Written by Ben Groenen (Raushan)

Some years have passed, and another adventure began with strangeness. A stranger came to Sadaba, the strangest stranger I’d seen for the longest time. A most disconcerting looking stranger from the lands of Christianity’s heart. This Romegio is apparently a more than useful vintner, at least according to his story. He arrived with the local supplies and was invited in as a guest. When I found out about him, and shared some of the food and spoke to him across a table in the kitchens, I thought I knew of at least one other person who would be quite interested in him: father.

When I went to Lucio, I anticipated that he would race out to find out for himself when I told him so I made sure I was out of his direct path. It wasn’t long before I knew that Lucio wanted a new companion in our extended family. During his audience with the Lady Lillane, I didn’t know whether she would agree with Lucio’s desire until I heard Romegio say that it would be nice to see the result of his planned vineyards. Then I knew that he would become one of us. Well, I guess time will tell how good a vintner he is. My palate, and my father’s, are hoping that it will be true.

Ahlan wa sahlan (Welcome and be refreshed), my brother. Monaco and I tried to instruct Romegio in his new status, but I don’t think we reached him. Ha, I was amused that following the night time ritual, our new companion tried to flee in the small hours of the morning. Maybe he didn’t realise what he had been initiated into … Heh heh.
Anyway, in the day that followed, Merffyn came to visit with another young boy. With an escort of Lucio, Monaco and Romegio, Merffyn was once again disappointed when the child failed to draw the sword from its stony sheath. In his own (im)personable style, he ignored the child from that point.

Father found a great amusement from this and told Merffyn that he could have just asked him, but Merffyn I think got a more lasting amusement by leaving in a huff without the boy. The young Harold (for that is his name) is left alone and crying, until Monaco takes him under his quite capable hands.

Towards the end of the following day to that, Monaco was told of an old woman in rags and covered in sores had arrived at the gate. Knowing that if he was being told, then there was something of interest. Before he could say anything though, the sense of Lillane’s presence rose considerably and Monaco “heard” her tell him that if she doesn’t make the gates, then she is beneath her notice. When told of this, the woman crawled slowly but eventually did reach the gate. She said some strange word and then passed out when Monaco carried her inside.

Monaco arranged for the woman to be washed and new clothes provided, while he got me to come and heal her of her illnesses. Using the opportunity, I healed her looks as well, but she did not say anything about it. Her name is Rachel Dolium, and she is of the Clan Bahari. She was sent to us to teach us.

In the days that followed, Gwyn and Owain arrive back from an extended trip away with a new ghoul named Juanita, just in time for our lessons. Gwyn was not too happy about this, but … you only stop learning when you die … heh, heh. Anyway, as I was saying, over the next few days Rachel runs us through some stories and answers our questions.

She began by looking at all of us and treating us as we are pretending to be. Looking directly at Romegio and me, Rachel says that when Gehenna comes, only the Toreador and the Nosferatu will be spared. In essence, we are to be part of the army of Lilith to avenge the murder of her children, and it is time for us to learn what we are. However, the actual story is much, much larger.

Over many days, the instruction and questioning brings out the full story. The story is … Mother Lilith was made from dust and ash of the ground, as was Adam. But Adam was arrogant and overbearing, and Lilith could/would not bear this. She rebelled against Adam and fled out of the Garden of Eden to the desert. God sent two angels to stop her, but Mother Lilith had powers of her own, the human power to make an angel fall from Grace, and the remaining angel named Abdiel fled back to Heaven.

Abdiel returned with more angels and warned Lilith that her child would be cursed. Lilith was not thinking of having children, and did not know that she was with child of Adam. When she did learn she was pregnant, she chose to give herself some other means of protection by finding someone else who rebelled against God. One other being had already rebelled and fallen from Grace, Sama’el. Lilith bore Adam’s child, Lelia, and over time bore Samuel’s children, the eldest of which was Lucifer.

Meanwhile, God has made Eve to be Adam’s companion. Lilith wants vengeance on God for cursing her children, and she wants to ruin his perfect idyll. And in her vengeance she convinces Sama’el to go and tempt Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good And Evil. As it says in the Bible, Sama’el succeeded and Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Eden.

Lilith and Sama’el have made their own garden, even as Adam and Eve are thrown out of theirs. Afterwards, Adam and Eve have their own children … Cain, Abel and Seth. The story continues as in the Bible, the elder son Cain kills Abel, the apple of his father’s eye, and flees from his family. Again, God uses the same curse for Cain that he had used for Lelia. But now there is a divergence from the known story … for Cain is taken in by Lilith and is taught some of the many disciplines and abilities of Lilith. In the meantime, Sama’el has been taking care of Lilith’s children.

In an argument of recriminations between Adam and Eve, Adam constantly questioning why Cain was so different from Abel and Seth overburdens Eve and she confesses that Cain was the get of Sama’el … Eve was tempted with more than just knowledge in Eden. Adam storms off leaving Eve. Lilith, in one of her many mysterious ways, hears of Samuel’s impromptu betrayal of more than just Eve. Lilith in her fury does not return to her family, nor does she continue to teach the walking, talking symbol of Samuel’s unfaithfulness.

Cain leaves and embraces 3 progeny, descendants of his brother Seth, and they in turn embrace others who became known as the Antediluvians. With his camarilla, Cain came and killed the children. Sama’el was away, presumably being evil. All bar Lelia and Lucio were killed, as Lelia could only hide Lucio at the time. They watched as the only mercy shown was by the ones known as Toreador and Nosferatu who showed any respect by covering the bodies. When we bring Gehenna to Cain’s offspring, all but of the Toreador and Nosferatu clans must be destroyed. But now back to the present.

With our lessons, and questions, there were some questions that I wanted to ask but I didn’t want to ask Rachel. I went to Lucio to find out from him who was this clan named Bahari? Quite diffidently, he explained that they were the disciples of Lilith. I also found out that the head of these disciples was Rachel. This meant that when Rachel said that she was sent, then she would have been sent by Lilith. I assumed that Lilith had been dissatisfied with the way that Lillane had been teaching us, until Lucio gave me a strange look when I told him and he said that maybe she did not have all this information to give us.

Lillane can communicate with us mentally … then maybe she can sense and see and know things through us … so Lillane has learnt all this through us, too! Wallâhi! (By Almighty God!) This, and her amazing depth of planning, explains so much of her annoying omnipotence.

Late in the following day, Lillane shows small signs of annoyance, which shows her great annoyance, that Merffyn left Harold behind so cavalierly. Unfortunately, the question of where to return him is, at present, unknowable. Harold knows where he comes from, but not in any way that explains where it is on a map. Lillane tasks Gwyn with finding out where Harold’s from and eventually returning him. Gwyn was, I believe, considering contacting the nearest Verbena enclave to see if they could aid them, … was, that is, until there was a disturbance at the gates.