Were the Kaïm synonymous with the Great Old Ones?

While transcribing and translating the French third edition, I came across mention that Atlantis left a horrific scar on the human psyche. Within the Anti-Lands (lower planes of nightmares) is a "chthonic Atlantis," depicting a horrific tableau where countless innocent human beings are tortured and killed by nightmarish creatures resembling Nephilim with elemental metamorphoses (akin to the elementalism Khaiba transformation, basically animated material of that element). 

Although the French version doesn't really dwell on it, the Nephilim are actually fairly monstrous even long after Orichalka. Hence why the US version's fandom (even the writers themselves!) didn't like the body snatcher angle.

I also found some unsubstantiated mention that one of the freelancers had created house rules where he equated the Kaïm with the Great Old Ones, but I have been unable to confirm that actually happened.

Now I cannot get the idea out of my head: were the Kaïm the Old Ones? Is that why the US rulebook says Lovecraft's writings unnerved the Nephilim?

I think it would be interesting if the Kaïm were treated as the setting's equivalent of the Old Ones, with humanity (mortal and Immortal alike) being their victimized creations or descendants in some way. Their rule was only broken by Orichalka, allowing humanity to rise up and rebel against their cruel overlords. The Orichalka Men seem justified from this perspective. 

However, the Nephilim were innocent and just as much victims of the Kaïm as mortals were. The Orichalka Men had liberated humanity forever, but they continued to destroy all trace of elemental magic by hunting down the subsequent generations of Immortals who had never take part in the horrors of Atlantis and never knew what it was to be anything other than human. This allowed the Selenim to attract many recruits to their cause and fight back by manifesting humanity's nightmares against them. With mortals firmly under the yoke of the Selenim, the Nephilim had the chance to advance their occult development and eventually ally with their mortal charges to break the Selenim Empire.

I have to think more on it...

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

“Fixing” the setting

Simplifying the rules

The spiritual pentacle and the elements