Caine, also known as Cain, is thought by some to have been the first and most powerful vampire in the mythos of the World of Darkness. Like his Biblical namesake, he is the firstborn son of Adam and Eve and the older brother of Abel and Seth.
According to Vampiric mythology, Caine killed his brother Abel and was exiled by God to Nod, East of Eden. Outside of Nod he met Lilith, who taught him the basics of vampiric power. At this time, he was also cursed by God's Angels to be vulnerable to fire, sunlight and the treachery of his descendants.
Caine then traveled to Enoch, the First City of the human race. There he embraced its ruler and became the God-King of the city, embracing three childer as the Second Generation. These three childer in turn embraced the thirteen Antediluvians, the founders of the clans.
Before the formation of the Camarilla, most vampires referred to themselves simply as "Cainites" in recognition of their patriarch.