The Camarilla
enemies. And all the time, we grew stronger on the Blood of their elders. Many rafiq greeted the dawn of a new golden age and grew contemptuous of the kafir.
But when they began to meet and talk together in their Camarilla, the mumfiqun 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 the Crusaders had told stories of the assassins that grew greater in the telling, sodid 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.
The Anarch Rebellion learned well from the Childrenof Haqim, and wrought great destruction in the camps of these Crusaders. Hashashiyyin, - _ they were called, and the Europeans named them Assassins, and told each other great tales of their guile and courage, and made each other more afraid of them. Some, indeed, had drunk the Blood of Haqim, but these were few; for the most part they were pure mortals, well trained and devoted to their cause. The hushushiyyin were as sons and daughters to the Children of Haqim, and the greatest of them were chosen to walk the Path of Blood.
The Camarilla Rome sent more soldiers to win back the lost lands from the followers of Islam, and the tide ofwar ebbed and flowed for many decades. The Kindred, as the kafir named themselves, were fractious and made bad alliances and were as wary of each other as they were afraid of the Children of Haqim. Their forces were split by dissension and weakened by strife.
Yet once more the Ventrue pressed into the mountains in search of Alamut, and their armored knights won several victories. But the strongest knights were not of the Ventrue.
These were the Knights of the Temple, shaped by the sorcerers of the Tremere. They used arms and wizardry together, and great was our struggle against them.
But the mortals who called themselves Ismailis had It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.
General Ben Chidlaw So vain and foolish had they become, these munafiqun, that even the mortals had begun to defeat them. In Rome, where once the kafir Ventrue had schemed to rule the world, a mortal priest gave approval to a great scouring out of witches and other evildoers. The cross and the flame took many of the Kindred, and they were forced to set aside their differences a little and join together that all might not be destroyed. So was born the palace of lies which they call the Camarilla.
In their arrogance, those of the Camarilla presumed to suminon all of the Blood of Khayyin and order them to submit. Many chose not to do so, and these they declared to be outcasts and heretics. Clans were torn asunder, and sire was set against progeny, so that as many died by Blood Hunt as by stake and fire - and this was no small number, for the kafir sold each other to the Inquisitors in the cause of their petty rivalries, just as they continued to enrich the Blood of Haqim's children with their plotting.
And yet there were many whosurvived; by strength, by guile or by hiding themselves away. Those of the Camarilla were angered by the refusal of many to be ruled by them, and made war upon them. Although the Children of Haqim were among those branded heretic, still more were sought out to prey upon their enemies; and in turn did their enemies of the Sabbat seek us out to prey upon the Camarilla. To both sides we were outcasts, yet too useful to be made But the rafiq had grown strong and wise since the time of Haqim and were not easily defeated. The Children of Haqim lent their strength to the rising of the anarchs, and great was the shedding of kafir blood in those nights. Our mortal servants carried the war to the heart of Europe, to the very gates of Vienna, where the Tremere warlocks trembled in their cellars. Where our armies passed, none was spared.
Yet had the Children of Haqim grown vain and foolish in their pride, and forgetful of their bonds of brotherhood.
For it was this war which sundered the rafiq as the Camarilla itself had sundered the kafir. Some held that our enemies' enemies should be our friends, and grew closer to the kafir of the Sabbat. They heeded not the elders and were deaf to the teachings of Haqim our Ancestor, that we must be true only to our cause and despise all the get of Khayyin. This was the greatest of our sadness, that our brothers should turn their backs upon their brethren, and upon our ancestor.
Great though it was, the schism is not the only sadness that the children of Haqim must bear. For now our very homeland was turned against us, as the kafir twisted the hearts of our mortal allies and set their hands against Alamut. One called Selim brought his armies almost to the foot of the Eagle's Nest, for we had looked only to Europe for enemies. Now, the Children of Haqim faced enemies upon every hand. At last, a kafir Nosferatu was captured in the very heart of Alamut, and the Children of Haqim knew that defeat had come.
The Curse 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 ofpeace, and in the city ofTyre a treaty saved therafiq from destruction, but the cost ofour 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. deadletter. Assami ns into the mountaim of As nd again in search of the Assamite