The Babylonian King was an ancient vampire ruler of Babylonia who ruled the kingdom as a God-King. He, along with his lover Shelzza, are shown in depictions at the bottom of the Vampire: The Masquerade First Edition rulebook that follow important points in their unlives. Speculation is that he is of Ventrue or Lasombra descent. The Babylonian King appears only in this edition of the Vampire: The Masquerade and is abandoned in subsequent volumes.
Comprehensive History[]
In ancient times, during the reign of the Sumerian city of Babylon, an ancient vampire ruled the city and the kingdom unopposed along with his progeny. Until one day another Cainite, Shelzza, entered his domain and he sent his childe to present her to him. The Babylonian King was immediately taken by this female vampire and offered her his hand in unholy matrimony and rule over his kingdom.
For three nights, she and the King bound their souls together in a ritual more profound than the mere consumption of mortal blood. Though they could not fully experience love as mortals did, the King made her his Queen, and together they ruled Babylon. Yet, whispers of discontent grew in the marketplace. Many feared that Shelzza would bear the God-King’s children, and voices of dissent quickly turned into violence. A mob, enraged by fear and jealousy, stormed the palace to demand the King's removal of Shelzza.
Demons seemed to descend as flames engulfed the palace. The King, though ancient, found his Bloodline helpless before the fiery rage of his attackers. He soon met Final Death by flame in his own palace.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- It is highly likely that the Babylonian King and his story are non-canon material. As his story directly contradicts major elements and lore of Vampire: The Masquerade. Likely made from an early product experimentation for the narrative storytelling that the Storyteller System focused upon.
- It's possible that the Babylonian King inspired the idea of Gilgamesh being embraced.
References[]
- VTM: Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook, p. Ron Spencer: 24-45, 48-49, 90, 133, 198