to conFRont HIM OKEVEH MOVE SHE EVETJ

to conFRont HIM OKEVEH MOVE SHE EVETJ

'} GO AIJYWHERE, dOfJ 'i USE SERVICE. fVELEFt YOUFOOd ATjd d£//7KF0R tHEdAY. I'LL BEBACf^tHiSEVEVtiJG Aljd WE CM] LEAVE.

KISSES, JOHATJJJ "WoridERFUL," SHE IflUitEREd. "TRAPPEd il| A HOtEL ttEXt tO KEFlSinGtOn, PALACE WitH tHE POLICE 110 dOUBt SCOURinG tHE SiKEEtSFORJlIE." SHE SiRAGGLEd OUt OFBEAd, aOSEdtHECURtAinaSHUtOFFALLtHELiGHtS, And SiPPEd A8 MUCH WAtER^AS SHE COUld HOLd dOWn, SOLid FOOd WAS BEYOHd HER.

Tip SUCH A BLOOdY FOOL." THROUGH A IJIJRACLE OF BIOLOGY, SHE dOZEd OFF BEFORE EVEnina JOHAnrj WOKE HERJJGURS LAtFJ^ OFJ tllTE . "I'M SORRY I HAd tO LEAVE YOU. , YOU'LL UTldERStAIld WHY SOOn EI10UGE" HE THI DEVIL'S DUE,; HELPEd HER. intO A CHAIR, "I HAd HOPEd tO HOLd OFF FQRJlWHiLE, At LEASt UTftlL I COULd EKPLAin EVERYtHinG, BUt tHiHGS ARE tEI]8E, ATfd tHE On,LY WAY I CAI] GEt YOU OUt OF London - ATIYWAY, WHAtEVER^YOU dO, WHAtEVER.HAPPEn,8, dOn, 't PAT|iC" v GWEH OPET|Ed HER.mOUtH itD ARGUE, BUt ALLtHEFiGHt8UddEI|LYdRAiriEdFROmHER,8HE KI1EW tHAt JOHAT|r| HAd SOMEHOW CAUSEd HERLEtHARGY, BUt COULdn. 'tFin,dtHE StRErjGtH to conFRont HIM OKEVEH MOVE SHE EVETJ LACKEd tHE ENERGY to Fil]d tHE EKPER|En,CE A SMALL PARi1 OF HER. Miffd REr[IAin,Ed ALERjtHROUGH tHE LASt VEStiGES OF HATlGOVERJtfld WHAtEVERWAS 8MOtHER]r|G HER SOUL. THAt PARt SAW JOHATin, '8 PERFECtLY n,0RlflAL tEEtH GROW into FRJGHtEn,in,GLY SHARP FAnGS. THAt PARt OF HER. Min,d SCREAIfEd BLOOdY mUR^ER^WHEn, HE 8An,K. tHOSE KJliFE-LiKE fEEtH in,fO HER.fHR.OAT, SHE SWOOnEd AS HE dRAiljEd HER.BLOOd il| swiFt GULPS, SHE BARELY FELt tHE in.tEn.8E PLEASURE tHE FEEdifjG in,8tiLL8 in ViCtilfIS BEFORE SHE PA88Ed OUf.

GWEn 8tOOd Off A FLAt PLAify I[IOUn,- fAil|8 if] fHE diStAnCE, HEAVY CLOUdS OBSCURinG tHE STARS. AREd LIGHT FLASHEd O\ tHE diStAnCE, SEARCHinG. THE REd WAS T\Qfc' 80 MUCH A COLOR.A8 AT] EmOtiOI] — inf El} SE AnGER.And HAfREd MlKEd TOGETHER, EIJIAriAtinG FR0ra A SOURCE so stRpno it WAS ViSiBLE tO tHE IfAKEd EYE. SHE KJjEW SHE COULd not ALLOW it tO Find HER, BUt LACKEd A PLACE fO HidE. SHE tURTfEd f0 RJ/n - JOHAnn PRESSEd HIS WRJSf TO GWEn'S IJIOUTH, StAininG HER. FACE WitH A tHiCK, COLd LiQUid tHAt BURJlEd HER^tHRDAt AS SHE dRAniv LiKE T\0 SCOTCH EVEK COULd And BARfLY SAtiSFiEd A LMlGER^tHAt PERHEAtEd HEKBEino, "DRinK, dAmn YOU." SHE SWALLO WEd A LARGE CLOf tHAt HAd POOLEd in HER. tHROAf WHILE SHE WAS WTCOnSCiOVS And dRAnK, UTjABLE TO tHin^OF AnYtHinG ELSE.

SHE KEPt dRinKlnC OT|tiL tHE HUnGER.

SUBSidEd tO A COntROLLABLE LEVEL A^ HER. mindREtURHEdtORAtiOnAL tHOUGHt. THEn SHE SnAPPEd HER.HEAd AWAY FROIfl Hi8 WR]8t, StAREd At H1I1IFOR.A mOIIlEnt, And SLAPPEd Hilfl AS HAR^ AS SHE COULd. "YOU FiLtHY. YAniv BAStAKd!" SHE RAn Ol7f OF BREATH And HAd TO COnSCiOUSLY tAKE in WORE AiR, "WHAt tHE HELL dO YOU THinK YOU'RE dOilJG?"

HiS n08tR]L8 FLARf d And HE SnARLEd BEFORE ViSiBLYREGAininG COniRPL. "Fiji SAVinG YOU FRO^I A PR]80n SEntEnCE, JU8t AS YOU ASKfd." HE SPAt EACH WORd AS IF it WERE A CLANBOOK; RAVNOS dAGGER. BLOOd tR|CKtEd FROIJI fHE CORTjER. I OF HiS mOUTH, WHERE OnE OF GWEn '8 RJnGS HAd CAUGHt fHE 8Kin. HE WiPEd tHE BLOOd WitH tHE BACK.OF His HAnd And StAREd At it FOR.A UTOIlEnt BEFORE LiCKJnG if CLEAn.

GWEn StOOd, SHAKinO WitHRAGE " U/HAt HAVEYOUdenEtOriE?" SHE COULdn'f FEEL HER.

HEARf BEAtinG And didn't BOTHER.TO CHECK FOR.A PULSE. "I WAntEd TO LiVE SOMEWHERE tHAt WOULdn't EXfRAditE T[1E, n^ GEt infO KlnKY.,. WHAtEVERjHiSiS!"

JOHAnn WOndEREd BRIEFLY IF HE'd d©nE tHE RlGHf THinG, BUt BULLEd AHEAd AnYWAY.

"LOOK, I CAn UndERStAnd YOUR. OUTRAGE I IJIEAn, SOIlEOnEdid tHiSTO IjlE ©nCE AnYWAY, WE nEEd TO GEt YOU A VESSEL - 80IJ1E SU8TEnAnCE BEFORE YOU LOSE COr]tR0L And SfARf SnAPPinG At THROATS CALL ROOff! SERyiCE"

"And ORdER.WHAf? 8tEAK.tARtARE?"

"It dOESn'f ITIAttER.iF YOU WAnt fHE BELLHOP, BUt YOU CAn't IQLL Hi^. I LiKE tHiS HOtEL And I WAnt TO COI|E BACK."

SHE LAUGHEd At HilfL 'T|lAYBE I WILL KJIL HilH "THEn SHE StOPPEd, SURfRiSEdtHAf SUCH WORdS HAd COIflE FROIJI HER.LiPS. "F[0. U/Alt. ; FLLCALLROOIJlSERyiCE."

StARfEd FOR.tHE PHOnE, BUt GWEn BEAt HilH fO it.

SHE SpRKEd. "I'LL HAndLE it, JUSf LiKE YOU TOLdljlE" SHEPiCKEdUPtHEPHOnE AnddiALEd.

"WHAt'S tHE IflOSt EKPEnSiVE ifEI]I On YOUR. ijEnu? WHAf's in it? VERY Good, I'LL tAKE 8QIJIE And SEnd UP SOIrlE OF YOUR.BE8t WinE, IF YOU PLEASE" SHE WinKEd At JOHAIjn AS SHE HUnG UP. "Fill SURE YOU CAn AFFORf) it."

THE WAit WAS nERVE-WRACKinG FOR.

GWEn And FRystRAf ino FORjOHAnn. ... 17 tHE BELLHOP FirjALLY BROUGHt tHE IfffiAL, GWEn BRIEFLY SHAPPEd OUt OF HERJIOOd ATld LAtCHEd OntO tHE POORJfIAIj'8 tHROAl SHE WOULd HAVE KJLLEd HJIjl, LOSt if] SLAKJnG tHE HUnGERjHAt tHREAdEd tHROUGH HER.BOdY AT[d SOUL, HAd JOHATin HOt PULLEdHERAWAY.

"LiCIQtHE WOUTld," HE HlSSEd. TOO StARj-LEd tO ARGUE, SHE OBEYEd.

AS SOOn AS tHE dAZEd BELLHOP LEFt -^ WltH A HEFtY tiP And APOLOGiES FOR^HiS "UnHEALtHY WiFE" FR01]1 JOHAnn — tHE THE DEVIL'S DUE u ." WE lllUSt LEAVE — WE CAT] 't LEt QUEEn AnnE CAtCH US HERE. ESPECIALLY AFtERjUAt LittLE EPiSOdE I'VE ARBAnGEd tRAnSPORtAtlOn FOR.

HUW BLOOd On HERLIPS, COULdn 'tlflUStERtHE JWiLL tO ARGUE SHE FOLLOWEd JOHAnn '$ftQ tHE niGHt, And tHE nEW EXiStEnCE tHAt AWAitEdHER.

HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.

—Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary Okay, this is what you wanted and it's all I could dig up. Thank you so much for sending us into the middle of India and all those Chinese and Indian psycho-Kindred out for our vitae.

We found the havens you told us about and dug out the journals and artifacts. John and I translated and transcribed it in a stinking hotel room in Calcutta while some fucked-up coterie calling itself the Bone Flowers was looking for us about 200 miles away to the south. I can't promise that any of this will make sense or answer your questions, but I bet it'd make a great summer blockbuster. You know — one of those really overblown ones. We could cast Ah-nuld as Zapathasura, the tougher-than-hell bastard who just won't stay dead. Drew Diaz, or whatever Hollywood whore is hot right now, could play the love interest who sticks a knife in his back, the Gangrel progenitor.

We found pieces of the Karavalanis/ia Vrana, though not a complete copy. Clues pointed us CHAPTER ONE: AGREED UPON LIES toward a mountain in Pakistan, but when we went there, it looked like pure hell. Something had warped the landscape and fused it into glass. John saw a crack running through a mountain. We found nothing useful there and didn't really want to hang around. I swear something was watching us the whole time. Something nasty.

If even half of this stuff is true, I want to get off of this world right the fuck now.

A note about dates: If it happened before the Bronze Age, I don't have much in the way of accurate chronology. The era of Enoch and the Karawianisha Vrana just doesn't exist on the calendar. My best guess is between 10,000 and 6,000 BC, but I have no rational way to narrow that down. You want better specifics, you can come get them. I'm busy holding my bitten-off arm to the stump left after the attack by a flying head with all the guts hanging out, and hoping it will heal. svadharma: An individual's purpose; her reason forbeing. '-H •' . '.'••• '" ; ;:':;,, * '.-.

Vaisyas: A Ravnos jati concerned primarily with interaction among mortals and covering up any evidence of Kindred existence.

S i e Zapathasura: The Ravnos progenitor. More of a title than a name, this word means something like ; "Accursed Monster." 5 ?

THE KARAVALANISHA VRANA: AN ASIDE So you're reading this history and wondering, "What the hell is this Karavalanisha Vrana crap?"

The Karavalanisha Vrana, translated as Wounds of the Night's Sword, is an epic poem about the origins and early years of the Ravnos clan. It falls into clear fabrication and fable at points, especially when the author tries to justify the existence of the Ravnos and their holy purpose. It also serves as the basis for the Path of Paradox, a Ravnos code of ethics that sees the Embrace as an investment of duty rather than an excuse to claim jurisdiction over life and death just because those Embraced drink blood.

All evidence indicates that the Ravnos believed Zapathasura him/her/itself wrote the original text, but then Kindred of all stripes are good at the big lie. I suspect the real culprit was a now-forgotten elder with more time and poetic talent than good sense. The Karavalanisha Vrana could be based on earlier tales about our origins, or might be a work of fiction some ancient bastard wrote so he could keep his childer in line.

Right now, it's hard to tell either way. The existing text is also the best starting point we have.

Against my better judgment, I believe in it. It just... feels right.

INDIAN RECORDS These records are taken from a half-dozen havens, presumably those that belonged to elders who were destroyed during the Week of Nightmares. Stories in the Americas and Europe describe Ravnos flying into frenzy and suffering diablerie or Final Death. The Ravnos elders showed no signs of violence or even resistance. Their desiccated remains apparently fell wherever the victims were standing, or stayed where they were sitting or laying. Something appeared to have drained all the vitae out of their bodies.

We burned every body we found, or scattered the ashes when too little of the corpse remained.

MARCIA FELICIA LICINIA Centuries ago, the Ravnos elder Marcia Felicia Licinia, childe of Phaedyme, childe of Marizhavashti Kali, childe of Zapathasura (as she signed her name) compiled a trove of information on Ravnos history and lineages. Her own journals CLANBOOK: RAVNOS ;;.' : : . . . : > . . ' LEXICON g itfff'^-f :f'^.,,'*M Claribook: Ravnos introduces several terms not seen in other Vampire titles. Many are derived from Hindu words, but their use among Ravnos may differ from usage among mortals. Other words are derived from the Romani language, as spoken by the Rroma.

Alexandrites: A lineage of Ravnos formerly een* Jtered in Egypt, now scattered. asuratizayya: "Countless demons"; what the Ravnos called the siddhi after their fall.

Bashirites; A Ravnos lineage whose members were apocalyptic Christians. Most joined the Sabbat.

Brahman: One of the original Ravnos jati. The Brahmanhad"secondsight"andcouldperceive the world in strange ways. Known for their gift of prophecy.

Chandalas: One of the jati, though not always Ravnos. This jati is composed of outcasts and caitiffs, and is considered impure. jati: A Hindu word, meaning "caste". Among the Ravnos, it denotes lineage. Among Indian Ravnos, lineage and caste are considered the same thing.

Karavalanisha Vrana: Wounds of the Night's Sword. An epic poem about the Ravnos clan's history in India. Much of it is metaphorical or allegorical and may make only sidereal reference to real events.

Zapathasura is the rumored author, but it's more likely that several Ravnos contributed to the work over time.

Kshatriyas: The jati associated with warfare and leadership. They led the war against the asuratizflyya for millennia. , ..;• ' . ' ••,.:;,•..;.-''• \ ' : . , / • • < ' ''/.' kumpaniya: A traveling family or company of Rroma. Sometimes described as Gypsies, these companies may harbor Kindred among their ranks. mayaparisatya: From maya, referring to illusion, and parisatya, referring to truth. It refers to the "paradox" in the Path of Paradox. The word also occasionally refers to the Path itself or to Chimerstry.

Phaedymites: A visionary branch of the Ravnos, this line vanished just after the formation of the Camarilla.

Phuri Dae: Brahman Ravnos who traveled west with the Rroma. The word comes from Romani and means "old womaru" ^ . .. ' ;<?'. ::'.''•'•(, '>:%?*'; ' ' • shilmulo: A Kindred; the undead. siddhi: Supernatural beings charged to protect humanity from demonic forces. They failed, becoming demonic themselves, and were cursed for their failure.

Sudras: The most common meaning is "Ghouls", but the title carries other formal connotations.' indicate concern at the arrival of Ravnos with the nomadic Rroma and their disdain — even hostility —for the Ravnos already established in Europe.

Much of the following account comes from Marcia's writings.

Lawrence received Marcia's records in an anonymously shipped parcel I refer to as the "care package." I cannot vouch for Marcia's accuracy — some of her writings are downright unbelievable — but I included them for the sake of completeness. Her history fills in gaps that the Indian material could not, especially regarding the doings of the Ravnos once they left India. Also, I can't claim to have been around when much of this happened, so maybe my modern mind just can't wrap itself around what she's describing.

Perhaps those older than I can vouch for the veracity of various incidents... oops, no they can't.

They're all dead. We may never know, but here you have it anyway.

DEMONS AND THE DEAD According to the Wounds of the Night's Sword, the Ravnos first appeared in India when a group of angelic guardians betrayed their duty and used their powers to spread war and tyranny across the face of the Earth. These beings, called the siddhi, were called before the gods to face justice. The siddhi stood accused of murder, of using their power to drain the life from the humans they were charged to protect. They also faced judgement for losing track of their purpose — to battle the true demons that encroached upon the mortal world.

The gods cursed the siddhi, taking their divine breath from the culprits and cursing them to become one with the darkness. The gods named them asuratizayya, or "countless demons." Because the gods could not strip the accursed horde of all its power without greater harm to the world, they chose to create a balance. They summoned the soul of a man more terribly wronged than any other mortal by the siddhi's crimes and told him that he was to become like his tormentors, so that he could hound them to the four corners of the Earth and destroy them. Unlike the asuratizayya, the man would be able to make more of his own kind and so overwhelm the enemy. Unfortunately, the true demons saw how the gods' chosen warrior was returned to Earthly existence as one of the unliving CHAPTER ONE: AGREED UPON LIES and taught the secret to the asuratizayya. The fallen angels could not learn the secret of the Embrace, but with this knowledge, they did not need it.

Some of the gods feared that their unliving warrior would turn on them as the siddhi had, and cursed him. The gods of fire and the sun especially despised this creation because it drew life not from warmth, but from death. The king of all the gods declared that the warrior would have no true name, that he would simply be Zapathasura, or anathema, as well as a demon like those he fought.

I should make it clear that Zapathasura and the asuratizayya were never referred to as true demons, despite the meaning of the word asura. True demons lived apart from the world and sought to own or devour it. The asuratizayya were beasts that chose to emulate the true demons, and Zapathasura's creation is best summed up as, "It takes a thief to catch a thief."

On the brighter side, the gods gifted their wunderkind with the ability to command animals, withstand tremendous physical punishment and manipulate may a directly. Unfortunately, his undead nature somewhat proved his undoing. Zapathasura envied the living and took far more than he needed to survive. He passed this hunger on to his childer and ultimately to the Ravnos clan. 1 want to highlight something here: The asuratiza^a were bloodsucking demons risen from the dead to feed on the living. Sound familiar? It damned well should! The so-called asuratizayya are just another clan of Kindred. My first guess would be the Gangrel, but they're mentioned later in a different context. 1 think the would-be historian who wrote this poem was confused. 1 also think the Ravnos created a Sabbat of sorts thousands of years before the Lasombra and Tzimisce thought one up.

THF FIRST BROOD Zapathasura Embraced five times in the first century or two of his existence. He may have Embraced others later, but we've found nothing to indicate that. All the lineages we've uncovered trace their origins back to these five childer.

The first is called the Black Mother. The Old Lady of the Ravnos clan, she occasionally gets confused with Kali Ma, the Hindu goddess of death, destruction and the end of the world. The Black Mother was famous for her perception and understanding of all layers of reality and was a renowned prophetess. The Brahman, and later the Phuri Dae, claim descent from Zapathasura through her. The stories say she could sense the asuratizayya from hundreds of leagues away, know the deepest inner thoughts of all near her, and kept a list of the sinners and saints among her peers. After the Black Mother abandoned Zapathasura and his war, her sire ordered her name stricken from all records. (Obviously, they missed a few.) The second childe was the Rakshasa, reputed to possess unequaled skill at deception. According to the stories, he could walk among the most potent of the asuratizayya without risk of detection, suckle at a tiger's teat and sell water to a thirsty fish. During the long years when he stood at Zapathasura's right hand, he acted as scout for the Ravnos and learned much about the enemy. In time, he disagreed with his sire's war and made the mistake of telling him so. The two fought bitterly and the Rakshasa barely escaped. According to the Karavalanisha Vrana, he turned to Zapathasura's second-greatest enemy. Based on the apocrypha, that enemy might be the so-called "traitor" Ennoia.

According to other records, the Rakshasa may have sought refuge in Africa or what is now referred to as the "Middle Kingdom," where the Cathayans prowl.

A WORD FROM DR. MAYHHW CLANBOOK: RAVNOS Zapathasura's third childe was more loyal than the first two. Known as Chandraputra the General, he reputedly led the Ravnos into battle against the asuratizayya. He worked with the Black Mother to coordinate intelligence, from which he developed his strategies. He may have ruled over the mortal city-nation of Harappa until it went to war against the asuratizayya stronghold of MohenjoDaro. The Kshatriyas jati traces its lineage through Chandraputra.

The fourth childe, Ravana, allegedly bargained with the true demons for power greater than he could ever earn from his sire. The text is remarkably short on specifics, though it does say he vanished from the world after striking the deal.

Later tales describe him using his unearned infernal power to undermine the asuratizayya virtues and lure them to his service, as they once lured him.

The fifth childe, Ramessu, is the sire of the Vaisyas jati. He watched mortals for signs of asuratizayya activity in their midst and Embraced solely from the merchant class. In time, he also tired of fighting and departed for lands west, where he established another lineage that knew nothing of Zapathasura and his war against the Eastern Kindred. There, Ramessu surrounded himself with the trappings and titles of nobility, rising above the station assigned him in his homeland.

CHAPTER ONE: AGREED UPON LIES THP GANGRPL HFRHSV A text separate from the Karavalanisha Vrana and given no title describes the creation by the gods of a second undead monster. She is called the most dangerous of warriors, supposedly mastering the art of shapeshifting in order to better combat the asuratizayya. When the gods told her the price of her existence, she cursed them for making her an unliving beast and turned her back on the duties they had charged her to fulfill.

Enraged, the gods cursed their second creation to "dwell among the beasts and find no safe haven anywhere in the world." They also gave her bestial features, so that no human would be deceived by her appearance. The text names her as Ennoia and her brood as the Gangrel.

Other stories that follow relate how the Gangrel, enraged at their loss of purpose, cannot abide the sight of the Ravnos — who, the text alleges, never backed down from what was required of them. In several times and places, the Gangrel and the Ravnos have come to bitter blows over everything from territorial boundaries to favored vessels.

The Gangrel "heresy" states that the Gangrel can be shown their true destiny and so shed their unreasoning hatred. Tales of such redemption are less numerous than accounts of conflict, but the text seems to encourage the reader to seek Each Antediluvian was cursed for his or her participation in the assault upon their sires. Dracian, as punishment for his selfishness and shortsightedness, was cursed to never know satisfaction. In search of that elusive quality, he followed the one member of the Third Generation who had not been cursed into the East, to seek what that other had allegedly found.

This document also describes a feud with another Antediluvian: Ennoia.

According to this version, she blamed Dracian for tempting her into the assault, or for attacking her sire — the text is unclear as to which. The language is different enough from other sources that it appears to be a later addition, possibly an attempt at revision.

Two cities in the Indus Valley, 400 miles apart and 4,000 years old, correspond to two cities described in several places in ancient journals — at least, I think it's these cities. They and the culture that built them are referred to several times in the Karavalanis/ia Vrana. r MOHENJO-DARO AND HARAPPA CLANBOOK: RAVNOS counsel with the Gangrel and teach them their svadharma, or true purpose as Kindred.

I'd pay a pretty penny to hear what the Gangrel say about us.

ENOCH This story came in the anonymous care package.

I don't understand half of what it means, but I transcribed it for the sake of completeness.

This is the First City, called Enoch, where Caine Embraced his childer Enosch, Zillah and had, who Embraced the Third Generation. Allegedly, at the same time the gods made Zapathasura into the first Ravnos, one of Caine's childer Embraced a man by the name of Dracian, who was the first of the Ravnos. According to this story, Dracian had broken into hod's haven by day and attempted to steal something of value to him. had, awakened by this intrusion, Embraced Dracian in the hope of using this new childe to spy on his siblings and their childer. had suspected the other third generation neonates (now there's something you don't hear every night) of plotting against the three members of the second generation and their sire.

Dracian, for his part, took to the plot like a fish to water. He was at heart a selfish man, and becoming one of the typically selfish Kindred only deepened that trait.

Before long, he joined the Third-Generation cabal that sought the hearts' blood of the second generation, and he led the assault against had. Sources do not say whether had (or Enosch and Zillah) were destroyed, but the Flood — yes, the biblical Flood that Noah built an ark for — followed swiftly on the heels of the Third Generation's betrayal.