On the generations of the immortals

In this post I recap the generations and origins of the immortals from the French version, followed by my ideas for adapting those ideas to the French version along with some house rules of my own.

In the French version

In the French version, the Nephilim were described as coming in three “generations”: the first was the basaltic Nephilim, the second was the symbolic Nephilim, and the third was the astrological Nephilim aka Ar-Kaïm. Likewise, the Selenim were described as coming in three “origins”: the ethereal Selenim, the incarnate Selenim, and the natural Selenim.

After the destruction of the Black Moon, but before the Fall of Atlantis, the Kaïm gave rise to the first two generations. The Kaïm first lived as bodiless spirits who inhabited natural features that molded their Basaltic Metamorphoses after said features (see my post on “numinous cycles”). The Basalic Kaïm were organized by the state of their elemental manifestation: solid, liquid or ethereal. Eventually most Kaïm assumed physical forms of their own and adopted the Symbolic Metamorphoses where they appeared as the Old Races and other mythical creatures. The Symbolic Kaïm were organized by their Dominant Ka.

All Nephilim were former Kaïm who lost their elemental bodies from exposure to Orichalc (environmental or weaponized), were forcibly incarnated and bonded to Stasis objects. No more Kaïm were ever born from nexi again. The era known as the Revelation began in 1900: in this era, the third generation of astrological Nephilim appeared during certain enthronements. This generation had Astrological Metamorphoses mimicking the Zodiac Sign at their awakening. Unlike prior generations, they retained the personality of their Simulacrum rather than forcing him unconscious.

The ethereal Selenim were former Kaïm who became Selenim before or shortly after the Fall and who never incarnated. Since they were insensitive to Orichalc, their bodies didn’t degrade from exposure. Instead of a Metamorphosis they had a “Dark Shadow” (Ombre Fuligineuse in French) that let them assume the worst nightmares of their prey, which served them well when they fought the Orichalka Men.

The incarnate Selenim are former ethereal Selenim who incarnated in simulacra and former Nephilim who transformed after incarnation. Instead of a Metamorphosis they developed an Imago that provided similar benefits.

The natural Selenim are human beings who spontaneously awakened as Selenim one day, and never knew what it was like to be Nephilim. Like the astrological Nephilim, they appeared after the Revelation began in 1900. Like the incarnate Selenim, they could develop Imagoes. Like the astrological Nephilim, they retained the personality of their Simulacrum.

Adapting to US version

How would I adapt these ideas to the US version? As I said before, I use the conceit that Nephilim are composite fusional beings rather than body snatchers so they retain the base personality of their Simulacrum by default. (Disclaimer: I take heavy inspiration from Sisensee’s history.)

The first generation 

The Kaïm are the first generation of Immortals. Prior to the  Coming of Orichalka, they were born from Nexi and could assume physical or spiritual form at will. After the Coming of Orichalka, no more were born; all but the most powerful Kaïm lost the ability to create bodies and thus were forced to serially incarnate in Simulacra (human hosts) and/or bond with Stasis objects to survive (see Nephilim rulebook p15). Their numbers steadily dwindled until, by the birth of Christ, none were heard from again. The following generations see them as legends: few know of them and many who do doubt the veracity of their existence.

The Kaïm lived through two Ages of Metamorphoses. The first was the Age of the Numinous Cycle that gave rise to the Chthonic Metamorphoses. The second was the Age of the Symbolic Cycle that gave rise to the Emotional Metamorphoses (see Chronicle of the Awakenings). The chthonic Kaïm lived in purely spiritual form and inhabited natural features and phenomena to commune deeper with the elemental fields. As their studies advanced they discovered the Emotional Metamorphoses they could adopt, but only by assuming physicality. More and more Chthonic Kaïm adopted Emotional Metamorphoses until the Age of the Symbolic Cycle displaced the Age of the Numinous Cycle. Those symbolic Kaïm born since the Age of the Symbolic Cycle inherited the Emotional Metamorphosis by default, although some Chthonic Kaïm remained staunchly conservative and never adopted it. While the symbolic Kaïm could still have undergone one or more Numinous Cycles, the chthonic Kaïm by definition always have. The chthonic Kaïm are also known as the material Kaïm, while the symbolic Kaïm are also known as the spiritual Kaïm. [I’m not really sure how to handle this duality. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!]

The Coming of Orichalka tore away the steady strength of the elemental fields that previously guided the Kaïm. Some of them, especially Onirim, were infiltrated by the insidous influence of the Black Moon and Sundered. These “savages” became the first ethereal Selenim. They were poor twisted wretches who preyed on what mortal animals they could find for the Solar-Ka they needed to survive, recasting their own physical forms into new Tenebrous Metamorphoses in the process. When the Orichalka Men attacked, these creatures proved insensitive to Orichalc weapons and their Tenebrous Metamorphoses served them well as counterattacks by manifesting their enemies’ worst nightmares. This was observed by the fallen Kaïm named Lilith, who realized that the Black Moon could be harnessed as a weapon against the Orichalka Men. She was the first to willingly undergo the Sundering (see Gamemaster’s Companion p9 and “A History of the Selenim”). Since the ethereal Selenim didn’t suffer physical degradation from the Saturnian field, it was possible for them to maintain their physicalities indefinitely without incarnating. Nobody knows how many survived to the present.

The second generation

The symbolic Nephilim, or just Nephilim, are the second generation of Immortals. After the Coming of Orichalka, no more Kaïm were born from Nexi. Instead, natural and magical phenomena gave birth to elemental beasts. Most were made only of one or two Ka-elements. A rare few were made of all five but they too lacked awareness, identity and will. By incarnating in a Simulacrum it would gain these from the Simulacrum’s Solar-Ka, but in turn this symbiosis would retain the Simulacrum’s personality rather than imposing its own non-existent one. The Nephilim always had Emotional Metamorphoses; even those rare Nephilim who incarnated as Relics have a simplified metamorphoses.

The Emotional Metamorphoses are classified into archetypes. These archetypes come in linked pairs, with one representing the intellectual or spiritual aspect and the other representing the primitive or material aspect of their element. For example, the Satyr is a material archetype of Earth while the Elf is its spiritual twin. [This duality echoes the material and spiritual dualities of their Kaïm predecessors? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!]

The Selenim who were formerly Nephilim are placed in this generation. When contrasted against the ethereal Selenim and/or natural Selenim (see below), then they are often called incarnate Selenim since they typically incarnated multiple times as Nephilim. Like Nephilim, they have Emotional Metamorphoses. Unlike Nephilim, their Metamorphoses are evocative rather than wholly symbolic. Their Emotional Traits represent the emotions they prefer to Assuage and assist them in evoking these emotions in others. The former Nephilim compose the majority of the Selenim population.

The third generation 

The astrological Nephilim, or Ar-Kaïm in Enochian, are the third generation of Immortals. Like the symbolic Nephilim they were born after the Coming of Orichalka, but nobody knows how long after they started appearing. Instead of the Ka-Pentacle (five elemental branches orbiting the solar axle), their Ka-Essence is a Ka-Heart composed of 2–8 elements—including Black Moon and Orichalka! They were only a legend for most of history, but as the Age of Aquarius approached their numbers swelled until by the 21st century their existence is accepted as fact by the Major Arcana. They have Emotional Metamorphoses, but their individual Metamorphosis is determined by their Zodiac Sign on a 1:1 basis. Thus, there are only 13 Astrological Metamorphoses total: the 12 signs recognized by traditional astrology and the 13th sign of Ophiuchus (“serpent-bearer”) hidden within the month of Scorpio.

The natural Selenim are placed in this generation. They awakened as Selenim and never knew what it was like to be Nephilim or to lack their instinctive understanding of Tenebrae. Nobody knows when they first appeared: it could’ve been as early as the formation of the Black Moon. They rarely appeared throughout most of history to the point that, like the astrological Nephilim, they were considered a legend by the incarnate Selenim and completely unheard of to the natural Nephilim. After the Xibalbans’ crescent of Black Moon was shattered by an alliance of Major Arcana led by Cortez (see Gamemaster’s Companion p19 and “A History of the Selenim”), their population growth suddenly swelled (perhaps due to the sudden release of so much Black Moon dust into the atmosphere?). By the Spiritualist movement in the 19th century, in which uninitiated natural Selenim were heavily involved, they were accepted as fact by the incarnate Selenim. Still, the natural Selenim compose a minority of the Selenim population.

As player characters?

(This section is hypothetical, as I’m still working on rules for these.)

The astrological Nephilim, natural Selenim and younger symbolic Nephilim with no more than a couple of past lives are the most appropriate options for player characters and especially for beginning players.

Older Nephilim with more past lives and Selenim who were formerly Nephilim are recommended for more advanced players and players already familiar with the game.

The Kaïm and ethereal Selenim are not recommended as player characters. Only advanced players very familiar with the game should be allowed to play them, and then only with GM’s permission.

Hope you enjoyed!