Vampire masquerade

1. #1Generation

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   Generation is an indication of how far a vampire is removed from Caine, the original vampire. When a vampire embraces, their childe rises from death one Generation higher than them — one more Generation removed from Caine. The clan founders comprised the Third Generation, their progeny became the Fourth Generation, their childer became the Fifth Generation, and so on and so forth up through the distant Thirteenth Generation prevalent in the modern nights. All Cainites trace their ancestry according to how far removed they are from Caine, how many generations down their cursed line they are. Caine is considered the First Generation of vampires, the most powerful of them all and Cainites use Generation to describe their heritage as Caine's children. Those of low generation, two or three times removed from Caine, are accorded more respect than those nine or ten times removed. Generation is the crudest measure of vampiric power, or more accurately, vampiric potential. In game mechanics, all Kindred have a Generation Trait, which is ranked between 0 and 5 for standard characters. Each rank represents a step below the default generation, which is 13th in modern times, and 12th in the Dark Ages. Thus, standard VTM characters range from 13th to 8th generation, and DAV characters from 12th to 7th. Members of the 14th and 15th generation are special, and detailed rules for them are provided in the Time of Thin Blood supplement. The V20 supplement Beckett's Jyhad Diary introduces the 16th generation. Low generation provides several benefits. Dominate cannot be used on vampires of a lower generation than the character, and some other Disciplines are weaker as well. The number of blood points a Cainite can spend a turn and the maximum size of their blood pool also increases as generation is lowered, though this represents a concentration of power within the blood, not a larger physical capacity to store it. Vampires of below the 8th generation can raise their traits to truly superhuman levels: instead of the human maximum of five, they may raise their traits as high as (13 - their generation); this includes learning Advanced Discipline powers. Generally, the only way a vampire changes generation is through diablerie. When a Cainite diablerizes a vampire of lower generation their generation decreases by one or possibly more if the victim was particularly potent. There are other, much rarer, methods of changing generation, but they usually involve powerful sorcery and are closely guarded secrets. Generations Caine Caine has the dubious honor of being the first among the damned, the malignant seed from which all other Cainites claim their heritage. He is regarded as the First Generation. 2nd Generation The most prominent tales say Caine embraced only three childer - the mythical second generation, and the sires of the 13 Antediluvians. Like Caine, little is known about the three, other than that they all met their end at the hands of the Antediluvians. Alone, even the mighty Antediluvians were said to be hesitant to speak of their sires, beings of incredible beauty, but also tyrants and demigods. 3rd Generation It is with the third generation that myth and legend meet reality. The Book of Nod claims that only 13 vampires belonged to the third generation, and that each were the progenitors of one of the 13 clans. Only Caine and the Three, however, know how many of the third generation were actually created. They are quite literally "Antediluvians," having survived the biblical flood by slumbering under the waters to hide from the sun. They are so ancient that it is said they can exist only in torpor, that state of dark slumber that affects all Cainites of advanced age. 4th & 5th Generations Known as Methuselahs, the vampires of the fourth and fifth generations are almost as powerful as their sires. Although they are old, some have escaped the call of lasting torpor, and even those who have failed are only condemned to slumber a few centuries at a time. Their power lies in their advanced Disciplines and age. Few vampires of subsequent generations can match a Methuselah's power. It is said they can erupt and command the legions of Hell itself. Their age is also their greatest weakness, however. 6th & 7th Generations See also Seventh Generation (disambiguation) Younger than the Methuselahs and Antediluvians, many of the vampires of the sixth and seventh generation are still elders of Cainite society. While few Cainites ever cross paths with a fourth generation vampire, most encounter the self-styled lords of the sixth and seventh generations. Although they are not as powerful as the Methuselahs, these Cainites are still formidable opponents, who gladly sacrifice mystical and spiritual power for temporal influence. These Cainites rule over vast kingdoms, donning the crown of monarchs and commanding armies of younger Cainites and mortal thralls. 8th & 9th Generations Achieving a delicate balance between age and generation, these vampires are the most visible ones of the 14th century. Although they are young, the blood of Caine flows strong through their veins, usually enough to give them an edge over those of higher generation. They are nowhere near as old as most Cainites of lower generation, however, which places them in a delicate position. Most Cainites of eighth and ninth generation overcome this disadvantage by siring large covens of childer. 10th & 11th Generations While they are comparatively young, most vampires created within the last few centuries belong to the tenth and eleventh generation. The blood of Caine still flows through them, but they have only recently overthrown the shackles of their sires and become powers in their own right. 12th & 13th Generations Fledgling and neonates, these vampires are separated by blood and millennia from Caine. Nonetheless, all are powerful creatures by virtue of their damned nature. Although they lack the powers of the lower generations, the vampires of the 12th and 13th generations stand above men, capable of besting the strongest mortal knight in battle and wielding influence over barons, merchants and courts. 14th & 15th Generations The last generation is known as thin-blooded vampires and are heavily crippled. During the Dark Ages the Thirteenth Generation was believed to be the last, but in the Final Nights this is comprised of the Fourteenth Generation and Fifteenth Generations. 16th Generation Although the 15th generation has long since been the highest generation, the numbers of the 16th generation are rising. The weakening of power from earlier to later generations is typically considered to be a natural dilution of the Curse of Caine. However, the Erciyes Fragments suggests that it is a result of a curse Caine placed on the Antediluvians after the Second Generation was killed, in the hopes that by ensuring childer were less powerful than their sires, they would be less likely to rebel and upset the gerontocratic rule. When vampires embrace, they must give their childe their blood/vitae in order to convert the corpse into a new vampire. The reason why vampires of the highest generations are called thin-bloods due to only being partially transformed into vampires along with why vampires are weaker the higher their generation is because curse of Caine is being weakened and diluted over time. This is also why Diablarizing a vampire of a lower generation gives a vampire a greater permanent boost to their abilities. By taking all the vitae of their target, they are consuming a greater portion of Caine's curse and distilling it rather than diluting it with the embrace.

2. #2Vampires

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   Vampires are one of the three main supernatural beings in the World of Darkness and the fundamental characters of Vampire: The Masquerade and Kindred of the East. They are split into two main species: the predominantly western Cainites (also called Kindred), and the oriental Kuei-jin. The Cainites: The Cainites (also called Kindred), are descendants of Caine (the Biblical Cain), cursed with a thirst for blood, vulnerability to sunlight and immortality. They are forever subject to the Beast, their raging animal urges of hunger, fear and rage. Cainites generally live in cities, which are run feudally by Princes; life in a city is one of constant political manipulation and paranoia, as the powers of the city vie for power, control and food. They are creatures ruled by fear, most importantly the fear of exposure to the Kine, everyday humanity. Since the Inquisition the majority of the Cainites have lived under the Masquerade, an enforced campaign to hide the existence of their kind from humanity. In modern nights various scientific minded members of the species have classified their kind as Homo Sapiens Sanguineus, Homo Sapientissimus or even Homo Vampiricus. Supernatural Characteristics Vampires are created through the Embrace; during the Embrace, a vampire drains a candidate of all their blood and replaces it with a small amount (generally a single drop) of their own. This causes the corpse to rise as a (very hungry) vampire, usually instantly (though those of the highest generations may appear to lie dead for some time before they awaken). The vampire who initiates the Embrace is the Sire; the new vampire is the Sire's Childe. When a vampire is Embraced, their internal organs wither away, and almost all their body fluids are replaced by blood. The only exception being the stomach, which pulses with the blood that the vampire consumes. Vampires use blood (also called Vitae) for a variety of purposes; blood replaces most bodily fluids, so vampires will cry blood and sweat blood under certain circumstances. Blood is also used to get up and move; every night, vampires expend a certain amount of blood to rise. In addition, vampires can use blood to enhance their physical attributes and use supernatural powers called Disciplines. Blood is used to Embrace, as noted above, and also to create Ghouls. Finally, vampires can use blood to heal damage. Blood is generally replaced by sucking it out of humans. While vampires can feed on other creatures, they do not enjoy the taste of animal blood and older vampires will acquire no sustenance from it (whilst the blood of the supernatural creatures are an entirely different matter). The process of taking blood is euphemistically called the Kiss or feeding. Vampires do not have to completely drain a victim, although frenzying vampires are likely to do so. Vampires can hide the puncture marks of feeding by licking the wounds, making the process fairly subtle. The Feeding process is highly pleasurable (arguably the only pleasure) for vampires, and is also extremely pleasurable for victims. Vessels who are drained regularly can become addicted to the Kiss. Vampires change considerably after the Embrace. Physically, they are incapable of eating food, with most vomiting it up almost instantly (and even those that can keep it down for a while will still have to regurgitate the food later), they have no need for sex as the need to feed replaces all physical and emotional urges, although they can imitate the physical reactions for sex if needed and will even feel pleasure from it, though all such mortal pleasures pale in comparison to the ecstasy of the Kiss.As a result of these processes, the vampire is paler and generally thinner than they were before the Embrace. Certain clans have more extreme physical changes, such as the Nosferatu or the Cappadocians. Once Embraced, vampires are locked into a form of stasis. Apart from wounds (healed with blood), vampires are restored to their condition at the time of Embrace every time they rise up for the night. This physical condition eventually extends to their mindsets - old vampires often find it very hard to learn new things, much like how an older human will often find it difficult to keep up with next generation's innovations and ways of thinking. In addition to the physical changes, vampires experience extreme intellectual and emotional changes. The vampire is now a predator, and has a raging id called the Beast, that may take control of his body (be it through fear, hunger or hatred). Vampires are highly durable against physical threats, except for fire or sunlight. If set ablaze they burn easily, and will burn up almost instantly in sunlight. However, outside of these, vampires are very hard to kill - bullets do not cause much damage, and those who possess the Disciplines of Celerity and Fortitude are extremely hard to hit, let alone damage in combat. That said, shotguns and similar weapons are warily respected or feared; while an individual bullet might not frighten a vampire, it becomes a different issue when the weapon can remove their head entirely with a well-placed shot, or remove limbs in seconds with a never-ending stream of lead. When severely wounded, vampires can pass into a deathlike stasis called Torpor, which allows them to heal more extreme damage. Torpor can last for centuries depending on the circumstances, and as a vampire gets older, Torpor becomes a more attractive option due to social and personal issues often suffered by vampires of significant age or those who cannot cope with the changes in society. Some vampires have been in Torpor for millennia, such as the Antediluvians. Generation Every vampire has a Generation, numbered from 1 (Caine) to 15 in the Canonical games. A vampire is always one generation higher than his Sire, thus farther removed from Caine. Generation has a variety of effects - mental powers do not work on vampires of lower generation, and the lower a generation the more potent a vampire can become. Generation has a variety of gameplay effects, the most important being Blood Pool. The amount of blood a character can store and spend changes radically as their generation decreases, this makes a low-generation character far more potent in combat, especially once they can spend multiple blood points at a time. Generation also affects most mental disciplines - characters generally cannot use mental disciplines on characters of a lower generation. In addition, Characters cannot raise attributes or disciplines above 5 dots unless they are 7th generation or lower. Higher dot disciplines tend to be highly idiosyncratic. Vampires cannot lower their generation except through diablerie, a form of vampiric cannibalism in which the diablerist consumes the soul of his or her victim - which is usually a rare opportunity and a very severe crime. A Diablerie is easily detectable on an aura, and the Camarilla views it as a capital crime.

3. #3Clan Curse

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   Main article: Clan Curse Aside from the particular curses of each clan, the Cainites share a few disadvantages. For instance, vampires must feed on the blood of other beings to survive and heal their wounds (with few notable exceptions, such as the Nagaraja, who must feed on flesh as well). In addition, they universally fear fire, sunlight, decapitation, and the teeth, claws and powers of other supernatural creatures. A wooden stake through the heart will immobilize them. Contrary to popular belief, garlic has no ill effect on vampires at all, save for a very small number with an unusual flaw in their blood. Likewise, the inability to cross running water is a rare weakness and probably psychosomatic. Also, after the embrace every vampire must be wary of the influence of the Beast upon their behavior. The Beast continuously assaults the character, and if the Beast's demands exceed the character's own capacity to control it, it will react in a Frenzy or Rötschreck. Vampires can permanently lose control to the Beast, entering Wassail, a state of permanent Frenzy. In this condition, all humanity is lost and the vampire becomes a mindless killing machine. Clan Curse is a supernatural limitation experienced by a vampire based on their clan. Clan Curses are at the core of the defining traits of a vampire, and are one of the features that sets traditional vampires apart from Caitiff. According to the Book of Nod and the Erciyes Fragments, the traditional Clan Curses are the result of Caine's wrath against the Third Generation after the destruction of the Second Generation. Each participant received a curse to mark him for his betrayal. The Erciyes Fragments also introduce the concept that the original draft of Caine's Curse was the limitation of the Third Generation, as well as their weakening Generation, to supplant another revolt of childe against sire. These deficits have often a deep psychological impact on the new vampire and often force him to reshape his nightly existence completely. Various Clans, however, rationalize their Curse away. Others interpret it as a hidden gift or the secondary effect of a great enlightenment or advantage to delude themselves. There is no way to fundamentally alter or otherwise affect a Clan Curse, best demonstrated on the visage of the Nosferatu, which stays the same regardless of cosmetic changes made via supernatural means like Vicissitude. The Gehenna scenario "Nightshade" furthermore details how all Clan Curses become more severe and intermingle with signature Disciplines as the End Times progress. Below is a listing of the various Clan curses and their alleged origins. Additionally, the Baali, Tremere, and Giovanni (and Brujah) are included for their alleged lineage from a member of the Third Generation. Assamite: The Assamites have been cursed multiple times, altering their original Clan Curse. The Erciyes Fragments state: "Behold my most deadly childe/who loved murder for its own sake/Let him be addicted to the taste of/killing, so that all may fear/and loathe him." Followers of Set describe the Assamite as children of the hunter-goddess Neith, tied to the astrological sign of Sagittarius, and their discipline over the hungry Beast as their gift, but that the tranquility of their Beast is the result of regular feedings with vampire blood. Bahari myths tell that Haqim was cursed by Lilith with utmost severity for stealing the secrets of D'hainu after Caine and his grandchildren ravaged it. The Assamites themselves, however, claim that Haqim was never cursed by Caine and that the weakness of his descendants stem from his monomaniacal fixation on one focus or passion or duty to the exclusion of all else. This defining trait carried itself through the Blood, marking his lines with that aspect of his personality: The Vizier Caste, the first of the line, are solely focused on one scholarly task, in a similar manner to the Clan weakness of the Toreador. The Warrior Caste was marked with the black stains of Diablerie from the moment of their Embrace, presumably as visible markings of their duty as Judges to other Cainites. The Sorcerer Caste carried an aura that would betray them as blood magicians, in order to differentiate them from other blood mages. As all Castes are an equal part of the Clan, it is likely that their Antediluvian had a personal hand in shaping the properties of their blood, as evidenced in the "Heartblood" in the heart of Alamut. Indeed, some Malkavians postulate that Haqim has ceased to exist as a corporeal entity, instead manifesting in the blood of his Children. Their mutability and flexibility of their vitae may have played a role in the susceptibility of the Clan to Blood Curses. The Assamites have been afflicted by two Blood Curses cast on them by their enemies: the Baali and the Tremere. The first curse was levied in 636 CE by the Baali, with the aid of the demonic Decani, against the Warrior Caste, in order to fill them with a murderous hunger for Cainite vitae, ruining their reputation among the other Clans and transforming the ritualistic Amaranth of a guilty culprit into the desire to consume. The Assamite began to rationalize the curse as a desire to become One with Haqim, but the Elders among them know the curse's origin. The second curse was the result of the Treaty of Tyre in 1496 and imposed by the Council of Seven from the Tremere Clan. It made Cainite vitae poisonous to Assamites, making Diablerie impossible. In order to sate their craving for vitae and Diablerie imposed by the Baali curse, the Sorcerer Caste developed alchemical potions brewed from vampire blood. The Tremere curse was lifted by Ur-Shulgi in 1998, using the Heartblood as a catalyst. The mighty methuselah now searches for a way to end the Baali curse, but had no successes yet. After abstaining for so long from Cainite vitae, most Warriors quickly become addicted to the taste in addition to their hunger of diablerie, something speculated to be the verdict of Haqim himself to weed out the weak of his Clan in preparations for Gehenna. For a long period of time, the blood magic of the Sorcerers had also been weakened as ur-Shulgi used their blood ties to him in order to fuel his awakening, resulting in a need to expend more blood points in order to cast spells. Additionally, all Assamites succumb to the "Darkening" (except Al-Ashrad for unknown reasons), which turns their skin darker with each passing year, until they have the complexion of obsidian. Baali: As the Baali have multiple origin myths, so are the explanations for their weakness against the powers of True Faith. The story of the Slave Boy tells how Caine strips Shaitan of his beauty and power to reveal his wicked heart, and Shaitan makes a deal with the forces of darkness to avenge himself. Others describe a nameless Methuselah, whose soul and that of its childer were condemned to the demons of the Pit. Others speak of the Torment within Caine's blood that is further exemplified in the vitae of the Baali. Most pious Kindred insist that the vileness of the Baali had earned them the ire of God and that they felt his wrath more intensely because of this. The elder Baali themselves were perplexed by the fact that they could be harmed by faiths that they actually predated and ascribed it to an untapped inner potential or even a secret allegiance to forces similar to those of the Baali. Younger Baali often allocate their susceptibility to their dealings with the netherworlds and occupants of strange places beyond the reach of God. Brujah: The Clan Curse of the Brujah is their uncontrollable temper. Most records agree that the Clan Curse was the retribution from Caine for Troile's diablerie of his sire, Ilyes. The Erciyes Fragments state: "He who claimed innocence because/the Beast ruled him/shall be slave to the Beast forever". Bahari myths tell that [Brujah] was cursed by Lilith along with [Tzimisce] and Set, when they slaughtered Lilith's children. Old texts speak of an argument between Troile and his/her (the records are unclear about Troile's exact gender) sire that escalated and ended with Troile's diablerie of his sire. For this, he was cursed by Caine: "Never before has one of my progeny drunk the very soul of another. I curse you ever to aspire your sire's wisdom, but also to be prey to the very diabolic fury that drove you to this act." These texts tell that Troile accepted Caine's punishment and assumed his sire's name to honor what he once had been. Others comment that the tendency to frenzy arose only after the fall of Carthage and is their founder's legacy for his surviving progeny for forsaking him in his final battle. Some Baali claim that the origin of the Brujah curse is their shame at their collaboration with the Devils in Carthage and their knowledge that all their aspirations to erect the Third City fell when they sold their ethics away for power and legend. The Followers of Set remember the True Brujah, who were created by Thoth and placed under the sign of the Libra, and believe that the aggression of the modern Brujah stems from their failure to live up to their founder's legacy. The wild passion in the blood of the Brujah has led to their decline in the Modern Nights, from a High Clan of philosopher-kings and warrior-poets to the dilapidated revolutionaries and rebels against any establishment they can find in the modern Camarilla. Though they are quick to adopt a cause, they are equally as quick to fall to frenzy. This connection to passion can be a blessing, but inspiration can also yield to the madness and hunger of the Beast. Of course, the Brujah rabidly deny this penchant for excitement, and become quite hostile when the issue is raised. Members of the Clan justify their curse with the fact that it allows them to face their Beasts at a much more regular basis and support their mortal values, thus retaining empathy that other vampires (and indeed, even Troile's own sire) lacked. Brujah take great pride in their ability to implant their visions through mortal channels and keep in close contact with their mortal allies. An unfortunate side effect of this passion and idealism is that few Brujah agree on anything and are prone to infighting and mistrust, as they rage against what they regard as wrong or placid, to institute something better, without clear knowledge of the consequences. Cappadocians: The Clan Curse of the Cappadocians was their deathly pallor. The Erciyes Fragments state: "He, who loved death for death's/own sake/Shall wear death's countenance for/all to see and fear." Bahari myths tell that Cappadocius was cursed by Lilith along Ravnos, Gangrel, and Saulot, when they feasted on the flesh of her children. Cappadocius himself, however, was one of the more reclusive Antediluvians, apparently content with reading books, making his execration difficult to understand in Noddistic concepts, especially since other Antediluvians (Haqim, Saulot) were apparently spared from Caine's wrath. Other records claim that something during Cappadocius's Embrace went wrong. They say that when he died, vengeful shades from the netherworld clung to him and fragmented his soul during the Embrace, causing his obsession with death (due to the unconscious desire to reunite with his soul) and making his body paler. Caine merely cursed Cappadocius' childer to share their founder's incomplete Embrace. The Followers of Set associated the Clan with Anubis and the astrological sign of Virgo, who granted them their affinity to the afterlife, but could not shield them from the taint of the death-realms that would disfigure them. With the extinction of the Cappadocians and their devolvement into separate bloodlines, who often have a derived weakness (the skeletal appearance of the Harbingers of Skulls, the rotten appearance of the Samedi, etc.), the Cappadocian weakness has nearly vanished. Some Giovanni, however, exhibit the traits of their old Clan and are called Premascine. Most of these are ancient and have been Embraced directly by Cappadocians (Ambrogino Giovanni is one example). Followers of Set: The Clan Curse of the Followers of Set is their higher vulnerability to the effects of bright light. The Erciyes Fragments state: "He who reveled in the darkness/of his own foul hunger/Shall be bound to that darkness/forever, kin to the most vile,/accursed by God." Bahari myths tell that Set was cursed by Lilith alongside Brujah and Tzimisce when they slaughtered Lilith's children. The Setites themselves, with their different origin myth distanced from the biblical tale of Caine, have their own explanations. Their myth retells the story of Set and Osiris as detailed in the various Osiris myths within Egypt, but they continue Set's story after he was defeated by Horus and banished into Duat, cursed by Re to never abide his sight again. By accord of the Setite Elder Shenebti, he battled and killed Apep, the Devourer, during his stay in the Underworld. With Apep’s death, he took on Apep’s dark wisdom (along with further vulnerability to bright light) and learned secrets hidden from the beginning of the world. When Re created the world, he gave it life through his own semen, creating gods and the souls of human beings alike. Souls differed in size, but not in kind. Set realized the truth: All souls could grow as mighty as their tyrant father and become creators themselves. He returned to the living world disguised as a serpent, vowing to topple Re and his tyranny. He gathered disciples, but was betrayed by the Moon and found himself betrayed again by them, as they pleaded for mercy before the other gods when Re cursed them to flee the light of the sun, becoming unable to carry children and feed on blood only. Other stories among the Clan are similar, mainly that Re is the one who cursed Set. These myths also feature the river of Duat as source of Set's power, in contrast to the heart of Apep, and that he struggles against the falsehood of civilization to lead people back to the simple days of the hunter-gatherer cultures, where no distinction was made by mortals and the Underworld was a much more tranquil place. The Clan's mythology also explains the origin and weaknesses of the other Clans: In order to combat Set's hold on the world, he commanded Seker, the god of darkness and eternal death, to take water from Duat and bless it. Then Re poured the water into twelve bowls and gave it to twelve gods, who each added their own immortal blood. Each god chose one of the treacherous disciples and made him drink the divine blood and deathly water, turning him or her into an undead god like Set, with whom they shared the original curses from Re to drink blood, hide from the sun, and becoming half-dead. The gods then bade their twelve apostles to sire childer, as Set did, and lead them in war against their creator. In order to ensure continuity, they bound their existence to the Dodecad of the Zodiac, so that even if one of their numbers would be destroyed, another would rise. The Setites are tied to the hidden sign of the Ophiuchus, outside the dodecad and yet a part of it. Even Noddists among the Clan believe that Set suffered from sunlight not because of Caine's curse, but because he opposed Osiris (a vampire in this tale, Embraced by an unknown Antediluvian who envied Set's reign, who was favored by his own grandfather, Re (a deified figure). As a result, few Setites are startled by their weakness. Instead, it reassures them that they are the children of a divine being who rebelled against a tyrant. The Modern Nights, however, introduce much more bright light than those of antiquity: floodlights, fluorescent light, glaring illumination of buildings and similar sources of bright light have become ever-present in the modern world, driving the Setites further into hiding. Some Clan elders, assembled in the House of Eclipse, have begun to plot to blot out the sun, supporting various figures around the world with similar goals, all the while encouraging the emission of vapors and smoke to generate clouds to achieve their goal at least partially. Gangrel: The Clan Curse of the Gangrel are bestial features that disfigure them temporarily after every Frenzy. Characteristics acquired in Gangrel frenzies need not only be physical – they can be behavioral as well. Over time, or in an exceptional situation, a particular animal feature may become permanent, with the next frenzy adding a new feature. As the curse of the Gangrel is difficult to overlook (and the Gangrel are a rather fractured Clan), many stories are told over the origin of these "Beast Marks", as they are called. The Erciyes Fragments state: "She who used the wild beasts for/allies in her killing/Shall become a Beast herself/that all men revile her." Bahari myths tell that [Gangrel] was cursed by Lilith along [Ravnos], Saulot, and Cappadocius, when they feasted on the flesh of her children. Different accounts state that the Gangrel Antediluvian, usually called Ennoia, was brought into the fold of the undead against her will and she fled the First City, only to be pursued by Caine. These sources claim that Ennoia gained her bestial features by feeding only from animals for an extended period of time or that it was a gift from God himself. Other Noddists claim that Caine punished Ennoia for the sin of coupling with animals. Some Gangrel myths claim that Ennoia was the one who spoke the curse upon her wayward children for deserting their duty to fight against Churka, commonly believed to be the Ravnos Antediluvian, with hunger for blood, aversion against sunlight, and the loss of their connection to the creatures of the wilds, although she later taught repentant members of her line how to re-access them. Other Clans have other stories that tie into their respective mythologies: The Followers of Set state that the goddess Tefnut, as well as the zodiac sign of Leo, gave the Gangrel their powers. She enjoyed taking the form of a lion and wandering through desert places, losing herself in her beast form until Thoth found her and brought her back. The Gangrel take after her: they love to travel, and with time, their appearance and mannerisms become more bestial. The Ravnos of India, however, claimed that Ennoia was created by the gods alongside Zapathasura to fight against the asuratizayya. She abandoned her duty and cursed the gods for bringing her into existence, leaving her to be cursed in exchange to "dwell among the beasts and find no safe haven anywhere in the world" along with marking her with bestial features, so that she could be recognised by everyone. The Romani Ravnos claim that Ennoia betrayed her progenitor (the Ravnos Antediluvian) after having been accepted into his extended family and that Caine cursed her with restlessness and to become the Beast she had proven herself to be.

   Other clans speak derogatorily of the Gangrel's animalistic features as the results of "losing control". This is not strictly true: Any frenzy, whether entered willingly or fiercely resisted, inflicts the same penalty upon the Outlanders. Gangrel entering Rötschreck may not suffer this curse; so long as the vampire obeys the "flight" tenet of the Red Fear, she does not acquire an animal feature. A cornered Gangrel who resorts to the "fight" half of the equation will regain her senses to find another feral feature, as even necessary violence brings the Beast bubbling to the fore. Most of the features caused by the Beast are visible and clearly animal or even insectoid in origin. Others can be smelled or heard, like a pungent musk or shrill, cawing voice. In some cases, the Gangrel is left with animalistic impulses and behaviors as result of frenzy. These are psychological aberrations, similar to derangements, but far less crippling individually. The variation of animal features within the clan is astonishing. No two Gangrel have ever developed the exact same set of features, although basic trends may be passed from sire to childe. The pagan Gangrel believed these features to be manifestations of the beast-soul, the shape that the soul assumes after death or during sleep, and that each Beast Mark was a sign that the Gangrel had become closer to the connection to the living world he lost during his Embrace. Lack of any bestial features has been seen as a sign of a weak soul-beast among these Gangrel. Hecata: The Clan Curse of the Hecata is their excruciatingly painful Kiss. As the family usurped control of the Clan from the Cappadocians in the 14th century CE, they have not been cursed by Caine (although the Prophecies within the Erciyes Fragments tell about the eventual fate of the Clan, which is not very assuring). When Augustus Giovanni received the blood of Cappadocius, Japheth, arbiter of the Embrace, spoke: "He who partakes of this boon shall forever be judged by this blood and by the will of God. Color this vitae with the deeds of its drinker. Let him sup with his soul every time he feeds. Deliver this blight upon him as the Founder delivers this stigma to us." When Augustus betrayed the Cappadocians and diablerized his sire, the curse took hold. Others call the curse of the Giovanni "Lamia's Kiss", claiming it to be the curse from the Lamia bloodline, who were servants to the Cappadocians, when their leader was diablerized by Augustus. During the Dark Ages, some claimed that the pain during a great famine that Augustus had to witness in his mortal days echoed in his blood, although they were still puzzled why certain Giovanni exhibited Cappadocians traits instead.[ As their feedings are most often lethal and can severely endanger the Masquerade, most Giovanni are discreet, feeding from blood banks and other secondary sources like corpses.[ Also, Giovanni are under no illusion that they are anything but inhuman, as each feeding session proves again. Lasombra: The Clan Curse of the Lasombra is their lack of a reflection. The Erciyes Fragments state: "Behold my darkest childe, who/killed with shadow./Let the shadows veil his soul, so/that all may know his crime." Bahari myths tell that [Lasombra] was cursed by Lilith, along [Ventrue] and Malkav, when they ignited the trees of her garden and defiled her rivers. During the Middle Ages, rumors circulated about the Devil as source behind their curse, who punished all of the Clan of Night for their vanity in daring to call on a power darker than his own, and hence stole all of their reflections. Others claimed that their true curse was to exist as eternal conduits to the Abyss, that they might perpetually confronted by the inner darkness of the undead form. The Followers of Set tell that the Clan is the creation of Amon, tied to the zodiac sign of Aries, who impressed their lust of power into their blood, and that [Lasombra] cast his own shadow out so that no one could see him approaching from behind. Most Lasombra, however, do not concern themselves with the origin of their curse, instead wearing it as a badge of pride that separates them from other Clans and the Kine. The lack of a reflection, however, has real psychological consequences most Lasombra rarely speak about. An obsession with one's appearance, using ghouls to keep it from changing, as well as regularly posing for portraits as the only way to see if they have changed, are regular results and some Lasombra are reported to sit in mirrored rooms for hours, contemplating their apparent non-existence before storming again into the world to prove that they, in fact, exist and that their existence has an impact, regardless what the mirrors tell them. There are, however, some Lasombra who manage to cast a blurry and shadowy reflection. These they appear like spirit photographs. Malkavian: The Clan Curse of the Malkavians is their madness. As one of the more obvious Curses, many speculations and statements have been made on the subject. The Book of Nod states: "He cursed [Malkav]. when that one/defamed his image/and doomed him to insanity forever", while the Erciyes Fragments describe the cursing in the following words: "Behold, my most foolish childe./who claims madness for his/pleasure./Let him become mad in truth, so that/all may fear his company." Bahari myths tell that Malkav was cursed by Lilith along [Ventrue] and [Lasombra], when they ignited the trees of her garden and defiled her rivers. Another theory of the curse is that Malkav was a notorious liar and his lies nearly caused the death of Zillah. Caine, enraged, cursed Malkav with telling an infinite number of "truths" thereafter. Different tales point to Malkav's alleged ties to Lilith, claiming that she revealed a secret to him that broke his mind. Some even say Malkav was visited by an angel or angels of the Lord, who imparted unto him certain revelations that were meant to secure Caine's repentance, and that he then approached Caine and spoke to him and his brothers. Caine, in rage, was said to have struck him down for this attempt and to have then cursed his descendants with insanity. Other Clans try to explain the Malkavian Curse in their own terms, like the Followers of Set. They say that the Malkavians are the creation of Isis, under the influence of the zodiac sign of Cancer, who tried to grant supreme wisdom to their founder, and instead shattered his mind and all his descendants likewise. Some Tzimisce compared the Clan to the architects of the Tower of Babel: the Malkavians have seen Heaven, but they cannot describe it to others. Most others give the Clan's peculiarities a wide berth and hope it is not infectious. The Malkavians, for their part, seek to utilize their insanity for good use, referring to it as "The Sight" or "The Gift", describing it as the power to see beyond reality, a connection to the primal chaos that would give them a connection to life that other Clans lacked. Some claim that Caine had no hand in cursing the Clan, and that their madness is a result of the insight that rushed through Malkav when he drank deeply from the blood of the Second Generation. Others describe their Antediluvian as more than a mere human by the time of his Embrace, saying he was a prophet or divine messenger. Others tie it back to the Madness Network and the psychic link between them, something explored by medieval Ordos and Oracles in Antiquity. Nosferatu: The Clan Curse of the Nosferatu is their horrible appearance. It is generally accepted even among the Clan as a curse for their founder's vanity. The Erciyes Fragments state: "He, who sought to hide his/ monstrous deeds/Shall become monstrous in visage/ and doomed to dwell in offal/and darkness", while the Book of Nod states: "When [Nosferatu] was found indulging/his tastes/in foul ways with his own children/ Caine laid his hand on [Nosferatu],/ and told him that he would forever/wear his evil/and twisted his visage." Bahari myths tell that [Nosferatu] was spared from the wrath of Lilith for veiling and burying the corpses of her slain children. Noddist tradition claims that Absimiliard, the Nosferatu founder, bore a tiny scar from his sire on his otherwise perfect face, driving him mad with hate and envy, until he lashed out against his sire, Zillah. Some claim that Absimiliard was defeated and Caine cursed him by twisting his visage and banishing him from his sight, while others say that Absimiliard killed his sire and brutally mutilated her face, which lead to Caine's reaction. The Toreador believe that Caine cursed [Nosferatu] with a hunger for others' secrets in addition to his deformed appearance after he mentioned the forbidden First Generation. Other Toreador tell of a relationship between Arikel and Absimiliard and that Absimiliard defaced himself after Arikel told him that she could accept his scar as part of his beauty. Ashamed that his secret was out, the first Nosferatu choose to become the most horrific being in the world, if he could not be the most beautiful. Some Tzimisce claim that the visage of the Nosferatu was the doing of their founder in order to create perfect warriors, and on the night of Gehenna, the Nosferatu will be freed from their disfigurement in exchange for eternal service. The Followers of Set assign the Nosferatu to the astrological sign of Taurus and that the war-god Mont crafted them to endure and strike the final blow, after he made them so hideous that they would be forced to rely on themselves and each other and develop strength, cunning, and ruthlessness in order to survive. The Embrace – also known as the Plague Kiss – has profound reactions on any Nosferatu: In contrast to other vampires, they can never pretend to be something else than a monster. The Embrace is painful, takes nights in agonizing transformation and often, a prospective childe does not make it. In the Dark Ages, the Nosferatu Embrace was often used as a punishment for unfaithful ghouls, believing it to be a fate worse than death. In the Modern Nights, doubts of the "cursed" nature have arisen. Some Nosferatu have proposed that the Clan has its origins in the first life of the oceans, while the Tremere researcher Claudius Maximus (who died on the hands of one of his latest test subjects) presumed that the Nosferatu have ties to reptiles and that their deformities are the result of their troglobiontic (probably even incestuous) ways - he further stated that no two Nosferatu looked alike and there was no predictable way to foresee what deformities would form. Most Nosferatu rarely leave their warrens to interact with vampire society, preferring to be secluded from those who would shun them. Few vampires suspect anything of the Nosferatu population and culture beneath them. Ravnos: The Clan Curse of the Ravnos is their addiction to crime. The Erciyes Fragments state: "He, who took no action, but/abandoned other to their fate,/Shall be himself Outcast and/trusted by none." Bahari myths tell that the Ravnos Antediluvian was cursed by Lilith along [Gangrel], Saulot, and Cappadocius, when they feasted on the flesh of her children. The Followers of Set attributed the Ravnos to the zodiac sign of Aquarius and under the dominion of Ptah, who granted them the ability to shape mirages of objects as a shadow of his own divine power, but also filling the Ravnos with a desire to gain more material experiences than the illusions they created. The Clan itself, with its many cultural divisions, has many legends and theories. The Indian Ravnos believed that Agni, the god of fire; Surya, the god of the sun and Brahma, the god of creation, cursed Zapathasura when he was created, to fear sunlight and fire and to be cursed with hunger for mortal sustenance and a spiritual void that could never be filled. Noddistic tradition speaks of a man named Dracian, a thief, who was embraced by Irad to spy on the Third Generation. He betrayed his sire and Caine cursed him to never know satisfaction, as punishment for his selfishness and short-sightedness. This led Dracian into the East, following Saulot's footsteps. The Romani Ravnos believed that their condition was a revolt against the ways of the gaje – non-Gypsies – and only those Ravnos not of Romani descent would not be able to control their urges. Other stories told that the curse of temptation under which the Ravnos labor was inflicted as a punishment because the clan founder desired the pleasures of the life lost to him. His need to steal life from mortals, as well as his desire to regain what he no longer had, expanded to encompass all aspects of mortal life. Rather than simply seek out what he wanted on his terms, he was compelled to take whatever he could get as a reminder that no matter how much he had or how he got it, he would never benefit from it. Members of the Yoryari believed that each "crime" they commit breaks the hold of the Antediluvians over weig and further destabilizes the tomb that reality has become. As of Vampire: The Dark Ages 20th Anniversary Edition, the Clan Curse of the Ravnos has been ameliorated insofar that any character trait can become addictive to them. It can be something seen as virtuous, like stepping to defend an innocent, donate money to the poor, or speaking against oppression; or sinister, like taking advantage of others, stealing possessions, and compulsive lying. The Ravnos curse is highly individual. Ravnos suffer from compulsions that range from the pedestrian habit of kleptomania to the far more exotic and dangerous drive to commit diablerie on fellow Kindred. The Embrace awakens the Beast within every Kindred, but the Ravnos Beast is a bit more cunning, a bit more deceptive, and a bit more underhanded than that of other Kindred. Its impulses are part of the Ravnos' own deepest self, almost like reflexes. Ravnos develop criminal inclinations based on their activities in life, either a temptation they indulged in often as mortals or something they especially despised, as the Embrace is an ironic gift. Some Ravnos develop impulses toward crimes they never would have considered in mortal life. The Kindred form and its powers provide opportunities to commit acts that no mortal would attempt, and the Embrace occasionally brings such urges forth. If a Ravnos suppresses the urge, he suffers from headaches and similar symptoms until he finally gives in. Medieval Ravnos classified their urges along the Seven Deadly Sins in order to better understand them. Salubri: The Clan Curse of the Salubri is their obligation to imperatives from their Antediluvian, as well as their trademark Third Eye upon their forehead. The Clan Curses of the Salubri weren't curses originally: Caine exempted Saulot from his judgement of the Third Generation, as he was the only virtuous one among them. Instead, he prophesied to him how the Third Eye, the signature of his Clan, would become their bane, when the childer of his brothers would turn against them. Legends among the Clan say that Saulot forbid the healers to feed from anyone who feared them and his warriors from turning away from those who needed help. Other Clans are not so lenient in the description of Clan of Healers. Some Toreador believe that Caine's curse on Saulot was that his bloodline became attached to an endless procession of upstart usurper lines. The Followers of Set remember Saulot's involvement with the Baali and believe a similar fraud behind his apparent destruction and the rise of the Tremere; they claim it is part of the dual nature of Saulot's creator, the Egyptian goddess Bast, who was also Sekhmet, a raging lioness, further exemplified by zodiac sign of Gemini the Salubri were bound to. There are tablets that detail how Saulot intended to sacrifice his Clan, having been annoyed with their contemplative nature and that intended to replace them.[80] The Ivory Tablets speak of Saulot's hatred against Caine for "lying" to him about his state after discoveries made by him over the nature of the Wan Kuei. Bahari myths tell that [Saulot] was cursed by Lilith along [Gangrel], [Ravnos] and Cappadocius, when they feasted on the flesh of her children, in stark contrast to the general depictions of the Sage of Golconda. The Third Eye of the Salubri has become their stigma, an identifier for Tremere and those who bought their lies. Usually, the eye is hidden, often by the Salubri himself. When the Salubri use any Valeren or Auspex power above the second dots, however, the third eye opens, shedding soft radiance and weeping luminous vitae. The third eye is sensitive; attempting to cover it results in a penalty of one die to all rolls. Kindred originally understood the Third Eye to be a symbol of Saulot's enlightenment in the quest of Golconda and the knowledge he gleaned from the East, but in the Modern Nights, it has become a sign of demonolatry and soul-thievery. In addition, not all of these claims are unjustified, as the Salubri indeed dealt with demons, but only to imprison and destroy them. Toreador: The Clan Curse of the Toreador is their obsession with beauty that can even paralyze them. The Erciyes Fragments state: "Behold, she who thought of/ nothing but her own fleeting/pleasure,/shall by her own pleasure be/enslaved." Bahari myths tell that [Toreador] was spared from the wrath of Lilith for veiling and burying the corpses of her slain children. Another story passed around by Noddists is how Caine saw a mural from the Toreador Antediluvian that depicted the history of the Cainite race. Enraged, he smashed the artwork, commanding one of his childer to embrace the artist and cursed her: "As you have distracted me from important matters, so shall your attention ever be consumed by that which you deem beautiful." Others tell that her founder was so enamored in her own beauty that she rejected everyone who did not met her standards, even including the Dark Father. After she refused to see Caine in favor of a beautiful mortal slave, Caine had enough and cursed her with enslavement to that what she worshipped above him. The Followers of Set believe that the Toreador are creations of Nephthys and aligned to the sign of Pisces, and that their susceptibility to temptation is a vestige of loyalty felt by Nephthys for her former husband. The Toreador deny being cursed, instead, they describe their condition as a gift from Caine to never lose the taste and appreciation for beauty. The Toreador regard their weakness as a lingering connection to mortality the other Clans lack. Through an appreciation of beauty, they can continue to understand what it means to be human. This is, however, extremely intoxicating and only those with a strong will can withstand the knowledge that they will never be mortal again after their first rapture. Others claim that the Man in the Toreador is stronger than the Beast, allowing for an experience of a wider range of positive emotions. While snickering vampires have compared that to Malkavians, Toreador claim stronger libidos and creative outbursts than most other vampires. Kindred scientists have commented that when a Toreador perceives something he considers pleasing, a process within his brain is initiated that enhances his perception, which analyzes and recognizes anything extraordinary upon it. The process is accelerated by a low Humanity rating. There are many Toreador who encourage base emotions, like jealousy, pettiness, and hedonism within themselves because these are mortal feelings. The Beast only screams for destruction and feeding; mortal emotions are much more sophisticated and complex, if not necessarily accepted in society. All Toreador crave this short memorial and with the passage of time, these emotions often become the only remnants of mortality they manage to preserve, falling into extreme activities after becoming desensitized to one experience. It also ensures that Toreador will begin close relations with mortals in order to feel again, only to drop the mortal once they have enough of him. Tremere: The Tremere, as creations of a hermetic potion that resulted in their Embrace, used to not have a Clan Curse (although the Prophecies of the Erciyes Fragments mention their usurpation of the Salubri and their eventual judgement and destruction). For fifteen years, the Clan existed without a weakness, until Tremere reorganized the growing Clan into the Pyramid, after a nasty incident in Thessalonicia in 1036 CE that resulted from the infighting of Etrius and Goratrix. To ensure secrecy and obedience to his word, Tremere blood-bonded the first seven members of the Clan, who would blood-bond their childer to themselves as well as Tremere, who in turn would use the Blood Bond on their childer in addition to that of the Council of Seven and so forth. In the Modern Nights, each fledgling is bound to the Council in a ceremony called the Transubstantiation of the Seven, in which a chalice with the blood of the Council is imbibed into him right after the blood the future sire provides for the Embrace itself. After that, the childe is indoctrinated into absolute loyalty to the Clan and the Code of Tremere before it is formally introduced to the local Prince. Ascendance within the Clan goes hand-to-hand with more blood bonds, ensuring the loyalty of the Clan member and safeguarding the secrets of the Clan. In Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, the Tremere dependency on blood is even more pronounced than that of other Kindred. It takes only two draughts of another vampire's blood for a Tremere to become blood bound instead of the normal three — the first drink counts as if the Tremere had taken two drinks. As a result, those rare vampires who are immune to the Blood Bond are able to negate the Clan Curse of the Tremere altogether. As a result of their tight organization, as well as deliberate misinformation, the Tremere seem to be one of the most uniform Clans, as their internal hierarchy are known only to themselves and their superiors. The Tremere antitribu suffered from a similar curse, casted by the Council of Seven, who would mark their foreheads with magic, allowing them to be located by any loyal member of the Clan (some voices within the Clan, however, ask why the Council did not outright destroy the rebels) until their destruction by an unknown party in 1999. Additionally, each Tremere carries a seed of the Tzimisce Antediluvian within him, as they used Tzimisce blood for the potion that turned them, meaning that the Eldest can also willingly control and access their bodies, if he would choose to reform himself. Tzimisce: The Clan Curse of the Tzimisce is their need to rest in "native soil" – earth from a place important to them when they were mortal. The Erciyes Fragments state: "Behold, my most loveless childe/who fed upon his brother's pain./Let him know equal torment in /any domain but its own." Bahari myths tell that [Tzimisce] was cursed by Lilith along with Set and [Brujah], when they slaughtered Lilith's children. The Followers of Set believe that the Tzimisce are the creations of Geb, who placed their lineage under the dominion of Scorpio. The Earth-God gave them the dominion over flesh, but tied them to the soil of their homeland in exchange. The Clan itself claims that [Tzimisce] left the First City long before the Deluge, however, and Caine cursed them in absentia, for dealing with the demon Kupala under the Carpathians and their inhospitality to their brethren following the Deluge. Koldun believe the weakness is a debt to the land-spirits of their native domains, whose power affects all that falls under the shadow of the Carpathians and had nothing to do with Caine's cursing of the other Antediluvians. Some more arcane researchers state that Vicissitude's tendency to fluctuate creates the need of a stabilizer in order for the Tzimisce to retain his shape, which is supplied via the sympathetic connection of native soil. Whatever the case, their dealings with the soil-bound entity Kupala, as well their territorial nature, became the clan’s anathema when the curse forced them to sleep upon their native soil for true rest. Some Tzimisce are so attuned to it that they can only rest in the soil touched by Kupala. The Clan Curse of the Tzimisce is one of the reasons for their unwillingness to travel. Their power is tied to the earth they inhabit and if they leave they weaken, which could be lethal in the werewolf-infested Old Country. Agoraphobia is common among the more sensitive members of the Clan, as their connection to the earth makes them uncomfortable in open spaces. The Voivodes of old would exist in symbiosis with the spirits, offering blood sacrifices to renew the earth, infusing the land with his essence and practically ghouling it in exchange for strength and shelter. In addition, Vicissitude is sometimes seen as a entity in itself of parasitic origin- either as a manifestation of alien creatures from strange spiritual realms or as a manifestation of the presence of the Tzimisce Antediluvian within the vampire afflicted, in order to spread itself enough to achieve Azhi Dahaka. Ventrue: The clan weakness of the Ventrue are their exquisite tastes of blood that forces them to cultivate humans with the trait that makes them digestible. The Erciyes Fragments state: "Behold, my proudest childe whose/own pride betrayed him./Let the blood of the humble/ sicken him and give him no/sustenance." Bahari myths tell that [Ventrue] was cursed by Lilith along Malkav and [Lasombra], when they ignited the trees of her garden and defiled her rivers. The Followers of Set believe that the Ventrue are the chief jailers of Creation, formed by Atum-Ra and under the dominion of the Capricorn, and that their weakness is simply a result of their closeness to the stifling influence of the Aeons, which brings about habituality and stagnation. Those Ventrue versed in Noddism tend to deny that they were cursed, and insist that their feeding restrictions must have different origins. Indeed, many see [Ventrue] as favored of the Third Generation, chosen by Caine to be his successor (though other Clans dispute that claim). Some presume that it is a defect that spread after the Clan fed and lived among destabilized nobles for so long. Others dispute that it is a curse at all and that their taste is simply rarefied to the point of exclusivity, something the lesser Clans cannot understand. The clan weakness of the Ventrue is mutable; if a given mortal demographic dies out, another fills it niche; as the Ventrue Andrew Seneca and Democritus demonstrate. Others tell of crippling overspecializations, of Ventrue who could only drink the blood of one specific mortal. Fledgling Ventrue are able to ingest any blood, but when they make their first decision to prey upon a human, they are unable to change it, leading some Ventrue to speculate that a neonate on the constant verge of frenzy might have a chance to bypass their curse (although few of the rarified Ventrue would ever choose such an existence). Modern Ventrue raised under the scientific auspices of the Camarilla believe that the feeding restriction is a representation of the repressed lusts for control and public martyrdom. By feeding only on a specific group, the Ventrue display the image of selflessly abating from the pleasure of feeding, while it also allows them to focus their obsessions on one specific group among the Kine. There are groups among the Ventrue that take pride in consuming only the blood of the finest specimen, so-called 'Vintage Clubs.' Vampire blood, however, is exempt from the clan weakness.

4. #4History

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   Cainite's history begins with a homicidal farmer: Caine of the Biblical story. According to Vampiric mythology (detailed in the Book of Nod), 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.

   Some time after this, the Antediluvians rebelled against the Second Generation, after which the Great Flood covered Enoch in water. The Antediluvians survived for 40 days under water, devouring their own, until the floods receded.

   Some time after the flood, the Antediluvians build the Second City, which they rule over as Gods, until Caine returns to pass judgement on them. Caine curses each of the Clans, then leaves.

   The Antediluvians spread across the world at this time, travelling to various places and embracing further descendants. Eventually, they sink into Torpor. Vampires fear Gehenna, the time that the Antediluvians will rise from Torpor and devour their descendants, then Caine will return in judgement. The Camarilla claims Gehenna is a fraud, and that there are no Antediluvians. In contrast, the Sabbat is strongly Noddist and sees defeating the Antediluvians as their entire purpose.

5. #5Clan

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   Clan is a term used by vampires to describe the major groups of Cainites who share common characteristics passed on by the blood. There are 13 known clans, each of which was reputedly founded by an Antediluvian, a member of the mythical Third Generation. Clan: A vampire group of shared "Blood" or heritage, who can trace their Generations back to a common ancestor, in particular to the Third Generation. A Kindred’s clan is his lineage, the vampiric "family" into which he was Embraced. The clans are distinguished by their Antediluvian founders. Kindred society generally acknowledges 13 clans, though some may have been lost to history, some may exist in secrecy, and some may never have been known at all. Like all bloodlines, each clan has a greater familiarity with a set of three Disciplines, a clan weakness largely unique to its members, and various stereotypes attributed to it as a result of a tendency to Embrace individuals with certain characteristics. The clans are generally differentiated and set above bloodlines by their greater number and influence throughout the world, identification with an Antediluvian progenitor, a history that reputedly extends back to the Second City, and clan weaknesses that were said to be handed down by Caine himself. Very few non-vampires recognize the differences that set apart members of each clan and may in fact consider all vampires to be roughly the same as they all share a common ancestor (Caine). The majority of Cainites take the divisions and lineage in general quite seriously, particularly the elders and those who know their complete lineage. During the Dark Ages, the High Clans and Low Clans marked the upper and bottom rungs of vampiric society, with one's ancestry greatly influencing the possibility for advancement and respect. Centuries later, these class divisions would be abandoned for the division of sects between the Camarilla, Sabbat, and independent clans. Each clan has its own organization and culture that is considered important by its members, and though individuals are rarely willing to make any self-sacrifice for their clanmates, a general sense of understanding often elicits some preference for those of similar blood. Likewise, since vampires of any particular clan are often grouped together for political means, such as representation among the primogen of a city, they may work together and present a unified front out of necessity. Such appearances almost always mask internal conflicts, however, and it is considered incredibly naive to treat all individuals of a clan the same. The 13 major clans: From the Dark Medieval into the modern nights, the thirteen recognized clans are: Clan Banu Haqim (formerly Assamite) - silent masters of assassination, killing for hire and collecting blood for rituals to bring them closer to their progenitor. Clan Brujah - once philosopher-kings of an ancient civilization, but now rebels and rogues with a fearsome inclination toward frenzy. Clan Gangrel - bestial and untamed, often coming to resemble the animals over which they demonstrate mastery. Clan Hecata (both subsumes and replaces Clan Cappadocian and Clan Giovanni) - an insular, extended family of vampires who practice the art of commanding the dead while commanding global finances. Clan Lasombra - proud nobles who command the very essence of darkness and shadow — to the point of worshipping it, some say. Clan Malkavian - a clan fractured by madness, each member irrevocably suffering under the yoke of insanity. Clan Ministry (formerly Followers of Set) - a religious movement that evangelizes the example of a chthonic god, while seeking out the world’s secret places and protecting ancient artifacts. Clan Nosferatu - hideously disfigured by the Embrace, so they keep to the sewers shadows and traffic in the secrets they collect. Clan Ravnos - nomads and tricksters who can force the mind to see what isn’t there, though they are slaves to the vices they indulge in. Clan Toreador - Cainites that enjoy every sensual pleasure the world has to offer, idolizing physical beauty and the adoration of their thralls. Clan Tremere - vampiric sorcerers that wield the supernatural power of their past as a hermetic house, though they became vampires through treachery and artifice. Clan Tzimisce - eldritch Old World lords who have little in common with the mortal world and can manipulate flesh and bone at a whim. Clan Ventrue - observe the noblesse oblige of vampire society, though their entitlement and greed encourages them to seek ever more at the expense of others. There is some ambiguity in the standards that determine clanhood. Two of the above lineages, the Giovanni and Tremere, are actually recent replacements, having begun as bloodlines of established clans and risen to clan status within the last millennium after mostly wiping out Clan Cappadocian and Clan Salubri, respectively. Even though members of these fallen clans may yet survive, with their numbers so small and their Antediluvians destroyed, they have been relegated to bloodline status, particularly as knowledge of their existence is gradually forgotten. On the other hand, several clans have held onto their positions despite the fact that their Antediluvians are believed to be dead. Likewise, the Ravnos are nearly extinct following the destruction of their progenitor during the Week of Nightmares, but they are still considered a clan (though some speculate that another bloodline will rise to take their place). Clanless and Autarkis: Caitiff is the most common term used by kindred to describe a vampire of an unknown clan, or of no clan at all. They are typically of high generation, where Caine's blood is too diluted to pass on any consistent characteristics. The clanless have no inherent clan society, support, or even characteristics; they are like orphans among the great families of vampires. The Caitiff have no inherent clan weakness, but no inherent disciplines as well. Not every Cainite belongs to a sect nor swears fealty to a clan, Prince, Bishop, or other such entity. These Autarkis often lead solitary lives not unlike hermits or outcasts. In some cases, an Autarkis is beneath notice, in other cases, the Autarkis is simply too powerful or otherwise ungovernable for the local sect to bring under its sway.

6. #6Ventrue

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   The Ventrue have long been one of the proudest lines of vampires. Its members work hard to maintain a reputation for honor, genteel behavior, and leadership. A sense of noblesse oblige has long pervaded the clan, accompanied by the genuine belief that the Ventrue know what is best for everyone. They not only consider themselves the oldest clan, but see themselves as the enforcers of tradition and the rightful leaders of Kindred society. They have long been Embraced from the ranks of nobility and privilege, whether kings or merchant princes, but they have also been known as knights and warlords who sought to live by the laws of chivalry and duty. If anything, the Ventrue have adapted to fill the roles of leadership over the ages, and in the Final Nights are more politician than noble warrior, more CEO than baron lord. They remain the largest supporters of the Camarilla and the Masquerade, believing both institutions to be the surest means of protecting vampires from the growing mortal masses, and of guarding their own power. Early History: The Ventrue cherish history more so than any other clan, believing it to be a worthy guide to live by and to justify their positions of authority today. This is not to say that they have any particular obsession with the truth – a myth can be much more powerful than the real thing, after all. But they take history very seriously, a fact that is no doubt aided by their tale being one of conquests and grand achievements the likes of which few other clans can boast. To hear them say it, their claim to fame begins in the early days of vampire history with Caine himself commanding his eldest childe Ynosch to Embrace the Ventrue Founder, who they believe to be the first member of the Third Generation and who is often called Ventru. He was to be Caine's advisor in the nights of the First City, and when the Dark Father prepared to leave he chose to hand the burden of stewarding his people to Ventru. Through this story the Ventrue justify their position of superiority and leadership over the other clans, just as they believe their progenitor led the other Antediluvians for a time. The first major achievement of the Ventrue is attributed to Artemis with the creation of militant Sparta. Wary of the mortal masses even in those ancient nights, Artemis saw promise in the ideas of the philosopher Lycurgus and supported him, seeking to make the humans a tool to be used rather than fought, and eventually making herself Sparta's patron goddess. They would soon become the perfect example mortal potential in her eyes: loyal, brave, and completely devoted to self-perfection. Sensing the rising power, other Ventrue gathered to become a part of the Spartan war machine, urging the neighboring City-states to ally with Sparta while establishing their own domains within the Peloponnesian League. This also made possible the rise of the mercantile city of Corinth and its Prince Evarchus, who exemplified the power of wealth in a role for all Ventrue to follow. The growing power of Sparta and the Brujah alliance in Athens would lead to the first Brujah War, a conflict that would set the stage for a bitter rivalry between the two clans millennia afterwards. Though the Brujah or Ventrue never came directly to blows in the conflict, the eventual invasion of Athens led by Lysander caused many Brujah and Toreador to regard the Ventrue as power mad barbarians, while Spartan Ventrue considered the Brujah dangerous idealists. Roman Age: After Sparta's fall, the rise of Rome signaled one of the clan's greatest ages. Many Ventrue had long settled in the region and lived relatively quietly while it was ruled by the Etruscans. Nevertheless, the rebellion that freed the Roman people was attributed to Collat, who would become the city's first Prince. Recognizing the mortals of Rome to be a proud and superstitious people that would sooner stake any vampires than consider living with them let alone beneath them, Collat did not seek to rule the Romans directly or make himself a deity as vampires in the past had done, but influenced events from behind the scenes by collecting favors from the city's citizens. This system would later be refined by Camilla, childe of Collat, who replaced his sire and set about establishing political connections with the patrician families of Rome. Instead of using Disciplines to force his will on the city's leaders, Collat ruled through ghoul proxies delivering favors and contacts, allowing him to grow rich and powerful while the mortals remained ignorant. This strategy would be widely adopted in the centuries to follow and would serve the clan well once the Masquerade was adopted. The second Brujah War would parallel that of Rome and Carthage, where Brujah, Assamites, and even Baali ruled the mortals openly, demanding blood and sacrifices while living as gods. In such contrast to what the Patricians had fostered in Rome, the African nation was seen as a den of infernalists and monsters. Despite Lysander's repeated efforts to convince Camilla, the war with Carthage would not begin until a Brujah named Dominic antagonized the Malkavian Prince of Syracuse, Alchias. Alchias turned to Artemis and supposedly the bull-dancer Arikel for help, and the three made plans with Lysander to arrange the war. Cainites largely avoided direct fighting during the first two Punic Wars, but in the final assault Ventrue, Toreador, Malkavians, and Gangrel of Rome battled openly alongside the Romans against the people of Carthage. In the end both sides were greatly wounded, but the Ventrue prevailed, and the Brujah would never forgive them for destroying their fabled city. In the years that followed Rome prospered. The Ventrue shared its power with many of the other clans that had taken part in the wars against Carthage, establishing friendships with other Cainites even as the Ventrue themselves began squabbling with one another. Most Patricians of the time were independent, with the only organization of the clan being a largely ineffectual assembly that eventually fell out of practice. Following the cue of Julius Caesar, Camilla reorganized the Ventrue into a structure that gave authority over the clan's members to the most important Ventrue in the region. While the power over the younger and less important Ventrue was not absolute, it did create a means for settling disputes, establishing connections, and identifying friends and enemies of the clan. These reforms served the clan well, and the Patricians prospered for several centuries until the empire itself dissolved. Dark Ages: When Rome fell, most of the Ventrue elite abandoned the ruined city to establish new centers of power elsewhere. During the rise of the Merovingian dynasty in Frankia (later the Holy Roman Empire), the Ventrue began infiltrating existing government as feudal lords, thus taking credit for the creation and expansion of the medieval feudal system. As the Frankish state expanded into Germany and Italy, the Ventrue began to prosper once again. When the Holy Roman Empire was dispersed, the Ventrue moved their center of power to Italy. However, since Rome was dominated by the Lasombra (as was much of the Church), the Ventrue established centers of power elsewhere in Italy, in Venice, Milan, Genoa, and Firenze. Here, the Ventrue constantly opposed the Lasombra (and their proxies in the church and in Rome) in their quest for power, as their own early efforts had not succeeded. Posing as kings and merchant princes, the Ventrue expanded their influence across the Mediterranean through trade routes and crusades, thus becoming again a force to be reckoned with. During these times, many Ventrue were influenced by the laws of chivalry and personal honor. Some of these separated themselves from the main clan during the founding of the Camarilla and turned to the Sabbat. Victorian Age: 1800s England was a good time to be Ventrue. The combination of centuries-old feudalism with the nouveau riche middle class served to keep the Ventrue at the top of the power structure. From there, they could oversee both international politics and the finances of an entire country. Many Ventrue childer, already hungry for territories of their own, were sent to colonies through the British Empire, creating Camarilla beachheads in India, Australia, and Egypt. The vampires who already occupied these regions (primarily Ravnos and Daitya in India, and Setites in Egypt) faced years of vicious propaganda declaring them to be heathens, savages, and worse. Most people - both Kindred and kine - adopted these views wholesale, making the work of controlling popular opinion that much easier for the Ventrue. If a Ventrue wanted to increase profit from a mine in Africa, all they had to do was spread the word that the mine's workers were closet heretics, justifying the decline of pay and living conditions. The Danava of India were able to invoke their historical connection with the Ventrue to leverage themselves into a position resembling neutrality, at least on the surface. After over a century, the native Daitya were able to eventually wrest control of India back from the foreign British Ventrue. Not all Ventrue were robber-barons and misanthropes, but enough of them were to make vampiric opinion turn against them for the first time since the founding of the Camarilla. The Toreador were repulsed by the Ventrue obsession with money and political gains; the Tremere had more important things to worry about than who was Prince of a small English town; the Gangrel were treated as servants and animals when they were not being hunted down. The Ventrue made just enough compromises to smooth things over, at least with any Kindred whom they could make use of; it was during this time that the Ventrue learned to temper their cutthroat business dealings with an outward veneer of philanthropy. They remained, of course, a clan out for profit and prestige, but there is no reason not to remain civil while doing so. This policy was put to the test in the New World, where the Ventrue spread West across North America and provided much of the impetus for doing so: The clan's money could sponsor quite a few landstaking ventures and West Coast mines, and wherever cities sprang up so did Ventrue interests. Modern Nights: The years following the World Wars have seen Clan Ventrue reassert itself once more over a half-century of troubles and decline. The clan thrived during the four-decade cold war, taking full advantage of the paranoid on both sides to make massive profits and sink its tendrils into the growing government bureaucracies that came to dominate industrialized governments. Having learned a valuable lesson from the debacle of the Crusades, savvy Ventrue have determined to hold their resources together despite the mortal conflict raging around them. Ventrue on both sides of the Iron Curtain worked in concert, watching their respective "governments" act against one another for the greatest advantage. The Ventrue were particularly fond of the various incarnations of secret police that came into existence, finding them an excellent way to keep the kine in line and under supervision. In the West, the Ventrue concentrated on the recovering European industries, all but abandoning the last of their feudal and noble ties for big business and majority shares in multinational corporations. When the Cold War ended, the few former Communist Bloc Ventrue who did manage to cultivate some degree of influence found themselves stripped of power just as the governments they supported had been. A decade later, these Ventrue are still trying to recover while Western Ventrue-owned companies step into the dismal economies and invest heavily in national infrastructures. As a result, a number of Ventrue in the East – particularly in Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, and the Ukraine – have turned to organized crime as a new field of influence. Organization: The Ventrue are second only to the Tremere in terms of organization and interrelation, and take pride in the fact that every clan member has a place and knows just where he stands within the clan in relation to everyone else. Of course, the system is not at all like some military organization. Acquiring dignitas is the only way to advance in Ventrue society. One does not necessarily ascend a ladder of advancement from rank to rank. Rather, members can move through the (largely honorific) system as their abilities and fortunes decree. The Ventrue feel that this system allows them more flexibility and lets them spot new talents within the clan and reward it, if desirable. The clan elders often point this latter facet of the system out to young Kindred who are anxious and frustrated at the lackluster success of their own unlives. The system borrows heavily from the Roman Republic's political institutions. Although the democratic elements of that system were stripped away long ago, the overall structure and some of the names remain. Clan Internal Structure: Ephorate Strategoi Lictors Tribunes The Clan is headed by the Ephorate, which arbitrates intra-Clan disputes, chooses the representative for the Inner Circle of the Camarilla and maintain the unity of the Clan in the face of global issues (although only Ventrue in power positions, like princes or primogen are actively inclined to heed them). Other influential figures within the Clan are the Strategoi, who enforce the dominance of the Ephorate along geographic regions. As agents of the strategoi act the Lictors, who often specialize in a specific field (finances, warfare etc.). On a more local scale, the Tribune acts as a messenger to a Ventrue in a political position, often to alert him of the directives set by the Ephorate. Ventrue antitribu: The Ventrue antitribu are the knights and paladins of the Sabbat, sworn to combat the Antediluvians and bring down the degenerate Camarilla. They see their Camarilla counterparts as failures, and have assumed the roles of the race of Cainites' saviors to atone for this. They believe mortals to be ignorant cattle, sufficient only for food and service to their terrible vampire lords. To accept anything less is to take the path of the disgraced Ventrue of the Camarilla, and the Sabbat Ventrue are not willing to accept that failure. Bloodlines: Ventrue obsession with the purity of their own breeding causes them to find the idea of "impure" Ventrue bloodlines displeasing. Under such social pressure, if an offshoot bloodline ever came into existence and managed to survive, it most likely did so by pretending to be nothing other than pureblood Ventrue. Such is the case within Camarilla territory anyway; outside of Camarilla territory is a different story... Weakness: Due to their inherent clan weakness, Ventrue have exacting and rarefied tastes. Even when it comes to blood. As such, every descendant of this clan suffers from a feeding restriction that renders them incapable of feeding on anyone other than very particular mortals (e.g. only young men, only senators, only frightened children, only virgins, etc.). The type of preferred vessel may be any type of person of some significance to them—and some are so severely restricted they can only feed from one specific person—but the Ventrue will not feed on any other type of blood. Not even if starving or under duress. Attempting such brings no nourishment whatsoever. Newly-Embraced Ventrue who have yet to develop such preferences are an exception. Until they find their preferred vessel, they can experiment freely. But the moment they get a taste of their preferred blood, they are forever unable to take sustenance from any others. Only in the most exceptional circumstances, when a preferred vessel type is entirely unavailable (e.g. certain nationalities no longer existing), may a Ventrue change their feeding restriction. And even then, said Ventrue still develops a new feeding restriction. This restriction applies only to mortal blood however, and a Ventrue may feed from vampiric vitae without any such restrictions.

7. #7Tzimisce

   Keys: Tzimisce

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   The Tzimisce are a clan of lords and flesh-shapers from Vampire: The Masquerade. If someone were to call a Tzimisce inhuman and sadistic, the Tzimisce would probably commend them for their perspicacity, and then demonstrate that their mortal definition of sadism was laughably inadequate. The Tzimisce have left the human condition behind gladly, and now focus on transcending the limitations of the vampiric state. At a casual glance or a brief conversation, a Tzimisce appears to be one of the more pleasant vampires. Polite, intelligent, and inquisitive, they seem a stark contrast to the howling Sabbat mobs or even the apparently more humane Brujah or Nosferatu. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is merely a mask hiding something alien and monstrous. Dark Ages: The Tzimisce Voivodate, a loose confederation of Tzimisce domains in Eastern Europe, had survived since the fall of the Second City only to face new threats to its existence during the Dark Ages. The first threat to Tzimisce power in the region was the emergence of the Tremere. Though the magi of the Order of Hermes were a familiar presence in the region, they invoked the wrath of the neighboring vampires after prying the secret to vampirism from captured Tzimisce. House Tremere, led by Goratrix officially became Clan Tremere in the wake of the diablerie of Saulot. Despite making enemies of mortal magi, the Tzimisce, the Salubri and later the Gangrel and Nosferatu, the fledgling Tremere managed to survive the Omen War with the Tzimisce. Voivode of Voivodes Vladimir Rustovich's assault on the Tremere was interrupted by the invasion of the Ventrue under Jürgen of Magdeburg. While Jürgen's assault was ended through the efforts of Myca Vykos and the Obertus Order, the Omen War continued until the Anarch Revolt rendered the Tzimisce incapable of any real organized efforts as a clan. Despite the Warlocks' continued survival, most Tzimisce continue to bear a grudge against them into the modern era, though many younger Tzimisce fail to comprehend why. The Voivodate, and with it the feudal structure of Tzimisce society, would last only a few centuries longer. Victorian Age: Perhaps the most significant thing in the Victorian Age for the Tzimisce was the publishing of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Perhaps the most famous vampire novel (although by no means the first), it actually detailed a member of their clan (although a somewhat errant one). It introduced audiences to Transylvania, the home of the clan. However, it was the Victorian Age that saw the beginnings of the Tzimisce's decline – once proud and aristocratic, the modernizing of the world turned them into anachronistic jokes. The ease at which mortals could travel and communicate meant that the Fiends could no longer exist as lords and rulers of their own fiefdoms – troubling news of shambling monstrosities and villagers impaled on pikes would reach more civilized parts of the globe in no time. Science began to shake the iron foundations of folklore and superstition that the Tzimisce had built their fearsome reputation on. This was truly a double-edged sword for the Clan. Their hated enemies, the Tremere had become very powerful during this time, and the peasants over which most of the Fiends ruled rose up against their masters. Once again burned from their rotting manses and forced to hide from the Kine, most considered the age a great indignity. However, the leaps and bounds made in medicine and the sciences during this time yielded both a new crop of potential childer and a new way to study the effects of mutable forms. The Tzimisce had always been students of a sort, and having biology and anatomy codified and much easier to learn, their own knowledge of the body expanded. Modern Nights: The Tzimisce are a clan in decline, and have been ever since the Anarch Revolt. However, only in the Final Nights do these events come to a head and only, until the last moment, in the head of one vampire. Lambach Ruthven, an unwilling sire of Dracula, finds himself dissolute and wandering throughout Sabbat territory, haunted by occasional messages from his dead sire. Weak-willed and ineffective as Lambach is, he is still fifth generation and a major figure in the Anarch Revolt – respected (and feared), he is largely left alone by the cannibals of the Sabbat. He is eventually forced, or encouraged, or led to the sewers of New York City, where he finds a horrifying truth: Lugoj was destroyed that night, and [Tzimisce] "lives". The Tzimisce Antediluvian, through advanced mastery of Vicissitude, has become a gigantic (miles-long) pseudo-fungal infestation under the tri-state area. Its consciousness is spread across thousands of creatures, and it can form bodies or new selves at will. It offers Lambach metamorphosis, a chance to be as it is as part of what it is. Lambach fled and tried to tell anyone who would listen, but the endeavor was fruitless. The Tzimisce who bother with politics still remain most populous in the Sabbat in these nights, but there is now also a non-insignificant number who have found their way within the Anarch Movement; especially younger, disenfranchised ones whose ambitions cannot find purchase in other domains, and must redirect their impulse to dominion beyond the old ways. Finally, although it is understood by both parties that their presence is barely tolerated, a few other Dragons still associate with the Camarilla, mainly for instrumental purposes. The Old Clan also remains an unliving presence in modern nights, one notable name being the autarkis Mayumi Shibasaki, a powerful Kindred corporate who exerts a great deal of influence over the city of Tokyo. Organization: Historically, the Tzimisce Embraced broods who maintained a particular plot of land. Tied to the land, Tzimisce broods were incestuous, violent hierarchies of hateful creatures who maintained a bare modicum of civility through raw power and the blood bond. The central government of the Tzimisce, so to speak, was the Council of Voivodes, guided by the Viceroy. The Viceroy was elected by his peers, but his tenure was set "for life". However, given the jealousy and suspicion among the Clan, there was a relatively regular progression of Viceroys, as one after another fell to the political or physical traps set by another ambitious clan member. The Council had anywhere from less than a dozen to nearly a hundred members during the Dark Ages, making it the single most influential factor in Clan politics. With the elimination of this hierarchy during the Anarch Revolt, the Tzimisce have become intensely solitary creatures. They now tend to Embrace more unusual individuals, psychopaths and sadists are common choices as are people who indulge in self-mutilation, however intelligence and dignity are still key concerns: the Tzimisce would choose Hannibal Lecter over Leatherface any day of the month. In the modern era, the Tzimisce have a recognized clan head, the voivode, but the office is largely religious. For most Tzimisce, authority is a function of power. Tzimisce who have awakened their zulo shape (i.e., have achieved the fourth level of Vicissitude), who have at least one level of Koldunic sorcery, and/or who have demonstrated wisdom and loyalty to the sect and clan are known among the clan as zhupans. Zhupans are respected for their knowledge and power, and may "suggest" courses of action to lesser Tzimisce. The lesser Tzimisce are not required to heed a "suggestion," but ignoring a zhupan is considered extremely rude and will almost inevitably alienate the zhupan so snubbed. Within the Sabbat, the Tzimisce are the spiritual leaders and scholars, in contrast with the Lasombra's preference for leadership and temporal power. While the Lasombra are the Cardinals and Bishops, the Tzimisce prefer being Pack Priests, Prisci, or even not having titles at all and focusing on personal development. Some people even ponder (out of earshot, of course) that the Tzimisce are not very sincere in their attachment to the sect, and that the only reasons they are even present amongst the Sabbat is their dislike of Camarilla clans (especially the Tremere) and not fitting with the Camarilla's policy of hiding among humans (Tzimisce tend to see humans as mere plaything below their consideration). However, those Tzimisce who show genuine dedication to the Sabbat ideal are paragons of their sect, impressing (and even scaring) other Sabbat with their fervor and contributions. In Eastern Europe, however, many Tzimisce give only lip service to the Sabbat and prefer to live solitary unlives following their own pursuits. Most Sabbat give these Tzimisce leeway, since most of them are very old and very powerful. More than one upstart neonate has been toyed into an unrecognizable visceral mess by angry Tzimisce wanting to be left alone. Tzimisce antitribu: In the Sabbat sense, the Tzimisce of the Sabbat are themselves the antitribu, as the Sabbat reject clan identity as a legacy of the Antediluvians they so despise. In a non-Sabbat sense, there are no Tzimisce antitribu, strictly speaking. The Tzimisce are not widely political creatures to begin with; merely territorial, and their choice of allegiance reflects this. The vast majority of politicized Tzimisce do belong squarely to the Sabbat, and most others are younger Dragons who have joined the Anarchs in search of greener pastures. There is barely even a handful of Tzimisce in the Camarilla, and those few are only there for personal reasons, and tend to leave once their objectives are completed. The presence of the Tremere virtually guarantees that the Tzimisce have no interest in remaining. Torture: It is an unpleasant fact to some Kindred that a large portion of the Tzimisce culture revolves around ways and means of hurting other beings. Many Kindred would understandably prefer to ignore or gloss over this aspect of the clan. Still, Tzimisce are dubbed Fiends for a good reason, and information from that perceived evil that is the Clan Tzimisce may be particularly useful to those used to a more benevolent Camarilla perspective. Psychological preparation is vital for any torture session and Tzimisce disciplines are admirably suited to this. Vicissitude allows the torturer to assume a shape appropriate for the situation. Perhaps an incredibly beautiful member of the gender to which the victim is attracted, to heighten their shame; or an impossibly hideous one, to heighten the revulsion and terror; or even the form of the victim's worst enemy, or closest friend. Auspex allows the Tzimisce to discover the victim's phobias and dirty little secrets, and to discern which areas of the victim's body are particularly sensitive. Tzimisce disciplines also vastly aid in the actual torture session. Vicissitude allows the torturer to become his own toolkit, reforming his extremities (or the victim's extremities) into a variety of intrusive implements, perfectly shaped to fit the victim (or, not quite fit, as the case may be). Then, too, the sight of one's bones heaving of their own accord through one's skin is always disconcerting—and it becomes difficult to find release in a scream when one's tongue has been grafted to the roof of one's mouth. Animalism allows for a variety of noxious creatures (particularly those inspiring panic in the victim) to be summoned and precisely directed around, on top of, or even into the victim. Of course, common physical torture has its limits, and this is particularly true concerning Kindred. Most Elders worthy of that title have experienced massive body trauma at least once during their unlife and thus, are somewhat numb to the usual concept of pain. Moreover, Kindred scoff at threats that would break many mortals, such as amputation or castration, given their regenerative capabilities. Moreover, how does one threaten a Nosferatu with disfigurement? Sometimes even mortals display surprising resilience. Unfortunately for such victims, Tzimisce are equally skilled at emotional torture. Centuries of unlife have given Tzimisce torturers an uncanny degree of psychological insight into the way the human, and Kindred mind operate. Furthermore, Tzimisce control over the Blood Bond provides torturers with a variety of fiendish new ways to hurt their victims. For example, two Kindred may be forcibly Blood Bound to one another and then one painstakingly disfigured before the other's eyes. Alternatively, the Tzimisce may break one victim's Bond, while leaving the other still Bound; then the un-Bound victim may then be re-Bound to the torturer and induced to inflict physical or emotional pain on the other remaining victim. Tzimisce may also, through rituals, cause already Bound beings to feel emotions other than love. A victim capable of bearing the most atrocious wounds without flinching may be utterly broken by a contemptuous slap from the hand of the now hostile love (or childer). Hospitality: The rights and treatment of guests forms an indelible part of Tzimisce culture. There are many archaic rules concerning deportment, manners, greetings, goodbyes, allowances, and settlement of grievances, but there are a few Clan-wide obligations that are always honored. A guest of the Tzimisce is entitled to several things: Shelter and nourishment for three days and three nights (not counting the night of arrival) The protection of the host against third-party aggressors Suspension of inter-family grievances for the duration of the stay The best quarters in the home of the host (up to and including the host's own chambers) However, the guest also has a few obligations that makes them worthy of such special treatment A ritual exchange of gifts or services (on arriving, departing, or sometimes both) Respecting the host's boundaries and property Not needlessly angering the host or any of his family Not staying any longer than the requisite three days and three nights unless invited to. The balance of these laws is to ensure that no advantage is taken of either the host or guest – a Fiend's honor can be completely shattered by infringing upon either one of these sets of rules. Given the warfare that exists between lineages of Tzimisce, exercising patience and honoring these laws is a way to ensure that there is always a sort of "neutral ground" where combative families can meet and prevent any further outrages. The older a Tzimisce is, the more seriously they treat these laws, for they remember the nights when the only shelter to be had was in the domain of a rival voivode, when travel was arduous and only undertaken when necessary. Most elder Tzimisce respect these laws in the modern nights, but their grandchilder may not even be aware that these laws exist, much less still enforced in their ancestors' domains. Minor breaches can be forgiven, though some effort must be made to show that the trespasser is apologetic. Major breaches can fix a Tzimisce's reputation in a very bad way – slaughtering guests during the day is a sure way to make sure no one comes to visit you, or ever wants to make a deal. Embraces: Historically, the Tzimisce have viewed mortal life as largely irrelevant before the Embrace. While they do look for specific mortal characteristics, they tend to see this as the barest flicker of potential rather than a compelling argument. Tzimisce Embraces are supremely selfish – often based on specific obsessions or interests of the sire, rather than any distinctive characteristic of the childe. Those with interests matching their own are particularly prized, and many Tzimisce childer were masters of their field in life – whether this field was medicine or serial murder is a trifling distinction though. That said, the Tzimisce have a reputation for choosiness, largely from a general disdain for mortals. The Tzimisce have partly addressed this by instituting breeding programs among mortals, resulting in ghoul families such as the Bratovitch or Zantosa line, which serve as the preferred fodder for an Embrace. Speculation: It seems curious that the Tzimisce are a clan that has Embraced many non-humans. Among their childer were magi, shamans, prophets or some other exotic creatures (particularly the Shadow Lords kinfolk and some even speculate about fairy blood running through Tzimisce veins). We can assume that this disposition may emanate from the Elders who refused to define themselves in mortal terms, or even from those sires in search of a better symbiosis between their vampiric powers and those of magical blood. Weaknesses: The Tzimisce clan weakness dictates that whenever a Tzimisce sleeps, they must surround themselves with at least two handfuls of earth from a place important to them as a mortal. Failure to meet this requirement halves the Tzimisce's dice pools every 24 hours, until all their actions use only one die. This penalty remains until they rest for a full day amid their earth once more.

8. #8Tremere

   Keys: Tremere

   Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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   Clan Tremere is the second youngest of the vampiric clans, having just come into existence during the Dark Ages. In the (comparatively) little time since their founding, the Warlocks have made incredible inroads within vampiric society and are arguably the most powerful clan in the modern nights. This is due in no small part to their strict hierarchy, secretive nature, and mastery of Thaumaturgy, all of which elicit suspicion, fear, and respect from other Cainites. The Warlocks stand as a pillar of the Camarilla and are one of its main defenders, despite the fact that they exist almost as a subsect. Some even go so far as to consider themselves the evolution of vampirism, citing their extreme versatility of blood magic and lack of a true clan curse. The Final Nights have many things in store for the Tremere, however, and the more powerful they grow, the more their enemies gather – and in their bid for power, the Tremere have accumulated more enemies than most. Early History: The Tremere began as House Tremere, mages of the Order of Hermes named for their leader and founder, Tremere. At the end of the first millennium, the members of House Tremere realized the Hermetic arts were failing and found its immortality potions no longer working. Facing the possibility of losing everything, Tremere ordered research into alternate methods of sustaining their lives. House Tremere undertook numerous experiments, but it was Goratrix who devised a solution in his investigation of vampires. In 1022, Goratrix invited Tremere and six of the founder's closest advisers to participate in the completed ritual, which promised true immortality. Whether Goratrix knew what would happen is known only by him and, perhaps, Tremere, but at the completion of the ritual the participants fell unconscious and were reborn as vampires, their avatars destroyed and magical abilities lost. The mages had gained their immortality but lost the power they lived for. Though the others would likely have slain Goratrix for his folly (or trickery), Tremere ordered them to halt and declared that they would remain at his side, leaving their chantries in the hands of subordinates while they discovered the powers of their new forms in secret. In time, the Tzimisce made war against House Tremere in retribution for the Fiends that had been made part of Goratrix's experiments. The Order of Hermes also became suspicious of diabolical practices being performed by the increasingly secretive House, but Tremere was able to dissuade them from investigating further. Finally, in 1037 Tremere gathered the seven newly-made Cainites and forced the blood bond upon them. He then declared to them that House Tremere would be restructured with a new pyramid hierarchy, placing himself at the top as Primus of House and clan Tremere and his seven closest followers forming the Inner Council of Seven directly under him. They would slowly begin Embracing the rest of the House, with each initiate being bound to the Inner Council to ensure their loyalty. In time, all members of House Tremere would die or become vampires. Dark Ages: Over the next century, the Omen War with the Tzimisce continued on and off. With their mages growing weaker and those newly Embraced unfamiliar with the powers of the blood, chantries as far as their stronghold of Ceoris were repeatedly ravaged. While Tremere and Etrius pursued their own research throughout Europe in converting the hermetic arts into Thaumaturgy, Goratrix once again returned to his laboratories with his apprentices at hand. After years of experimentation on captured Tzimisce, Nosferatu, and Gangrel, he succeeded in creating a Gargoyle in 1121, and by 1125 the hybrids were serving as shock troops against the Fiends. Nevertheless, the Tremere found themselves third-class citizens among the undead. Whatever boldness Tremere had shown in entering the night was ignored by the staunchly traditionalist clans, and they were often forced from cities by princes who did not look kindly on their presumption. Tremere's response to this was further boldness. As he and Etrius rapidly acquired more vampiric lore they discovered the history of Caine and the Antediluvians, as well as the benefits of diablerie. Seeking to establish themselves as a clan proper, the Tremere sought a clan founder to diablerize and settled on Saulot, the enigmatic founder of the Salubri clan. In 1133, Tremere and the Inner Council discovered Saulot's tomb in the Anatolian desert. Tremere diablerized the Antediluvian and promptly entered torpor, leaving the Inner Council to lead the clan and destroy the remaining Salubri. As with everything else that the Tremere had done to this point, the result was a mixed blessing. Due largely to Meerlinda's efforts, the Tremere were entrenched in many Cainite courts, their services as mages making them indispensable to princes across Europe. They were now accepted as one of the Low Clans, albeit considered usurpers, distrusted warlocks, and known diablerists. A vicious propaganda campaign painted the Salubri as infernalists and soul-stealers, granting them some credit, and even those who knew better largely sat back while the Salubri were hunted to near extinction, for their arrogance had made them many enemies among the other clans. In 1202, the Order of Hermes finally discovered what had become of House Tremere and sentenced them to death, resulting in a Wizard's March. The Massasa War, as it would eventually be called, never officially ended, but neither side had the resources to sustain the war and it subsided after a few decades, only to sporadically begin anew years later. Renaissance: The Tremere continued their hunt of Saulot's descendants while making alliances with Hungarian Ventrue against the Tzimisce. By the 15th century the Salubri were only a legend and the Tremere were completely acknowledged as a clan. The Inquisition was particularly hard on them, however, and they lost many of their cults and chantries. During this time Goratrix used his influence and power to try to corrupt religious orders, most notably the Knights Templar, in order to seize potent artifacts held by the Church and turn its hunters against his enemies. When his bid for power failed, and the Knights Templar were branded as heretics, Tremere awoke and summoned Goratrix to return to Ceoris to stand trial before the Inner Council. After being censored and stripped of his authority, Goratrix fled into the east, believing his assassination was imminent. Shortly thereafter Etrius moved Tremere's torpid body to the Vienna Chantry, which became the new center for the clan. The formation of the Camarilla signaled the Tremere's rise to legitimacy. Though the Tremere did not suffer greatly from the Anarch Revolt, the spread of Thaumaturgy among the Anarchs by the Tremere antitribu was a dire threat to the clan. The Warlocks used their sorcery to facilitate communication and coordination of the Elders needed to support such an endeavor and played a pivotal role at the Convention of Thorns when they placed a curse upon the entirety of Clan Assamite, preventing them from drinking the blood of Cainites without extreme danger. The Assamites would never forgive the Tremere, their rivalry continuing into the present. At the same time, the Tremere antitribu were also cursed so that anyone who partook of the Vaulderie would be branded by a mark visible to "true" Tremere. Such mighty feats were said to have been led by Tremere himself, who rose from torpor for the event, along with the entire Inner Council. Victorian Age: In the 18th Century rumors were finally confirmed that Goratrix had joined the Sabbat and was gathering the majority of the Tremere antitribu to form House Goratrix. Though the Tzimisce ensured that they would never become influential within the sect, the Betrayer's efforts brought them closer together in an ironic imitation of the main clan. During this time the Tremere continued to spread throughout Europe and North America, with considerably less success in Africa and Asia. Despite this expansion, the clan maintained its hierarchy, and the web of communication leading back to Vienna and the Inner Council steadily grew. The Victorian age saw a rise in occultism among mortals, and the Tremere were quick to capitalize. Infiltrating the many secret societies that sprang up among the upper and middle classes, they drew childer, servants and herds from them. This also allowed the Tremere to practice their talents more openly (although still within the strictures of the Masquerade), and what once would have gotten an incautious magus burned at the stake for witchery, now enthralled and excited mortals with its concepts of divination, conjuration and communing with spirits. Modern Nights: In 1998, the Tremere antitribu were wiped out. After being called to a chantry in Mexico City, they were completely destroyed in an unknown ritual. If any of the antitribu remain, those who did not attend the gathering, they are undoubtedly in hiding. For more information, see the Transylvania Chronicles IV and Nights of Prophecy supplements or the entries for Tremere and Goratrix. More problematic was the increasing number of free Gargoyles making themselves known within the Camarilla and those clamoring for more freedoms and rights despite the Tremere's attempts to keep them under their control. Far worse, the Tremere were beginning to take notice of a growing instability in Thaumaturgy with frightening similarities to the failure of the Hermetic arts that spurred Goratrix's experiments and the transformation into vampires. The curse placed upon the Assamite clan failed, with subsequent efforts to renew it unsuccessful, and the Assassins hunted them with renewed vigor, even as a new faction of sorcerers and scholars sought membership within the Camarilla. The advancements made by the Tremere seemed to be met by further setback, and little reassurance was given from the top of the pyramid. The Fall of Vienna: When the Second Inquisition raided the Vienna Chantry in 2008, with presumably the destruction of the Inner Council of Seven, Blood Bonds were shattered. Tremere fell from gray eminences to personae non gratae in many regions. Without the strict internal hierarchy, individual Tremere compete heavily for the lore, artifacts, and secrets that the united Clan once possessed, fearing their clanmates as much as their enemies. To this end, they often sell their services as mercenaries to third parties. Their former monolithic structure has splintered into several rival groups, with the Camarilla-loyalists under Karl Schrekt at the head on the one side, a resurgent House Goratrix on the other, and the upstarts of House Carna who are at least for the time being still aligned with the Camarilla. A fourth house, Ipsissimus, can be found among the Anarchs. Organization: The Tremere are the most strictly organized clan bar none, and every member knows where they stand in authority amongst their peers. This creates the illusion of total unison and cooperation for other Cainites, who rarely know anything of the Tremere hierarchy or inner politics. Their Founder and namesake, the nominal Antediluvian Tremere, sits at the top of the Pyramid and supposedly directs the entire clan, though very few have ever seen him or witnessed his hand in action. Many do not believe he is even a real person, but perhaps an ideal of the Tremere cause or a symbol of their unity. Beneath him, the importance of the number seven is emphasized, as each successive rank down is comprised of seven to one, starting with: Councilors - the members of the Inner Council of Seven and the true rulers of the clan, each of whom is responsible for directing clan efforts in a particular portion of the world. Each councilor appoints seven Pontifices. Pontifices - a pontifex oversees a large region, such as parts of a nation or groupings of smaller countries and islands, and in turn oversees seven Lords. Lords - each lord is responsible for a small country or group of states and uses their influence and knowledge to sway the Tremere in their domain, specifically the Regents. Regents - the most visible figures of Tremere authority. A regent runs an individual chantry and is charged with the supervision of it. Magisters[1] - a term to describe a Tremere that has not sought power but instead has become a trusted advisor who manages inter-chantry disputes. Magisters educate and see to the well-being of Apprentices. Apprentices - the youngest and most numerous Tremere. Apprentices must spend much of their time training, serving some need within their chantry, or playing the politics of the clan as best as their inexperience allows. Some never advance beyond this rank, either because they are more interested in Camarilla politics or their own affairs to rise among the Tremere or because the lord of the region sees no need to create a new chantry and regent. Acolytes - the ones who lie below Apprentices, a rank that includes Tremere that have not yet been accepted as a part of the clan, as well as groups that are bound to the Council of Seven (such as the Trimira). Below Acolytes are ghouls and servitors like Gargoyles. Houses: The houses of Clan Tremere are little more than cults of personality at their worst, but are distinct colleges of magic or philosophy at their most valid. Major Houses: After the Fall of the Vienna Chantry in 2008, the Clan has reorganized into 4 Houses, as many Tremere scramble for unity outside the Pyramid: House Tremere - Camarilla aligned, loyalists of the Pyramid, traditional Hermetics, led by Karl Schrekt; House Carna - Majority of them Camarilla aligned, with some in the Anarchs, pagan nonconformists, wiccans and other modern witches, led by Carna; House Goratrix - Camarilla aligned, with little information known about them, presumably led by Goratrix; House Ipsissimus - Anarch aligned, though not generally considered to be a major house. Decentralized and leaderless. Minor Houses Prior to the attack, the clan used to consist of an unknown number of houses, some claiming only a handful of members, while others — the House of Tremere — claim every childe of the clan. Listed below are a few of the more prominent — or notorious — houses of Clan Tremere: Trismegistus - symbolism and numerology Hashem - Kabbalah Rodolfo - divination Daughters of the Crone - birth and death magic Horned Society - infernalism (allows non-Kindred members) High Saturday - voudoun and necromancy (allows non-Tremere members) Auram Guild - alchemy Etrius[5] - Thaumaturgy Not all of these are common knowledge; some exist only as rumours and may well be fictional, while others are august and prestigious. The fate of these Houses following the Fall of Vienna is unknown, but it can be assumed that they joined — either in part or completely – the major houses above. Weaknesses: The original Tremere clan weakness consists of an initiation, which requires all neonates to drink from the blood of the seven elders of the clan when they are created. This means that all Tremere are at least one step toward being Blood Bound to the clan, and therefore must watch their step very carefully when around their leaders.

9. #9Neonate

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   neonate is a recently embraced vampire that has passed through the initial stages of vampiric existence, the fledgling stage. It is the sire's responsibility to ensure that the childe does not embarrass itself or its sire in vampiric society. Derogatorily, a neonate is often called a whelp. Neonates are generally lightly involved in the true machinations of undead society. They aren't powerful enough to really matter, and are consequently used primarily as pawns by their elders. Conversely, they still have an investment in the mortal world of the 21st century and are less likely to adhere to the feudal character of vampiric society.

10. #10Childe

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    Childe is a term used to refer to a vampire in relation to their sire, the individual who Embraced them. The term is used as an insult to suggest that a vampire is inexperienced, foolish or naive. The plural of childe is childer, and a vampire's childe's childe may be referred to as their grandchilde. A newly-Embraced childe, a fledgling, remains under the guidance and dominion of their sire; consequently, the sire may be held accountable for their childe's actions during this time. A vampire's childer, can be collectively referred to as its progeny, its brood, or (in older editions), its get. Due to the inflexible nature of generation, a childe will always be of a higher generation than their sire — unless the childe lowers their generation via diablerie. Likewise, the childe acquires the sire’s clan, and thus his powers, weaknesses, and often predilections. Some clans shelter their fledglings for years or decades, like the Tremere, while others, like many Gangrel and Brujah, figure that once you’re a vampire, you’re on your own — tough shit if you can’t hack it. The Sabbat — who sometimes call their hastily-Embraced fledglings “Shovelhead” due to their bizarre Embrace rituals — are usually much more pragmatic: If the fledgling survives and does something worthwhile, she’s not a shovelhead anymore.

11. #11Sire

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    Sire is a term used to describe a vampire who has created another vampire (referred to as their childe). sire: 1. a term for the father (or genetic species providing sperm) of a creature, contrasting to the female term, dam. 2. a form of address and title for a man of rank or authority, equivalent to Lord or Prince. sire is a vampire that has Embraced a childe. The term is unisex, applying to both male and female vampires (thus a female vampire is not a dam, but is also a sire). Alternatively, the term may apply to the act of the Embrace itself, i.e. one may be said to have sired a childe. Similarly, one's sire's sire is one's grandsire, although that particular distinction may not be particularly relevant. Typically, a fledgling's sire is held accountable for the new childe's actions until such a time that the childe is capable of striking out on their own.

    Sire: A vampire who has Embraced childe(r) and monitors their progress; Often seen as the "Parent" of a childe. Due to the nature of generation, a sire will always be of lower generation than their childe unless said childe lowers their generation via Diablerie.

12. #12Elder

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    Elder: A vampire who has experienced at least three or more centuries of unlife. Elder: A vampire who has survived for over 150 years; also a term of respect. The term Elder is the status of a kindred who has experienced 300 years of unlife. Definition: While there is no strict definition, one normally must be at least two centuries old, with appreciable claims to domain or a variety of other assets and far removed from their mortal past to qualify. The choices and sacrifices they have made in order to survive so long instills a degree of amorality and slow caution; it is not unusual for elders to design plans that take decades or centuries before coming to fruition. Such beings are often cold, if not monstrous, and focused completely on their own interests and well-being, though a rare few struggle to maintain their human sentiments. There is a long-standing cycle of jealousy, contempt and resentment between elder and younger vampires, being especially pronounced between sires and their childer. Elders often use their greater power and influence to oppress those younger than them out of fear of being outnumbered and because most vampires of such age believe they know what's best in the same way that mortal elders feel that theirs is the better way. Younger vampires naturally chafe under such treatment and grow jealous and resentful of the elders' positions and power. It was this cauldron of emotions that gave rise to the Anarch Revolt and all things thereafter. Typically, elders of Europe and the Old World are much older than those across the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the time Elders are the oldest active vampires in undead society.

13. #13Domain

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    Domain is a physical territory to which a vampire has access for the purpose of feeding and asserting his will. This term is often employed to describe an area claimed by an influential vampire who has gained respect; a Prince will often claim a city as their domain. Some vampires refer to their domain as hunting grounds, and most jealously guard them, even invoking the Second Tradition of the same name to protect their claims. The width of a domain varies. During the Dark Ages, the rule was a quote of one vampire per 1,000 mortals, which was referred to as the Rule of 1,001 Nights. Most Princes in the Modern Nights try to enforce a quota of 1:100,000 per mortal, but Sabbat and Anarch domains often flaunt this rule. Fief: A sarcastic term for a vampire’s domain or claim thereof, most commonly used in reference to a Prince. Turf: A modern affectation used in reference to a domain. Demesne: A term more often employed to describe a feudal-style domain.

14. #14Blood bond

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    A Blood Bond, also known as a Blood Oath, the Coeur-Vrai or the Coils of Apep, is a supernatural link of fidelity and dependency of one individual (the thrall) on a vampire (the regent), created and maintained by the repeated consumption of vitae. Blood Bond: After accepting blood from a vampire three times, one becomes under the supernatural influence or mastery of the supplying vampire. Virtually anyone can be enthralled through it, making the blood bond one of the most powerful vampiric tools. The strength of this link varies based on several factors, but it is incredibly difficult to break and likely will have many lasting effects on the thrall. Someone becomes involved in a blood bond by drinking the vitae of the same Cainite on several occasions not excessively spaced in time. After the first sip of blood, the thrall begins to develop strong feelings for the regnant, whether love or hate, though they are still free to act as they choose. Those in a one-drink bond may unconsciously seek out the regnant, seemingly accidentally running into them on a frequent basis. After the second sip, the regnant becomes a very important person to the thrall, who may go out of their way to seek the regent's attention or please them. It becomes difficult for the thrall to do anything that would harm the regnant, and the regnant likewise finds it easier to convince the thrall of things. Though the thrall's craving for the regent's blood increases, they still retain their free-will. After the third sip, the blood bond is complete. The thrall is now subject to the regnant completely and loves them as much as they are capable of loving anyone. The regnant is the most important person in the thrall's life and takes priority over all else; sufficiently weak-willed individuals will commit any act the regnant asks of them. Furthermore, the regnant may command the thrall with Dominate via voice alone. It may still be possible for the thrall to act against the regnant, but only temporarily and after an extreme effort of will. The strength of the blood bond is not influenced by the generation of the vampire, but continual drinks do reinforce it. The bond will become weaker over time if the thrall does not drink the regent's blood or see the regent for an extended period of time, equal to 12 months minus the thrall's Willpower. However, due to the very nature of the bond, such avoidance may be extremely difficult for the thrall. The blood bond can be broken by the death of the regnant, however, the effect on the thrall is variable: some feel relieved or even joyful; others experience pain and desolation; others yet fear their independence and look for a new bond. A few may even kill themselves. All childer begin at least one step bound to their sire, and it's normal for those that were ghouls to already be fully bound or for a fledgling vampire to be fully bound to their sire shortly after the Embrace. This was particularly common among the High Clans in the Dark Ages , when oaths of fealty to a liege were reinforced by some level of the blood bond. Prior to the Anarch Revolt the blood bond was seen as being inviolable, so childer killing and even diablerizing their sires became a great surprise. In addition, some vampires began using the Vaulderie, which broke blood bonds and made members of the resulting "pack" more loyal to each other by creating a weaker blood bond-like bond called vinculum. The Tremere have their own variation of this custom where all members of the clan are partially bound to their elders and the Tremere Inner Council of Seven.

15. #15Traditions

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    The Traditions are the fundamental laws of Kindred society, supposedly handed down by Caine himself. The Traditions form the legal backbone of Camarilla society, although in modern nights, the Prince fulfills the Elder role outlined in the traditions. Most vampiric culture springs from the Traditions – presentation is outlined in the Tradition of Hospitality, the Blood Hunt in the Tradition of Destruction and the parceling of land in the Tradition of Domain. The Traditions: First Tradition: The Masquerade Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of Blood. Second Tradition: The Domain Thy domain is thine own concern. All others owe thee respect while in it. None may challenge thy word while in thy domain. The Traditions Third Tradition: The Progeny Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine Elder. If thou createst another without thine Elder's leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain. Fourth Tradition: The Accounting Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy Progeny shall be Released, thou shall command them in all things. Their sins are thine to endure. Fifth Tradition: The Hospitality Honor one another's domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing. Sixth Tradition: The Destruction Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt. Vampire: the Dark Ages In Vampire: The Dark Ages, the order is Legacy, Destruction, Progeny, Accounting, Domain, and Masquerade. Legacy refers to Cainites accepting their state as the dead, and replaces the Hospitality tradition (VTDA merges hospitality and domain).

16. #16Masquerade

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    The Masquerade is an organized disinformation campaign heavily enforced by Kindred society (mainly the Camarilla), meant to convince humans that vampires and various other supernatural creatures do not exist. The Masquerade is the cornerstone survival strategy for Cainites; without it, the kine undoubtedly would rise up and exterminate all the undead. The Masquerade is technically outlined in the Traditions, however until the 15th century this was commonly interpreted as not informing mortals of the niceties of vampiric society, how common vampires were or generally making too big of a ruckus. The Tradition was openly flouted by several clans (notably the Tzimisce), while the vampires in more civilized societies would often adhere to it more tightly. All of this changed with the Inquisition, following the Anarch Revolt, when the true number of vampires became apparent and Rome started to have at the undead igne ferroque, the nascent Camarilla was primarily organized around promulgating and strongly enforcing a Masquerade. History holds that Rafael de Corazon's famous speech in 1450 made enforcing the Masquerade the Camarilla's primary policy. Operation: The basics of the Masquerade are enforced through self-policing and harsh penalties. When a breach occurs, the methods of repairing may vary, but somebody is going to be punished — and while it would be nice for that somebody to be whoever caused the breach in the first place, Princes are known to prefer an early morning dusting over a long thorough search. Generally, a breach consists of any evidence of vampiric powers: feeding on blood, obvious use of Disciplines, regeneration in plain sight and the like. Certain things (such as ghouls) are considered potential breaches all the time — although in this case, its assumed that the domitor will take necessary steps. Camarilla vampires are taught to blend in and to cultivate their Humanity in order to make imitating living people easier. However, when something severe happens, the Camarilla usually calls on the Ventrue, who have made Masquerade-patching something of a science. The Ventrue will apply whatever resources are necessary — cash, judicious use of Dominate, machine guns — to make the problem go away. While the Sabbat does not have a tradition of the Masquerade per se, it survives primarily through the Masquerade enforced by the Camarilla, and through a similar "patch squad" managed by the Grimaldi revenants.

17. #17Presentation

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    When a fledgling is going to be a neonate, he is presented to the prince by his sire as an official member of the vampiric society he currently lives in. Normally, this involves reciting the six traditions and a general knowledge about the Masquerade. If the presentation went well, the prince grant the fresh accepted vampire the right to feed, dwell and become involved in the city that is the prince's domain. Otherwise, the childer is destroyed immediately - vampires are jealous creatures that are not fond of sharing their hunting grounds. Kindred who visit a city have also to present themselves before the prince, otherwise they tend to bring the wrath of the Scourge on them. The presentation can take many forms, from a simple greeting to a recitation of one's lineage to a demand for service while in the city.

18. #18Final Death

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    Final Death is a term used by vampires to refer to permanent death, as opposed to torpor or their first death as part of the Embrace. By nature, vampires are incredibly resilient and tend to recover from wounds that would kill a mortal several times over. However, there is a limit to the punishment that their bodies can take, and specific forms of damage, such as from fire or sunlight, can lead to true destruction. Final Death is not to be confused with diablerie, which not only inflicts Final Death on the vampire's body, but devours the soul and perhaps everything that made the victim who they were.

19. #19Diablerie

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    Diablerie, also called the Amaranth, is a term used by vampires to describe the act of drinking another Cainite's blood and drawing their soul into one's own. Diablerie involves the consumption of another Kindred's vitae to the point of Final Death, but as the soul is consumed with the vampire's heart's blood, the vampire's destruction is absolute. Most vampires consider it a heinous act, akin to cannibalism. The aggressor, dubbed the diablerist, automatically loses some of its Humanity and is branded by black streaks in their aura that may persist for several years. Still, the practice holds a great deal of allure, for it is said to bestow the greatest pleasure imaginable to the diablerist, greater than the Kiss, and can also grant him or her greater power. Diablerizing the soul of a Cainite of significant age is one of the few ways of lowering one's generation, for if the victim possessed more potent blood then the diablerist's, the diablerist's Generation drops by one, possibly more if the victim was of notably lower Generation. However, there is the risk of some portion of the victim's soul living on within the diablerist. Rumors abound of diablerists taking on the mannerisms of their victims, and even stranger tales speak of the victims consuming their assailants from within and taking over their bodies. Some Antediluvians and methuselahs are believed to have survived their death in this manner. The Traditions of the Camarilla strongly forbid the practice, but the majority of the Sabbat and Assamites consider it quite acceptable, one of the reasons both groups are viewed with such fear and disgust. While one's rank in a Path of Enlightenment may fall as a result of committing diablerie, several Paths actually encourage vampires to perform the act under the proper circumstances. Amaranth: Amaranth is a small red finch from Africa, and some theorize the association with the practice of diablerie arose from the predominant color with the bird and with the drinking. Another hypothesis suggests that it comes from a red orchid traditionally sent to the future victim of diablerie, as an advance warning one week prior to the attack in antiquity and the Dark Ages. Others claim that the association with the word came from a Toreador methuselah called "Amarantha", who might have been the first victim of this foul deed. Heart's Blood: Assamite studies of vitae have isolated the part within a vampire's blood that contains the soul. They call it "heart's blood" and it manifests as a thick, blackish liquid that quickly grows dry when it leaves the body. Via applications of Quietus, they are able to manipulate the heart's blood to allow them to diablerize a victim later. Furthermore, studies in Quietus have found a way to force the last drop of vitae within a vampire's body to calcify the heart into a semi-translucent grayish-white flask known as a "Debitum". The Debitum enshrouds the spiritual essence (the "heart's-blood") of the victim – which, if examined in detail, can be seen encased within, swimming in despair. Heart’s-blood preserved in this way endures indefinitely. If vampiric fangs pierce it, the heart reanimates, pumping a cupful of celadon-colored, aqueous, non-burning flame vaguely resembling the victim into the vampire's maw. The vampire gains all the benefits of diablerie from this. Heart's blood plays an important role in Assamite society, being used for rituals of the Path of Blood, studies of the Sorcerer and Vizier Caste and used to repay one's master in Alamut.

20. #20Kiss

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    the Kiss is a word in Kindred terminology that refers to the act of biting and drinking blood from a victim, as well as the orgasmic pleasure that it provides both participants. For a vampire, the act of feeding becomes highly sensual, regardless of his or her gender or sexual orientation. This applies to the victim as well. It is an extremely intimate experience, perhaps the most intimate experience either participant will ever experience. For the victim, a vampire's bite brings exquisite bodily pleasure, comparable to or even greater than the height of sexual release. Vampires can have sex and consider it a great way to feed, but carnal pleasures don't mean much to vampires. The vampiric hunger for blood is erotic in nature. Feeding, which vampires call "the Kiss", is an incredibly intoxicating and erotic experience for vampires and their victims, akin to both sex and falling in love. The victims become paralyzed with euphoria, preventing them from escaping, and dulling their senses to the environment. The vampire experiences a head rush as well as its carnal hunger is being satisfied. Sex is a great part of most vampires' unlives, but nothing truly replaces the ecstasy of feeding for a vampire. It is not uncommon for humans to form herds around a particular vampire to willingly experience its Kiss, nor is it uncommon for humans to become addicted to the Kiss or for vampires to form emotional attachments to their vessels.

21. #21Humanity

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    Humanity is a measure of how closely a vampire clings to the morality and values of mortal life, and consequently how well they are able to resist the urges of the Beast. Since every Kindred was a human before their Embrace, their most natural response in resisting the Beast's feral, predatory nature is to cling to their humanity. This is generally represented by the strength of their Conscience and Self-Control, virtues common to Kindred and mortals alike. A Kindred's humanity has a direct effect on the strength of the vampiric curse; those who lose ground to the Beast and lose their humanity find it more difficult to interact with mortals, to be active during daylight hours, and to awaken from long periods of torpor. Humanity is universally adopted by the vampires of the Camarilla, but even among the Sabbat it is the "natural" and most common way of dealing with the Beast. Some vampires however reject the mores of mortal existence and adopt an alien Path of Enlightenment, in which they learn or construct a wholly different standard of morality. These often incorporate different virtues – conviction instead of conscience, and instinct instead of self-control – and establish a very different relationship with the Beast. Replacing the morality of one's human life is a daunting task, not to be taken lightly, and generally impossible without the support of one who already follows the alternate path. The practice of assuming a Path of Enlightenment was much more common in the Dark Medieval, when every vampire had to choose a "Road", a quasi-religious path to harmony with or control over the Beast. Humanity was one of these Roads, known then as the Via Humanitatis ("Road of Humanity"). Though less common than today, the Road of Humanity was still the most natural Road to follow.

22. #22Beast

    Keys: Beast

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    Beast is a term used by vampires to describe the inner predator that strives for control over a cainite's mind. The Beast is an innate demonic predator that awakens within each and every vampire upon their Embrace. It stands in direct opposition to a vampire’s Humanity (and in some cases the Paths of Enlightenment) and is responsible for many of the debased urges Cainites feel on a nightly basis. In times of extreme distress the Beast can overwhelm a vampire forcing them into a state of pure animalistic fight or flight, which is referred to as Frenzy or Rötschreck. If a vampire forsakes their humanity or Path of Enlightenment too deeply, they will be fully taken over by the Beast, undergo the Wassail, their final frenzy, and turn into a Wight for the rest of time.

23. #23Cainite

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    Though its use has waned since the Dark Ages, the term "Cainite" remains being employed by vampires to recall their descendant from Caine, the Third Mortal and First Vampire. In the modern nights, the term is more popular among members of the Sabbat and a rare few traditionalist elders who predate the sects. Vampires of the Camarilla prefer the more innocuous term "Kindred" instead of "Cainite". This is especially true of secularists and party-line loyalists who reject the myth of Caine as the First Vampire. The Sabbat, in turn, eschews the term "Kindred" as an affectation of feigned camaraderie and humanity. Other vampires who do not believe they are descended from Caine, such as the Laibon and many Assamites and Setites, likewise object to the term. Likewise, the term "Cainite" does not apply to the Kuei-jin or other vampire-like beings who do not share an origin with the descendants of Caine.

24. #24Mortal

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    The common use of mortal is as the antithesis to immortal. An immortal is someone who will, at least, never die of natural causes. At other times immortality includes invincibility to weapons and/or diseases. Mortals are normal humans, who are in mortal peril of all these things; age, disease and physical trauma. In the Classic World of Darkness, however, the designation is commonly attributed to non-supernaturals, even when some supernatural groups are not immortal as such. The question is usually raised when discussing the imbued or mages, since they are closest to normal humans in a physical sense. Mortal Hunters: Just because the mortals have no innate powers, does not mean that they are helpless. Some mortals fight back and hunt the supernatural beings that walk among them. The capabilities of these mortal hunters (not to be mistaken with the Imbued) depend entirely upon their training, skills, and experience. While individual mortal hunters (or even small, loosely organized groups) are a minor threat to a supernatural community, there are large organizations that can be a major threat.

25. #25Torpor

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    Torpor is a term used to describe the state of deep slumber. torpor: A state of mental or physical inactivity or insensibility. Lethargy; apathy. The dormant, inactive state of a hibernating or estivating animal. Torpor may be entered into voluntarily by vampires, such as when one seeks to escape the monotony of eternal life and awaken in a different age, or, more commonly, involuntarily, as when a vampire starves or suffers enough damage. The amount of time one spends in torpor depends on the reason for hibernating and the vampire's strength against the Beast. Torpor is particularly common among elders, who often feel a great ennui after centuries of unlife or who wish to sleep through certain ages and rise again during more "interesting" times. torpor is a deeper state of stasis compared to the sleep vampires normally experience during daylight hours. Though it is stated that ancient vampires often feel the need to enter voluntary torpor, or the Sleep of Ages, rules for this were not described until the Dark Ages Storytellers Companion.[1] Torpor is described as a relatively dreamless state where the vampire's body is preserved (unless suffering from lack of blood) and does not require sustenance. Sufficiently strong-willed individuals may maintain some degree of consciousness, and a few high-level Disciplines can be used from torpor. During this time the body swiftly dries out and takes on the appearance of being mummified. The skin contracts around the bones, the eyes dry out and sink into their sockets, hair become fine and brittle. The muscles of one's mouth retreat, forming a rictus around the teeth. To all appearances, the vampire is a long dead corpse. Torpor Length: The length of torpor depends on the vampire's Humanity or Path rating, and can last from a day to over a millennium. Following this period of rest, the player may spend a blood point and make an attempt to Awakening. If the vampire has no blood in his body, he may not rise until he is fed; the vampire may try to awaken for as long as he has Vitae on his system. If the vampire rises successfully, he is considered Crippled and should either spend blood or hunt immediately to regain his full strength.

26. #26Kuei-jin

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    Kuei-jin are the vampires of East and Southeast Asia, the karmically cursed outcasts dwelling on the Middle Kingdom's fringes. Other terms to describe them include Wan Kuei, Wan Xian, Gui Ren, asuratizayya (in India), or simply the "Hungry Dead". The term "Kuei-jin" is a neologistic portmanteau consisting of the Mandarin word for ghost (鬼, kuei in Wade–Giles, guǐ in Pinyin) and the Japanese word for person (人, jin). It is a relatively recent construction designed to indicate the commonality of the undead condition throughout the Middle Kingdom. The term Cathayan is often used by Western Cainites to refer to the Kuei-jin. The word is borrowed from the classic name for China, Cathay. It is perceived as offensive by the Kuei-jin themselves. It is said that the Kuei-jin are the corrupted descendants of the Wan Xian, the "Ten Thousand Heroes" chosen by the August Personage of Jade to guide and protect the universe in ancient history (and the predecessor to the Exalted). The Wan Xian were originally chosen by tests of skill and courage, and fed on the ambient chi of the universe. However, they fell from grace, learning to feed off of the chi of living beings and corrupting the tests of worthiness. Their children, the Jin Hai tried to keep them on the path of righteousness, but were eventually killed for their presumption. As the blood of the Golden Children cooled, the August Personage pronounced judgement on His former champions. He cursed them to live as undead, unable to acquire chi except from drinking the blood of the living, and to exist in a brutal mockery of their former state. He revised the tests so that the former heroes and champions were replaced by criminals and murderers who escaped from Hell itself. Then He left the Wan Kuei alone to contemplate their crimes. Since that time, the Wan Kuei, the fallen Wan Xian, have developed a redemptory religion while occupying an ecological niche akin to Western vampires. There are many paths initially ascribed to Xue, the Grand Arhat of the dead. However, the road to the Hundred Clouds is long, and the Kuei-jin are ultimately forced to stay on the Wheel of Ages as history slowly grinds towards the inevitable victory of hell and the rise of the Demon Emperor. Weaknesses; Kuei-jin are not created through the act of another, like western vampires are, and their numbers are limited and can not be easily replenished. Their blood has no supernatural properties of its own and cannot create Blood Bonds or ghouls. The sun is just as dangerous to the Kuei-jin as it is to their western cousins. Kuei-jin, however, do not begin to burn when exposed to sunlight; instead, their flesh begins to rot until nothing remains but a putrified carcass. A stake through the heart does not automatically paralyze a Kuei-jin. However, the heart is instrumental in processing Chi energy, and certain types of attacks can disrupt the Chi flow in a Kuei-jin's body. Vampires of Yin prove vulnerable to wood, the element of Yang; conversely, vampires of Yang are vulnerable to metal, the element of Yin.

27. #27Dhampir

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    Dhampir is a term used to describe a "half-vampire", the product of a human and vampire parentage. Dhampir were originally thought of as an impossibility, but in the Final Nights, they not only came into being, but became disturbingly more common. Their presence is considered one of the heralds of Gehenna. As full-blooded kindred are no longer sexually potent, it is impossible for one of them to parent a child. In the case of a pregnant female who is Embraced, there is usually an immediate miscarriage. Occasionally, ghouls have been known to become pregnant, but as they are not full-blooded vampires, the child usually comes out ghouled themselves. In these cases, the child is known as a revenant. Being unable to reproduce, however, does not necessarily apply to a thin-blooded kindred of the 15th generation. Thin-blooded lack the potency of blood that low-generation vampires get their powers from, but their limited abilities also give them some human advantages; one of those is fertility. A thin-blooded can impregnate or become pregnant with a child capable of carrying to term; the result of these unions are dhampir. Female thin-blooded who must carry the child usually have a difficult pregnancy, as the bodies of the undead are not meant to carry children. Traits and Culture: Dhampir are very similar to revenants; some say the only difference between them is their parentage and the culture they live in. Revenants are brought up among kindred, while dhampir are usually brought up and are more comfortable among humans. It is fairly common for dhampir, upon their birth to be abandoned by one or both parents. Many grow up unaware of their parentage or powers. Dhampir are also common targets of the Scourge, limiting their numbers. The average dhampir will have a blood pool, like their Kindred cousins, but cannot make blood bonds, create ghouls, or Embrace; however, they do not have to spend their blood to be active, as their vampiric "blood" is purely supernatural in nature. Dhampir may spend all of their blood pool without touching the physical blood in their body, although they can become exhausted by the act. Dhampir also have traits common to ghouls. For example, they can spend blood points in the same way, such to raise traits or heal themselves. As part of their kindred origins, dhampir are prone to frenzy. However, they are able to resist frenzy much more easily than the average kindred. Dhampir can also learn Disciplines; in theory, they may learn any of them if they have the right instruction available. The primary ones among dhampir include Celerity, Fortitude, Potence, Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate, and Presence, as these are more common Disciplines. Dhampir, officially, cannot become True Mages, Kinfolk, Mummies, or any other combination of dhampirs and supernaturals. dhampirs were very useful to the superstitious community because, being part vampires, they could recognize another vampire, even if they were invisible or had transformed into an animal. A town could hire them for a fee to find and kill a vampire. Much of the time, the dhampir could talk to the vampire and convince them to leave. Some dhampirs resented their vampiric lineage and acted as human hunters would do, by going on campaigns to kill the vampires that were actually causing trouble. Dhampirs that followed this path in life would join gangs of hunters to track down vampires, and even their own family in some instances. Naturally, the human hunters were more than pleased for gaining an immortal member with inside information. Dhampirs are usually seen as "sickly" due to their evident lack of weight. No matter the color of their skin, they'll appear to be paler than normal humans. The eyes of the dhampir are usually light in color and the inner corners of the eyes can become bloodshot at sundown and sunrise. The fangs of the dhampir are longer than the canines of humans, yet shorter than those of a vampire. The dhampir's abilities vary from one to another, but most have heightened speed, agility and strength. They also have heightened senses compared to humans, to the extent that they can deduce the identity and heritage of someone just by the scent of their blood. The aging process is also much slower than that of a human, with its lifespan varying between sources. If left to live their full life, the dhampir can live up to 200 years at least. Despite popular belief, the vampire half of the dhampir is more of an energy feeder than blood feeder, with the only real known weakness of a dhampir being precisely this ever unquenchable thirst. The dhampir is capable of having children by either humans or vampires, given the fact that they are both. The typical pregnancy of the dhampir is the same as it is for a human, with the only difference being that labor goes very quickly. Dhampirs do heal more quickly than humans after birth, with almost no signs of ever been pregnant. Due to the fact that a dhampir closely resembles a human, they are able to pass as one. In the 1800s, newborn dhampirs would be often abandoned outside of town by their mothers and they would never speak of their children again. Some of these infants were found by kindhearted people who raised them, never knowing about their abilities. These children could become very aggressive if provoked and they also tended to try to get as much done in as short a time as possible. Like humans, there are good dhampirs, who stand between humans and vampires, and there are bad dhampirs; these are the ones who will hunt for the vampires by day. Even though a dhampir cannot turn a human, that doesn't mean they cannot be turned by a vampire; the only difference would be the time it would take.

28. #28Gehenna

    Keys: Gehenna

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    In Noddist mythology, Gehenna is the Kindred eschaton. It is the time when the Antediluvians will rise from their slumber and devour their descendants. Signs of Gehenna: Through the four books that comprise the Transylvania Chronicles, the characters have had the opportunity to discover – and in some cases participate in – the Eight Signs that herald the coming of Gehenna. Noddists scholars in both the Camarilla and Sabbat disagree as to the nature of these signs. Some traditionalists maintain that the signs of Gehenna revealed in the Book of Nod are the true signs. These scholars posit that the signs revealed instead merely herald the rise of the demon called Kupala and that this demon only affects the small portion of Romania – hardly a concern for most Kindred. The tablets and other documents the characters have acquired through the centuries indicate otherwise, however. Not only do the writings reveal Saulot's duplicity and his connection to the Baali, they refer to Saulot’s visions of these other signs as the true indications of Gehenna. The visions of the Malkavian prophets Octavio and his heir Anatole corroborate that these signs, which began in the Dark Ages and end in the last of the 20th century, are true. Kindred familiar with the signs of Kupala and the Book of Nod maintain that both are needed to fully understand the many warnings of the impending conflagration. Controversy rages in some circles as to whether the eight signs merely announce the coming of Gehenna or actually set in motion the Final Nights. Whether they serve as warnings or milestones on the road to Gehenna, the signs offer visible proof that the Antediluvians threat is real. These are the eight signs of Gehenna as revealed throughout the Transylvania Chronicles: Sign One – The Hidden Darkness: the diablerie of Saulot by the wizard Tremere. Sign Two – The Threefold Breaking: the destruction of the Templars; the loss of the Holy Land, and the fall of a mighty wizard. Sign Three – The War of the Children: Young vampires rebel against their elders, sparking uprisings that become the Anarch Revolt. Young Lasombra and Tzimisce seem to diablerize the founders of their clans, laying the groundwork for the Sabbat. Zelios the Master Mason constructs his geomantic web. Though not itself one of the omens, it leans to the fulfillment of the next to last sign. Sign Four – The Rise and Return of the Dragon: Most Kindred who know the sign believe that it pertains to Vlad Țepeș, known as Dracula (the "Younger Dragon"). Another interpretation has gained credence in the light of recent events the true "dragon" of the prophecy is Saulot, whose dominance of Tremere reveals that he is still very much part of the Jyhad. Sign Five – The Making and Breaking of the Compact of Kindred: the formation of the Camarilla and the subsequent creation of the Sabbat after the Convention of Thorns. Sign Six – The Martyred Innocence: The death of Maria Asunción, last faithful member of the Cappadocians, ends the Giovanni purge of their parent clan and assures the onslaught of the Final Nights. Sign Seven – the Web of Power: The activation of the geomantic web built by Zelios many centuries past places Eastern Europe (and Manhattan) on the verge of nuclear disaster. Sign Eight – The Cracking of the World: Terrible storms and upheavals rock the world, signifying the rise of the Antediluvians – and their elders. There may be some slight misinterpretations of these signs however, as in Transylvania Chronicles III, if Maria Asunción is saved through faking her death, then further study of the prophecy reveals that only the illusion of her death is needed. Gehenna scenarios are fairly well outlined in The Book of Nod, the Erciyes Fragments, Revelations of the Dark Mother and other sources, so much so that Gehenna cultists can provide Jack Van Impe-style outlines of the events leading up to the end of Kindred society. While certain signs (notably the prophecies of Octavio) outline peripheral events, the main sequence from the Book of Nod is roughly as follows: The Time of Thin Blood. Caitiff and Thin-Blooded Vampires become more common, leading to Caitiff Princes. This particular warning is used by Princes to rationalize offices such as the Scourge, eliminating out higher generation vampires. Increased violence by Garou and other traditional enemies. The rise of ancient vampires, notably the Crone, until the Antediluvians themselves rise and "break their fast on the first part of us" The darkening of the Sun The return of Caine to pass judgment on all Vampires from Enoch, followed by a duel between the Dark Father (presumably Caine) and the Dark Mother (presumably Lilith). A thousand year reign from the city of Gehenna, with "no love, no life, no pity/the mighty will be as slaves/the virtuous will be made foul" through the Dark Father's agency. The arrival of the Last Daughter of Eve who will decide the fate of all creatures. The Erciyes fragments provides additional commentary and extensions on these events. Among the folklore of the vampires of the Dark Medieval was the arrival of a comet called Wormwood, which was identified as the Red Star during the Final Nights. Older sources seem to imply that Gehenna is a cyclical event, occurring every 2300 years, during which the Antediluvians arise, feed on their descendants until only a handful remains, and then retreat back into torpor. Previous Gehenna-events are told to have happened during the fall of the Second City and during the Hellenic period.

29. #29Toreador

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    The Toreador are a clan of vampires known for being some of the most beautiful, sensual, seductive, emotional and glamorous of the Kindred. The Degenerates are responsible for the legends of vampires who seduce and entice their prey with beauty, love and sensuality. Famous and infamous as a clan of artists and innovators, they are one of the bastions of the Camarilla, as their very survival depends on the facades of civility and grace on which the sect prides itself. Early History: It is said that the Clan's founder, Arikel was a mortal painter and/or sculptress in the First City. Famed throughout the lands for her work, after her Embrace she painted a mural on which the past, present and future of Kindred society was depicted. When Caine saw a terrible future for his race, he cursed her with the affliction that affects Toreador today – the art that she loved most dearly would now be her obsession and distraction above all things. The Toreador had a strong presence in the early minoic cultures of Greece. The Toreador attribute many of the classic tales as distorted versions of actual interference of mortals and Cainites (such as the tale of the Minotaur or the tale of Tantalus and Pelops). Their squabbling, however, weakened the first civilization of Mycenae, as childer drew their sustenance from the population, who in turn became too weak to defend themselves from foreign invaders. After the fall of Mycenae to the Dorians, the Toreador wandered across the Mediterranean, often seeking shelter by the Roman Ventrue or the Carthaginian Brujah. At first, the Toreador supported both sides in their struggle, but when it became clear that Carthage would lose, many Toreador abandoned the city and joined the Roman forces, bringing with them tales of debauchery and infernalism that propelled the Ventrue to completely raze the city to the ground. The Toreador began to insinuate themselves into the city, often competing with the Ventrue and Malkavians. When Rome's glory began to fade, one of them, the Toreador Mi-ka-il, deserted Rome to follow Constantine into Nova Roma, to construct the Dream that had failed in Rome, much to the shock of many Toreador Elders. Constantinople remained a beacon of Cainite power and glory, until the city was sacked by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and original Cainite population either had fled or was destroyed. Dark Ages: In the Middle Ages, the Toreador were a member of the High Clans, and their numbers were made up of the same types that are common in the modern nights – minstrels, painters, poets and actors. Many Toreador insinuate themselves into the structures of the Catholic Church, primarily because the Church was the only supporter of art in these dark times. The Courts of Love, which encompassed much of France, were firmly under their control and the Toreador. Following the formation of the Camarilla thanks to the efforts of the Toreador Rafael de Corazón, some of the members left the Clan proper upon the formation of the Sabbat, most famously Arianne of Esztergom. Toreador antitribu are the dark reflection of their Camarilla cousins – while they are beautiful social butterflies, their weakness has twisted so that all antitribu derive joy from the emotional, physical and mental suffering of others. The Renaissance is well remembered as a Golden Age of the Clan among the Elders. As one of the most powerful Clans within Europe, the Toreador prospered in France as Europe's cultural nexus, enjoying the works of various new artists as Michelangelo and DaVinci as well as the works of Shakespeare and the invention of the mirror. Many Toreador began to turn away from spiritually motivated preservationism to a self-serving hedonism that plagues them today. Victorian Age: The Toreador revelled in the Victorian age. The Industrial Revolution led to a phenomenon that only the rich had been previously afforded – leisure time. A heyday of theatre, music and art began in cultural nexuses like New York, London, and Paris and spread throughout the globe. While the influence of the Church in people's lives (and consequently, the influence Toreador held over the church) waned, those Kindred that latched themselves onto businessmen prospered. Possibly the one thing most Toreador love with the exception of beauty is money, and it was now accessible from places other than the landed gentry of the time. While the Clan has had peaks and troughs, this was a time that cemented them as a true power in the Camarilla. Modern Nights: The Toreador play their games as they always have, albeit at a slightly more frantic pace due to the upheaval of the various skirmishes the Camarilla have fought. The recent innovations of cinema, television and the internet means that new forms of art and expression are being discovered almost daily, meaning the Toreador have become even more varied. However, the Toreador are still a noble and aristocratic clan, and many perceive the Embrace of graffiti artists, Wall Street Wizards and CGI technicians as a pollution of the vaunted ideals that the Clan used to stand for. Many nights are filled with one Toreador bickering with another over what can be considered true art, and each Toreador's opinion is as varied as the definition of art itself. Organization: The Toreador have no formal overarching hierarchy. Ad-hoc gatherings called "affairs of the clan" are called, with no mandatory attendance though most turn out for them. These can range from parties, dinners, art showing, or actual meetings. The Toreador of a city organise themselves into Guilds. While this has something of an artistic ring to it, most Toreador in the city are members, whether they are Poseurs or Artistes (see below). The head of the Guild is typically the oldest and most influential Toreador within the city, with the other members forming a complicated stratified social system, the rules of which boggle many an outsider. The clan itself has two divisions. The Artistes consist of the sculptors, the painters, the musicians, and the writers. They consider themselves to be the "real" Toreador as inheritors of the Clan's original values and goals. The Poseurs make up the other faction – they can include the failed artists (or those that happened to be Embraced while their sire was riding a particular fad), as well as the professional critics and those who consider their bodies to be their life's masterpiece. It should be noticed that neither group has a nickname for themselves – they tend to be only flung at the opposing faction as a derisive epithet. Toreador antitribu: The Toreador antitribu are the dark mirror image of their Camarilla brethren. Although they are no less beautiful than their cousins, their minds are twisted and warped, and the antitribu often lose themselves watching others suffer, much like their Camarilla siblings lose themselves watching a beautiful painting. Whether the variance of the antitribu weakness is just a variance due to circumstance or an actual Bloodline variance is disputed. Within the Toreador antitribu is an actual variant bloodline though: Toreador who as mortals were members of the Sabbat's Zantosa "revenant" family. Zantosa are born with the Vicissitude ability, and when Embraced as a Toreador they retain this as a Bloodline Discipline instead of acquiring the Celerity of mainline Toreador, and they retain their familial weakness of hedonistic addiction instead of acquiring the Toreador antitribu weakness of compulsion toward cruelty. The reputation of Toreador antitribu as being perverts is due in part to Zantosa Toreador. Weaknesses: Due to their inherent clan weakness, the members of this clan are as much prisoners of their artistic vision and sensitivity as they are its beneficiaries. They are often overcome by the beauty they see around them and can become immobilized with fascination. Such things as paintings, neon signs, or even sunrises can captivate them. It requires a successful Willpower roll to break the fascination quickly; otherwise, the Toreador will stand, awed and helpless, for minutes or even hours. This trait explains why Toreador so often fall in love with mortals and other vampires. This trait, however, also bans them from ever reaching perfection in their chosen form of art and makes them callous and disregardful once the experience becomes banal, resulting in trails of heart-broken mortals and discarded projects behind every Toreador.

30. #30Nosferatu

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    The most visibly cursed of all Kindred, the Embrace warps each Nosferatu into a hideously deformed creature. The archetypal Nosferatu resembles Max Shreck's Count Orlok, though the curse has any number of variations. The Nosferatu are the spymasters of the dead, collecting information and selling it for a dear price. They are also the masters of the underground, living in the sewers for protection. Early History: As with all of the Antediluvians, the Nosferatu Antediluvian (referred to as Absimiliard) was Embraced in the shadow of Enoch. Powerful and vain, Absimiliard was a hunter of great skill and beauty who attracted the attention of one of the second generation, who stalked him down as prey. The Embrace was quick, but left him with a tiny facial scar that inflamed his vanity. His wounded pride, coupled with his ego, led him to resent, then hate, then kill his sire, precipitating the revolt by the Antediluvians. As with his brethren, Absimiliard had sired a small clique of childer by the time of the Second City. His childer, hunters all, remained loyal to him except for one woman who fled further than he could chase. When Caine returned in judgment, he cursed Nosferatu with hideousness, a curse passed to all his descendants, including the hidden maid. Since that time, Absimiliard's eldest descendants, the Nictuku, have chased her. The maiden came to be known as the Matriarch for according to legends, she gave birth to the entire modern incarnation of the Nosferatu clan. Through his loyal Nictuku, Absimiliard hopes to exterminate all of the Matriarch's childer in atonement for his crimes against the laws of Caine – or in bitter vengeance, some would say. In the beginning, most Nosferatu resorted to hunt humans as prey, as they were unable to coexist with them in their cities, as the mortals either ran away in fear or resorted to fire and violence to drive them out. Most hid from the sun in subterranean caves or in the grounds of rivers and lakes. Many Nosferatu hid in the great rivers like the Tigris or the Nile to prey on farmers at night. The development of the catacombs in ancient Rome connected the Clan with mortal society, although they were regarded as low-blooded by the ruling Ventrue and Malkavians. Rumors, however, tell of the dyulamansa, the Hidden Kings, who ruled Nosferatu Kingdoms in sub-Saharan Africa. This may refer to the Guruhi. Dark Ages: In the middle age, Nosferatu were one of the Low Clans, and notable in particular for their embrace of Christianity and redemption (flagellation in particular). They were, however, not without power, as they had discovered the connection between human waste and plagues and used it to defile the water sources of a village if a local Cainite lord became too arrogant. Many Nosferatu chose to dwell among the beggars and outcasts of society, feeding from the muck of society and hiding their disfigurements as illnesses like leprosy. The Nosferatu did effectively split during the formation of the Sabbat; however, Nosferatu antitribu are largely identical to their Camarilla kin. Nosferatu tend to place a higher emphasis on clan unity and mutual survival, and are consequently fairly cordial with each other even though technically enemies. Renaissance: During this period the Nosferatu began to construct their urban lairs, using the urbanization as a means to disappear from the mortal world to ensure the protection of the Masquerade. Many ghettos and tenements housed large populations of Nosferatu that lived hidden from the views of the Toreador and Ventrue who had instituted themselves into mortal society. The Renaissance also saw an increase in Embraces that had only spite and hatred as reasons, as many Nosferatu grew to resent the new arts and philosophies that began to develop. With the start of European colonization of the Americas, the 1600s brought the revelation that many Nosferatu had been living in North America alongside the indigenous peoples for thousands of years. These "manitou" as they called themselves lived as solitary hunters in the night, accepting sacrifices from human clans to forestall their wrath, and were strong practitioners of Animalism. The manitou were largely wiped out or assimilated by the European Nosferatu. Victorian Age: The Nosferatu were very (some would say suspiciously so) quiet during the Victorian Era. In a time when physical beauty was supposed to reflect spiritual beauty, the Nosferatu experienced one of the greatest periods of exile in their long and lonely history. Where the Toreador were ascendant, the Nosferatu were relegated to the slums and ghettos of Europe. More than one Prince of London banned them from entering Elysium. So, instead of parading around the brightly-lit mansions of the wealthy and noble, the Nosferatu scuttled around the back alleys of London, taking over derelict buildings and, yes, the sewers. The banks of the Thames were downright infested with Nosferatu, for the river was a convenient way to cross the city without being seen. The Nosferatu also lived in what was termed "the Thieves' Citadel", which was the name given to high-crime areas of London. These zones tended to be self-contained both culturally and architecturally – the Nosferatu ensured that they controlled how and when new construction went on in these zones for their own protection and that of their herd. Modern Nights: In the modern nights, the Nosferatu feel their Antediluvian metaphorically breathing down the back of their necks. Technically savvy, the Sewer Rats adopt every technique they can to protect themselves, encouraging the fears evoked during the Cold War to use many of the now deserted bunker systems as supplements for their own warrens. Most notably, the Nosferatu developed an information sharing network – ShreckNET, a parallel internet that the Nosferatu used to enhance their traditional information gathering and reporting skills. The most terrifying and unique event in the early 1990s was the rise of the Shadow Curtain in Russia, a mystical barrier that separated the vampires of the former Soviet Union from the rest of the world. The Shadow Curtain eventually was revealed as the product of Baba Yaga, a fourth generation Nosferatu of almost incalculable power. Most frightening of all was not the witch, however, but her demise. In the late 1990s, Baba Yaga was destroyed by a Nictuku. In the early 21s century of the V5 timeline, the United States compromised ShreckNet, the information they gathered from it contributing to what would become known as the Second Inquisition. After this new Inquisition started cutting a swathe through Kindred society in 2007-2008, the Camarilla ordered the Wipe; older Nosferatu hackers dismantled ShreckNET's servers, beginning the removal of as much Kindred communication as possible from the Web. Although they took a hit to their credibility and lost many clan members, the Nosferatu still remain a significant presence in Kindred society. Organization: Nosferatu are generally organized into broods; communities centrally located around a sewer system and serving as underground cities which may house dozens of their kind. Nosferatu are stereotyped as ugly on the outside, humane on the inside - this is not entirely true. There are many Nosferatu who never leave the sewers, the Nosferatu make a habit of sending their friendliest to communicate with the rest of the Camarilla. Nosferatu strongly stress clan loyalty over almost everything else. Given their hideous appearance, they depend heavily on clan support structures for everything from havens to food. Broods are generally gerontocratic, with the eldest Nosferatu setting policy and guiding the youngest. Most Nosferatu can acquire jobs within their clan, including assisting on construction or other survival projects. Most Nosferatu are inculcated with a survivalist mentality and increasing the strength of their havens is a constant preoccupation. The Nosferatu also use ghouled animals as defenses and have created Spawning pools, which are tainted by their vitae and turn, over the course of many years, every animal that drinks from them into a monstrous creature loyal only to the brood Nosferatu antitribu: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence There is no real difference between the Sabbat Nosferatu and their Camarilla cousins: to the Nosferatu, clan loyalty trumps sect loyalty any night of the week. Ironically, or perhaps because of their disfigurements, the Nosferatu antitribu are perhaps the most humane (if not human) of the Sabbat clans. Having transcended the need for ostentatious brutality, the Creeps have come to grips with their monstrosity. They do not caper in blood or senselessly slaughter mobs of kine; rather, a Nosferatu antitribu's every move is one of calculated precision, designed to get the exact response she seeks, whether that be respect, fear or understanding. Many young Sabbat consider the Nosferatu antitribu soft – until they step into the sewers and see the true malice of the Creeps' black souls. Many antitribu also have a pathological fear of their own Antediluvian and the desire to prepare for the last stand against him is one of the main reasons Nosferatu desert the Camarilla and join the Sabbat. The Nosferatu have a deeply ingrained complex about physical beauty, especially with clans like the Toreador. Nosferatu will tend to charge Toreador higher prices, and make the higher clans crawl through humiliating or disgusting tunnels to actually negotiate with them. Similarly, Nosferatu will often accentuate their hideousness by cultivating an array of disgusting physical habits. Some of the Nosferatu who dwell underground can develop a penchant for bizarre forms of art, in particular for music, gardening and sculpture. Rumors tell of the development of acoustic subterranean chambers – some of which employ channeled water, and of fantastical gardens with fungi the size of trees. The greatest work of Nosferatu art is the Escalera, a giant sculpture of twisted metal and piping that spans an underground chasm in Lima. On several cases where Nosferatu have embraced a caitiff, the childe has been exiled or killed. Nosferatu also tend to use Obfuscate for practical jokes involving their appearance, such as dropping a discipline's use for a brief instant and reveling in the effects. The most bizarre relationships can occur between Nosferatu and mortals. Even the most hard-bitten Nosferatu may discover a weakness for a certain human or types of humans. Living as they do in places many would consider to be Hell, there is a long tradition of the Nosferatu offering help to others like them. There are many, many cases of cruel Kindred preying on homeless people, children or mental patients who have inexplicably been beaten black and blue and left somewhere as a warning to others. Cliché as it may be, many orphanages, scholarships and self-help organisations owe at least part of their funding to the Sewer Rats. Living in the gutter, there are a lot of Nosferatu who want to help those who still can get out of it. Unlike the Toreador and the Ventrue, they seldom if ever brag about their accomplishments, and most outside the clan are unaware of them. Embraces: The Nosferatu tend to embrace two classes of people: first are those for whom the Embrace is a step up, such as the homeless, the hopelessly antisocial, derelicts, the mentally ill, the emotionally damaged, the flawed, vagrants or other people at the bottom of the totem pole, often out of a feeling of kinship with them.[6] The second class are those for whom the Embrace is a step down, such as beauty queens or people from privileged backgrounds. Nosferatu are notorious for revenge Embraces, and the resulting Cleopatras often lead miserable lives within the clan. The Embrace of the Nosferatu is especially painful, as the body warps and twists as the blood creates a new vampire. The chance of a Nosferatu dying in the process of the Embrace is higher than in other Clans and many emerge as simple brutes, their brains damaged and incapable of higher thought or basic survival skills. For these reasons, some elders of the medieval world use the Embrace by a Nosferatu as a punishment for disobedient ghouls. Rumors tell that those poor souls are most often killed directly by their own sire to spare them an eternity of pain and misery, but that some instead resort on hiding their childer and trying to feed and care for them. Each Nosferatu is disfigured in a unique way that make each of them unbearable. Rare breeds of Nosferatu that have often geographical connections, however, tend to develop similar disfigurements, creating differents stocks of the Clan that come and go as time develops. Example for this are the Greek Larvae, who were said to burrow through soft rock with their teeth and to feed on their victims through strange serrated proboscises, the German Volsi, who were bog-dwelling giants and cannibals, the French Parisii, who have near translucent skin, and the Turkish Lazarenes, whose disfigurements are similar to those of leprosy. Many others are rumored to have existed once and have vanished with the Clan's focus on the sewer systems of major cities. Due to their inherent clan weakness, all Nosferatu have Appearance ratings of zero. They may not improve Appearance with experience points. Most Social actions based on first impressions, except intimidation and the like, fail automatically. In Fifth Edition, where Appearance is absent, this translates into all Nosferatu having the Repulsive Flaw, being unable to increase their rating in the Looks Merit, and being penalised by their Bane Severity on any attempts to disguise themselves as non-deformed. Weaknesses: As mentioned above, every Nosferatu is inherently and horribly deformed. The Nosferatu Embrace inflicts a terrible and agonizing change as the body is warped into a monstrous visage. Nosferatu have an Appearance of 0, and will automatically fail any roll involving Appearance.

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