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Aziz Faraj al Saqr
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| Genealogy of the Assamites
References
First introduced in the Player's Guide and in Dark Ages. Described in a clanbook and a revised clanbook.
"Hashashin" in Arabia.
Organisation
The clan is split in three castes : Warriors, Sorcerers and Viziers (scholars), the leaders of the castes form the Du'at. More details here.
The Master (aka. the Old Man of the Mountain) : Sha'hiri, then Jamal (1493), then Ur-Shulgi (1999)
The Du'at
Caliph : Jamal, then Thetmes (1493), then Elijah Ahmed. Mohara during Dark Ages
Vizier : Khaldun, then Rebekah (1171), Tegyrus
Amr : Al-Ashrad (120)
The Hulul is an Assamite antitribu elder, diablerised every 100 years, that has some of Lasombra's blood in his veins. [PGS]
History
One of the tales about the ancient history of the clan can be found here.
When ur-Shulgi took control of the clan in 1999, al-Ashrad didn't agree with his interpretation of the Law of Judgment and left with many followers and joined the Camarilla.
Justicars
The first Assamite justicar will probably be Tegyrius (2001).
Dedicated pages
Assamites
Syntax of each entry:
[Sex] Name (birth:embrace+death) Progeny of ... Sire of ... (date). Brief description and comments. [References] (historical references).
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Here is the list of 112 known Assamites.</b>
Powerful blood </b>
Haqim <3> (:~ -8000) Progeny of probably En'esh/Enoch, or King and the Queen of Nod. Sire of ? , ur-Shulgi (-2050) and Mancheaka. His embrace is told in various tales. He is said to have embraced himself with the blood of the King and the Queen.[CbR-As] tells he was a great warrior in life, but dedicated himself to scholarship as he grew older, and learned to speak and write the language of the dead. He earned the attention of one of Caine's childer, who Embraced him. He lived in the Second City, though he never settled there. He always remained neutral to the quarrels of his brothers and sister and cousins. His only sister is the one refered to as the mother of the Clan of the Blossom (Arikel) His two brothers were known as the Serpent (Set) and the Sage (Malkav). All the other Antediluvians came to him and pleaded to have him create a "second family" in order to judge and control their rebellious childer. Named "Hunter," then "Judge." "Assam" is a mispronounciation of Haqim. Haqim was not his real name. He last visited the Alamut in 68 BCE. He appeared in Antioch one century later. He was last seen in the British Isles in 121 CE, engaged in philosophical conversations with the Ventrue Mithras. [BoN] (Founder of the Sect of the Assassins)
? <4> Progeny of Haqim. Scribe and astronomer accused of heresy and sentenced to death by stoning, who was saved by the Embrace of Haqim during one of his wanderings outside the Second City. First childe of Haqim. [CbR-As]
ur-Shulgi <4> (:-2050) Progeny of Haqim. Sire of Al-Ashrad (~100). Shepherd of the Assamite clan. Recently awakened from 18 centuries of torpor, and shattered the Tremere Blood curse shortly afterward. Second Childe of Haqim. [CotN,p89] [NoP] [CN-As] [CbR-As] (Akkadian king of the Dynasty III of Ur, 2094-2047)
Mancheaka <4> (+Second Baali War) Progeny of Haqim. Eldest childe of Haqim at the time of the Second Baali Conflict. Met Final Death in battle. [CbR-As]
Sha'hiri <4> (+1493) Sire of Thetmes (-25). Master of the Assamites (Old man of the Mountain) before Jamal.He invited Jamal's challenge after the shame of the Convention of Thorns (1493). [LS3,p62] [Cb-As] [CotN] [CbR-As]
Jamal <4> (+1998) Master of the Assamites (Old man of the Mountain). Slained by ur-Shulgi.Throughout the Holy Wars which were fought over the Holy Land, the name of the hashashiyyin was a name of dread. Of all the hashashiyyin, no name was greater or more terrible than that of Jamal. It is whispered that he has been defeated only once, by the Inconnu Drakulya, and that the previous Master invited his challenge after the shame of the Convention of Thorns (1493), and charged him to guard the rafiq and bring them through the Hijra so that they might avenge themselves for the Curse. Some say that his is of the Unconquered, and some that he walks but two paces behind the Ancestor. All know that he has been challenged but three times and remains the Master. [Cb-As,p64] [CotN,p90] [LS3,p62] [CbR-As]
Ancient blood
Azif <5> Sire of Fariq (4th century BC). [TbN,p58] [TC3]
Tegyrius <5> (:-330) Sire unknown. Current Vizier, held the title for three consecutive terms, as well as one in the 14th century. Followed Al-Ashrad into exile to escape Ur-Shulgi. One of the favourites to be appointed the first Assamite Justicar. [CbR-As]
Thetmes <5> (:-25) Progeny of Sha'hiri. Sire of Elijah Ahmed (7th century) and Fatima Al-Faqadi (1102). Caliph of Alamut.He began as a soldier, fighting for the boy-king Ptolemy against his sister Cleopatra and her Roman minions. When Ptolemy fell, it pleased the barbarian Antonius to have his followers fight each other in the arena; this provided sport for the nervous populace, as well as saving the trouble and expense of mass executions. Thetmes fought for his life, and the Romans were impressed. Antonius took him to Rome, where he was sold and became a gladiator. A few months later his retirement was announced and he returned to Alamut where he is now the caliph and oversees the training of the fida'i. He is a stern master and a word of praise from him is hard earned. All rafiq look up to him and would sacrifice themselves without hesitation upon his command. [Cb-As,p64] [CbR-As]
Wasim <5> Sire of Karif al-Numair (717). [TC2,p89]
Al-Ashrad <5> (:~100) Progeny of ur-Shulgi. Sire of Amaravati. Amr (magician) of the clan Assamite.He is regarded askance by many of the rafiq, for magic inspires fear and mistrust in the heart of a warrior. Yet none can deny that he has done great work for the clan since the falling of the Curse. He works constantly to strengthen the Heartblood of the clan and weaken the hold of the Curse upon it. He is responsible for the sorcery weapons that are used to defeat the munafiqun, and it is whispered that he has fought hand to hand with the demons sent by the Tremere to end him. While the rafiq fear Al-Ashrad, they take pride in the fact that he is the greatest magician in the world ~~ for if he were not, would there not be another amr in his place?
His left arm and eye were removed by Haqim as punishment. A diamond replaces the missing eye.
When ur-Shulgi took control of the clan, al-Ashrad didn't agree with his interpretation of the Law of Judgment and left with many followers and joined the Camarilla. [Cb-As,p65] [CotN,p87] [CN-As] [CbR-As]
Izhim ur-Baal / Izhim abd'Azrael <5> Warrior caste. First of the antitribu. Seraph of the Black Hand. Member of the True Hand. Missing in NoP. [CotN,p12] [NoP] [CbR-As]
Bakr <5> Sire of Tariq (1250). [KmW,p72]
Pelagon <5> Sire of Hilel al-Masaari (580). [VN]
Khaldun Vizier before 1171. [LS3,p62]
Rebekah Elected at Vizier in 1171. [LS3,p62]
Mohara Caliph during the Dark Ages. [CbR-As]
Tariq the Silent <5 or 6 now 13> (:1250) Progeny of Bakr. Sire of Gabriel Chavez (729). He is the 4th of the Red List. His generation is lowered to 13 by the Tremere Antitribu. Once, Tariq was as a brother to Jamal, and among the greatest of the rafiq. But he would not submit to the Curse, and went out into the wilderness. He is sometimes seen among the antitribu, but is not one of them, as much as they would wish it. He follows his own vengeance against the clan's enemies, and although Jamal was pressured by the Camarilla into declaring a Blood Hunt against him, only the most troublesome rafiq are given the task of carrying it out; Tariq will not destroy them, for they are of the clan, but their inevitable defeat serves them as a lesson in humility. Meanwhile, Tariq is free to pursue his own ends, and coincidentally provides a scapegoat for the deeds of other rafiq, should one be required.In 2000, Tariq discovers Djuhah's scheme to manipulate him and kills the Seraph.[CbR-As] Was captured by the Tremere antitribu before that bloodline's destruction. The Sabbat suspects he might have been involved somehow. [KmW,pp69-72] [CotN,p15] [CbR-As] (The angel that descended upon Europe during the crusades, destroying all that crossed his path)
Amaravati <6> Progeny of Al-Ashrad.. Sorcerer caste. Loyalist. Last Seat of Tongues at the Council of Scrolls. Acknowledged as Amr by the Assamite Loyalists. [CbR-As]
Fariq <6> (age early 30s:4th century BC) Progeny of Azif. Antitribu; unaffected by the Tremere's curse; works for the Baali. [TbN,p57] [TC2] [TC3] [TC4,p83]
Hilel al-Masaari <6> (:580) Progeny of Pelagon. Warrior. Sultan of Cordoba. Was only seen regularly by other members of the warrior bloodline. Is believed to be among the first Assamite converts to Islam, and to have been a strong proponent of the Umayyad campaign of conquest. [VN]
Elijah Ahmed <6> (:7th century+july 1999) Progeny of Thetmes. Caliph of Alamut. Killed by ur-Shulgi when he awakened for clinging to his Islamic beliefs. [CN-As]
Karif al-Numair <6> (:717) Progeny of Wasim. One of the firsts member of the Black Hand. [TC2,p88] [TC3]
Qusay ibn Namdar <6> Sire of Habiba Al-Sikkeen (842). [JbN,p65]
Shabah <6> (740:762+~1400) Love of Belisarius. [CobN,p86]
Lord Bajazet Al-Nasir <6> (976:1011) [GC1,p49]
Fatima Al-Faqadi <6> (1077:1102) Progeny of Thetmes. Warrior caste. Met and fighted Lucita during the crusades, they became friend and lovers. Defeated and sent to torpor by Lucita when she had a contact to kill her. Killed Monçada with help of Lucita in CN-As. Former Hand of Vengeance. Dispossed. She is reportedly attempting to contact the Inconnu. [CotN,p80] [CN-As] [web] [CbR-As] [CN-Br]
Lady Veradis <6> (:1439) Antitribu. Black dress. [GC2]
Bernardo del Gado <6> (+ ) Sire of Joe "Boot" Hill (1881). Killed by a Lupine. [CF,p55]
Talaq The Kabbalah Magus, Rambam, the Second Moses, Maimonides, performed a Kabbalistic ritual to return Talaq to his human form and grant him extend life. He is the Prince of Jordan, and his presence is unknown to most Kindred. [WoD1] [CotN,p90]
Walter James (not his real name) Ordered Anwar to steal a gem from the NY Tremere. [CN-As] [CN-R]
Ismail Thought to be slain by ur-Shulgi. [CotN,p90] [GttS]
Montgomery Coven (Monty) <11-6> (1969:1990) Antitribu. 11th gen. in WoD2, 6th gen. in CotN. He gained 5 generations diablerising Mithras after a Lupine attack. The Methuselah's vitae is overwhelming him. [WoD2] [CotN]
Ancillae blood
Tamarind <7> Sire of Karim (552). [VN]
Kashan <7> Sire of Djuhah (1056). [CotN,p12]
Ahmal <7> (:4th century BC) Sire of Husayn Al Fatin (1086). [TbN,p60] [TC3]
Gabriel Chavez <7> (704:729+1500) Progeny of Tariq. Assamite spy. [JbN,p62]
Habiba Al-Sikkeen <7> (815:842) Progeny of Qusay ibn Namdar. Sire of Rashid Ibn Musafir (1099). Assassin of crusaders. [JbN,p63]
Anji <7> Sire of Hafsa (1934). [BHDB,p13]
Joe "Boot" Hill <7> (1854:1881) Progeny of Bernardo del Gado. Joe is Antitribu. Loved the idea of being a Gunslinger. Took offense to Del Gado's bragging and shot him in the chest. he was later whipped, and beaten severly. He was allowed just enough time to heal before being embraced. Leader of the Boot Hill Gang. [CF,p55] [TTM]
Anwar Succesfully killed two Tremere of the New York Chantry : Jonston Foley and ???. [CN-Ga] [CN-As] [CN-Tr]
Karim <8> (:552) Progeny of Tamarind. Vizier. Sultan of Samarkand. Became sultan after he deposed the city's first sultan (an ancient named Nidal). Retains a grudge against wizards stemming back to his mortal brother's death in a djinn-roused sandstorm. Only reluctantly tolerates the sorcerors of his clan bay't (clan), but does not permit them to use magic in Samarkand. [VN]
Djuhah <8> (:1056+2000) Progeny of Kashan. Antitribu. Seraph of the Black Hand. Member of the True Hand. Killed by Tariq after he discovered the Seraph's scheme to manipulate him. [PGS,p22] [CotN,p11] [CbR-As]
Husayn Al Fatin, Destroyer of Outcasts <8> (1066:1086) Progeny of Ahmal. Ambassador from the Saracens. [TbN,p60] [TC2] [TC3]
Rashid Ibn Musafir <8> (1079:1099) Progeny of Habiba Al-Sikkeen. Assassin of crusaders. [JbN,p65] [FBC,p15]
Ma'aruf <8> Sire of Badr-al-Budur (1867). [MibN]
Hafsa <8> (:1934) Progeny of Anji. Archon of Madame Guil, Toreador Justicar. [BHDB,p13]
Anastasius the Axe <8> Sire of Janni (1970). [CbR-As]
Pink <8> Poses as a Brujah, but is actually an Assamite. He was sent by the Tzimisce to delay Christof Romuald in his quest. [VtM-R]
Fawn (Eleanor James) (:~1800+1994) Bodyguard of Alexander Vargos. She has a twin sister, named Flavia. She was killed by Red Death. [RD1]
Flavia (Sarah James) (:~1800) Bodyguard of Alexander Vargos. She has a twin sister, named Fawn. [RD1]
Parmenides (+1999) In service of Sasha Vycos. Killed Maria Chin. Killed by Francisco Domingo de Polonia. [CN-Tz] [CN-As] [CN-Br]
Hazrad Aqim Alaq [AoV]
Young blood
Sharbel <9> Sire of Myrsus ibn Sharbel (1039). [VN]
Abu Fahim Kateb <9> (:1047) Vizier. His talent in working with merchants and traders and the ability to remain serene and good-natured in high-pressure negotiations attracted the attention of his sire. That sire, however, waited until Abu had worn out many pairs of shoes from traveling before embracing him into the vizier bloodline. [VN]
Badr-al-Budur <9> (1842:1867) Progeny of Ma'aruf. [MibN]
Janni <9> (1947:1970) Progeny of Anastasius the Axe. An Israelian that was trained as a soldier with and without weapons, and sent into the PLO in her mortal years as a spy attempting to grow close to the leaders and bring about their demise. She was chosen by the Assamites before her goal was reached, and is now in the ranks of rafiq. It is whispered that this young rafiq may become the first female caliph in time. [Cb-As,p64] [CbR-As]
Reza Fatir <9> Antitribu. 25:17 Pack. Black Hand Member. [MobN]
Shankar Many young men were attracted to the Thuggee by their fearsome reputation and their antipathy to the overbearing British. Shankar's mother and sister had been dishonored by a British soldier, and when he went to the soldier's commander, they were sent away scornfully, and told to teach their women better morals. Shankar swore revenge for this insult, and sought out the Thuggee in the Mountains. Many soldiers fell to his knives and garrote as he avenged his kinswomen, and he was found worthy of the greater battle, against the kafir Ventrue who had sent the British to India.Shankar learned as a fida'i about those who call themselves Kindred, and the many wrongs they had inflicted upon his new-found clan. Like many of the younger rafiq, he is impatient for revenge, and he is prominent among the Militant faction, preaching open warfare upon the munafiqun. It is said that he has accompanied the Unconquered ones of the Black Hand on some of their war parties, and that the Elders question his allegiance. [Cb-As,p65]
Myrsus ibn Sharbel <10> (:1039) Progeny of Sharbel. Sorceror. Dervish of Tunisia. Was forced from Alamut by a group of warriors who found his mystic learnings even more disturbing than those of other sorcerors. He was recrouted to the new brotherhood and went with them to their stronghold. Unusually tall, with long black hair and pale skin. [VN]
Ayub ibn Mehtar <10> Sire of Enam bint Ayub al-Dimshaq (1148). Vizier. [VN]
Weak blood
Enam bint Ayub al-Dimshaq <11> (:1148) Progeny of Ayub ibn Mehtar. Vizier. Moved to Cordoba during the dark ages. She was considered no threat by the locals, and as such, was able to cobble together an information base and an understanding of the political situation that was better than many of the area's elders. [VN]
Ruth Cole <11> (age 25) Antitribu. Member of the Dead Gypsies - a nomad pack. [SHS]
Saysen Tarique's bodyguard. [WoD2]
Makish (+1994) Outlaw of the Clan Assamite. Killed by Flavia. [RD1] [RD2]
Silar Ibn Isa <11> Devout Muslim and Assamite Vizier of Khwarazm. [WfE]
Yvette Cole <12> Antitribu. Member of the Deathbringers nomad pack. [SHS]
Alu <12> Sire of Basir (1981). [BHDB]
Basir <13> (:1981) Progeny of Alu. [BHDB]
Ali Kar Anarchist [AC,p43]
Thin blood
Traci <14> [VtM-R]
Unknown generation
David Wendt Vizier caste. Last Seat of the Sum at the Council of Scrolls. [CbR-As]
Sarah Schneier (+ ) Sorcerer caste. Last Seat of Copper and Lightning at the Council of Scrolls, initiated the Schism and was destroyed by Ur-Shulgi. [CbR-As]
Abin bin Haji Schismatic. Current Seat of Mirrors at the Council of Scrolls. [CbR-As]
Badr Alkhaiwani Sorcerer caste. Last Seat of Storms at the Council of Scrolls. [CbR-As]
Hedeyat al-Sair Sorcerer caste. Current Seat of the Book at the Council of Scrolls. [CbR-As]
Enrique Salazar (+1991) Warrior caste. Last Seat of Fire and Steel at the Council of Scrolls. Disappeared in 1991 during the Gulf War. [CbR-As]
Kasparas Sikhorsky Vizier caste. Last Seat of Wheel, Wing and Oar at the Council of Scrolls. Believed to be in torpor after a duel with Jayakar Dristi Boparai. [CbR-As]
Jayakar Dristi Boparai (+ ) Sorcerer caste. Last Seat of Stars at the Council of Scrolls. Believed destroyed by Kasparas Sikhorsky. [CbR-As]
Aurora White Warrior caste. Dispossed. Current Seat of Glass and Smoke at the Council of Scrolls. [CbR-As]
Qadir ul-Ghani Sorceror caste. Loyalist. Last Seat of Mist at the Council of Scrolls. [CbR-As]
Azita Hisami Vizier caste. Dispossed. Seat of Gold at the Council of Scrolls. Advisor to the Toreador of Saudi Arabia. [CbR-As]
Arishima Hisato (+ ) Vizier caste. Last Seat of Dust and Bone at the Council of Scrolls. Destroyed by Ur-Shulgi. [CbR-As]
Fikriyya al-Jurr (+ ) Vizier caste. Last Seat of Wind and Stone at the Council of Scrolls. Destroyed by Ur-Shulgi. [CbR-As]
Dmitri Borodin Vizier caste. Last Seat of Flesh at the Council of Scrolls. Last seen in Venice. [CbR-As]
? Primogen of Athens [CbR-As]
? Primogen of Paris [CbR-As]
? Seneschal of Phoenix [CbR-As]
Karim Assamite Vizier who rules over Khwarazm. [WfE]
Khuf Ramalza Rafiq [GttS]
Mustapha abd-Fiil [GttS]
Firdaus Soroushani [NoP]
Zal Son of Soroushani (not childe). [NoP]
Georghe Craciun [TC3]
Thucimia Sire of ?. Warrior caste. [CbR-As]
? Progeny of Thucimia. Dispossed [CbR-As]
Zev Benzion (+1951) Wolf, son of Zion. Leopard of Zion. Killed in Rio de Janeiro in 1951 in a Blood Hunt, after leading eight other Assamites on a Camarilla purge. [CbR-As]
Amaris bat Ariela Leopard of Zion. Havens in Tel Aviv. [CbR-As]
Kasim Bayar Warrior caste. Schismatic. Sheriff of Milan. [CbR-As]
Evans Rogers Warrior caste. Dispossed. Freelance bodyguard. [CbR-As]
Mohninda Vajpayee Cheram Vizier caste. Loyalist. [CbR-As]
Kurush Ishraqi Sorcerer caste. Loyalist. [CbR-As]
Lydia Dorn Sorcerer caste. Loyalist. [CbR-As]
Michael diCarlo Warrior caste. Antitribu. [CbR-As]
Sukainah Vizier caste. Dispossed. Court advisor of Algiers. [CbR-As]
Lydia Lezczenska Sorcerer caste. Antitribu. Nomadic scout. [CbR-As]
Khaled Johnson Warrior caste. Dispossed. Bounty hunter. [CbR-As]
Gerhardt von Eich Sorceror caste. Loyalist. [CbR-As]
Kazimiera Zuyus Sorceror caste. Loyalist. [CbR-As]
Jessica Tate-Duncan Warrior caste. Schismatic. [CbR-As]
Mata Hari (aka Margaretha Geertruida Zelle) (1876) Among her fake identities is a Prince in an American midwest city, a leader of a Sabbat Black Hand pack in Chile, and a brief appearance in the Red List. [CbR-As]
Nar-Sheptha the Guardian (+ ) Sorcerer caste. Babylonian princess, curator of the Great Library for three centuries. Killed herself during one of her experiments with a storm spirit. [CbR-As]
From: http://vampirerpg.free.fr/Genealogy/Assamite.html | comments: Leave a comment   |
| The Martyr-General by Clayton Oliver
Many Path of Blood adherents, including ur-Shulgi and the members of the Web of Knives, preach a wholly divergent tale that casts not only the other Antediluvians but Caine and the Second Generation as the villains. According to this story, Haqim was never Embraced; rather, he deliberately made himself into a vampire in order to combat Caine:
Thousands of years ago, a great city stood in what the mortals now call the Fertile Crescent. This city's name was En'esh - "Enoch," to the Cainites. The king of En'esh, a wise and just man, was named Khe-duk. His queen, beautiful and noble, was Liada. As was the city's tradition, the eldest prince had no name but that of his city, En'esh, in order to remind him of the duty to his people for which he was being groomed. And the king's spear and shield, the lord of the armies of En'esh, the most trusted advisor and closest confidant of the royal family, was a man named Haqim.
One night, as Haqim and En'esh were inspecting the guards on duty, a traveler approached the western gates of the city. He hailed the gates, asking the guards to grant him entrance. Despite the law of the city, which required the gates to remain barred through the night as a defense against bandits, the troops opened the gate and allowed the traveler entrance. Haqim was outraged at this gross breach of discipline and would have flown into a rage, but En'esh stayed his hand. "He is one man, alone and unarmed," the prince said, "and the guards obviously saw this and allowed him entry out of charity. Are we so poor a people that we cannot extend trust to harmless vagabonds? Duty must be tempered with compassion; you yourself taught me that." Saying so, the prince approached the traveler and bade him introduce himself.
The stranger bowed to the prince. "My name is Khayyin," he said, "and I have traveled the wastes for weeks in search of the city whose name I heard spoken in distant lands. The greatest city in the world, they called it, and I see that they spoke truth." He continued in this vein for some minutes, lavishing praises upon the city En'esh and the family of the prince En'esh.
The prince was entranced by this glib-tongued traveler and said to Haqim, "Surely one so wise and courtly as this Khayyin must be a noble in disguise. Perhaps he is an exile, expelled from his homeland by some war or coup - or perhaps he has come to us in this guise to seek alliance with En'esh. We must treat him with the respect that he surely deserves." Saying this, the prince bowed to Khayyin and bade him stay in the palace during his time in the city.
Haqim said nothing, for it was not his place to question a member of the royal family - at least, not in public. But his eyes were keen, and his ears were sharp, and his instincts were strong, and he saw the secret smile that flickered behind Khayyin's face when the prince issued his invitation.
Before dawn the next morning, Haqim requested a private audience with the king and queen, thinking to alert them to the viper their son had clutched to his heart. But as he entered the throne room, he saw that he had not struck swiftly enough, for seated beside the king, in the place reserved for visiting nobility, was the traveler Khayyin.
Haqim knew better than to speak out against Khayyin then - he was no coward, and feared no man's wrath for insults real or imagined, but he held to propriety. Quickly, he gathered his thoughts and improvised - telling no lie, as his honor required, but only reporting that part of the truth which would not cause conflict. "My liege," he said to the king, "I see that my audience is unnecessary, for you have already met the man whose entrance to the city I sought to report to you. I came here thinking to forewarn you of the presence of a visiting noble in En'esh, but obviously you have already made his acquaintance. With your leave, I will return to my duties."
The king nodded and bade Haqim return to his soldiers. But Haqim saw the serpent's smile in Khayyin's eyes again, and he knew that the visitor held no illusions about Haqim's true purpose in requesting audience with the king.
Haqim's heart was heavy, for he alone knew the threat that Khayyin held for the city of En'esh. He could not say what the stranger's intentions were, but he knew in his heart that Khayyin would bring ruin upon the city if his plans were left unchecked. That day, he spoke to the palace guards, instructing them to keep close watch on Khayyin. Then he went to the practice field to oversee his soldiers' training.
Days became weeks, and weeks became months, and the season turned from planting time to harvest time, and still Khayyin stayed within the palace. Haqim often saw him in the evenings when the general went to court. Sometimes, he was playing stones with the king and his other advisors; sometimes, reciting poetry to the queen and her ladies; all too often, keeping company with the prince, whispering advice and observations into the young man's ear. And whenever Khayyin saw Haqim, the visitor smiled his hidden smile, as if daring Haqim to strike at him.
The general was unsettled, for he was charged with the defense of the city, yet he was powerless to strike at the single greatest threat to En'esh. His frustration wore on his temper, and his face became lined and gray, and the soldiers whispered that their general was troubled. This troubled them in turn, for they loved their leader in the way that only men who have shared the terror of the battlefield can love, and not a man among them would not have gladly given his life for Haqim. They plotted and schemed, in their own loyal way, and gradually they reached a decision.
One afternoon, as the lord of the armies watched his soldiers casting their spears against targets of straw, a small band of his lieutenants approached him. These were his most trusted subordinates, men who had fought at his side for their entire adult lives, and there were no barriers between them. Their faces were grim, as if they were reporting the collapse of the army's flank on the battlefield, and Haqim dreaded to hear their words - yet he could not turn them away.
"We have noticed," said one of the soldiers, "that you are not the same man that you were in days of old, when you led us against the tribes and nations that surround the lands of En'esh. Some of the troops think that garrison life disagrees with you, that you fear stagnation and old age and the inactivity of this year's peace. Yet we know you too well, and we know you are as weary as we ourselves are of bloodshed."
"And we know the true cause of your discontent," added a second soldier, "for your soul was not darkened thus before this visitor Khayyin replaced you as the most favored advisor of the royal family. Yet you are too noble a man to fall prey to jealousy, so we know you must think that this man intends to do harm to our rulers."
"And this troubles us, too," a third soldier put in, "for this Khayyin is a most unusual man. The soldiers who take guard duty in the palace return with strange tales of him - no so much what he has done as what he has not done. We have dozens of tablets full of the guard commanders' reports on Khayyin's movements, and in not one of them was his presence at a single banquet recorded. Nor have any of our soldiers ever reported seeing him during the day. What manner of man is this, that does not eat and does not embrace the life-giving sun?"
Haqim sighed heavily. "You are right. I do not trust Khayyin, for he shows us a face that tells us nothing of the man behind it. He came to this city in the dead of night, with naught but the rags he called clothes, but now he is exalted like a prince. His honeyed words charm all those who hear him speak, for he always seems to know more than he should about what will catch the heart of any man. And I, too, have seen these things of which you tell me. I have spoken to the wise women, and I have consulted the oracles and the seers, and I fear that this Khayyin is no man at all, but a demon sent from the lands to the east to bring ruin on En'esh."
At this, the soldiers turned pale, for they all knew the stories of the demons of the east, the servants of the strange gods who held sway over men's souls in those dark lands. But Haqim was quick to reassure them. "Take heart," said he, "for demons can die, too. Do you not remember the tales of demon-slayers, of heroes, of hunters of all the things that would prey upon men? Now we must become hunters, for the sake of our city and our families, and we will stalk our prey in all the dark places it would take as its own. Attend; here is how we shall begin our hunt."
Haqim and his soldiers conferred all through that day and long into the night, weaving the web in which they would entrap Khayyin. No man of arms of En'esh would approach him without a comrade by his side, and the outlander would never find a pair of soldiers farther away than the nearest corner. Haqim's most trusted troops would dog his every move and sound the alarm at the first sight or sound of foul play. The reason for this scrutiny, should any questions arise, would be the protection of Khayyin - for surely a man who had risen through the court of En'esh as quickly as he must have gained many enemies, and sooner or later one of them must strike at him lest he become too great a threat to their own power.
The next night, Haqim was in his quarters in the palace, examining maps with two of his lieutenants, when one of the soldiers assigned to watch Khayyin burst into the room. Out of breath and shaking with terror, he gasped out that Khayyin was attacking Prince En'esh. Haqim took up his spear and raced toward the prince's chambers, his lieutenants and their troops close at his heels. In a matter of moments, they arrived to find those doors closed and barred, the remaining guard hammering at them with his fists.
The assembled troops seized a nearby statue and prepared to batter down the doors - but as they tensed to strike, the doors swung open to reveal En'esh. "What is this alarm?" the prince cried out. "Why do you seek to invade my private chambers?"
Haqim strode to the forefront of the group and replied, "my prince, the guards reported the sounds of a struggle within, and I feared that some assassin had come upon you. Though all here know of your prowess with spear and bow, duty commanded that we attempt to intervene, lest you be overwhelmed by sheer numbers or struck down from ambush."
The prince nodded sharply. "You thought aright, but I fear your response were slower than that of my friend Khayyin, who dispatched the attacker nearly before he could draw his blade." He gestured into his suite. Surely enough, the outlander appeared then, dragging behind him the corpse of a palace servant. He said nothing, merely tossed the body at Haqim's feet and smiled his hidden smile before turning away.
The guards turned away, muttering darkly among themselves. Haqim heard this, but said nothing to quell it, for he could not find it in his heart to reprimand his loyal troops for giving voice to thoughts that he shared. And another thing stayed his tongue, too; for Haqim alone had seen the prince's pallor, the faint, hastily-removed stains of blood upon his clothing, the distant look in the young man's eyes. And a fear coiled within Haqim's breast that the demon Khayyin had made En'esh one of his kind.
Haqim gathered his lieutenants again, in quiet counsel, and told them of his fears. They did not want to believe, at first, but their leader was sure of himself, and they were not ones to question him. They recognized the iron mask his face had become, the mask he only wore on the battlefield when he had taken his enemy's measure, and they knew that the time to strike had come.
Haqim gathered a score of his strongest spears to him and ordered his lieutenants to take the army of En'esh and secure the palace grounds, allowing no man leave nor entry until he returned with the head of Khayyin. They grumbled, for it was not their way to leave their leader to face danger alone, but they obeyed. Then Haqim and his soldiers entered the palace again.
The lord of the armies knew that it would not be enough to simply strike down Khayyin like a dog. The outlander must be exposed for his true self before the court of En'esh. And so Haqim made his way to the throne room - only to find it empty.
Empty, save for King Khe-duk, sitting on his throne - quietly weeping over the limp body of his youngest daughter, cradled in his lap. And then he raised his face and met Haqim's gaze through eyes that streamed tears of blood, and Haqim knew his duty.
The Beast that rode the king's heart reared its head and growled its rage through bared fangs. And then it spoke to Haqim: "There is no place for you here, war-leader. Return to the village in which you were born, forget this city; take up the plow for the spear; and we will be merciful and spare your fleeting life."
Haqim shook his head. "I swore an oath," he said, "and I cannot forsake it."
The king-demon laughed. "If you fear that the gods will turn upon you for breaking your oath, I release you from it."
"You cannot," Haqim said, "for my oath is not to you. It is to the city of En'esh - and it is the city that I now protect from what its king has become." Fast as a striking leopard, he thrust his spear through the king's left eye and shattered his skull like a melon.
With a howl of fury, the creature that had once been Queen Liada leaped at Haqim from behind the thrones, knocking him to the floor. The soldiers rushed forward to rescue their leader, but the combatants struggled so fiercely that they could not use their spears for fear of piercing Haqim. Yet their aid was unneeded; for Haqim gained the upper hand and, drawing his knife, struck the queen's head from her shoulders in a single blow.
"Now," spoke Haqim, regaining his feet and recovering his spear, "we will deal with the thing that brought this doom to En'esh." So saying, he led his soldiers to the doors of the prince's chambers. He did not ask for entry this time, but knocked the door from its hinges with a single blow of his heel, leaping into the darkened room before the massive panel had even struck the floor.
A howling, shrieking thing rushed at Haqim, all slavering fangs and naked talons. The general turned and braced his spear, which sank deep into the creature's breast. As the thing fell back, the light from the open door revealed that it had once been Prince En'esh.
Then a staggering blow struck Haqim from behind, and he fell to his knees, dazed. Dimly, he heard the sound of fighting, as if from a great distance. And when he cleared his head and arose, he beheld the rent and scattered bodies of his soldiers, and heard the footsteps of a fleeing man receding down the corridor. The body of En'esh was nowhere to be seen.
Haqim gave chase, for he knew that Khayyin was the one who had struck him down. The din of battle outside the palace told him he must hurry. He raced down the steps and through the carnage that soaked the palace gardens with blood, snatching up a spear and a handful of javelins from his fallen troops. In the distance, he saw the fleeing form of Khayyin with the body of Prince En'esh across his shoulders. Haqim halted and cast his first javelin, taking the demon through the knee, and Khayyin fell.
Before the outlander could stand again, Haqim was on him, striking again and again with his great spear. Yet Khayyin did not die, despite his grievous wounds. With one hand, he cast Haqim aside like a pebble. And then, as the lord of the armies watched in horror, the demon's rage took him and his blood boiled. With a single stamp of his foot, Khayyin shook the ground, and the buildings of En'esh toppled. With a mighty howl, he breathed out a firestorm and scorched the city's fields. He spread his arms wide and drew in breath, and the blood of the people of En'esh flowed into him like a river.
"Enough!" cried out Haqim. "I will end this now!" He rushed at Khayyin, spear raised high to strike at the demon's heart. But Khayyin grasped Haqim by the throat and shook him like a dog.
"Attend and hear, presumptuous creature," the demon hissed. "I am the scion of a line older than you can imagine. My god cursed me, yet I found older powers than him and made their strength mine. I would have made this city the heart of an empire of the night to last ten thousand years, and your rulers would have lived forever had you not interfered. Yet now your city lies in ruins, for you thought to oppose me. Remember this, in your final moments: you have failed, and I will begin this work again elsewhere, for the strength of a mortal is nothing against that of my blood." And he sank his fangs into Haqim's throat and drained him of his life's blood. Then Khayyin cast the general into the ruins of the palace and fled into the night, carrying the limp form of Prince En'esh.
Haqim's few surviving soldiers gathered around the broken body of their leader. Haqim still breathed, but his life was ebbing quickly. He beckoned his three remaining lieutenants closer. As they knelt beside him he whispered to them:
"I have seen to the heart of the evil that is Khayyin. He and all he would beget are forsaken by the gods, and yet that very fact gives them great power. Blood is their strength, and it is the dark magic of that blood that makes them what they are. I cannot allow Khayyin's vision of his empire of the night to go unchallenged - though the only path I can see to oppose him may result in my own soul being forfeit. Now, bear me to the throne room, that I may request one last boon of my king and queen."
The soldiers lifted Haqim up and carried him to the throne room, where the bodies of the king and queen lay where they fell. Haqim knelt before them and whispered a blessing upon their souls, for they had been good and just rulers before Khayyin cursed them. Then he opened his wrists with the sharp edges of the king's crown and, as his life flowed away, he lowered his hands to the pool of blood in which he knelt and drank deep of the water of eternal unlife. When Haqim arose and looked upon his soldiers again, he was no longer mortal.
Then Haqim gathered his soldiers and the last citizens of En'esh and led them from the ruins of the city. They traveled into the mountains to the southeast, and it was there that they made their homes. As they traveled, Haqim wrestled with the taint that he had taken into himself, but the strength of his soul was such that the evil of Khayyin, twice removed, was no match for Haqim's will. Eventually, he mastered it and began to learn the power of the Blood. And when he was strong in the Blood, he raised up the fortress Alamut and his people settled in the valleys beneath the Mountain. And then Haqim began to hunt Khayyin and the gods-forsaken brood that the demon created.
In time, Haqim's most loyal lieutenant approached him and asked to be given the Blood, that he might hunt at his lord's side. Haqim studied the man's soul carefully, for he knew well the dangers that lurked in the Blood, but the man's soul was strong. And so the first Child of Haqim strode out from Alamut that night to hunt at the Ancestor's side.
In time, others came to Alamut, and Haqim gave the strongest and most worthy among them the gift and curse of immortality as well. Those whose spirits needed guidance became lesser servants until such time as they gained in strength. And the Children of Haqim learned well how to hunt the Khayyinin, and how to deceive them, and how to drink the Khayyinin's heart's blood in order to gain their power and remove their evil from the world.
And down through the ages, this is what we have become. Our skins grow black with the accumulated evil we have absorbed from the Khayyinin, but this outward blackening shows that our souls are not poisoned inwardly. We are tripartite now, the marvel of geometry, the least number of legs that can stand alone: viziers, to tend to the mortals; sorcerers, to ward us and our charges from the Khayyinin's masters; and warriors, to strike at the rot that has become too great for them to merely judge and punish selectively.
The blood of demons flows in our veins, but it is also the blood of the first nobility to walk the Earth, and it is the blood of Haqim. Those latter legacies give us the strength to shrug off the poison of the gods-forsaken. We are the Children of Haqim: his inheritors, his loyal soldiers, his spears and his hunting leopards.
And we will not fail him.
Interestingly enough, there is some independent support for this tale. Archaeological excavations conducted by a British expedition in 1931-33 indicate that a city existed approximately eleven millennia ago in the area in which legend places En'esh. The ruins do appear to have been destroyed in a localized earthquake and the subsequent fire. The epicenter of the quake was in the approximate location of the palace, judging from the directions in which the walls of other buildings fell.
The few scattered tales of Enoch, popularly held to be the first member of the Second Generation, do indicate that he was of royal blood (as such things were reckoned so long ago). One tale does indicate that he held a particular grudge against Haqim for an incident immediately before or after his Embrace.
One tale passed down by Nosferatu oral historians names Enoch as the youngest scion of the "First Brood." According to this story, Enoch's was one of a trio of Embraces that Caine performed around the same time. Of these three, Enoch was the only survivor; the other two were destroyed by an unspecified "hunter of demons." Zillah and Irad, the other two traditional members of the Second Generation, came some time later.
Contrary to the claims of some ill-attentive clan members, this story does not depict Haqim as a member of the Second Generation. His self-given proxy Embrace from the blood of one of Caine's childer was not an act of diablerie, and this would place him at the Third Generation.
Those who believe this story use its allusions to Caine as a "demon from the east" to support the Children's millennia-long grudge against the Baali. These individuals believe that the Baali are the truest children of Caine, as they are closest to the unholy root of the first vampire's powers. Some hold that Caine sired one or more members of the Second Generation whose names are now lost; these, in turn, sired one or more members of the Third Generation, and these lost ancients and their descendants collectively form the Baali clan. The distinct lack of one cohesive story of Third Generation origin among the Baali themselves (at least, those who the Children have managed to interrogate over the centuries) can be taken as further support for these claims.
From: http://pages.infinit.net/nhaze/Assamite%20Alternate%20History.shtml | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Whereas we, the elders and the Kindred of the Clans Ventrue, Tremere, Toreador, Nosferatu, Gangrel, Brujah, and Malkavian, gathered together in Brotherhood and Mutual faith and hereinafter known as the Camarilla, being the True and Only Rightful Heirs of the estate of Caine, do desire an end to the Unlawful and Diabolistic Practices of the Rebels hereinafter known as the Clan Assamite; And whereas the said Clan Assamite does desire that the said Camarilla shall hold back its Hand from the full and Ultimate Extinction of the Clan Assamite: Therefore, be it agreed between all Parties signed and witnessed hereunto that the following Articles shall stand as binding between all Parties and their Progeny and Servitors, from this date perpetually...
The Clan Assamite shall refrain from taking the Blood of other Kindred, and as surety of this provision shall submit themselves to a ritual to be administered by the Elders of the Clan Tremere, whereby Kindred Blood shall be made poisonous to them;
The Clan Assamite shall remain peacefully in the territory ceded to them by the Camarilla, which they have historically claimed as their own. They shall seek no expansion of this territory, nor shall they permit any unrest of mortals within their territory to spread to other areas. They shall not travel, either singly or in groups, outside this territory, nor shall they have Retainers or Servitors of any kind travel outside this territory on their behalf. The Princes of the Camarilla have the perpetual right to call a Blood Hunt against any Assamite or Assamites within their fiefs, and need give no other reason for such a Blood Hunt beyond membership of the Assamite bloodline.
The defenses of the castle of Alamut shall be dismantled to the point where the castle can no longer withstand a siege or other attack by forces of the Camarilla. The Clan Assamite shall permit observers from the Camarilla to verify compliance with this provision further, any re-fortification of Alamut, or any attempt to establish a fortification elsewhere, shall be in breach of this treaty, and a worldwide Blood Hunt may be called against those committing the breach.
The Camarilla undertakes to cease all action against the Clan Assamite, and not to violate the borders of its agreed territory without the sanction of a full Convocation of the Camarilla. The Clans of the Camarilla agree among themselves that they shall no longer seek to employ members of the Clan Assamite as hired assassins, and that those violating this provision shall forfeit the protection of their Clans and may be subject to a Blood Hunt. The Clan Assamite undertakes to cease any and all activity of its members as assassins for hire.
Except from Clanbook assamite : Pages 16,17 Author : Graeme Davis | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Revenge is the ending of wrath, the beginning of peace. Only in vengeance can peace exist. They fear us, and rightly. We shall be their doom, and they know it. You too shall be feared, if you are found worthy. Guard these pages well, for they are truth and will show you the way. Resolve your heart; if you fail, you shall die with honour. You have already seen too much to turn back. Come.
Feared by all yet courted by many, refusing outside allegiances yet willing to hunt Kindred for a payment of blood, the Assamites are among the most reclusive clans. Once hunted, these vampire assassins are now sought out by the Kindred to dispose of their enemies. Fearful tales are told of their skill in hunting the most dangerous prey, their bravery in combat, and their fierce loyalty to their clan. Yet the tellers of these tales do not guess at the truth: the millennia of warfare, the roots of the Jyhad, and the clan mysteries which no outsider has ever seen.
Glossary
The Assamites use many terms which are not common among the rest of the Kindred.
The following glossary lists some of these terms.
Alumut Originally, the name for the Assamites' castle stronghold. Since the Treaty of Tyre, however, it has come to refer to the current location of the Master and elders of the clan. It is also used as a metaphor for the Assamite clan as a whole, especially the clan's spirit and ideals.
Amr The chief magician of the clan; one of the du'at.
Antitribu The group of Assamites who escaped the Curse and allied themselves with the Sabbat.
Asabiyya The Assamite tradition of loyalty to the clan and to other clan members.
Caliph The military leader of the clan; one of the du'at.
Castellan An Assimite in charge of a location or group of Assamites away from Alamut.
Curse, the The Treaty of Tyre and the accompanying Tremere ritual which made Kindred Blood poisonous to the Assamites.
Du'at The three senior members of the clan ~~ the caliph, the vizier and the amr ~~ who are the Master's closest advisors.
Eagle's Nest, the Originally a translation of the name of Alamut, more recently applied to any of the secret havens of the Assamite elders, or to the leadership of the clan in general.
End Used as a verb by the Assamites. To end a kafir is to assassinate her.
En'esh The First City, known to other Kindred as Enoch, Uniech, Enkil or by various other names.
Fida'i The title given to newly-embraced Assamites, who are serving a seven-year apprenticeship at Alamut.
Haqim The ancestral Assamite; his name is also spelled Hachem, Hashem, A'shem, and (wrongly) Hassan or Hussein by some European sources.
Haqim, children of The Assamite Clan.
Heartblood The collected blood of fallen Assamites, kept at Alamut and used in the clan's most holy ceremonies.
Hijra "Emigration"; the current state of the clan as it establishes new power bases and works to free itself from the Curse.
Ikhwan The Assamite tradition of brotherhood.
Jihad An Arabic term applied to any holy war. Assamites use the word to describe their legendary task of destroying all other vampires, and, by extension, to refer to their whole birthright and position within Kindred society. Not to be confused with the Kindred term Jyhad, which refers to the machinations of the Antediluvians against one another.
Kadd The Assamite tradition of vengeance.
Kafir Literally "infidels"; the Assamites apply this term to non-Assamite Kindred.
Khabar Literally "tradition"; the Assamite belief system and code of honour.
Khayyin Caine, the first vampire.
Khayyin, get of All vampires except the Assamites.
Kufr An Islamic term for heresy, unbelief, and ingratitude. The Assamites use the word to refer to the principles of the Camarilla.
Mumin The Assamite tradition of faith.
Munafiqun Literally "hypocrites"; this is an Assamite nickname for the Camarilla.
Muruwa The Assamite code of honour.
Old Man, the Also known as the Old Man of the Mountain. The Master of the clan.
One, to become To rise in power through the Path of Blood until one becomes equal in power to Haqim ~~ in short, to become Second Generation through diablerie or some similar practice.
One, the Haqim. This term is normally used in a ritual contex, and has mistakenly been assumed to refer to Caine.
Path of Blood Diablerie: the drinking of the blood of older vampires to gain their power.
Rafiq "Comrade(s)"; the Assamites' word for themselves.
Scribe A contemptuous term applied by the clan's warriors to a non-warrior.
Shahid An Arabic word for a religious martyr. Assamites tricked to their doom by false contracts are known by this title. Some extreme militants use this term for the whole clan, in reference to the Curse.
Silsila The elders and other respected individuals of the clan, who act as a priesthood for the Path of Blood and as Castellans for bases away from Alamut.
Tajdid Literally "revival"; the research program dedicated to freeing the Assamites from the Curse.
Taqiyya The Assamite art of disguise and impersonation; also, the clan tradition of secrecy.
Tyre, Treaty of The agreement between the Camarilla and the Assamites concluded in 1522, whereby the Assamites surrendered the ability to commit diablerie.
Umma The Assamite tradition of community. The word also refers to the hoped-for reconciliation of clan and antitribu.
Unconquered, the The name by which the Assamite antitribu call themselves.
Vizier The chief scholar and main political mediator of the clan; one of the du'at.
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History
We are the oldest of clans ~~ far older than the fools of the Camarilla. They had not yet gathered themselves into clans when the Assamites were born, and their vaunted council was millennia in the future.
It began in the first city, which we call En'esh. Here, Khayyin ceased his wandering and begat the Second Generation, whose number was five. The kafir speak of three, but five was their true number. For it was in En'esh that Haqim our ancestor lived, and where we, his children, were born.
Haqim was the lord of the armies of En'esh, a great and noble warrior, beloved of the king and feared and loved by the people. He saw how the wanderer Khayyin entered the city with lies, and forced the king and queen to his will. He saw, though Khayyin knew it not, how they were made immortal by Khayyin, and how they were taught, and he knew the great evil that would spread from them. He knew that priests could not stop this evil, nor armies, nor city walls, and he was greatly troubled.
He gathered to him certain of the soldiers whose hearts he knew, and they came upon the king and queen by day, and slew them and cut off their heads, and gathered up their blood in a goblet. Then with his own hand did our ancestor cut his throat, and watched his blood as it flowed away. When the last of his strengh was leaving him, the soldiers gave him the cup to drink, and though he as sorely wounded, he did not die.
Certain soldiers were afraid, and feared that our ancestor would be tainted as the king and queen were tainted, but he reassured them, saying "Be not afraid, for my purpose is true, and I shall use the beast's own strength against it." And the soldiers rejoiced, and freely gave of their blood that Haqim might live and be strong.
That night, Khayyin arose from where he lay, since he was hidden and the soldiers could not find him. When he beheld what had become of the king and queen he grew angry, and fell upon the soldiers like a daemon, tearing their bodies assunder. Haqim arose and fought against him; all through the night they struggled, but Haqim was still young in Blood and sore from his Change, and Khayyin prevailed. He drained Haqim and flung him on the sand, and when the sun rose he fled to his hiding place.
When he was gone the soldiers covered Haqim with a cloak, and shut him in a casket, and took him from the city. They had yet some blood from the king and queen, and with this our ancestor was healed, though for many months he was sorely wounded. For a long time they traveled, until they came to the far mountains where Khayyin would not find them. There, they built a great and secret fortress which they called Alamut, the Eagle's Nest, for it was lofty and strong. Haqim rested and tended his wounds, and grew stronger in the Blood. Certain of his soldiers, whom he found worthy, he made of the Blood also, and bade them make war upon Khayyin and his progeny, that their evil should not taint the earth.
For Haqim knew that Khayyin would make more children in the First City, and indeed he did so. These were the three whom the munafiqun call the Second Generation. They knew not of the king and queen, for Khayyin would not affright them with their own mortality, and knew not that Haqim yet lived.
That is the true story of Khayyin the wanderer and Haqim our Ancestor, and it is the true beginning of us all.
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The Curse
As the centuries passed and the kafir banded together in their farce called the Camarilla, those Clans that refused to join split off into the Sabbat. This left our rafiq in a very properous position of being hired by both the Camarilla and the Sabbat to end their enemies, even enemies within their own ranks. The Children of Haqim grew strong beyond belief, as the price for their services was the Blood of those slain.
Despite the inner strife taking place within the Camarilla, once they began to meet together, the munafiqun began to see the truth. Despite the lies they told each other, their eyes were opened, and they saw how they were used, and how strong had become the Children of Haqim. Just as fables are told of secret demons growing stronger with each telling, so did the kafir tell stories of the Assamites, making us into great and terrible demons in their imagination. So great did their fear become that they could no longer live under the same stars with the Children of Haqim, and they made war upon us.
Although Haqim's children had grown strong, the kafir turned the Assamite's mortal allies against them and made repeated attempts at storming Alamut. We managed to turn them away time and again, but we grew weaker with each attack. At last, a kafir Nosferatu was captured in the very heart of Alamut, and the Children of Haqim kenw that defeat had come.
This was the darkest hour, when the shame and the woe of Haqim's children were known to all the munafiqun. The Master of Alamut sent to the Camarilla, speaking words of peace, and in the city of Tyre a treaty saved the rafiq from destruction, but the cost of our salvation was a terrible one. The whole of the clan submitted itself to the sorcery of the Tremere warlocks, so that the Blood of Khayyin's get would be as poison to us forever.
No more could we walk the Path of Blood and become One with the Ancestor. This is our Curse, and the greatest of our many sorrows.
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Present Times
These are dark times, O beloved, and the Children of Haqim are weak. Yet our weakness is our shield, for now that we may no longer walk the Path of Blood, the munafiqun have less fear of us. They hold back their spears from the wounded lion, thinking not that it's wounds shall heal. They believe the rafiq to be conquered, and the wolf to have become a mere dog.
Thus, they come to old Alamut increasingly to seek the doom of their enemies, and willingly pay with their own Blood, for they know ~~ so they believe ~~ that the Path of Blood is closed to us. Our weakness is our shield, and our usefulness our stockade; it is clear that we shall never be destroyed, for the folly of the kafir shall always save us.
And there are those Children of Haqim who remain Unconquered. Though many have turned their backs upon us, we are no more enemies than we are friends. They still walk the Path of Blood, and it may be that through the Unconquered ones our own feet may turn back to the footsteps of Haqim. Yet before the umma be restored, they must forsake their alliances among the munafiqun and rededicate themselves to our holy task.
Thus it remains. We are feared and hunted, and at the same time we are sought out for our skills. We endure, and await the day when our strength is rebuilt.
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Joining the Assamite Clan
As with everything else, the decision to Embrace a mortal is made by the clan as a whole, and not by an individual clan member. This does not mean, as it does with the Tremere, that the clan recruits rarely and is slow to recover losses. Through centuries of strife and danger the Assamites have developed a recruiting program which is more effective than that of any other clan and ensure that only the best prospects are Embraced.
Part of the duty of Assamites out in the mortal world is to look for possible recruits. Originally, the clan only Embraced males of Middle Eastern and Indian ethnic stock. The first female Assamite was Embraced in 1746, but it was another 150 years before Europeans were admitted. Now, any candidate who shows promise may be considered.
Selection The clan looks for a number of qualities in potential neonates. First and foremost, they must be very highly skilled in one or more forms of personal combat, with a proven ability to kill effectively. This requirement is waived in the case of specialists, who must instead be highly skilled in the areas required by the clan. Secondly, they must have a psychological profile which enables them to kill those who are presented to them as enemies without suffering any psychological damage in the process. They must be able to detach themselves from the destruction they cause and be secure in the knowledge that their acts are justified as acts of war. Finally, they must have the capacity for intense loyalty, and at least the potential for sympathy with the beliefs and goals of the clan.
A prospect may be watched for several years before being approached. It is customary for senior Assamites to watch prospects identified by junior clan members for a while before a decision is made. Once made, though, the decision is as irrevocable as any made by the Assamites. The prospect is conducted to Alamut by some means or another and training begins.
Training The mortals are trained in groups, and the first stage of training is for them to learn each other's skills. The recruits serve at Alamut for seven years ~~ as guards and menials, and as a Herd for the rafiq who reside there. They are inducted into the outer mysteries of the Path of Blood, becoming ghouls near the end of their training and learning how to handle the superhuman powers conferred by Assamite Blood.
Embrace At the end of the seven-year training period, the decision is made as to which of the prospects are worthy of the Embrace. This is carried out at a great ceremony, held at the same time each year, which all senior members of the clan attend. Every Assamite tries to return to Alamut for the Embrace; it is one fo the clan's most important rituals, and it is important that clan members are able to recognize one another by sight. The Embrace is given using the Heartblood of the clan, symbolizing the fact that the clan, rather than an individual sire, is the true focus of loyalty.
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Clan Structure
The Assamites, while emphasizing hierarchy, do not require the coercion of Blood Bonds as do similarly structured clans such as the Tremere. It's members rigidly adhere to clan rules out of a combination of lyalty, love, faith, fear and brainwashing. This process begins even before they are recruited and continues to the night when they meet Final Death. The Assamite indoctrination program may well be the most complete ever devised, and it's success can be traced back for millennia.
Fida'i Newly embraced neonates receive the title fida'i ~~ those who sacrifice themselves ~~ in token of their submission to the will of the clan. They remain at Alamut for a further seven years training to use their vampiric skills, learning the Assamite disciplines, and the second level of the teachings of Haqim. At the end of the seven years they are judged by the clan silsila to see if they are worthy of full clan membership. Rarely are any fida'i chosen to serve less than seven years, and some are sentenced to an additional seven if they have not appropriately completed their training. The ceremony of becoming rafiq is held at the same time as that of the Embrace.
Rafiq The Rafiq make up the rank and files of the Assamite, most serving outside of Alamut as assassins. They are always in touch with one another, and aware of the goings on at Alamut, mostly to ensure that no one undertakes a contract without someone else knowing about it. That way, if the rafiq fails to return, an investigation can be conducted to determine if there is a need for revenge.
Silsila These are the elders of the clan, the Keepers of the Blood. They act as a priesthood, instructing the fida'i in the Path of Blood, and guiding the rafiq in the footsteps of the Ancestor. Any Assamite may be appointed silsila by the Master and the du'at.
Du'at The du'at are the three most senior clan members aside from the Master. They serve as a council of advisors for the Master in their own fields of interest: military, political and magical. The military head of the Assamites has the title of caliph. He alone can overrule an assassination contract, and is the only allowed to call a Blood Hunt. The chief scholar has the title of vizier, and in addition to maintaining the search for knowledge, he acts as the political advisor to the Master. The third du'at is the amr, who is the chief magician of Alamut. He trains the rafiq in the various Disciplines, and oversees the quest to remove the Curse.
Master The Master of Alamut is the supreme head of the Assamite Clan. He appoints all important representatives after listening to the du'at. His leadership can only be taken by a challenge, and he picks the type of duel ~~ physical (mutual assassination), political (a vote by the clan) or magical ~~ so any challenger must be confidant of beating the incumbent Master in all three fields. The loser of a challenge is ritually executed and their blood added to the Heartblood.
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From: http://www.patman.org/wod/clans/assamite.asp | | comments: Leave a comment |
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Graphic by Szine
The Assamite Timeline
~12000 BC - The First city is built. Haqim is Embraced (most likely by Enosh the Wise).
~10000 BC - The Great Deluge destroys the First City.
~8300 BC - The Second City is built.
~8200 BC - Haqim and his brood of scholars find the Second City and make their home within.
~7500 BC - Haqim is appointed judge of the Second City by his peers and founds the bloodline of judges, which will later become the warrior caste.
~7350 BC - The first Baali war begins.
~7300 BC - Haqim founds the sorcerer bloodline to strenghten the Second City's defenses. Haqim Embraces ur-Shulgi and uses him to unite the Baali.
~7200 BC - The Baali are defeated by the combined forces of Salubri and Assamites.
~6800 BC - The second Baali war begins. The Baali besiege the Second City and are defeated. Ur-Shulgi is brought back into the fold.
~6000 BC - The Assamites leave the crumbling Second City. Haqim founds Alamut, the Eagle's Nest.
413 BC - Haqim leaves Alamut, enraged by his offspring's treacherous machinations.
330 BC - Tegyrius is Embraced.
146 BC - Carthage is destroyed by Roman armies.
68 BC - Haqim's last visit to Alamut.
25 BC - Thetmes is Embraced by Sha'hiri.
1st century AD - Al-Ashrad is Embraced by ur-Shulgi.
121 AD - Last public sighting of Haqim.
609 AD - The Muslim faith is born when God speaks to Mohammed through the angel Gabriel.
632 AD - Mohammed dies.
636 AD - The Assamites defeat the Baali at Chorazin. before their demise, the Baali manage to place a curse of bloodlust upon the Assamite clan.
1072 AD - The Crusades begin.
1099 AD - Jerusalem falls to the Christians.
1102 AD - Fatima al-Faqadi is Embraced by Thetmes. Founding of the Web of Knives.
1205 AD - Pope Innocent III instigates the Fourth Crusade. This will eventually lead to the Inquisition.
1229 AD - Start of the Spanish Inquisition. Elders sacrifice their childer to the flames.
1231 AD - The Inquisition founds the Society of Leopold.
1240 AD - The Anarch Revolt begins. Many Assamites aid the Anarchs in their battles against Cainite elders.
1252 AD - Pope Innocent IV authorizes the use of torture in the Spanish Inquisition, because he has been made aware of the existence of the Kindred, the Garou, and the Mages.
1313 AD - The Inquisition winds down. The Society of Leopold takes up the slack. The Anarchs make peace with the Assamites.
1405 AD - The Lasombra Antediluvian perishes in a combined Anarch/Assamite assault.
1420 AD - The Anarch revolution reaches it's peak.
1450 AD - The Toreador Rafael de Corazon makes his famous speech which leads to the founding of the Camarilla and the establishment of the Masquerade.
1462 AD - Constantinople falls to Muslim Turks.
1493 AD - The Convention of Thorns is signed, signaling the end of the Anarch Revolt. The Sabbat movement is birthed, and the original Code of Milan is composed. The location of fortress Alamut is compromised.
1496 AD - The Treaty of Tyre is signed and a great Curse is placed upon clan Assamite by the Tremere inner circle, rendering the Assamites unable to drink Cainite vitae. A group of Assamites refuses to succumb to the Curse and join the fledgling Sabbat sect, becoming the Assamite antitribu.
1529 AD - Tzimisce strike at the Camarilla. Assamites help with the siege of Vienna. After a year the siege is broken.
1683 AD - Second siege of Vienna.
1745 AD - The word 'vampire' first appears in the oxford dictionary.
1967 AD - The Six Day War between Israel and Arab nations. The Leopards of Zion covertly assassinate Cainites that have influence in Israel.
1997 AD - Ur-Shulgi awakens from Torpor. The Tremere Curse on clan Assamite is broken. Ur-Shulgi deploys his extremist doctrine.
1999 AD - The Week of Nightmares. The Ravnos antediluvian dies. The Red Star appears in the sky.
2000 AD - The Schism takes place; Al-Ashrad leads a large group of Assamites out of the clan, finding refuge in the Camarilla.
Graphic by Peezy
From: www.assamites.com | | comments: Leave a comment |
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Aziz Faraj al Saqr
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