Mana spike. They don't need the high mana level to live or to use their powers, they just need it to transform. He was a spike-baby Elf who just happened to have the rare genes that allow an Elf to survive Infection by a Nosferatu and was infected at a fifth-world mana spike.

yeah, thar was the explanation behind nosferatu 2055

All it said, I think, was that he was born during a mana spike. I'll be going home next week and can get the book to take a look for anything more concrete.

Yep, think about statistical oddity: Spike-baby Elf gets born, gets infected with Nosferatu strain, and has the rare genes that allow to survive that infection. Too bad that IIRC, according to a commnt by AH, nature erased the oddity by ensuring his bizarre genetic makeup gave him a taste for the blood and Essence of people with his own genetic pattern, so he single-handedly sucked his bloodline dry and prevented new elven nosferatu from being born. Too bad, elven nosferatu magician/mystic adept was the apex of cool, only elven drake magician/mystic adept could stand to it.

Drake? Since when is Serrin Shamander (sp?) a drake?

Wasn't him.
was another Elf who summoned a big mean nasty spirit through the Troll Bear Shaman Samurai.

I haven't read that in a few years. I guess it's about time again though cuz I don't remember that.

Erm...
...The character [Niall] who did the summoning was a powerful Elf magician, working on his own [against the wishes of his peers] and using the contained power of a magical storm/The Wild Hunt.

Without that level of power [which nearly killed him], the spell wouldn't have worked - grounding the Spirit through the Troll Bear Shaman.

Niall, now I remember, went out into that manastorm, nearly killing himself, then flew out under the radar/mana-based-fog. You know, if the "good guys" (I'm not really sure Nial is a "good-guy") have so much trouble in Tir-east, it sounds like a prime place for a tac nuke. But hey, I'm just like that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif) Make the Seele Court glow!

Wasn't referring to him, just thinking about character concepts in general. Elves are just not that impressive crunchywise, Dwarves beat them hands down for all-around flexible bonuses, and nobody beats the pointy-ears for the cool factor (except the dryads, and they are elven cubed). As such, IMO nothing can beat the elven nosferatu magician/mystic-adept at cool badassitude, except the elven drake magician/mystic adept (think Luther squared against an elf mystic adept Ryan Mercury).

Perhaps instead of this, he might have just sealed himself in an air tight container, avoiding the essence loss.

Oh, okay. That would be a good fight. Think we could sell tickets? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smokin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smokin.gif)

Would vampires still lose Essence if they're affected by Induced Dormancy? I mean, it says they're unconscious, not in suspended animation.

And isn't the mana lull only about 2000 years or so? The 5th World is longer than that, according to the Sixth World Wiki. So, wouldn't there be some vampires from the 5th age, or some magic in the late BC?

Downtime is often referred to as lasting about 5200 years or so.

The Downcycle is about 5000 years or so, if I remember correctly.

Edit: Damn! Too many open tabs. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Ah, good old retcon. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

No retcon. It has always been that way, ever since first edition.

I actually ran with this idea 2 games back. The players were trapped on a small Italian islands off Mezzogiorno, and because I was feeling creepy, I made it the site of a Roman Nosferatu's burial - something like Caius Ferrus Scipio, the Bloodletter of Caesarea, Betrayer of Legion IX Ferrata, blah blah, blah. I made up a whole story about how he had sold his 'soul to Ba'al Hamon' (spirit pact with a shadow spirit) and betrayed his legion to Carthage during one of their perpetual battles, and in exchange the spirit showed him where he could catch himself some HMHVV, and gave him some mystical blessings.

Eventually the Romans subdued him, shipped him to the island, and strapped him to a table and got some way powerful oracle (I.E. 'has an Initiate grade' from Antiniopolis) to bless a stone tomb which would force him to sleep. The players didn't find out more than a tenth of any of this, and the nosferatu never woke up, but I was in a BPRD mood and had been inspired by an Abe Sapien comic I read.

I hope this is a sufficiently non-emo, non Anne-Rice vampire story for you.

yes, that shall suffice, thank you.

Ah. I thought I read somewhere in 1st Edition that it was a 2,000 year lull. My mistake. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

It's about 2500 years to the downpoint of the cycle, then another 2500 until it reaches the point where magic starts working again. So, that 2000 year number might have come from that.

Makes sense. Great quote, by the way! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)