Weeping Stone
- The Lost Tribe
The Weeping Stone is a sacred relic and pilgrimage site for the Lost Tribe (the modern Black Hand) in the mountainous region of modern Iraq.
The stone itself is tall, lushly curved, and planted deep in the earth. The coppery smell of blood wafts from it on the wind as one gets closer. A thin trickle of liquid courses slowly down the stone's surface, its path over the centuries having worn a rivulet in the basalt. It was discovered by the Assamite known as the Weeping Master in a strange, desolate valley with iron-reddened sands that looked like a field of blood under the wan desert moon.
It is believed to be the resting spot of Zillah the Fair who was turned to stone by Caine. According to rumor, those who drink those tears dream during their day hours, experiencing visions of the destruction of the Second Generation.
Another theory, espoused by the Tal'Mahe'Ra, is that the stone is the tool that Caine used to kill Abel. They believe that stone grows with every murder committed since then.
The Legend
The Black Hand believes the Stone is east of the Garden of Eden, at or near the site of the First City, where the Clan Founders rose up and supposedly slew their sires. The Tribe's legend says that the founders succeeded in killing just two of their forebears, Enoch the Wise and Irad the Strong.
When Zillah saw that her brothers were dead and she was next, she wept and cried out to Father Caine. He heard her pleas and took pity on her, changing her into a stone so that she would not be found and killed. But still she continued to mourn, and her blood-tears continued to flow from the Stone, just as they do to this very night. To taste the Stone is to taste the last remaining Blood of the faithful generation.
The blood of the Stone is the promise Father Caine gave to his beloved Zillah, that she would walk the night again at his side when all was mended. The Lost Tribe took this very much to heart, the reason why they also call themselves Zillah's Tears. They guard the secret of the Stone most closely, only revealing it to those few who have proved absolutely faithful to Father Caine's word.
