Malkav

In the singing, shattered midnight
By the coral sands of time
Through the bloody gates of heaven
Past the sentries in my mind

Bring about the change to quickly
Bring about the terror's night
Bring about the blood of lovers
Bring about the smell of fright

I see you watching where I walk
Through the moonlit jasmine field
Listen closely as I talk
About the stars and their lovers past

Past fields of poppies burning bright
Into towers of Blackened Bone
Follow me, Bastard of Caine,
Come with me. I have no home.

As I drain your life's blood sweetly
As you sigh into my warm hands
As I suck your madness neatly
Streaming down like crimson bands

I dance the dance of the fool
And pray you find me mad
For if you lay hands upon the root
You'll know me, without illusion
And find me guilty of the truth

  - Malkav, The Book of Nod

  He was not the first. He was not the second. Not even the third of fourth. No. Just as every other story, this one, as well, starts with Caine. They all do, damn it.

  Millenia ago, Caine murdered his brother Abel. This was a time when the gods of the land still actively interfered to avoid evil, and with result. Zamorak did either not exist, or he was in a state of torpor. Caine's punishment for the murder of his very own brother was to be exiled from all mortal company. He escaped into the Land of Nod, wherever that is, where he met a woman whose name is unknown. During this long refuge with her, he was approached by three angels (according to folklore, but a better explanation would be guilt, which made his curse grow stronger for each time he defied his own will). Each of the angels told him that begging for forgiveness of the god who exiled him, would set him free of this curse. For each time he refused, the curse grew stronger and stronger, until he was in a state of being which came to be called the First Vampire. With the help of his female companion, he learned the powers of a vampire, which has come to be called Disciplines. (These powers are today rumoured to have come from the resting god Zaros.) He left her, once he believed she had no more to teach him.

  The curse, which was eternal life and hunger for blood, made sure that Caine could never walk with humans again. He grew lonely. He believed that if he shared his curse, he would no longer feel alone. So he Embraced three people. These three people became the vampires of the Second Generation. But they, too, grew lonely and Embraced their own Childer. Who Embraced whom is unknown, but one of the thirteen vampires of this Third Generation was Malkav. An individual Embraced for his great wisdom which was beyond compare. The records do not agree on this matter, but they all point to the fact that Malkav was more than a man. Some say he was an angel, some say he was a messenger, others say he was a chosen one. Perhaps this was true. In any way, his wisdom surpassed everything that had been seen to this day. But his wisdom was not the only thing which made him the powerful icon which he is today. His eyes glared of a desire. A desire so strong that it matched the one of Caine. His soul was filled with a purified strength. A strength matching the one of Irad, one of the vampires of the Second Generation.

  But the great wisdom and power of Malkav was not only a positive thing. This great knowledge caused his Sire to hate him. Perhaps they knew that Malkav could see what was going to happen. An old fragment speaks of one of the Thirteen whom had been captured by the Three, and then was beaten and tortured for something she had either said or refused to say. This tortured vampire was most likely Malkav. And this event is what caused the Thirteen to rise up against their Sires. The Three were slayed, one after one, and Caine, in shame of what he had created, hid in the shadows, and has never been seen again.

  But when and why was Malkav cursed with eternal insanity? A curse so strong that it affected anyone of his blood, whether she had been Embraced or not. The answer for this question is beyond reach, but what we do know is that it gave all Malkavians a vision. A burning one. Indeed, it was a curse, but at the same time, a gift. The insanity opened whole new paths for the wisdom, passed down from Malkav himself. Even if it was a gift, it scarred Malkav so bad that he could never tell the same story twice to any of his Childer. His great wisdom had turned into madness. This madness has come to be called the Sight. As previously stated, it's both the curse and the gift of Malkav. From the time when his brain was slashed with this . . . this thing, it has been passed down, generation by generation. Even if the Embraced in life was sane, the Sight will make her the opposite in a matter of seconds.

  As well as all of the other of the Thirteen who survived the ages of war, Malkav has gone into torpor. Waiting to rise again at Gehenna (the end of the world, when the Antediluvians will rise and end the holy war which is going on, day by day, whether we are aware of it or not). Malkav, with his great wisdom and strength, will surely lead his clan to victory. After all, brutal strength can never come close to the mental powers of a vampire. He will bring neutrality to the land. He will not destroy it, he will clear the world of opposing forces. It will then be a world of harmony where the balance between evil and good is perfect. And this, this is where we, the Followers of Malkav, come into the picture. We will help Malkav in his task. We will move towards these goals ourselves, in hope to give Malkav time for a longer rest. A rest he has more than well earned, thanks to the wisdom he has brought us.