The Signs of Gehenna1

Quiet! Hear the raven’s cry!

The stillness of the wind

rising hot on the street

the towers hide

the darkness of the day

When Lasombra’s dreams-come true

on the day when the moon runs as blood2

and the sun rises black in the sky,

that is the day of the Damned,

when Caine’s children will rise again.

And the world will turn cold

and unclean things will boil up from the ground

and great storms will roll, lighting will light

fires, animals will fester and their bodies,

twisted, will fall.

So, too, our Grandsires will rise

from the ground

They will break their fast on the

first part of us

They will consume us whole

On the second day, Caine will return

And call his Children to the meeting place

on the site of the First City he will beckon

them, sitting on his basalt throne.

And Caine will call aloud the names of those to be destroyed.

for their crimes are too great

and all those who have consumed the heart's blood of their sire

will be brought before the Black Throne

and made to drink of Caine's blood

And Caine's blood will eat their blood

And the Dark Mother3 herself will be brought forth

and there, in the valley of Enoch, will there be a battle

a duel of Dark Father and Dark Mother

The Demon Queen will bite deep

The Damned King will bite deeper

We will not know the thing which will happen,

but the sky will tear apart, and the earth below

And the forces of Hell will pour up out of the ground

On the Third Day, there will be silence

the crows will feed on the carrion

plague will dance amongst the ruins

the last of the Wild Ones will leave this place

the last of the Moon-Beasts will fight and fall

And the Antediluvians will make for themselves

an Empire of Blood

They will rule with iron talons

They will wrench the hearts of all still alive

And the full sum of the earth's living will come

and live in the Last City, called Gehenna.

And there will be a reign of one thousand years,

and there will be no love, or life, or pity,

the mighty will be as slaves

the virtuous will be made foul

every good gift, and every perfect gift will be tainted

by the Father of Darkness, whose power will come from

the nether realms.4

When the snows consume the earth

and the sun gutters like a candle in the wind

then, and only then will thefe be born a woman,

the last Daughter of Eve,

and in her there will be decided the fate of all.

And you will not know this woman, except by the

mark of the Moon on her,

and she will face treachery, hatred, and pain

but in her is the last hope.5

And you will know these last times

by the Time of Thin Blood,

which will mark vampires that cannot Beget,

you will know them by the Clanless,

who will come to rule6

you will know them by the Wild Ones,

who will hunt us even in the strongest city7

you will know them by the awakening

of some of the eldest,

the Crone will awaken and consume all8

you will know these times, for a black

hand will rise up and choke all those who oppose it9

and those who eat heart’s blood will flourish

and the Kindred will crowd each to

his own, and vitae will be as rare as diamonds10

Mark these signs, they are

coming! Gehenna will be on earth.

Mark the shadow which flies

mark the dragon which rises11

mark the darkness which moves

mark the shadow of the moon

mark the angel that dies

mark the maiden who weeps

mark the children Embraced

mark the Clanless who run.

And there will be a time

when Sire will

drive out Childer

when Sire will

abandon Childer

to the sun’s mercy

and there will be no

mercy for the Clanless

there will be no mercy

for the Clanless,

mongrel though they be

upon their forgotten Sires

shall be the curse of Auriel

upon their hateful Sires

shall be the curse

that comes of crossing Caine

upon their lazy Sires

shall be the curse

of the hunters hunted

Those among the Clanless will have no

path to follow

no family to name

no generation to hold

no traditions to keep

no customs to give

no hospitality to give

Why do you make these orphans?

Why do you leave them in the street?

They are the dark seed of our undoing

they will band together with those who hate us

they will follow Brujahs Childer

they will make the blood run red

they are going to kill the dead

they are going to cat our kin

they will scream and bash our doors

they will cry aloud for justice

Clanless, all, they will wash over our walls

Clanless, all, they will know secret ways

Clanless, all, they are Lilith's foul get

Clanless, all, they are newly Awake

Clanless, all! No family, no sign, no loyalty, no elder.12

Beware those who walk without a clan,

for they will be our undoing.

Pity them! Adopt the orphans where you can.

But watch them. In them is the bad seed of their Sire.