Shaitan

Shaitan is the title of the semi-official leader of the Baali. Numerous members of the bloodline have assumed the mantle of Shaitan over the centuries.

History[]

The Baali have had a long editorial history. Initially (1994), Shaitan was the name of the vampire founder of the Baali who lived beneath Mexico City in Chaos Factor. The book states that Shaitan was the second childe of Ashur, who consorted with Children of Lilith and learned esoteric knowledge from the East. Later, the Baali Clanbook (1998) changed the origin of the bloodline, introducing the myth of the three embraced by Ashur and clarifying that Shaitan was not a name, but rather a title or identity—initially assumed by Nergal. Most of the original biography of Shaitan from Chaos Factor was retconned as Nergal’s backstory. The first part of the biography, however, was attributed to another figure also known as Shaitan or Baal the Destroyer, as presented in the Dark Ages Companion and the Storyteller's Handbook Revised, in both account a young slave boy either from the First or the Second City, who raised an army against the city and fought either Caine or his own sire of the Third Generation. This story shares several similarities with other unpublished material.

The first one to use the title in the post Baali Clanbook lore whas Nergal. After his defeat at Mashkan Shapir, Nergal reappeared two millennia before the birth of Christ, in the guise of Shaitan. He claimed to be the bloodline's progenitor in order to draw the scattered Baali back together—except for Moloch’s lineage, which did not fall for the deception. After his defeat in Crete, many Baali attempted to claim the title of Shaitan, without much success—until the arrival of Azanael.

The book Gehenna suggests that it is possible that Namtaru or the member of the Aralu named Nergal had been the original Baali Antediluvian, and that the respective Shaitan was merely a mouthpiece for that ancient being.^[1]

Known Figures Referred to as Shaitan[]

Ba'al the Destroyer, a lowborn singing slave boy who revolted against the Second City along with 12 apostles from various other Clans.^[2]^[3] This character could be the same as "The Slave Boy", who dwelt in the First City and revolted against Caine.^[4]
Nergal, one of three first Baali that assumed the title to gather the bloodline under his command.^[5]
A range of Baali that have claimed to be Shaitan have arisen since the bloodline's defeat at Knossos, one of them Azaneal.^[6]^[7]
The vampire posing as the god Huitzilopochtli, a torpid methuselah under Mexico City.^[8] Beckett’s Jyhad Diary retconned him as Nergal.

Non-vampiric figures referred to as Shaitan[]

Lucifer, the leader of the heavenly rebellion, is referred to as Shaitan.^[9]

Trivia[]

The stories of Baal the Destroyer and the Slave Boy are extremely similar—only the first city is replaced by the second, and Caine by the Antediluvian. All other details (physical appearance, disciples, the battle) are identical. The second part of the story in the Dark Ages Companion, however, clearly refers to events associated with Nergal, as they are explicitly attributed to him in the Baali Clanbook. Additionally, Beckett’s Jyhad Diary established out-of-character that the Shaitan beneath Mexico City—Huitzilopochtli—is Nergal. The apparent inconsistencies can be explained editorially by the fact that the story of Shaitan (Chaos Factor) was later reworked and divided among three characters: Moloch, Nergal, and Baal the Destroyer. From a narrative perspective, these overlapping myths—particularly those from the Baali Clanbook and the unpublished Assamite Clanbook material—were eventually merged into a unified tradition, as presented in the Storyteller's Handbook and the Companion.
Shaitan is an Arabic word that means "evil person", "devil" or "demon", and is often used as the equivalent of "Satan".
The Baali have the sobriquet "Shaitan" among the Ashirra.^[10] Curiously, the Tremere share the same denomination in Arabia.^[11]