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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,
Contents
Book of Nod
The Book of Nod
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.
Outline
The book is divided into three main sections:
- The Chronicle of Caine: Outlining the events of Caine's exile, through to the great flood of the Bible. These events include the murder of his brother, defiance of God's angels, encounters with Lilith, siring of other vampires and the founding of the first city.
- The Chronicle of Shadows: A collection of various noddist lore, offering advice and commandments, some attributed to Caine & others to the Clan founders. Unlike The Chronicle of Caine, these fragments do not form a cohesive story.
- The Chronicle of Secrets: This section offers various portents and omens of the coming end times, known to vampires as Gehenna. While the signs of the end of days are conflicting, several strong themes come through; the most important being the final generations of vampires, a shortage of blood due to overpopulation of hunting grounds and the awakening of the Antediluvians, the most ancient of vampires.
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.
Noddism
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.
Related works
- White Wolf released several books containing supposed scripture from the Book of Nod. The Erciyes Fragments was included for the Vampire: The Dark Ages, along with a backstory detailing the Fragments' discovery and passing into the hands of the Giovanni.
- Revelations of the Dark Mother depicted the story of the first vampires from the point of view of Lilith, Adam's first wife. She was mentioned in the first book as the being who first awakened Caine to his true potential. Where she tricked Caine, not seduced him. Opening up the first of his powers and than fearing for his soul, pleaded with him not to continue experimenting. She blood bound Caine, unfortunately for her, after tricking him and taking control she did not understand that the blood bound would weaken and eventually break, when it did, Caine staked the crone, their final meeting will be in the final city before the judgment Caine will supposedly have over all kindred, based on the six traditions. In the Book of Nod there is a passage about this battle, the dark mother will bite deep but Caine will bite deeper.
- These books were produced with the intention that individual Storytellers could provide information from them to their players, as the stories required.
- Several other Vampire: The Masquerade books contained passages of the Book of Nod. These often conflicted with each other and Storytellers were encouraged to add to the chaos, simulating the problems the Noddist scholars must face.
- The Book of Nod was allegedly the inspiration that led the Byzantine priest Procopius to write the Book of the Shining Blood, the main scripture of the Cainite Heresy.
Revelations of the Dark Mother
Symbol of LilithRevelations 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.
Outline
The Revelations of the Dark Mother is divided into three main parts:
- First Circle: The Book of the Serpent: Telling of the creation of the Garden of Eden, as well as Lilith & Adam, followed by her subsequent exile for eating the fruit of the tree of life and tree of knowledge. Following her exile she travels to other gardens and explores the world, eventually creating her own garden. Still longing for the fruit of the trees she returns to Eden, falling in love with Lucifer, guardian of the gates of Eden, and playing the part of the serpent who seduces Eve.
- Second Circle: The Book of the Owl: This is another retelling of Lilith's exile, return to Eden & love for Lucifer. Following these events she returns to her Garden and children and encounters Caine, an exile like her self. Sheltering him, Caine learns much of his condition from Lilith. Having learned from the Dark Mother, Caine leaves returning later with his own childer to slaughter the children of Lilith and destroy her garden.
- Third Circle: The Book of the Dragon: This is a collection of various Lilitu lore and rites. The shortest of the circles, it is somewhat prophetic in nature, telling of the coming end times, Gehenna, when Lilith will return to have her vengeance on those who have wronged her and her creations.
Lilith
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
The Erciyes FragmentsThe 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.
- It is worth noting that the deluge in the mythology, concerning the first city and its destruction thus creating what we now know as Antedeluvians(those before flood) was brought on by Caine, punishing and cursing his own children for the actions and crimes he placed blame with them for. As well, the cursing of the clans was again Caine, placing upon some of the oldest children of the First City, the main clans found in Masquerade in the Camarilla have curses placed on their founders by Caine, such as madness for Malchavians, Ugliness for Nosferatu, however it does not give an accounting of all clans, much of the curses come from earlier times, not all of them however.
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.
References
- Chupp, Sam, et al., The Book of Nod , White Wolf Inc., 1995
- Brucato, Phil, et al., Revelations of the Dark Mother, White Wolf Inc., 1998
- Friedman, C., et al., Erciyes Fragments, White Wolf Inc., 1999
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