The Book of Nod

Did You Know?

• Chris McCubbin reviewed The Book of Nod for Pyramid magazine, noting its beautiful illustrations and effective design, though some text was hard to read due to excessive backscreens and reversed type.
• Finding a complete version of the Book of Nod is compared to finding the Rosetta Stone or the Holy Grail.

Overview

The book comprises three main sections. The Chronicle of Caine details Caine's exile, his brother's murder, defiance of God's angels, encounters with Lilith, the siring of other vampires, and the founding of the first city, ending with the biblical flood. The Chronicle of Shadows is a collection of noddist lore, including advice and commandments attributed to Caine or the Clan founders, lacking a cohesive narrative. The Chronicle of Secrets presents portents of the end times, known as Gehenna, highlighting the final generations of vampires, blood shortages, and the awakening of the Antediluvians. The volume includes commentary by Kindred scholars Aristotle de Laurent and his childe, Beckett. The book was supposedly stolen by the scholar Ayisha, who wanted it widely available.

Noddism

In the World of Darkness, the study of the Book of Nod is called Noddism, and its scholars are Noddists. The Camarilla officially denies the existence of the ancient Antediluvians, considering them extinct, and its Archons hunt and destroy Noddist lore; unofficially, many Camarilla elders fear and prepare for the coming armageddon. The Sabbat actively seeks Noddist lore to forestall the Antediluvians' return, viewing itself as an army against them. No complete version of the book is known, though fragments in various languages exist, widely distributed and protected.

Related works

White Wolf released several books containing supposed scripture from the Book of Nod. The Erciyes Fragments appeared in Vampire: The Dark Ages, with a backstory about its discovery and transfer to the Giovanni. Revelations of the Dark Mother presented the story of the first vampires from Lilith's perspective, who was mentioned in the first book as awakening Caine to his potential. These books were intended for Storytellers to provide information to players as stories required. Other Vampire: The Masquerade books contained passages from the Book of Nod, often conflicting with each other, and Storytellers were encouraged to add to the chaos. Within the fiction, the Book of Nod allegedly inspired the Byzantine priest Procopius to write the Book of the Shining Blood, the main scripture of the Cainite Heresy.