The Weeping Stone is a sacred relic and pilgrimage site for the Lost Tribe (a.k.a. the "Black Hand"), in the mountainous region of modern Iraq.
Overview
The stone itself is tall, lushly curved, and planted deep in the earth. The coppery smell of blood waft from it on the wind as one gets closer. A thin trickle of liquid coursed 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.
The Legend
Some scholars say 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 said that the founders succeeded in killing just two of their forebears, Enoch the Wise and Irad the Strong.
When Zillah the Fair 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 wouldn't 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.
To taste the Stone is to share in 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, which is why they named themselves the way they did. They also called themselves Zillah's Tears. And they guarded the secret of the Stone most closely, only revealing it to those few who had proved absolutely faithful to Father Caine's word.
Dastur Anosh and his Sire at the Weeping Stone
References
- Caine's Chosen: The Black Hand, p. 10-11
- Children of the Revolution, p. 60-63