Blood Strength or “Generation”

There is little evidence for the idea that there was a first Vampire, consequently, that there as an “Antedeluvian” generation of vampires. The common thesis, most heard narrative, is that Vampires either originated from the practices of The First Witch, Lilith, who was banished from paradise – according to a number of purely mythical sources. This woman somehow begat  only misshapen monsters for children, and somehow these monsters became the first vampires – Corresponding to either generation 2 or 3. As such this Lilith is either an actual person living in the time after Atlantis, somewhere between eight thousand to six thousand years ago. There are no known first-hand accounts of such a person existing, and no archeological evidence whatsoever. A similar claim is that there was a biblical male somewhere in the Iraq region, who was somehow symbolic for the sin of murder – other sources place this “first murderer” in the first few thousand years after the exodus of Atlantis – where his sin isn’t described as strictly murder, but rather “human sacrifice in the pursuits of black magic“. Then all of the above is completely denied by the Lancea Sanctum sect, and these claim the first “actual” vampire of the “infectious” transferrable bloodline was the biblical Judas. The problem is there is not much more solid more historical evidence of the actual existence of Jesus let alone this Judas. 

The oldest known vampires that are left with actual memories have very little to say about the ages before about the year 1600 or so. Vampires who survive for very long go through rather severe cycles of dementia, depression, ennui and the only way to deal with that are cyclical phases of torpor. The typical cycle seems to be about 25 to 75 years before the typical vampire slips away into some form of madness. Cycles of torpor last between several years to several centuries. A vampire “de-animating” generally does not plan ahead for this contingency – and those that fade away in this manner quite often do not survive torpor, especially in modern times. This makes for a harsh attrition rate – and since vampires onlin dreamline, nebulous and hazy memories of their existence before their last torpor – there is very little resembling reliable historical records. 

The median contrary hypothesis is that vampires are essentially an offshot of The Risen – humans who rise as cadaverous monsters after death. This is a relatively common phenomenon even in the 20th century. Visit an old and relatively abandoned, quiet and neglected graveyard and if one listens closely and without fear and prejudice, one can hear at least several of the recently interred making noise in their coffins. It appears (*) certain bloodlines of humans and (*) the highly sinful, (*) the dark and morbid, (*) some of the most insane and (*)some of those that died tragic or horrid deaths, (*) some of those that lived tortured lives and (*) some of those that trafficked in the dark arts have a markedly elevated chance on “animating” as cadaverous horrors. Many of these are disposed off – either by semi-organized undertakers, pathologists, anatomists – and other assorted folks who routinely deal with the dead.  These people will, when pressed, affirm that every year a handful of the dead they interact with ‘have a tendency of coming back‘. It is said that the practice of opening up the dead in the profession of undertaker is to “discretely and routinely dispose of key organs, – such as heart and brain – distantly seperated from the body”. This practice has been ongoing, where these folks crush or mulch brains and hearts and leave the material in an especially sanctified place such as a church. 

These animated dead that do survive are either “recruited” by the ancient Ghouls, and thereafter fade into extremes of obscuracy and hiding. These “Ghouls” are wise, act in typital secrecy, travel the spaces between dimensions, and are very hard to find. These ghouls also eat the dead, specifically the animated dead that refuse to join their ranks. The small percentage of The Risen that survive can become monsters – monstrous animated cadavers with an undying hunger for what can not be defined. Most of those that survive that become monstrous, insane an quite dangerous – cannibalistic horrors. In the western world such animated nightmare creatures are haunted b psychotic nightmares. The few that talk tend to have recollections of ‘a dark beyond the veil’ that is strongly associated by “hell” itself.  In the regions east of Pakistan, east of russia, mongolia, asia down to New Guinea – there are very odd lineages of radically different that have complex systems or ideologies that allow these risen cadavers to retain sophisticated consciousness on par with the ‘Cainites’ – however their numbers are a lot less, probably only between 1% and 5% of the corresponding western world vampires. The main difference is that western vampires somehow aquired or evolved a capacity to intentionally transfer animation from Death to pretty much anyone they desire to bring back from death – and mostly who they bring back can be spared an existence of existing in a state of animate putrified horror. As long as vampires feed on blood, they thus remain sentient – at least until Ennui or Torpor claim them.

So – some of the dead rise back from the grave, most of these are disposed of or are recruited into the rank of Ghouls – or eaten by these Ghouls if they are found “unsuitable” – those that are left trend to become cannibalistic monsters scouring the land for prey alive or dead. However a very minuyte fracxtion of those – generally the ones with the most virulent ego and intellect – can become actual vampires without the typical embrace taking place.  There is strong evidence that a fraction of “mystery meat” vampires known as “Caitiff” dso in fact come into existence not because of “alllegedly” botched embraces – but rather through spontaneous animations. The blood strength of these “spontaneous” Caitiff tends to be less than  the equivalent of generations 11 through 14 – and these Caitiff tend to not have the capacity to embrace new vampires.

The only (and most famous) vampire that has relatively unbroken memories dating back centuries (or so he claims) and was not embraced (or so he claims) maps back to the historical sadistic despoth that actually lived in Transylvania, and has been at nauseous described as Dracula. The Dracula singhle-handedly spawned a rationalist sectarian movement (or Covenant) that is often highly at odds with the other prevailing sects. These Ordo Dracul -associated vampire kin can be either the spontenously animated, and thus Caitiff – but many other vampires are the typical “embraced” kind. 

So – going from the above, we end up with a population of vampires with telltale heredetary lineages, with inherited abilities (and often – flaws) that have gradually dilluted strength of the blood as the gift (or curse) is conveyed through successive embraces. This is relevant for Amsterdam. The city of Amsterdam is one of the historical vampiric domains with a Prince. These domains used to be a lot more common between the fall of the Roman empire around 600 AD to the pre French revolution era. Vampires do no experience reality as do mortals – many see or experience very strange phenomenon. Some vampires may have recollections of things that couldn’t have existed in actual history, but are suprisingly consistent. The vampire savant now known as Dracula has postulated that Vampires who endure prolonged periods of Ennui, Torpor or Dementia somehow experience a range of hallucinations from “adjacent timelines” – so they may have compelling memories of major historical events that didn’t happen – or at least didn’t happen in our consensual historical frame of reference. Whatever the case, the general outlines of history are somewhat analogous – and the main theme is that many very powerful vampires after the Roman era were extremely ruthless and utterly methodical – and cyclically humanity has organized against the Real Monsters and destroyed a significant number of them.

Daeva Bloodline

     > gen 6 Lament,

            > gen 7, ? (ca. 1680)

                      > gen 7, the current Prince of Amsterdam (ca, 1830, 1XDiablerie)

Gangrel Bloodline

                       > gen 7, Oquellus (ca. 1815)

Mekhet Bloodline

         > gen. 6, ? (ca 650 AD)

               > gen. 7, Antonin (ca. 1720)

                         > gen. 8, Danziger (ca. 1735)

                                        > gen. 9,  Courchecht – (1922, the current Mekhet Primogen of Amsterdam)

Nosferatu Bloodline

         > gen. 6, Spyriona (1898)

                   > gen. 7,  Zanzibar, (ca 1900)

                            > gen. 8 Roda Dvuorgetti (ca 1901, current Nosferaty Primogen of Amsterdam)

Ventrue Bloodline

                              > gen. 8, Dante

                              > gen. 8, Grellus

(Unknown, Caitiff or Other)

                             > gen 8 – Tremere (ca 1750 AD)\

                                           > gen 9 – Duinaerdt (ca 1840 AD)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                               > gen 10 – Duinaerdt (ca 1961 AD, current Tremere Primogen of Amsterdam)