(HAPTER ONE: ChROUGH Che EYES OR ChE BEAST And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath openedher mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand, Genesis Girius, Lord of Eeoris, This resolves the matler of Gerard and these troublesome Inguisiforemonks. 1 have included the correspondence of the inguisifor Dikola and the confession of Gerard. With the destruction of the inguisitor at the hands of the Ferals.and the capture of Gerard and bis journal, W befieve that ‘we have done more than gather much useful information and capture 2 traitor, We have also [earned that none survive who might know ‘of our activities or trace the various deaths and disappearances back to us. If omlp all our Cainite foes were as easy fo deal with, the Pyramid weuld already have triumphed, But we must guard against becoming overconfident, Indeed, it As well that we were successful. The monks earned much about our nature from their captive, and if they bad survived, of if the inguisitor had not foolishly returned tothe monastery, then a considerable amount of potentially damaging information would have made is way into the hands of the Church, We must nol discount the influence of the Kasombra in thal matter, either. In any case, we must be on our quard and make certain that we have agents placed in the Church. As for Gerard, we must be carctul Jo watch our soldiers and captains mors closely, T suggest that we prohibit expeditions of fewer than three soldiers and that our couriers and outriders ‘be regularly examined for treasonous thowabis, Tare Believein Strength Mos Haly Archie As you have commanded, I have set my agents to truth, I fear, is far worse. In thei nor only rejected the m: are, in fact, pagan beliefs and her threat to Christendom. titioners of foul rituals and holders of ical notions thar make them a ‘We captured one such degenerate sniffing around cour cathedral. By the power of my Faith I was able ro drive him away from me. The monks showed surprising courage in overpowering the creature, although I fear Brother Remus will not walk again. We below the cathedral, allowing it ro feed ch a foul creature prisoned ic ratsand other vermin, as befits [ purified myself and readied the rites of exorcism and interrogated the monster. Invasonce aman perhaps, bur when stripped of its p ‘was revealed. Its feet were clawed, like those of a bear itrid garments, its true nature and its legs andl back svered in conrse, matted fur. Itsears were tufted like those of likewise sharp. Nevertheless, after a long night of work, L was able to drive the demon back so that the nan within could speak. I could scarce believe the blasphemies it told me but I gathered my courage and now I commit them to paper. I trustyou will know what todo with them, Thave included my record of che interrogation, along with some observations of my own. I am certain that you will find them to be of some use. in byasking the creature what itwas. Ie told me it was a child of che Beast, a messenger of Caine, an avatarofthe hunt. Itclaimed that ithadoncebeenaman buc thatichad been killed and risen from the dead when drank the blood of its murderer, a being who claimed descent from the first murderer, C Inblasphemous words, atthe blood of Caine at when he killed Abel, acted power over life and death This, he explained, was why God had noc Kiled Caine, b ne now held part 3s that of Himself Steelingmyselfagainst more asked it whatit meant. Irtold me now ran in his veins, Irtold me Caine had seized part of God’ only cutsed him instead. C cof God's power and God! would not destroy him, would be tantamount to destroying a p Caine then wandered the Earth, propagating his foul race by murdering and feeding his victims a draught of his blood, which br ack from the dead, Cut off from our Le veand merc stolen power of Caine allows them to live, But theirs acursed existence. They cannot face the light of the sun, and they greatly fear flame. All creat fear flames, but the next morning I put itsfear of sunlight to the test, exposing its left arm to the light. It began burning and withering immediately 5 of good sense The monster claimed that it carried within itself a Beast — surely a confessi demon. | was suddenly overcome by comp poor, unfortunate wretch and had him put on the immediately. Filled with hope, | wanted to driv demon from him f The demon continued to speak. I monks working together to take down its words, so 1 could concentrate on my interrogation. A third monk — Brother Vargo — assisted by keeping the irons hot and the blades sharp. The demon claimed to be powers and threatened that the Beast that lay within upon us. Protected by Christ's mercy and the stout chains € ‘commenced the exorcism id two of the would loose itsel it held the poor soul fast, we told hie that he had that he wasa tool of the devil, bur that it was not too bate to repent. Gos punish: ments for those who displease Him. mercy is infinite, but so are Hi He told me once again that he did not serve Saran but simply followed the dictates and commands of the Beast that lay within. He that gave him life and that he trusted his instinets to guide him in all situations, even giving the Beast the release it although id it was the Be craved. 1 record his words below blight upon the teachings of Christ You wish tounderstand us? You think we are acult “We know what we are. We have seen what lies on the other side of the grave, Nothing. Oblivion awaits us, more. Mortals are but the playthings of blind fate; fireflies that flicker and dim under the unearing sun. But we understand what we truly are. The blood of c kind awakens the Beast. The Beasts life. Ic is what drive us, It is what makes us strong “To awaken your Beast, you must put all else « death. Reason and leaning have their uses, but as theps: breath escapes yout body, so knowledge fades and reson dies, and the Beast isat last able to slip its bonds Uniettered by leming, it rages freely, and it rages against its death. petty restraints of ‘civilization’ and ‘The blood of another Child of Caine is enough to show icthe way. [eneeds some draught, some elixir with which to stir its dead flesh. The blood of the Beast is sufficient. Ie gives the Beast power Butthe Beast is hungry, so we must keep drinking blood. Ikisonly blood that has saved us. Each kill we make is an offering to the Beast. That shy we donot content ourselves with a mere sip when nehunt. We are hunters, o we kill our prey in homage totheBeast.fwehavea God, iristhe Beast. Itisinstinct fasson, the urge to exi I would hear no more, Jt was clear that this demon vould not repent. We built fire and burned it. Now I must relate another strange event. I left the to meditate and draw up these notes, but when, Tretumed, | found all the brothers dead. The buildings have been ransacked and the chapel defiled. Is Satan's qowers0 great? Ifhe wishes revenge for the destruction of hisservant, he will find that | have a greater power as my ally Sl, [will eave these lands forthwith, When lrevurn toRiga,[willentrust these documen they may make cheit way to you with al ours in God, Nikola iy Lord, The inquisitor's account ends at this point, Gerard fad it among his possessions. As 10 the churchman’s fal, Twill fet Gerard tell it im his own time, are ‘tom the final confession of Gerard, soldier of House Tremer Most Exalted Tremere, my Lord and Master, and it is my privilege to be one of your $s. Thisismy final estament and confession, od my duties. I have been found consorting with the enemies of our house and clan. 1 Thave abande have been accused of harboring ideas and beliefs con rary to the interests of the Pyramid, and for chat, I will shortly face the sun. Know that | have served you loyally for over three- score years, as mortal, ghoul and childe of my elders Know that betrayal was never my intent. My wes ledme into error. It was always my intention to return to the new k the Beast, new ways to advance ourplansand new alles. illbelieve that an alliance between the Ferals and the Tremere ispossble. I believe that such analliance would tip the balance of the war we fight against the Fien ledge, new ways of controlling decisively in our favor. Mycap' betrayal in che hope that, by revealing what I have learned, the clan may somehow benefitand my reputation be redeemed. I hold less, as knowledge is power, I hope to contribute to the power of the Pyramid even after my final damnation by leaving behind this knowledge. My jour my story, My confession documents tell the rest shave ordered me to write anaccountof my 1ut no such grand hopes. Neverthe- al tells most Brutes and Vagabonds From the journal of Gerard: I must begin my diary with an account of my current mind. lam Gerard of Clan Tremere, a Cl five times removed from Tremere. My sire is Lucinda, de of Caine Tam not. sorcerer, lama soldier. A second son, not favored by my family, not interested in the Chureh ot in fighting the enemies of the Cross, joined the Company of the White Stag and became its leader in time We accepted a contract to guard a house of scholars in the western foothills of the Carpathians. Quremploy rs were strange, bur the pay was good. I excelled in my Jutiesand in time was introduced to the clan, firstby the blood oath and then, once [ had proven my worth, asa member of Lucinda’ brood. T have undertaken the writing of this journal to en my mind and clarify my thoughts. I am not a rman, but it is plain that advancement up the Pyramid isa matter of cunningandingluence. Itismyhope that this journal will help me develop my mind and order ‘my thoughts. I have learned that it can be tocloakone’sambition soasnot toalert potential enemies toone'sintentions. Sofornow, Iwill writeand study what texts [ can, Perhaps I will ask one of our magi to take me an apprentice. Until then, | will perfor ling our chantry and capturing other Cainites ation and the Gargoyle pens of Ceoris dvantageous Disovery It is now seven nights since | last wrote. Tonight, believe I have leamed muich that is of interest t0 our masters. have taken to making solitary expeditions to patrol the wildsaround che chantry. There, [can test my prowess asa hunter, and [need not and deed. [chanced upon a Cainiteof greatly disheveled appearance. She was reciting a long poem. I could not understand her wordsat first, butafter positioning myself carefully downwrind and concealing myself, that she was chanting in Latin. I could not fathom at first, how so coarse a being, and a woman, too, learned the language of scholars. Her appearance led me to believe that she was one of the Animals. I decided to sen a while, to evaluate her usefulness to Virstania's Gargoyle pens. realized