gods de-
mand blood and reverence. Not some cheap Egyptian
headdress you picked up at a Halloween store. All
good rites have some semblance of pageantry to help
build up psychic energy for ritual release, sure. But
when you perform the rite more for the pageantry
than sacrifice or offerings? You’ve missed the point.
Toreador
Did you ever have a pet when you were a child? Did
you give it a name? A home? Fed it and played with it?
Yeah, now you know how Toreador view virtually
every other thing in existence. The beautiful ones have
this fucked up perception that they are icons of style,
grace, and tact. The punks think of themselves as
whirlwinds of creative destruction.
In essence, they think of themselves as gods above
the lesser creatures that walk the night. Their vanity
rivals any Ventrue or Lasombra I have ever met. Know
that when you meet one, they’re immediately judging
you as either a fun toy or a rival to be crushed.
Tremere
I’m sure I’m going to lose some face for this state-
ment, but I like the Tremere. They’re ambitious. They
killed Saulot for us and they’re somehow still naïve
enough to peddle the idea that they are the undisput-
ed masters of blood sorcery. Such a weird combina-
tion of seasoned cruelty and hopeful self-delusion.
Sure, the Tremere codified and made a science out
of blood magic. They’re exceptionally good at adapting
practices and reverse-engineering magical feats. They’ll
get respect from me on that one. But in a world where
old gods slumber and their mere names can warp the
fabric of reality, how powerful are they, really?
Regardless, the Tremere make good partners if you
can work with them. Just keep your blood away from
them and have a solid cover story. Their abilities make
them quite adept at ferreting out secrets—more dan-
gerous than the Nosferatu, in my opinion. However,
once they are on your side, they can be a great asset.
They also have an insatiable lust for ancient secrets
and antiquities—which can be twisted to our ends.
Tzimisce
Ancient lords in crumbling castles. You know, I
have to give it to the Tzimisce. They had the stately,
gothic lord thing going on for quite some time.
Then… they got weird. I really can’t say I know what
33
came first—the flesh warping or the weirdness. Maybe
they were a package deal.
I can’t talk down about their quest for the evolution
of form and spirit. I get that. I really do. After all, I
want to see the world break out of this nascent shell of
physicality and witness the birth of a new universe. So,
I can get behind wanting to push past pain and physi-
cal limitations. What I don’t get is this odd “we have
to look like a freakshow to scare the normies” vibe
they have going on.
Still, if you have to deal with the Tzmisce and man-
aged to somehow skate past the Inquisition or other
complications of doing business with the Sabbat, re-
member to bring a gift and be respectful. These…
things will not think twice about skinning you alive
and making you part of the furniture. And honestly…
I can respect that.
Ventrue
These fucking guys.
Look, I know Machiavelli’s The Prince is all the rave
and likely required reading for all good little merchant
princes, but goddamn. Every Ventrue I have encoun-
tered has been more concerned with proper etiquette
and being acknowledged as a superior vampire than
the most egotistical of Lasombra. You’d think they’d
have absorbed some of those lessons from Nicolo to
the Medici.
Did you ever know that kid in the neighborhood
that got abused at home so much that they became the
bully at school? If you can understand that kid, you
can understand the Ventrue need for supremacy.
Power is a fetish. It is everything to a Ventrue.
Ventrue don’t like money just because they want gold
fucking toilet seats in their havens. They want it be-
cause it is the most easily hoarded representation of
power that they can flaunt.
So, if you must deal with Ventrue, deal with the
younger, more ambitious ones. The ones looking to
prove themselves and make their names. Show them
power outside of dollar signs and you will have a
staunch ally—at least until they feel they have out-
grown you. Never trust them. Never turn your back on
them. Always keep tabs on them.
34 Chapter Three: Voices in the Dark
Regarding Daimoinon
By Alexander St. Croix, Baali Diabolist
The nature of Daimoinon is a thing that has long
been debated among our kind. You will hear some of
our blood talk about “secrets of the universe carved
into flesh-bound tomes by sorcerer kings” or other
such flowery origins such as our earliest blood sold
their souls to the Lords of the Pit for knowledge given
to them on “the tanned skin of un-baptized babies.”
Sorry, that last bit always makes me chuckle.
Our power is a codified and proven method of
communing with our patrons. Each time you utilize
the powers of your blood, listen closely. The secrets of
the heart that you hear? The whispers that tell you
about the flaws and shortcomings of your focus?
Those bits of knowledge don’t come from the lords of
hell. They come from beings older than the universe,
itself.
I’m not saying that the Children of the Outer Dark
call you up on a spiritual cellphone from beyond the
veil of time to tell you about some pissant of a cainite,
personally. Get serious.
We learned how to peel back the skein of reality to
glean these truths by utilizing lessons that the First
Tribe teased out of manipulations of the names of the
Children. Our powers come from foul rites dedicated
to our dreaming gods. The old ones, themselves,
granted this ability through their names, and the sor-
ceries created by the First Tribe bound those secrets
up in our blood and our souls for all time. They
marked us as inheritors to their legacy.
Oh, of course, there may have been some dealings
with the occasional spiritual entity to clarify or em-
phasize certain uses, but over time, all those secrets
have found a home in our blood. We earned these
powers through sacrifice and befoulment. Our ances-
tors may have reeked of unholy power and their uses
of Daimoinon may have triggered those sensitive to
demons or otherworldly beings, but now? These things
are so much a part of us that they are merely inborn
gifts.
Our method to acquire our gifts from beyond may
have been “infernal” in some ways, by definition, but
the gift itself is not. Utilizing it may stain our souls
with the powers of our patrons as we grow stronger in
its practices, though, so keep that in mind. Opening
oneself up to their unfiltered power has its dangers,
after all.
Why We Do What We Do
By Neysa Acharya, Baali Scholar
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they
look at the world around them and wonder: “Is this it?
Is this everything that there is?” I think I asked myself
that question after I lost my virginity. Life, if we are
honest, is nothing but a series of disappointments.
My youth was spent chasing some phantom of pur-
pose. Some reason for us being here, for going on, day
after day, living. What was the great meaning behind
life? Were we created for a reason? Would I ever
glimpse a truth from heaven in a dream or a moment
of pure understanding? As always, these questions
went unanswered. My desperate pleas were met with
unyielding silence.
We all wander through the world, clinging to half-
promises of something greater. We can work hard and
grow rich and famous. We can be rewarded for our
deeds in some long-off end. We will find the bliss of
enlightenment only after the trials of our world.
Bullshit.
I searched for every truth I could find. What was
our reason? Why was existence so circular? Why was
everything we did destined to age and rot? There was
no blissful release. There was no epiphany of under-
standing. No moment of realizing my place in the
universe.
We are, each of us, insignificant. We don’t get rich
off hard work. Luck and heritage define who rises to
the top. We don’t find enlightenment as we grow
older, we only find bitterness and fear of encroaching
death. We race to accomplish something… anything,
that will live on after our deaths.
I thought sensation would provoke deeper under-
standing. It does not. It only burns bright, then fades
quickly, leaving a person yearning for the next in-
stance of fleeting bliss.
There is nothing. No great reward awaiting the dy-
ing. There is no great paradise for the enlightened.
There are fading memories of life and the swirling
maelstrom of oblivion.
Why would anyone want to work for that? Why
would anyone want to deny themselves anything

Clanbook: Baali 35
 knowing that, in the end, they are only fit for utter
destruction and darkness?
Take every moment of disappointment in your life.
Every hardship. Every heartbreak. And then realize
that none of it matters in any form in the end. Those
experiences just fade into nothing. For those vampires
who survive from night to night, our existence, our
purpose, is only to continue to exist. There is nothing
outside of the nightly cycle that could propel us to any
great height or understanding. We lie to ourselves
about pursuits such as Golconda or reaching some
true pinnacle of understanding at the end of a Path.
We are locked out of the wheel.
So… let’s break it.
Fuck the universe. Fuck every lie and every false
promise of salvation or of some “great reward” that
never comes. Enlightenment is a trap. A convenient
trick of perception that merely equates to acceptance
that this is all there is and all there will ever be—
fleeting moments of emotion and sensation that will
all fade into nothingness. Fuck every self-styled guru
that peddles street corner bliss and a side of eternal
understanding.
As Baali, we know one truth exists. The Children of
the Outer Dark. They are there, just outside of exist-
ence, waiting for the right call… the right moment to
end this lie of light and salvation. This universe is a
fucked-up failure. An experiment with no principal
investigator at the helm. Let’s scrap it and start some-
thing new. Something where we can make our own
purpose.
We fight to wake up Those Who Wait because it is
the only logical option in this insane world. It is the
only choice we have—to grasp our destinies and forge
something new out of the corpse of the old.
Our brothers and sisters in the Order of Moloch
have deluded themselves. They run from their herit-
age. They try to erase efforts to rouse the Children.
And why? The First Tribe before them grew afraid of
the end coming. They were terrified of what it would
mean if the Children strode the Earth. Moloch and
his ilk inherited their fear. Nergal was fucked up,
yeah, but he was on the right track. Even if it was for
the wrong reason.
We can’t contain the Children any more than we
can stop the turning of the world.
Moloch’s childer seek to leech off the Children’s
power… just to continue their schemes. They have no

36 Chapter Three: Voices in the Dark

purpose other than continuing to exist. They have no often by their mere presence. Don’t let some Camaril-
grasp of what could lay beyond. They will never admit la officiant who has murdered and wallowed in de-
their beliefs are foolish. The end is coming and there pravity insist that their morality is more pure or potent
is no stopping it. But… we can accelerate it. We can than ours. They are just as “evil” as we. They simply lie
end this torturous existence and craft something new to themselves about it.
and meaningful from its remains.
We are not destroyers, nor are we heralds of de-
struction. We are idealists seeking to bring purpose to
existence. We are scholars burdened with the horrible
truth that this universe must burn so that something
new and pure can take its place.
The Nature of Evil
By Himaru Rei, Baali Archeologist
Evil. I hate the word. As I hate hell and all Mon-
tagues…
Sorry to crib from Shakespeare… but I do quite hate
the word. Tybalt might have had a huge bone to pick
with the Montagues, but I like his lines. To the point,
however, the word “evil” is such a catch-all that is, at
its core, quite meaningless.
All of this aside, what we do as Baali would likely
register as “evil” to any of the uninitiated. We perform
various “dark” acts and make the sacrifices we do in
service to a higher purpose. We don’t revel in destruc-
tion for its own sake, but the end that it will bring.
Those childer that gleefully rend the skin of a sacrifice
or grow giddy at the idea of burning down the build-
ing are missing the point. While they can be useful,
they don’t quite understand the solemn duty we have
to existence to see it through to its end. I may take joy
in my work from time to time, but I am no childe
giggling at the idea of doing something “bad.”
We are the midwives of eternity, here to see to the
proper birth of what is to come. Evil may be a word
that can fit us, but to the darkness, isn’t the invasive
nature of light evil? Therefore, the word means noth-
ing to me.
I do what I do out of simple necessity. “Good” and
“evil” are terms for children. They are for the childe
that quivers by their sire’s hip, afraid of the dark and
what lurks within it. They are buzzwords for individu-
als to make moralistic claims and to stand above those
they view as lesser. Let me tell you, in no uncertain
terms, that the very same cainites who would con-
demn us for the killing of a family are just as guilty of
sins in their own way. Each vampire seeks out blood.
Each vampire twists and breaks mortals to their will—

Clanbook: Baali 37
 The Lost Founder
I have researched our blood and the wars we have been involved in over the course of cen-
turies. All this work was focused on one aim: to find some sign of the presence of the
third survivor of Ashur. After my search, there is one war that stands out; the manner
with which the course of the war suddenly changed is both incredible and unbelievable.
Several Assamites I took under my tender care related the story of the embrace of the
strongest of their sorcerer caste. The charred, child-like visage whose origin is unknown.
He is said to be a tormented servant of Haqim, bristling with power. But it was most as-
suredly a young child. A… low-born, singing slave-boy, perhaps?
Rumors have flowed like oceans about the unknown third Baali that emerged from the
well at Ashur. Some have called it a female; some have called it a merging of two lovers
thrown into the sacrificial pit. And… some have called it a young, beautiful slave-boy
that was secreted away from the city.
I think the truth lies between these tales. We know that the third was active for a time.
We know that it created progeny—after all, tales of Baali are more than just tales of Mo-
loch and Nergal. Something or someone nudged our family along the way into accepting
the truth of the dying world.
And, after all my research, after all my searching and lore-gathering… I think I know
the identity of the third Baali from Ashur. The name is one that rings across the centu-
ries.
The name of the third Baali was Ur-Shulgi.
Our ritual of re-embrace can turn a member of any other clan into a Baali and all their
subsequent childer will be embraced as Baali. Who is to say that this antediluvian,
Haqim, was not able to do the same? That the third was re-embraced with his blood as a
weapon and turned against its former clan?
This would mean that nearly a third of the Children of Haqim are, in fact, of Baali de-
scent. It makes sense that Ur-Shulgi, according to the stories, was able to so handily de-
feat the Baali. Tales of stones weeping blood and its terrifying presence would ring true
with rumors of the third as opposed to a true Childe of Haqim.
Of course, I could very well be wrong but… what if I am right?
- Marie Bourbon-Busset

38 Chapter Three: Voices in the Dark

Clanbook: Baali 39
 Chapter Four:
Dark Secrets
The Baali have always traded in esoteric secrets and
lore. It is only natural, that throughout their evolution
from the First Tribe to their present incarnation, that
they have discovered their own special niches in the
dark world of the arcane. While their specialties may
range from tales of the Second City to the exacting
rites needed to summon a demon from the pit, every
Baali’s blood burns and crackles with dark power.
40 Chapter Four: Dark Secrets
Throughout the various editions of Vampire: the
Masquerade, we have seen many changes to the abili-
ties of both Daimoinon and the other blood-borne
abilities of the Baali. While the clan has evolved over
the years, the core of their power has always been tied
to their connection to the Children of the Outer
Dark.
This chapter will introduce us to some of the special
traits and peculiarities of the Baali.
New Traits
 The following new Traits may help players and Sto-
rytellers give their Baali characters more depth and
flavor. While there are already a great wealth of merits
and flaws for the Baali in both Lore of the Bloodlines
and The Black Hand: Guide to the Tal’mahe’ra,
these can be used to give additional details to Baali
characters.
New Background:
Well of Sacrifice (1-5)
The character has devoted a Well of Sacrifice to
Those Who Wait. The location of the Well must be
discussed with the Storyteller. These Wells vary in
shape and size, according to their ratings. Baali often
decorate their Wells with the remains of their sacrifi-
cial victims, leaving the rotting pieces to degrade and
offer up more foul power to their patrons.
These Wells of Sacrifice are depraved, inhumane al-
tars to the Children of the Outer Dark, and are often
touched by a hint of their power, corrupting the very
ground around them.
At a rating of 1-2, the Well is a small hole in the
ground wherein body parts and blood are offered up
to the Children from sacrifices performed over it. At
this level of power, the Well must be the site of a sac-
rifice every six months to remain active or it falls
dormant. A Baali or infernalist at the Well gains a +1
dice bonus on any interactions with demons, unclean
spirits, or Thaumaturgy (or Dark Thaumaturgy) rolls
while at the site.
At a rating of 3-4, the Well has become a large char-
nel pit dug deep into the ground wherein bodies are
cast after they have been used for ritual sacrifice. Pro-
fane energies begin to seep into the area around the
Well at this point, giving all rolls to detect the pres-
ence of the supernatural a +1 bonus. At this level of
power, the Well must be the site of a sacrifice every
three months to remain active or it falls dormant. A
Baali or infernalist at the Well gains a +2 dice bonus
on any interactions with demons, unclean spirits, or
Thaumaturgy (or Dark Thaumaturgy) rolls while at the
site.
Clanbook: Baali
What, no Infernal Investments?
While we discuss ideas for the purchase of infernal
investments and the economy of diabolism earlier in
Chapter Two, this book does not catalog infernal
powers or how to summon demons. If you wish to
feature infernalism or diabolism in your Chronicle,
several books can be referenced for ideas about costs
and types of infernal gifts and powers.
For inspiration, we recommend the following books:
Devil’s Due: A great Dark Ages supplement that
discusses various ways of dealing with demons and
devils and the costs that it can bring. You won’t find
any infernal investments here, but there is a wealth of
information.
Book of the Fallen (M20): Another interesting
book that can provide information on various types of
investments and gifts. While this book deals with
Nephandi, some of the setting material and a good
deal of the ambiance can be used for Baali characters
and themes.
Book of Madness: Before M20’s Book of the Fallen,
the Nephandi, infernalist mages, and Marauders were
best described in this particular book. Inside, you can
find a host of information on portrayals of infernal
gifts and investments.
Ultimately, how you wish to run infernalism and di-
abolism in your game is up to you. However, we would
recommend against allowing infernalism or the sum-
moning of demons to grant any character (even an
NPC) a “win button” at the expense of your troupe’s
enjoyment of the game.
Infernalism and diabolism are not things to be cele-
brated (not that it needs to be said), but horrific tools
that some Baali utilize to bring about the end of the
world and the awakening of the Children of the Outer
Dark. Any investment or power granted should come
at a horrible cost—either in pieces of a person’s soul,
the suffering of innocents, or the debasement of puri-
ty. These things are heavy subjects around a gaming
table, so be sure you gauge your players’ limitations
and use these things sparingly instead of as simply
convenient powers available to an NPC.
41
 At a rating of 5, the Well of Sacrifice is a font of
power and a connection to the Children. The entire
area around the well, for 100 yards, makes animals
and even humans uncomfortable. In effect, the area
gains the Unholy Aura flaw. At this level of power,
the Well must be the site of a sacrifice every month to
remain active or it falls dormant. A Baali or infernalist
at the Well gains a +3 dice bonus on any interactions
with demons, unclean spirits, or Thaumaturgy (or
Dark Thaumaturgy) rolls while at the site
To awaken a dormant Well, a Baali must spend a
number of days in preparation equal to the Well’s
level. They must then, after all necessary preparations
have been made, make a number of sacrifices at the
Well equal to its level x2. These sacrifices must be
exclusively for the purpose of reawakening the Well
and re-establishing its connection with the Baali’s
patrons.
Laws of the Night System: At a rating of 1-2, the
Well must be the site of a sacrifice every six months to
remain active or it falls dormant. A Baali or infernalist
at the Well gains a +1 trait bonus on any interactions
with demons, unclean spirits, or Thaumaturgy (or
Dark Thaumaturgy) tests while at the site.
At a rating of 3-4, the Well must be the site of a sac-
rifice every three months to remain active or it falls
dormant. A Baali or infernalist at the Well gains a +2
trait bonus on any interactions with demons, unclean
spirits, or Thaumaturgy (or Dark Thaumaturgy) tests
while at the site.
At a rating of 5, the entire area around the Well, for
100 yards, makes animals and even humans uncom-
fortable and the area gains the Unholy Aura flaw. At
this level of power, the Well must be the site of a sac-
rifice every month to remain active or it falls dormant.
A Baali or infernalist at the Well gains a +3 trait bo-
nus on any interactions with demons, unclean spirits,
or Thaumaturgy (or Dark Thaumaturgy) tests while at
the site
42 Chapter Four: Dark Secrets
New Merits and Flaws:
Beatific Aura (5-pt. Merit)
While the stain of grievous sins can color the auras
of most, yours, for some reason, remains pure and
innocent. While crimes such as diablerie will still leave
an identifiable mark upon the vampire’s soul, dalli-
ances with the infernal and demonic will not taint this
character’s aura in any noticeable way.
A character with this merit does not exhibit the spir-
itual ramifications of infernalism or diabolism. Any
attempt to spot infernalism or diabolic stains in the
character’s aura find nothing that can be used to con-
demn them. This merit will not prevent other meth-
ods of detecting such things such as reading the char-
acter’s mind or Dominate commands, but their aura
will always remain immaculately free of infernal taint
or influence.
Laws of the Night System: Attempts to detect in-
fernalism or diabolism in the character’s aura will not
detect any infernal taint or influence. The character’s
aura never displays any signs of such taint or unclean
influence.
Clergy of the Void (3-pt. Merit)
All properly trained Baali understand the basics of
singing to Those Who Wait through their sacrifices,
be it to lull them to sleep or to stir their conscious-
ness. With this merit, a character understands their
place in existence is to act as a bridge between the
material world and the dreams of the Children—
toward the ultimate goal of awakening the sleeping
gods or keeping them asleep.
When a character with his merit must make a de-
generation roll for their morality path while perform-
ing sacrifices meant for the Children of the Outer
Dark, they gain a +2 dice bonus. The sins against their
path must be made directly due to a ritualized ceremo-
ny dedicated to the Children. Any sins gained in other
ways do not qualify for this bonus.
Laws of the Night System: A character with this
merit gains a +2 trait bonus on all morality tests pro-
vided the circumstances that prompted the test are
directly a result of making a ritualized sacrifice to the
Children of the Outer Dark.
 The Devoured (4-pt. Flaw)
All Baali share a connection with their patrons, the
Children of the Outer Dark. Through the discipline
of Daimoinon, they regularly commune on a subtle
level with their benefactors. A character with this flaw,
however, has something of their masters’ essence
bleeding into their own.
Whenever a character with this flaw has the Auspex
power of Aura Perception used upon them (or any
other equivalent supernatural ability), their aura seems
tainted. This is not the same as the flickers of infernal
power or dealings (unless, of course, the character has
also delved into infernalism!), but is a void in the soul
of the character. While it does not necessitate any evil
or wrongdoing by the character, it leaves those viewing
the character’s soul uncomfortable. This void appears
as gaps in the character’s aura. These gaps do not in-
terrupt or disturb the usual use of Aura Perception or
powers that read auras, it simply colors the impres-
sions gleaned by such abilities.
Laws of the Night System: When Aura Perception
is used upon a character with this flaw, their aura
ripples with the power of the void, manifesting as odd
gaps within the colors of their aura. While this does
not identify them as infernal (unless they also have
infernal investments), it makes the viewer uncomfort-
able and likely to feel dread as they stare at the void
within the character’s soul.
Inured to Pain (3-pt. Merit)
The sting of religious items touches all Baali, with-
out fail. You, however, have grown used to discomfort
and the exquisite agony the touch of the holy can
bring. While this merit does not protect you from
increased damage or the burning touch of holy ob-
jects, it does allow you a semblance of control when
confronted with such things.
A character with this merit can hold their eyes upon
trappings of religion for a turn before being forced to
avert their gaze and the touch of such objects will still
cause them pain, but their flesh will not be visibly
seared unless the contact is prolonged. Items that are
blessed or are used to channel true faith deal damage
as normal—this merit in no way protects the Baali
from such holy retribution, it merely allows them to
control their reactions to such objects.
Laws of the Night System: When a character with
this merit holds an item of faith, the pain that it caus-
es is not apparent. If the character only handles the
Clanbook: Baali
item against their skin for a turn, they suffer no ill
effects. If the contact with the character’s skin is main-
tained for 2 or more turns, the painful effects are evi-
dent. Items that are blessed or are used to channel
true faith deal damage as normal—this merit in no way
protects the Baali from such holy retribution, it merely
allows them to control their reactions to such objects.
Scion of the Third (3-pt. Merit)
The blood of the fabled third survivor of Ashur runs
through your veins. You may not realize it, but your
very essence sings with dark power. Untainted by Ner-
gal’s insanity or Moloch’s passive nature, you under-
stand the ways of the world.
In your blood is the power of the only other survi-
vor of the First Tribe. Its vitae brings a sense of the
world’s suffering… and the need to end it. You under-
stand the state of the world. You understand how it
hangs so precariously between collapse and a great
rebirth in darkness. Your line has subtly guided the
Baali through the ages, gradually taking root until
most of the clan danced to your progenitor’s hidden
song.
A character with this merit may purchase Thaumatur-
gy as an out-of-clan discipline but does not require a
teacher for their primary path. They may learn other
paths through study or instruction and may develop
rituals through study and experimentation.
A Baali with this merit may select one of the follow-
ing as their primary path of Thaumaturgy: Hands of
Destruction, Path of Corruption, Path of Blood, or
Path of the Father’s Vengeance.
Laws of the Night System: A character with this
merit may purchase Thaumaturgy as an out-of-clan
discipline but does not require a teacher for their
primary path. They may acquire additional paths as
normal, requiring proper instruction from skilled
teachers in the Path of Thaumaturgy they wish to
learn. Characters with this merit may learn rituals
normally—with experimentation and experience ex-
penditure.
A Baali with this merit may select one of the follow-
ing as their primary path of Thaumaturgy: Hands of
Destruction, Path of Corruption, Path of Blood, or
Path of the Father’s Vengeance.
43
 Touched by the Children (2-pt. Flaw)
All Baali have a connection to their sleeping pa-
trons. The practice of Daimoinon always touches up-
on the bond between an individual Baali and Those
Who Wait. A character with this flaw resonates
strongly with the Children, their bond with the coma-
tose ancients reverberating through their being each
time they utilize a power of Daimoinon.
A character with this flaw exhibits some obvious
change to their person or the immediate environment
when they utilize any power within the discipline of
Daimoinon. Appropriate manifestations can be the
unnatural deepening of shadows around the character,
their eyes turning completely black, or burning with
an unholy light. Whatever the manifestation, it should
be obvious to those watching the character that some-
thing unnatural reaches out and twists something
about the character in a disquieting way.
Laws of the Night System: Whenever a character
utilized a power of Daimoinon, or a combination
discipline that requires any level of Daimoinon, they
exhibit a change to their person or environment.
These manifestations may be things such as their eyes
turning completely black, shadows deepening around
them, whispers heard crawling out of shadows, or
other eldritch displays. Whatever form the manifesta-
tion takes, it should be obvious to the viewer that
something unnatural is occurring around the charac-
ter.
Whispers in the Dark (2-pt. Merit)
The character has frequent nightmares in their
sleep. The whispers of the Children infect every scene
envisioned, tainting every fantastical shore they touch
upon. In these dark, twisting visions, the future is
revealed in flashes of blood-soaked fate.
Characters with this merit often receive glimpses of
a potential future—with one caveat: the visions are
always about death or pain. It can be involving the
character or their allies, but they are seldom wrong.
Whether or not the character can interpret them cor-
rectly is another matter entirely.
When the Storyteller determines that a character
has had a foreboding dream, you will be required to
make a Wits + Occult roll, with the difficulty deter-
mined by the abstract nature of the vision. For exam-
ple, a single success might decipher a simple vision of
the character’s potential death or capture, while mul-
44 Chapter Four: Dark Secrets
tiple successes may be required to see the potential
events leading to such a death.
Laws of the Night System: Whenever a Storyteller
deems that a character with this merit has experienced
a dream prompted by this merit during their sleep, the
character makes a static Mental Challenge at a ten-trait
difficulty. If they succeed, they gain 1 free retest on
any challenge in the session.
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2-pt. Merit)
The character does not seem to be anything other
than a simple member of another clan. It is easy to
perceive the character as another clan, allowing them
to pass off membership in a more accepted bloodline
or clan.
Characters with this merit select a clan upon its
purchase. The character will, for all intents and pur-
poses, be accepted as a member of that clan. This does
not impact any supernatural methods to detect decep-
tion or methods to determine the character’s true
clan. This merit is simply social in nature—it is just
easier for others to accept the character as a member
of the chosen clan rather than the horrible truth of
their nature.
Laws of the Night System: A character with this
merit find it much easier to pose as another clan. Af-
ter choosing a clan that this merit reflects, the charac-
ter is considered a member of that clan unless specific
reasons are given as to why they do not fit in. This
merit does not grant a sire or other details appropriate
for the Alternate Identity merit, but unless given rea-
sons to disbelieve the character, most will simply view
them as a member of the appropriate clan.
 New Thaumaturgy Rituals
Level Two Rituals
Conceal the Nest
This ritual assists a Baali in concealing a Well of
Sacrifice within their haven. By masking the various
smells of rot and decay that tend to cling to sacrificial
wells, and masking the nature of the well, itself, the
character can conceal their offerings to the Children
of the Outer Dark.
System: The caster must paint a circle of blood
around their Well of Sacrifice using vitae from innoc-
uous animals—pigeons, rats, or other small animals are
adequate. While painting the floor with runes of con-
cealment and misdirection, the character quietly in-
tones the ritual. If the ritual is completed successfully,
the normal smells of rot and decay that come from
their sacrificial wells are concealed from detection
under background aromas. In addition, the well ap-
pears, visually, to blend in with its surroundings,
seeming to be a natural part of the background. This
can have it take the form of an old crate in a base-
ment, or a mound of trash in an abandoned ware-
house. Auspex or other supernatural senses can be
used to pierce through this concealment as if they
were attempting to penetrate Obfuscate 3. Conceal
the Nest lasts for a number of days equal to the num-
ber of successes rolled when it is cast, or until the
caster voluntarily ends the effect.
This ritual cannot conceal the “Unholy Aura” that a
Well of Sacrifice at level 5 creates.
Laws of the Night System: Conceal the Nest is a
Basic Thaumaturgy Ritual. Penetrating the conceal-
ment offered by this ritual requires the use supernatu-
ral senses such as Heightened Senses or other abilities
that allow a character to see through concealing mag-
ics or disciplines. To see through the deception of the
ritual, the character must defeat the caster in a Mental
challenge. This challenge can be retest from both sides
with the Occult ability.
Conceal the Nest lasts for 1 week or until the caster
voluntarily ends the effect.
Clanbook: Baali
Level Four Rituals
Name Taking
This ritual allows a Baali blood sorcerer to strip a
sacrificial victim of their True Name, throwing it to
the sleeping colossi that they call their masters. When
a character is killed by the Baali as a part of a ritual
sacrifice to the Children of the Outer Dark, the Baali
may choose to cast this ritual at the closing of the rite,
eradicating the power of their name.
System: If the casting of this ritual is successful, the
Baali strips the target of their True Name, allowing
their patrons to devour the essence and power at-
tached to it. A character who has lost their true name
will not become a wraith, nor can their soul be sum-
moned or questioned by any means. Any mortal activ-
ities to seek out the individual cease, as their name no
longer resonates with anyone they know. They will
still be a missing person and be mourned, but they
will be, effectively, simply considered another statistic
and efforts to seek out justice for them will fade. Su-
pernatural investigators, however, are not hindered by
this power and retain their ability to search for the
missing individual or their remains.
Each time this ritual is performed, the Baali gains
two temporary Willpower points (this bonus can take
them above their maximum). The Willpower points
are granted to the Baali in exchange for their offering.
A character can only benefit from one casting of
Name Taking at a time.
Laws of the Night System: Name Taking is an In-
termediate Thaumaturgy Ritual. After a Baali casts
this ritual successfully at the end of a ritual offering to
the Children of the Outer Dark, their target’s name
ceases to hold any true value. While friends and family
still remember the individual and their name, any
efforts to seek out justice for them or to search for
them cease after the ritual is performed. They will be
remembered and mourned, but all mundane individ-
uals connected to them or involved in searching for
them simply give up. Supernatural individuals who
were looking for the target of this ritual will still pos-
sess the desire and will to do so unless they naturally
give up their search.
After this ritual is performed, the Baali gains one
free retest on any challenge. This retest lasts until
used. A character can only benefit from one casting of
this ritual at a time.
45
 Mind’s Eye Theatre 4th Edition Errata
The portrayal of the Baali clan in By Night Studios’
4th edition Mind’s Eye Theatre saw a departure from
the clan’s established history and shifted all Baali that
progressed in their Daimoinon discipline as infernal
and required there to be infernal pacts by the charac-
ter to achieve Daimoinon level five. In addition to
this, the Path Evil Revelations merit and the Infernal
Power merit were lumped together to give the clan a
deal on infernalism and a morality path that supports
the demons of hell.
As we have seen and discussed, this can fit for Ner-
gal Baali, but does not fit very well for Molochim or
average Baali who eschew the infernal. To allow for
more flexible Baali concepts within this particular
game line, we suggest the following changes to text
within the Mind’s Eye Threatre entries.
Errata
Baali Clan Description, Pg 72
Within the “Player Characters” sidebar, remove the
following sentence:
“Note that a character using the Daimoinon discipline is
assumed to be having congress with demons, and that pur-
chasing the 5th dot of the discipline explicitly means the
character has signed an infernal compact and has sworn her
soul to a demonic power.”
Daimoinon discipline description, Pg 126
Remove the following sentence from the first para-
graph in the second column:
“Whenever a Daimoinon power is used, infernal taint
washes over the user’s aura and then disappears.”
Remove the paragraph that begins with the follow-
ing:
“Learning the first 4 dots of Daimoinon indicates that…”
Daimoinon is not an infernal gift and does not re-
quire infernal teachings. This discipline does not de-
mand infernal pacts to learn, merely the standard
requisites for out-of-clan instruction if the possessor is
not Baali. In addition, gaining level 5 does not require
an infernal pact.
Condemnation, Pg 128
Remove the following sentence within this power’s
description:
“Characters who possess Condemnation are infernalists.”

46 Chapter Four: Dark Secrets

 Infernal Compact, Elder Daimoinon, Pg 215
Change the following sentence:
“By sharing the affections of your damned patron, you can
grant infernal powers to others.”
To
“By sharing the blessings of the Children of the Outer
Dark, you can grant a portion of their powers to others.”
A character who is granted power by this discipline
level immediately manifests the same drawback as a
Baali with the Blessed by the Children merit—their
aura appears to be marked by the void.
Baali Merits
Scion of the Third (3 point merit)
Functions as the Thaumaturgic Training merit. In
addition, the Baali with this merit select a clan upon
its purchase. The character will, for all intents and
purposes, be accepted as a member of that clan. This
does not impact any supernatural methods to detect
deception or methods to determine the character’s
true clan. This merit is simply social in nature—it is
just easier for others to accept the character as a mem-
ber of the chosen clan rather than the horrible truth
of their nature.
Clergy of the Void (2 point merit)
The character cannot gain Beast traits if they would
suffer a morality check caused by the ritualistic sacri-
fice to the Children of the Outer Dark. The morality
check must be a direct result of specifically commit-
ting a rite of offering to the Children.
Blessed by the Children (1 Point Merit)
The merit duplicates the mechanics of the Infernal
Power merit and one Path merit of the player’s choice.
A character with this version of the Infernal Power
merit does not register as infernal. Instead, whenever a
character with this flaw has the Auspex power of Aura
Perception used upon them (or any other equivalent
supernatural ability), their aura seems tainted. This is
not the same as the flickers of infernal power or deal-
ings (unless, of course, the character has also delved
into infernalism!), but is a void in the soul of the
character.
While it does not necessitate any evil or wrongdoing
by the character, it leaves those viewing the character’s
soul uncomfortable. This void appears as gaps in the
character’s aura. These gaps do not interrupt or dis-
Clanbook: Baali
turb the usual use of Aura Perception or powers that
read auras, it simply colors the impressions gleaned by
such abilities.
New Thaumaturgy Ritual
Level 4 Thaumaturgy Rituals
Name Taking
There is power in names… power that Baali understand
more intimately than any other vampire. With their ancient
connection to naming magic and the Children of the Outer
Dark, Baali have learned to strip away the very names of
their sacrifices, instead offering up the very essence of the
target’s true name to their masters.
System:
Only available to Baali possessing Thaumaturgy, this
ritual allows a Baali blood sorcerer to strip a sacrificial
victim of their True Name, throwing it to the sleeping
colossi that they call their masters. When a character
(Non-player Character or Player Character) is killed by
the Baali as a part of a ritual sacrifice to the Children
of the Outer Dark, the Baali may choose to cast this
ritual at the closing of the rite.
If successful, the Baali strips the target of their True
Name, allowing their patrons to devour the essence
and power attached to it. In game terms, a character
who has lost their true name will not become a wraith,
nor can their soul be summoned or questioned by any
means. Any mortal activities to seek out the individual
cease, as their name no longer resonates with anyone
they know. They will still be a missing person and be
mourned, but they will be, effectively, simply consid-
ered another statistic and efforts to seek out justice for
them will fade. Supernatural investigators, however,
are not hindered by this power and retain their ability
to search for the missing individual or their remains.
Each time this ritual is performed, the Baali gains a
free Willpower point (this bonus can take them above
their maximum). This Willpower point is granted to
the Baali in exchange for their offering. A character
can only benefit from one casting of Name Taking at a
time.
47
 New Technique
Honeyed Whispers
Prerequisites: Daimoinon • • and Presence • • •
The allure of evil can draw in the curious like a moth to a
flame. However, the Baali have learned to focus their efforts
before each seduction, whispering prayers to their dreaming
patrons and learning the secret desires of their targets simply
by speaking with them. The unaware victims of such sweet
words are lulled into a false sense of security, finding them-
selves wanting to tell the Baali their darkest secrets and
desires.
System:
After successfully targeting someone with En-
trancement in a scene, you can spend 1 Blood to im-
mediately activate this technique. This technique does
not have to be activated immediately after the success-
ful use of Entrancement, but it must be done within
the same scene. If it is not activated within the scene,
you must successfully use Entrancement against your
target again before you may activate this technique.
Once activated, you may ask your target about a
shameful secret or a secret desire. They must answer
you truthfully. You may either ask for clarification on
a desire or secret you have previously learned about, or
you may identify one or the other for the first time.
Examples of appropriate questions are as follows:
What is your most shameful secret?
What do you desire the most?
Whom do you secretly despise?
While these questions may seem broad in scope, the
target of the power is allowed latitude in how they
choose to respond. They do not have to name specific
individuals in their answer; they may give generalities
if it is the first time the power is being used on them.
However, if the technique is being used to clarify a
previous answer, more detailed information should be
given.
A character with this technique can only gain the
answer to one question per activation. This technique
can only be used on a target once per scene.

48 Chapter Four: Dark Secrets

49 Chapter Three: Voices in the Dark
 Chapter Five:
Monsters Among
Us
Making Baali Characters
Baali can come from many walks of life. They have
embraced seers, mystics, cultists, the faithful, the bro-
ken, and even those that they feel some connection
to—like a lover or useful ghoul. Like the clan’s differ-
ing views on the Children, there is no unified purpose
that drives the embrace habits of Baali sires. Some will
search for scholars of the arcane while others embrace
linguistics experts to translate ancient texts. One will
embrace a person for a rebellious streak that they feel
can be put to use against their enemies—or the uni-
verse at large. Another will embrace because a particu-
lar person reminds them of a mortal lover or family
member.
While the reasons vary, each event is performed
with gravitas. Their unlives could be ended by the
loose lips of a childe and entire nests could be put at
risk by the indiscretions of one lone neonate. This is
why the Baali tend to train their childer well, indoc-
trinating them in the ways and beliefs of the clan soon
after their embrace. If a childe does not absorb their
lessons, they are sacrificed or otherwise destroyed.
However, this does not always go to plan. Renegade
childer do appear from time to time. Most often, these
errant embraces fall into the Nergal stereotype, raging
against the world and seeking out the infernal. Other
Baali may use this to their advantage, letting the childe
grow and gain notoriety before assisting in their de-
struction to put the kindred population of a city at
ease.
Creating a solid foundation for a Baali character can
be difficult… so we have selected eight concepts to
present to you as examples. We encourage building off
these concepts and rounding them out for your game,
filling in some of vague details in their backstories to
better suit your needs.
Additionally, a sample nest has been included to
display the type of coteries of Baali can be made to fill
out a story.
Portraying Baali
There is no hard and fast guide about how best to
portray a Baali. The Baali can be varied in personality
and goals. However, they do have certain traits in
common. Most of them conceal their identities and
their clan due to likelihood of being killed for their
heritage should they ever be discovered. Nergals some-
times eschew this, but the moment they do, they are
usually hunted… and to be honest, that wouldn’t serve
their goals or hell’s goals, either.
The most valuable advice, then, would be to act sub-
tle. Be calm. Act comfortable. Do not let on about the
secrets that you have gleaned or the power in your
blood—unless you have no choice or are clinching a
seduction and have means to destroy your target
should they refuse you. Baali ensnare their targets
through their insight, grace, and their seductive se-
crets. They do not announce their intentions or their
abilities unless they have absolutely no other choice—
or they are preparing to kill all witnesses.
The concepts on the following pages all have varying
approaches to their unlives. Use them for inspiration
or a starting point for your own Baali.

50 Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us

The Archeologist across the world. Why? Why did one village get de-
stroyed by ancient demi-gods while others thrived just
Quote: Two paces, Winston. Two. Not three or four or miles away? These questions drive you, for they will
one. Two. The measurements were exact. Akkadian script is contain the answers that will allow you to plot a
simple, but apparently too difficult for you to count in. course through history and open up a grand under-
Prelude: The quest for the next horizon has always standing of what came before so that you can prepare
haunted your mind. No matter what you were doing, the way for what is to come.
no matter where you were at… there was always the Let the others talk of dark colossi striding across the
allure of the unknown calling out to you. In your Earth. For you, each legend hides a bit of truth that
mind, this was simply a matter of curiosity… but it can lead toward understanding the “why” and “how”
grew more intense with each passing year. of your clan—and the world.
You went to college like you were Roleplaying Hints: The great puzzle of the
told. You tried to take classes universe lays before you. The ancients knew
in more “practical” majors… secrets that would sear the minds of today’s
but once you took Anthropology, scholars. However, the blood in your veins links
it was all over for you. The allure you to a power that dwarfs any other. You are
of history and understanding what connected to a tribe of sorcerers that warped the
came before was simply too great very fabric of history. Now, if you could only
to ignore. discover their secrets and the extent of their
First, the study of cultures and rites. knowledge…
Then it became more of an
obsession than coursework.
You stumbled upon Equipment: Tattered note
something: an odd book filled with various
translation while taking translations, a leather satchel
Archeology courses. This containing reference books
led to learning cuneiform about Sumerian culture and
script. Old Persian. deities, and an old pocket
Sumerian. You were watch.
ravenous for knowledge.
That was when you
caught the eye of your sire.
They were researching
Assyrian legends and you
two met while at a dig site.
Your passion for the unknown
Was mirrored in the person
Before you. By the end of the
week, you were no longer alive.
Now, you search the world for
old truths that history left buried
in the sands; and with those
truths, you will transform the world.
Concept: While other Baali talk
about the old gods and the
Children of the Outer Dark, you
are more interested in the history
of the world. Cultures died out

Clanbook: Baali 51
Champion of the Old Ways sensation and visions. Now, you are set upon your
path, as a harbinger of the old gods and you will bring
Quote: The old gods are my strength. They are my shield. their worship once more into the light.
Mankind has forgotten where its oldest, bloodiest rites came Concept: There is a strength in the old ways that it
from. Let us show them… seems many have forgotten. You have risen above the
Prelude: You grew up in a household that revered traps of modern thought and have peeled back the
the old gods. Your traditions were handed down to curtain. While many of your fellows are correct that it
you by your parents, and to them by their parents. Old is all going to end, what they miss is that the old gods
deities that were converted into demons and devils by will stride forward—but they must be brought forward
Abrahamic religions were once sources of inspiration properly. To this end, you have practiced their ways
to the world. You lived in those tales, you drank up and memorized ancient rites of worship and sacrifice.
those stories and used them to forge your
own identity.
Roleplaying Hints: What you are doing is
While you have dabbled in not evil. It is necessary. The old gods are
mainstream paganism, practitioners masked in a thousand deities that have
these days ring hollow to you. Their been passed down throughout the ages. The
worship more out of desperation Baali acknowledgment of the Children of the
than any true passion. They touch Outer Dark is just another façade over their
upon trendy gods in vogue with true natures. These beings are the salvation
pagan shops—Celtic Gods, of the world and the heralds of its
Norse Mythology, Greek… rebirth. They just need the right
classical tales of heroes encouragement to come forward
and titans. It wasn’t for and initiate the grand
you. There were no undertaking.
tales of Asaruludu,
Enkimdu, Marduk, or Equipment: A short sword
other ancient gods. inscribed with an old Sumerian
There were no tales script, rough translations of
that sang to your soul Mesopotamian epics, a bloody
as the stories of Sumerian chalice, and crude chainmail.
and Akkadian myth.
Then, you dug deeper
still and stumbled upon
something ancient before
the Epic of Gilgamesh.
You caught the attention
of something in the dark.
In your dreams, you felt the
calling of something more
potent and powerful than
any religious experience in
your life.
Your sire said she was
called to you by the old gods.
That you touched upon
something not meant for
mortal minds. When you were
embraced, it was a whirlwind of

52 Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us

Connoisseur of Agony
Quote: Do stop squirming. It ruins the effect.
Prelude: Something was always broken inside of
you. While it eluded all attempts by your parents to
quantify it, you were always just a little… off. Your
stares lingered too long to be polite. Your questions
cut through the niceties of social decorum. In the
early twentieth century, you were just considered an
odd child. Your parents pampered you and sent you
to the best schools they could afford, but when the
Great Depression struck, you were drawn back home
out of necessity.
knack for administering pain was an amplifier to rites
of offering to Those Who Wait. As you learned more,
you developed a true passion for agony. Each cry and
scream were notes that you carefully plucked from
your victims.
It gave you life. It also gave power to your rituals.
Concept: It is not often that Baali who thrive off pain
and suffering flourish. Most are simply Nergals that
burn out spectacularly. Not so with the Connoisseur.
They love their work and the pain it inflicts. Moreo-
ver, they understand the place of pain in high ritual…
and they use it to great effect.

You tried to work… but no one was hiring. So, in- Roleplaying Hints: Other Baali may say that they have
stead, you began to work as a rat hunter. Trapping a grand reason to perform their rites and sacrifices.
them near granaries, catching them at bakeries. You? You honestly adore the look of terror
You killed them quickly at first, but your that crosses your victims’ faces. Some of your
curiosity grew. You wanted to know brethren in the Nest tend to their sacrifices
what made them tick… but your methods like a surgeon—cutting open bodies and
became more inhumane. It left you extracting pain with an almost mechanical
squeamish at times, but you got passed detachment. Not so with you. After all, what
it—your efforts helped pay your family’s is the point of your work if you do not enjoy
bills. it from time to time? You know the best ways
to draw out the psychic energy for a proper
When your cruelty attracted sacrifice. You hurl pain and hopelessness
your sire, you accepted the at the barrier between worlds in
embrace and adapted to hopes of one day weakening it
your new reality quite well. entirely.
After your second sacrifice,
you realized that you were Equipment: Various instruments
just… bored with life. of torture, a notebook full of
There had to be something anatomical scribbling, several old
more… some sort of scrolls detailing various rituals,
meaning to everything. scrubs, and latex gloves.
You weren’t ignorant
of the suffering you
caused. You just
didn’t care.

As a vampire, the suffering

of lesser creatures meant little
to you.
Your sire, however, had
great uses for your skills.
They taught you that your

Clanbook: Baali 53
Dark Herald end is inevitable. The Dark
Herald understands that this is a simple fact. The
Quote: They will come. Have no doubt of that. They will Children stir in their sleep, the world is poisoned, and
come and wash all of this failure away. wars tear apart its people. Thousands die each day and
Prelude: You were born into an incredibly religious in each wave of new catastrophe, you can see the sub-
family. Your father was a volunteer at your place of tle power of your patrons as they stir.
worship and your mother was sure to offer you up to You are existing on the precipice of a new universe
assist the clergy with tasks around the building. None and you know this. For those who are ready for the
of it rubbed off on you. You simply didn’t understand truth, you are prepared to reveal the fragility of the
the need for religion. world that they know. And… you are ready to
Then you met him. initiate them into the mysteries of the truth.
Your sire met you at a bar in the city. You were out Roleplaying Hints: Your faith sustains you. In
of place. A small-town student out at college in a big your time as a vampire, you have been
city. Most people thought it was quaint… bombarded by the hypocrisies that kindred tell
they asked you to talk or talk about cows themselves, both large and small. To you, it
or hay. This man, though slightly seems sad. While you know that all people
off-putting, wanted to know about you. have secrets that must be kept, the idea that
It swept you off your feet. people would lie to themselves seems pointless.
You, however, are perfectly honest with
Then, when he took you home weeks
yourself.
later… you never saw the sun again.
You are a monster, and you are attempting to
The things your sire told you just bring dark, chthonic beings into the world
made sense. The state of the to recreate all of reality. They are
world. The failure of modern going to rise, there is no doubt
religions to alleviate the in your mind… and you are
suffering of the planet. resigned to that fact.
The silence from every
Equipment: Fine clothing,
god and pantheon across
several old 1st edition books on
the globe. The eldest gods,
the nature of the occult, and
however, listened to the
a ritual dagger.
rites offered up in their
names. They stirred in
their rest, each movement
sending a ripple across the world.
Once you were fully inducted
into the old stories of the First
Tribe and the heritage that
coursed through your blood…
well, you found your purpose.
You would act as a herald to the
sleeping titans in the beyond.
You would ease their passage into
this world with the proper
offerings and you would gather
others in need of the truth,
like you once were, to their worship.

Concept: There is a calmness

that comes from knowing the

54 Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us

The Diabolist
Quote: Aren’t you a beautiful soul?
Prelude: Your family had always delved into the
unknowable. Your maternal grandmother was a for-
tuneteller on the streets of Mexico City and your
mother always had visions and connections to the
underworld. When your father committed her, it dev-
astated you. She always told you that the family was
watching from the other side. She could speak to
them. When you were young, you could hear them
too… at least, you thought.
When your father cast out your mother from the
home, the seeds of resentment were planted. In rebel-
lion, you dove into your grandmother’s old books and
your mother’s chaotic diary. You discovered ancient
names and a half-completed rite that your mother was
convinced could make direct contact with the dead of
your family.
You found the rest of the ritual
after years of searching and
travel. Your father assumed it
was all for your college studies
and funded your trips. It was an
easy lie. The disconnect between
you and your father was
growing by the day—and it
was a good thing that it did.
He was your first sacrifice.
Completing your mother’s
ritual was the first step…
but it required
sacrifice.
It required something to
be given over to the other side.
You chose your father out of a
need to punish him for shattering
the family.
When it was all completed,
you waited for a sign from the
other side. None came. You
Clanbook: Baali
performed another rite. Nothing happened. You be-
gan to doubt your mother’s words and while you hid
from police seeking to question you for the murder of
your father, you came upon your final victim. Only,
this time, they did not scream when you drove your
knife home.
They laughed.
That was the night you were embraced. Luckily,
your sire had a sense of humor and played along with
your false incantations and ritualistic trappings. Once
you were a vampire, though, he began to teach you
true power. He taught you how to pick proper sacrific-
es and showed you the inaccuracies in your circles of
summoning.
You have been an apt pupil.
Concept: It all started with your grandmother. At
least, that’s what you tell yourself. Mystical insight was
passed down through your family, but when you
attempted to undertake a great working, you failed.
Now, you are perfecting your craft. Thoughts of
your family have faded in your new quest for
power but now and again, you look back upon
your family history and can’t help but think that
this is fate.
Roleplaying Hints: Yours is a quest for
answers and raw, unmitigated power.
You have learned of the Children of
the Outer Dark and they do not
concern you. After you left your
sire, you struck out on your own,
seeking to delve into the
knowledge of devils and
demons to become
something more than a tool
for sleeping colossi. Knowledge
burns in your brain, and while you may
be slightly unstable, you understand
that, in the end, your knowledge will
transform the world.
Equipment: Your grandmother’s note
book, your mother’s tattered journal,
a faded picture of your family, ritual
candles, and ornate robes.
55
 New Age Nergal feeling that this pale individual was just… ripe with
knowledge. Nearly two years after you joined the
Quote: I am here to do the Devil’s work. He is with me. church, they embraced you.
Who is with you?
Now, in your blood, a connection to the unholy
Prelude: Life hasn’t always sucked. You grew up in sings in glorious rapture. You know what you must
an affluent neighborhood. Your parents made a good do… your sire trained you well before the humans
deal of money. You had everything you needed pro- came for him and burned him in the sun. You are the
vided for you. Then, something happened that inheritor of Satan’s wrath and you will bring his
stripped it all away. An accident. A bad divorce. The judgment to the world by ending it.
circumstances didn’t matter… what mattered was the
result: your family was torn apart and you were left Concept: There isn’t much hope for the world, you
with nothing. agree with that. However, the rest of the shit your clan
spouts is seriously fucked up. Beings from beyond
Fate cast you out from your wholesome family, leav- time? The hell does that even mean? No, you know
ing you in the street. Being homeless creates a new what is in front of you and what calls from within
kind of resentment. People walk by, either with con- your blood. You are the devil’s own. Satan was a mod-
tempt or pity in their eyes for you. Both are an insult. el of freedom from tyranny. You want to emulate that
You get to see the excesses of greed and the inherent model. You will do as you wish, and when you man-
imbalance in the system around you. In your anger, age to help bring Hell to this Earth, you will be re-
you lashed out, you reached for something new that warded.
could explain all the
inconsistencies in the world. Roleplaying Hints: You don’t have time for
bullshit. You know that the Devil’s own blood
You found it in an underground pulses through your veins and you’re gonna make
church. Held in an abandoned sure they all know it, too. You have it on good
warehouse on the bad side of authority that you’re descended from the scions
town, a preacher would of demons. Your soul is foul and beyond
come once every few redemption. The devil, himself, will come
days and talk about for you when it’s your time—so you can
the lack of hope and take your place among his fallen angels.
balance in the world. Until that beautiful time comes? You’re
He would preach here to make sure that everyone
about how the remembers why the devil chose your line
message of god has with his blessing.
been twisted by those
in power. He spoke Equipment: A copy of old rituals, faded
of the devil as an copy of the Necronomicon, bloody athame,
instrument of divine retribution. leather jacket, a set of sacrificial robes made
The message resonated in your from black velvet and embroidered with a
soul. While others in the pentagram.
congregation came and went,
you were there every night the
preacher appeared.
After a few months of your
faithfulness, the priest
introduced you to the
person who showed him
the truth. The two of you
got on quite well and you
couldn’t escape the

56 Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us

 Poisoned Tongue When you were brought into the fold properly, you
knew your place immediately as a social predator
Quote: May I have a word with the Harpy, they’ll want among the courts of the “kindred.”
to hear about this… scandalous how the Toreador Primogen
and Tremere are galivanting at all hours of the night—I even Concept: The world may be destined to die a slow,
heard tell of a blood orgy. agonizing death, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have
your fun wherever you can find it. You have insinuat-
Prelude: Power belongs to those who are daring ed yourself into a kindred domain, passing yourself off
enough to wield it. You have understood this from a as another clan while you toy with the denizens of the
young age. You watched your parents fight one anoth- city. You exist to turn them on one another, and if
er constantly, each one scrambling for an advantage in you get favors and standing while you are at it? Who
the arguments that filled your home. As things pro- are you to judge?
gressed, physical abuse shattered the household, but
you never forgot the lesson you learned: do whatever Roleplaying Hints: You are only as good as your last
you must to survive and win. rumor. A true predator of court, you’ve already made
enemies—even if they don’t realize it yet. You
As you grew up, you deftly can glide gracefully from talking with a clan
maneuvered yourself through school. Whip one moment to a rabble-rousing
You became the popular one, the Anarch the next. Individuals don’t
one in demand, who’s very expression matter. Their lives don’t matter. It’s the
could elevate someone or dash their thrill of the hunt that drives you and
hopes. You carried this into college exhilarates you. The secrets you learn can
but dropped out once you managed to be passed on to others of the blood looking
worm your way into the heart of a for weakness within the city or the cracks in
wealthy significant other. the facades of the predators that call it their
Of course, you had no intention home.
of carrying through with a Equipment: Cellphone, fancy clothes for
“’til death do us part’” Elysium, a sports car taken from your latest
ending. So, you arranged the victim, and a bloodstained wallet.
death of your beneficiary
and inherited their
wealth. Your sire watched
you from afar, giving you
subtle encouragement as
you preyed upon those
weaker than yourself. They
admired the grace and style
with which you brought your
targets to heel and slowly
destroyed them.
It only took a week to catch
your eye. Your sire set
themselves up as the perfect
mark, and when you moved
closer, they took you, draining
you of life in a bloody spectacle
that was as much a celebration
of your birth into the night
as it was a love letter to the
deaths you had personally
overseen.

Clanbook: Baali 57
 Wanna-Be Molochim fighting back darkness, you embraced it wholehearted-
ly. You want to discover the secret society your sire
Quote: You don’t understand. I know what breathes in alluded to, but so far it seems they want nothing to do
the dark. I’m trying to keep it asleep! with you. That doesn’t matter, though, in the grand
Prelude: You were always looking for a place to fit scheme of things. You will keep doing what you know
in. High school. College. Careers. Nothing seemed to you must do.
work for you. People just seemed… odd. It wasn’t that Roleplaying Hints: There is a faint glimmer of ob-
you didn’t understand the basics of humanity… it was session that colors your speech when you talk about
just that you didn’t understand why people valued your holy duty to keep the tyrants asleep in their
insignificant things. You were looking for a great rea- crypts. You know that you’re not supposed to talk to
son to be; a reason to live. others about what you are and what you are doing,
You found it when you were embraced. Your sire but sometimes, it gets lonely. You talk to your sacrific-
took you in, admiring your questing nature and disin- es before they are stripped of their lives.
terest in the mundane. Unfortunately, it was not to Having insinuated yourself into the outskirts of
last. Before you were fully brought into the secret soci- kindred society, you have learned that
ety your sire told you about, they were killed. your kind are despised and hated
It left you with scant knowledge of the almost universally. You find
proper way to conduct sacrifice. You this sad. If they only knew that
understood that the only thing that you were working to protect all of
stood between the world and utter oblivion them… maybe they would be more
was your responsibility to perform grateful.
bloody rites and degrading Equipment: Athame, ritual
sacrifice. And you took to it. candles, assorted texts on the
You clung to the idea that occult, and a series of badly
pain could keep the dark translated scrolls from your
gods of the world asleep. sire.
Not just to keep yourself
alive, but to protect everyone
in the world.
At last, you found the
purpose that had always
eluded you… now if
you could only find
a way to get in touch
with the Talmnehrae,
or whatever you sire
called them, you know
they would be a family
to you.
Concept: The desire to
fit in is always powerful. It
can guide our actions and
even our thoughts. It can
shift our perspective, causing
a realignment of our core
values. Once you found some
semblance of purpose you
could identify with—and one that
made you out to be a hero

58 Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us

 Sample Nest
The following Baali are a sample nest that you can
utilize in your chronicle. This nest of Baali focuses on
gathering knowledge and keeping the Children of the
Outer Dark asleep—though they do not ascribe to the
Order of Moloch’s beliefs or motivations. The mem-
bers of this nest seek to delay the entry of the Chil-
dren into the world until they can control the time
and circumstances of their awakening.
Founded by Marie Bourbon-Busset, this nest has
taken root in the Bronx (or wherever you require for
your Chronicle). They have kept a low profile and
most kindred in the city are completely unaware of
their presence—save for Michelle. Michelle has become
known as a Brujah of unclear alliances. She knows
very little of the Camarilla or Anarchs, but she is often
referred to as part of the latter as opposed to the for-
mer. Marie has used this acceptance of Michelle as a
way to keep tabs on the kindred of the city. She care-
fully times their sacrifices and their activities so that
they are hidden beneath the natural ebb and flow of
activity within the court.
Clanbook: Baali
Marie understands that it is only a matter of time
before her presence is discovered and has already be-
gun laying the groundwork to pose as a different clan
within the boroughs. She has called in favors and used
Alexander’s diabolism to dig up dirt for blackmail of
various city members if she needs to call upon them
for aid.
Alexander’s work, ironically, poses the largest risk
for the trio. While his diabolism is hidden by a quirk
in his aura, he has also been sure to work in “silence
clauses” into each of his dealings, preventing the enti-
ties he summons from revealing his presence even
after their bargain has been struck and completed.
Despite this, high traffic of demonic entities can at-
tract attention from those sensitive to such things.
59

Marie Bourbon-Busset
Background: Born Marie Anette Bourbon-Busset
during the French Revolution, Marie was a member of
a branch the Bourbon family—a line of descendants
from the King of France. While her house was not in
line for the throne due to being considered illegiti-
mate, they benefitted from their proximity to the royal
family.
When the Revolution took Paris, Marie was visiting
with family within the city, trapping her in the vio-
lence that threatened the nobility. As things reached a
fever pitch, she found herself captive to a band of
rebel peasants. She was abused and beaten due to her
royal blood but was saved from death, and worse, by a
vampire.
Her sire, Angelique DuSable, rescued her and
pulled her from the hands of her captors. Sensing an
inquisitive and rebellious streak within the young
noblewoman, DuSable made her an offer—she would
visit every kind of horror upon those who had hurt
her… if Marie would serve her for a time. Marie
agreed.
Within a few years, the young noble was embraced
and introduced to the mysteries of the clan. She de-
voured every tale and every scrap of First Tribe lore
her sire had to offer. The two women spent decades
traveling across Western Europe, uncovering tales of
witchcraft and ancient rites.
Over time, the two began to grow apart, and while
Angelique still respected her childe, she began to
60 Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us
horde knowledge from her. It caused a rift that forced
Marie to leave the nest and head out on her own.
As the centuries passed, Marie assumed many
names. She learned the secrets of Vicissitude from a
Tzimisce and twisted his corpse into an offering for
the Children of the Outer Dark. She used this ability
to take the form of various men and women through-
out the decades, acting as a chameleon in various kin-
dred circles.
In time, however, the silence of her patrons began
to wear down her faith. She grew angry with the sleep-
ing Children. They would not heed her calls. They
would not come to her aid or respond to her rites.
After a sojourn into the Middle East, she discovered
the Molochim. Joining with them for a time, she
learned of their rites and began to use them—seeking
to keep the Children asleep. Since she could not gain
their favor, she would make them rest for all eternity.
However, as time passed, she realized that the slum-
bering giants would eventually awaken, no matter
what paltry offerings were made to them.
Instead, she began to focus her efforts on building a
base of power and knowledge. Falling into the trap set
by Nergal millennia before her, Marie began to seek
out ways to twist the Children to her power. She
knows they will awaken but intends to make it a time
of her choosing.
Image: Marie’s default form is a pale-skinned, light-
haired girl in her mid-teens. Her skill in Vicissitude,
however, grants her the ability to take whatever form
she deems more advantageous from moment to mo-
ment. She has appeared as a male, as older females,
even as a young child from time to time. In her more
casual forms, however, she appears as a slightly older
version of her true form—her abilities allowing her to
imagine herself as she would be had she lived a bit
longer before her embrace. When she is not playing a
role, her demeanor is stern with a touch of regal bear-
ing. She always lets others talk first unless she has a
specific agenda to see to in any given interaction.
Roleplaying Hints: You have a subtle contempt for
modern society. You understand the desires that drive
people to extremes… and you have no qualms about
twisting those needs and urges to your ends. You will
not, however, step out of character when you assume a
new identity. While certain types of victims and offer-
ings may call out to you, you maintain your discipline.
Sacrifices can come and go, but you should only go
after them when the time is right.
When you speak with other vampires, you let them
talk first. Every interaction is a potential step closer to
your ultimate goal, so you let them talk, you make
them feel important. You find out what they want and
need, and you move to deliver, letting them bury
themselves in the snare of your knowledge and offer-
ings. When they are ready, you will either spill their
blood for the Children or turn them to your ends.
Everyone you meet is a tool to be used, a potential
sacrifice, or a threat to be neutralized. Your nest is a
gathering of Baali that you have cultivated with ends
similar to your own—to control the time and circum-
stances of the Children’s awakening.
Sire: Angelique DuSable
Nature: Director
Demeanor: Pedagogue
Generation: 9th
Embrace: 1789 AD
Apparent Age: 15
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 4
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 2
Talents: Alertness 2, Awareness 4, Brawl 2, Empa-
thy 3, Expression 2, Intimidation 2, Leadership 1,
Subterfuge 4
Skills: Etiquette 3, Melee 3, Performance (Piano) 3,
Stealth 3
Knowledges: Academics (Old Legends) 4, Investiga-
tion 2, Medicine 3, Occult 5, Politics 2
Disciplines: Daimoinon 4, Obfuscate 3, Presence 3,
Fortitude 2, Thaumaturgy 3, Vicissitude 3
Thaumaturgical Paths: Path of Blood: 3, Path of
Corruption 2, Path of the Father’s Vengeance 1
Thaumaturgical Rituals: Deflection of Wooden
Doom, Ward versus Ghouls, Ward versus Kindred
Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 2, Domain (Size 1),
Domain (Security) 2, Resources 4, Well of Sacrifice 3
Merits and Flaws: Language (French), Language
(Spanish), Language (Old Persian Cuneiform), Lan-
guage (Akkadian), Scion of the Third
Virtues: Conviction 3, Instinct 4, Courage 4
Clanbook: Baali
Morality: Path of Power and the Inner Voice: 6
Willpower: 8
Alexander St. Croix
Background: Alexander could always sense there
was more to the world than his senses could tell him.
Born at the turn of the 20th century in New York to
French immigrants, he suffered through a difficult
childhood. He quested for meaning and purpose as a
boy but was beaten down by the harsh realities of life
as New York City consolidated the five boroughs.
Even as public-school enrollment soared, Alexander
was burdened with helping his family make ends
meet. As the kindred population grew during the con-
struction of the subway and the expansion of busi-
nesses in New York City, he ended up as a victim of a
nocturnal predator. Victim of an interrupted feeding,
the event left him changed.
The boy knew the man who attacked him couldn’t
possibly be normal. The strength and horrifying visage
of the man were more than enough to convince him
that he had a brush with something inhuman. In an
effort to try to make sense of what happened to him,
Alexander began to secretly research the occult… and
ran into the woman who would become his sire. Ma-
rie appeared to be close to his age, and while he was
wary of her monstrous aura, he was enamored with
her knowledge.
The two maintained correspondence for years after
they met but did not often meet in person. During the
Great Depression, however, she came to him… and
claimed his life. Since that night, he has been by her
side, assisting with her research while pursuing his
61
own. While his sire doesn’t always agree with his
methods, she allows him to dabble in diabolism and
sacrifice.
His sire’s goal of controlling the time of the Chil-
dren’s awakening resonates with him, and Alexander
searches for an answer or hints of how they can ar-
range such a thing in his dealings with the infernal.
Image: Alexander holds himself like a man of regal
bearing. While he was denied finery and material
things in his childhood, he makes up for it with bor-
derline excess now that he has lived for over a century.
He attempts to hold himself as a learned sage, pepper-
ing his speech with upper-class mannerisms and styles
of clothing.
Roleplaying Hints: You came from a terrible child-
hood and living in the dirt… now, you are a powerful,
undead figure. Move with the style and grace you al-
ways wish you could have possessed in your mortal
life. You dress to impress—always in the most stylish
manners according to what is in fashion. Use every
environmental factor to your benefit when possible.
Make good entrances and silent exits. You are a cut-
throat negotiator when you need to be but know that
sometimes the appearance of defeat can serve you
better than a clear victory.
62 Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us
Sire: Marie Anette Bourbon-Busset
Nature: Visionary
Demeanor: Bon Vivant
Generation: 10th
Embrace: 1929
Apparent Age: 22
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2
Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
Talents: Awareness 3, Brawl 2, Empathy 3, Expres-
sion 3, Intimidation 2, Leadership 1, Subterfuge 4
Skills: Drive 1, Etiquette 2, Larceny 2, Melee 1,
Stealth 2, Survival 1
Knowledges: Academics (Archeology) 4, Computer
2, Investigation 1, Medicine 1, Occult (Demonology)
4, Politics 2
Disciplines: Auspex 2, Daimoinon 3, Obfuscate 2,
Presence 3, Thaumaturgy 3
Thaumaturgical Paths: Path of Corruption 3
Thaumaturgical Rituals: Defense of the Sacred Ha-
ven, Domino of Life, Principal Focus of Vitae Infu-
sion
Backgrounds: Allies 2, Domain (Size) 2, Domain
(Security) 3, Influence 3, Resources 3, Well of Sacri-
fice 3*
Merits and Flaws: Beatific Aura, Scion of the Third
Virtues: Courage 4, Conscience 2, Self-Control 3
Morality: Humanity 4
Willpower: 7
Infernal Investments: As a diabolist, Alexander has
bartered the souls of various sacrifices with demonic
entities to gain the following special abilities:
Daemonic Charm: Once per scene, Alexander can
spend 1 blood to gain a +2 dice bonus on any single
social roll.
Mystic Sight: Once per day, Alexander can spend 1
willpower to see any current active disciplines or magi-
cal effects within his line of sight. This ability lasts for
one scene.
*Alexander has full access to his sire’s Well of Sacri-
fice.

Michelle Whitmore
Background: Michelle was embraced in the mid-
eighties. A child of two hippies from the 60s, she was
listless as a young woman. Without direction, she fell
into drug use while she was in high school. A local
gang became her new family, and Michelle eventually
set out on her own, running away from home and
dropping out of the 11th grade. As a girl in a gang,
Michelle had to fight and scrape for every bit of her
reputation and ended up known as one of the tough-
est fighters in her new “family.”
This caught the attention of a Nergali burnout as he
wandered through New York City. Her passion and
raw determination reignited the fire of his beliefs. He
viewed her as a sign from Hell that he was meant for
greater work.
Michelle was embraced in high ceremony. Her sire
placed her in a pentagram of her own blood, letting
her vitae pool around her before she was on the verge
of death. When he fed her his blood, she nearly killed
him in her resulting hunger frenzy.
A few months later, as Michelle was slowly instruct-
ed in the nature of her new life and her connection to
the powers of Hell, her sire was destroyed by hunters.
Adrift once more, Michelle wandered, seeking some
sense of purpose.
She was discovered by Alexander and Marie and
gradually pulled into their Nest. Now, she works to
Clanbook: Baali
overcome the lessons taught to her by her sire and to
embrace the new truths that her two companions are
revealing to her.
Image: Michelle embodies the stereotypical Nergal
appearance. She wears spiked leather jackets, combat
boots, and ripped jeans. She fits in more with Brujah
than Baali at a first glance—and she is perfectly fine
with that. She doesn’t talk much, but when she does,
it is hard to mistake the iron in her voice.
Roleplaying Hints: Michelle gives Alexander and
Marie attitude from time to time, but ultimately, she
loves her new family. They took her in, fixed the
twisted thoughts in her head that her sire infected her
with… and allow her the room to be her own person—
provided it doesn’t put them at risk. Not so much of a
temptress or scholar, Michelle feels her role is that of
protector… and she is very content with that.
Sire: Yari the Lost
Nature: Rebel
Demeanor: Creep Show
Generation: 12th
Embrace: 1986
Apparent Age: Late Teens
Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3
Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
Talents: Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl (Street
Fighting) 4, Intimidation 3, Streetwise 3
Skills: Drive 1, Firearms 2, Larceny 2, Melee 3,
Stealth 2, Survival 2
Knowledges: Computer 1, Investigation 2, Occult 2,
Technology 1
Disciplines: Daimoinon 2, Obfuscate 2, Presence 2,
Celerity 1, Potence 2
Backgrounds: Resources 1, Domain (Size) 1, Do-
main (Security) 2, Herd 2,
Merits and Flaws: Bruiser, Wolf in Sheep’s Cloth-
ing (Brujah)
Virtues: Courage 3, Conscience 3, Self-Control 4
Morality: Humanity 5
Willpower: 5
63
 BAALI
Inheritors of the First Tribe, the Baali have been despised since cainites became aware of
their presence. From their attacks on the Second City to their assaults on the very fabric of
reality, the Demons have long sought to uncover the hidden truths of the World of Darkness.
While their patrons, the Children of the Outer Dark slumber deep within the Earth, some
Baali sing them songs of pain and torment, holding them in blissful dreamscapes filled with
the screams of the desperate and the dying. Meanwhile, others seek to awaken the colossi in
order to unleash them upon all of reality.

Clanbook: Baali includes:

• A comprehensive history of the Baali as told by the clan.

• A new theory of the Third, unnamed Baali, that escaped from the Well of Sacrifice
at Ashur.

• New Merits and Flaws (with Laws of the Night translations).

• Two new Thaumaturgy Rituals for Baali Blood Sorcerers.

• An Errata for Mind’s Eye Theatre 4th Edition (By Night Studios) for the Baali Clan

-Including Merits, new Thaumaturgy Rituals, and a new Technique.

• New Concepts for modern Baali in V20.

• A Sample Nest of Baali for use in Chronicles or as Inspiration.

64 Chapter Five: Monsters Among Us