Who are the Ar-Kaïm?

The Ar-Kaïm were introduced in the third edition of the French version, Nephilim: Revelation. Although they received their rules in this edition, they existed in the lore as far back as the first edition's reference to new Nephilim being born from nexuses. In second edition, this reference was revised as referring to "astrological Nephilim," who are different from the "symbolic" Nephilim that are usually meant. Rather than a Pentacle of the five elements, they may possess all eight Ka, including Solar, Black Moon and Orichalc.

The Ar-Kaïm were introduced as an option for beginner players, as their backstory was far shorter than that of the Nephilim. Ar-Kaïm only started being born as of 1900 and could only reincarnate within their own descendants within their current simulacrum's lifetime, so they weren't as involved in the occult history like Nephilim and Selenim. An Ar-Kaïm PC knew about as much as a beginner player.

Ar-Kaïm didn't learn Occult Sciences like Nephilim, but instinctive abilities known as Talents. These were far less versatile than the Occult Sciences, but they were readily usable in a pinch. Additionally, they possessed a close bond with the Subtle Planes, whose rules were codified in this edition, allowing them to more easily access it.

As additional supplements were written, it was revealed that the Ar-Kaïm were actually much older than 1900 and dated all the way back to Atlantis. They waged their own secret conflicts and were kept hidden by the activities of the Bohemians, before the Golden Dawn caused the Great Awakening in 1900. These revelations introduced inconsistencies in how they were written, but the third edition was canceled before these could be resolved and subsequent editions never picked up these threads. I find that disappointing, but such is life...

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