From: "Sean O'Connell" <drmoo1@lindblat.cc.monash.edu.au>

To begin was Caine, our Sire's Sire,
He chose three, and to them passed his power
And his Curse. (1)

And they chose three of their own
To hold their power, to help their search
To change their eternal form

These names we hold, for they were
Our Sires, they Embraced us
To give them Childer

Veddartha, who chose control and domination
Arikel, who chose love and beauty
Lasombra, who chose strength in darkness (2)

Ennoia, who ran with the changers
Absimiliard, who was cursed with change
Tzimisce, who was lost to the change (3)

Saulot, who sought knowledge from within
Malkav, who sought knowledge from without
Akmanin(ashur), who sought knowledge from beyond (4)

For a time, the Sires and their Children
Remained in peace,
Yet not all were content

Our Sires rose against their Sires
Yet the battles were honorable
For all feared the Lextalionis

And the Younger did win
Given the rights
For Childer of their own

Of those who were chosen,
The Fourth Generation (5)
We remember the Childer of Veddartha

Sutekh, walker in darkness (6)
Mekhet, warrior-queen
Brujah, knower of the world

And for a time, they remained
In Peace, Sires and their Childer
In the Second City

Yet with power, came corruption
And Veddartha held great power
Over his Childer

Many saw the injustice, the unfairness
Yet none spoke
Against Veddartha

None spoke, out of fear, out of respect
Or perhaps because they too,
Were under his Domination

Finally Brujah, to save her Siblings (7)
>From their Sire's wrath
Bound him in chains of stone and light (8)

Her Sire's Sire came to her, saying
"Free my Childer, for you should
Show him respect, not rebellion"

And the Fire of her Blood took her (9)
And she lept upon her Grandsire
And slew him

And a great shudder went through
The Childer of Caine
For the first of them had fallen to Amarantha (10)

The battle now was enjoined
Between the Younger and Elder
And none were left aside

The Fourth broke their bonds and rose (11)
Against their Sires
And took them honourably (12)

Yet some of the Third saw the justice
In the Fourth's cause
And chose to support them without battle

Arikel, Saulot, Malkav, Absimiliard
Took the part of the Fourth
And lent them their strength

Lasombra broke his brother's bonds
Shattered the stone
Shadowed the light (13)

Osiris took arms against his Siblings
For he was a true Childe
Of his Sire (14)

Ennoia, Tzimisce, Akmanin obeyed their Sire's
Zillah and Irad rose against the Fourth,
For they feared for their Unlives

Mekhet, warrior-queen, bound the Changers
Froze their Blood (15)
Stole the soul of their Sire (16)

Saulot, closest to the light of the Childen of Caine
Destroyed his Sibling's servants,
Freed them into the Beyond (17)

He begged his Sire to flee
To not be caught
By the raging Fire of the Jyhad

The Fourth gave her passage
Granted her leave (18)
Yet not all were in agreement

Sutekh, walker in darkness
Chosen in tribute to his Sire's Sibling (19)
Took Zillah from the darkness

Stole her soul, kept her power
Flaunted to his Sibling Osiris (20)
Challenged his Sire's Sibling

Battles ceased, anger died
Yet the City lay in ruins
Its people fled, its heart on Fire (21)

The remaining Kindred, brought
To equal power by their acts
Settled their debts (22)

Turned to rebuild the city
The city of the Sire's
The city of Caine's Childer (23)

Yet one barred their way
Stopped their paths
Caine, father of all (24)

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(1) This is the traditional beginning to the well known sections of the
Book of Nod, and I was originally fearful that I had simply uncovered
a version of that infamous text.

(2) No proper name was given at this point, but instead a title, 'The Shadow'
I have decided to use the clan names where appropriate, much as feudal
lords were addressed by their peers.

(3) This would describe the much-theorised alienation which occurs at the
mastership of Vissisitude. I have not observed this affect myself, but
have been informed that it may be quite extreme.

(4) This would appear to be the name of the original necromatic clan, before
the diablerie by the Giovanni. I cannot be sure, as many of the Kindred
named here have names seperate from their Clan-name.

(5) The traditional Book of Nod passage seems to have combined the two
battles... I wonder which is closer to the truth.

(6) Gods above!!
If this passage says what I believe, then the Settite, Assamites and my
own clan all derive from Ventrue stock!
The political ramifications are enormous!

(7) It would appear that our clan founder, Brujah was a female. The trans-
lation in this case is correct, as the term used is a Royal feminine
pronoun. Perhaps the resemblance to the Spanish term for 'witch' is no
coincidence.
This information would put the cat amongst the pigeons with our somewhat
prejudiced Continental clan-mates.

(8) This stanza would appear to give an original cause for the Ventrue-Brujah
squabbles perhaps.
[This is only the beginning! The other documents within this
archival submission give more reasons for the constant warring
between ourselves and the Ventrue]

(9) No Curse of Caine, our renown temper seems to stem from our Sire, and be
ages old. The rumours that it stems from Troile's anger may only be an
inflamation of a previous affliction.

(10) So the slander sent amongst us by the Ventrue may seem to be true...
Brujah was the initator of the practice of Diablerie... in this case
perhaps justified.

(11) Broken bonds? Surely this cannot refer to the Blood Bond? If ways are
known to break blood bonds, then why the ongoing Jyhad? Much of the
machinations of Kindred life would be lifted if the Blood Oath did not
exist.

Note: I do not believe in the legends of the Sabbat breaking Blood Bonds
- merely being insane is not 'broken' to my perceptions.

(12) Captured or incapacitated this seems to indicate. No futher diablerie
is indicated.

(13) Obtenebration it seems...

(14) I have not the time in these simple notes to analyse these three lines.
Perhaps they referred to his loyalty, or maybe to his personality....
certainly this and further evidence indicated that Osiris was a Childe
of Veddartha.

(15) This would seem to be a potent manipulation of another's blood. The very
heart of Quietus....

(16) And then there was one.
At this point, both Brujah and Mekhet would be 3rd generation. This
from anonymous information I have received, would lead to a large sense
of euphoria and power. I have no personal data to base this upon.

(17) Some sort of dispellation of necromatic zombies? It would seem that
Saulot was capable of freeing entrapped spirits from their prison. One
would wonder whether he may have been able to do this with living beings.

(18) One would suggest that this was not the magnaminous jesture it would
seem. It was well known that Zillah was Caine's beloved - it may be that
the third generation considered the risk in offending their Sire's Sire
to be too high.

(19) Lasombra perhaps?

(20) Another reason for the fabled battle.... and may go some distance towards
explaining why Sutekh also won his battles with Osiris... would any of us
enjoy a battle one on one with an Elder, let alone the antediluvians?

(21) The Second City seems to not have survived the battles in this passage.
One wonders why the fights were within the city itself.

(22) In what way could such beings settle debts between themselves. In my
deepest thoughts I fear that this 'settling' may be the very heart of
the Jyhad.

(23) Almost a nostaglic air to this section

(24) One would wonder where he had been at this stage? The battles would not
have lasted a mere night, and contempory evidence suggests that the city
was one of its kind at that time.

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Further stanzas exist; however they are damaged to such a degree
that they are untranslatable, as the existing phrases make little sense
without some form of context.

The little I can translate intimates a falling out between Saulot
and Brujah, to do with Saulot's prophecies (specifically translated as his
'dreams of future days'). I include them here for completeness.

Saulot came to his sister
Who had grown in anger
At his words

He asked her 'Create no more'
To remain Childerless
To bind the existing Fledglings

But Brujah raged at his suggestion
Having freed herself
She was lothe to bind her beloveds

I believe these three stanzas relate to the following parts of
the Chronicle of Secrets:

they will band together with those who hate us
they will follow Brujah's Childer

These lines of what appears to be fulfilled prophecy may bespeak
the legends of a female Brujah leading a major part in the the forming of
the Sabbat. But this alleged woman would be of Troile's descent, unless
by some bizarre chance this woman was part of our company.

***************************************************************************

The following document was, until recently, in the posession of a
certain highly respected member of the Ventrue clan, situated in Sydney.
For reasons that will become obvious, he would not wish this document to
become public knowledge.

I make no claims to having the poet's muse, and I found it hard
to do justice to the original document. It appears to myself to be a chant
more than verse, and should thus have a constant beat. I found this hard
to achieve with the translation, but my effort lies here for you to judge.

To my eternal sorrow, I have obtained this account at great personal
cost - Alia's death has caused me great pain, though I move against clan
strictures by befriending members of the clans that destroyed Carthage. I
hope that she, and through her, her Clan, may gain some respect from the
Elders, given her willingness to reveal these truths, despite the sacrifice
involved.

As a result, I dedicate my translation to her,
Alia Kerslwski, Malkavian.

Iain McKenzie
Clan Brujah.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Scattered lay the Childer of Caine
Spread far and wide by their Jyha
Creating Childer for their Generals
Using mortals for their wars

Slept there Brujah, witch of elements
Thinking not dozing, loving not using
Childer her friends, Childer her lovers
Childer as servants, never as slaves

Precious Childer, each like diamonds
Each carried with them Brujah's gifts
Brujah's anger, Brujah's hate
Veddartha still lived his undying life

Troile saw her dreams, dreams of vengeance
Left his Sire, moving southward
Sought Veddartha, master of men
Found Veddartha, master of slaves

Sat there Troile, asking favour
Strength of Ventrue, command of mind
Granted favour, offered boon
Troile learnt lightning rapid
Power which once held his Sire fast

Travelling northward, returning home
Returned to his Sire, bearing news
Lands everchanging, Kindred moving
Times of portent, Times of change

Brujah lay, stayed she sleeping?
Nay, she rose, Embraced her Childer
Gave them power, Yet then she warned them
Naught again lest they be bound

Southward moving, army in darkness
Used their knowing of the world
Mortals guarding ancient Haven
Quickly swayed and sent away

Ventrue's fledglings used their power
Brujah's childer did they sway
Fought their Sire, battled Siblings
Troile their minds did reclaim

Soon Ventrue scattered, run from battle
Childer scattered, mortals sleeping
Brujah drew her blade of dark
Hatred eternal now soon sated

Warrior-king, Childe of Brujah
Checked her blade, blocked her stroke
Truly justice could be served
Beyond the blow
Of kine-forged steel

For truth be told, lies unfold
Blind with love was Ventrue's Sire
Gave did he what his Childe forfeit
Let vengeance rest by Amaranth test

Troile took within Veddartha's soul
Joined with him in mortal battle
Veddartha's tricks to control a mind
Yet Troile's will as steel

Opened eyes gazed upon Brujah's sword
Poised upon his naked neck, eyes enchanted
Gazed at Sire, In battle by will
Veddartha vanquished beneath the hill

Ventrue's childer, those remaining
Felt the passing of their Sire
Bonds of Blood shattered, broken
Troile no base for Blood Oath tree

Ages passed, Brujah sleeping
Stories changed, purpose altered
Ventrue claims of Brujah slain
Sow disorder amongst the youngest
Consumed was she by her Childer Troile