The First Nights
A Kindred of the East
“ He won’ t remember this?”“ He never has.”
The eyes! Eric thought, and there they were, different from all the others, purple and lambent and loving. The eyes all others had on both sides of her nose, and a third yawning wide upon her forehead, focusing on him with an iris the color of lilac. Before Eric could panic, slick red light washed over him.
The burning sensation vanished.
The Lamb of Caine
I see my patron has betrayed our agreement of secrecy, though in this case I agree with his judgment that another of my Clan deserves counsel. I say Clan, not bloodline, for our history traces back to the progenitors, grandchilder of Caine. Our history is higher and nobler than Ventrue or Lasombra or Tzimisce, for what nobility did they show us when the Usurper Tremere took our heart’ s blood?
My tattoos? This is ta moko, childe, not some Clan marking. I was Maori before I was Salubri, though my sire was an Englishman sleeping in the hold of James Cook’ s Endeavor, and I honor him by bearing his name after a fashion. But my face serves to illustrate a point: we do not prey upon the kine as our kindred do. We take of their blood even as we are among them, like the shepherd lives among the flock. Our kine are kept healthy and clean, while ensuring our kindred remain separate from them.
The title of bloodline is from those who would deny our history and condemn us to dust. Indeed, some deem it our purpose to die, to show the Kindred what comes of those too pure and noble for this existence of sin and spite. They claim it the right and privilege of vampires to prey upon humanity, even as their short-sightedness threatens their own existence. Our fall heralds Gehenna, the progenitors rising up to consume us all.
Perhaps they are right, but while we may die quietly, we will not die easily.
The First Nights
The others may dress it up as they like, but the facts are plain, and underneath our poetry and platitudes we are a practical Clan: Caine cursed each of the Third Generation in turn, condemning them to the embodiment of their worst excesses. Condemning all, save one: gentle Saulot, Embraced by Enoch, most-beloved grandchilde of Caine. Saulot was spared, not for the prophetic gifts he showed, nor for his skill at healing. He spared Saulot because our progenitor was
Caine’ s hope of peace, of staving off the curses levied upon him by God and Kindred alike. Saulot would shepherd the promise of Golconda, the hope of redemption.
Perhaps that is why they called us shepherds in the Second City, for our nature tends towards care of the mortal flock. I prefer to think it was because the Wanderer’ s nature reminded Caine so much of Abel, noble and pure. In many ways, we are defined as a Clan by Saulot’ s nature and his mythic history, moreso than any other. We trace the three ways of our Clan from the childer Saulot Embraced during the traumatic or defining points of his unlife. Our Healers descend from Rayzeel, mistress of song and herb, Saulot’ s life before the Embrace. Our Warriors descend from Samiel, master of the fire that cleanses and twin to Rayzeel. And the Watchers, well … if the rumors I heard of them in Aotearoa are true, they descend from Saulot’ s time as a student and observer, which is fitting enough.
Even after the Embrace, Saulot sought to keep the peace between his feuding kin. He Embraced progeny rarely, instructing them to tend to those ravaged by his siblings, keeping mortals quiescent and hale in the face of immortal predation. He soothed the madness of Malkav with gentle music and brotherly caresses, checked the wickedness of Set with subtle undermining and ameliorating addiction. It was only by the Wanderer’ s efforts that the Second City lasted as long as it did. When Caine returned to judge the Third Generation, he specifically saved Saulot from his judgment, naming our progenitor the guardian of the angel Raphael’ s promise: that salvation would never be denied to Caine’ s brood.
A Kindred of the East
Yet Saulot had never himself achieved Golconda, the fabled state of grace despite the Curse of Caine. He walked what would become the first Silk Road, taking a number of mortal followers( but no progeny) with him into the deep night. You might’ ve heard of them; ancient records from the Pamir Mountains describe foreigners of great height and fair tresses, and the Tarim Basin mummies in the Xinjiang museum have red hair.
74 SALUBRI