The Shadow Wars

As Saulot entered Torpor, to escape a world in which
he had seen only Evil, and Good overcome by Evil, the
Blood of His Blood were left to fend for themselves. A
few of the Elders followed Saulot to safeguard him,
some entered Torpor tired of this world and hoping to
awaken to better times, but most were left in a hostile
world. The Philosophy of Ascension, the Philosophy of
Golconda, and the Philosophy of Purification (and the
two sects based on that particular belief) developed
very quickly, giving the lost Childer of Saulot a focus
which they gravely needed in a world filled with beings
who desired only their destruction. Many of those who
entered the "Flames of Serenity" and the "Swords of
Saulot" faked their own deaths, sometimes even
masking as the Cainites who had attempted to kill them,
making the Ba'ali and the Clans believe that they had
almost wiped the Salubri from the face of the Earth.
This is the Masquerade of these Salubri, which they call
The Way of Shadows. Their enemies did not see farther
into the shadows in which they themselves did stand,
they saw only the Salubri who followed the Philosophy
of Ascension _ Cainites who had clearly gone as mad
as any Malkavian, and now followed a belief which
would destroy them all sooner or later. They did not see
the three eyes which watched from the shadows and
learned who the true enemy was. They did not see the
Cainites in their midst who wore false names and faces.
But they felt the force of the sects when they lashed out
from the shadows. Blows which made them run around
like ants who just had their nest destroyed, ants who=7F
screamed "The Nictuku", "The Secret Masters", "The
Damned Blue-Bloods" and "The Setites." But there
were also those _ immortal and mortal alike _ who
felt the gentle kiss of the Salubri, as it had once been
given to their Father by Gabriel, and found their way
into the Light, who trod firmly on the Path of
Golconda.

A few Salubri Elders chose more direct roles in the
Jyhad, masking as Gods and Elders of other Clans,
rather than manipulating events from afar. As the
practise of posing as Gods was widespread amongst all
supernatural creatures, it is hard to tell who are legends,
who are Salubri and who are other Cainites, Mages or
Daemons. The Salubri who posed as Gods were
concentrated in Sumer, India, Egypt, Greece, and
Scandinavia.

Egypt


The Egyptian mythology have at least two Gods which
have been positively identified as Salubri.

The Moon-god Khons from Theben, had several
aspects, one of which depicted him as a man with a
falcon's head crowned with the new moon and the full
moon. A fairly clear reference to the closed and opened
third eye of the Salubri, and the head of the falcon also
tells of the clarity of vision which is attributed to many
Salubri. Khons was invoked in matters of disease and
healing, and was then known as Khons Who Gives
Advise.
	His close association with the falcon
and the moon draws a clear picture of a ancient Salubri
named Xalmakhar the Wanderer, who walked with
Saulot when he returned to the lands of Kala-At-
Shergat. That particular Cainite was said to be able to
call upon the Moon for help, supposedly causing the
Sickness of the Moon (i.e. insanity) in his enemies. He
was also said to be able to change himself into a falcon
and rip out the eyes of his enemies.

Selket was one of the four Goddesses who protected
Osiris, and all the dead. Originally her name was Serket-
Hetu which meant "the one who lets the throats
breathe", a name which identified her as a Goddess who
protects all living. She was said to have an eye which
was both healing and lethal, therefore she was closely
associated with scorpions and wore one on
her head as a crown.
	If she was able to kill with her eyes,
that would make her another Salubri Ancient, namely
Vistherathrica. She developed a special Power of
Obeah, which allowed her to reverse the healing effects
of the Discipline when the gaze of the third eye was
turned upon someone completely corrupt and evil.

India

Several Salubri are believed to have involved
hemselves in the events which took place in pre-historic
India, and several Gods and Goddesses have
characteristics which points towards Salubri powers.
The area which was to become India and the
surrounding countries of Pakistan and Nepal, was long
in an iron grip of terror and the suffering attracted the
Salubri. Mysterious Cainites who all descended from
the Destroyer-Goddess Kali, ruled the area with terror
and blood-letting on a scale which rivalled the deeds of
Shaitan in Kala-At-Shergat. The Salubri manipulated
the Brujah, Tzimisce and Gangrels to attack the foul
daemonic Cainites which were known as the Children of
Kali.
	Such creatures as Vishnu and Hanumat
are identical to powerful Tzimisce, who could create
ever new forms for himself, and a Gangrel Cainite who
ruled the Giant Apes who lived in the area at that pre-
historic time and he had a strength which was
unrivalled.

The Salubri apparently took upon them guises of love,
compassion and eroticism. In such forms they could
more easily spread their philosophy, as well as
influence the other Cainites in the area.

The wife of Vishnu the Maintainer of the Universe, who
was named Shri, a Goddess of Happiness and Fertility
who could heal damage done to man, beast and crops.
	A Salubri named Lakshimithia had
special powers over the plants of the earth, and is
thought to have known a special Path of Thaumaturgy
which dealt with the growth of all plants and the
development of new ones. Lakshimithia is also known
to have been active in Greece, where she was known as
Demeter the Goddess of Fertility.

Parvati, the wife of Shiva the Destroyer in both his
aspects as a fierce destroyer, a healer of souls and an
amorist, is also thought to be a Salubri. She influenced
the different aspects of Shiva, and held in herself both
aspects of compassion and hate.
	This particular personality-blend
existed in the Salubri Sathiumarkha, whom Cainite
legends hold was the most passionate undead ever, a
being who knew only love and forgave those who did
her wrong. When the Salubri was Blood Hunted and
driven from the Second City, that all changed.
Sathiumarkha developed a dark side, which was hate
and destruction incarnate _ a dark side she was able to
transfer to others by means of altering their minds and
souls. But she also had a side which was love,
compassion and desire, the very nature of the Salubri
made flesh. Sathiumarkha invoked these sides in her
husband (who is believed to have been a Brujah who
was driven mad with grief when the First City was
destroyed in the Great Deluge), and made him a God
both feared and respected.

Sumer

>From Ancient Sumer, only one Salubri is known to have
played a part as a Goddess. This was some time before
the fall of the Second City, and thus at least one Salubri
have played a part in the beginning War of the Ages,
well before Saulot and his Childer were driven from the
city in Kala-At-Shergat.

Inanna was the Supreme Goddess of Sexual Love and
Fertility. She was also said to hold power over life and
death, capable of restoring the pure and the innocent
back to life, which strongly hints at her real identity.
She ventured into the Underworld where she attempted
to dethrone Ereshkigal, the Goddess of Death. She was,
however, defeated, killed and nailed to a wall fashioned
from bones and the souls of rebellious humans. Her
vizier Ninshubur divined a catastrophe, and created two
mighty companions of clay who accompanied him into
the Underworld in a daring attempt to rescue Inanna.
Here the vizier and the clay people resurrected Inanna,
tricked Ereshkigal and her minions into taking
an evil man named Dumuniz in Inanna's place and
returned with her to the world again.
	The Salubri Methuselah Nahstradia,
constantly battled a daemonic entity named Ereshkigal,
and was known to have converted many Evil Men with
her special abilities. She was rumored to have mastered
a special Obeah Power, which allowed her to resurrect
those pure and innocent people who had been wrongly
killed _ either by accident or by evil deed. Nahstradia
was a very sensuous woman who richly deserved her
aspect as the Supreme Goddess of Sexual Love, and
was supposedly able to seduce both men and women _
mortal and immortal alike _ with but a glance.

It is uncertain exactly who the Ereshkigal she battled
was, as several options present themselves when
guessing at her identity, as she had the powers of
several legendary creatures. The most likely
explanation is that Ereshkigal is fact a  "compound
entity'"_ meaning several beings who possess similar
abilities and personality traits, are crystallised into a
single being. The two most prominent (an likely) beings
are Eresharr and Kish'ghal'rss.
	A daemonic Cainite named Eresharr
haunted Sumer, and constantly threatened the safety of
the Sumerian cities. She was supposedly able to call
upon the Fire of the Underworld, make the sky black
with flying Daemons and turn the rivers into blood.
Whether this Cainite was a Ba'ali, or just one of the
many undead who bartered with Daemons in those
Days Before Time, is not known.
	However, another creature named
Kish'ghal'rss displayed much the same abilities, but was
said to rule her own private Domain in the Underworld,
from whence she could send forth legions of Daemons=7F
and other minions. Kish'ghal'rss was not, however, one
of the Damned. The few intact references to her, which
have been found on ancient clay tablets, have words
describing her which can be interpreted as Awakened or
Enlightened. This, of course, suggests that Kish'ghal'rss
may have been a Mage, quite possibly a Nephandi.

In Nahstradia's most famous strike against her
daemonic adversary(ies), she ventured into her foe's
Domain in the Netherworld, and attempted to reverse
her Evil nature. She failed, and after she had been
defeated in battle, she was staked and hung on a wall in
her enemy's throne room where Ereshkigal could gloat
over her foolish opponent. Nahstradia had foreseen this
event, and had asked her closets friend how to rescue
her. Ninshubur was himself of prominent magickal
power, and created two powerful clay entities to help
him on his dangerous mission. He also staked and
abducted an evil Brujah named Dumuniz, whom he
brought along with him _ knowing very well that
Ereshkigal would not be happy when she discovered
that her favorite decoration had vanished.
	The powers displayed by the clay
people, are very violent and seemingly more
like a force of nature, than a work of magick. Most
likely the clay people are references to the Paradox
Spirit Terra Firma, who manifests as a huge golem-like
creature made from earth. Since both Ninshubur and
Ereshkigal have natures and powers which point at
possible Mages, a Paradox Spirit is very likely to
appear at some point, when incredible powerful
creatures battle.
	Ninshubur did manage to enter
Ereshkigal's throne room, where he removed the stake
from Nahstradia's chest, reworked the physical
appearance of Dumuniz and hung him in her place.
Thereupon the Methuselah and the Sorcerer escaped
from Domain of Ereshkigal, who was said to have
crushed entire legions of Daemons in a furious rage
when she discovered that she had been cheated.
	Nahstradia is also known to have
operated in India, and also in the Middle Eastern area
where she had at least some part in the downfall of the
Ba'ali Diabolo, who was responsible for the crucifixion
and death of Jesus Christ.


Greece

In Greece two Salubri are known to have been active.
One posed as Demeter the Goddess of Fertility (see
India: Lakshimithia), and the other Athenae the
Goddess of Wisdom.

Demeter was both the Goddess of the Corn, but was
also known as Mother Earth, as she was a Goddess of
the fertility of both the earth and the women. She was
capable of creating abundance and famine, barrenness
and fertility. Demeter was identical to the Salubri
Lakshimithia.

Athenae was one of the most powerful Goddesses in
the Greek pantheon, and in her aspect as the Goddess
of Wisdom she was worshipped all over Greece. Her
wisdom and ability to see with clarity where others
could not was legendary, as was her wily intelligence.
She was reknown for sending military advice in the
dreams of the great warlords, advice which would lead
to a glorious, but bloodless, victory. Athenae was
beautiful as the dawning day, but she remained the
Virgin Goddess. This may have more to do with the
standards of patriarchate society in which she was
Goddess _ sharp, intelligent women were seen as a
threat to the potence and power of the men _ and thus
Athenae remained forever the inapproachable.
	Athauzanna was one of the most (if not
the most) intelligent and wise Salubri who has ever
existed, and her wisdom and intelligence rivalled even
that of Saulot. She hated violence and war, and
constantly intervened with her wisdom to settle things
peacefully. Athauzanna was a gentle creature who
desired only peace, and she was loved dearly by her
Brothers and Sisters. The Ba'ali hated her with a venom
because of her ability to settle wars and struggles
peacefully, and were constantly trying to kill her. She
disappeared some 1500 years B.C. and since she was
never again heard from, the Ba'ali are thought to have
succeeded with their foul schemes. All Salubri wept
blood for her, and the world is a much colder place
without her presence.