| Vampire series |
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| Vampire Settings |
| Old World of Darkness |
| Vampire: The Masquerade Clans & Bloodlines |
| New World of Darkness |
| Vampire: The Requiem |
| Other |
| Vampire: The Eternal Struggle |
Throughout the various settings related to Vampire: The Masquerade, there are certain key pieces of mythology and lore that serve as the backbone of the games over-all meta-plot. The three major "works" - The Book of Nod, Revelations of the Dark Mother, and The Erciyes Fragments were all published as independent novellas by White Wolf Game Studio,
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The Book of Nod is a fictional book in White Wolf Game Studio's role-playing setting, World of Darkness. It tells the creation myth of vampires, the story of the curse of Caine, his exile in the Land of Nod, and his words to his descendants, as well as prophecies covering the eventual fate of the vampire race.
A Book of Nod was actually printed for use as a prop in the game and for inspiration for story-tellers.
The book is divided into three main sections:
The Book of Nod came with commentary by several Kindred scholars, including the Gangrel Aristotle deLaurent and his childe, Beckett. Supposedly the book was not meant to be widely distributed, but was stolen by a competing scholar Aisha, who wished it available to all.
In the World of Darkness studying and searching on the Book of Nod is known as Noddism, with the Scholars being called Noddists. Officially the Camarilla denies the existence of the ancients, believing them long extinct, its Archons hunting and destroying Noddist lore. Unofficially many Camarilla elders fear and prepare for the coming armageddon. In contrast, the Sabbat actively seeks Noddist lore in hopes of forestalling the return of the Antediluvians, viewing itself as an army set against them.
A complete version of the book is unknown, though parts of it in various languages are known to exist. Fragments are widely distributed and well protected, as the secrets they contain may provide clues to the origin and fate of the kindred. Finding a complete version of the Book of Nod is comparable to finding the Rosetta Stone or the Holy Grail.
Revelations of the Dark Mother is a fictional book written in a similar style to the Book of Nod for White Wolf, Inc.'s Vampire: The Masquerade role-playing game. The Revelations of the Dark Mother was printed for use as a prop in the game and for inspiration for story-tellers.
The book represents a collection of the writings of a follower of Lilith, one Rachel Dolium. Her sire wished to obtain a copy of the Cycle of Lilith, a work referenced in the Book of Nod. She succeeded after a fashion, becoming a Bahari (one of the vampiric followers of Lilith) and immersing herself in the cults of Lilith. Rachel maintains that no such book as the Cycle of Lilith exists and that the lore of Lilith is carried verbally, oral traditions passed down through the generations by the Bahari & the Lilitu (the all encompassing cult of Lilith, including mortals, Bahari, and even stranger creatures). The Bahari & Lilitu are described as seeking to emulate Lilith, by seeking to explore the depths of Passion, Pain, Ecstasy and other emotions in emulation of the Dark Mother.
The Revelations of the Dark Mother tells of Lilith's creation and subsequent exile from Eden, and her relationship with Lucifer. One of the reasons he was exiled himself is that he gave his cloak of the night to Lilith to hide her from God. Lilith taught Caine the various things now known as disciplines to the Kindred. She taught him the first disciplines, not all of them, she would not push past the ones she had originally taught him. She feared for his soul if he kept creating and experimenting with new disciplines, something which he kept doing. According to the books of Vampire: The Masquerade if Caine were still alive, his power would be near god-like and he might even have the ability to mimic or copy other disciplines he sees, he may even be able to create them on the spot.
The Revelations of the Dark Mother is divided into three main parts:
Lilith is the first wife of Adam and mother of all demons in the fictional setting called the World of Darkness, created by White Wolf Game Studio.
The so-called Dark Mother was exiled from Eden before the creation of Eve, she was the first to taste the fruits of the tree of knowledge. Using her knowledge she created her own gardens, hoping to imitate Eden; she failed in her imitations and still longed for the paradise from which she had been exiled. While in the Land of Nod she encounters another exile, Caine and offers him shelter. She awakens the power in him and is betrayed by Caine for her efforts, who, after leaving her, returns with his descendants to destroy her garden and slaughter her children.
Worshiped by the Bahari & Lilitu, Lilith is said to impart her secrets to those who imitate her, choosing to challenge the established order and explore the limits of their own sensations.
The original Book of Nod did not have Lillith cursed in this way, it was her murdering Adam's wife and children that got her cast out of the light of Eden's garden, in subsequent books things may have been retconned for game purposes but it was not the original story.
The Erciyes Fragments is a fictional book in White Wolf Game Studio's role-playing setting, World of Darkness. It tells the creation myth of vampires, the story of the curse of Caine, his exile in the Land of Nod, and his words to his descendants, as well as prophecies covering the eventual fate of the vampire race. Much like the Book of Nod, The Erciyes Fragments were actually printed for use as a prop in the game and for inspiration for story-tellers. While both are collections of Noddist lore, the Erciyes Fragments can be considered a truer collection, being closer in time to their source.
The Fragments consist of documents gathered by Niccolo Giovanni, a Ghoul of the Cappadocian clan, at the Monastery of Shadows. It is quite possible this monastery was Erciyes itself, home of the Cappadocian clan.
These documents were hidden in a secret chamber in the monastery's library, and some appear to be the words of Caine himself: his own telling of the event which forever changed his life, and its repercussions. Written in the margins of these documents are commentaries by Cainite scholars of varying clans who have come before Niccolo. There are also testaments of later Cainites: a description of life under the waters during God's Great Flood, the events which took place leading up to the slaying of Caine's childer and the Cursing of the Clans, laws, proverbs and prophecies, including the prophecy that the Cappadocian Clan whom Niccolo served would be betrayed by one of its own.
The book is separated into nine parts, with a framing text telling the story of Niccolo Giovanni.
Book I - Genesis: A retelling of Abel's murder and Caine's exile and curse, as told from his own perspective.
Book II - Lilith: Caine's encounters with Lilith, Adam's first wife and fellow exile. She offers him succor and shelter and later awakens in Caine his potential for power.
Book III - Temptations: Four angels of God come to Caine. The first, Michael, offers Caine the Lord's mercy, but is refused, and curses him with weakness to fire. The second angel, Uriel, offers him redemption, but is refused, and curses him to fear the sun. A third angel, Gabriel, offers him a third path to be saved, but is refused; he curses him to stand between the lands of the living and the dead, to hunger for blood and watch all he loves wither and die, and his children to war amongst themselves. The fourth angel, Raphael, offers him mercy, a way to salvation called Golconda, if he but seeks it.
Book IV - Enoch: The story of how Caine came to rule the first city, Enoch, and to be worshiped as a god. Caine hoped to forestall the curses of the angels, having found shelter from the sun, water to quench fires, blood to feast on, he forbids his childer from creating any more vampires. In the end the city is washed away by the biblical flood. A punishment on kindred and kine.
Book V - Lamentations: The story of how the ancient vampires survived the flood and their belief that all the kine were dead, and thus, they were themselves doomed.
Book VI - Transgressions: Following the great flood, the vampires spread across the Earth. More generations are spawned and the final curse takes effect, the second generation is slain by the third. Caine curses the antediluvians for their crimes, except Saulot who remained true. Caine then leaves them in disgust.
It should also be noted, along with the Traditions that Caine will supposedly pass judgement on, he had expressly forbidden any of his children from siring progeny, saying that it was a greater crime to create more of themselves, like the first of his children, all subsequent generations have had laws or restrictions on this, they were as effective as Caines. That is to say, not effective, at least not for long
Book VII - Commandments: The commandments of Caine to his descendants. Many of these bear close resemblance to the traditions of the Camarilla.
Book VIII - Prophecies: A collection of prophecies, some of which had come to pass and others waiting for their time. As with most prophetic prose, their meaning is cached in riddles and allegory.
Book IX - Proverbs: Wise words of the ancients.
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