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 exact nature of Shaitan remains murky, mainly because other vampires are more concerned with destroying Baali infestations than spending time to decipher their mad, often contradicting, myths.
Clanbook Baali says Shaitan was the title used for the unknown vampire who created the first three Baali. Later, a member of the line assumed the name to unite the bloodline under his command. Following this event, numerous Baali have risen and fallen, each claiming to be the returned Shaitan (everyone of them with a completely new origin story, which makes it even more difficult to separate myth from truth).
Varying accords presented in the books Chaos Factor and the Dark Ages Companion claim Shaitan to be the founder of the Baali Clan, embraced as a childe of Ashur. However, the details betwwn this accounts vary greatly. Chaos Factor states that Shaitan was the Second childe of Ashur, who consorted with Children of Lilith and learned esoteric knowledge from the East; while Dark Ages Companion states that Shaitan was the first childe of Ashur and consorted with demons out of jealousy against his sire and grandsire.
The book Gehenna suggests that 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
- Ashur , an unspecified Antediluvian that is often implied to be either Saulot or Cappadocius.[2]
- Ba'al the Destroyer, a lowborn singing slave boy who revolted against the Second City along with 12 apostles from various other Clans.[3][4]
- The Slave Boy, who dwelt in the First City and revolted against Caine.[5]
- Nergal, one of three first Baali that assumed the title to gather the bloodline under his command.[6]
- A range of Baali that have claimed to be Shaitan arose since their defeat at Knossos, one of them Azaneal.[7][8]
- Huitzilopochtli, a torpid methuselah under Mexico City.[9]
Non-vampiric figures of the same the title
Trivia
Shaitan is an arabic word that means "evil person", "devil" or "demon".
The Baali have the sobriquet "Shaitan" among the Ashirra.[11]
References
- ↑ VTM: Gehenna (book), p. 28
- ↑ VTDA: Clanbook: Baali, p. 17
- ↑ VTM: Vampire Storytellers Handbook Revised, p. 30
- ↑ VTM: Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, p.395
- ↑ VTDA: Dark Ages Companion, p. 170
- ↑ VTDA: Clanbook: Baali, p. 21
- ↑ VTDA: Road of Sin, p. 36
- ↑ VTDA: Clanbook: Baali, p. 66
- ↑ VTM: The Chaos Factor
, p. 119
- ↑ VTM: World of Darkness: Time of Judgement, p. 91
- ↑ VTDA: Veil of Night
, p. 112
- Encyclopaedia Vampirica, p. 150-151