The Dawn of Time

From the dawn of time we came, moving silently down through the
centuries. Living many secret lives, struggling to reach the
time of the Gathering, when the few who remain will battle to the
last. No one has ever known we were among you..... 
...until now.

Ages

All Immortals are born like any other living being. Their parents are always mortal -- Immortals cannot reproduce themselves. Thus there is no "immortality gene" to be passed on to future generations. The Immortals are simply that -- immortal. There are no differences from mortals but their inability to die a natural death. The Immortals have the same emotions as every other living human being, the same fears, the same wants and needs, and the same experiences. Being Immortal is, however, a long experience, and this magnifies every aspect of the human life from birth and forward. The time of this birth is not yet set -- there's no specific age when all Immortals are created. They appear -- and disappear -- one by one through the ages. The Modern Age The Modern Age starts with the Industrialisation and has not yet ended. The Immortals born in this age are still young, compared to other Immortals. They are the most flexible, and also those who holds the least on the Traditions. The Renaissance The Renaissance begins with the ending of the Middle Ages and ends with the Industrialisation. Renaissance Immortals tend to look upon themselves as the flower of manhood -- born in a time between two ages of barbarians. They are quite arrogant, since they are old enough to be more experienced than younger Immortals and young enough to be able to learn modern sciences. The Middle Ages The Middle Ages ends with the Renaissance and begins with the landmark of the Norman conquest of Britain. Those born in this age often refer to it as the Age of Faith. Medieval Immortals are usually more faithful than others -- "humble before God" is a phrase that very well describes medieval Immortals. They also have a more strict code of honor and chivalry than other Immortals. The Dark Ages The Fall of Rome is the landmark to the beginning of the Dark Ages, and the Battle of Hastings marks it's end. Those born in the Dark Ages tend to be barbaric and brutal. There are exceptions, of course -- need we remind you of the Knights of the Round Table? The Dawn of time All times before the Fall of Rome is usually referred to as the Dawn. There are very few Immortals from this time. Those few who remain are usually civilized and think themselves superior of other Immortals. The primeval Immortals have a vast experience -- however, they often have more enemies.

The Quickening

The moment when the Immortality is realized is called the Quickening. This is not a pleasant experience -- when the mind gets aware of the Immortals true nature, the body flows with the life energy of the Immortal. The life force takes form in an enormous energy discharge, often manifested in electrical atmospherical phenomena -- lightnings, thunderstorms, aurorae and the like. In this moment, the Immortal stops aging. From now on, he cannot die save from losing his head. This experience occurs to a lesser degree when a non-quickened Immortal meets another Immortal. Although it is not a pleasant experience, it is still something that one will survive. Unless, of course, the other Immortal takes your head. It is possible that a non-quickened Immortal never experiences the Quickening. In such cases, the Immortal grows older and eventually dies of extremely old age. Though he cannot bear any offspring, it is still possible to die of old age. This does seldom occur; if it does, it is seldom heard of. Most Immortals are not even aware that it is possible to age and die if you never experience the Quickening.

The Nature of the Immortals

and the respect for the mortals

"Mom!" -- The Kurgan Man The Immortals fight in a Game, fight for a Prize. They are powerful and dangerous, but still they do not involve themselves in matters of the mortal world. Some of respect, some of fear, and some because they understand the human ways. No one will understand the words of an Immortal, no one will follow his or here lead. The mortals are good allies, but an Immortal must always look over his or her shoulder to make sure that the ally do not turn to enemy in the blink of an eye. Mortals are dangerous, even to an Immortal. The mortals can destroy an Immortal, sometimes by accident (there was an Immortal present in Hiroshima at the time of the nuclear bomb-drop there) and sometimes on purpose (there are cults that hunt Immortals, hoping to absorb some of their knowledge and wisdom by killing him or her, just as another Immortal would). That is why most Immortals stay away from the mortals. That is the nature by which the Immortals live and die.

The Price of Immortality

"It's only forever Not long at all" -- David Bowie, "Underground"

Infertility

"What won't please Heather, I can tell you that for nothing." -- Conner MacLeod No Immortal may ever have a child of his own flesh and blood. They are completely infertile. Some of them never realize this and keep trying to produce children, an impossible task, one of the few for an Immortal. It is said that the Last Immortal, the one to survive the Gathering, will be able to grow old and have children, like any mortal. Fascinating thought, but not a very likely one. Some Immortals find the infertility to be a blessing in disguise, while others see it quite the other way. Loneliness All Immortals are feared. It is in the human nature to fear the unknown. And Immortality has always been unknown to the human society. That is why most Immortals choose to be alone in their life, to avoid being spotted as Immortals. Having a family or friends will sooner or later point you out for what you are, and you are different. Some Immortals try to avoid being alone, but they soon find out that the burden of having outlived all your friends and relatives soon overpowers even the most healthy mind. All you really can do is stay away. The Game The life of an Immortal is very much like the life of a mortal. It is a struggle to survive, but for the Immortal, survival becomes a bit harder than you would suspect. All Immortals have one, unifying goal; to be the Last Immortal, to kill all the other Immortals. This is called the Game. The Game begun at the dawn of time, when there were few mortals in the world, and even fewer Immortals. The Game ends with the battle between the two final Immortals of the Game. In order for this battle to occur, a Gathering is called. This is described below. When the final battle is over, there is only one Immortal left, and he or she receives something called The Prize. The Game isn't a single Game, with every Immortal pitched against every other Immortal, but several, completely sperate Games, each with a separate Gathering and a separate Last Immortal. It is said that on the final night of the world, all the ones that have been, or is, the Last Immortal of a Game shall meet in a gigantic battle to determine who will be the Final Immortal. But these are just rumors. Enmity Because of the Game, all Immortals are enemies with a series of other Immortals. Some Immortals might not be enemies, they may be friends like the mortals, but most are enemies. Would you not rather be enemy with an individual that could destroy the only thing you had; your life, or would you rather trust this person, and hope that you may live another day? So, most Immortals are generally unpleasant with other Immortals, even on Holy ground, where there may be no fighting. This is the Enmity. The Gathering When only a few of the Immortals in a Game remains, they will feel an urge to travel to a far-away land, to fight for the prize. This is called the Gathering and is normally called when there are between ten and twenty Immortals left in a Game. The Gathering ends with the Final Conflict, where the two last Immortals fight for the prize, fight until only one remains.

Traditions

"No one ever breaks that rule. It's tradition." -- Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez Sanctuary The Tradition of Sanctuary is the oldest traditions and also the strongest. Since Immortals are as susceptible to religions and beliefs as any other human being, they are as strong in Faith as any human being, and perhaps more, since they are often born in times when religion is strong. Faiths have resulted in the Sanctuary -- no violences on consecrated ground. The nature of the consecration matters not. A church is considered as holy as a mosque, a synagogue or a Buddhistic shrine. Few Immortals questions claims of consecration, since breaking this rules creates enemies and breaks the friendship with the few friends an Immortal gets. Single Combat The Tradition of Single Combat dates from the Dark Ages. It is the tradition which is most broken, especially by younger Immortals who do not follow the codes of honor from the past. This tradition is almost always followed by ruthless and powerful Immortals, since they know that less powerful Immortal will band together and destroy elder Immortals if this tradition would not stop them. Challenge No Immortal ever strikes in the back. This Tradition dates from the Middle Ages and the chivalry. Very young Immortals sometimes break this rule, as the most ruthless Immortals of the Dark Ages. Others does not dare to break the Tradition of Challenge -- a Barret M82-A caliber .50 sniper rifle at 800 meters breaks the spine as good as a sword, and if you break the Tradition of Challenge, you are most likely to become target for such a weapon. Shadow War The most recent Tradition is that of the Shadow War. First invented in the beginning of the Renaissance, it has grown more strong as time has passed and the control of the masses has become more efficient. The secrecy and the seclusiveness of the Immortals is a self-defence -- what would a ruthless mortal not do to gain immortality? And who wants to live imprisoned forever?

Effects of the Quickening

Rapid Healing: The Immortals can still be hurt by any means that will hurt a mortal, but they heal one healthlevel/round. If the Immortal acts in any way, for instance moves, fights etc. must he succeed with a Stamina-roll with a difficulty of 8 with to heal that round. Rapture: If the spinal column between the head and the heart becomes completely severed, the Immortal enters the Final Death. One tenth of the deceased Immortals Accumulated Experience passes to all nearby Immortals (line of sight) in an impressing pyrotechnic show. Influences: These are supernatural powers gained after the Quickening. They may be of any nature; magic, extra-sensory, or other. The Gathering: When only a few in a Game are left, the Gathering will call all the remaining Immortals to one place, and none may resist. There they will fight until only one is left, and this is the Last Immortal, holder of the Prize. The Prize: The Prize is the thing that all Immortals strive for. It is first of all the ability to love, grow old, have children, be a mortal. Second of all the Last Immortal knows everything, knows every thought and dream of every mortal and Immortal, and can help them to understand each other. This makes him or her truly very powerful, and this Prize can be used for much good, and much evil, if it should fall into the wrong hands. On the following pages there is described how you make an Immortal character, and how this character should work in his or her Game, until "(...) the time of the Gathering, when the strike of a sword and the fall of a head shall release the power of the Quickening. In the end, there can be only one."