Chapter Eight

ASHI RA

113
Remembrance of the Ancients
From the diary of Salman Hariri, a Lasombra
traveler:
It must feel peaceful to know that monsters
millennia old are unlikely to slumber under the
tarmac of a shopping mall parking lot. Sure,
there are rumors of Methuselahs who have
traveled to America and made this their home.
Perhaps one or two can be found somewhere,
sleeping or pretending to be hapless neonates.
Still.... the U.S. is huge. e ancients are rare.
Few here have ever witnessed one face-to-face.
I have. I suppose that’s why I returned. ere are
many monsters still sleeping under the sands of
Egypt. I didn’t believe in them at rst. I lived
my mortal life in Pittsburgh but I wanted to
get in touch with my heritage. I had become
one of the undead and I needed to know what
it all meant. I traveled to Cairo seeking for
something, anything that would let me know
why I was here. Now I’m just a scared dead
man, escaping back across the ocean, to try to
alleviate the destruction our forefathers will
cause when they wake.
I thought both my mortal and undying ancestors
came from Egypt. I was right on both counts.
My mortal family was perfectly happy to see
me. Unfortunately, so were my Kindred among
the Ashirra.
e Englishman who started all this had no idea
of the repercussions of his act of thievery. Of
course, he thought himself an archeologist, a
researcher di ing through layers of history. An
excavation in 1877, a looted tomb the contents
of which now grace private collections all over
the world... and a methuselah who will wake
114
without the comforting remembrances of her
past.
Will their recovery keep her at peace, perhaps
willing to return to her deathless slumber?
Perhaps. Perhaps not. It’s a vain hope but it’s the
one I cling to.
One of our local Ventrue, Salomé Diaz, has
ac uired a small child’s toy carved from rock;
a little toy elephant from three-thousand-
years ago. I don’t know its signi cance to the
methuselah but I do know she likes it. Diaz
seems entirely unaware of the connection. To
her, it’s just an ancient bauble.
I was there the last time the methuselah woke
and asked for it. I didn’t understand her words
but her will pierced my mind and I knew her
desires. Blood and comfort, something from the
time when things still made sense to her. She
had a sadness to her, even if I failed to appreciate
it because she was covered in the blood of my
friends and compatriots, having drunk them
dry to slake her own thirst.
I understood why the Ashirra preferred me to
be the one to deal with the methuselah instead
of themselves. ey had been dealing with the
monsters sleeping in the ruins of other times
and other ages for decades, centuries. ey
gured they could always throw a dumb traveler
to the wolves.
e methuselah was beautiful in the way of the
ancients. e memory still makes me weep as
I settle to sleep for the day, unable to escape
yearning for something I know will kill me.
Even if I manage to steal the toy from Diaz and
return it to Cairo.
THE FIRST AND THE LAST
Most Kindred in North America and Europe know two of the great sects: e Anarchs and the
Camarilla. If they’re unlucky, they might have had personal experience with a third, the Sabbat. Yet
there is a fourth sect, the Ashirra, with whom the Princes of the Camarilla have recently joined in a
grand alliance sealed with the Vermilion Wedding.

A Camarilla Kindred knowledgeable in the matters of the great sects might believe the following:

e Ashirra consider themselves the rst Kindred sect, rooted in the Arabian and North African
homelands where all vampires originate, at least if the stories of Caine and Enoch are to be believed.
According to legend, the Ashirra was founded in 622 by an Arabian Lasombra called Suleiman bin
Abdullah who envisioned it to be a vehicle for bringing Islam to his fellow Cainites. Such religious
fervor is long in the past for the Ashirra of modern nights, a conservative sect that sees itself as a
precursor and a model for the European Camarilla that was to be founded much later.

Of all the sects, the Ashirra is most de ned by the weight of history. Its origins resemble those of the
Sabbat and the Anarchs in that it started as a revolutionary movement among the Kindred with the
goal of bringing the word of the Prophet to the undead. Before the Ashirra was established, North
African domains were organized much like those in Europe and elsewhere, as individual cities and
territories controlled by powerful vampires who o en warred among each other.

With the establishment of the Ashirra, a modicum of cooperation, tradition, and organized culture was
established.

Perhaps because of this, Ashirra domains managed to escape some of the worst depredations of the
In uisition and other vampire hunters that decimated the ranks of European Kindred.

Of course, verifying any of this would re uire traveling to the Ashirra homelands, a perilous prospect
for most Kindred. is is why knowledge of the Ashirra is mostly in the hands of the elders and
travelers of various levels of trustworthiness.

�e Weight of History
For the Kindred of the Camarilla and the
Anarchs who know the Noddist legends of
vampire mythology, it is di cult to separate
the stories about the Ashirra from the tales
taken from the Book of Nod.
From this perspective, the Ashirra are de ned
by the mortal and vampiric history of their
homelands at least as much as it is by faith.
e Ashirra established itself on lands where
vampires had prowled for ten-thousand-years,
from the earliest nights of recorded history and
before.

115
 e rare vampire traveler who manages to meet
the Ashirra in their own domains talks about
how they feel like they exist on borrowed time,
their unlives always in danger of being cut short
by a ravenous Methuselah who emerges from
the sleep of the centuries.
Vampire legends from the time when the
Antediluvians walked the earth feel more
immediate and relevant when you can meet
someone with memories that span millennia,
although it is unlikely that you will survive such
an encounter.
is history may also explain why real knowledge
of the modern Ashirra is still so spotty among
Kindred of other sects. When faced with a
legend and a fact, they choose the legend.

Ashirra Across the World

Like the Camarilla, the Ashirra has spread its sought closer relations with the Camarilla,
in uence across the world from its original symbolized especially by the aforementioned
North African and Middle Eastern domains. Vermilion Wedding between the Toreador
Unlike the Camarilla, vampires of the Ashirra elder Victoria Ash and the Banu Haqim
have not been focused on claiming new ancient Tegyrius.
domains or ghting the Anarchs for territory.
Rather, they have seemed content with subtle is also means that the Ashirra have been a
in uence and advantageous alliances, allowing topic of conversation in Camarilla and Anarch
them to remain discreet and unobtrusive. domains to a greater extent than in centuries
past. Sometimes you may even meet an
is position of studied neutrality has been Ashirra emissary, or more likely someone
challenged in the last two decades as pretending to be one.
Sabbat packs have signi cantly ramped
up their war e orts in the Middle East,
the countries where they believe many
of the Antediluvians to sleep. e
Sabbat’s holy crusade is understood
to have been deeply unwelcome to the
Ashirra making their havens in these
domains. ey see the actions of these
Sabbat packs as an unwarranted,
violent, and destructive incursion
into their territories by a fanatical
foreign enemy.

To combat the Sabbat, the leaders

of many Ashirra domains have

116
�e Final Witness
If the stories are to be believed, the Ashirra
are the oldest of the four sects. Some of the
more mystically minded among the Noddists
of the Camarilla and the Anarchs assume that
they will also be the last sect, still here a er the
upstarts in the Camarilla, the Sabbat, and the
Anarchs are long gone.
It’s unclear whether this focus on the vast
gulfs of time is an actual Ashirra uality or
something projected onto them by members of
the other sects. It is said that vampires of the
Ashirra are prone to an expansive historical
perspective, a view that extends thousands of
years into the past and projects a millenia into
the future. ey have witnessed the rise and
fall of empires both mortal and Kindred and
know that they can always just wait until their
enemies are no more.
A er all, it seems to work for the monstrosities
who slumber under the sands of Egypt, Libya,
Saudi-Arabia, and elsewhere. e only trouble
is that the creature who will one night rise from
their grave and wreak vengeance does not seem
to bear much resemblance to Kindred who still
seeks to hold onto their humanity.
It is rumored that the Ashirra have managed to
hold onto their humanity better than members
of other sects thanks to the community of faith
provided by Islam but this may just be wishful
thinking.

FAKES AND FRAUDS

How to use Ashirra vampires in a LARP? In most cases, characters presenting themselves as Ashirra
will be fakes and frauds, liars who have no real connection to the sect. ey merely wish to assume its
aura of strength and wisdom for their own short-term bene t.

is means that the present Ashirra, whether real or fake, will be a minority in a principally Camarilla
and Anarch event. eir role can be compared to that of the Sabbat in that they are o en best used
as a setting element giving context to the events in your domain.

e Sabbat are adversaries and enemies; nightmares who haunt the unlives of ordinary Camarilla
and Anarch characters. In contrast, ostensible Ashirra are potential allies who might provide a refuge
to those in need or act as neutral arbitrators in a con ict when there is nobody else to trust. Of
course, when the presumed Ashirra turns out to be a con artist, their arbitrations will lose whatever
legitimacy they might have had.

117
Ashirra Characters ere are a few rules of thumb to remember in
how to make this work at your event.
Traditionally, the Ashirra are a North African
1. Usually it is always better to have a small group
and Middle Eastern sect. However, like all
of Ashirra instead of a single representative, if
vampire sects, they too Embrace people of all
the size of the event allows it. It can be lonely
races and ethnicities, according to the needs
to play an outsider and it is easier if you have
and whims of individual sires. Although the
friends.
majority of Ashirra are Arab Muslims, there
are plenty of exceptions, especially outside
2. ere should be points of contact with the
their traditional homelands.
local Kindred. e Ashirra elders who sent their
childer to the city may be old friends with local
is means that if you decide to feature actual
eminences, seeing the Camarilla and their own
Ashirra characters in your event, they may be
sect as siblings in the war against the Sabbat, or
of any ethnic background.
the Ashirra may sympathize with the Anarchs
nding common ground in the closeness they
As a sect, the Ashirra place a lot of importance
have with mortals.
on the Islamic faith, or at least their vampiric
interpretation of it, and sometimes Muslims
3. Neutrality gives the Ashirra their distinctive
Embraced originally to the Camarilla or the
uality but it should not hamper stories. Some
Anarchs decide to seek out the sect as they
Ashirra may take their neutral role seriously
see it as their own. ese individuals form
while others may use it to cover for their self-
another category of extraterritorial Ashirra:
serving activities, cheerfully taking sides while
they have decided they are part of the sect
pretending not to.
despite having little real communication with
old Ashirra domains.
Finally, envoys and emissaries should have
a concrete purpose. ey should not just
Of course, there are non-Muslim Ashirra
represent the Ashirra, but a speci c interest
too. A secular Lasombra Embraced in Egypt
of an individual or a smaller group, ideally
is a member of the Ashirra the same way the
something that causes controversy among
majority of European and North American
the other characters. For example, an Ashirra
Kindred default to the Anarchs and the
domain may seek the rendition of a Camarilla
Camarilla whether they believe the stories of
elder for crimes committed centuries ago, on
Caine or not.
another continent.

Envoys and Envoys Of course, if the Ashirra characters are actually

charlatans, they can pretend to have a mission
and powerful backing when in reality it is all
A common role for both actual and fakeAshirra
made up.
characters is to act as envoys or emissaries for
their sect, representing the interests of their
elders and domains. ey become almost like
an embassy; a purportedly neutral force in a
city where everybody is at each other’s throats.

118
Refuge
e Ashirra can provide refuge to Kindred persecuted by other sects. is can lead to interesting
situations. For example, the Prince declares a blood hunt on a local Anarch leader who subse uently
petitions the local Ashirra representative for safety. e local Ashirra take the Anarch in, refusing to
give them over to the Prince.

What does the Prince do? Do they want to a ravate the local Ashirra? Do they attempt a trade, nding
something the Ashirra vampires want in exchange for the Anarch?

And what about the other Anarchs? ey may discover a sudden love for the Ashirra, romanticizing
their commitment to humanity through religious practice because they so clearly stood behind their
values.

What happens when local Kindred discover that the “Ashirra” giving shelter to fugitives are not Ashirra
at all?

Like Hecata, the Clan of Death, the Ashirra are o en understood to maintain a position of neutrality
in domains far from their own, and that can create interesting story opportunities. Another possibility
is that local Kindred ask the local Ashirra for arbitration on an important issue because they are seen
as powerful, yet disinvested in local con icts.

For example, the Camarilla Court argues that the nightlife district is their territory while the Anarchs
say that they do all the work of actually cleaning up Mas uerade breaches resulting from hunting
accidents. Because the sects of the city are e ual in power, a local Ashirra is called in to hear both sides.

Of course, both the Camarilla and the Anarchs resent such outside interference in their business so the
situation can be delicate for the Ashirra vampire in uestion, especially if they are not actually Ashirra
at all. Being the center of attention o en means that powerful members of other sects make it their
business to nd out all they can about you.

119