Talamasca

The Talamasca, also referred to as "Order of the Talamasca," is a secret society that watches over and keeps records on paranormal beings including witches, vampires, and spirits.

Origins

The Talamasca was founded by Gremt Stryker Knollys, a tangible spirit who emerged into the physical realm in 580 CE, Teskhamen, an ancient Egyptian vampire, and Hesketh, a vampire killed by mortals in the seventh century in the form of a physically embodied ghost. These immortals became the mysterious Elders of the Talamasca, and led the organization from the shadows before beginning to transfer its leadership to its human members in the early 21st century. In The Witching Hour it is mentioned that the organization was formally formed in the 11th century, but existed before that. The specific founding year of the Talamasca is given as 748 in Prince Lestat and as 758 in The Queen of the Damned.

A legend referencing the founding of the Talamasca is referenced by David Talbot in Merrick: "A humming sound distracted me somewhat because I was afraid that it came from bees. I have a very great fear of bees, and like many members of the Talamasca, I fear some secret regarding bees which has to do with our origins, but there is not room enough to explain here." This refers to the character of Gremt, who emerged first into the physical realm through hives of bees, as described in Pandora.

The Talamasca is described in The Vampire Chronicles as having motherhouses or bases in London, Amsterdam, Rome and other various parts of the world. The first Talamasca motherhouse was a ruined monastery in France.

Purpose and Structure

The Talamasca was founded as a secular organization focused on the acquisition of knowledge about the supernatural mysteries of the world. Though subgroups within the Talamasca may have their own agendas, the central purpose of the Talamasca is to observe and document unnatural phenomena without interference.

Members of the Talamasca are recruited from the population of humans who have either unnatural powers themselves, or who have encountered supernatural phenomena. Many members of the Talamasca are capable of reading thoughts, and are trained in obscuring their thoughts from other mind readers. Other members of the Talamasca are witches with the ability to communicate with spirits, and one former member, Raglan James, had the ability to project his consciousness into the bodies of others. Members of the Talamasca often belong to it for life, and may specialize in a specific subset of supernatural phenomena, such as witches or hauntings.

The Talamasca membership is led by a Superior General, and reports to a group of Elders, who are often unseen and whose identities are unknown to most members. The business cards handed out by Talamasca members say, "We watch and we are always here".

The Talamasca acquires information through collecting eyewitness accounts, paying agents or sending members to investigate reported supernatural activity, and by collecting records, news articles, and artifacts. The painting "The Temptation of Amadeo," by Marius, and newspaper articles about the Théâtre des Vampires are seen stored in their archival vaults.

Notable Members

• Aaron Lightner
• Arthur Langtry
• David Talbot
• Jesse Reeves
• Merrick Mayfair
• Raymond Gallant
• Stirling Oliver
• Stuart Townsend (novel)
• Yuri

Trivia

• The word Talamasca comes from Latin meaning "animal mask". It was also an old term to describe a witch or a shaman.

• The Talamasca's motto is "We watch. And we are always there," as mentioned in The Queen of the Damned, and The Witching Hour.

• A number of vampires once belonged to the Talamasca before accepting the Dark Gift.  Jesse Reeves, David Talbot and Merrick Mayfair are the most notable of former Talamasca members. The Talamasca Order also appear in Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels.