Children of Osiris
Encyclopedia
The Children of Osiris are a fictional group of vampire
s in White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade
.
The Children of Osiris are the closest the game has to a "good guy" vampire bloodline (possibly rivaled by interpretations of the now largely extinct Salubri). The Osirians are opposed to the Followers of Set
because of eternal rivalry between their patriarch Osiris
and patriarch of the Followers of Set
, Set or Seth
or Sutekh. They wish not to be killers, so they prefer to drink blood from animals rather than humans. Their bloodline-specific mystical discipline, "Bardo", allows them to retain a degree of humanity.
The Children are not a true bloodline, and are generally forbidden from granting the Embrace. In truth, they are a sect of vampires recruited from other clans and bloodlines. Those who join are tested rigorously to prove their purity and desire for redemption.
Some sources say that they were originally true Childer of Osiris, who may have been a Lasombra, but that Osiris and his progeny lost the ability to sire after he was dismembered by Set (a reference to Egyptian myth, where Isis was unable to locate his member when she reassembled his body).
Osiris granted his Children knowledge of Bardo, a difficult to master Discipline whose secrets are never shared with outsiders. Bardo allows its practitioners to retain a degree of humanity, redeem other vampires and ward off evil; it even has the power to resurrect a vampire from Final Death.
According to the Mummy: The Resurrection
source book, when Osiris recently returned to Earth, he transformed all of the Children of Osiris into humans once more. However, a more canonical account - at least in terms of Vampire: The Masquerade
is told in "Cairo by Night": Osiris was awakened when the last great Maelstrom swept through "amenti" destroying the Egyptian underworld. The remaining 'Children' judged by Osiris and were found wanting. All 'Children' 'spontaneously combusted' simultaneously. One was spared due to his purity. Abu Al-Intiqam, was rewarded with the removal of Caines curse, aging normally from that point, and retaining all of his years of knowledge and experience.
By the time of the Revised Edition, the Children clearly no longer fit in with the themes and mood of Vampire. They were officially removed as part of the metaplot of Mummy: The Resurrection.
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s in White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....
.
The Children of Osiris are the closest the game has to a "good guy" vampire bloodline (possibly rivaled by interpretations of the now largely extinct Salubri). The Osirians are opposed to the Followers of Set
Followers of Set
The Followers of Set or Setites are a clan of vampires from White Wolf Game Studio's books and role-playing games set in the Old World of Darkness .The mythic-historical origins of the Followers of Set are in ancient Egypt, as they claim to be descended from the dark god...
because of eternal rivalry between their patriarch Osiris
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
and patriarch of the Followers of Set
Followers of Set
The Followers of Set or Setites are a clan of vampires from White Wolf Game Studio's books and role-playing games set in the Old World of Darkness .The mythic-historical origins of the Followers of Set are in ancient Egypt, as they claim to be descended from the dark god...
, Set or Seth
Seth
Seth , in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is the third listed son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, who are the only other of their children mentioned by name...
or Sutekh. They wish not to be killers, so they prefer to drink blood from animals rather than humans. Their bloodline-specific mystical discipline, "Bardo", allows them to retain a degree of humanity.
The Children are not a true bloodline, and are generally forbidden from granting the Embrace. In truth, they are a sect of vampires recruited from other clans and bloodlines. Those who join are tested rigorously to prove their purity and desire for redemption.
Some sources say that they were originally true Childer of Osiris, who may have been a Lasombra, but that Osiris and his progeny lost the ability to sire after he was dismembered by Set (a reference to Egyptian myth, where Isis was unable to locate his member when she reassembled his body).
Osiris granted his Children knowledge of Bardo, a difficult to master Discipline whose secrets are never shared with outsiders. Bardo allows its practitioners to retain a degree of humanity, redeem other vampires and ward off evil; it even has the power to resurrect a vampire from Final Death.
| Bloodline | Founder | Parent Clan | Faction | Disciplines | Nicknames | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children of Osiris | Osiris or Khetamon | Various, (Osiris possibly from Lasombra Lasombra The Lasombra are a clan of vampires, associated with the Sabbat, from White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade books and role-playing games.The Lasombra are in many ways the Sabbat's answer to the Ventrue Clan... or Followers of Set Followers of Set The Followers of Set or Setites are a clan of vampires from White Wolf Game Studio's books and role-playing games set in the Old World of Darkness .The mythic-historical origins of the Followers of Set are in ancient Egypt, as they claim to be descended from the dark god... ) |
Extinct, (Enemies of Followers of Set Followers of Set The Followers of Set or Setites are a clan of vampires from White Wolf Game Studio's books and role-playing games set in the Old World of Darkness .The mythic-historical origins of the Followers of Set are in ancient Egypt, as they claim to be descended from the dark god... ) |
Bardo, (Default of parent clan) | Osirians | (Default of parent clan) |
History
The Children were founded thousands of years ago in India by Khetamon, the last surviving childe of Osiris; the Children thus believe that Osiris spent some of his existence as a vampire. They lived in small groups, sharing a haven which was also a temple to Osiris. They had to maintain the temple and follow Osiris' teaching devoutly to enjoy the benefits of being a Child of Osiris.According to the Mummy: The Resurrection
Mummy: The Resurrection
Mummy: The Resurrection is a role-playing game released by White Wolf Game Studios, where the players assume the role of resurrected mummies living in the modern world.-Setting:...
source book, when Osiris recently returned to Earth, he transformed all of the Children of Osiris into humans once more. However, a more canonical account - at least in terms of Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....
is told in "Cairo by Night": Osiris was awakened when the last great Maelstrom swept through "amenti" destroying the Egyptian underworld. The remaining 'Children' judged by Osiris and were found wanting. All 'Children' 'spontaneously combusted' simultaneously. One was spared due to his purity. Abu Al-Intiqam, was rewarded with the removal of Caines curse, aging normally from that point, and retaining all of his years of knowledge and experience.
Version Differences
The Children of Osiris are one of the clearest examples of the first edition's rather forgiving attitude towards vampires, and are even more a sect of "good guy" vampires than the early Camarilla or Inconnu. They were rarely mentioned in Second Edition material, though Mummy mentions Kehtamon and the alliance between the Undying and the Children.By the time of the Revised Edition, the Children clearly no longer fit in with the themes and mood of Vampire. They were officially removed as part of the metaplot of Mummy: The Resurrection.