Lucian (Antediluvian)

Lucian (sometimes spelled as Lucien) is supposedly an Antediluvian who is active in the Final Nights. Sources vary on which Antediluvian is known by this name. He is often referenced alongside Mekhet, another ambiguous Antediluvian figure.

Speculation

• In the earlier core rulebooks, Lucian and Mekhet are stated to be the only two Antediluvians whose names are known; however, this claim is contradicted by the fact Arikel is also given as the name of Toreador elsewhere in the first two editions of the core rulebook. Vampire: The Dark Ages Rulebook repeats the claim about Lucien and Mekhet in the context of the Dark Ages setting. Finally, the statement has once again resurfaced, this time in the V20 line.

• It has been suggested that Gangrel may have used the name Lucian or Lucianus.

• Aisling Sturbridge claims that the names Lucian and Mekhet are obvious pseudonyms used by Antediluvians who wished to remain anonymous.

• According to one Ventrue account, Lucien (as he is spelled here) was an Antediluvian who drove his brother into torpor and salted the earth where he lay. (This account is sometimes interpreted to name Lasombra as Lucien, as it follows from a sentence describing an interaction between Tzimisce and Lasombra. However, this follows from several sentences in which the Lasombra Antediluvian is simply referred to as "Lasombra", and is the first of several lines describing the Antediluvian inslaying that occurred during the latter days of the Second City. This sentence could just as easily be interpreted to name Tzimisce as Lucien.)

• Gehenna provides several suggestions on the nature and identity of Lucian. One suggestion is that Lucian and Mekhet may be heretofore unknown Antediluvians beyond the known Thirteen Antediluvians. Elsewhere, it is suggested that Lucian may be an alias for Lucifer. The "Fair is Foul" scenario features Lucian as one of the Apostates: Antediluvians who never entered into the Jyhad and who allied with Lilith against Caine. This Lucian is a supernaturally handsome man who effectively leads the Apostates under Lilith. It is suggested that he is in some way related to the Nosferatu: he may have shared a mortal parent or Second Generation sire with Absimiliard, or he may be the true Antediluvian of the Nosferatu, or the founder of a supposed Nosferatu bloodline such as the Nictuku or the Guruhi. The "Nightshade" scenario allows the players' coterie the opportunity to travel to the ruins of the Second City; there, they find statues of 23(!) Antediluvians, 14 of whom are named, one of whom is named as Lucian.

• Intriguingly in line with some of the scenarios proposed in Gehenna, another possibility of identification comes from the Vampire the Eternal Struggle card game, among the Laibon of the Ebony Kingdom Expansion with the assumed founder of the Guruhi bloodline, Lucian, the Perfect. Within the VTES game mechanic, Lucian has powers that rival that of other clan founders (Antediluvian/Methuselah), namely: Lord Tremere, Saulot, Augustus Giovanni and Sutekh, the Dark God (aka. Set) to name four. If this bit of speculation holds true, this would mean Lucian is but another name for the Antediluvian called Absimiliard. A not unwarranted conclusion, since the so-called parent clan of the Guruhi is canonically the Nosferatu. Or perhaps it is the other way around and it is the Nosferatu that are descended from the Guruhi. Their Clan Weakness does fit the story of Absimiliard being cursed by Caine.