Children of Judas

In some parts of the world, people who commit suicide are said to come back as vampires. This legend may have some connection to the bloodline called the Children of Judas. Where the Children of Judas dwell, suicides increase — and some of these suicides become Children of Judas themselves. Many Kindred hate and fear the so-called Suicide Kings. Perhaps this bloodline receives too much blame: Kindred can feel horror, remorse and despair without any help. The Children of Judas emerge from the Daeva clan. The Suicide Kings gain the power to arouse the darkest, most enigmatic and perverse desire of all. A Child of Judas who attempted suicide as a mortal often keeps reminders of his search for self-destruction.<br />

No one’s sure when the Children of Judas originated. The legend connecting vampires with suicide dates back to antiquity. Despite the bloodline’s name, however, members do not claim that their lineage began with Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Christ. Rather, they see a spiritual connection to the traitor disciple: Judas destroyed what he should have loved most, and killed himself in remorse. The bloodline calls its alleged founder the Hanged Man. As a mortal, the Hanged Man supposedly lived in the Balkans during the late Middle Ages. One of the more widespread and persistent rumors about the Children of Judas says their founder faked his destruction, but actually left the Lancea Sanctum to join the secret society called VII. <br />

Children of Judas are compelled by their blood to explore suffering and inflict it, often leading to their subjects’ deaths. Children of Judas who want to avoid a swift degeneration into the Beast’s madness need some way to justify such cruelty. Much of the bloodline’s tradition consists of philosophy about when to inflict the misery of Despond, why and how severely. <br />