Baali (World of Darkness)
The Baali are a fictional bloodline of vampires, from White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade and Vampire: The Dark Ages books and role-playing games.
The Baali are very strongly rejected by both Camarilla and the Sabbat, because of their infernalist nature â they are called "monsters" and "demons" even by the other vampires. Much of the Baali symbology is Mesopotamian and Phoenician in origin. The very name Baali is originated from the Phoenician word Ba'al, meaning "great lord".
At a glance
Clan |
Progenitor |
Disciplines |
Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
Baali |
Ashur and Saulot |
Daimoinon, Obfuscate, Presence |
The Baali fear and are repulsed by religion and the trappings therein, even more so than the rest of the Kindred. True Faith works at twice its normal efficacy against these creatures. Many Baali cannot bear to gaze upon or handle even the most mundane articles of religious paraphernalia, borne by those of faith or otherwise. |
Origins
The Baali are infernalists who once dealt in the names of ancient beings that existed before the "Let there be Light" of Genesis (as simply knowing the names of such powerful beings can give one access to some of that power). Baali legend says there was a group of people called the "First Tribe" who discovered the existence of those old ones and became their acolytes. They were degenerates, who murdered their parents and raped their children. One day, two unknown vampires (speculated to be Saulot the Antediluvian father of the Salubri and Ashur, the founder of the Cappadocians) encountered the First Tribe and killed every one of them, and then spread drops of their blood over their corpses. Only two (Nergal, Moloch) crawled out of the pit of bodies, and thus the vampiric bloodline Baali was created.
Another origin story of the bloodline speaks of a single progenitor, called Shaitan, who was in life a slave-boy with a beautiful singing voice who attracted the attention of an unknown vampire. This version of their creation does not explain the origin of the corpse-pit Embracing tradition and Shaitan is also known to be a false name that Nergal goes by.
The Dark Ages
The Baali became so numerous during the Dark Ages that they were widely considered to be a Clan. Many Baali during this time imitated their legendary creation by embracing mortals in a similar fashion. That is, to create a new vampire, a Baali sire-to-be will drain all the blood out of a target mortal and throw his body into a pit of corpses, then the vampire will some of his own vampiric blood into the pit. Only the strong-willed who drink the blood will survive and become Baali. This practice is very different from that of other vampires â the Baali childer are not turned into vampires by their sires; they become vampires on their own. In the modern era, this practice has been largely abandoned, due to the difficulty of procuring the number of corpses required without attracting the attention of law enforcement. Rumors also speak of the Baali ability to "re-embrace" existing vampires, converting them to the Baali cause.
Final Nights
In the modern era, the Baali are in decline, having been hunted to near extinction by both the Camarilla and Sabbat. Those who remain are divided into two camps: Baali who simply crave power and are willing to deal with infernal entities to get it, and Baali who actively attempt to pacify the dark beings whose names they once used to give them power.
References
- White Wolf Publishing et al., Vampire Storytellers Handbook, (White Wolf Game Studio, 2000, ISBN 1-56504-264-6)
- Justin Achilliet al., Vampire: The Masquerade (Revised Edition) (White Wolf Game Studio, 1998, ISBN 1-56504-249-2)
- Sven Skoog & Lucien Soulban, Clanbook: Baali, (White Wolf Game Studio, 1998, ISBN 1-56504-213-1)
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