History of Vampire

Vampires exist…

Vampires exist, and they walk among us. At night, at least — the sun is deadly to them. And yes, they survive by drinking the blood of humans.
But that's as far as the old myths go toward telling the truth.
Crosses, garlic, running water? They have no effect.
Vampires as they really exist are creatures of contradictions. Immortal, but still clinging to that which makes them human. Powerful, but always careful to keep their existence hidden from human society.
This is their story.
Vampires are the product of Caine, the first vampire. He created a number of vampires, who in turn created, or "embraced," their own vampires, and so on. Each "generation" further removed from Caine's blood is less powerful.
But vampires who have been active for a very long time also tend to become more powerful, gaining experience, knowledge, political influence — and a strong sense of paranoia.
The clan into which one is embraced affects the powers a vampire can use, and might affect the vampire's mental outlook or physical appearance. These vampires of similar characteristics are the "Kindred."
Times have changed for the Kindred. In the Middle Ages they were able to move more freely among the human populace, sometimes even acting as rulers. But with the Inquisition, all that changed.
It was necessary to adopt the Masquerade — a law of utter silence about the existence of vampires. Killing is the very least the Kindred have done to preserve the secret.
Today, vampire society is more structured. Most Kindred belong to the Camarilla, which upholds the Masquerade and maintains a social hierarchy. Others, however, belong to the Sabbat, who have rejected their human nature and see human beings as mere cattle. Only self-preservation keeps them from shattering the Masquerade.
There are thirteen different clans that exist in modern times. Other clans have passed into history. One of these is the clan of the Cappadocians. Branching off from a medieval order of monks, these vampires made death their chief subject of study.
Here is a very brief description of the modern clans:

Tzimisce (pronounced Zhi-mee'-see): Masters of flesh crafting, they only exist in the Sabbat.
Lasombra: The political leaders of the Sabbat. They are able to manipulate the very stuff of darkness. In the Middle Ages, they were of high station and were often associated with the medieval church.
Ravnos: The wandering gypsies of the Kindred. They are known as thieves and tricksters, and are masters of illusion.
Giovanni: A tightly knit group of necromancers who only recruit from within the mortal Giovanni family of Italy.
Gangrel: Preferring the company of beasts to other vampires, these Kindred tend to explore their animal side.
Followers of Set: An almost cult-like clan who do their best to corrupt other vampires.
Tremere: A scheming, highly regimented clan known for their use of thaumaturgy, or blood magic.
Toreador: The artists of the Kindred. They are highly sensitive to the emotional impact of artistic works, and are usually highly creative themselves.
Ventrue: The "upper class" of the Camarilla, the Ventrue are the ones who try to gain the greatest political and economic influence.
Malkavian: Every one of them is insane, but it is dangerous to dismiss them as lunatic pranksters. There is method to their madness, and through the strange insights it gives them they share a network that no one else understands.
Brujah: The rebels of vampire society. They are aggressive, anarchic, and fly off the handle easily. This was not always so: during medieval times, the Brujah were equal parts philosopher and warrior.
Assamite: The assassins of the Kindred. They are small in number, but are feared and respected.
Nosferatu: Shunned by most other Kindred because of their loathsome appearance, the Nosferatu make themselves useful by spying on all the other clans.