Ancient Lore

Kindred society is in at least one way no different from any other gathering of individuals: it tells stories of its own origin. And while Kindred scholars, eschatologists, priests, and speculators disagree on the details of these stories - especially from clan to clan, and Sect to Sect - some broad concepts are agreed upon.

Caine
''And the Lord said unto him, “Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. — Genesis 4:15''

With these words, many vampires trace their origins back to Biblical times. Caine, son of Adam and brother of Abel, slew his sibling in sacrifice to God, and in so doing was cast out, becoming the first vampire as God withdrew His grace from the exile.

Caine, as the First Vampire, wandered the Land of Nod, where he eventually passed on his curse, Embracing those who would become known as the Second Generation. Their names are lost or vaguely known and they eventually begat the Third Generation, who would become the progenitors of what Kindred understand tonight as Clans.

The Camarilla generally believes the myth of Caine to be just that: a parable with perhaps some basis in truth, but largely symbolic. The Sabbat takes the whole matter quite literally, and their faith in doomsday prophecies causes no end of strife. The matter of Caine is indeed a religion among vampires, fraught with all of the zealotry, intolerance, devotion, pride, and fear that accompany all matters of faith.

The First City
What we know of the First City comes from a tiny selection of tablet fragments, vase shards and carved monuments uncovered after two thousand years of burial. The First City was unique in its vampiric nature. There, the two generations of Caine's Children, the second and the third generation, created for themselves a society that adapted to their particular vampiric customs, needs, and powers. Vampires were worshiped and revered by the humans around them, not hidden away. It is said that the First City was destroyed by the Biblical Deluge, sent by God to punish Antediluvians of the Third Generation after they slew their sires. Caine then also uttered his own curse over each of his grand childer for this wicked act, which is said to be the origin of the weakness of the clans.

The Second City
The Second City was the place where the Antediluvians first gathered after the Biblical Deluge trying to recreate the glory of the First City. However, The Second City did not receive the blessing of Caine and eventually collapsed under civil war, scattering the Antediluvians and their broods across the earth.