The Heresy: An Alternate Cosmology for Vampire: the Masquerade

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Home Technology Horror Gaming The Heresy: An Alternate Cosmology for Vampire: the Masquerade

The Heresy: An Alternate Cosmology for Vampire: the Masquerade

Bill Kte'pi Articles in this Topic Oct 9, 2001 Disclaimer: Now, I'm not altogether certain a disclaimer ought to be necessary in a column on horror games, particularly when the installment is labelled "The Heresy." Nevertheless, be warned that the contents herein might well rub some people the wrong way. No offense is intended, I assure you; it's all about the games, man. "Jesus said unto them, Come and dine." :: John 21: 12 The following is a replacement cosmology/origin story for Vampire: the Masquerade (mechanics, including clan disciplines, are unaffected; I recommend against the inclusion of bloodlines). It can be used one of two ways. Either use it in a new Chronicle, ignoring all references in the official books to Caine, the Book of Nod, and the Antediluvians (and Metaplot material related to such), or present it as "the real story," which has since been covered up with a story which makes the Kindred seem much more ancient than they truly are. In the latter case, I recommend making use of something too commonly overlooked in V:tM games: vampires have been around for thousands of years; only recently did the fourteenth generation come about, and even the thirteenth is looked upon with enough of a sneer that it's clearly a recent development; and yet most of those thirteenth-generation vamps are a century old or less? That means vamps were procreating at a much slower rate until very recently, and that younger vamps showed a great deal of restraint in making their own childer. Sure, you can explain that in a lot of ways, but if I were Embraced and told the V:tM party line, it would give me ... pause. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst." :: Matthew 5:6 (truncated) In the Heresy background, Vampires aren't descended from Caine, the first murderer. Far from it. If you're playing in a world where the Book of Nod has been perpetuated, that's a lie concocted by persons unknown -- a blasphemy covering up a blasphemy darker still. "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." :: Luke 22:19-20, King James Version. The first Vampire wasn't a murderer; he was a Savior. The first Embrace wasn't an act of retribution, but of trust and promise: a covenant in blood. Jesus shed his blood, divine Vitae filtered through the body of the Virgin Mary, so that his disciples might live forever and carry his Word. Conveniently, the number of those disciples is thirteen, if you include Judas's replacement -- or Jesus himself. Go To Page: 1 2 3 The copyright of the article The Heresy: An Alternate Cosmology for Vampire: the Masquerade in Horror Gaming is owned by . Permission to republish The Heresy: An Alternate Cosmology for Vampire: the Masquerade in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. Discussions in this Topic

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The Heresy: An Alternate Cosmology for Vampire: the Masquerade

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Search Suite101.com Within: Horror Gaming Sports and Recreation New Topics Basketball poetry Formula 1 NCAA/College Football Basketball Spotlight Football More... New Articles Ultimate Fighter 2 - Week 3 George Loves Young Players Ultimate Fighter 2 - Week 2 Saint Liam, Commentator Renew Rivalry in Woodward Ultimate Fighter 2 - Week 1 Surprise, Surprise! Week One Full of Them. George in Charge Chasing Roush Racing An Out of Date Model Catfish, Diabetes, and Gullett's Shoulder More... New Discussions Getting mentally back into tumbling after an injury An Out of Date Model New Orleans Saints Cheerleading Tryout Tips Buick Automobiles More... My Recent Articles The Bloody Mouth Horror in non-horror games: Star Wars and Wheel of Time Spotlight: Little Fears Related Online Courses Affordable Fitness Introduction to RVs and the RV Lifestyle Summertime Safety and First Aid Home > Arts and recreation > Sports, games, entertainment > Indoor activities and games Author: Bill Kte'pi Published on: October 9, 2001 Subscribe to My Topic Page 2

The Catholic Church -- from which all other Christian traditions have developed -- took several hundred years to formulate its mission and theology, and to organize itself. Although the Kindred have pressed their influence on the Church, it is still an essentially human, mortal, institution: the Kindred have developed their own traditions and insitutions in its shadow. "Why seek thee the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." :: Luke 24: 5-6 The Clans and Their Founding Disciples Ventrue. Progenitor: Simon the Zealot, whose zealotry was inherited by his childer; although the traditional first Pope was of Clan Brujah, the Ventrue and their rivals the Lasombra have exerted the most control over the Church since. Gangrel. Progenitor: Matthew (the tax collector, ironically; some Kindred see the Gangrel's present state as punishment for their progenitor's mortal life.) Salubri (later Tremere). Progenitor: Bartholomew, who inherited his Master's ability to work miracles, and passed the potential for thaumaturgy and other blood magics on to his childer. Cappadocian (later Giovanni). Progenitor: unknown. They claim descent from a thirteenth disciple whose name was stricken from the Scriptural record by a Brujah-controlled Church. In the Dark Ages, before contact was re-established with the Assamites, many believed they were the childer of Judas. Toreador. Progenitor: Philip. Malkavian. Progenitor: John, author of the Revelation, which is clearly the first sign of the madness he would pass on to his childer. Brother of James the Greater. Those who would dismiss the Malkavians as insane children would do well to remember Jesus's nickname for John: "Son of Thunder." Brujah. Peter. "Brujah," despite its similarities to the Spanish word "bruja" (witch), is actually a corruption of "Bar-Jona" (son of John) -- as in Simon Bar-Jona, Peter's name before Jesus appointed him the Rock. Lasombra. Thomas, the doubter, cursed by Jesus to doubt even his own reflection. The Lasombra prefer to emphasize the traditions, which have gained support in recent scholarship, which hold that Thomas was Jesus's twin brother. Tzimisce. Andrew, brother of Peter. A dutiful servant of his brother in public, he studied Vicissitude in private, seeking to understand and exert control over the legacy of flesh left him by his master. Setites. Thaddeus. Also called Leddaeus and Judas, after Jesus's death, Thaddeus was sent to Syria, Arabia, and Mesopotamia, which may explain his childer's odd renaming of him after an Egyptian deity. Ravnos. James the Lesser, whose children were scattered across Europe and the Near East after the fall of the Roman Empire, and acquired their less savory reputation. Go To Page: 1 2 3

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Search Suite101.com Within: Horror Gaming Sports and Recreation New Topics Basketball poetry Formula 1 NCAA/College Football Basketball Spotlight Football More... New Articles Since When Does Eleven Equal Fourteen? The Chase Is On Going Backwards Koufax? Not Quite Vicious and Fear Big Ten Humbled Changed Forever The Greatest Basketball Players of All-Time, Part I It's All About Money Ultimate Fighter 2 - Week 3 More... New Discussions An Out of Date Model George in Charge Poll: what would be your 3 most favorite cheerleading gifts? WNBA in Milwaukee Getting mentally back into tumbling after an injury More... My Recent Articles The Bloody Mouth Horror in non-horror games: Star Wars and Wheel of Time Spotlight: Little Fears Related Online Courses Training the Perfect Barrel Horse Summertime Safety and First Aid Our National Wildlife Treasures Home > Arts and recreation > Sports, games, entertainment > Indoor activities and games Author: Bill Kte'pi Published on: October 9, 2001 Subscribe to My Topic Page 3

Nosferatu. James the Greater, brother of John. The first "martyr," James was killed not for his religious beliefs but for his gruesome visage, which made it impossible to conceal his true nature. Assamites. Judas, of course. The scorned one. The one whose taste for blood was tainted -some say the Assamites' taste for diablerie originated with Judas, who crept into his Lord's tomb to feed on his shrouded body when he found he could not end his life, or his hunger, by hanging. "His countenance was like lightning, and his appearance pale as snow." :: Matthew 28: 3 How much of the Bible is to be believed? The New Testament was formed under the care of Kindred who had become aware of the importance the Church would have. The names we use for the Disciples may not even be correct: they may be intentionally hiding their identities. The emphasis on blood certainly shows both the influence of the Kindred and the ability of the truth to seep through; likewise, the twofold, self-contradictory mission of Jesus (who comes with a sword, yet whose greatest commandment is to love one's neighbor) demonstrates the conflicting forces at work in the redaction of the text. "Now I know the secret of the world ... He gives me everything, and now I can die." Nina Gordon, "Now I Can Die." Go To Page: 1 2 3

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