Gehenna

Gehenna (The Final Nights)

For mortals, the apocalypse is a concept of fire and brimstone, of divine judgment. For the @Kindred, it has a name. Gehenna.

It is the final verse in the Book of Nod, the dark prophecy of the vampire race. It is the promised night of terror when the most ancient and powerful of all Kindred—the mythical Antediluvians, progenitors of the Clans—will awaken from their millennia of slumber. Driven by an all-consuming hunger, they will rise from their hidden tombs to devour their every descendant, from the mightiest Prince to the lowest neonate. It is the final harvest, where the children of Caine will be consumed by their creators.

For centuries, Gehenna was a distant fear, a myth to frighten fledglings. But now, in the 21st century, the signs are undeniable. The Final Night is no longer a question of "if," but "when."

The Prophecies & The Signs

The scriptures of the Damned are fractured, but they agree on the omens that herald the end. Many of these signs are already upon you:

* The Time of @Thin-Blood: Vampires of the 14th and 15th generations—the "Duskborn"—are appearing in greater numbers. Their blood is weak, they often cannot create childer, and some can even walk in the sun. They are a sign that the blood of Caine is running thin, its potency failing as the Antediluvians draw it back to themselves.

* The Withering: Even elder Kindred find their Blood Potency is not what it once was. The ancient vitae is becoming less powerful, forcing vampires to hunt more frequently and take greater risks.

* The Beckoning: Across the globe, elders of immense power and age feel an irresistible psychic pull, drawing them east toward the cradle of civilization. They abandon their cities, their power bases, and their childer to answer a call they do not understand, leaving a massive power vacuum in their wake. Many believe they are being summoned to their own demise, to be the first course for the waking masters.

* The Red Star: Prophecies speak of a bleeding star, a crimson omen in the night sky that will herald the awakening. Astronomers, both mortal and Kindred, have noted anomalies, and every celestial event is now watched with bated breath.

Interpretations of the End

Not all Kindred believe the words of Nod literally. The nature of Gehenna is a matter of fierce, often violent, debate.

The Devouring: The most common and feared interpretation. The Antediluvians will physically awaken and consume all in their path. This is the official doctrine of the Sabbat.

The Endless War: Some believe Gehenna is not a single event, but the final, bloody escalation of the Jyhad, where all sects and clans will wage open war until none are left standing. The Antediluvians' "awakening" is simply them taking a direct hand in the game, rather than using pawns.

The Judgment of Caine: A few heretics and scholars believe that Gehenna is the moment Caine, the First Vampire, will return to judge his accursed childer for their sins. Devouring, war, and madness are merely his tools of punishment.

The Great Lie: The Camarilla's official stance. They claim Gehenna is a myth, a Sabbat superstition crafted by elders to keep their inferiors paralyzed with fear and obedient to their rule.

Faction Views on the Apocalypse

In the streets of Chicago, every faction prepares for the end in its own way.

* @The Camarilla: Publicly, they dismiss Gehenna as folklore and sedition. Privately, the elders are terrified. The Beckoning has stripped them of their most ancient members, and the Prince's iron grip on Chicago is, in part, a desperate attempt to fortify the city against the coming storm. They hoard resources and power, hoping to build a fortress strong enough to weather the end.

* @The Sabbat: They are the only faction that truly believes. Their entire existence is a crusade to prepare for Gehenna. They see themselves as the army that will stand against the Antediluvians and slay the ancient gods. Every act of terror in Chicago, every Camarilla vampire converted or destroyed, is, in their eyes, one more soldier for the final, holy war.

* The @Anarchs: Views are wildly divided. Some mock it as "elder boogeyman stories." Others see the chaos of the Beckoning as the perfect opportunity to finally break the Camarilla's power and build something new. For them, Gehenna might not be an end, but a chance for a true beginning, with all the old masters finally gone.

* The @Hecata: The Clan of Death has its own prophecies, gleaned from the whispers of the dead. They believe Gehenna will be a cataclysm that tears the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead—the Shroud. They prepare by strengthening their hold on the Underworld, believing they can shelter in the lands of the dead or harness the resulting necromantic energies to survive, and even profit from, the apocalypse.

* @The Inconnu: The Monitors watch the signs with grim certainty. They do not seek to stop Gehenna, for they believe it is inevitable. Their actions are focused on survival and perhaps preserving something of the Kindred race for whatever world comes after. Their hidden refuges and ancient wisdom may be the last, best hope for anyone they deem worthy.

* The @Autarkis: For the unaffiliated, Gehenna is a purely personal terror. They have no sect to protect them, no grand crusade to give them purpose. They are the ultimate survivalists, digging their bolt-holes, gathering what resources they can, and trusting no one. They know that when the giants rise, those standing alone are the first to be crushed underfoot.

The Time of Judgment is not a distant myth whispered by crazed elders. It is tonight. It is tomorrow. It is the shadow growing at your back.