TEXT: a  s o u r c e b o o k  f o r
  a  s o u r c e b o o k  f o r
  
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  ancient mysteries
  2
  A
  ll it took was a brief caress, the slightest touch of my hand against the ancient papyrus. The 
  scroll seemed harmless, but I should have figured that nothing sitting inside a sleeping ancient’s 
  sarcophagus could possibly be. My world simply vanished before my eyes, replaced by another, 
  foreign landscape filled with pyramids, desert sand and a woman. 
  Oh, the woman. I couldn’t look away, even if I had wanted to. Her eyes consumed me. It felt as if I was 
  being dragged into them. My body, mind and soul were all spiraling down into the deep, dark well of her 
  pupils, her history, the gravity of her, pulling me into their depths. When she smiled, blood streaking down 
  her full red lips, I decided that I no longer cared. I just let go, allowing myself, my self, to vanish into 
  whatever waited for me, with only her eyes and her smile as a guide.
  For what it was worth, I smiled back.
  * * *
  A
  t first, I couldn’t see a thing. I had been swallowed whole and regurgitated into a bleak, desolate 
  universe. Then, the brightness erupted and I felt the Beast inside me scream in agony, heard my 
  own voice bellow in fear. The sun had begun to rise, illuminating obelisks, pyramids - monuments to 
  hundreds of dead pharaohs, their families and riches - wind-driven sand dunes and a single, wide ribbon of 
  muddy, brown water that was both life and death for the people of Egypt.
  I cringed, wanting more than anything to run, to hide, to burrow beneath the dunes... but instead I stood, 
  spellbound, transfixed by a sight I hadn’t seen in over a century. I could feel the warmth of the Sun’s rays 
  strike me, but rather than become a blistering, smoldering corpse, I felt something akin to renewal. I was 
  being reborn, free of the curse, and a lifetime of seething rage and bloodlust just melted away into unbridled 
  joy. This could only be one thing: a second chance to live and to love!
  Around me, throngs of dark-skinned men and women knelt and offered supplication to Ra as He climbed above 
  the Earth’s edge, once again victorious in His battle against the demons of the Underworld. I knew I should also 
  kneel and give thanks, but I didn’t want any part of my body to be hidden from this miracle before me. I stripped 
  naked, spread my arms and felt salty tears, watery and clear, spring from my eyes and cascade down my cheeks.
  I heard her step up behind me. “Is everything all right?” she asked. I knew her name, even as I pictured 
  those emerald green eyes that I couldn’t live without. 
  “Rabakti,” I whispered, “I cannot recall a happier moment in all my life.”
  She, too, was naked. I felt her breasts push against my back and her arms wrap around my waist. She 
  nestled her body against mine and, at that moment, I felt complete. Rabakti stood with me as I watched 
  the sun rise and I cried like I had never been able to in life. If this wasn’t Heaven, I told myself, then 
  Heaven could not possibly exist.
  “We have little time to prepare,” she told me, sliding around my body to stand proudly by my side. She 
  took my hand and we quietly watched what we knew was our last sunrise together. Because of that, I 
  wanted to take Rabakti into my arms, make love to her day and night, never let go of her. Sadly, I knew 
  with a terrible heart-wrenching certainty that it could never happen. We had both been chosen by the 
  High Priest of Ra for initiation into His covenant of mystical warriors. In His service was sacrifice. There 
  could be no time for love, no time for children, no time at all.
  I wasn’t sure what the initiation would entail and felt dread at the thought of what was to come, yet I 
  refused to show my fear, especially to Rabakti. 
  She knew my mind. “Are you well?” she asked. 
  I tore my gaze away from Ra’s magnificence and looked into her eyes, those incredible eyes, and they 
  sparkled at me. For a brief moment, I could see Rabakti as a Queen, loved and honored by all, and a spark 
  of jealousy filled my heart. She could be the consort of the High Priest himself! Why would she want me 
  by her side?
  My jealousy quickly fled, replaced by both great longing and great fear. Rabakti was aware of my 
  feelings. She grasped my chin in one perfect hand and pulled me to her. I tasted her mouth, her tongue, 
  
  3
  and the world existed only there at that moment. When she bit at the flesh of my lip, ripping it open with 
  sharpened teeth, I let her, basking for a moment in the pleasurable pain of her bite.
  When she finally pulled away, some of my blood lingered on her lips. She licked it clean and slid her arms 
  across my back, holding me so close I could hear her whispery breath. “The ritual must happen tonight.”
  Whatever she wanted was hers for the asking. The simple feel of her breath on my skin made my living, 
  beating heart flutter madly within my chest. I lived for her, I would happily die for her, and with both Ra and 
  my beloved Rabakti at my side, guiding me to my future, I hardly seemed to mind the finality of those thoughts.
  * * *
  A
  ll it took was an eyeblink to break the vision of vast desert sands, Ra gazing down upon His people, 
  warming them. Sadness overwhelmed me for a moment and I realized that I had gasped. 
  The woman, Rabakti, was lying mummified before me, sleeping soundly in her gold-encrusted 
  sarcophagus. All my previous thoughts (memories?) were fading rapidly, including the taste of my own, 
  mortal blood and the desperate sense of longing for what was to become of us. 
  I could sense my brothers and sisters standing beside me, all of us staring at the desiccated form in the 
  ornate coffin. What could I tell them? What should I tell them? The ritual had to be completed tonight. Ra 
  demanded it. Rabakti expected it. The High Priest, however, could not enact it. He had long since become 
  dust. Something had to be done. The ritual had to happen tonight. Rabakti commanded it. So it must be.
  “I have an idea,” I said, knowing what I needed to do, but unsure, exactly, how to get the cooperation 
  I required to ensure my success. So, I opened my arms and offered a smile I hoped appeared genuine and 
  unthreatening. “I need your help, though, and I need you to trust me.”
  I almost expected them to laugh at me. After all, to ask our kind to give trust to one another is patently 
  absurd. My brothers and sisters surprised me, however. They no doubt sensed the power of the magnificent 
  sleeper lying before us and they turned to me for the answers they sought. They all had quizzical looks in 
  their eyes, but there was more. Certainly some skepticism, but mixed with something else, something more 
  powerful than confusion or mistrust. 
  I knew then that I had them all. Curiosity had taken hold. A Kindred’s lust for power had blinded them 
  as surely as if they had stared into the very essence of Ra’s glory. They had taken the bait. Now, all I had 
  to do was reel them in.
  I once again touched the small scroll rolled up next to the sleeping corpse, the one that had transported 
  me to another time and place just moments ago. This time, I picked it up and unrolled it, displaying 
  several lines of Demotic text and a series of hieroglyphs.
  “What is that?” Jenni asked. I glanced at her. Jenni was a Nosferatu neonate, barely five years turned, 
  and she had an unpleasant tendency to ask too many questions. She wasn’t, I knew, long for this world, 
  but I decided to answer her anyway. 
  “This,” I whispered reverently, “is the key to a power greater than any of us have ever known.”
  “How do you know that? Looks like a bunch of scribbles and nonsense to me,” another of my 
  companions, Vladimir, said. He was Ventrue. 
  “That’s why you’re a gravedigger and I’m an historian,” I snapped. I saw Vlad squint, the insult hitting 
  home. He shivered and scuttled to the other side of the sarcophagus, attempting to reign in his Beast, no doubt.
  “Sorry,” I muttered, not wanting to lose him, yet not wanting him to know I needed him. He grunted, 
  but didn’t turn away. I took it as a victory.
  “What do you need us to do?” the Gangrel in our party asked. She called herself Patina and I liked her. 
  I would miss her more than any of the others.
  In the top left corner of the sarcophagus, near the tip of the ornate headdress worn by the torpid 
  vampire, was a cup made of gold and inlaid by a row of scarabs. I grabbed it and lifted it up toward the 
  low ceiling. “I need an offering. That’s why I think the five of us were summoned here.”
  
  ancient mysteries
  4
  Clarita, the Daeva in our ensemble, licked her lips. I had the disturbing notion that she, too, knew what 
  was about to happen, but then realized that she might just want me to feel that way. I mentally cursed 
  the Succubi, and allowed myself to imagine what my fangs would do to her flesh. “Why are we here?” she 
  finally asked.
  I looked at my four companions one at a time. A Ventrue, a Gangrel, a Nosferatu, a Daeva and, myself, 
  a Mekhet. We had all been compelled to seek this place out. Now, because of what had been shown me 
  when I had touched the scroll, I knew why.
  “To awaken a god,” I whispered. 
  I raised my right wrist to my mouth and tore into it, forcing the black, coagulated blood to ooze out of 
  my dead veins and spill into the golden chalice.
  I then went to each of my brothers and sisters, in turn, allowing them to open gaping wounds in their 
  flesh, waiting as they, too, forced the Vitae out from rotted arteries and veins into the offering cup. When 
  all five of us had made our donations, I once again lifted the chalice toward the ceiling.
  “The blood which once belonged to each of us, which once belonged to the living, is now returned to the 
  One, who has waited for this night and her triumphant return to the glory of Ra and all He surveys. I 
  offer this to you in His name.”
  “What the hell are you talking about?” Vlad asked, alarm in his voice.
  I ignored him. He was inconsequential. He was an unbeliever. He had not gazed into her eyes. He had 
  not given himself to her those many centuries ago. He had no idea what was about to happen.
  I tipped the cup and watched as our collective blood slowly made its way to the edge and fell over the side. 
  The first drops hit her ancient lips and her jaw immediately snapped open to receive the rest. I lifted the 
  bottom of the cup higher and a steady stream of blood poured into her gaping maw. A hissing sound, like hot 
  steam escaping from broken pipes, escaped her withered throat and filled me with a terrible excitement.
  My brothers and sisters surrounded us and watched in fascination as her blackened, dehydrated skin 
  began to lighten, to stretch and become smooth. Her tongue lapped at the offering and her throat convulsed 
  as it swallowed each drop, consumed it even as her eyes had consumed my own soul minutes, centuries, 
  earlier. Ebony hair, which had calcified to her skull, became filled with shine and luster. Lungs, long since 
  rotted and decayed, filled with oxygen sucked in with the blood. I knew she had no need for breath, but I 
  also knew that, after three thousand years of sleep, nothing could be a more potent reminder of life than 
  taking in air. She gasped and, Ra bless me, she opened her eyes. They sought me out, found me and we 
  both smiled.
  “Rabakti, it’s me, your beloved,” I whispered. I knew the others would think me mad. They were about 
  to learn otherwise. 
  When she spoke, her voice was a smooth, deep, rich melody that dissolved my fears and filled me with a 
  lust I hadn’t felt since 1903, the last time I had made love to my wife, the last time I had seen the Sun 
  set. Her voice was a gentle command I felt I had no choice but to obey. That I wanted to obey. “More,” 
  she said to me. 
  I leaned forward, offering myself to her and I felt her hands grasp my head, turn it to the side, and pull 
  me closer to her waiting mouth. Closer.
  Closer.
  * * *
  I 
  awoke some time later. The torches that had lit the tomb sputtered to stay aflame. I heard only 
  the soft shuffling of feet until I opened my eyes and suddenly, instinctively, pushed myself back up 
  against the wall. 
  Jenni and Clarita lay on the floor, hands grasping each other’s shredded throats. They were already 
  rapidly decomposing in one another’s arms. 
  
  5
  Patina stood spread eagle against the far wall, staked to it. Rabakti was suckling her neck, ensuring that 
  she took in every possible drop of her blood. 
  When she heard me rustle on the ground at the foot of her sarcophagus, she turned to face me. I sat, 
  frozen, unable to move, unsure why I would even want to. 
  Her lips were full and red, her eyes brilliant and dazzling, her skin pale and well-nourished. She was 
  Rabakti and she looked as she had three thousand years ago. She was a radiant presence, calling to me 
  without a word, requesting that I join her at her side. She was my beloved. How could I refuse her?
  I stood, legs trembling, and managed to keep from stumbling as I made my way to her open arms. She 
  greeted me. “Beloved,” she whispered. The single word pooled within my ears and threatened to send me 
  into orgasmic bliss. I leaned back and gazed into the dizzying eddies of her green eyes
  “I came for you, as you knew I would,” I said. 
  She merely nodded, the smile never faltering, her eyes never leaving mine. “You understand who you are 
  now, yes?” she asked me. 
  It was my turn to nod in response. “Of course, Rabakti. I am yours to command.”
  She took my chin in her hand and pulled my mouth to hers. She kissed me gently.
  “What of the others? Where are my childer?”
  “Most are still at war with the Underworld, I believe, or hiding in fear of destruction by the enemy.”
  “The conquerors still exist?” 
  She had continued to hold my chin in her hand and was now applying pressure to it. I struggled not to 
  flinch and focused on her eyes, recalling the feeling of serenity within them. Instead, I saw swirling clouds 
  of uncertainty and rage. 
  I recoiled and instantly felt my mistake, as the bones of my jaw suddenly shattered. I tried to pull away 
  as her other hand slammed into my chest. I felt my sternum snap and at least four ribs break as my body 
  became airborne and flew across the tomb. My cries of terror ended as a rock jutting out from the far wall 
  slammed against my upper spine, just below my skull. I heard a sharp crack and fell limply to the ground 
  below. What blood I had left was already beginning to knit the worst of my injuries even as my beloved 
  Rabakti returned to the side of her coffin. 
  She reached in, grabbing the scroll I had inadvertently touched. “My diary reminds me of who I was,” 
  she whispered. It had sat next to her for thirty centuries. Now, she looked at it and spoke to the papyrus 
  as if it were her only child. “But who am I in this new age of unreason? What is this Ra-forsaken place 
  I have awakened in and why now, after so long spent in the Underworld?”
  She stood motionless, as if waiting for a response. I dared to speak to her, praying for answers of my own. 
  “How did you defeat the others?”
  She twisted her head back and gazed at me with what I took to be pity. “You are not the only one who 
  once had brothers and sisters. I count among my closest allies the Kindred of Osiris, who have ways of 
  placating the brother of sleep. My diary was but one example of their abilities. There are many others, to 
  which I owe them a great deal.”
  “Forgive me, but you didn’t answer my question,” I said, striving to keep any petulance from my voice, 
  fearing her wrath would end my existence as quickly as it had the others.
  “There are some secrets you are not ready for, little supplicant. Suffice it to say that I told them all 
  what they most desperately wanted to hear and allowed their own fears and insecurities to take care of 
  everything else. One of them, the Ventrue dog, I took for myself. His knowledge is now my own. His blood 
  and soul belong to me. I can still here his voice inside my mind, sniveling and whining.”
  “And what of me?” I asked timidly. “Will I be with you, or will I join my brothers and sisters in 
  Final Death?”
  
  ancient mysteries
  6
  She cocked her head, as if hearing a voice from within, and began to giggle like a school child. Her mouth 
  twisted ever-so-slightly into a mild grin and she turned her perfect body to face me. Without warning, her 
  smile faded, like a light switch dimming to utter darkness. For a brief moment, it looked as if her eyes had 
  darkened as well, becoming a rich brown, but the moment quickly vanished, and with it, any evidence of 
  humanity inside her. She stared at me with her emerald eyes, suddenly icy, and a great fear enveloped me. 
  I stood on trembling legs. I almost ran. 
  She laid her hands on my shoulders and pinned me in place. “We have a mission to accomplish, you and 
  I,” she said, her tone cold and matter-of-fact. She turned away then, as if looking at someone else standing 
  beside her, and cocked her head to the side. “Yes, we certainly do. I see it now, as clear as the Egyptian 
  sky. Will you join me?” she asked, still looking away, perhaps at a shadow on the far wall.
  “My place is at your side,” I said. “I am, and always have been, your loving servant, Rabakti.”
  “Indeed,” she responded, turning back to face me. 
  Her eyes once again connected with mine. I began swimming in her world, in her glory. I would do 
  anything for her and she knew it.
  “We must find the others,” she said.
  “Others?”
  “The Usiri. The Anubi. The followers of Isis, Horus, Thoth and Bast. Together, we will arise and 
  reform the Great Covenant. We shall take back what was stolen by the invaders. We shall once again rule 
  over Kindred and kine and remove the craven Ventrue from their perch.”
  “How will we accomplish this mission?”
  “We shall do as the Bak-Ra have always done. We shall take what we need from those unwilling to 
  provide and gratefully accept that which is freely given. We shall bring others into our faith and we shall 
  find our allies once again.”
  She took a step closer to me and it was all I could do to keep from tearing a gash in my neck and giving 
  myself to her completely. 
  “Are you with me?” she asked, staring deeply into my soul.
  “With all that I am. I have seen Ra’s magnificence through your eyes, my beloved. There can be no 
  turning back from that, or from you.”
  She kissed me deeply, her cold lips and mine locked together in an unholy embrace. When she pulled 
  back from me, I could see the madness swirling in her eyes and I chose to ignore it. Such madness must be 
  placated rather than angered.
  “You are truly a chosen of Ra,” she whispered, caressing my still-mending chin with one hand and 
  stroking my hair with the other. “Together, we shall relearn His gifts, so that we may bring more servants 
  into the fold. You, my beloved, shall be my King and I, your Queen.” 
  “Ra’s will be done,” I replied, the memory of my brief glimpse of the sun holding sway over my emotions. 
  “In this place, in this time, it is my will that shall be followed, beloved, and mine alone.”
  “As you say, Rabakti. To your glory and the glory of Ra, ruler of all He surveys!” I shouted proudly. 
  Rabakti smiled at me. Her eyes gleamed, as if the light of Ra burned within them. I allowed those eyes 
  to once again draw me in, to take me places I had never seen, to propel me back to a time I had never 
  lived and, for a brief moment, I allowed myself to dream of ages past, of a time when the Sun was not our 
  enemy, but our eternal salvation.
  
  7
  By Bethany Culp, Sebastian Freeman, Howard Ingham,  
  Myranda Kalis, Joe Rixman, P. Alexander Scokel,  
  Chuck Wendig and Filamena Young
  
  ancient bloodlines
  8
  Credits
  Written by: Bethany Culp, Sebastian Freeman, Howard 
  Ingham, Myranda Kalis, Joe Rixman, P. Alexander Scokel, 
  Chuck Wendig, Filamena Young
  Additional Material: Wayne Peacock, Malcolm Sheppard
  Creative Director: Rich Thomas
  Developer: Matthew McFarland
  Line Developer: Joseph D. Carriker, Jr. 
  Editor: Anita Hager
  Art Direction and Layout: Craig S Grant
  Interior Art: Ture Ekroos, Michael Franchina, Craig S 
  Grant, Christine Griffin, Tariq Hassan, Marco Nelor, 
  Cathy Wilkins
  Cover Art: Dan Dos Santos
  © 2009 CCP hf. All rights reserved. Reproduction without 
  the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, 
  except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character 
  sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White 
  Wolf, Vampire, and The World of Darkness are registered 
  trademarks of CCP hf. All rights reserved. Storytelling Sys-
  tem, Vampire the Requiem, Mage the Awakening, Werewolf 
  the Forsaken, World of Darkness, Ancient Bloodlines, and 
  Ancinet Mysteries are trademarks of CCP hf.
  All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by CCP hf.
  CCP North America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CCP hf.
  This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction 
  and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
  Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com 
  PRINTED IN CANADA.
  Wicked Dead
  Coming Next
  
  9
  –Table of Contents–
  Prologue: To Dream of Ages Past 
  2
  Introduction 
  10
  Bloodlines of the Great War 
  18
  Bloodlines of the Montrose Party 
  30
  Bloodlines of the Age of Treachery 
  43 
  Bloodlines of the Haitian Revolution 
  63
  Bloodlines of the Lost Generation 
  81
  Bloodlines of the Grémio de Corajoso 
  99
  Bloodlines of the First Kingdom of Thailand 
  117
  Bloodlines of the Crusades 
  130
  Bloodlines of the Black Streets of Babylon 
  145
  Bloodlines of Ancient Egypt 
  161
  
  ancient bloodlines
  10
  History leaves its mark. More than that, it leaves a scar, 
  indelible and swollen on the skin of our memory. It’s a 
  place where hair will never grow, a swath of land where the 
  earth is salted and life fails to take root, a wall marked with 
  garish graffiti from people who have long been dead. 
  We all have them in our own lives. Some moments 
  are big: the time Kennedy or Lennon died, the day men 
  landed on the moon or the Challenger shuttle exploded, 
  the morning when two planes struck the towers. Some 
  moments are smaller and more personal: a wedding night, 
  a parent’s death, a car crash, a sexual indiscretion. Such 
  events are carved into the mind, revisited as nightmare 
  or through unsummoned remembrances. Even as we 
  age, as our minds fail, those moments may continue to 
  rise up through — a mountain peak pushing through an 
  inscrutable fog.
  That’s us. That’s humans. All things considered, we 
  have short lives — 30, 50, 80 years, and then we’re done. 
  One day, we all dance off this mortal coil, and with us 
  go our memories.
  Vampires do not operate under such impermanence. 
  In fact, barring outside interference, he continues on 
  with his wretched existence for hundreds of years, if not 
  millennia. The vampire does not grow old. It is an apex 
  predator, subject largely to the hungers of its own kind. 
  Some might say that time is kind to the Kindred, whereas 
  others among the Damned are quite certain that time 
  is a never-ending parade of curses, failings and terrors. 
  Immortality is only a positive thing if one believes that 
  existence is beautiful — or, if one fears the finality of death 
  more than the eternal nights of torment and shame. 
  Of course, while vampires do not age physically (nor, 
  some would say, do they age emotionally), they do age 
  mentally. The mind can only hold so much. Like a glass, 
  it eventually fills to the brim and spills over the side. And 
  so, as the Damned age, they experience another element 
  to their Requiems that can be both curse and blessing: 
  the Fog of Eternity. Details muddle. Events blur or are 
  lost, submerged beneath newer, fresher memories. Faces 
  and names fade or grow tangled. Entire years might be 
  erased from all recollection.
  And yet, history still leaves its mark. Out of so much 
  that is lost, some events never go away. A vampire may 
  forget the decade that precedes it, but he remembers the 
  night his coterie betrayed him and left him for dead in 
  the deep dark of a Cypriot copper mine. Another has lost 
  his many names, but will never forget the moniker of his 
  superior in the Legion of the Dead when the Camarilla 
  was yet ascendant back in Ancient Rome. A third vampire 
  has fallen to torpor too many times, and her recollections 
  have suffered moth-eaten holes now filled with the detritus 
  of nightmares, but even still some memories persevere… 
  and now she goes out in search of those who had a hand 
  in her glories and her failures.
  For humans, history’s mark is remembered in books or 
  carried from generation to generation in stories told around 
  campfires and livingrooms. Vampires don’t just remember 
  the big events, however, they carry their recollections with 
  them, acting as living markers of what has come before. 
  History leaves scars, indeed, but amongst the nocturnal 
  society of the Damned, the vampires are those scars. For 
  the Kindred, history is not passive. It’s dynamic. It walks 
  and talks, a mad waltz within the Danse Macabre.
  History’s Laughing Ghosts
  That is what this book is about: events have transpired 
  throughout vampire society, and those events left many 
  deep scratches and enduring stains. Moreover, they have 
  spawned what might be considered the “children” of his-
  tory, vampires who are so connected to these historical 
  flashpoints that it changes them, it transforms the Blood 
  in such a way that these Kindred become the unliving car-
  riers of what has transpired. History’s children leave their 
  own marks on the world, acting as the manifestations of 
  an often-bloody ripple effect. 
  What you’ll find in this book is 20 different bloodlines 
  spawned from key points throughout Kindred history. In ad-
  dition, you’ll also find other elements bound to these events 
  and to these bloodlines: mysterious places, strange Disci-
  plines, immortal enemies and blood-stained artifacts.
  The themes of this book are discovering the past and 
  that history is all-too-relevant. With the Damned, the past 
  Introduction
  One by one, they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world,  
  in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.
  — James Joyce, “The Dead”
  
  11
  is not something to be taken lightly. Even a small thing 
  can have a major impact one hundred years hence. Dis-
  covering that, mining through the mysteries and details, 
  is key to this book. A character may look deep into the 
  living (and unliving) histories of the Kindred and find 
  that long-gone events may have deep repercussions for her 
  that she may not have considered. Was her sire involved? 
  Was she involved? The ghosts of the past are not easily 
  silenced, as evidenced by the bloodlines and artifacts 
  contained within.
  The Blood Carries History:  
  Using Flashbacks
  So, we’ve established a core truth: history matters to the 
  Damned. It has to. Ignoring it doesn’t help because the 
  past isn’t just the past — what happened 200 years ago may 
  still be going on tonight, a terrible event or pogrom carried 
  out by a bloodline spawned from the initial horror. His-
  tory is dynamic. It has a face. It’s a returning specter.
  That means you as Storyteller or player should be pre-
  pared to use the past in your game, right? Since history 
  helps make a vampire what she is (whether it happened 
  during her Requiem or her sire’s Requiem or her grand-
  sire’s Requiem…), it’s critical that you know how to bring 
  history to bear upon the current story. How do you make 
  it come alive without just establishing precedent and going 
  on from there? How can you take the past and, as a troupe, 
  bring it to the table in a show, don’t tell manner?
  By using flashbacks, that’s how. Now, admittedly, one 
  option is simply to create characters from a certain time 
  period and then run them through an initial story set 
  in that historical setting. Then, the Storyteller doles out 
  experience points and you spend those points to help 
  bring your characters up and into the present. 
  That’s not a flashback, though. That’s a prelude or a pro-
  logue or simply “Chapter One” to your coterie’s story.
  A flashback is something that happens within the story 
  itself. The narrative progresses to a point, and at that point 
  a flashback is used. But to what purpose? Well, you might 
  choose to use a flashback in game for one or several of 
  the following reasons:
  For thematic-, motif- or mood-based resonance. In 
  •	
  a game about treacheries and betrayals, you might 
  choose to flashback to a time the characters were be-
  trayed or did some betraying of their own. Alternately, 
  you might go the opposite direction and choose an 
  event when someone stayed loyal — using an opposite 
  “foil” in such a manner can provide contrast and 
  highlight the point you’re hoping to drive home.
  To provide some further detail. The coterie is bat-
  •	
  tling an old nemesis, and in the midst of the combat, 
  you choose to move to flashback. Why? So the group 
  can recall an earlier meeting or battle with the same 
  enemy. When the narrative returns to the present, 
  the characters can call-back moments from that flash-
  back, or even help to conceive of their opponent’s 
  strengths and weaknesses. In this manner, you’re 
  providing context from past to present.
  To answer questions. The characters confront 
  •	
  something in-game that, up until now, they haven’t 
  encountered before. The players don’t know what 
  they’re seeing when the coterie finds an ashen vam-
  pire body painted across a warehouse floor to form 
  some kind of forbidden sigil. A flashback here shows 
  that the characters have seen this symbol before, and 
  the flashback might comprise an entire game session 
  story on what happened “back then” to lead to the 
  symbol’s discovery and explication. This isn’t about 
  little details, but about bringing whole new plot ele-
  ments from history for use in the modern story. 
  For dramatic irony. Vampires lose memories to the 
  •	
  fog, and going to flashback highlights what’s known 
  as “dramatic irony,” which is when the audience (in 
  this case, the players) comes to realize something that 
  the characters themselves do not know. Just as the 
  coterie’s about to accept a Vinculum to a seemingly 
  beneficent elder, the Storyteller moves to flash-
  back, showcasing a scene where that elder clearly 
  backstabbed one or all of the characters. Flashing 
  forward again, the players may be allowed a roll to 
  see how much of that they remember (or maybe, no 
  roll allowed). Those who don’t remember go ahead 
  and commit to the Vinculum — the players know 
  it’s a bad idea, but the characters don’t. Dramatic 
  irony in a nutshell.
  Two Flavors of Flashback 
  For purposes of this introduction essay, we’re going to frame 
  out two types of flashbacks you might use during your Vam-
  pire: The Requiem story. These are certainly not the only 
  ways to handle flashbacks, but this dichotomy should give 
  you an idea as to how to use them and, more importantly, 
  what they mean in the context of the narrative. 
  Note that it’s important Storytellers and players be on 
  the same page as to what style of flashback is being used 
  in the game.
  Reflective
  The “reflective” flashback assumes that what happens 
  while playing the flashback does not greatly impact the 
  
  ancient bloodlines
  12
  present. The flashback is meant to be largely information-
  al, used to provide context to events in the present day. 
  For example: in the present, the vampires meet the 
  aforementioned nemesis on a rooftop, and they’re about 
  to do battle — swords and knives are drawn, the rain is 
  pouring down. The session ends, and the Storyteller and 
  players decide that the next session will begin in flashback. 
  In particular, the narrative remembers when the charac-
  ters were still alive and were meeting their nemesis when 
  he was living, too. The flashback takes place on a sunny 
  day — a contrast to the rainy rooftop scenario from last 
  chapter — and has the characters as loose allies with the 
  individual they will later be battling (another contrast). 
  Because this is a reflective flashback (meaning it reflects 
  the present events and is a “reflective” look back), the 
  characters know they can’t change the course of history 
  dramatically. They cannot, as humans, suddenly act on 
  secret information and assassinate their enemy early on. 
  We know the adversary survives and becomes Kindred, as 
  will the characters — the flashback isn’t going to change 
  any of that.
  Certainly the flashback can have some repercussions 
  in the present: when the game switches back to the rain-
  slick rooftop, the nemesis might call to attention words 
  spoken or actions taken during the flashback (“Do you 
  still think me a — what was it you called me? A ‘coward’s 
  cur?’”) But the characters can’t have killed him, or given 
  him a scar that wasn’t there before, or anything like that. 
  They can change things that haven’t been pre-established, 
  but not dramatically so.
  One way to ensure this is to eschew dice-rolling dur-
  ing the flashback encounter and simply rule on what is 
  allowed to occur… though dice can still help to provide 
  flavor to some encounters.
  It’s still important, of course, for the characters to be 
  able to succeed or fail in the scene. What are the stakes? 
  What can the players change? Social and mental challenges 
  should abound. They might be able to humiliate the en-
  emy (giving them a success, but also giving the nemesis 
  further reason to become a thorn in their sides).
  Adaptive
  An adaptive flashback assumes that players help to set the 
  course of the present through their actions in the flash-
  back. They’re free to act as they wish during the flashback 
  (though players should always take care to separate out 
  what facts the characters know between past and present), 
  and can have dramatic impact on the present tale.
  It’s important that the Storyteller know how to frame 
  events so as not to get caught up in a situation where 
  he has to drastically rewrite the tale. The flashback isn’t 
  time travel, the characters aren’t going back in time to kill 
  Hitler and change the course of the world, but the players 
  should feel free to act within context.
  So, using the above example of the nemesis, it’d prob-
  ably be important to have the human flashback first. 
  The characters establish whatever happens during that 
  scene — they betray the nemesis, he betrays them, they kill 
  him, they scar him, whatever — and then the Storyteller 
  pushes the story to the present where the consequences 
  of that flashback are seen in full-effect. If the nemesis is 
  dead, perhaps they’re atop the rain-slicked rooftop with 
  his brother. If they cut a mean scar across his face, it’s 
  still there. And now, maybe he’s continued carving his 
  face over and over into a roadmap of pain that’s meant 
  to frighten them. 
  In adaptive flashback, the events of the past are meant to 
  really be as important as the events of the present. They’re 
  not just reflective. They don’t simply provide small details. 
  They set major events into play, and the players are helping 
  to orchestrate a tale at both ends of the narrative.
  This mode has its pitfalls, and everybody needs to be 
  comfortable with them. If the players do something that 
  contradicts present precedent, the Storyteller has to be 
  prepared to rewrite history a bit. It’s important not to 
  “railroad” players (something that happens more in a re-
  flective flashback by necessity). But, the players also have 
  to be prepared to accept the consequences of their actions. 
  If killing the nemesis creates negative conditions, so be it. 
  They also have to be willing to commit to a little suspension 
  of disbelief when it comes to rewriting the narrative a bit.
  Nothing wrong with rewriting the narrative, of course. 
  It simply assumes a more organic, consequential flow. It 
  may feel jarring, but given the context of Vampire: The 
  Requiem, you have a great excuse to make it work: by ex-
  plaining that the story is actually one told in the memories 
  of the coterie characters, you have an easy justification 
  in having the story switch around… because a vampire’s 
  memory is terribly fallible. Memories adapt and rewrite 
  themselves within the Kindred brain, and so when the 
  narrative does that very thing, it makes sense in the 
  framework of the game.
  Challenges
  Using any kind of flashback presents some unique chal-
  lenges. Below, we help identify these possible potholes 
  and give some solutions on avoiding them (or, at least, 
  lessening the impact of driving over them).
  Avoiding Railroading
  We covered it already, but it bears repeating: with a reflec-
  tive flashback, the players should already understand that 
  
  13
  railroading must occur to some small degree. They may 
  try to kill that nemesis, but shouldn’t be at all surprised 
  when he escapes death.
  Alternately, railroading should be wholly avoided 
  during an adaptive flashback, and everybody should be 
  comfortable with the fact that the answer to “Can my 
  character do [X action]?” is generally yes (obviously, some 
  limitations exist — if the characters try to kill one another, 
  that defeats the story’s progress into the present). The 
  narrative may shift and change, but that’s okay as long as 
  everyone’s happy with the freedom it allows.
  RailRoading: The definiTion
  We’ve all been railroaded — pushed into a 
  certain social situation, made to commit to a bad 
  or unwanted deal, or forced at a job onto an 
  unplanned task.
  It can happen in games, too. The Storyteller sets 
  up his story and refuses to swerve from it. The 
  story evolves in a linear progression, and events 
  exist outside the characters’ ability to change 
  (and, by proxy, this means the players can’t really 
  do squat). 
  In a more literal sense, it’s like being on a tram 
  car. You can’t get off the ride. You just have to 
  buckle up and watch the Storyteller’s scenery pass 
  by, unaffected.
  It’s a fine way to read a book or watch a movie. 
  But gaming is interactive fiction, and we game 
  to affect outcome, to tell our stories and to be 
  surprised by possibility. Railroading defeats that. 
  Railroading defeats the fun. 
  Triggering Flashbacks
  Deciding how and when to trigger flashbacks is something 
  the Storyteller must best decide. Intuition must serve as 
  a guideline. Sometimes, it’s a terrible idea to interrupt a 
  really strong flow of events to cram in a flashback — and 
  yet, other times you can keep the players breathless with 
  suspense if you pause the action just as something dra-
  matic is about to occur. 
  One option is to include the players on whether or not 
  to dive into a flashback. If the majority of players thinks 
  it’s a good time to glance backward, so be it. They should 
  even be encouraged to suggest when a flashback might 
  be appropriate: “I’ve finally reclaimed my sire’s diaries, 
  so it seems a good time to flip through and revisit one or 
  two old memories.”
  Another question is how to transition. Generally, it’s as 
  easy as saying that it’s time for a flashback and starting in 
  with the scene. But, look at a TV show like Lost, which 
  uses dramatic moments and narrative trickery to present 
  its flashbacks. Does some telltale sign of flashback reveal 
  itself before they occur (the Storyteller points out the 
  color red, for instance), or can the Storyteller succeed in 
  tricking the players (making the players think that it’s the 
  present when, really, it’s a flashback)?
  Variance in Skill
  If you’re involving some measure of dice-rolling in the 
  flashbacks (which you should be, especially in adaptive 
  flashbacks), you have to address the deviation between the 
  character’s stats in the present and the past. But how? 
  If you have enough time to prepare, and know that 
  you’re going to spend a significant portion of the story in 
  flashback around a certain time, have the players create 
  “lesser” versions of their characters for that portion of the 
  game. Or, if you know your plans from the very beginning 
  of the story, have them create the “flashback” characters 
  first, then have them spend experience points to get those 
  characters up to speed in the present.
  Alternately, if you’re doing an unexpected flashback, 
  you’ve got to find a good measure of how to reduce the 
  character’s stats appropriately. A few options include:
  Take a representative portion (an approximate per-
  •	
  centage) of their dots away. If the characters are 200 
  years old and you’re going 100 years back, then remove 
  half of their dots — not from individual traits, but on 
  the whole. Certainly some Skills might remain high 
  (if the character was always spectacular at building 
  complex machines, his Crafts score might have been 
  at four dots then, and still be four dots now).
  Discuss with the players when a situation comes up. If 
  •	
  a player must roll Manipulation + Subterfuge, discuss 
  with the player a suitable penalty to the roll. It might be 
  -1 if little has changed, or -5 if the character has signifi-
  cantly shifted his Social “approach” over the decades.
  Revert to pre-game stats. Basically, just don’t count 
  •	
  any dots the player might’ve bought with experience 
  points. Everything else can be assumed “status quo” 
  before the story began.
  Do nothing at all. It may not make total sense, but 
  •	
  particularly with reflective flashbacks, it may not 
  need to. As long as good story development comes 
  out of it, why waste the time on the work if what 
  you’re predominantly doing is establishing detail and 
  context, not new plot points and events?
  Separation of Knowledge
  It becomes pretty tough bouncing back and forth from 
  flashback to present while keeping in mind exactly 
  what the character knew then versus what the character 
  knows now. 
  
  ancient bloodlines
  14
  For the most part, though, the problem is easy to com-
  bat. Everybody in the troupe should be encouraged to 
  watch everybody else’s back, not to be “narrative police,” 
  but simply to be willing to call out, “Hey, don’t forget — 
  we didn’t know about [X piece of information] back in 
  1932.” The Storyteller becomes the final arbiter of what 
  slides and what doesn’t.
  If something does slip through, it can be easily ex-
  plained. Again, in the context of the game, it’s simple 
  enough to suggest that the narrative itself is really just 
  the memories of the vampire characters and sometimes 
  memories are mistaken, especially considering the Fog 
  of Eternity.
  Alternately, consider that the Blood is a supernatural 
  medium. One might say that it holds the memories of 
  all the vampires who came before it, and some have fur-
  ther suggested that history is cyclical, a crass repetition 
  of events. If such an error occurs, you can explain it that 
  way, maybe even having the player spend a point of the 
  character’s Vitae to “confirm” that such time-transcendent 
  knowledge comes out expressed through the Blood itself. 
  It’s a bit esoteric, but then again, so are vampires.
  Including Everybody
  In a perfect world, every flashback would involve every 
  character. That way, everybody gets to have a little fun. 
  Unfortunately, it’s just not always realistic, the same way 
  that every scene in general doesn’t necessarily include 
  every player. So what can you do about it?
  Nothing. If the scene is entertaining, everybody wins. 
  •	
  The other players watch and enjoy, or they maybe 
  flip through the Requiem book, looking for some 
  cool ideas on how to spend experience points.
  Don’t use a flashback unless it contains each of the 
  •	
  players’ characters. 
  Schedule flashbacks as whole game sessions. That 
  •	
  way, those who aren’t involved don’t need to show 
  up to the game table that day unless they want to. 
  Or, by saying, “The first two hours of the chapter will 
  be devoted to the 1849 flashback,” those who aren’t 
  involved know to show up two hours later.
  Have players whose characters aren’t in the flashback 
  •	
  assume control of other “Storyteller characters.” 
  One’s a bartender, one’s the Prince’s Seneschal, 
  the third plays a mad ghoul, whatever. However, if a 
  player is going to assume a significant role, especially 
  one that is tied to another player’s character (say, 
  playing that character’s sire), it’s best to discuss it 
  with everybody first. 
  Experience Points
  It may seem strange to award experience points for some-
  thing that’s already happened, but it’s only happened in 
  the story, not at the gaming table. A game session is a 
  game session. Lessons learned are lessons learned. We 
  recommend that you give out experience points the same 
  way as usual, with little to no variance. 
  diffeRenT Masks
  Who says that the flashbacks absolutely, 
  unequivocally must include the player’s current 
  characters? No one.
  Just because those characters weren’t present 
  doesn’t mean a flashback can’t happen. The 
  flashback may involve other characters who are 
  connected to the story, or those involved can even 
  be brought organically into the present (because, 
  ultimately, that’s the goal).
  Consider: the coterie’s knocked a potent elder 
  into torpor with a mean slam from a sharpened 
  chair-leg. They’ve got him buckled down in a boiler 
  room somewhere when they remove the stake 
  from his chest.
  Now they can interrogate him, and the elder 
  tells them a story about when he was “a little fish 
  in a big pond,” just like them. The story’s about 
  him and his coterie, but it’ll help answer some of 
  their questions.
  Except… it’ll be kind of boring to just have the 
  Storyteller stand around and recite the story. Even 
  if it’s really evocative and interesting, you might 
  have a better avenue: flashback.
  Let the players take control of pre-made 
  characters, or even characters they conceive of 
  themselves. Put them into a flashback featuring 
  these other characters, and it “becomes” the story 
  that the elder tells to their present vampires. It all 
  fits together, like a crazy, blood-soaked puzzle.
  What’s In This Book
  In Ancient Bloodlines, you’ll find 20 new bloodlines. 
  They correspond to 10 flash points in Kindred history 
  — eras or events that had a lasting effect on the world of 
  the undead that exists tonight. These flash points are 
  discussed in detail in Ancient Mysteries, but you don’t 
  need that book to understand and use this one. 
  In addition, the sections in this book include “something 
  else.” It might be an antagonist like the Edimmu or the 
  Yanussaren, it might a mysterious place like the Land of 
  the Worms, or even a coterie of vampires. These “extras” 
  are meant to add some interesting depth to Vampire: The 
  Requiem, and highlight the possibilities (besides blood-
  lines) that can come from flash points in history. 
  
  15
  The Sections
  Bloodlines of the Great War: This section includes the 
  frigid, tunneling Caporetti, the poison-addicted Jones and 
  the Narodnaia Volia, a shadow cult of vampire-hunters.
  Bloodlines of the Montrose Party: The tragedy of the 
  Montrose Party gave birth to the Shepherds bloodline, and 
  introduced American Kindred to the Sta-Au when they 
  blundered into the Land of the Worms. 
  Bloodlines of the Age of Treachery: The Kindred of 
  India arrange their society along a caste system, which 
  includes the Amara Havana and the Canda Banu. In exam-
  ining their history we also see three of the most important 
  Kindred to the Southern Cities Alliance tonight.
  Bloodlines of the Haitian Revolution: In modern New 
  Orleans, one might run afoul of one of the Apollinaire 
  bloodline fulfilling his vow to the loa Ghede. One might 
  also discover one of the highly principled bloodline called 
  Les Gens Libres, fighting oppression in all forms. Either 
  vampire might practice Kindred Vodoun. 
  Bloodlines of the Lost Generation: The Thirty Years 
  War produced the Geheim line of blood alchemists, as well 
  as the Septemi, a line of vampires devoted to shattering the 
  Holy Lance. But it also introduced the world to legends 
  of the Yanussaren, the Wild Hunt. 
  Bloodlines of the Grémio de Corajoso: Long-distance 
  communication helped form the telepathic Corajoso blood-
  line. Long-distance travel introduced European Kindred 
  to the Adroanzi and their remarkable skill in gardening. 
  The legacy of the Grémio comes to the fore with Boiling 
  Over, a discussion of a coterie one revealed secret away 
  from self-destruction. 
  Bloodlines of the First Kingdom of Thailand: When 
  the demon-king of Thailand’s Kindred abandoned his 
  wicked ways for meditation, the graceful but vicious 
  Kinnaree bloodline kept true to their nature as monsters. 
  The bloodline that the demon-king formed, however, 
  the Mayarap, proceeds on to Nibbana unconcerned. The 
  Kindred organization of the Sakadagami is the result.
  Bloodlines of the Crusades: The Camarilla fell, and 
  the Lancea Sanctum and the Invictus were the covenants 
  that survived, but there were others for a time. Two 
  bloodlines from the era — the Mystikoi and the Order of 
  Sir Martin — remain to this night, as does the vampire-
  slaying Ahl al-Jabal.
  Bloodlines of the Black Streets of Babylon: The nights 
  of Babylon and the twelve-millennium reign of En Isiratuu 
  might sound like myths to the ears of modern Kindred, 
  but the En bloodline is still around, consuming the souls 
  of their lessers (read: everyone) with abandon. The Iltani 
  bloodline nurses its hatred carefully, poisoning the objects 
  of that hate just as Nanshe Iltani poisoned En Isiratuu 
  so many years ago. Of course, the result of that ancient 
  treachery, the Edimmu, still hunt Kindred to this night. 
  Bloodlines of Ancient Egypt: Finally, in the murky 
  past of Egypt, we find the genesis of the sun-worshipping 
  Bak-Ra and the memory-stealing Usiri. Both have lost 
  their true history to time and the Fog of Eternity, and 
  both have no choice but to cling to legend as though it 
  were fact. The Initiations of Dream and Flame is a Requiem 
  diary that holds the secret of blood magic — as well as the 
  curse of an ancient Egyptian vampire. 
  Other Helpful Information
  Poisons
  Several of the bloodlines in this book make use of poi-
  son as part of a signature Discipline or a form of blood 
  magic. The rules for poisons and toxins are found on 
  p. 180 of the World of Darkness Rulebook, but since 
  the first printing of the book, they have changed some-
  what, as per the official errata document available at: 
  http://download.white-wolf.com/download/download.
  php?file_id=346.
  The revised poison rules are as follows: 
  Like resisting disease, resisting the effects of poisons and 
  toxins is not a contested action.
  Typically, only a single success is required on the Stamina 
  + Resolve roll, and this roll is modified by the toxicity of the 
  poison in question.
  In some cases, resisting the effects of a drug might be an 
  extended action, such as drug or alcohol abuse. In cases like 
  these, the Storyteller still sets the benchmark for how many 
  successes are necessary, and the subject’s pool might still be 
  penalized by the poison’s toxicity.
  Spirits
  Some of the sections in Ancient Bloodlines also refer to 
  spirits. The rules for ghosts appear on pp. 208-216 of the 
  World of Darkness Rulebook, but spirits, though their 
  game mechanics are similar, are different creatures. What 
  follows is an extremely brief primer on spirits; players 
  and Storytellers interested in perusing the full rules for 
  these beings should consult World of Darkness: Book 
  of Spirits. 
  Unlike ghosts, spirits were never human. They don’t come 
  from the world as we understand it, but arise from a bizarre, 
  animistic mirror of our world, sometimes called the Shadow. 
  While it is possible for human beings (and even vampires) 
  to enter the Shadow, doing so is difficult, and fortunately so 
  — the Shadow has its own ecology, and intruders are gener-
  ally on the bottom of the food chain. It happens sometimes, 
  
  ancient bloodlines
  16
  however, that spirits from the Shadow slip across barriers 
  into our world, sometimes to watch, sometimes to feed and 
  sometimes to possess the inhabitants. 
  Spirits in a position to interact with vampires have 
  found a way to enter Twilight. That is, they leave the 
  Shadow and enter the physical realm, but are invisible 
  to mortals (and most other creatures). They exist in the 
  same state as ghosts. Entering Twilight from the Shadow 
  requires crossing a metaphysical barrier called the Gaunt-
  let. This barrier is stronger in some places than others. 
  In locals where spiritual energy pools, spirits can slip 
  across the Gauntlet almost effortlessly. Such places go 
  by many names, but the Ordo Dracul refers to them as 
  Wyrm’s Nests.
  Spirits are only slightly more self-aware than ghosts, and 
  they have limited or no free will. That is, a spirit of murder 
  isn’t capable of choosing not to kill if it has the chance. A 
  spirit of dogs can’t choose to act in a manner other than 
  that of a dog. Spirits are simplistic, though the rules by 
  which they live can be arcane and obtuse (especially for 
  powerful spirits). 
  Spirit Traits
  Spirits use Power, Finesse and Resistance as their At-
  tributes, just as ghosts do. They do not have Skills or 
  Merits. Since they lack human understanding and the 
  freedom to choose their own actions, for the most part, 
  they do not have Morality ratings, nor do they have 
  Virtues and Vices.
  Rank
  Spirit rankings are the foundation for the rules governing 
  them, but they don’t map directly to titles in the Shadow. 
  The descriptors are there for the purpose of distinguish-
  ing a minor death spirit versus a greater death spirit, for 
  example. Each rank a spirit possesses offers it protection 
  from being bound to the will or service of another — by 
  subtracting its Rank from the die pool. 
  Spirits seem to be innately able to judge whether a spirit 
  they are near is more powerful than themselves. Spirits 
  may attempt to disguise their superiority or inferiority; if 
  so, make a contested Finesse roll to successfully hide their 
  innate power. A spirit who successfully disguises itself 
  seems to another spirit to be roughly its peer. 
  Rank† 
  Descriptor 
  Trait Limits* 
  Attribute Dots 
  Maximum Essence 
  Numina
  1 
  Weak 
  5 dots 
  5-8 
  10 
  1-3
  2 
  Minor 
  7 dots 
  9-14 
  15 
  3-5
  3 
  Major 
  9 dots 
  15-25 
  20 
  5-7
  4 
  Greater 
  12 dots 
  26-35 
  25 
  7-9
  5 
  Superior 
  15 dots 
  36-45 
  50 
  9-11
  6-10 
  **
  † Each rank levies a –1 modifier on attempts to forcibly bind that spirit.
  * These represent permanent dots, not temporarily boosted traits.
  ** Spirits above Rank 5 don’t need traits. They are, to all intents and purposes, godlike beings.
  Corpus
  Like a ghost, a spirit has Corpus dots that represent the 
  resiliency of its ephemeral form. Corpus equals a spirit’s 
  Resistance + Size. Spirits regenerate Corpus in the same 
  amount of time that mortals heal damage. If a spirit loses 
  its entire Corpus, it is discorporated, meaning that is 
  disappears from Twilight until it can heal. If it loses all 
  its Essence and Corpus, the spirit is destroyed.
  Essence
  A spirit’s maximum Essence depends on how old and 
  powerful the spirit is. As a rule of thumb, a weak spirit has 
  a maximum Essence of 10, while a moderately powerful 
  spirit has a maximum Essence of 15 or 20. Truly godlike 
  spirits might have as much as 50 or 100 Essence, but those 
  spirits almost never emerge from the Shadow to bedevil 
  the human world (and if they did, hopefully it wouldn’t 
  be a group of comparable children who had to deal with 
  it!). Any given spirit may have any amount of Essence up 
  to its maximum. The lower a spirit’s Essence is, the more 
  desperate it grows for sustenance. 
  Spirits use Essence in the following ways:
  A spirit must spend a point of Essence per day to 
  •	
  survive. This expenditure usually takes place at 
  moonrise. If the spirit has no Essence to spend, it 
  falls into slumber until it manages to gain Essence 
  somehow, such as by being immersed in a new flow 
  of Essence. 
  Spirits can use Essence to temporarily boost their 
  •	
  Attributes on a one-for-one basis. They cannot boost 
  a singe Attribute by more than three. Each such 
  boost lasts for one scene. (Remember to update the 
  spirit’s Advantages.) 
  
  17
  A spirit that has fled into the physical world, includ-
  •	
  ing Twilight, must expend one point of Essence 
  per hour as long as it remains ephemeral (which is 
  to say, without possessing a host body or using the 
  Numen: Fetter). It cannot regain this lost Essence 
  until it either gains a fetter or crosses back into the 
  Shadow. If a spirit loses all its Essence while in the 
  physical world, it passes into slumber and is drawn 
  back into the spirit world, losing a point of Corpus 
  from the rough transition.
  As long as a spirit still has some Essence, it isn’t 
  •	
  destroyed when reduced to zero Corpus, but rather 
  is discorporated (see above).
  Spirits regain Essence in the following ways:
  They gain one point per day by being in proximity 
  •	
  of the thing they reflect. 
  Once per day the spirit may try to draw Essence from 
  •	
  an appropriate source in the physical world by roll-
  ing its Power + Finesse. (It can sense such a source 
  automatically up to one mile away.) The number of 
  successes indicates the number of points of Essence 
  gained. The spirit must be in the physical world 
  (which includes Twilight) in order to do so. 
  The spirit may barter for additional Essence from 
  •	
  beings that possess the trait or with other spirits.
  The spirit may attempt to steal Essence from another 
  •	
  spirit by making a contested roll of its Power + Finesse 
  against the target’s Power + Resistance. If the attacker 
  wins, the number of successes indicates the number 
  of points of the target’s Essence that are siphoned off 
  by the attacker. If all of the target’s Essence is stolen, 
  the victim spirit falls into slumber. If the target wins, 
  the attacker loses a number of points of Essence equal 
  to the successes scored by the target.
  Willpower
  Spirits have a Willpower trait equal to their Power + 
  Resistance. A spirit’s very existence necessitates a certain 
  tenacity to survive and grow. Spirits regain spent Will-
  power at the rate of one point per day.
  Initiative
  Initiative is equal to Finesse + Resistance. 
  Defense
  A spirit’s Defense is equal to its Power or Finesse, which-
  ever is higher. 
  Speed
  The Speed of a spirit is equal to its Power + Finesse + a 
  “species factor.” Spirits that take human or animal form 
  have a species factor equal to their earthly counterpart. 
  Spirits of inanimate objects usually have a species factor 
  equal to 0, while spirits of more abstract items (fear, grief, 
  murder) generally have a species factor of 10. Vehicle 
  spirits have Acceleration traits equal to their material 
  cousins, rather than a Speed trait (p. 142 of the World of 
  Darkness Rulebook). To find their Maximum Speed, add 
  the spirit’s Power + Finesse to their physical counterpart’s 
  Maximum Speed.
  In Twilight, all spirits (even spirits without apparent 
  appendages) are considered able to move in any direc-
  tion. Even those without “wings” or association with the 
  concept of flight (bird-spirits, air-spirits) can hover in any 
  direction — though without a clear connection to the con-
  cept of flight, they must hover within their Speed (in yards) 
  off the ground. For the most part, they are not bound by 
  gravity, nor do they suffer its effects — you can’t “push” a 
  murder spirit in Twilight down an elevator shaft. 
  Materialized spirits, however, are quite solid. They are 
  affected by gravity, for example. They can still move about 
  as per their Speed trait, but unless they have “wings” or 
  some such, they cannot fly. 
  Size
  A spirit can generally be of any size, depending on what 
  it represents and how powerful it is. Exceptionally strong 
  spirits are often larger than their weaker kin. Spirits usually 
  have a Size trait comparable to their material counterparts; 
  the spirit of a dog, for instance, might have Size 4. Some 
  spirits take on humanoid shapes (Size 5 for adults, 4 for 
  children), while some appear as nebulous, ill-defined clouds 
  (in which case the Size can range from 2 on up). 
  Spirit Bans
  One important trait that ghosts do not possess, but spirits 
  do, is a ban. A spirit’s ban is something quite personal 
  to it — one fear-spirit might be forced to flee the gaze of a 
  man protecting his child, while another suffers one point 
  of aggravated damage per turn of exposure to bright light. 
  A ban is a way to repel, damage or defeat a spirit, and 
  they should be highly personal, sometimes obscure, but 
  when revealed make perfect sense. Just as discovering the 
  identity of a ghost and the circumstances of its death are 
  essential to defeating it, discovering a spirit’s ban is crucial 
  to exerting any power over it. 
  The more powerful the spirit, the more obscure and 
  complicated its ban might be. Powerful spirits, though, 
  tend to have bans with more pronounced effects. For 
  example, a weak spirit might be forced to flee when its 
  ban is enacted, but a powerful spirit might be outright 
  destroyed should the characters manage to confront it 
  with its ban. 
  
  ancient bloodlines
  18
  Caporetti 
  Don’t look down. 
  The bullet that murdered Franz Ferdinand killed the 19th century, too. The final turns of the so-called Great Game 
  brought the imperial powers crashing to war, one by one, as the complicated equilibrium of treaties and agreements 
  that maintained the status quo collapsed. 
  An entire generation of young men never came back from the trenches. Nations fell to pieces or came into birth. 
  And when the war was over, the suffering really began: plague followed, and with it revolution and civil war. The 
  20th century, with all its horrors, was launched. 
  The dead, caught unawares by the violent pace of change, faced their own upheavals. Elders vanished or met the 
  sunlight. And neonates discovered new opportunities. The old orders changed more quickly than any of them could 
  have expected. 
  Things would never be the same again. But the Kindred would be ready. 
  Bloodlines of the Great War  
  (Ce 1914-18)
  The 12 Battles of the Isonzo saw not only 
  the horrors of the trenches, but the “white 
  death” — avalanches brought down by 
  the constant impact of shells against 
  the sides of the mountains. Thou-
  sands upon thousands of men met 
  their ends under the rolling slides 
  of stone and snow. The lucky ones 
  were crushed instantly. But others, 
  trapped in their trenches, suffo-
  cated or slowly froze under the ice, 
  with no hope of rescue. And some 
  of those trapped under the collapsed 
  mountainside faced the creatures who 
  burrowed under the snow and dragged 
  their victims away into the dark, one by 
  one, storing them away in subterranean lar-
  ders, keeping them alive for months or years if 
  necessary as vessels for their thirsts. 
  When the Battle of Caporetto ended, the armies with-
  drew from the Isonzo, and gradually the monsters of Ca-
  poretto exhausted their hellish pantries and moved on. 
  Over the years, they found other burrows, other places 
  to hide far away from that blood-soaked mountain range. 
  But the frozen death of the Isonzo became part of that 
  strange cold vampire tribe, and it travels with them wher-
  ever they go. 
  Parent Clan: Nosferatu
  Bloodline Disciplines: Celerity, Night-
  mare, Obfuscate, Vigor
  Nickname: Shivers
  Weakness: The Caporetti have the 
  usual Nosferatu weakness, expressed 
  above all else as one specific, unusual 
  effect — the room quite simply goes 
  cold when a Caporetto walks in. 
  People shiver and develop goose-
  bumps around the Caporetti (see p. 
  111 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  In addition, the Caporetti’s aura of su-
  pernatural cold causes the actual tempera-
  ture in about a ten-foot radius of the vampire 
  to drop by five to ten degrees Celsius. 
  And on top of that, no matter how he might try, 
  a Caporetto cannot counterfeit life by spending Vitae — 
  the cold wells up from inside the vampire’s dead flesh, as 
  if it were some active force rather than a simple absence of 
  heat. The aura of cold extends even beyond the vampire’s 
  other supernatural powers: a Caporetto suffers a -2 penalty 
  to dice pools when attempting to use Obfuscate, specifi-
  cally the second, third and fourth-dot powers, to hide his 
  true nature (or just hide) from humans or vampires (this 
  penalty only applies to Mask of Tranquility when the 
  mask is challenged by another vampire using Auspex; see 
  
  19
  bloodlines of the great war - caporetti
  p. 136 of Vampire: The Requiem). The Caporetti prefer 
  to go literally underground, rather than attempt to hide 
  in plain sight like many other vampires who are expert 
  in the use of Obfuscate. 
  History and Culture: None of the Caporetti know 
  for sure who founded their bloodline. All that has been 
  established  is that the Nosferatu of the Isonzo devel-
  oped an aptitude for burrowing and an affinity with the 
  cold. Of the three likely candidates for the founder of 
  the bloodline, one had been a resident in the region of 
  Caporetto for several hundred years, and had apparently 
  always been that way; one was a neonate with a talent for 
  killing; and one, allegedly, wasn’t even really a vampire. 
  If these monsters ever existed, they were gone by the end 
  of the Great War, leaving their childer able to make their 
  own way. 
  These original Caporetti were loners who kept frozen 
  larders made of the hapless soldiers of the Isonzo. Most 
  of them kept to themselves, and, if they had the urge to 
  create childer, cut them loose soon after the Embrace. 
  The result was that beyond their supernatural affinity with 
  the cold and the urge to burrow, the Caporetti have little 
  in common other than the name, a certain moleish look 
  in the eyes and a way they hold their hands… which are 
  almost invariably large and spadelike, and usually filthy. 
  They traveled. They Embraced. By the end of the 1920s, 
  Caporetti had turned up in places as far afield as the 
  Rockies and the Himalayas. In the Second World War, 
  coteries of Caporetti thrived in the snows of the Eastern 
  front, and fed well on the bleeding wounded of Stalin-
  grad, dragging them under the snow and earth as they 
  stumbled on the killing fields of the Great Patriotic war. 
  During the Vietnam war, a Caporetto somehow wound 
  up in the tunnels under Saigon. 
  Mostly, however, their hunting tactics don’t define them 
  so much as the role they take in the night society of the 
  Kindred. Some style themselves as enforcers, or hunters, 
  or hounds. Some keep out of the way of living humans 
  altogether, except when they have to feed. Some set them-
  selves up with a fake mythology as the ghosts who haunt 
  deserted mountainsides and well-worn suicide spots. 
  Reputation: Other Kindred are ambivalent about the 
  Caporetti. On the one hand, a Caporetto is hugely valu-
  able as an assassin — the first thing a victim knows about 
  the presence of a Caporetto is a chill in the air, followed 
  by the hand that erupts from the mud or the snow and 
  drags the target underground. 
  Some princes, on the other hand, see the presence of 
  a monster who makes the air cold just by being there as 
  a breach of the Masquerade that cannot be tolerated. In 
  the end, though, it depends on the Caporetto. A vampire 
  who attempts to make his lair under the middle of a busy 
  park or common will attract far more attention — from 
  vampires and humans alike — than one who keeps himself 
  to himself and dwells up a mountain. 
  Concepts: Tunnel rat, morgue worker, meat packer, 
  sewer maintenance man, professional spelunker, missing 
  mountaineer, escaped prison inmate, mole-man, obsessive 
  snowboarder, urban explorer
  Devotions of the Caporetti
  Burrow 
  (Celerity ••, Vigor ••, Caporetti) 
  The Caporetti became a bloodline in the first place when 
  they learned to burrow under the snows of the Isonzo. Al-
  though at home in ice and snow, the Caporetti can burrow 
  under earth and soil, too, when conditions are right. 
  The Caporetti use the power to create narrow tunnels 
  and vast, labyrinthine burrows. More importantly, they 
  use the power to surprise their prey, springing up from 
  under the ground, dragging their victims into the depths 
  before they have any clue.
  Cost: None
  Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics + Celerity. Note that 
  Vigor, if activated in the same scene, also adds to Strength 
  dice pools. 
  Action: Instant; the character may have to make the 
  roll each turn, at the Storyteller’s option. 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character becomes stuck under 
  the ground and remains there until he activates Vigor 
  (if he hasn’t already) and succeeds in a roll of Strength 
  + Athletics. 
  Failure: The character makes no headway. 
  Success: The character can move underground at a rate 
  equal to half his Speed (rounded up) or can excavate a volume 
  of earth equivalent to 6’ x 3’ x 3’ in the space of a turn. 
  Exceptional Success: As above, but the character can 
  move underground at his usual Speed. 
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  Snow 
  +1 
  Soft mud or sand
  -1 
  Packed-in or icy snow 
  -1 
  Topsoil 
  -2 
  Rocky soil 
  -4 
  turf or packed-down soil 
  This power costs 12 experience points to learn.
  
  ancient bloodlines
  20
  Freeze Bones 
  (Celerity ••, Nightmare ••••, Caporetti) 
  The Caporetti try not to let other vampires know about 
  the power that some of them have to cause a victim’s joints 
  to seize up with convulsive cold — at least not until it’s 
  too late. But when the vampire’s icy touch spreads over a 
  body, it’s impossible to ignore. Icicles form on skin turned 
  blue and taut. The victim’s blood literally runs cold. Any 
  movement at all becomes impossible, at least for a time. 
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Intimidate + Nightmare - 
  target’s Stamina 
  Action: Instant 
  The vampire must first touch the targeted character 
  before he can attempt to use this power (as per the rules 
  found in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p.157). 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The victim gains a brief psychic flash 
  of exactly what the vampire was trying to do and exactly 
  what he is, if the target hadn’t known already. This can 
  be a terrible threat to the Masquerade. 
  Failure: The victim shivers, briefly, but suffers no 
  other ill-effects. 
  Success: The victim’s muscles seize up. His skin 
  turns blue and gains a covering of frost, and apart 
  from a chattering of teeth and compulsive shivers, the 
  victim cannot take any physical action at all. The dura-
  tion of this effect depends on the number of successes 
  the vampire’s player rolls:
  Successes 
  Duration
  1 success 
  One turn
  2 successes 
  Two turns
  3 successes 
  Three turns
  4 successes  
  Six turns
  5+ successes 
  Until the end of the scene
  Exceptional Success: As above, except that the victim 
  also suffers a point of lethal damage from the cold. 
  This power costs 18 experience points to learn. 
  Shivers 
  (Celerity •, Nightmare ••, Caporetti) 
  The cold that laces the Caporetto’s body is not remotely 
  natural, and the Caporetti can learn to use that cold to 
  cause their victims to lose control of their bodies. 
  Cost: None
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Intimidate + Nightmare vs. 
  target’s Composure + Blood Potency
  
  21
  bloodlines of the great war - caporetti
  Action: Instant and contested 
  The vampire must first touch the targeted character 
  before he can attempt to use this power (as per the rules 
  found in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p.157). 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character’s aura of cold falters; 
  he cannot attempt to use this power again for the rest of 
  the scene. 
  Failure: The character fails to make the target shudder, 
  even slightly. 
  Success: The victim begins to experience a physical reaction 
  to extreme cold — she shivers. Her teeth chatter. Her skin rises 
  in goosebumps. Her fingers become numb. The target suffers 
  a -1 penalty to all Physical dice pools and gains no benefit 
  from the 10-again rule for the remainder of the scene. 
  Exceptional Success: As above, except that the penalty 
  to Physical dice pools is -2. 
  This power costs 9 experience points to learn.
  Stone Cling 
  (Celerity •, Vigor •)
  Vampires have long been attributed with the ability to 
  scale impossibly steep surfaces, and variations on this 
  power exist. The Caporetti, who once inhabited the 
  highest, steepest peaks of the Isonzo, find that it comes 
  naturally, and many is the Alpine visitor who, just for a 
  moment late at night, has seen a black figure crawling at 
  an impossibly skewed angle over the frozen peaks. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  The power requires no roll. After having spent the point 
  of Vitae, the character is able to do the following for the 
  rest of the scene: 
  •	Add	Celerity	and	Vigor	dots	to	the	number	of	successes 
  the player achieves on climbing rolls;
  •	Move	at	his	usual	Speed	on	even	the	sheerest	of	
  surfaces on a successful climbing roll (see the World of 
  Darkness Rulebook, p. 64). 
  This power costs six experience points to learn.
  
  ancient bloodlines
  22
  Brothers of Ypres
  It isn’t the cough that carries you off. It’s the coffin they carry you off in. 
  We’ve spent the last century poisoning 
  ourselves. A nuclear power plant melts 
  down in the Ukraine. A chemical 
  plant explodes in India. One of 
  the largest cities of the world 
  near-collapses under the weight 
  of its polluted air. And in the 
  first World War, we found 
  ever more efficient ways to 
  poison each other. Every side 
  propelled countless shells, full 
  of deadly gases — phosgene, 
  chlorine, mustard gas — onto sol-
  diers who could do nothing more 
  than pray that their battered, sweaty 
  masks would keep them alive.
  And standing behind those in the trench-
  es, the dead, who could not be poisoned, found 
  ways to exploit these horrors. One dead man in particular, 
  who bore the most mundane of names, learned how to 
  internalize the poisons in the air, mud and water, and use 
  them for his own ends. 
  The bearers of his legacy survive, a line of monsters who 
  thrive on toxins, under whose pale skin lies the chemi-
  cal pollutant that has done its part in the poisoning of 
  a century. 
  Parent Clan: Mekhet
  Bloodline Disciplines: Asphyx, Auspex, Celerity, 
  Obfuscate
  Nickname: Jones, Trenchers 
  Weakness: Along with the usual Mekhet clan weakness 
  (see p. 109 of Vampire: The Requiem), the Brothers’ 
  poisoned blood limits them to drinking Vitae from those 
  who suffer from some kind of poisoning. The Joneses’ 
  supernatural anatomy responds to poisoning on a con-
  ceptual level, meaning that any kind of poisoning works, 
  whether it’s bacterial (as in putrid food or befouled water), 
  chemical, respiratory (poisoning from gas, smoke or from 
  particles such as asbestos counts, as does emphysema) or 
  from radiation. 
  Blood taken from a healthy subject tastes foul to a Jones, 
  and has no benefit at all as Vitae.
  History and Culture: A rolling cycle of death and bore-
  dom ruled the trenches, punctuated by the terror of gas 
  attacks. Pvt. Owen Thomas Jones, a 19-year-
  old soldier from Barry, was reported as 
  one of the 90 men who died in the 
  chlorine attack on Hill 60 at the 
  Second Battle of Ypres. At least 
  that’s what he tells his childer: 
  he says he was Embraced when 
  he was already dead from the 
  gas. Whether true or not — 
  and very few vampires believe 
  him — it’s part of his personal 
  mythology, something Jones had 
  a talent for. 
  Jones may not have enjoyed being 
  a private soldier, but he flourished as 
  a vampire. Within a couple of months, 
  Jones managed to maneuver his sire into 
  the way of a five-nine and was on his way across 
  Western Europe, hiding among the troops by night and 
  dwelling in the vast networks of trenches that the Entente 
  powers developed across France and Belgium. He wasn’t 
  alone in the vampires’ makeshift trench-society, and he 
  soon became well-known in the mud-soaked Elysiums of 
  the trenches. He was particularly good at taking advantage 
  of the chaos and bloodshed of the various battles of the 
  war. His enemies didn’t fare so well, falling prey, according 
  to Jones, to shells, machineguns, barbed wire and sunlight. 
  If Jones’s blood became potent particularly quickly, no 
  one had the time to object. And if Jones’s Mekhet childer 
  noticed that his aura had turned partly black, what were 
  they going to do about it? 
  Jones thrived in other ways as well. Gas attacks didn’t 
  bother the undead in the trenches. They didn’t need to 
  breathe. Dead eyes couldn’t be blinded. Dead skin had 
  no living cells to mutate and burn. Jones found the gas 
  attacks to be an excellent cover for assaults on men who 
  were going to die soon anyway. Jones began to develop 
  a taste for the gas, for the blood of choking, poisoned 
  men. He found, one night, that he had internalized the 
  gas without even realizing he had done so. He found his 
  taste for poisoned blood had become a need, but that he 
  could use the poison for his own ends. 
  It suited most of his childer to benefit, with his help, 
  from the same transformation of the blood. It was easy 
  enough in the chaos for them to move on. Jones was 
  
  23
  bloodlines of the great war - brothers of ypres
  of a nuisance than anything else, not least because their 
  power is so useless against the undead. They make the 
  food supply taste vile sometimes, but the miseries they 
  inflict upon the kine are not communicable. Yes, they’re 
  not trustworthy — but who is? 
  The only thing that Owen Thomas Jones ever really 
  passed down to his bloodline as a tradition is that the 
  Joneses should only ever be seen to profit from toxins in 
  their food — they shouldn’t be the cause of it. 
  And it’s important for the reputation of the line that no 
  one knows that a high proportion of Joneses keep stocks 
  of toxic substances, ranging from cans of rat poison right 
  through to the vats of Iraqi nerve gas Owen Thomas Jones 
  added to his personal collection only a few years ago.
  Concepts: Over-zealous toxicologist, pest extermina-
  tor, Black Widow, war crimes suspect, experimental test 
  subject, Gulf War Syndrome sufferer, fired UN weapons 
  inspector, shell-shocked veteran, “unlawful combatant,” 
  urban cyclist
  Asphyx
  Right at the very moment of his Embrace, Owen Thomas 
  Jones internalized the cocktail of poisonous gases — 
  phosgene, chlorine, mustard gas — that may or may not 
  have killed him. They infused his blood and body, and 
  by exerting his will, he found that he could create the 
  symptoms caused by the gas in the living, and eventually 
  become the gas itself. 
  The powers of Asphyx are quite potent, but have one 
  drawback: they have no direct effect on the Kindred. The 
  only real difference that Asphyx makes to a vampire is that 
  the blood of a human victim of Asphyx tastes absolutely vile 
  (unless the consuming vampire is a Jones, in which case it 
  tastes wonderful), even though it is no less nutritious. 
  The Asphyx Toxin
  The effects of the second to fifth dot Asphyx powers 
  depend on it being a supernatural poison (rules for poi-
  sons can be found on p. 180 of the World of Darkness 
  Rulebook, but also see the addendum in the Introduc-
  tion to this book). As a toxin, the Asphyx poison causes 
  lethal damage and has a Toxicity of: Dots in Asphyx + 
  Blood Potency.
  Characters who come into contact with the poison can 
  roll to escape its effects with a reflexive roll of Stamina + 
  Resolve - Toxicity. If the victim’s player rolls one or more 
  successes, the victim suffers no damage. 
  If she fails, she suffers levels of lethal damage equal to 
  the Toxicity of the vampire’s poison. 
  The poison, like mustard gas, works on contact with 
  skin: protective clothing offers victims a bonus to dice 
  always a loner himself, and when the war ended, he cut 
  the members of his new bloodline loose. 
  Jones had Embraced men just like him: chancers and 
  dealers, and they in turn had taken as childer people on 
  both sides of the war. When the battles ended, they spread 
  quickly with a speed that reflected the dizzying change 
  that overtook the 20th century. By the beginning of the 
  current century, they had become more numerous than 
  any bloodline with less than a century of history has any 
  business being. 
  They followed the British to Mesopotamia in the 1920s, 
  and profited from the widespread use of chlorine on Arab 
  and Kurd resistance fighters. Meanwhile, another branch 
  of the bloodline gained influence on the battlefields of 
  the Russian Civil War. They strode through the middle 
  of gas clouds in Ethiopia and Morocco. 
  In the Second World War, one or two Brothers of 
  Ypres fed well from some of the most callous evils ever 
  perpetrated by mortals against their fellow human be-
  ings. And after the war, some even got as far as Japan, 
  where the new kinds of poisoning visited upon the 
  people by the bomb gave them more food than they had 
  ever seen before. 
  And so it went. The notorious London smogs of the 
  1950s that claimed so many lives were attractive to the 
  Brothers, as was the disaster at Bhopal and the nuclear 
  event at Chernobyl (in fact, power stations in general 
  have been a desired place for Joneses to hunt). Lesser 
  events, such as the poisoning of Camelford, the English 
  village whose entire population suffered from aluminum 
  contamination in the water supply back in the late 1980s, 
  always seem to bring a Brother or two to hunt as soon as 
  the news gets out. 
  The Brothers of Ypres themselves don’t seem cut out 
  for working together. They cooperate happily with other 
  vampires, but tend to see other members of the bloodline 
  as competition for valuable food resources. It’s only when 
  a poisoning event is big enough to create a regular source 
  of Vitae for more than a couple of Jones that they appear 
  in numbers. When they Embrace, they do it for a purpose, 
  and don’t generally tend to tell their childer much about 
  the bloodline. A lot of second- and third-generation Jon-
  eses (there are no fourth generation Joneses so far) seem 
  to come into the bloodline spontaneously when their 
  blood thickens enough, without being told anything about 
  the limitations or benefits of their heritage. It has always 
  been unusual, although not unheard of, for a Trencher to 
  bring an outsider into the bloodline. The Brothers don’t 
  need the competition. 
  Reputation: The covenants and clans do not generally 
  have a lot of time for the Joneses, and consider them more 
  
  ancient bloodlines
  24
  pools of +1 (a simple breath mask of the kind worn by 
  urban cyclists, a wet rag pressed to the mouth) to +5 
  (a full hazmat suit). 
  A Brother can gain Vitae from victims of Asphyx 
  poison, whether it was his own efforts or someone else’s 
  that caused the poisoning. 
  Other Supernatural Beings
  Asphyx works on all living flesh, which means that 
  while it doesn’t work on vampires (nor does it affect 
  zombies or any other undead beings that a Jones might 
  meet), it is quite effective on the living supernatural 
  creatures that inhabit the World of Darkness. 
  It being a supernatural poison, however, other not-
  quite-human creatures get to add their unique super-
  natural traits when resisting Asphyx: werewolves add 
  Primal-Urge to dice pools to resist, mages use Gnosis, 
  Prometheans use Azoth and changelings use Wyrd. 
  Other resistance to poison that a character might have 
  still counts (for example, all Prometheans benefit from 
  a +4 on dice pools to resist poison).
  • The Cough
  The vampire draws the poison in his body out through 
  his fingertips — which let out the slightest of vapors — and 
  touches his victim. Seconds later, the mortal’s eyes water. 
  He begins to choke slightly, and coughs uncontrollably 
  for a few seconds, making it difficult to act. 
  Cost: None
  Dice Pool: Dexterity + Medicine + Asphyx vs. victim’s 
  Stamina + Resolve
  Action: Contested
  To use this power, the vampire must first touch the 
  victim (as per the rules found in the World of Darkness 
  Rulebook, p.157). 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The victim suffers no ill effect at all, 
  and carries on as if nothing had happened. 
  Failure: The poison wells on the vampire’s fingertips for 
  a split-second and then dissolves. Nothing else happens. 
  Success: The victim instantly feels an irritating, choking 
  sensation in his throat and begins to cough. He suffers 
  a -1 penalty to all dice pools for a number of turns equal 
  to the number of the Jones’s successes. 
  Exceptional Success: The victim’s cough causes him 
  a small amount of pain — he even hacks up a few tiny 
  spots of blood. The penalty is the same, but the victim 
  now counts as having been poisoned (and hence a valid 
  choice of victim for a member of the Jones bloodline) 
  until the end of the scene. 
  
  25
  •• Taint
  One of the most dreadful effects of mustard gas is that it 
  doesn’t really dissipate — it taints objects and flesh. The 
  Jones smears a layer of his Vitae over a hand-held object 
  or a small area, about equal to a square foot of space. The 
  blood vanishes into the substance of the object. The next 
  time a mortal touches the contaminated object or space, 
  he risks being poisoned, and must roll to resist the toxicity 
  of the Jones’s poison. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae for every object or square foot of space 
  tainted
  Dice Pool: No roll is required to activate this power. 
  Once contact transmits the poison, the victim’s player 
  must roll to resist the poison as described above.
  Action: Instant
  The poison remains in place from the moment the 
  vampire applies it until the next sunrise, or until some-
  one touches it. It cannot be removed in any way before 
  it is touched; but when the sun rises, it vanishes as if it 
  were never there. Likewise, once the poison has infected 
  someone, the affected area is no longer hazardous. 
  ••• Burning Touch
  The vampire can now directly poison his victims: the 
  poison that exudes from his fingertips bubbles and burns, 
  and when it contacts human flesh, it causes deep and 
  wide blisters that itch and throb. The victim’s eyes water, 
  and she might suffer bleeding in the lungs, as if she had 
  inhaled mustard gas. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: No roll is required to activate this power, 
  but the character must touch the victim for it to have any 
  chance of causing harm. 
  The poison has instant effect, although the victim may 
  roll to avoid suffering damage as above. 
  Action: Instant
  •••• Breath of Death
  The monster breathes out a cloud of acrid, deadly gas that 
  settles over the immediate area. Any living creature in the 
  area risks terrible pain and possibly death. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Strength + Science + Asphyx 
  Action: Instant
  The gas is of a volume sufficient to fill a room roughly 
  15’ long, 15’ wide and 10’ high. 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character fails completely to create 
  the poison cloud — worse, he suffers some of the ill-effects 
  bloodlines of the great war - brothers of ypres
  
  ancient bloodlines
  26
  himself. His skin blisters and cracks and he coughs, once, 
  vomiting a small amount of blood. He loses another Vitae 
  and suffers two points of lethal damage. 
  Failure: The character breathes out the gas, but it dis-
  sipates almost immediately. 
  Success: The character exhales a cloud of greenish 
  gas that smells a little of chlorine, a little of horseradish 
  and a little of cut grass. Anyone who comes into contact 
  with the affected area must roll to avoid damage, as 
  described above. 
  The cloud of gas persists for a length of time that de-
  pends on the number of successes rolled: 
  Successes 
  Duration
  1 success 
  One turn
  2 successes 
  Two turns
  3 successes 
  Four turns
  4 successes  
  Until the end of the scene
  5+ successes 
  Until sunrise
  Exceptional Success: The gas fills twice the usual area. 
  Suggested Modifiers 
  Modifier 
  Situation
  -1 
  Attempting to create gas cloud  
   
  outdoors 
  -1 
  Light rain
  -2 
  Heavy rain
  -2 
  Attempting to create cloud in air- 
   
  conditioned area 
  -2 
  Light breeze
  -3 
  Strong wind
  These modifiers stack (so that, for example, a vampire 
  attempting to create the cloud outdoors in a light wind 
  and light rain would incur a total penalty of -4 to the 
  dice pool).
  ••••• Choking Cloud
  At the highest levels, the character develops the power to 
  dissolve his body into the choking cloud of gas, becoming 
  the poison, directing and controlling it. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae + 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: No roll is required to effect the transformation. 
  Action: Instant
  In gaseous form, the character can move at her nor-
  mal Speed, slip under doors and through cracks in 
  window frames. 
  She can also force living victims to inhale her poison, 
  curling smoky tentacles around her victim’s throat, driving 
  gas into the mouth and nose. The character must make a 
  grapple attack (see the World of Darkness Rulebook p. 
  157) to do so. The vampire only needs to succeed in one 
  grapple attack for the poison to take effect, at which point 
  the victim’s player must roll to avoid poison damage. 
  If the gaseous vampire is caught in high winds or heavy 
  rain, the player must roll Stamina + Resolve. If the weather 
  is particularly bad, the dice pool suffers a penalty of -1 to 
  -3 at the Storyteller’s discretion. If the roll fails, the gas 
  disperses, and the character reforms at the next sunset in 
  the same spot. A character can return to solid form at will 
  with an instant action. 
  
  27
  Georgi Gregorivitch Herzen never 
  met his Final Death. He dwells un-
  der St. Petersburg, still bearing scars 
  gained in the burning of the Palace 
  of Justice, back in 1917. During that 
  night of fire, Herzen’s eyeballs burst 
  and dried out. He had to gnaw his 
  right leg off to escape from blazing timbers that 
  had fallen across him. His remaining leg is a black-
  ened, footless stump, stick-thin and brittle. The few faithful 
  vampires whom he chose to be his attendants claim that he 
  decided not to heal the burns as a mark of his dedication 
  to the great Proletarian Struggle: he earned those scars. 
  He shall keep them. Each night, Herzen sits in a chair in a 
  sewer-side room and in a seared rasp of a voice dictates the 
  tracts and discourse of Narodnaia Volia, the People’s Will, 
  to blood-bound acolytes who absorb his every word. 
  A handful of century-old ghouls carry his missives across 
  Russia, and from there across the world. And the follow-
  ers of Narodnaia Volia, living men and women gathered 
  in anarcho-socialist cells, hear the message: capitalism 
  extends beyond death. Just as the capitalist sucks the life of 
  the proletariat through the constant exploitation of the 
  means of production, so too do the undead treat the liv-
  ing as a means of production, a food source. The people 
  must rise, and the undead must be destroyed. 
  Of course, the general public — even many revolutionary 
  brothers and sisters — cannot believe these truths, and so 
  must never know until such time as they are ready to lead 
  the people in revolution. And in the meantime, secretly, 
  the true Champions of the Proletariat show the People’s 
  unknowing Will by wiping out the undead capitalist 
  scourge. Straddling the line between radical politics and 
  mystical religion, the followers of the People’s Will cannot 
  know that all the while they are slaves to the very thing 
  they seek to wipe out. Blinded by blood, they destroy 
  vampires at the behest of vampires. 
  History: During the beginnings of the Russian Civil 
  War, a coterie of Carthians with Bolshevik sympathies 
  led by Herzen co-opted the remains of Narodnaia Volia. 
  The group had existed as anarchist-terrorists since about 
  1879, and had been responsible for the assassination of 
  Tsar Alexander II in 1881, a deed which had apparently 
  led to the execution of its leaders and the dispersal of 
  the group. 
  In fact, they went underground, 
  and it was here, in the revolution-
  ary underground, that Herzen met 
  the paranoid second-generation 
  inheritors of the People’s Will. He 
  masqueraded as a sympathizer, and 
  began to manipulate the secretive, 
  violent group towards discovering and combat-
  ing his own ideological enemies. 
  By the time they found out the truth about him, he had 
  either bound the members with Vinculi, given them the 
  Embrace, or both. The group, hopelessly compromised, 
  narodnaia Volia (shadoW Cult)
  I know what is to be done.
  QuesTion: WhaT’s a shadoW CulT?
  Answer: It’s a means of control. It’s one of the 
  best tools the Kindred have for extending their 
  influence beyond the realm of the dead. Several 
  exist and each has a goal and a praxis dedicated 
  to realizing that goal. Human dupes gain benefits 
  from initiation into the secret society, never 
  realizing that what they think is the cult’s goal 
  is not the whole truth, or, necessarily, any of the 
  truth. Vampires gain from initiation and from the 
  aid of an organization outside of the obligations of 
  the covenants. To join a Shadow Cult, a character 
  must have one or more dots in the Initiation Merit 
  tied to that cult. 
  New Merit: Initiation (• to •••••)
  Prerequisite: Mortals can only take one dot in this 
  Merit. Ghouls can take up to two dots. Only Kindred 
  can take the Merit at three or more dots. 
  Effect: Your character has received initiation into 
  one of the Shadow Cults. On the first occasion the 
  character meets another member of the cult, he 
  gains a bonus to Social rolls for the duration of the 
  scene, equal to his dots in this Merit. 
  Other benefits come from Initiation into a 
  Shadow Cult, depending on the cult and the 
  number of dots the character has gained in his 
  Initiation. 
  Drawback: Initiation into a Shadow Cult carries 
  with it duties, and failure to perform those duties 
  can cause dots in this Merit to fall, although 
  benefits gained from initiations (such as access 
  to the cult’s proprietary Disciplines, once learned) 
  don’t go away once granted. A character with more 
  than one dot of Initiation into any Shadow Cult can 
  become initiated into others, but can never gain 
  more than one dot in Initiation in any other cult. 
  bloodlines of the great war - narodnaia volia
  
  ancient bloodlines
  28
  reformed into what amounted to a vampire-hunting wing 
  among the Bolsheviks, steered towards destroying the 
  Kindred who opposed Herzen and his cronies. 
  Within a few years, the People’s Will became as much 
  a cult as an ideologically based militant group. They 
  developed symbolic rituals dedicated to strengthening 
  members’ zeal and warping their perceptions. And this is 
  the way the cult stayed. During the Stalinist era, the cult 
  often waged its hidden war within Stalin’s secret police. 
  In the Cold War, it spread to Cuba, Vietnam, Korea and 
  then to the West, reaching a peak in membership in the 
  English-speaking world in the late 1960s. As the Cold 
  War ended, the group declined somewhat, but in recent 
  years, the hard left has met with a resurgence, particularly 
  in a Russia where many have begun to pine for the Com-
  munist days. The living members of Narodnaia Volia still 
  seek out and destroy the capitalist oppressors of the living 
  worker, never really knowing that they only deal with some 
  of the living dead. 
  Praxis: The cult’s members are all active affiliates of 
  the kind of left-wing groups that still exist, in some form 
  or another, in most countries in the world. Operating in 
  small cells of four or five, they work more or less in exactly 
  the same way as grass-roots vampire hunters — only some of 
  their members seem to be preternaturally good at finding 
  targets and suggesting tactics for dealing with them. 
  The vampires who control the cult, meanwhile, take 
  care to lead their members to the right vampires. The 
  choice of target is almost always ideologically based — one 
  important thing to realize is that while to an outsider the 
  use of mortal vampire hunters as a tool used to destroy 
  rival vampires is more than a little cynical, the vampires 
  of Narodnaia Volia consider it a worthwhile expedient. 
  The benefits of their ideology are for the undead, and 
  not the living. The humans are simply tools for the 
  purpose of completing the violent ideological changes 
  necessary to affect a revolution among the Kindred. 
  Pawns are a necessary expedient in this: they are not 
  the means of production, they are a source of food and 
  a method of gaining power. The vampires of Narodnaia 
  Volia are wholly sincere in this: they do what they do 
  for the revolution.
  Cells of the People’s Will don’t tend to last very long. 
  The human vampire hunters all too often make mistakes 
  and gain the attention of the vampires or their agents, 
  and on more than one occasion, Narodnaia Volia cells 
  have been mown down in shoot-outs with armed response 
  units or government groups who have been tipped off by 
  the vampire leader’s enemies. But they always seem to 
  crop up again, months or years later. 
  Covenants and Clans: While the vampires of Narodnaia 
  Volia consider many Carthians not to be true revolutionar-
  ies — just like living socialists, radical Carthians split into 
  rival factions like crazy — most of the vampires in the cult 
  who are not unbound prefer to be part of the Carthian 
  movement. The Circle of the Crone and the Ordo Dracul 
  are not wholly apolitical, as such, but since politics are 
  not strictly their concern, Kindred of Narodnaia Volia can 
  and do join them, at least at the lower levels. 
  As an extremist movement opposed to the establish-
  ment, members of Narodnaia Volia find it hard to imagine 
  joining the Invictus and the Sanctified — at least genuinely. 
  One or two have joined the two great ruling covenants 
  while hiding their allegiance to the People’s Will, the 
  better to destabilize them from within. 
  Although, like most Shadow Cults, Narodnaia Volia was 
  initially a Mekhet cult, the group early on allowed several 
  members of Clan Daeva to join. Demagoguery comes eas-
  ily to the Daeva, and during the time of the Russian Civil 
  War, when the dead had their own revolutions, many of 
  the most strident revolutionaries were Daeva. 
  Ceremonies: Cells of Narodnaia Volia meet irregularly. 
  Human cultists can go about their lives without being 
  called on for months or years at a time. When they do 
  come together, it’s usually because one of the vampires 
  in the cell has found a target. 
  In a typical meeting, a cell reads one of the increasingly 
  radical circular missives sent around by Georgi Grego-
  rivitch Herzen (always signed “GGH”) and takes part in 
  a very simple, silent ceremony where each member cuts 
  his wrist and lets some drops fall in a mundane cup — an 
  ordinary coffee mug or glass is enough. Everyone takes a 
  drink. It’s supposed to be a sign of unity. It’s also a means 
  of guaranteeing that living members of the cult fall very 
  quickly into Vinculi. 
  After business is over, the cult goes out hunting. 
  Initiations
  Narodnaia Volia’s leaders describe their most junior 
  members as the Champions of the Proletariat. These 
  Champions, all of whom are active members of other 
  revolutionary socialist, Marxist-Leninist, anarcho-socialist 
  or communist groups, are always on the look out for 
  potential new recruits into the True Proletarian Struggle, 
  against the oppression of the dead. Champions of the 
  Proletariat don’t know that any other degree of initiation 
  exists. As far as they know, all the members of Narodnaia 
  Volia are human, and all of them are Champions of the 
  Proletariat, just like them. 
  
  29
  The vampires in the group maintain what they call a 
  Temporary Council. Technically, when their Revolution 
  arrives, the Council will disperse, because it will be, they 
  maintain, obsolete. No one in the Temporary Council 
  is under any illusions about that stance being anything 
  other than a fiction, however. The Temporary Council’s 
  Representatives are aware that they must control the 
  human Champions. Right from the beginning, then, a 
  character initiated into Narodnaia Volia takes part in 
  the cult’s same blood-sharing ritual. To join the cult is 
  to drink the cult’s blood — and to become, within three 
  nights, a slave of those who told their followers they 
  cannot be slaves. 
  Technically, no higher levels of Narodnaia Volia exist 
  beyond the Temporary Council. Narodnaia Volia is a true 
  anarcho-socialist vampire social construct. But vampires 
  depend on the need to control and master one another. 
  In practice, this means that the eldest and most respected 
  of the cult’s Representatives form circles of Secret Repre-
  sentatives. Recognizing that Narodnaia Volia’s cells are 
  often short-lived, they justify the way they ensure their own 
  safety above that of the Champions of the Proletariat as 
  necessary for the survival of the cult’s doctrine. Someone 
  must endure for the sake of the Proletariat, they think — and 
  it is better for all, if it is we who escape. 
  •	The	cult	has	members	who	belong	to	dozens	of	far-left	
  splinter groups, and all Champions of the Proletariat, hu-
  man, ghoul and vampire alike, benefit from the knowledge 
  that this brings to the table. With the first dot in Initiation 
  (Narodnaia Volia), the character gains a free specialty in 
  Politics (Hard Left), and two free dots in Contacts, each 
  of which is connected to a revolutionary group. The 
  down side of this is that any mortal character who joins 
  Narodnaia Volia has shared in the blood of the Kindred 
  on many occasions. The character is two steps towards be-
  ing unknowingly bound by a Vinculum to three different 
  Representatives of the Temporary Council, any of whom 
  can make her take that third drink at any time. Kindred 
  who join the cult do not have to suffer this indignity.
  •••	A	vampire	who	learns	the	truth	about	the	Tem-
  porary Council becomes a Representative. He benefits 
  from the socialist/democratic sharing of knowledge, both 
  arcane and political. A member of Narodnaia Volia who 
  joins the Temporary Council can learn either Auspex or 
  Majesty as an in-clan Discipline, meaning that acquiring 
  new powers costs new dots x5 experience points, rather 
  than new dots x7. A Mekhet vampire can learn Majesty, 
  and a Daeva can learn Auspex. The rare vampire of an-
  other clan, who might somehow be permitted to join, can 
  choose to learn one or the other, but not both. 
  •••••	The	Secret	Representatives	have	access	to	hid-
  den bunkers and hideaways they keep in common, the 
  better to withdraw when the forces of oppressive power 
  close in — as they invariably seem to. The character either 
  has the equivalent of a four-dot Haven (with dots assigned 
  between Location, Security, and Size any way the player 
  wishes) or four dots in a shared Haven belonging to the 
  other Secret Representatives in the region. 
  using naRodnaia Volia  
  WiTh hunTeR: The Vigil
  Storytellers who use Hunter: The Vigil may, if they 
  wish, allow player-controlled human Narodnaia 
  Volia members to gain Practical Experience, and to 
  benefit from Tactics and risked Willpower. 
  Although Narodnaia Volia has some of the 
  characteristics of a tier two hunter compact, 
  members of the cult should really be considered 
  first-tier hunters — the cult doesn’t offer benefits 
  on the same scale as a compact.
  bloodlines of the great war - narodnaia volia
  
  ancient bloodlines
  30
  Bloodlines of the Montrose Party 
  (Ce 1839-1869)
  sta-au: the Cruel and WiCked ones
  If you come with us, you come with us forever  
  — into the Land of the Worms, and to the Sand Hills beyond.
  In the mid-1800s, the expansion of America to its largely uncharted western reaches was getting underway. Man 
  cast his gaze toward the setting sun and saw a place of limitless land with the promise of gold. Some young Kindred, 
  though, saw something else: blood, and the freedom to cultivate it. 
  A group of Kindred helped guide a party of humans lead by a man named Esau Montrose, thinking that they would 
  run the herd through dangerous territory the way a mortal being might shepherd cattle or sheep. 
  The attempt met with tragedy. The group encountered a mysterious land, bleak and blasted, a place lorded 
  over by an enigmatic bloodline known as the Cruel and Wicked Ones. But emerging from that tragedy came an 
  ethos suggesting that sometimes, the “food” supply needs protecting. Another bloodline came out of that — the 
  vigilant Shepherds.
  They are twice-dead. They died once and became vam-
  pire, and died twice and became Sta-Au. They are as 
  much ghost as they are Kindred, as much monster 
  as they are human. When one is made Sta-Au, his 
  soul is cut like cloth into ribbons. His teeth are 
  made into a mouthful of needles, his skin 
  bears the stains of death and 
  the marks of his wickedness. 
  To enter the lands of the Sta-
  Au, the Land of the Worms, is 
  to leave tranquility and to enter 
  tribulation. They measure their 
  wealth in the skulls they have taken 
  from their victims.
  At least, that’s what the Sta-Au would have others 
  believe. Not all of it is off the mark, but it’s certainly an 
  embellishment. The vampires of the Sta-Au are not truly 
  twice-dead — no, this is a symbol, a warning that to meet 
  the Wicked Ones is to die one way or another, and those 
  who are allowed to continue existing within the blood-
  line are not considered spared, but reborn. They are not 
  ghosts, not at all, but they can sense ghosts, as if they have 
  been urged closer to the cusp of this mortal coil (close 
  enough to see over the edge and to perceive the limitless 
  dead that waits below). Their teeth do not transform 
  into terrible, needled fangs upon becoming Sta-Au. They 
  file them down to those wretched points, expending the 
  blood and the will to keep them at 
  their sharpest.
  It’s true about their territory, 
  though. The Sta-Au claim the 
  places of North America that 
  are dead zones, places that 
  are forever marked as badlands 
  by both truth and legend. Cer-
  tainly this continent has become 
  profoundly developed. Highways 
  criss-cross the nations, cities spring 
  up and cast a sprawling net of suburban 
  wasteland, tiny towns dot the map. But 
  it’s still home to distant places, places 
  where mankind hasn’t gone, and perhaps won’t 
  ever go. Places that man thinks he cannot survive: blasted 
  canyons, bleak tundra, wide-open spaces said to be marked 
  by terrible winters or awful pollution or searing heat. That 
  being said, some Sta-Au carve out small territories in the 
  midst of the cities, too. Even a large metropolis can be 
  home to places humanity avoids. Places like a trash-heap, 
  or a small island in the river (a “potter’s field”) where 
  the nameless are buried, or an industrial park long left 
  to rust and ruin. 
  Just what are the Sta-Au, then? What is it they want 
  with these desolate places? The Sta-Au seek to become 
  more than what they are. They seek to alter the limita-
  
  31
  tions placed on them as humans and vampires. They 
  think themselves both punished for their wickedness and 
  rewarded for being allowed a way to move past this cor-
  poreal state. They are, in essence, a misguided Golconda 
  cult, believing that the path to becoming truly one of the 
  gracious and wicked dead (as opposed to the “half-dead” 
  that they are, now) is by exiling themselves in haunted 
  dead-lands, letting their Humanity die off like fruit on a 
  diseased vine.
  The sand hills
  The “Sand Hills” is the Blackfoot Indian notion 
  of Heaven, kind of a “Happy Hunting Ground” 
  reached for the true warriors of the tribe. 
  For the Sta-Au, this idea remains, but has been 
  perverted somewhat by their perspective as 
  monsters. The Sand Hills are their interpretation 
  of Golconda. Once they push past their awkward 
  “half-existence,” straddling the worlds of life and 
  death, they’ll be allowed to roam free in a blessed 
  hunting grounds — the Sand Hills. They actually 
  expect that their extant territories (the Land of the 
  Worms) will change from the bleak and desolate 
  places they are now into the sacred “hunting 
  ground for glorious monsters” they desire.
  Parent Clan: Unknown, though likely Mekhet or 
  Gangrel; some within the bloodline believe that it has 
  two founders, one from the Tunaxa people, one from the 
  Tunaha. That being said, once one joins the bloodline, 
  that individual eschews clan as an identifier (and vampires 
  of any clan may become part of this lineage). 
  Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Obfuscate, Protean, Re-
  silience (see sidebar, “Disciplines of the Twice-Dead”)
  Nickname: Shades, the Twice-Dead
  Weakness: The vampire keeps her current clan weak-
  ness, but in addition suffers a debilitating moral and men-
  tal frailty: the vampires of the Sta-Au may not regain lost 
  Humanity. It is believed that by joining with the Wicked 
  Ones, a vampire no longer needs his connection to the 
  mortal, moral world, and so his Beast (or, if one believes 
  the legends, one’s own shadow) prevents reclaiming Hu-
  manity lost to degeneration. Derangements gained from 
  degeneration cannot be overcome.
  History and Culture: The story the Wicked Ones tell 
  to their own is this: the origin of the Twice-Dead began 
  with two men who were exiled by their societies. They 
  came from different peoples (some within the bloodline 
  suggest that one man came from the Tunaxa or K’Tunaxa, 
  while the other came from the Tunaha/Tunahe) but were 
  both criminals cast out for their wickedness. The story 
  is quite clear on the point that neither of these men was 
  dead at the time, and both were human and unfazed by 
  the rising of the morning sun.
  Some stories have these men forging a deep friendship 
  in the blasted hills and badlands where they met in exile, 
  while other branches of the tale have them falling in love. 
  Either way, their relationship was not long for this world 
  as they were both dying: they had no food and little water, 
  and the days were hot and the nights cold. And so, the 
  legend says, they lay there, poised on the edge of this world 
  and nearly ready to tumble into the next. All the while 
  it was clear to them that they would not receive a reward 
  in the afterlife. They would not be allowed to hunt the 
  Sand Hills, for they were wicked.
  This revelation spared them, the Sta-Au claim. Ghosts 
  — wicked shades, dark shadows — emerged, claiming 
  the two men as their own. The spirits consumed what 
  was left of the two men’s human souls, leaving them as 
  almost ghosts themselves. The ghosts said that others 
  would join them one day, and that they would not be 
  alone as Wicked Ones. Someday, they might be able to 
  complete the transformation into something greater than 
  what they already are, and then they will be allowed to 
  hunt the Sand Hills. In the meantime, they are meant to 
  stay in the dark places, the distant reaches, forever exiled 
  from the world of man. These places — the Land of the 
  Worms — are themselves “exiles” of a sort, pushed to the 
  margins of this physical world, touching the very edge of 
  the realm of the dead. (More information on the Land 
  of the Worms can be found on p. 40.)
  And so it goes that the Wicked Ones are a curious (and 
  to some, contemptible) breed of vampires that recognizes 
  its own iniquity as a failing, yet also exalts such wicked-
  ness as being a path to not just enlightenment, but to a 
  full-scale transformation of their condition. They are not 
  a part of the world. The world is home to temptation in 
  the form of life and humanity, and they seek to secede from 
  such temptations. 
  Joining them is not a passive affair. One is not slowly 
  drawn into the web of the Wicked One, seduced for so 
  long that one evening a character wakes up and finds 
  that his blood is that of those around him. Joining is far 
  more active. A vampire either seeks out the Sta-Au, or 
  they “claim” a potential member by abducting certain 
  Kindred who brazenly wander into their territory. Even 
  then, they ensure that the abducted has a choice to join. 
  Those who refuse are considered sad, and deserving of 
  pity for being unprepared to transform (note: not tran-
  scend) one’s nature. A swift death is the mercy that is 
  given to them.
  bloodlines of the montrose party - sta-au
  
  ancient bloodlines
  32
  So why seek them out? A vampire might track 
  down the Sta-Au for a number of reasons, some 
  true, some based on deception. If the char-
  acter thinks them a group truly closing in 
  on Golconda, and Golconda is his greatest 
  desire, it makes sense to walk among them. 
  Another vampire may have grown weary of 
  hiding among humans. In recognizing one’s 
  own base desires and sins, it isn’t unusual 
  to want to leave the world of temptation and 
  find a place and a people who are willing to 
  help you realize your full, awful potential. (For 
  some, that’s even a noble quest — “I don’t want 
  to hurt these people anymore, but I cannot make 
  myself better.” For others, it’s selfish — “I am a monster, 
  and I want a place where I am allowed and encouraged 
  to be that very thing.”)
  Those who join them are considered truly dead, so 
  much so that they are given a version of a Blackfoot 
  funeral where the prospective member is “left for dead” 
  in a tree, covered from the sun only by a heavy swaddling 
  of dark blankets, and put to the mercy of hungry car-
  rion birds. Those who survive the process are allowed 
  to become full-fledged “shades” within the bloodline, 
  considered twice-dead and as much ghost as vampire 
  or human. 
  Times have changed the Sta-Au, somewhat. Once, 
  they were monsters kept to the furthest-flung fringes, 
  and all they needed to do was hunt. More fiend 
  than common beast, they stalked the lands they 
  called their own, the Land of the Worms — and any 
  animal, human or vampire that would dare to 
  wander into their domain was quick to be-
  come prey. They’d consume the blood and 
  use the rest for leather, or build weapons 
  from the bones, drums from the skulls, or 
  blankets from the hair. Should other Kin-
  dred enter the Land of the Worms, 
  they’d first measure them at a 
  distance. They’d warn them away, 
  making it very clear that to con-
  tinue on was to take a step into a 
  very bad land. Believing that they 
  were not monsters for the sake of 
  monstrousness, they’d even 
  attempt to give poten-
  tial prey three chances 
  to turn away, to save 
  themselves from a vile 
  fate. Those who dared to  
  ignore the warnings 
  
  33
  disCiplines of The TWiCe-dead
  The Discipline spread of this bloodline is unique, and 
  given that a vampire of any clan can join the ranks of 
  the Sta-Au, it raises some questions as to what should 
  be done with the vampire’s existing Disciplines.
  The answer is simply that the vampire keeps all 
  the dots in Disciplines already possessed, but once 
  she joins the bloodline, only the four listed here 
  are considered affinity for purposes of lowered 
  experience costs. Raising other Disciplines — even 
  those that were previously considered part of the 
  original clan’s set — now costs the full amount of 
  experience as an “out-of-clan” purchase.
  (frankly, most everyone) were treated to the greatest of cru-
  elties. Why shouldn’t they be? They were forewarned.
  Now, these incursions by outsiders happen all too often. 
  The continent may still be home to some truly out-of-the-
  way places (think Saskatchewan forests, tracts of land 
  high up in the Rockies, or long stretches of dead 
  Mexican desert), but it’s not like it was 200 years 
  ago. People stumble into the Land of the Worms 
  with far greater frequency: lost vacationers, 
  explorers, scientists, drug-runners, isolationists 
  and so forth. This isn’t a bad thing, necessar-
  ily. It allows the Sta-Au to hunt within their 
  territories far more frequently without send-
  ing out hunting parties (which they’re known 
  to do — they aren’t bound to their territories), 
  but it does ensure that they cannot be as exiled 
  and isolated as they once were.
  Physically, those of the bloodline have es-
  chewed any native garb, though some elders still 
  walk the world naked or dressed in very minimal 
  deer leathers. Most mark themselves as monstrous 
  in some way: filing teeth to points, scarification, brand-
  ing, dizzying tattoos and so forth. Skulls are a common 
  motif. Animal skulls are used as masks, or painted skulls 
  like those found during the Mexican Day of the Dead 
  are worn. (Skulls are also used as warnings, marking the 
  edges of Wicked One territory.)
  Reputation: Few know of them, so it’s difficult to gar-
  ner a widespread reputation. The Ordo Dracul is aware of 
  the Sta-Au, and actually has a very loose alliance with those 
  of the bloodline. They are given a pass to walk amongst 
  the Wicked Ones so that the two groups may share secrets 
  about the transformation of the vampiric condition (a few 
  Sta-Au have even joined the covenant, but have done so 
  against the wishes of the other Twice-Dead). Secretly, the 
  bloodlines of the montrose party - sta-au
  
  ancient bloodlines
  34
  Wicked Ones accept that the Ordo Dracul will never truly 
  transcend or transform the Kindred condition because to 
  do so necessitates a refinement of the Blood, not member-
  ship in a club. It’s true, of course, that the Coils work; the 
  Dragons are theoretically on the right track. The Sta-Au, 
  however, maintain that while the Dragons might be on 
  to something, there’s more to finding the Sand Hills than 
  dodging the Curse. 
  Outside of what the Order of Dragons knows, the 
  reputation that precedes the Sta-Au is one of mystery and 
  urban legend. They represent one more grave warning 
  whispered from sire to childe about the dangers of “going 
  nomad.” Wandering away from the city lights puts one in 
  the center ring of a circus of monsters, and the Sta-Au are 
  just one more bogeyman out there in the dark.
  Concepts: Death-obsessed freak, exile from the Ordo 
  Dracul, grief-struck loner, lost soul, Kindred nomad, 
  unrepentant monster, vampiric embodiment of the 
  Wendigo, scholar of atrocity, ghostly hitchhiker, hunter-
  turned-hunted
  Devotions of the Sta-Au
  Ghost Walk 
  (Obfuscate ••, Protean •••••)
  With this Devotion, the vampire can literally walk as a 
  ghost, manifesting as a physically visible specter. The flesh 
  fades, and becomes the corpus of the diaphanous dead.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: No roll is necessary.
  Action: Takes one turn to complete transformation.
  The vampire becomes a ghost in nearly every way, and 
  the duration of this transformation is exactly one hour 
  (no more, no less). The vampire’s traits become those 
  of a ghost’s. The character’s Power score equals the 
  dots found in her highest Power Attribute (Intelligence, 
  Strength, Presence), her Finesse is equal to the highest 
  Finesse Attribute (Wits, Dexterity, Manipulation), and 
  her Resistance is equal to the highest Resistance Attribute 
  (Resolve, Stamina, Composure). 
  All other traits are determined from those scores (see 
  Ghost Traits, World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 208). The 
  character may hold up to 10 Essence, and begins with a 
  number equal to her Willpower dots when using Ghost 
  Walk. The character begins with no Numina, but may 
  buy them using experience points at a cost of 6 points per 
  Numen (Numina can be found on pp. 210-212, World 
  of Darkness Rulebook). Any Numina purchased in this 
  way can only be used during Ghost Walk, but are available 
  every time the character uses the Devotion.
  If the character takes enough damage to her Corpus 
  to “destroy” her, she ceases to be a ghost, reassumes her 
  corporeal state and enters torpor immediately after (but 
  has no physical damage to her body). The torpor’s dura-
  tion is determined by Humanity and Blood Potency. 
  While a ghost, the character exists in Twilight, appear-
  ing only with a successful Manifestation (p. 210, World of 
  Darkness Rulebook). During Ghost Walk, the character 
  sees other ghosts and may communicate with them. 
  This Devotion costs 21 experience points to learn.
  Specter Sight 
  (Auspex ••, Obfuscate ••)
  The Sta-Au are not all keenly interested in the goings-on 
  of the spectral dead, but many are. Vampires may be dead, 
  but they have not seen “the other side.” Ghosts, on the 
  other hand, have crossed a critical boundary between 
  the worlds of life and death and are not forced to exist in 
  either. The Sta-Au don’t necessarily revere ghosts, but they 
  do respect them and their condition. This Devotion helps 
  them interact with the ephemeral and restless dead.
  Cost: 1 Vitae per scene
  Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Auspex
  Action: Instant
  With this Devotion active, for one scene the Wicked 
  One may see all ghosts and entities lurking in a state of 
  Twilight. In addition, she can communicate with them 
  using no special roll, and also gains an automatic “aura 
  perception” regarding all ghosts. This also doesn’t re-
  quire any additional roll. All ghosts are seen to manifest 
  an aura representing that entity’s feelings or “state of 
  mind.” (Use the “Aura Signifiers” sidebar on p. 120 of 
  Vampire: The Requiem.) 
  This Devotion costs 12 experience points to learn.
  Whisper of War 
  (Protean •••, Resilience ••)
  An attack happens in a painfully short moment of time: 
  in half-a-second, the hatchet falls and scrapes away the 
  scalp or a tumbling shotgun slug punches a hole in an 
  enemy’s breastbone. The Sta-Au have a way of casting their 
  flesh into Twilight for the moment in which an attack 
  would normally come crashing against them — leaving the 
  hatchet or the bullet to pass harmlessly through.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: No roll is necessary.
  Action: Reflexive
  The vampire must perform this Devotion at the begin-
  ning of a turn of combat before any others have acted (it’s 
  
  35
  reflexive, and as such does not need to happen in order 
  of Initiative). If the character uses it in the middle of a 
  combat turn and not at the beginning, it applies to the 
  next turn of combat.
  After activating this Devotion, the vampire’s flesh 
  becomes inconsistent for the one-to-three seconds that 
  comprise a combat turn. She may appear to flicker or blur 
  at the edges. Any attacks that fall to her this turn simply 
  pass through her body — an arrow whistles through air and 
  finds no purchase, a fist strikes nothing, a spray of buckshot 
  peppers the wall behind her. Obviously, a character who 
  uses this Devotion to avoid an attack cannot take one of 
  her own, as her body is insubstantial. She can, however, use 
  her action to move, speak or do anything else that doesn’t 
  require physically interacting with the world around her.
  This Devotion costs 15 experience points to learn. 
  playing The sTa-au
  It may seem that these guys would make great antagonists, and they would. But that’s not the mode of play we’re 
  advertising. We want you to use the Sta-Au as characters. They’re morally complex, recognizing their monstrous 
  natures without glorifying or exalting the monstrousness. 
  The Sta-Au represent an option for characters who have perhaps gone too far down the moral dark hole, or have 
  grown weary of the damage done to their loved ones. The bloodline offers a “controlled slide” downward — yes, 
  they fail to regain lost Humanity, but in isolation it’s impossible to degrade swiftly. The Wicked Ones meditate on their 
  awfulness. They offer warning, and thus chances for escape, to those who might suffer from their monstrousness. 
  What follows are a handful of story hooks you might want to use as the basis for a Sta-Au character or coterie:
  Hunting has been difficult. The Sta-Au number too many, and they’re pushing themselves inevitably to a dangerous 
  •	
  and hungry edge. One coterie must go out and travel to a populated area (the closest big city, say) and hunt. 
  But it can never be so simple, can it? The coterie, returning to the “human world” after a long exile, now must 
  confront other Kindred (who claim the city as their domain) and humanity as a whole. The goal is to bring back a 
  herd of humans who can serve the Sta-Au for a time, but moving a dozen or more people (read: abduction) isn’t 
  easy, and is probably considered poaching. What other complexities await the characters back in the big city?
  One among the Sta-Au has achieved what the bloodline aims to do: he has become something different, a true 
  •	
  monster, a hybrid of ghost and vampire with the Humanity burned out of him. He is frightening and powerful. Do 
  the characters so detest what he has become that they must escape the Sta-Au and warn others? Do they want to 
  learn his powers before destroying him? Or will they worship at his feet, learning from him as good disciples? 
  The Land of the Worms (p. 40) is filled with ghosts, and in the blasted lands the dead are far easier to see and 
  •	
  interact with — right there a wealth of stories exist. The restless dead need resolution. The Sta-Au, to learn more 
  about death and what lies beyond the pale, often seek to aid ghosts in return for knowledge. They help usher 
  the spirits to the next world or instead assist them in exercising their most fundamental urges (revenge, contact 
  with a loved one, achieving physical sensation). 
  bloodlines of the montrose party - sta-au
  
  ancient bloodlines
  36
  ShepherdS
  Remember: I’m watching you. Don’t get greedy.
  Think of the way a shepherd tends to his flock. 
  The herder watches over the sheep. He stays nearby, 
  he directs them, he keeps them safe from wolves and 
  starvation and disease. And then, when the time is 
  right, he exploits the animals for their milk, 
  wool and meat. 
  That’s what the Shepherds do. These 
  Savages stand guard over the food supply 
  — that food being the human herd from 
  which vampires feed. Admittedly, it’s not 
  just about food, given that humans are 
  powerful resources in ways beyond being 
  just walking, talking bags of blood, but that 
  still speaks to a core need to keep the herd 
  relatively safe. Either way, whatever a human of-
  fers, he can’t be utilized if he’s dead or on the run. 
  The herd is best when kept docile and ignorant. 
  The Shepherds call this idea the “Fourth Tradition,” 
  or the “Tradition of the Herd.” They claim that it’s just 
  as important as the other three Traditions supposedly 
  put forth by the Camarilla so many centuries ago, and 
  that the Kindred have grown gluttonous and indulgent 
  with the food supply. Any sense of moderation has gone 
  out the window, and now the vampires let their Beasts 
  have a taste whenever they see fit — often leaving a trail 
  of bloodless bodies as a result.
  That doesn’t help anyone. The herd gets spooked, and 
  then it withdraws. At night, they lock doors and windows. 
  They don’t go out to the clubs as much, and the hook-
  ers all carry razors and Tasers and even pistols, none of 
  which will stop a hungry vampire, but can all cause more 
  than a degree of trouble. They call the police. Someone 
  investigates the bodies, the blood spatter, the flakes of 
  dead flesh left behind. They grow aware. Vampire hunters 
  arise. The herd knows it’s being hunted. The Masquerade 
  shudders and fractures. 
  The Shepherds seek to stop this wanton disregard for 
  the herd. And so they do what seems anathema to many 
  Kindred: they protect the humans from vampiric excess.
  Parent Clan: Gangrel
  Bloodline Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Protean, 
  Resilience
  Nickname: Watchers, Herders
  Weakness: In addition to having to endure the 
  normal Gangrel weakness (p. 107, Vampire: The 
  Requiem), the Shepherds also suffer from being 
  too “human.” This doesn’t actually bring them 
  any closer to humanity, but instead casts 
  them further from their own people and 
  nature. As a result, Blood Potency is par-
  ticularly difficult to gain. The vampire 
  only receives one dot of Blood Potency 
  per 100 years and the experience cost to 
  purchase new dots in Blood Potency is 
  now new dots x 10. In addition, a Shepard 
  who tries to commit diablerie must accumu-
  late double the usual number of successes (see p. 
  158 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  History and Culture: It began during the mid-
  19th century with the Montrose Party — a group 
  of humans heading Westward toward Oregon. 
  They were not alone. With them came a number of 
  young Kindred, moving the “flock” of humans through 
  the wilderness the way a cattleman might move his herd 
  dozens of miles so the beasts could have grass to graze on. 
  It was a curious experiment — neither man nor vampire 
  had ever easily crossed such a wild expanse before. It was 
  also a failed experiment: the Montrose Party was beset by 
  a wild tribe of horrific vampires, seemingly not Kindred 
  at all (the Sta-Au). Few survived, most perishing at the 
  hands of the monsters, others claimed by them. 
  One of those who did survive and escape was Greta 
  Devenpeck, a Gangrel who had a powerful way of blending 
  in with the human herd, hiding in plain sight. Despite 
  what was ostensibly a coldly pragmatic solution (usher the 
  food supply to a place where the vampire herders could 
  act as kings), she had formed a certain connection to the 
  people of the Montrose Party — in much the same way as 
  a keeper feels about a dumb hound or a stubborn herd of 
  goats. Greta had come to know these people intimately. 
  She’d discerned their quirks, watched their relationships 
  unfold, and of course tasted their blood from time to time. 
  And then, like that, they were all gone. Dead, because 
  she and the others couldn’t protect them (couldn’t even 
  protect themselves, truth told). 
  It was traumatic, and it changed her. Back in towns and 
  cities, she found she could stand in a crowd of humans 
  
  37
  WhiTe haTs
  The reality is, the Shepherds aren’t the “good 
  guys” just because they keep humans safe. They’re 
  basically just pragmatic predators, tending to the 
  flock the way a cautious drug dealer keeps his 
  customers from killing themselves so that they can 
  continue to indulge their addictions. A parasite 
  does best when it keeps the host alive, right?
  Still, pop culture is home to a number of anti-
  hero protagonists, and Vampire: The Requiem 
  falls in line with that idea from time to time. The 
  Shepherds in particular can play — if you and 
  your Storyteller agree — as something a bit more 
  high-minded and heroic, if need be. They still play 
  at being pragmatic predators, but in this more 
  optimistic version, they’re actually unwittingly 
  or willfully keeping the herd safe because they 
  strive against the Beast within and the evils of 
  Kindred society. They’re the bulwark against cruel 
  predation, and thus you have a mode in which 
  your vampire Shepherd can be more of a “good 
  guy” than you’d perhaps find in a standard mode 
  of play. 
  and they’d barely even notice her. The sheep did not see 
  the wolf that stood among them in full sight. Years later, 
  while on the East Coast, Greta came to notice things about 
  people: sometimes, the herd would grow spooked. If too 
  many fell victim to monstrous predations, they’d start to 
  circle the wagons (so to speak), standing vigil over one 
  another, shuttering the windows at night. Even a mote of 
  awareness blooming in ignorance became dangerous, and 
  when the vampires had trouble feeding, the competition 
  over resources became all the fiercer. Fat and happy, the 
  Kindred had an easier road to peace. Lean and hungry, 
  they tore at each other like starving dogs.
  Greta and her coterie took it unto themselves to police 
  the overindulgences of their kind. If they caught a Kindred 
  slaking his thirst like a mad dog, leaving a trail of bodies, 
  they came to that animal and did what anybody would 
  do with a rabid beast: they gave it swift mercy with stake 
  and axe. From Devenpeck and her coterie of Savages 
  grew the transformed blood of the Shepherds. It’s why 
  they’re more than just a small covenant of vampires. The 
  Blood shifted within them. They are wolves who walk in 
  shadow, they are hunters in darkness. But above all else, 
  they are Shepherds.
  Joining is as easy or as difficult as making a mark on one 
  of the local Shepherds. One must of course be judged wor-
  thy. If a Gangrel has given herself over to hungry excesses 
  too many times, the Shepherds will cast her to the curb (or 
  destroy her outright). But if she can prove her devotion to 
  moderation, to the safety of the herd and not to her own 
  raw desires, then they’ll give her a proper look.
  The Shepherds don’t dress in any notable way, and in 
  fact are purposefully non-notable. They wear non-descript 
  clothes for the most part, and keep their hair and any 
  makeup to acceptable but not extreme levels (unless, of 
  course, the general fashions of an area suggest such a 
  thing — the goal is to blend, not to be a dullard in a room 
  full of fashion mavens, or a golf caddy walking amidst a 
  gaggle of homeless). 
  Reputation: Their reputation is, at best, mixed. Some 
  value their presence. They can be a bit self-righteous and 
  icy, and it’s downright spooky the way they often just ap-
  pear (sometimes with two or three of them in tow), but 
  for the most part they’re actually fulfilling a useful func-
  tion for the good of Kindred society. Some Princes keep 
  them on retainer, and make them a valuable part of “the 
  organization.” Many Shepherds have even ended up as 
  sheriffs and seneschals.
  The problem is, most of the Damned aren’t interested 
  in “the good of Kindred society.” They want to eat. They 
  want to party. They want to fuck and kill and run and 
  laugh. What the Shepherds warn against is something 
  most don’t ever see — while a snowball effect does indeed 
  occur when a vampire indulges in gross feeding excesses, 
  most are too blind to really notice it. And, even if they do 
  notice it, who cares? Blood’s the same two blocks over, so 
  the vampire simply moves his hunting ground.
  And that attitude makes the Shepherds seem like sanc-
  timonious conservationists of the most annoying order…
  which further makes them enemies to any Prince or Arch-
  bishop or pack of snarling nomads. It’s a bit of a vicious 
  circle. The Shepherds end up hunted, but they themselves 
  are capable hunters. Factions clash, and in the interim, the 
  human herd suffers anyway. It’s a struggle the Shepherds 
  must endure; truthfully, those of the bloodline have yet 
  to safely navigate such troubled waters in most cities.
  Concepts: Embattled Prince, helpful sire, Kindred prag-
  matist, reserved glutton, self-righteous castigator, seneschal, 
  survivalist, wary sheriff, trend-setter, penitent avenger
  Devotions of the Shepherds
  Circle the Wagons 
  (Animalism •, Protean •••, Resilience •••)
  Humans are weak. It’s a sad fact, but that’s how the 
  Shepherds see it. The herd is dumb and fallible and frail, 
  and must sometimes be actively protected. This Devotion 
  helps a Watcher do that very thing, affording the herd 
  some measure of genuine physical protection.
  bloodlines of the montrose party - shepherds
  
  ancient bloodlines
  38
  Cost: 1 Vitae per scene
  Dice Pool: Presence + Survival + Resilience
  Action: Reflexive
  Success on the roll causes the Shepherd to give off an 
  aura of safety. This aura extends in a radius around the 
  character equal to that character’s Resilience score in 
  yards. Any within that area of effect (humans and Kindred 
  alike) gain a bonus to Defense equal to the Shepherd’s 
  own Defense, and are also able to downgrade all dam-
  age done to them while within that radius (aggravated 
  becomes lethal, lethal becomes bashing, bashing remains 
  bashing). The downside is, while this applies to those the 
  Shepherd hopes to protect, it also applies to any close com-
  batant within that area of effect, even an enemy. Worse, 
  it does nothing to protect the character himself, though 
  certainly the Shepherd is free to use his own Resilience 
  as protection. 
  This Devotion costs 21 experience points to learn.
  The Herd’s Measure 
  (Auspex •, Animalism ••, Obfuscate ••)
  It’s easy enough to test if a well of water has gone bad, 
  but for vampires, it’s much more difficult to determine if 
  their food supply has been “poisoned,” so to speak. This 
  Devotion, grown out of the Shepherds’ nightly activities, 
  helps them gauge the tenor and mood of a crowd, and 
  react accordingly. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Animalism
  Action: Extended (target number based on size of 
  crowd — for every 10 people present, an additional suc-
  cess is required; each roll is equal to two turns’ worth of 
  observation).
  The Shepherd walks among the people, silently observ-
  ing, occasionally touching a passerby. Over time, she starts 
  to gauge the dominant mood of the crowd — panicked, 
  happy, content, ignorant, angry, etc. It doesn’t allow her 
  to pick out the anomalies from the group, however. If one 
  person is frightened among a herd of otherwise happy 
  mortals, this Devotion does not identify that individual 
  as being separate from the herd. 
  In addition to gauging mood, this Devotion also pro-
  vides two ancillary effects. The first is that the vampire 
  blends into the crowd more easily, gaining +1 to Stealth 
  rolls. The second effect is that, by knowing the mood 
  of the crowd, she can more easily exploit the prevailing 
  feelings of the herd to her advantage. She can add her 
  dots in Empathy to any Social rolls she makes with those 
  members of the crowd given over to the dominant emo-
  
  39
  tion. Alternately, Empathy rolls gain a dice bonus equal 
  to the character’s Animalism score.
  This Devotion works on animals, too. The Empathy bo-
  nus goes toward Animal Ken rolls in such an instance.
  This Devotion costs 15 experience points to learn.
  aniMalisM is foR people Too?
  The two Devotions featured with the Shepherds 
  both use Animalism in a way that affects humans, 
  which is a bit odd given the Discipline’s name. 
  Here, Animalism is meant to represent the herd — 
  both animals and humans give off certain “herd 
  signals,” such as when danger is around or when 
  hungry, and so the Discipline can be applied in 
  these Devotions. (In addition, make note that 
  despite its name, Animalism is as much about 
  the Beast within as it is about actual animals. It’s 
  about forging a sympathetic connection between 
  bestial intentions, not specifically about talking to 
  or commanding animals.)
  bloodlines of the montrose party - shepherds
  
  ancient bloodlines
  40
  Some places are truly dead: arid deserts, desolate can-
  yons, rotten forests and so forth. These places comprise 
  the Land of the Worms. The Land of the Worms is not a 
  single location, despite its name. However, certainly some 
  vampires believe that all territories given over to this bleak 
  and blasted condition are somehow connected spiritually, 
  and perhaps even physically. 
  Life may grow there, but it isn’t healthy. Leaves are 
  curled and spotted, branches gnarled, and the wildlife 
  limps about or suffers from strange tumors and other 
  uncategorized diseases. (Vermin are a notable exception 
  to this: rats and gnats, worms and germs, all do quite well 
  in the Land of the Worms.)
  The sky is typically gray. The sun rarely shines. It 
  rains often enough — a greasy, sometimes sulfurous- 
  smelling downpour. 
  It needn’t be out in the wilderness, though most of these 
  accursed places are. Some linger in cities. Someone tries to 
  build, to “develop,” on the Land of the Worms. It works, 
  insofar as a structure goes up successfully. But it soon be-
  comes a ruined place as the dead and desolate aura gathers 
  its strength anew and reclaims the land. A fire runs through 
  a factory, leaving it a charred and gutted husk, or a massive 
  landfill becomes so hazardous that it must be locked away 
  and left to the cancerous ravens that call it home.
  The Sta-Au call the Land of the Worms their territory, 
  but it seems clear that they do not make these places what 
  they are. They simply gather there, finding a kind of sym-
  pathetic connection with such a ruined locale. In fact, the 
  Wicked Ones accept that these places (jointly called the 
  Land of the Worms) have always been here and will always 
  be here: dead places favorable to dead things. Ghosts and 
  vampires belong there. It is their monstrous land.
  Grim Territory
  The Land of the Worms is always marked. The Sta-Au 
  set out obvious symbols, usually skulls and other bones 
  painted with black ink or blood. And yet, the Sta-Au are 
  not present everywhere. The bloodline is generally only 
  found in North America, and the Land of the Worms 
  bleeds its dead energies into parts of the world where the 
  Wicked Ones have never visited. Those who know how 
  to look for the proper signs may find that the Land of the 
  Worms is marked in other, subtler ways.
  Success on a Wits + Composure roll or a focused Wits + 
  Occult roll may alert a character to a number of odd desig-
  nators that seem to mark a territory’s edge. Some examples 
  include: a line of sun-bleached salt, a row of ants that won’t 
  cross into the dead land, bits of shattered quartz, dead birds 
  (non-carrion birds usually, such as doves or mockingbirds) ly-
  ing about every 50 feet or so, a thin trail of foul-smelling slime 
  (like that left behind by a slug or snail), or a creeping vine of 
  dark and withered ivy. Certainly a Storyteller is encouraged 
  to come up with his own mix of strange markings.
  If the vampire has powers that allow her to see ghosts 
  or spirits, merely possessing those powers grants a +3 to 
  the Perception rolls noted above. 
  Elements and Effects
  When one crosses over into the Land of the Worms, the fol-
  lowing elements and effects should be considered in play:
  Ghosts are more spiritually “in tune” with the 
  •	
  strange land. As a result, any ghost within the Land 
  of the Worms gains +3 to rolls made to manifest or 
  to use Numina. 
  This so-called “dead zone” exudes an enervating 
  •	
  presence. A living creature (vampires are excluded, 
  as they are not alive) can not heal any lethal or aggra-
  vated damage while within the Land of the Worms. 
  Bashing damage heals, but it instead takes one day 
  to heal a single point of bashing damage.
  Mysterious PlaCe:  
  the land of the WorMs
  WasTelands of one kind oR anoTheR
  If you have access to Promethean: The Created, the 
  Land of the Worms might look somewhat familiar. 
  The Wastelands that Prometheans create don’t 
  spring from the same source as the Land of the 
  Worms (necessarily, though you’re free to draw a 
  connection if it works for your chronicle), but the 
  effects are similar. Therefore, when any of the 
  Created enter such a place, they do not contribute 
  to the Wasteland. These places are immune to the 
  effect. Prometheans may very well find a kind of 
  strange solace in such locals, and these may be 
  some of the places where they end up when they 
  “go to the Wastes.” 
  
  41
  The enervation has another, more sinister effect: 
  •	
  those living creatures that lurk too long in the Land 
  of the Worms begin to suffer from some manner 
  of disease, whether born from an infected wound 
  or manifested out of nowhere. Diseases are rarely 
  deadly, but wasting: walking pneumonia, cancerous 
  growths, rheumatoid arthritis. Generally, a creature 
  must spend at least a full week in the Land of the 
  Worms (of uninterrupted duration) before such 
  malaise and sickness set in.
  Any human who perishes within the Land of 
  •	
  the Worms becomes a ghost that is bound to the 
  place. All such ghosts have these dead zones as 
  their anchors.
  Food turns to ash in one’s mouth, and sleep is impos-
  •	
  sible to achieve — one only tosses and turns, unable 
  to find restfulness. However, one doesn’t need to eat 
  or sleep while within the Land of the Worms. A hu-
  man certainly grows hungry and weary, but does not 
  suffer penalties from hunger, thirst or fatigue. This 
  rule doesn’t apply to vampires: vampires must slum-
  ber during the day, and must also feed on blood.
  The sun, however, is not nearly as potent in the 
  •	
  Land of the Worms. It always seems bleary and 
  washed-out, always concealed behind layers of haze 
  and murk. Vampires suffer lethal damage, rather 
  than aggravated, from sunlight.
  Theories
  So just what is the Land of the Worms? Physically and 
  spiritually, such places exist, but exactly how and why 
  they exist is by no means clear. The following theories 
  are meant to help give some potential context to those 
  characters seeking to study the mystery of these bleak and 
  blasted lands.
  The journals of the Nosferatu, Victor Blackcloud, 
  •	
  may provide some elucidation. Blackcloud, when 
  human, had some Blackfoot blood in him (though 
  he largely eschewed any connection to his native 
  peoples). Upon becoming a vampire, Victor used 
  the change as an opportunity to search out some 
  of his heritage — not for genealogical interests, but 
  because Victor’s sire was in the Circle of the Crone 
  and he went in search of old Blackfoot magic. His 
  research eventually led Victor into the Land of the 
  Worms, a place the Wicked Ones had not claimed 
  as their territory. Victor walked the lands in search 
  of a mysterious vampire known only as Killed Many 
  Times, but he never found the enigmatic figure. Dur-
  ing his many weeks within the dead zone, however, 
  Victor kept a small leather-bound journal illustrating 
  the nightmares he suffered during daysleep and the 
  many hallucinations and ghostly experiences en-
  countered at night. Victor Blackcloud never emerged 
  from the Land of the Worms, and hasn’t been seen 
  since. His journal, however, made it out, and has 
  been passed around as a “curious read.” It’s filled 
  with odd puzzles, ciphers, and symbolic drawings. 
  Some of the journal seems to detail a belief that Vic-
  tor grew to possess — that the Land of the Worms 
  is meant to serve as a “staging ground” for some 
  “ancient parasite” known as the Helminth. More 
  and more, Victor became convinced that his body 
  was home to an infestation of worms, and he tied 
  this belief to the land which, he claimed, would one 
  day be “teeming with giant worms.” 
  Scholars of the Ordo Dracul have posited that these 
  •	
  places are themselves ghosts. Once, such locals were 
  home to something or someone: powerful monoliths, 
  ancient villages, forgotten temples. Something de-
  stroyed them, perhaps some cosmic or biological event 
  (deluge, comet, disease), and it left these places as scars 
  on the spiritual surface of the Earth. They are, these 
  Damned believe, the antithesis to Dragon’s Nests.
  The Sta-Au (p. 30) claim that the Land of the Worms 
  •	
  is meant to serve as a proving ground for them in par-
  ticular. If they could one day move past this transitive 
  state of existing as vampires, they would transform 
  into something different, something greater and more 
  pure than what they already are. Doing so would in 
  turn transform these dead zones into glorious hunting 
  grounds, the Blackfoot’s mythical idea of Heaven, the 
  Sand Hills.
  Story Hooks
  The following are story hooks using the Land of the 
  Worms, to better help you bring it into your Vampire: 
  The Requiem game.
  The blood hunt has been called, but the target of 
  •	
  that hunt has escaped — and he has fled into a place 
  plainly marked as the Land of the Worms. It might 
  be way out in the middle of nowhere, but it could 
  also be in the midst of the city (a burned out hous-
  ing project, for instance). The characters are selected 
  to continue the hunt well beyond the expected 
  territory because the Prince, or their sires, has a 
  bloody-minded desire to punish this transgressor. 
  They must track him into this dismal place, warding 
  off the Sta-Au and attacks by vengeful ghosts. What 
  happens when they find their prey? Do they discover 
  he has already been destroyed? Or has he accepted 
  this place in his dead, dark heart, perhaps even 
  bloodlines of the montrose party - the land of the worms
  
  ancient bloodlines
  42
  becoming one with the Wicked Ones? Regardless, 
  the Land of the Worms only serves to complicate 
  their mission.
  Some nomads pass through the city, and the char-
  •	
  acters learn from these outsiders that there is a way 
  to “travel between worlds.” It’s dangerous, but it’s 
  fast — no more long journeys through hundreds 
  of miles of empty space or Lupine territory. One 
  merely needs to find these dead places (i.e. Land of 
  the Worms), and in each can be found a door or a 
  gateway marked with odd sigils. These doorways will 
  take a vampire to another dead place, maybe dozens 
  or even hundreds of miles away. In other words, 
  they’ve found the truth of the matter, that all the 
  dead zones are connected into one big-yet-broken 
  Land of the Worms. Of course, exploiting these 
  mystical gateways is no easy task… but the nomads 
  don’t really make that part clear.
  The news hits Elysium: next month will be an auc-
  •	
  tion, and the journals of Victor Blackcloud (above, 
  under “Theories”) will be put up for bid. The char-
  acters’ sire or patron makes it very clear — get those 
  journals at any cost. Steal them, buy them, kill the 
  auction winner, whatever. Their master is willing to 
  shatter the Masquerade to get this journal and learn 
  more about the Land of the Worms. But why?
  OBJECT ID: 07.09.04ac
  CULTURAL AFFILIATION: Blackfoot Indian
  DATE OF MANUFACTURE: Unknown; organic
  PLACE OF MANUFACTURE: Unknown; organic
  MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUE/MATERIALS: Primary artifact con-
  sists of a human skull, the jawbone re-attached to the rest 
  using braided rawhide (deer leather). Accompanying skull are 
  rawhide cords, non-braided, that held skull in place (see Loca-
  tion Found). Symbols painted on skull analyzed; material found 
  to be mixture of human and animal blood (animal uncertain — 
  possibly coyote). Teeth whetted to points, marks on canines and 
  molars suggest sandstone.
  SIZE: From forehead to occiput, 21 cm. Width of head ~ 17 cm. Ap-
  proximate circumference is 54 cm. 
  LOCATION FOUND: Ditch Creek, Black Hills, South Dakota. This 
  skull and four others like it lined the far edge of the creek, 
  wound around dead bur oaks, each approximately 25 meters 
  from one another. Connected to trees w/rawhide cord (see image 
  above). Skulls found no higher than three meters off ground, 
  pointing outward, toward (currently dry) creek bed.
  PURPOSE: Uncertain. Symbols (see below) may suggest warding off 
  of evil, or marking of territory. 
  DESIGNS/SYMBOLS: Symbol (1) on crest of forehead: medicine wheel. 
  Circle split by a cross, each quadrant further divided by thin-
  ner, more finely-painted lines. Symbol (2) on right cheekbone: 
  an ‘X.’ Symbol (3) on left cheekbone, three dark lines (similar to 
  those found on some Blackfoot tipis). Symbols (4) found on inside 
  of jawbone: seven inverted horses. Interpretation uncertain. 
  Horses indicate hunting and life (see Coates, Blackfoot Symbol-
  ogy, page 178), “vigor of warrior.” Inversion may mean death or 
  prey. Cheekbone symbols indicate warding off of (or containing) 
  evil. Medicine wheel sacred among Blackfeet, the tradition picked 
  up from earliest pre-Blackfoot inhabitants (Tunaxa/Tunaha). 
  Wheel symbolizes all directions, but here may indicate something 
  as straightforward as territory (Coates, page 192). 
  
  43
  Bloodlines of the aGe of 
  treaChery (Ce 1857)
  In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kindred of India first became known to the wider world during the rapid im-
  perialistic expansion of the great European powers. Their strange, insular culture — unlike anything practiced by 
  the European Kindred who came to the Indian subcontinent with the explorers, merchants, and diplomats of their 
  homelands — at first acted as a barrier to successful social interaction with the newcomers. It then became a successful 
  weapon against the native vampires, as internal pressures and external manipulations triggered a devastating interne-
  cine bloodwar among the Indian bloodlines in the mid-19th century. A century and a half later, the consequences 
  of that treachery are about to come home for all.
  Amara Havana
  Do you truly think yourself my equal, when the blood of warrior gods flows in my veins?
  It was one of the most heartbreak-
  ing things I have ever seen: Am-
  ara’s ruin smoking in the moon-
  light, the scent of gun-powder 
  and rock-dust still hanging in 
  the air, thick enough to taste, 
  and beneath that blood and 
  death-ashes. I was numb with 
  exhaustion already, my strength 
  drained to the dregs by nights of battle, 
  and yet the sight struck me, wrung pain from me 
  when I thought I had no more grief left to give. 
  Amara, the heart of my people, lay broken before 
  me, and I knew that the ash I tasted belonged to my sire, 
  and my sire’s sire, and all of my kin, broken along with 
  it. They would not have abandoned the ancient temple-
  sanctuary to be defaced and despoiled by foreigners, liv-
  ing or dead. They would not have abandoned our king to 
  be slaughtered by assassins unless they themselves could 
  fight no more. A wrathful madness seized me, and for a 
  searing moment all I wanted was to kill — had anything 
  or anyone been unfortunate enough to come upon me, 
  then, it would have ended the night in bloody shreds. 
  As I came closer, across the fields torn by horses’ hooves 
  and artillery caissons, the furious madness ebbed away 
  and an even more terrible anguish took its place. It was 
  even worse than I had feared, than 
  could be seen at a distance, the 
  whole of the temple’s outer 
  face was simply gone, pum-
  meled to rubble and buried 
  in the landslide caused by the 
  wholesale collapse of the hill’s 
  crown. Beneath my feet, the earth 
  still trembled from time to time and 
  the sound of falling stone echoed out 
  through the wreckage, as the collapse of the 
  temple interior had not yet finished. I knelt in 
  what was left of the outermost court and could not 
  even find in myself the desire to move as the sky slowly 
  paled with oncoming dawn. I wept, and whispered quiet 
  pleas for the souls of my dead, and would have stayed to 
  join them, had not Narayan found me there and forced 
  me to my feet, his hoarse voice insisting that all was not 
  yet lost. It was true, though I did not believe him at that 
  moment. The temple was not wholly destroyed. The 
  deepest chambers survived, and were re-excavated and 
  reinforced in slow and careful stages over many years. 
  We return there now by hidden ways, to take counsel 
  among one another, and to whisper our questions to the 
  ghosts of the warriors who came before us, and to fear 
  for the future of our people. Or, at least, I do.
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - amara havana
  
  ancient bloodlines
  44
  Thus it is written in the puranas of the Amara Havana:
  The asura Mahishasura, blessed for the purity of his piety, the many 
  austerities of his existence, and his unfailing adherence to the dharma of his 
  kind, could be neither conquered nor slain by the hand of any god or man. 
  The terror of the three worlds, he conquered Heaven and drove forth all 
  the gods, whose weapons were powerless against him, and sewed chaos 
  and destruction upon the helpless Earth. In secret, the mightiest of the 
  gods came together upon the banks of the holiest of waters and offered 
  to the universe their prayer: that the Great Goddess should send forth a 
  savior in her own form, a warrior goddess mightier than any man or god, 
  whose strength could save Heaven and Earth from ruin at the hands of 
  the demon none of them could slay. Their prayer was heard, and from the 
  waters she came with ten arms to bear the weapons that were powerful 
  in her hands, and three eyes to see all that had befallen the realms of 
  Heaven and Earth and the Underworld, and a tongue that wished to taste 
  the blood of demons.
  The battle between the mighty warrior goddess and the pious demon shook 
  the Heavens and the Earth, and raged from the sea to the sky, from the 
  mountains to the plains, and across the length and breadth of the three 
  worlds. For nine days and nine nights they fought with one another, neither 
  able to claim victory, and the blood of the goddess and the demon rained 
  down upon the Earth and the creatures that dwelt upon it, transfiguring 
  all that it touched in the demon-haunted world. The men and women upon 
  whom the goddess’s blood fell suffered from its touch, first with a terrible 
  heat that burnt away their mortal lives. Then a terrible cold gripped their 
  souls, and when they rose from where they were stricken, they were nei-
  ther human, nor god, nor demon, but some part of all. A fierce hunger 
  was upon them, a desire to sup upon the blood of the asuras who, follow-
  ing Mahishasura, had risen from the dark places of the world to slake 
  their lusts upon the people of the Earth while the gods could do naught to 
  aid or comfort those who cried out to them for succor. And so, since the 
  gods were helpless, the new-born warriors, in whose veins ran the blood 
  of both gods and demons, took up their arms for the first time to slay the 
  despoilers of their world.
  
  45
  Thus it is written:
  On the tenth day, the goddess was victorious. Her blade parted the hid-
  eous head of Mahishasura from his shoulders and the asura armies that 
  the fiend had drawn into his service fell back in horror and dismay, to be 
  pursued and driven back into the darkness from whence they had come. 
  Shining with the gentle light of the newest of crescent moons, the goddess 
  descended into the broken, ravaged world and surveyed it with sorrow 
  in her heart. As the last light of the day died, the warriors who wore her 
  blood as their mantle came forth from the darkness in which they had 
  fought and suffered and knelt in supplication at the goddess’s feet, to beg 
  her mercy and her blessing. To them, she extended her hand and, laying 
  it upon their brows, she found that she could not take back the change that 
  had transfigured them — but she could acknowledge the value of what 
  they had become, and charge them to keep and carry out the dharma of 
  kings and warriors so long as they continued to exist. These first warriors 
  accepted that blessing, that responsibility, and the name that the goddess 
  gave to them: Amara Havana, the Deathless Sacrifice, who had offered 
  their flesh and souls to the struggle against asuras and adharma and 
  whose faith could no more perish than they.
  Thus it was written, and thus it remains.
  Parent Clan: Daeva
  Bloodline Disciplines: Celerity, Majesty, Sakti Pata, 
  Vigor 
  Nickname: Guardians
  Weakness: As with their parent clan, the Amara Ha-
  vana have difficulty resisting the darker passions of their 
  natures (see p. 105 of Vampire: The Requiem).
  Additionally, accepting membership into the Amara 
  Havana forever stains the vampires with blood. All Guard-
  ians leave bloody handprints on whatever they touch. 
  This blood is illusory; it does not feel wet, and does not 
  transfer to other surfaces. The player can expend Will-
  power to cancel this effect for a scene, just as he can to 
  make the vampire’s reflection appear normal (see p. 170 
  of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  History and Culture: The Amara Havana hold them-
  selves to be the literal descendants of gods (or, rather, a 
  goddess) and of demons, the offspring of a war that raged 
  thousands of years before humanity even possessed the 
  means to record its history. During this dark time, the 
  world was overrun with both asuras (immensely powerful 
  spiritual beings who were neither gods nor demons, and 
  which could be malicious or benevolent and were often 
  both) and demons hostile to both humankind and the 
  gods. These entities were released, from the prisons and 
  vows binding them, by the demon king Ravana, through 
  his own rebellion against the gods and the strictures of 
  the universe’s ordered adherence to dharma. It was a 
  time of great terror and strife in Heaven, Earth and the 
  Underworld, the horror fueled by the fact that many 
  of the mightiest demons were pious enough to have 
  achieved divinely which protected them from death ex-
  cept by specific circumstances. Such was the case of the 
  shapeshifter buffalo-demon Mahishasura, whose pious-
  ness and prayers to Brahma had been rewarded with a 
  body that could not be slain by any man or god and who 
  achieved the conquest of Heaven as a result. In order to 
  defeat and destroy him, the three greatest gods — Vishnu, 
  Shiva, and Brahma — offered their prayers to the holy 
  river Ganges to bring forth a champion for the gods, and 
  thus was born the goddess Durga, the warrior aspect of 
  the great goddess Mahadevi. The mightiest of the gods 
  gave her their most powerful weapons, the mountains 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - amara havana
  
  ancient bloodlines
  46
  gifted her with a white tiger to ride into battle, and she 
  went forth to destroy the demon that could not be slain 
  by any but a woman warrior.
  Unlike several other Indian bloodlines, the Amara 
  Havana do not believe that their patron deity actually 
  incarnated as one of their own in order to found their 
  lineage. Rather, when the blood of the goddess Durga 
  and the asura Mahishasura rained down from their battle 
  in heaven, those who were bathed in that blood were 
  forever transformed by the touch of mingled divine and 
  demonic essence. When the battle between the goddess 
  and the demon ended in her victory, she descended to 
  the ravaged Earth to set in motion its healing. When 
  the first vampires of this bloodline knelt to her in sup-
  plication and prayed for her blessing, she answered 
  those prayers with a boon of great power. Mighty and 
  compassionate though she was, even the goddess could 
  not purify them of the demon-taint to their blood, nor 
  could she make them truly immortal. Instead she set 
  forth conditions by which death could claim them, 
  rendering them immune to age or disease, and vulner-
  able only to fire and the weapons of other warriors. She 
  also decreed that the tainted blood that had so changed 
  them would be the strongest of their weapons, anointing 
  them as her chosen warriors, the rulers and guardians 
  of their people by night as the mortal kshatriya were 
  the rulers and guardians of the day. Thus, the Amara 
  Havana consider themselves, and all other vampires, to 
  be a form of asura, neither god nor man nor demon, 
  but an admixture of all three, who have chosen a way 
  of righteousness and self-sacrifice for the sake of dharma 
  and the life of the universe itself.
  This history is recorded in the puranas sacred to the 
  bloodline as a whole and, in general, they do not credit 
  the attitudes of western Kindred concerning the unlikeli-
  hood of their origin. If the westerners choose to believe 
  that there are none in the world older than a thousand 
  years, their delusions are of no concern to those who 
  know better. The eldest vampires of the Amara Havana 
  remember Harappa at the height of its power. The eldest 
  of their lineage hand down artifacts, bearing the tongue of 
  the ancient Indus, to the younger generations. They keep 
  faith with the dharma laid out for them in the puranas and 
  vedas and, as far as they are concerned, this is all that truly 
  matters. Some Kindred of this bloodline even go so far 
  as to believe that the western Daeva clan descends from 
  them and not the other way around — with these western-
  ers being the offspring of those too weak to adhere to the 
  demands of rajadharma, who fled the cradle of the blood 
  to hide their cowardice. This attitude naturally does not 
  much endear them to their western cousins. Among the 
  Kindred bloodlines of India, the Amara Havana gener-
  ally consider only one other bloodline to be their peer 
  in terms of ancient pedigree — the Nosferatu Rakshasa 
  bloodline, with whom they have enjoyed a relationship 
  that has ranged from semi-amicable rivalry to open, bloody 
  warfare — and only one to be their superior, the kshatriya 
  bloodline of the Mekhet, called the Ananta Naga.
  In strict truth, no one knows precisely how old the 
  Amara Havana really are, though they, like the Rak-
  shasa, claim a history that stretches back thousands of 
  years beyond the accepted limits of early human history. 
  Certainly, there were vampires present and active within 
  the Indus culture back then, though whether any of the 
  current Indian Kindred bloodlines are direct descendants 
  of those vampires is debatable. In practice, the Kindred of 
  India make those claims and very few in the world could 
  possibly gainsay them — they accept that history as true 
  and teach it to their neonates as fact, admitting very little 
  debate on the issue. In essence, the Amara Havana have 
  retained their own startlingly resilient and contiguous 
  internal culture by virtue of a fundamentalist attitude 
  about their own history, which has admitted no editorial 
  or adjustment by outside social forces. While the Rakshasa 
  were falling under the “civilizing” sway of the brahmins for 
  the first time, the Amara Havana were refining their own 
  understanding of rajadharma to a razor’s edge without 
  the need of such interference in their internal affairs. 
  While the brahmin Kindred would have their own kind 
  and the westerners believe that all the foremost advances 
  of vampire society can be credited to their account, the 
  kshatriya bloodlines in general, and the Amara Havana in 
  particular, know otherwise. 
  The nocturnal battles, that secured the safety of the 
  brahmin Kindred to practice their sorceries and develop 
  their philosophies, were fought by the kshatriya. The 
  blood that watered the mountains and plains and forests 
  of India flowed from the veins of her warriors, living and 
  dead. The burden of rulership was laid by the decree of 
  the gods on the shoulders of those most fit to bear it, and 
  those shoulders did not reside in the brahmin bloodlines. 
  It became, over a period of some five centuries, a matter 
  of not inconsiderable grievance that the princes of the 
  Amara Havana would take counsel with the brahmin 
  Kindred, would listen to the religious teachings of the 
  brahmin Kindred, and would willingly do the fighting for 
  the brahmin Kindred, but would not permit themselves or 
  their dominions to be governed by a sorcerer-priest from 
  behind their own thrones. Where the Amara Havana held 
  sway, they were the rulers.
  Matters stood thus at the dawn of the 19th century, 
  when the great European powers began exerting their 
  
  47
  of powerful elders retired their positions, leaving untried 
  successors to navigate the perilous social waters of newly 
  colonial India, and the results were almost uniformly 
  disastrous. The Chhatrapati resisted the siren call of sleep 
  for as long as he could but, in the end, even he needed to 
  lay down his sword. His retirement, and the subsequent 
  internecine quarrel among the kshatriya over who should 
  replace him, led to open bloodshed between all the ma-
  jor bloodlines and most of the minor ones, as well. The 
  Amara Havana and the Ananta Naga joined forces to 
  lesson the Rakshasa, whom they perceived as the lapdogs 
  and puppets of self-serving brahmin manipulators, and 
  then turned upon each other to settle the question of 
  dominance between themselves once and for all. Before 
  either could claim victory, however, the war was joined 
  from another quarter: European vampires beholden to 
  the Invictus and the Lancea Sanctum, as well as native 
  pawns and traitors, attacked the embattled kshatriya 
  bloodlines. Already weakened by the struggle with their 
  traditional rivals, the Amara Havana were hit particularly 
  hard by the European onslaught: whole lineages were 
  wiped out root and branch, and many dozens more were 
  driven into torpor and exile before the conflict finally 
  ended with much of southern India under the rulership 
  of conquering European princes.
  Licking their wounds in exile, the Amara Havana real-
  ized the folly of their own actions and moved to correct 
  them. Over the next century and a half they formally sued 
  for peace with the Ananta Naga, who accepted without 
  conditions, and then made similar overtures to the Rak-
  shasa, who were even more broken and embittered than 
  they. As it happened, the Rakshasa were more than willing 
  to make common cause and, together, they made a proj-
  ect of isolating and destroying the Invictus Kindred who 
  laid claim to their former dominions — slowly but surely 
  reclaiming and rebuilding the foundations of their power. 
  Now, the Amara Havana and their allies are planning to 
  extend their vengeance beyond the borders of India.
  Working closely with Rakshasa infiltration specialists, 
  agents of the Amara Havana have assumed an assortment 
  of guises and have begun slowly introducing themselves 
  into western courts in both the Americas and Europe. 
  Frequently, an Amara Havana will travel in a Rakshasa 
  merchant-envoy’s retinue as a bodyguard or other high-
  ranking servant whose position would allow for reasonably 
  unfettered access to a western court. More level-headed 
  members of this bloodline are assigned to merchant-
  envoy missions themselves. Once ensconced in the cities 
  of their unwitting hosts, these infiltration teams gather 
  intelligence, recruit reliable local sources of informa-
  The WaRRioR of WaRRioRs
  The office of the Chhatrapati is as old as the 
  kshatriya Kindred themselves, steeped in the 
  martial traditions of the warrior vampires that cut 
  across bloodline, loyalty and antagonism alike. The 
  Chhatrapati is, in essence, the ruler of the entire 
  warrior caste, the vampire who has, through dint 
  of martial skill, political acumen, religious piety and 
  personal magnetism, managed to claim the title 
  in trial by combat or through the acclaim of the 
  majority of the kshatriya elders. In times of danger, 
  this individual becomes the strategos of the warrior 
  caste, the general whose plans direct the actions of 
  the kshatriya elders and their subordinates to meet 
  their dharmic responsibility to protect the great 
  mandala of Kindred society. In times of peace, the 
  holder of the office wields considerable political 
  influence within the counsels of the kshatriya 
  bloodlines and does much to shape the balance of 
  power between them and the brahmin bloodlines 
  — with whom they are sometimes peaceful 
  partners and sometimes vicious rivals.
  Even when the need is acute, the office of the 
  Chhatrapati is not always filled. In fact, it is currently 
  vacant. The last to hold the title was assassinated by 
  Invictus agents in the 19th century and none of the 
  surviving elders of the kshatriya bloodlines have yet 
  proven themselves to possess the requisite social 
  heft to claim the throne and keep it. The Ananta 
  Naga, the pre-eminent kshatriya bloodline of the 
  Mekhet, and the Amara Havana essentially traded 
  claims to the title for the best part of a thousand 
  years, the majority of all Chhatrapati coming from 
  these two bloodlines, though the last to hold it 
  was a Rakshasa. At the moment, there are three 
  potential claimants, all of whom possess a valid 
  case for their assertion. Ravindra of the Amara 
  Havana holds claim as being the sole survivor 
  of his lineage, which has produced no less than 
  six Chhatrapati over the last thousand years and 
  which was nearly annihilated fighting in defense 
  of the previous holder of the title. Kalapriya of the 
  Ananta Naga contests the claim on the grounds 
  of the incompetence of both the Amara Havana 
  and the Rakshasa in recent decades and the need 
  for care and delicacy in the execution of current 
  plans. Narayan of the Rakshasa holds claim as 
  being the grandchilde of the last Chhatrapati and 
  the foremost warrior of his remaining lineage. 
  Contested claims of this type are usually resolved 
  in trials by combat. No one has yet issued such a 
  challenge, but many within the kshatriya caste 
  believe it is only a matter of time.
  colonial influence on the Indian subcontinent. The 
  influx of mortal conquerors brought vampire conquer-
  ors in their wake like carrion birds and, in the eyes of 
  many with the kshatriya caste, conflict was inevitable. 
  Unfortunately, malign providence worked against the 
  native Kindred, including the Amara Havana: a number 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - amara havana
  
  ancient bloodlines
  48
  tion, engage in the fundaments of Kindred 
  intercultural commerce, and report their 
  findings back to their superiors. When and 
  if a target is selected for elimination, these 
  teams will often be the means by which an 
  assassin or group of assassins enters and 
  leaves a specific domain; these infiltrators 
  also arrange the particulars of travel and 
  accommodations for missions, as well as pro-
  viding a readily available source of assistance 
  should greater force be required to complete a 
  given assignment. Lamentably, the Amara Havana 
  themselves are not the best of assassins, being 
  prone to the sort of honorable behavior that would 
  lead them to challenge an enemy instead of simply 
  staking him and leaving him posted somewhere 
  facing eastward five minutes before dawn. When, 
  however, a coterie of kshatriya are assigned a task 
  that involves a high degree of violence to an enemy’s 
  servants — particularly his body-servants or other 
  retainers of a martial nature — the Amara Havana 
  are generally the ones best equipped to dispense it. 
  True elders of this lineage consider vastly uneven 
  odds to be an interesting tactical complication, not 
  an insurmountable disadvantage. 
  Some members of this lineage, however, have 
  been known to go west, with or without compan-
  ions, and simply never return. The world outside 
  the rigid social hierarchy of the Indian Kindred is 
  intensely seductive to many young, and no few old, 
  vampires — particularly those whose ability to govern 
  the passions left to them is somewhat chancy. Hot 
  blood and occasionally poor judgment is considered 
  somewhat excusable in youngsters of this lineage 
  and should such an individual choose to abandon 
  his duty to his kin and his dharma to wallow in 
  the heathen fleshpots for a time…well, that can 
  be understood, so long as he eventually returns, 
  makes penance, and has some sort of advantageous 
  connections or bits of information to offer in com-
  pensation for his earlier moral failings. This sort of 
  behavior coming from anyone more than 50 years 
  undead, however, is considered significantly worse 
  than a transitory failure of ethics and such individu-
  als can, at the very least, expect harsh penances in 
  order to regain the purity of soul they have willfully 
  defiled. Failure to return home and accept proper 
  chastisement leads to only one outcome, though the 
  Amara Havana are loath to use it. Expulsion from 
  one’s bloodline (the social aspect of it, anyway; obvi-
  ously one can’t literally have a bloodline removed) is 
  
  49
  generally construed to be a fate worse than Final Death 
  by all Indian Kindred. Destruction is preferable to a dec-
  laration of pariah, outcast and untouchable by all. Only 
  a handful of Kindred have ever suffered this fate in the 
  history of the Amara Havana bloodline, but their lesson 
  stands starkly in the minds of all whose missions take 
  them far from home.
  Reputation: Among the Kindred of India, the Amara 
  Havana possess something of a mixed reputation. On the 
  one hand, they are undeniably kshatriya among kshatriya: 
  they have refrained, for centuries, from taking the path 
  of least resistance, of allowing foreign influences to 
  mutate their clan culture, to abandon their traditional 
  beliefs and adopt an ethic more suited to the changing 
  face of the world. Traditionalist vampires have long con-
  sidered them to be the rock to which other, less faithful 
  lineages might cling and 
  be sheltered by their 
  willingness to bleed and 
  kill for the sake of all 
  their kind, keeping faith with 
  their rigid and unchanging dharma 
  even as the rest of the world erodes 
  around them. On the other hand, that unyielding ad-
  herence to tradition can, and has, worked against them. 
  When one’s enemy is dishonorable, treating honorably 
  with such opponents becomes a fatal weakness. When 
  the world changes and one refuses to change with it 
  long enough, even the simplest alterations in the shape 
  of one’s beliefs can become points of breaking strain. 
  The Amara Havana, in this day and fallen age, are a 
  throwback to ancient honor and glory — and are very, 
  very fragile. The coming conflicts may either signal a 
  return to power for the line, a remaking of unbalanced 
  Kindred society in their own image, or finish breaking 
  them once and for all.
  Within the senior counsels of the bloodline, at least two 
  distinct factions have come into being. The traditionalist 
  elders of the Amara Havana have, for the most part, thrown 
  their lot wholly in with those who wish to avenge themselves 
  on the western Kindred whose conquest of southern Indian 
  during the 19th century so ravaged the kshatriya lineages. 
  These vampires are highly conservative in general, adhering 
  to social conventions that were ancient before Alexander 
  marched his armies to the Hyphases and nourishing their 
  sense of grievance with the modern world like a man cuck-
  olded by his favorite wife. The loyal opposition within the 
  bloodline is, in fact, only slightly less conservative — but 
  that “less” embraces such heretical notions as not picking 
  a potentially unwinnable intergenerational war with the 
  western Kindred to salve the bloodline’s wounded pride, 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - amara havana
  
  ancient bloodlines
  50
  not declaring those Indian Kindred who travel to the west 
  for their own reasons pariah, and a general greater willing-
  ness to adopt such elements of the modern world that do 
  not directly threaten the integrity of their clan culture. The 
  unappeasable fury of the conservatives drives most of the 
  bloodline’s current activities with regard to its involvement 
  in the Southern Cities Alliance; but the loyalists, somewhat 
  greater in numbers, exert a certain amount of counterbal-
  ancing influence, forcing a consideration of tactics, objec-
  tives, and, most importantly, consequences that many of the 
  more bloodthirsty elders would prefer to ignore. As matters 
  currently stand, neither faction has the numbers nor the 
  continuity of influence necessary to completely undermine 
  the other’s efforts. The only thing that could significantly 
  alter this balance of power is, of course, the vacancy of the 
  Chhatrapati’s throne. Should Ravindra, one of the most 
  potent loyalist elders, feel it necessary to issue a challenge, 
  the traditionalists would move to neutralize him, and by 
  extension those allied to him, with a challenger of their 
  own. On the eve of war it remains to be seen, however, if 
  anyone — Ravindra included — desires to unsettle the entire 
  kshatriya caste in such a way.
  Concepts: Genius chessmaster tactician, reluctant as-
  sassin, dumb but honorable muscle, individual of mass 
  destruction, dharma rebel, hard-bitten veteran of the 
  colonial wars, warrior poet, private military contractor 
  with an agenda, Bollywood martial artist, ultraconserva-
  tive culture cop
  Sakti Pata
  The greatest gift of Durga to her chosen warriors, the 
  Amara Havana possess a unique Discipline that makes 
  use of the very blood that sustains their existence as both 
  a weapon and a means of defense and rejuvenation. Its 
  mastery transforms any individual vampire of this blood-
  line into a self-contained army and armory, possessed of 
  an extraordinary capacity for lethal violence and an ability 
  to survive all but the most certain of Final Deaths. 
  • Halahala
  The first level of Sakti Pata invokes the toxic essence of the 
  demon-taint that runs in the blood of the Amara Havana, 
  transforming it into a deadly poison that, if consumed, 
  can kill human beings outright or send vampire assail-
  ants into a pain-wracked torpor. This blood-poison may 
  also be used to coat weapons, though such treatments 
  gradually lose their potency over time. It is not possible 
  to use this power to poison bullets (rather, the poison 
  can be applied, but the heat and the speed of the shot 
  removes the blood), though the vampire can poison ar-
  rows. Under normal circumstances, the vampire’s toxic 
  blood does him no personal harm, and the invocation 
  may be halted at will.
  Cost: 1 Willpower + 1 or more Vitae (if poisoning a 
  weapon)
  Dice Pool: Stamina + Occult + Sakti Pata
  Action: Instant.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The power is successfully invoked 
  but, rather than running harmlessly through the Amara 
  Havana’s body, it instead affects the flesh of the warrior 
  who called upon it. Refer to the effects of success below, 
  but apply the results to the Discipline’s user.
  Failure: The attempt to invoke this power fails.
  Success: The invocation of the power succeeds and, 
  depending on the nature of the attack, can have a variety 
  of deleterious effects on its victim. If the toxic blood is 
  consumed, either by a human or a vampire, the poison 
  takes effect instantly. The Toxicity Rating of the venom 
  is equal to the player’s successes + the vampire’s Blood 
  Potency (see p. 15 for a discussion of poisons). If the 
  victim’s player fails the roll to resist the poison (Stamina 
  + Resolve – Toxicity Rating), the character suffers lethal 
  damage equal to the Toxicity Rating.
  If the toxic blood is introduced via a poisoned weapon, 
  the effect is the same, and in the event that the player 
  fails the roll to resist the poison, the character suffers the 
  poison damage in addition to any damage caused by the 
  weapon. A poisoned weapon only inflicts its damage once 
  before the poison fades. The Amara Havana must inflict 
  at least one point of damage with a poisoned weapon 
  for the toxin to have any effect. If the attack misses, the 
  weapon retains its poison. 
  Exceptional Success: Extra successes result in a higher 
  Toxicity Rating.
  The vampire need expend no Vitae to make his blood 
  poisonous for purposes of consumption, but poisoning a 
  weapon requires the expenditure of one Vitae per point 
  of the weapon’s Size. 
  •• Gift of Indra
  This gift, named for the warrior king of the gods, is a 
  flexible one. Its invocation allows a vampire to draw forth 
  his own blood in the form of a semi-solid weapon forged 
  from Vitae. Traditionally, this weapon is one favored by 
  the patron goddess of the bloodline: a knife, a sword, a 
  spear or a trident. Alternately, this gift can be invoked in 
  a defensive mode, bending to absorb the impact of others’ 
  weapons or fists, spreading out to form a small shield, or 
  wrapping around an attacker’s body or weapon to aid in 
  grappling or disarming maneuvers. 
  
  51
  Cost: 1 Vitae plus 1 point of lethal damage required to 
  shed the necessary blood
  Dice Pool: Stamina + Weaponry + Sakti Pata
  Action: Instant
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The invocation of this power seems 
  to succeed but does no damage when attacking an op-
  ponent or does not offer any protection from an assail-
  ant’s attacks.
  Failure: The invocation fails.
  Success: The invocation summons a weapon with traits 
  matching those of its physically ordinary counterpart (a 
  trident has traits identical to a spear; see p. 170 of the 
  World of Darkness Rulebook). When invoked in a de-
  fensive mode, it provides armor equal to the character’s 
  Blood Potency against bashing and lethal damage. This 
  armor imposes a Defense penalty of -1, as it forces muscle 
  to shift in order to maximize its effects.
  Exceptional Success: The invocation summons the 
  chosen weapon and its wielder ignores any and all Size/
  Strength penalties that would otherwise apply. When 
  invoked for defense, it provides armor equal to Blood 
  Potency against bashing and lethal damage with no De-
  fense penalty.
  This power may also be used multiple times, to create 
  both an offensive weapon and a defensive form, either a 
  shield or armor or both, but each use requires a separate 
  expenditure of Vitae and an activation roll. However, the 
  character need only suffer one point of lethal damage for 
  all usages of this power in a scene. Changing the weapon’s 
  form, for example from a knife to a spear, or from an of-
  fensive to a defensive form, is an instant action.
  Disarming an opponent with this power consists 
  of a contested action using the vampire’s Dexterity + 
  Weaponry vs. the opponent’s Strength + Weaponry. 
  Success on the vampire’s part results in immediate 
  disarmament. Disarming an opponent in this manner 
  is an instant action. 
  Note: this power cannot be used to create projectile weap-
  ons such as firearms or throwing weapons such as chakrams 
  or throwing knives. It must be something that can be held 
  in the (wounded) hand of the vampire whose Vitae creates 
  it. Casting the weapon aside or otherwise dropping the item 
  causes it to revert to ordinary Vitae. The weapon may also 
  be reabsorbed (or drunk) in order to end the invocation, in 
  which case the vampire gets the spent Vitae back.
  ••• Rudra’s Blessing
  Also called the Blessing of the Blood’s Fire, this ability 
  allows the vampire to channel her Vitae to keep her 
  undead form free from injury — a rather necessary con-
  sideration within the martially aggressive culture of the 
  kshatriya vampires. 
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: This power does not require a roll.
  Action: Reflexive 
  Once activated, this power lasts for one scene. The vam-
  pire can expend one more Vitae than her Blood Potency 
  would normally allow for healing purposes only. 
  •••• Durga’s Kiss
  The blessings of the Amara Havana’s patron sometime 
  literally fall from the sky. As these Kindred were created 
  during a rain of demon blood (or so legend says), they 
  can draw sustenance from the rain. Invocation of this 
  ability allows the vampire to completely refill his blood 
  pool when in the midst of a rainstorm or other natural 
  phenomenon of weather, echoing the legend of the line’s 
  origin. Certain penalties pertain for phenomena that do 
  not involve rain, but even a violent windstorm offers these 
  vampires some benefit. 
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: This power does not require a roll.
  Action: Instant
  Blood Pool Penalties
  -5 
  for a wind-storm lacking rain 
  -4 
  for a dust/sand storm
  -3 
  for a mud storm (a dust/sand storm in which  
   
  rain is also falling)
  -2 
  for a light mist
  -1 
  for a heavy mist
  These modifiers apply to the maximum that a storm 
  could provide to the user of this power, i.e., if the 
  vampire’s maximum blood pool is 10 and currently 
  contains only five Vitae, he would obtain no benefit 
  from a wind-storm.
  ••••• Yama’s Benefice 
  This is a gift of manifold applications. In its most basic 
  form, it allows a Guardian to wholly extract herself from 
  her body in the form of blood — independently mobile, 
  sentient blood that can flow in any direction. This leaves 
  behind the desiccated hulk of the original physical body. 
  What can then be accomplished depends entirely on 
  the amount of blood contained in the vampire’s body 
  when this power is invoked. A vampire with a healthy 
  supply of blood can attack, escape and even establish a 
  Vinculum with sleeping victims by dripping a tiny bit 
  of blood between their lips. A vampire who is nearing 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - amara havana
  
  ancient bloodlines
  52
  Final Death or torpor, though, can use this power to 
  “Embrace” a nearby corpse, fooling the attacker into 
  thinking he has won. 
  Cost: 1 Willpower 
  Dice Pool: This power does not require a roll.
  Action: Instant
  If the vampire’s blood pool is substantially diminished 
  (no more than three Vitae remaining), this ability can be 
  used as an option of last resort to avoid Final Death. The 
  vampire needs to escape the scene without being captured 
  or set on fire (but receives a +3 modifier to all Stealth rolls, 
  as she exists as a small puddle of dark liquid). Once she 
  does, she has until sunrise to find a human corpse. She 
  can then slither into the body’s mouth, at which point the 
  player expends a Willpower dot. From this moment on, 
  the vampire claims the corpse as her own. Over the course 
  of the next month, the vampire alters the corpse’s physi-
  cal form, causing it to take on the vampire’s Attributes 
  and Skills. The character’s features, when the process is 
  complete, resemble an odd amalgam of the vampire’s 
  original body and the pilfered corpse’s. If the vampire 
  cannot find a suitable corpse before sunrise, the puddle 
  of blood loses sentience and dries up (the vampire, of 
  course, meets Final Death). 
  If the vampire’s blood pool is robust (more than three 
  Vitae), this form can be used to invoke any and all of 
  the other abilities of this Discipline, both offensive and 
  defensive. In such cases, engaging in acts of espionage and 
  combat are the favored activities. In this form, invocation 
  of Gift of Indra becomes a reflexive action. The disembod-
  ied blood-being generally repossesses its own body rather 
  than take a new host when this invocation is complete, 
  though the vampire can claim a new body if she so desires. 
  She can even use the blood-form to kill a mortal of her 
  choosing, and then inhabit the resulting corpse. 
  Devotions of the Amara Havana
  Dance of Kali 
  (Celerity •••, Sakti Pata •••••)
  This Devotion is one of the most fearsome martial secrets 
  of the Amara Havana bloodline. Its successful invocation 
  transforms the vampire using it into a literal storm of 
  bloody knives capable of tearing through multiple op-
  ponents in the blink of an eye. This produces a mass of 
  whirling blood weapons that are virtually impossible to 
  deflect or resist by ordinary means. The swiftly moving 
  cutting surfaces simply flow through the cracks of mun-
  dane defenses and slice opponents to bits inside their own 
  armor; the bloody attack is similarly difficult to retaliate 
  against, as the liquid form may also flow to evade impact 
  or disarm an attacker. 
  Cost: 1 Willpower + 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: This Devotion requires no roll to activate.
  Action: Reflexive
  In order to activate this Devotion, the vampire must 
  be capable of using Yama’s Benefice to abandon her 
  physical body in the form of independently mobile blood 
  (minimum Vitae pool of five). The player then spends one 
  Willpower and one Vitae, at which point the character 
  explodes into a mass of blood projectiles hurtling toward 
  her opponent. The player rolls Dexterity + Athletics + 
  Celerity to attack, and the attack ignores mundane armor 
  (though not supernatural armor-producing effects, such 
  as the Gift of Indra). The victim’s Defense only applies if 
  it would be effective against firearms (such as a vampire 
  using Celerity). 
  The Amara Havana can choose to attack multiple 
  opponents with this Devotion, just as if she were using 
  a firearm with the autofire capability (see p. 160 of the 
  World of Darkness Rulebook).  
  
  53
  Canda Bhanu
  Your arrogance ill becomes you, traveler. I am a teacher of the way — will you not sit and 
  speak peacefully with me? I am certain that we have much to learn from one another.
  Parent Clan: Ventrue
  Bloodline Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, 
  Dominate, Resilience 
  Nickname: Purifiers
  Weakness: As with their parent clan, 
  the power enjoyed by the Canda Bhanu inevi-
  tably corrodes and corrupts their souls, degrad-
  ing the moral balance they struggle to maintain 
  (see p. 113 of Vampire: The Requiem).
  In addition, the curse that plagues the Canda 
  Bhanu makes them especially susceptible to the 
  powers of other Kindred. They stole their posi-
  tion in society from a Mekhet bloodline, and in 
  return, their blood is somewhat mutable. Any 
  vampire who uses a Discipline against a Purifier 
  receives the blood tie bonus, if it would normally be 
  applicable with that Discipline (see p. 162 of Vampire: 
  The Requiem).
  History and Culture: The Canda Bhanu consider 
  themselves but one among many: they are of the blood-
  lines of vampires who, in the aftermath of the terrible war 
  between the gods, the demons, and their own demon-
  tainted people, were chosen by the gods to bring healing 
  to the world. In this they are at least somewhat humble, 
  though the brahmin vampires, as a whole, are not at all 
  meek. While they are, in total, the least populous of the 
  varnas, they wield political and social influence that far 
  outstrips their numbers — thanks to their exalted station as 
  teachers, scholars, priests, and, perhaps most significantly, 
  blood-sorcerers. Even among the brahmin, the Canda 
  Bhanu are a small but vastly influential bloodline, and 
  this prominence extends not only within their own clan 
  but to others as well, owing to their skills as diplomats 
  and politicians more than to any particular esoteric skills 
  for which the brahmin are generally known.
  This is because the Canda Bhanu are not what they 
  claim to be, though even they have forgotten the truth of 
  what they are. They are, in fact, the descendants not of 
  a native lineage of brahmin extraction but from that of a 
  refugee seeking a safe exile in their land: a Ventrue adven-
  turer who fled Rome in the waning days of the Empire, 
  escaping the consequences of his own poor decisions, of 
  treachery that would otherwise have been resolved only 
  with his Final Death. He escaped the Eternal City with 
  the most loyal of his childer and servants, just ahead 
  of his enemies, and took ship to the East. When 
  he ran out of sea, he and his attendants 
  fled by land across the desolation of the 
  Hindu Kush, seeking a safe haven where no 
  one knew his face or his name or his deeds. 
  He found that haven in the great cities of India, 
  teeming with mortal life among whom he could 
  lose himself while he learned the lay of the land 
  and the local Kindred society. 
  It required some time, and some effort on 
  his part, but eventually he found his way into 
  the counsels of the prince, who was a kshatriya 
  of the Gangrel, and from there into a position 
  as that prince’s close advisor, in preference of 
  the brahmin counselor whose guidance he found an 
  onerous imposition on his desire to make war with his 
  neighbors. An elegant solution to their mutual dilemma 
  was devised: in return for the gods’ blessings upon his 
  endeavors, the Roman refugee would be permitted to 
  dispose of the irritating brahmin as he wished. 
  Thus the Canda Bhanu were (re)born in an atrocious 
  crime. The already tiny brahmin bloodline, their entire 
  dominion residing within the grasp of a prince hostile to 
  them, was systematically hunted down and devoured by 
  the Roman, his kin, and his newly acquired native allies. 
  None escaped to tell the tale, and, knowing the infamy of 
  what he had done, the newly created paterfamilias took no 
  chances in further hiding the evidence. Within a decade, 
  he arranged for the deposition and assassination of the 
  prince whose ambitions had enabled the massacre in the 
  first place, along with his entire immediate brood and 
  any allies to whom he might have confided. Eventually, 
  time, torpor, and the helpful effects of native internecine 
  struggles succeeded in obliterating any recollection of the 
  original Canda Bhanu and what they had been, leaving 
  only what they had become.
  Eventually, even the Canda Bhanu themselves forgot 
  that their lineage had originated in treachery and murder, 
  though both continued to follow the bloodline’s destiny 
  like a bloodstain that refused to wash away. Bereft of 
  the blood sorcery that had been the province of the 
  name’s previous owners, the Canda Bhanu nonetheless 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - canda bhanu
  
  ancient bloodlines
  54
  Thus it is written:
  The wars between the gods and the demons, and the armies of their chosen 
  warriors, ravaged the Earth by both day and night. The suffering of all peoples 
  was great. Famine stalked the fields, stole the food from the tables of kings and 
  sages, warriors and farmers, and the starving multitudes cried out to Heaven 
  for sustenance. Pestilence flowed through the cities and the towns, the great 
  temples and the humble villages, carrying away first the very young and the 
  very old, and then laying its baneful touch on all, that none lived to offer prayers 
  for those who had fallen or aid to those who yet survived. Demons carried 
  away the sons and daughters of men, to profane them with unholy lusts, and 
  taught blasphemy from the defiled altars of the gods, to turn the people away 
  from their dharma and bring the whole of the universe to unending darkness 
  and chaos. This terrible war gave birth to the night-hunting warriors of the 
  kshatriya and, in time, the cruel weight of its toil wore away at their minds and 
  souls, until they were little more than demons themselves.
  The gods saw how far their night-warriors had fallen and shed tears of grief 
  and despair. As the tears of the gods fell upon the blighted Earth, some among 
  the night-warriors came forth to bathe themselves in these divine waters, seek-
  ing to wash away the stain of hatred and violence that the war had left upon 
  their souls. At the sight of this, the gods knew hope again, for if the demon-
  tainted could still seek out righteousness, all was not lost for the world. One 
  of the highest of all the gods left his seat of contemplation and descended to 
  the soul-hungry night-warriors, who fell upon their knees before him in awe 
  and worship, offering him prayers for the healing of their pain. To assuage 
  the hungers of their flesh, he laid open his own veins and permitted them to 
  drink deeply of his divine blood. To assuage the hungers of their souls, he 
  took them apart from the world to the holy mountain where he dwelt, that he 
  might teach them more deeply of the ways of righteousness and the path to 
  conquering the demon-madness that lay within them. There they abided for 
  many long years, learning the way from the great divine sage, and, when the 
  hour seemed darkest for those left behind, they emerged again to offer the 
  fruits of their studies to all the asura-children of the great war.
  
  55
  Thus it is written:
  The newly-born brahmin of the night peoples went forth into the world to 
  bring the word of hope and righteousness to their fellows, to let them know 
  that the war they fought was not the beginning and the ending of all things 
  for them. Many at first refused to listen, for their anguish had blinded 
  them to all but terrible despair, and many more had no desire to receive 
  the teachings, for their hatred and their lusts were better served by base 
  indulgence. But, for some, the gentle words of their brahmin kin were as 
  a balm to the soul and in them they found healing and a path beyond war 
  and suffering to a future unshackled from both. Slowly, the words that the 
  sages spoke spread from the small circles of their first students, washing 
  out like soothing water, making pure that which had been sullied, making 
  whole that which had been sundered, bringing peace to that which had 
  been at war.
  Thus it is written and thus it remains.
  maintained their brahmin social status, serving a succes-
  sion of princes as political advisors, diplomats, religious 
  advocates and social provocateurs, eventually branching 
  out from their northern “roots” to take positions of great 
  intellectual and religious prominence in the city-states 
  of the south, as well. In the process, they became almost 
  more brahmin than even other brahmin, cleaving to the 
  native philosophies they co-opted for their own gain 
  with something approaching a convert’s zeal and passing 
  that zealotry down to their offspring, who perpetuated 
  it down the line to the present. The social battles for 
  dominance between the kshatriya vampires, who believed 
  they possessed a divinely bestowed mandate to make war 
  and rule according to the precepts revealed to them, and 
  the brahmin, who believed they possessed the divinely 
  bestowed right to overrule the dictates of even immortal 
  rulers in order to promote the proper adherence to vam-
  piric dharma, were the source of much of their influence. 
  Few princes wished to rule without the imprimatur of 
  the gods or the approval of the priestly caste, and the 
  Canda Bhanu were among the most adept at ruling from 
  behind the thrones of those who sought their counsel — 
  and occasionally seizing those thrones for themselves. 
  Their efforts, in particular, bore fruit in their extensive 
  alliances with, and manipulations of, assorted Rakshasa 
  kshatriya princes, many of which persisted deep into the 
  19th century and the coming of the European invaders 
  to the Indian subcontinent.
  kaRMa’s ReTRibuTion
  None still undead tonight, including the “new” 
  Canda Bhanu themselves, remember the original 
  Canda Bhanu, the tiny, insular, extremely devout 
  and scholarly Mekhet bloodline destroyed and 
  consumed by the Ventrue invaders who claimed 
  their name. The blood in their veins, however, 
  does not forget what it is…and neither does the 
  vengeance levied against that blood. When it 
  became obvious that their doom was upon them 
  and would not be denied, the eldest and most 
  powerful blood sorcerer of the original Canda 
  Bhanu lineage spent the last of herself in a terrible 
  curse: that the treachery and murder that their 
  killers brought to their doors would revisit itself 
  upon them and bring them low, karma twisting 
  upon itself to avenge the fall of the blameless 
  and righteous. The act of diablerie that ended 
  her unlife sealed that magic into the blood of her 
  murderer and all his descendants. The Canda Bhanu 
  are doomed to end as they began. Whether they 
  will destroy only themselves or if they will take 
  others down with them remains to be seen.
  The European invasions created both conflict and op-
  portunity. Pre-existing social pressures, within the rigidly 
  stratified culture of the Indian Kindred, were coming to 
  a boil as the perpetually fractious kshatriya caste prepared 
  to enter into one of its cyclical changes of rulership, the 
  pretenders to the office of the Chhatrapati lining up 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - canda bhanu
  
  ancient bloodlines
  56
  to assert their dominance over the others. Meanwhile, 
  assorted factions within the brahmin caste were also con-
  templating changes in the society of their kind. It 
  was the thinking of many brahmin — the majority 
  of the Canda Bhanu bloodline among them — 
  that for too long the stability of their society had 
  depended on the violent whims of the kshatriya, 
  who were becoming less and less biddable with 
  every passing year, less inclined to accept the 
  wisdom of their spiritual superiors. Certain 
  overtures were made to a selection of European 
  Kindred, certain communications exchanged, 
  certain agreements put into place. When the 
  kshatriya, as they inevitably did, ceased their 
  preliminary “negotiations” and drew their knives 
  on each other, the situation was ripe. The Canda 
  Bhanu and their co-conspirators in the brahmin 
  and vaisya castes passed intelligence to their Eu-
  ropean allies, disclosing the safe resting-places of 
  a dozen torpid kshatriya elders, the temple-havens 
  of dozens more kshatriya princes and influential 
  ancillae, and then stepped back to allow the west-
  ern mercenaries and assassins to do their work. 
  The kshatriya were decimated in a series of swift, 
  savage attacks that left many of the southern courts 
  in chaos, deprived of their princes and many of 
  their governing elders. Unfortunately for the 
  brahmin, what happened next did not precisely 
  unspool as planned: the European Kindred proved 
  more than willing to extend the already treacherous situ-
  ation to their erstwhile allies, as well. The Canda Bhanu, 
  as the bloodline who had interacted most closely with 
  the Europeans as a go-between and intelligence conduit, 
  suffered the most directly from this turnabout. Never as 
  populous as some of the older brahmin bloodlines, they 
  and their dominions were ravaged by the invaders and 
  their numbers horribly reduced by outright murder. Only 
  one Canda Bhanu who claimed personal rulership of her 
  own domain survived the assault against them, and even 
  she was wounded almost to Final Death. Only a handful 
  of the bloodline’s most powerful and puissant members 
  survived to flee back into the north, exiled, their power ut-
  terly broken. The only consolation — and it was extremely 
  cold comfort — was that the betrayal of the European 
  Kindred had effectively obscured the culpability of the 
  brahmin in general and Canda Bhanu in specific in the 
  slaughter of the kshatriya caste.
  From their northern exile, the Canda Bhanu brooded 
  on this reversal of their fortunes and considered their op-
  tions, slowly nursing their wounds and nourishing their 
  bitterness. Their Rakshasa allies, who had suffered heavy 
  
  57
  losses in both the kshatriya blood-war and the subsequent 
  attempt to annihilate their caste, slunk out of the south 
  to bring word of the Europeans, their strengths and weak-
  nesses. The surviving kshatriya bloodlines, bloody and 
  broken but fundamentally unbowed, began to coalesce 
  again in knots of fury and unexpectedly robust resistance 
  to further European expansion, though no single leader 
  emerged from their ranks. A slow but steady program of 
  retaliation against the European invaders and European 
  princes who had seized Indian thrones began. The Canda 
  Bhanu were gratified when the proud, fierce Amara 
  Havana finally swallowed that pride for the first time 
  in centuries, making their peace with the Rakshasa and 
  consenting to take counsel with the brahmin, creating an 
  alliance between the three bloodlines that successfully 
  targeted and executed a series of vicious, precision attacks 
  against their particular nemesis: the Invictus princes of the 
  south. Though it took the best part of a century, eventually 
  the European invaders were forced into flight, abandoning 
  their Indian holdings and childer to the tender mercies of 
  the kshatriya they had displaced. Now, in the 21st century, 
  the Canda Bhanu, still bitter at the failure of their own 
  treachery, still furious at being betrayed themselves, are 
  at the forefront of the movement within Indian Kindred 
  society to continue retaliation against the European Kin-
  dred wherever they now lair. The honor of the blood demands 
  it, they say. The honor of those who were betrayed and who fell, 
  the honor and rajadharma of the kshatriya which were despoiled 
  and defiled by the invaders, cries out to be avenged upon the 
  defilers. If not now, when?
  Politicians and manipulators with few peers, the Canda 
  Bhanu were also one of the handful of Indian bloodlines 
  to expend any effort at maintaining those few connections 
  they possessed with non-hostile western Kindred. These 
  relationships are being put to work now. Younger mem-
  bers of this lineage, more likely to possess the necessary 
  cosmopolitan mind-sets and educational backgrounds, 
  have been sent forth to renew old ties of diplomacy and 
  scholarship, the better to use those bonds to secure intel-
  ligence on their western enemies — and work subtly against 
  the schemes of their erstwhile allies. In truth, the Canda 
  Bhanu thirst to humble, humiliate and tame the kshatriya 
  even more than they desire to avenge themselves against 
  the western Kindred. Certain factions within the blood-
  line have begun undermining the efforts of the kshatriya 
  to locate and isolate the western elders who attempted 
  the conquest of India a century and a half ago, while 
  other factions work to advance those goals. Eventually, 
  something is going to give.
  Reputation: The Canda Bhanu have, among their 
  own kind, a reputation for extreme piety. They exemplify 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - canda bhanu
  
  ancient bloodlines
  58
  the moral code of the vampiric brahmin: control of their 
  emotions and the resistance of the darker heart of their 
  nature, pursuit of truth and purity, extensive study of 
  and teaching from the sacred scriptures, the offering and 
  acceptance of sacrifice, and the performance of ritual. 
  In fact, many among their own kind perceive the Canda 
  Bhanu as not only being exceptionally righteous, rigidly 
  so, but also more than slightly self-righteous –— the pride 
  they take in their own unsullied purity, which they claim 
  they maintained by preferring Final Death to submission 
  to the European invaders, is particularly galling to the 
  Amara Havana, whose elders suffered destruction in a 
  considerably less ritually pure fashion.
  In truth, the Canda Bhanu are treacherous, murderous, 
  extremely self-righteous bastards, almost one and all, with 
  a sufficient population of genuinely pious individuals 
  to give their less tolerable kin a screen behind which to 
  work. Furious at having been denied their opportunity 
  to dispose of the intractable, ungovernable kshatriya — 
  the primary stumbling-block to their own assumption 
  of power — they are fully prepared now to finish the job 
  they started a century and a half ago, manipulating their 
  countrymen through the twin mechanisms of legitimate 
  desire for vengeance and cultural guilt.
  Concepts: Diabolical mastermind, self-serving spiritual 
  guide, manipulative power behind the throne, ultracon-
  servative cultural judge, sadistic teacher, tragically true 
  believer, wise old master, waif goddess, karma’s chew toy, 
  rebellious scion
  Devotions of the Canda Bhanu
  Eye of Shiva 
  (Auspex ••••, Dominate ••)
  This ability allows the Canda Bhanu employing it to 
  penetrate the mind of his victim in order to perceive that 
  being’s most deeply held guilt, grief or sin — all the better 
  to turn it against them. Twisting that knowledge like a 
  knife, the brahmin manipulator inflicts the uncontrollable 
  compulsion to relive that experience continuously, trap-
  ping the victim’s mind in the worst of all nightmares.
  Cost: None
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Auspex – 
  Composure 
  Action: Instant 
  Using this power requires that the vampire make eye 
  contact with the intended victim. If the player’s roll 
  succeeds, the target is awash with guilt, regret and grief, 
  forced to relive his greatest moral failing. The Devotion 
  “freezes” the character’s mind in a kind of loop, with the 
  victim unable to think of anything but the moment in 
  question. In game terms, the victim is incapable of taking 
  any actions for a number of turns equal to the vampire’s 
  successes. If the Purifier’s player rolls an exceptional suc-
  cess, the victim also develops a mild derangement that 
  lasts for the remainder of the night. 
  This Devotions costs 18 experience points to learn. 
  Seek the Brahmin 
  (Auspex ••, Dominate • OR Animalism •)
  While they might not know it, the Canda Bhanu made 
  their place in Indian Kindred society by usurping that of 
  an existing bloodline. This Devotion, part of their culture 
  even during that usurpation, helped make it possible. 
  With a glance, the vampire becomes aware of the pecking 
  order of a group of people or animals, determining who 
  the wisest, strongest and most respected member of that 
  group is. The vampire can then put that information to 
  whatever use he wishes. 
  Cost: None
  Dice Pool: Intelligence + Politics or Animal Ken + 
  Auspex
  Action: Instant
  Once activated, this Devotion lasts for a scene. The 
  information that the character gains is somewhat sub-
  jective (the official leader of a group might not be the 
  wisest member), but the character can usually learn who 
  the most capable individual is within the group’s raison 
  d’être. For instance, in a coterie of kshatriya vampires, the 
  character learns who the best warrior is, while in a group 
  of scholars, he discovers who is most learned. Successful 
  use of this Devotion allows the character to utilize his 
  Auspex as a bonus to Politics, Socialize and Subterfuge 
  rolls within that group. 
  When directed at animals, the Devotion simply identi-
  fies the “alpha” of the group, and obviously is only useful 
  with social animals such as wolves. 
  This Devotion costs nine experience points to learn. 
  If the character has the Discipline prerequisites for both 
  versions, he can use both (but only pays the experience 
  point cost once). 
  
  59
  In the 19th century, the Southern Cities Alliance was 
  a benign, and somewhat naïve, force in the politics of 
  the fractious and rapidly changing Kindred society of 
  the Indian subcontinent. Founded by a combination of 
  European Kindred scholars seeking the origins of vampire-
  kind among the ancient cultures of the East, and Indian 
  scholar-priests and warrior-princes willing to aid in that 
  endeavor, it was a clearinghouse of ideas and experiments 
  in cooperation between wildly disparate groups of Kin-
  dred, all of whom stood to gain something from its success 
  — or, in some cases, its failure. The Alliance fell before it 
  could achieve its full potential, assailed from without by 
  the colonial ambitions of the Invictus and the religious 
  manias of the Lancea Sanctum, betrayed from within by 
  the venal lust for power of less-than-righteous brahmin and 
  the inability of the kshatriya to govern their most volatile 
  passions. Few, native or European, who survived its col-
  the southern Cities allianCe
  The VaRnas of The i
  kindRed
  The society of the Kindred of India is rigidly structured around the four Vedic castes, or varnas, and the functions 
  and responsibilities those castes impose upon the vampires belonging to them. Often, Indian Kindred feel they owe 
  greater loyalty to, and derive more of their identity from, adherence to their varna and its particular dharma than 
  they do to the clan to which they belong, though both are densely entwined in their particular vampiric culture. 
  Every clan is divided into bloodlines and every bloodline belongs to a varna — most clans, in fact, have more than 
  one bloodline in a particular varna. 
  The brahmin bloodlines are:
  Amrita Bhaga (Daeva): Sensuous and elegant, this almost entirely female bloodline serves the gods of love and 
  pleasure, often choosing to present themselves as avatars of the beneficent goddesses of art and music.
  Abhi Jina (Gangrel): The most warlike of the brahmin bloodlines, they possess the greatest portion of the kshatriya 
  bloodlines’ respect and have been known to take the part of the warrior caste in matters of intercaste conflict.
  Hiranya Naga (Mekhet): The Golden Serpents of Sumeru are the mightiest blood sorcerers of the brahmin, and 
  are widely held to be the most subtle and wise, as well.
  Nri-chaksha (Nosferatu): Cruel and brilliant, this bloodline considers itself the true descendants of the demon-
  king Ravana, contending with the Hiranya Naga for the honor of greatest sorcerers.
  Canda Bhanu (Ventrue): Both righteous and treacherous, this bloodline exerts political and diplomatic influence 
  both at home and abroad that far outstrips their relatively small numbers.
  The kshatriya bloodlines are:
  Amara Havana (Daeva): Proud, unyielding and fierce, the Amara Havana are one of the oldest and longest-
  surviving of the entire warrior caste, though many forces are attempting to end them once and for all.
  Abhi Dhvana (Gangrel): A youthful offshoot of their clan’s brahmin lineage, this bloodline is only a few centuries 
  old, having come into existence after the destruction of the clan’s elder kshatriya.
  Ananta Naga (Mekhet): The most cunning of the kshatriya, this bloodline melds martial skill with sorcerous 
  power unseen in others of their caste.
  Rakshasa (Nosferatu): Widely viewed as the tamed attack dogs of the brahmin caste, this bloodline is no less 
  fierce and deadly for the slurs against their honor.
  Aja Dhrsta (Ventrue): Ancient and greatly diminished, this bloodline contains the tattered remnants of a once-
  great lineage ravaged by war and relentless internal struggles.
  Bloodlines of the vaishya and shudra castes exist, though they are, by far, fewer in numbers and less socially 
  significant among the Kindred than they are among mortals.
  lapse escaped without scars, and for those who genuinely 
  believed in its mission the loss was particularly cruel.
  In the 21st century the reformed Southern Cities Al-
  liance is something else entirely. Consisting primarily of 
  the embittered Indian Kindred survivors of the original 
  Alliance, assorted new native supporters, and a handful of 
  sympathetic European Kindred, its goals are considerably 
  less benign than the maintenance of Kindred history and 
  the free exchange of cultures. Rather, at this point, the 
  only culture the Alliance wishes to share with its ancient 
  enemies involves knives, blood sorcery, and protracted, 
  terrible vengeance to cleanse the stain of their previous 
  defeat and defilement from the dharma of their castes, 
  to lay to rest with honor the souls of their beloved dead. 
  Given that this goal suits the purposes of many western 
  Kindred with similar scores to settle against hereditary 
  enemies, it is not entirely surprising that the Alliance 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - the southern cities alliance
  
  ancient bloodlines
  60
  has attracted their assistance. At present, the Alliance 
  is in the process of gathering intelligence. The locations 
  of their most hated enemies must be ascertained, the 
  resources those enemies possess that might allow evasion 
  must be itemized, and their childer and retainers must 
  be identified. The Rakshasa, experts in appearing to be 
  what they are not, have inserted themselves into European 
  and American courts to ferret out what the Alliance most 
  desires to know, claiming to be refugees from a terrible 
  conflict in their native land that almost destroyed them. 
  The best lies do, after all, contain a certain element of 
  truth — the Rakshasa were, after all, almost destroyed in 
  just such a conflict. The blood sorcerers of the brahmin 
  Mekhet and their warrior counterparts within the kshatriya 
  caste have begun preparing the magics to be used in the 
  Alliance’s planned first strikes. The Canda Bhanu fiercely 
  evangelize to maintain the sense of outrage that drives 
  the Alliance and its members, reminding the group of 
  the horrors that befell them all — as though any could 
  truly forget — speaking condemnation with the voices of 
  the gods and demanding vengeance for those who will 
  never speak again.
  Meanwhile, within the Alliance, there are those who 
  wish to use the situation to their own benefit. The ksha-
  triya will inevitably bear the responsibility for executing 
  the will of the Alliance — and also likely bear the brunt 
  of any retaliation directed toward the Indian Kindred as 
  a result. If the situation is manipulated properly, a clever 
  vampire could stand to profit handsomely. The warrior 
  Kindred of the East have never entirely recovered from 
  the blows struck against them in the 19th century, either 
  in terms of raw numbers or in the strength of the elders 
  they lost to assassins’ fangs, a fact that has not escaped 
  the attention of certain elements within the brahmin 
  caste. These elements, desirous of bringing the kshatriya 
  to heel then, continue to harbor that desire now, and are 
  preparing a sacrifice: should the results of the Alliance’s 
  activities threaten to overwhelm it, they are entirely ready 
  to offer restitution from the blood of their kshatriya and 
  seize the reins of power that fall from their ashen fingers. 
  At that point they could sue for peace with the Europeans, 
  and move forward into the future unencumbered by an 
  increasingly insupportable warrior aristocracy. Naturally, 
  they have refrained from discussing this contingency with 
  the kshatriya themselves.
  The Alliance possesses no one leader who guides all of 
  their actions. Among the brahmin Kindred, several voices 
  are strong within the Alliance’s counsels.
  Dhanavati, the Great Queen of Negapatnam
  Background: For all her apparent youth, she is an elder 
  of the Canda Bhanu, only recently risen from a torpor 
  caused by her near-assassination at the hands of the Invic-
  tus. Returned to a world that she barely recognizes, bereft 
  of the blood-kin murdered by European treachery, she is 
  driven by her fury and her desire for vengeance — both of 
  which run hotter than any emotion she has ever before 
  felt. She is one of the most vigorous proponents of the 
  Alliance’s most aggressive possible courses of action, a 
  fact not lost on those who would bleed for the restitution 
  her anger demands. Should she ever learn that she was 
  betrayed almost to her destruction by her own bloodline, 
  who sought to make her a martyr for the purposes of their 
  own political ends, her wrath would likely drive her to 
  self-destruction. She might well take her small bloodline 
  with her. 
  Description: The maharani was a beautiful girl at the 
  time of her Embrace, her hips slender and her breasts 
  barely budded. This deceptive appearance has worked 
  The hour has come for us to take back what was torn away from us,  
  that which is more precious than our thrones, our honor and our virtue.
  
  61
  both for and against her. Now, she affects an older ap-
  pearance with elegantly applied cosmetics and severely 
  modern clothing that disguises her relative lack of figure, 
  wearing her waist-length black hair generally unadorned. 
  When presenting herself among elders of her own and 
  other clans, she adopts the more proper costuming of 
  her clan and caste: hair done up in an elaborate crown 
  of braids, a choli and sari of the finest silk to be had ap-
  propriately patterned in golden lotus blossoms, hands 
  and arms painted in hennaed swirls that denote her age 
  and rank and lineage.
  Storytelling Hints: Dhanavati does not exude the aura 
  of one driven by equal parts fury, bitterness and desire 
  for vengeance. She is nonetheless, though she hides it 
  well from all but the most furious, vengeful and bitter of 
  her clan and caste-mates. When interacting with others, 
  she affects a serenely confident, silken-smooth surface, 
  elegant, wise, and disinclined to hasty or violent action, 
  seemingly preferring a path of peaceful diplomacy when-
  ever possible. She learned well from those weapons being 
  used against her. Among the fire-eaters of the brahmin 
  and kshatriya castes she wears a different face, that of the 
  cruel and bloody-handed goddess whose sense of raja 
  dharma and purity have been viciously violated. Her long 
  torpor completely erased some of her memories of the 
  time immediately preceding it and crystallized others into 
  permanent sources of outrage against western Kindred, 
  the British, and any of her fellow clan and caste-mates 
  whom she feels have betrayed her or the traditional ways 
  of their people.
  In a chronicle set in the East, particularly in modern-day 
  India or Bangladesh, Dhanavati would make an excellent 
  elder mentor/patron figure for any younger native Kin-
  dred, though she would particularly favor those whose 
  clans or castes continue to nurture hereditary bitterness 
  against western Kindred. Otherwise, she is the sort of in-
  tractable, clever and vicious antagonist whose capacity for 
  vengeance would give even other elder vampires pause.
  Note: Dhanavati is described with full traits in Ancient 
  Mysteries. 
  Abilities: 
  Create Art (dice pool 7): Dhanavati was schooled from 
  a very early age to be a skilled painter.
  Dance (dice pool 8): The power of undeath has only 
  added to Dhanavati’s inhuman grace.
  Oratory (dice pool 7): Although she has lost much of 
  her knowledge from her time in torpor, Dhanavati retains 
  the ability to twist words until listeners agree with her 
  despite themselves. 
  Nagarajan Asokavardhana
  The time is riper now than it has ever been to achieve the greatest of all our goals.  
  We need only have the courage to pursue them.
  Background: A true and ancient elder of the Hiranya 
  Naga, Nagarajan is in all ways the precise opposite of Dha-
  navati. Positively serpentine in his cold-blooded political 
  calculation, he has assessed the Alliance’s chances of achiev-
  ing its objectives as being thin at best, but considers the 
  possible rewards for enabling its attempts, and manipulating 
  its failures, worth the risks. Few things, after all, have been 
  achieved by those who refused to dare and what Asokavard-
  hana desires is nothing more or less than the unification 
  of the brahmin caste beneath his own enlightened rulership 
  and the severe diminution, if not outright elimination, of 
  the kshatriya as an independent political force. If he can get 
  the Europeans he despises, and the irresponsible idiots he 
  cannot control, to destroy each other, so much the better.
  Description: Tall, slender and elegant, Nagarajan has a 
  manner about him that mesmerizes the unwary, like a cobra 
  entrancing a bird. He effects a smoothly polished demeanor 
  at all times, favoring traditional clothing in modern colors 
  and styles, wearing his hair cut short and close to his head. 
  bloodlines of the age of treachery - the southern cities alliance
  
  ancient bloodlines
  62
  As with many of his bloodline, his eyes have turned a vivid 
  golden hue as a side-effect of the sorceries he practices.
  Storytelling Hints: Nagarajan Asokavardhana does not 
  have a single idealistic bone left in his lithe body, and 
  centuries of survival within the proving ground of vicious 
  brahmin politics has long ago flayed away any trace of hu-
  man compassion. He is rarely deliberately cruel, he is never 
  actively kind, and the advice he gives comes from a calculus 
  that prioritizes his own objectives over the spiritual well-
  being of whomever it is that he is counseling. Nonetheless, 
  his counsel is invariably in high demand, for none can deny 
  his wisdom, self-serving though it might be.
  Abilities: 
  Cutting a Deal (dice pool 9): Anyone can bargain, but 
  it takes a true master to enter into an agreement that 
  requires losing nothing. Nagarajan is such a master.
  Research (dice pool 7): Nagarajan takes his role as a 
  brahmin teacher very seriously, and that means he needs 
  to know the answers to his students’ questions (preferably 
  off the top of his head). 
  Solving Enigmas (dice pool 8): Negotiation and the 
  acquisition of knowledge meet in Nagarajan’s ability to 
  think laterally, reasoning his way out of any situation and 
  solving puzzles that stump other, less flexible Kindred.
  Durai Ravindra
  The past is gone, and those who fell in those terrible years will not be restored to us by 
  pointless violence. We cannot wash away the stains of their blood with more blood.
  Background: A relatively young elder of the Amara 
  Havana, Ravindra is a rare voice of reason within the 
  hot-blooded kshatriya. The descendant of six Chhatrapati 
  and a brilliant tactician in his own right, he is also un-
  questioningly a powerful warrior. He has serious doubts 
  about the entire enterprise of revenge, however, question-
  ing the necessity of reopening a conflict that has lain cold 
  for nearly half a century, the wisdom of doing so, and, 
  very quietly, the motives of those intent on pouring fresh 
  blood on top of old. His membership in the Alliance is a 
  product less of his own personal desires than that of his 
  bloodline, who wish to cleanse themselves of the dishonor 
  of failing to protect the unlife of the last Chhatrapati, who 
  met his Final Death while under their guardianship. Rav-
  indra can appreciate this impulse while simultaneously 
  realizing that it is likely to lead to his own destruction 
  and many more pointless, unnecessary deaths. He subtly 
  works against the more extreme plans of the comrades 
  and is searching, discreetly, for European survivors of the 
  original Alliance whom he might be able to contact and 
  beg for assistance.
  Description: Ravindra cuts an imposing figure, tall, 
  muscular, and looking every inch the ancient hero of the 
  puranas, particularly when he dresses in the traditional 
  clothing of his caste, openly carrying his weapons. Dark 
  of hair and eyes, he wears that hair long, tied back in a 
  tight plait, and his beard and mustache close-trimmed 
  and orderly. When appearing in public, he wears modern 
  clothing of fine, expensive make in subdued colors and, 
  even then, is never entirely unarmed.
  Abilities: 
  Interrogation (7 dice): While Ravindra is more than 
  capable of beating information out of an uncooperative 
  subject, he finds that a splash of fresh blood at just the 
  right moment is less strenuous. 
  Shadowing (7 dice): Ravindra has seen the results of 
  open warfare, and decided that he prefers stalking his 
  prey to leaping into battle. 
  Throwing (8 dice): Similarly, a poisoned chakram or 
  knife allows him to weaken an opponent before closing 
  in for the kill. 
  
  63
  During the 18th century, the French-controlled Saint Domingue (modern-day Haiti), was host to an intricate Kin-
  dred social system, primarily based upon the practices of Vodoun. The first Kindred settlers from Europe (known 
  as the first wave) took positions of power on the island, often as plantation owners, and built their broods from the 
  massive slave population, integrating the belief system into their own. It was a golden age in Kindred history, spawn-
  ing a number of influential Vodoun-centered bloodlines, including the Apollinaire. 
  Near the end of the 18th century, a second wave of Kindred settlers arrived from Europe — representing the combined 
  force of the traditional Lancea Sanctum and the Invictus. This second wave was in response to news from Kindred 
  of the first wave who remained faithful to the European tradition. In a country already ripe for a revolution, it was 
  easy to stoke the fires of unrest among the slave population. Also fueling the fire were a number of slaves-turned-
  Kindred (known today as Les Gens Libres), burning with unforgotten hatred remaining from their mortal lives held 
  in bondage. These Kindred, all the more fervent for their residual human beliefs and memories of emotion, were 
  more than willing to turn on their sires. 
  Over the following weeks, the Haitian slaves burned every plantation and executed every oppressor they could find. 
  Many of the Kindred who survived fled to the relative safety of New Orleans, or other nearby seacoast towns. Those 
  who remained in Haiti after the revolution were systematically destroyed by Kindred of the second wave.
  Bloodlines of the haitian 
  reVolution (Ce 1791)
  apollinaire 
  I have witnessed things that would drive most to the brink of madness.  
  Here, let me show you.
  Members of the Apollinaire bloodline are cham-
  pions of death. They are the favored children of 
  Ghede, the loa of death and keeper of the eternal 
  crossroads. Members of the bloodline have unique 
  abilities bestowed upon them by Ghede, allowing them 
  to open and close the gateways to the land of the dead. 
  They are loyal servants of the Baron and are granted 
  dominion over the dead by the loa. 
  For one night a year, Ghede gives up his charge as Lord 
  of the Dead to members of the Apollinaire bloodline. 
  On that night, the Gatekeepers take up his burden and 
  patrol the shadowy borders between life and death, 
  fighting back the dead who attempt to cross into 
  the world of the living while their lord is absent. 
  In exchange, for the remainder of the year, 
  members of the Apollinaire bloodline enjoy the 
  abilities granted to them by the Ghede. 
  Parent Clan: Ventrue
  Bloodline Disciplines: Animalism, Dominate, Resil-
  ience, Carrefour 
  Nickname: Gatekeepers of Ghede
  Weakness: Like their parent clan, the Apol-
  linaire are susceptible to paranoia and other de-
  rangements (see p. 113 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  Additionally, Ghede claims the left eye of every 
  member of the bloodline. Gatekeepers, therefore, 
  must all take the flaw One Eye (p. 219 of the World 
  of Darkness Rulebook). The character does not gain 
  experiences point when hindered by the Flaw during 
  a game session, however.
  History and Culture: Before the Haitian revolution, 
  a vampire known only as Bokor Apollinaire grew to 
  become one of the most influential Kindred of the 
  first wave in St. Domingue. Apollinaire was a power-
  ful houngan; it is said that he was favored by Ghede 
  and that the vampire and loa came to an agreement 
  that could benefit them both. 
  To hear the Apollinaire speak of it, Ghede was the first 
  man who ever died. Since the dawn of Humanity, he has 
  ruled over the dead and has controlled the gateways be-
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - apollinaire
  
  ancient bloodlines
  64
  tween the world of the living and the dead. As centuries 
  passed, Ghede grew exhausted from constantly maintain-
  ing the barriers between worlds. One night, he appeared 
  before one of his most devoted and loyal servants, Bokor 
  Apollinaire, with an offer. 
  “I grow weary of my charge,” the loa said. “You have 
  shown your loyalty to me, and are among the most power-
  ful of my houngan. If you agree to carry my burden for 
  one night out of a year, I shall bestow upon you and those 
  of your blood great power.”
  Bokor Apollinaire was honored to have been chosen by 
  Ghede, and accepted the proposal. Ghede plucked out 
  Apollinaire’s left eye, and planted magic in the empty 
  socket, granting him the ability to see the dead. Then, 
  Ghede bestowed upon his loyal servant the power to 
  rule over the dead and maintain the gateways of this 
  world and the next. For one night a year, Ghede relin-
  quishes his charge and duties as Lord of the Dead to the 
  Apollinaire bloodline. Ghede then walks the streets in 
  the guise of a human, drinking, feasting, dancing and 
  reveling flamboyantly in mortal pleasures. While Ghede 
  is absent, the Apollinaire bloodline patrols the borders 
  between life and death, fighting back the ghosts who 
  attempt to cross into the world of the living while their 
  master is absent. 
  The night of Ghede’s absence is not fixed. He may 
  choose to leave at any time, delegating his duties to 
  the Apollinaire bloodline. As such, Gatekeepers must 
  constantly be prepared for his signal. To alert the Gate-
  keepers, Ghede causes a glowing vévé to emerge with a 
  slight prickling upon the forehead of those who carry 
  Apollinaire’s blood. The mark signifies the authority 
  granted to the bloodline by Ghede, and is visible only 
  to those of Apollinaire’s bloodline and to ghosts. Vam-
  pires who fail to answer the call of Ghede are punished 
  by the loa by being thrown into Twilight and left to 
  fend for themselves, often leading to the Final Death 
  of the Gatekeeper.
  Some believe that Bokor Apollinaire met his Final 
  Death during the Haitian Revolution, though members 
  of his bloodline believe Apollinaire could never have died, 
  having been the favorite of the loa of death. 
  A Ventrue is recognized as a member of the Apollinaire 
  bloodline once he has sworn to honor the agreement 
  between the founder of the bloodline and the loa. A 
  ritual is performed, during which the initiate’s left eye is 
  removed and Ghede possesses the body of the vampire. 
  The character gains the ability Eye of Ghede (see below), 
  making him a true Gatekeeper. 
  Although the Apollinaire are sworn to uphold the 
  agreement between Bokor Apollinaire and Ghede, 
  they are not required to take Ghede as their patron loa 
  (see Kindred Vodoun on p. 73.), or, indeed, to become 
  practitioners of Vodoun at all. While many choose to 
  practice Vodoun, and the Apollinaire encourage new 
  members to take Ghede as a patron, it is not manda-
  tory. Once a Gatekeeper is acknowledged by Ghede as 
  an Apollinaire, and he has sworn to take up the burden 
  of Ghede for one night per year, he is free to lead his 
  unlife as he pleases. 
  Reputation: Because of the Gatekeeper’s connection to 
  Vodoun (despite the fact that members of the bloodline 
  may or may not actually practice Vodoun), the bloodline 
  has a negative stigma for vampires who adhere to tradi-
  tional European values. As such, the bloodline is often 
  looked upon with disdain, or even tense apprehension, 
  by the Invictus and Lancea Sanctum. 
  The Ordo Dracul is particularly interested in the 
  Apollinaire, as the bloodline’s connection to Ghede has 
  clearly shown that Vodoun can be an effective means 
  of altering the vampiric condition. Gatekeepers do not 
  appreciate being looked upon as the result of some de-
  monic experiment meant to be studied, however, and 
  do not typically offer assistance to the Ordo Dracul 
  without good reason. 
  Concepts: Vodoun priestess, prison guard, wealthy 
  traveler, vigilant guardian, eccentric magician, homeless 
  vagrant, clairvoyant medium consultant, contraband run-
  ner, reclusive occultist, escape artist 
  Eye of Ghede
  Ghede is often portrayed wearing dark sunglasses with 
  one eye out, to symbolize his power in the worlds of the 
  seen and the unseen. During the initiation to become a 
  member of the bloodline, the initiate’s eye is removed 
  from the socket, and the empty hole is filled with the 
  magic of Ghede during possession. The Eye of Ghede 
  looks like a constantly swirling, white mist contained 
  within the Gatekeeper’s eye-socket. Once the “eye” is 
  in place, the new Gatekeeper is able to see, hear and 
  speak with ghosts (but not spirits). Additionally, the 
  Apollinaire can detect their unseen presence, even if 
  they are hiding or have chosen not to reveal themselves. 
  Finding an unseen ghost is a contested action, pitting 
  the vampire’s Wits + Composure against the ghost’s 
  Finesse + Resistance.
  Carrefour
  Passed down throughout generations of Gatekeepers, 
  the Discipline of Carrefour grants Kindred the powers 
  of Ghede, the loa of the dead and master of gateways. 
  As part of the bloodline’s bargain with the loa, Apol-
  
  65
  linaire are granted the ability to converse with the dead, 
  and create and manipulate doorways between life and 
  death, or the fabric of space itself. The Carrefour Dis-
  cipline represents the magic of Ghede, worked through 
  the Beast of Kindred. Most Gatekeepers practice the 
  Discipline subtly, covering their tracks as they work. All 
  are encouraged to follow the philosophy, “If you open a 
  door, close it behind you, because you never know who 
  or what will come through next.”
  On the night of Ghede’s absence, all Carrefour rolls 
  receive a +3 bonus modifier. 
  • Govi Trap
  According to Vodoun tradition, a govi is a small, earthen 
  bottle used to trap a ghost. In modern nights, any con-
  tainer with a lid may be used (an empty peanut butter 
  jar, medicine bottle, or plastic Tupperware container 
  may serve as a govi). A Gatekeeper can compel a ghost 
  to enter and remain within a govi until such time as it 
  is released.
  Cost: — 
  Dice Pool: Wits + Persuasion + Carrefour versus Finesse 
  + Resistance
  Action: Instant and contested
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails. Further uses of Govi 
  Trap incur a -1 penalty for the remainder of the scene.
  Failure: The attempt fails.
  Success: The character succeeds in compelling a specific 
  ghost within range of sight to enter the govi (which may 
  be any small container with a lid), trapping it within. The 
  govi will hold the ghost for a number of hours equal to 
  the Gatekeeper’s dots in Carrefour. If the lid is removed, 
  or the container is broken, the ghost may flee.
  Exceptional Success: The attempt succeeds, and the 
  ghost is so intimidated by the Gatekeeper’s power that it 
  agrees to answer one question absolutely honestly, to the 
  best of its knowledge. 
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  Discipline is activated is a cemetery or  
   
  other location related to death.
  +1 
  The character practices Vodoun, and his  
   
  patron loa is Ghede.
  •• Skeleton Key
  Gatekeepers of Ghede are able to open any door, despite 
  locks, security systems or barricades. Conversely, they may 
  use the same Discipline power to shut a door, locking it 
  with magic so powerful that nothing short of destroying 
  the door (or using Skeleton Key upon the door again) 
  will open it.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Presence + Larceny + Carrefour
  Action: Instant
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails. Further uses of Skele-
  ton Key incur a -1 penalty for the remainder of the scene.
  Failure: The attempt fails.
  Success: The character can open or shut one door. If, 
  while using Skeleton Key, the character opens a door 
  protected by an alarm, the alarm does not sound, nor is 
  any equipment connected to the door damaged. If the 
  door is barricaded in any other way, the obstructions 
  immediately fall to the side, allowing complete access to 
  the vampire. If a character chooses to close a door, the 
  door cannot be opened again unless the door itself is 
  destroyed, or Skeleton Key is used upon it again. If the 
  character wishes, he may spend an additional point of 
  Vitae so that no other Gatekeeper but himself may open 
  the door again using Skeleton Key.
  Exceptional Success: The Apollinaire may name one 
  person who can or cannot use the door, leaving it locked 
  or unlocked to everyone else. This does not prevent the 
  door being opened by Skeleton Key, however, it just allows 
  the vampire to grant more specific access. 
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  The character practices Vodoun, and his  
   
  patron loa is Ghede.
  ••• Vévé Passageway
  Using white chalk, a Gatekeeper can draw the image of 
  a door upon a wall, and instantly create a passageway 
  through any barrier to the nearest room or empty space 
  beyond it.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Wits + Craft + Carrefour
  Action: Instant
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The door opens, but closes in a few 
  seconds, rather than at the end of the scene. If the vampire 
  is crossing through when this happens, the player rolls Dex-
  terity + Athletics reflexively. If this roll fails, the character 
  suffers seven points of lethal damage as the wall solidifies 
  around her. The character can attempt to use Skeleton Key 
  to get out (short of destroying the wall, this is in fact her 
  only hope), but the attempt suffers a -3 modifier.
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - apollinaire
  
  ancient bloodlines
  66
  Failure: The attempt fails, and the chalk drawing re-
  mains upon the wall.
  Success: The chalk door becomes a real door that opens 
  to the nearest room or empty space (up to a distance of 
  one mile in the direction directly behind the symbolic 
  drawing). If there is no open space behind the drawn 
  door, a real door still materializes, but it opens to the 
  wall behind it, and goes nowhere (unless Shift Threshold 
  is subsequently performed upon it). The door may be 
  opened and closed once, after which the door vanishes. 
  Otherwise, it remains for a number of hours equal 
  to the successes rolled, after which it dissolves. Shift 
  Threshold may be used upon a Vévé Passageway, but 
  the door always disappears after it is closed or its dura-
  tion has expired, and may therefore not become a part of 
  the Eternal Crossroads. 
  Exceptional Success: Other than the extra time gained, 
  extra successes have no effect.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  The character practices Vodoun, and his  
   
  patron loa is Ghede.
  •••• Open Bayé
  Members of Apollinaire’s bloodline can create a gateway, 
  known as a bayé, to and from the world of the dead, allow-
  ing traffic in either direction. Anyone who steps through 
  a bayé is transplanted into Twilight. While in Twilight, 
  they can touch ghosts, pick up ghostly objects or read 
  tomes hidden there. They can also engage in physical 
  or magical combat with ghosts, damaging their Corpus. 
  Conversely, wrathful shades might physically lash out at 
  visitors, causing them harm. 
  Cost: — 
  Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Carrefour
  Action: Instant
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The gateway opens, but it doesn’t lead 
  to Twilight. The player rolls the vampire’s Wits + Compo-
  sure as a reflexive action. If the roll succeeds, the vampire 
  realizes what has happened and stops before entering the 
  gate (which leads to somewhere else — the Underworld, 
  perhaps, or even to Hell). The gateway remains open 
  until dawn, however, and if the vampire doesn’t watch it 
  carefully, something could escape. Ghede would certainly 
  be displeased if this were to happen.
  Failure: The attempt fails.
  Success: The attempt succeeds, and the character opens 
  a gateway to Twilight. One vampire of Size 5 or less can 
  
  67
  pass through the bayé per turn (larger Kindred can spend 
  two turns squeezing through). Each success allows the 
  Gatekeeper to widen the gate so that one additional vam-
  pire can pass through per turn. Only vampires may pass 
  through a bayé opened by an Apollinaire, and the gateway 
  cannot be moved. It is impossible to open a Gateway from 
  within Twilight using Open Bayé, making it difficult to 
  return to the material world should a vampire linger too 
  long in Twilight. While there, vampires are only able to 
  feed upon each other, and sunlight is just as dangerous 
  within Twilight as it is in the material world. 
  Exceptional Success: Extra successes allow for larger 
  gates, but confer no other benefit.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  Discipline is activated is a cemetery or 
   
  other location related to death.
  +1 
  The character practices Vodoun, and his  
   
  patron loa is Ghede.
  ••••• Shift Threshold
  The Apollinaire bloodline has the ability to open 
  any door to any other, linking the two doors together 
  through space, no matter where they both reside. A 
  Gatekeeper may, for example, link a closet door in New 
  York to the door of a flat in London. When the vampire 
  passes through the door in New York, he ends up in 
  the London flat. Gatekeepers have scattered hundreds 
  of these doors across the globe, forming an intricate, 
  secret network across the fabric of space known as the 
  Eternal Crossroads. 
  The Eternal Crossroads are available for any vampire 
  to use, provided she knows where to look and has been 
  taught the proper way to open the door. A small number 
  of Gatekeepers have taken up the duty of maintaining the 
  Eternal Crossroads, mapping its intricate and ever-shifting 
  passageways, and locking doors (often using Skeleton Key 
  to prevent those outside the bloodline from gaining ac-
  cess) that have been left ajar to prevent the unaware from 
  stumbling through. Maps of the Eternal Crossroads are 
  available for purchase, at a high price, although they are 
  rarely accurate for long, as old passageways are destroyed 
  and new ones are constantly added.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Carrefour
  Action: Instant
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The Gatekeeper creates a connection 
  to a random door, rather than to the intended door. 
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - apollinaire
  
  ancient bloodlines
  68
  Failure: The attempt fails.
  Success: The Gatekeeper links two doors together 
  creating a passageway in space from one to the other. 
  The vampire may only create a connection to a door that 
  he has seen and can clearly visualize, and may not link 
  a door to another that is already a part of the Eternal 
  Crossroads. The link exists for a number of hours equal 
  to the successes rolled, unless the player spends an extra 
  Vitae for the character to mark the door with his blood. 
  If an Apollinaire marks the door, the passageway be-
  comes a part of the Eternal Crossroads, and the link lasts 
  until one (or both) of the doors is physically destroyed. 
  While any vampire can cross through a passageway 
  formed using Shift Threshold, only an Apollinaire can 
  see the mark upon a door designating it as a gateway of 
  the Eternal Crossroads.
  When a Gatekeeper creates a door to the Eternal Cross-
  roads, he also invents a “key,” a special way of accessing 
  the door to cause it to open to the linked destination, 
  rather than to wherever it would usually lead. This “key” 
  is usually a simple ritual: a special knock, a symbol to be 
  drawn on the door or a quick phrase. An Apollinaire 
  who forgets which key goes to which door might be in for 
  embarrassment (at least), but nothing stops the character 
  from using the same key for multiple doors. Then all he 
  has to do is remember where each of the doors goes. 
  Exceptional Success: The vampire can make the door 
  part of the Eternal Crossroads without further expen-
  diture. All Carrefour rolls for the next hour gain a +1, 
  as Ghede looks upon the intricacy of the Crossroads 
  with pleasure. 
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The vampire is attempting to connect to  
   
  a door in his haven, or another location  
   
  with which he is intimately familiar.
  +1 
  The character practices Vodoun, and his  
   
  patron loa is Ghede.
  
  69
  Those of Les Gens Libres bloodline believe 
  in freedom above all else. Members of the 
  bloodline are Embraced from those who 
  were subject to a cruel or unjust exercise 
  of authority or power. Among their ranks 
  might be a former slave, an ex-criminal, a pris-
  oner of war, a man who has suffered a life of 
  poverty in the hands of a corrupt govern-
  ment, or a battered woman trapped in 
  an abusive relationship. In death, those 
  chosen to become a part of Les Gens 
  Libres finally find freedom. The Gens 
  Libres are a rebellious lot, and they 
  revel in their vampiric powers, seeing 
  their abilities as tools that can be utilized 
  to turn the tables on their oppressors and 
  liberate those who are still oppressed. 
  Members of the Gens Libres bloodline typically belong 
  to no covenant, finding the very notion of an organized 
  hierarchy oppressive. They operate independently of 
  established systems, sometimes alone, but more often 
  in groups, to further their cause. Les Gens Libres are 
  vigilante freedom fighters — self-proclaimed defenders of 
  those who are oppressed by authority. To Les Gens Libres, 
  the world quivers in anticipation each night, waiting for 
  revolution. 
  Parent Clan: Gangrel
  Bloodline Disciplines: Obfuscate, Animalism, Resil-
  ience, Celerity
  Nickname: Freedmen 
  Weakness: Members of the Gens Libres bloodline 
  possess the weakness of their parent clan (see p. 107 of 
  Vampire: The Requiem).
  Additionally, Les Gens Libres are incapable of forming 
  a blood bond, and vampires who drink the blood of a 
  Freedman are never subject to the Vinculum. This suits 
  members of the bloodline perfectly well, however, as the 
  majority of Freedmen view the Vinculum as simply an-
  other unjust form of slavery. Members of the bloodline 
  believe that this weakness is not a detriment at all; rather, 
  it is a proudly-worn badge of their continued commitment 
  to the proliferation of Freedom.
  History and Culture: Bloodline historians have never 
  been able to pinpoint who exactly was the founder of 
  the bloodline, but it is widely believed that the 
  line is relatively recent in the grand scheme of 
  things. The bloodline clearly originated 
  in Saint Domingue (modern-day Haiti), 
  sometime shortly before or during the 
  Haitian Revolution at the end of the 
  18th century. Originally, members of 
  the bloodline were Kindred turned 
  from Haitian slaves, still burning with 
  unforgotten hatred remaining from their 
  mortal lives held in bondage. As the years 
  passed, the bloodline grew to encompass a much 
  wider range of cultural backgrounds — any of 
  those among the masses who have been op-
  pressed, and who believe in freedom above 
  all else. Freedmen often choose to belong to no 
  covenant, wishing instead to devote themselves 
  utterly to their cause.
  With the European tradition no longer threatened 
  by the blasphemous practices of the Kindred of the first 
  wave, there was very little left to do in Saint Domingue 
  but systematically destroy those who remained. According 
  to most records, that is precisely what happened. 
  But the truth is far more sinister where Les Gens Libres 
  are concerned. Rather than kill the remaining Kindred 
  slaves, the elders of the second wave corralled those who 
  remained and developed a means of tracking their blood 
  and the blood of any childe they sired. They bred out the 
  Gangrel’s troublesome tendency to grow horrific claws, 
  and instead they purposefully developed in the line an 
  affinity for staying hidden — at least, from anyone who 
  didn’t know how to find them. After the bloodline ce-
  mented itself, the founders of Les Gens Libres bloodline 
  were set loose in the world to multiply. The elders of 
  the second wave did this so that a new, relatively weak 
  bloodline could serve as a food source for vampires who 
  had grown too powerful to sustain themselves on human 
  blood. Even tonight, certain vampires know how to use 
  the tracking method devised by the Kindred of the second 
  wave. The information on how to find Kindred of the 
  Gens Libres bloodline can be bought for a high price by 
  those influential enough to acquire it. The unpleasant 
  truth of the Freedmen’s origins has, thus far, not come 
  to light — or at least, no Freedmen still extant seem to 
  know this truth. 
  LeS GenS LibreS 
  I would rather die than be a slave once more.
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - les gens libres
  
  ancient bloodlines
  70
  Kindred who are initiated into Les Gens Libres must 
  show their dedication to the cause by freeing a mortal (or, 
  in some cases, a vampire) from some oppressor. An oppres-
  sor in this sense may or may not be a person. It may be a 
  government, an unhealthy situation, or physical bindings, 
  such as shackles or a prison cell. The fact the some people 
  may not want to be free is, in most cases, a concept that 
  Les Gens Libres cannot (or do not wish to) understand. 
  They look upon those who willingly subject themselves to 
  servitude as utterly deluded, and sometimes choose to end 
  their lives rather than let them continue to suffer slavery.
  Reputation: In small numbers, Kindred with more 
  traditional ideals generally see Les Gens Libres as noth-
  ing more than a loud and annoying nuisance. When 
  their numbers swell, however, their strength becomes 
  formidable, and not many are more adept at garnering 
  support for their cause than are the Freedmen. As such, 
  the bloodline tends to be closely monitored to ensure they 
  remain contained and easily controlled.
  For the most part, Les Gens Libres are on relatively 
  friendly terms with the Carthians. Though their motives 
  and methods may differ, the two groups both share a 
  similar progressive attitude. The groups may occasion-
  ally find common ground and work together to achieve 
  a mutual goal.
  Concepts: Vigilante, jaded ex-military officer, fervent 
  patriot, rebellious teenager, disgruntled blue-collar 
  worker, misguided rabble-rouser, guerilla warrior, 
  falsely-accused ex-convict, zealous visionary, charis-
  matic politician
  Artifact: Blood Compass
  A blood compass looks like nothing more than a 
  square of white fabric spotted with blood. They were 
  first made by Kindred of the second wave as a means 
  to track members of the Gens Libres bloodline. The Vi-
  tae spilled upon the cloth belongs to one of the earliest 
  members of the bloodline. To use the artifact, a vampire 
  must concentrate upon the blood-stain; the player spends 
  one Willpower point. Traces of the Beast that remain in 
  the dried Vitae respond to his command, and the blood 
  stains upon the cloth shift, gathering in the direction of 
  the nearest member of the bloodline. The blood will point 
  in the direction of the nearest Freedman for the duration 
  of one scene. Only a few dozen such bloody cloths exist 
  in the world tonight. Few vampires currently know how 
  to create a Blood Compass, and those who do guard the 
  secret carefully.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Persuasion + Blood Potency 
  Action: Extended
  
  71
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The ritual fails spectacularly. The arti-
  fact activates, but points in a false direction, leading the 
  user on a wild goose chase for the duration of a scene.
  Failure: The artifact fails entirely, but not dangerously. 
  The character loses the Willpower point, but the artifact 
  does not activate.
  Success: The Blood Compass points in the direction 
  of the nearest member of the Gens Libres bloodline. 
  The character must accumulate a number of successes 
  appropriate to the distance between the tracker and the 
  quarry. A target in the next building might require only 
  three successes, while one a hundred miles away might 
  require as many as twenty. In any case, the Blood Compass 
  always points the vampire in the right direction (provided 
  the tracker continues to accumulate successes). Once the 
  Compass is activated, it remains so for an entire night. 
  The search for a member of the bloodline can therefore 
  take place over a number of nights, with the tracker re-
  activating the Compass at each sundown. 
  If a vampire owns a Blood Compass and knows one of 
  the Freedmen personally and can use the Summoning 
  power of the Majesty Discipline, the Summoning attempt 
  receives a +3 modifier.
  Exceptional Success: The player makes considerable 
  progress toward the goal. 
  Devotions of Les Gens Libres
  Break Vinculum 
  (Resilience •••, Auspex•)
  The Gens Libres believe the blood bond is nothing more 
  than another form of slavery. Sadly, the Vinculum is 
  widely used among Kindred to force others into submis-
  sion. By laying their hands upon a thrall, a Freedman 
  is able to temporarily break him free of his bond. For 
  reasons beyond the comprehension of Les Gens Libres, 
  some vampires actually want to remain in thrall to their 
  regnant. If a Freedman attempts Break Vinculum on 
  one of these unwilling and clearly deluded Kindred, the 
  action is contested.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Persuasion + Resilience versus 
  Resolve + Blood Potency (if the subject is unwilling)
  Action: Instant
  The character must touch the subject (see “Touching 
  an Opponent” in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 
  157). Once contact is established, a contested roll is made 
  if the subject is resistant. If the player gets the most suc-
  cesses, the blood bond is broken for a number of hours 
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - les gens libres
  
  ancient bloodlines
  72
  equal to the number of successes rolled. When the bond 
  is broken, the regnant automatically rolls Wits + Blood 
  Potency. If the regnant rolls a higher number of successes 
  than the devotion’s activation roll, he senses that the bond 
  has been broken.
  This power costs 15 experience points to learn. 
  Liberated Mind 
  (Auspex •, Obfuscate •••) 
  Over the years, Les Gens Libres developed a technique 
  that, when utilized, makes them less susceptible to be-
  ing dominated by others. Liberated Mind creates a false 
  mind that shields the true psyche of the Freedman from 
  domination, and makes his would-be controller falsely 
  believe the attempt at control was successful.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Subterfuge + Obfuscate 
  Action: Instant
  Success on the roll activates Liberated Mind upon the 
  character for one night. The character enjoys a bonus to 
  all resistance rolls to the Dominate Discipline equal to 
  the player’s successes. In addition, if the Dominate power 
  isn’t resisted actively, but involves subtracting a trait from 
  the attacker’s dice pool, the successes on the Liberated 
  Mind roll add to this trait.
  Example: Michel uses Liberated Mind every night before 
  venturing into the morass of slavery that is the local vampire 
  court. Tonight, his player rolls three successes. If a Ventrue pig 
  uses Command on him, his player rolls Resolve + Blood Potency 
  + 3 to resist. If, however, the Ventrue tries to remove a memory 
  using The Forgetful Mind, the Ventrue’s player subtracts Michel’s 
  Resolve + 3, rather than just his Resolve, from the Discipline’s 
  dice pool.
  One of the other useful facets of this Devotion is that 
  the attacker believes that the Dominate attempt has been 
  successful, provided that he isn’t expecting an immedi-
  ate result. If the vampire uses Command to force the 
  Freedman to “Sit,” the vampire might ignore the order, 
  which obviously tips the attacker off to the fact that the 
  Dominate attempt didn’t work. However, if the vampire 
  used Mesmerize to issue a more complex command, the 
  Gens Libres vampire is free to pretend to be under the 
  vampire’s spell — and the attacker is none the wiser. 
  This power costs 15 experience points to learn. 
  Telepathic Network 
  (Auspex ••••, Obfuscate •••) 
  Experienced Freedmen are capable of creating a mental 
  network of telepathic communication between groups 
  of Kindred. Once the network has been opened, any 
  Kindred affected by Telepathic Network can send out a 
  silent, mental message to the entire group such as, “I am 
  being attacked, come help me!” or, “I’m currently break-
  ing into the back of the building. Where are the rest of 
  you?” This Devotion cannot be used on an unwilling or 
  unaware subject. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Intelligence + Stealth + Auspex 
  Action: Instant
  Upon activation, Telepathic Network creates a tempo-
  rary telepathic bond between multiple willing Kindred. 
  The number of vampires that can be included within the 
  network is equal to the number of successes obtained 
  during the activation roll. Kindred within the network 
  may send out a mental message to the entire group, 
  but may not send out a private message to a specific 
  individual. The network is unaffected by distance once 
  activated (although all vampires who wish to be a part of 
  the network must be present for activation). Telepathic 
  Network lasts for the duration of a scene, unless the 
  character responsible for activating the Devotion chooses 
  to end it earlier. 
  Additionally, Telepathic Network masks the Beasts 
  of those within the network from the Predator’s Taint. 
  While those within the network still instinctively know 
  other vampires by sight, vampires outside of the group will 
  not recognize those within for the monsters they are. A 
  vampire connected through Telepathic Network appears 
  mortal to other Kindred, unless the outsider picks up on 
  other tells (such as a murky reflection in a mirror), or the 
  linked Kindred chooses to reveal his true nature. 
  This power costs 21 experience points to learn. 
  
  73
  The Haitian revolution was a turning point in Kindred 
  history. As the fires of rebellion burned, Kindred fled 
  from St. Domingue and scattered throughout the world, 
  taking the religion of Vodoun with them. 
  Any vampire can practice Vodoun. The religion is in-
  clusive and not limited to any specific clan. While certain 
  covenants (the Lancea Sanctum in particular) may find its 
  practice disdainful or even threatening, the religion is still 
  open to all — despite efforts by more traditional Kindred 
  to contain its spread. Granted, there is a much larger 
  concentration of devotees in New Orleans, the Carib-
  bean and eastern coastal cities of the United States, but 
  vampires find reasons to move to new cities, so isolated 
  individual practitioners and small coteries of devotees can 
  crop up nearly anywhere. 
  Vodoun lexiCon
  Below are some important Vodoun-related terms 
  that may be presented within this section, or may 
  be used to add authentic detail to a campaign. 
  Bat guerre — an initiation ceremony that a 
  vodouisant must go through in order to become 
  a houngan or mambo. During bat guerre, the 
  candidate is possessed by a particular loa who 
  offers patronage to the devotee.
  Bayé — An entranceway or gateway, particularly 
  between the material world and the world of  
  the dead.
  Cheval — A devotee who is possessed or 
  “ridden” by a loa. Translated literally, cheval means 
  “horse.”
  Houngan — A fully initiated priest of Vodoun, 
  under the patronage of a specific loa. A houngan’s 
  female counterpart is a mambo.
  Loa — Powerful spirits who may be called upon 
  through ritual to grant certain favors or abilities 
  to those who serve them loyally.
  Mambo — A fully initiated priestess of Vodoun, 
  under the patronage of a specific loa. A mambo’s 
  male counterpart is a houngan.
  Ridden — To be possessed by a loa.
  Vévé — Elaborate, ritualistic symbols of power, 
  usually drawn in flour or blood.
  Vodouisant — a low-ranking devotee of 
  Vodoun who has not yet gained the patronage 
  of a specific loa.
  Vodoun, as a religion, puts a great deal of emphasis on 
  dealing with spirits called loa. The loa are spirits of divine 
  origin who serve as intermediaries between Bondye, the 
  Creator (who is both distant from and disinterested in 
  the lowly affairs of creatures that crawl upon the earth), 
  and practitioners of Vodoun. 
  In Kindred Vodoun rituals, the ritualist summons loa 
  to receive offerings and grant requests. Each loa demands 
  a different type of offering or gift from the ritualist. If the 
  loa finds the vampire’s offering sufficient, it possesses her 
  body and grants her unique abilities in the process. 
  A devotee progresses in Vodoun by developing per-
  sonal relationships and rapport with the loa. As such, a 
  character’s rating in Rapport determines which rituals 
  he may learn. For example, a character with two dots of 
  Rapport can know an unlimited number of level one 
  and level two rituals (provided the experience points are 
  paid to learn each), but he may not study any level-three 
  Vodoun rituals until his Rapport level is increased to 3. 
  Each time a character acquires a dot of Rapport (including 
  at character creation), he gains a ritual of that level at no 
  additional cost. New rituals can be bought at the cost of 
  two experience points multiplied by the level of the ritual. 
  Kindred	with	a	Rapport	level	of	••	or	lower	are	called	
  vodouisants, and are able to call upon any loa.
  While any vampire can practice Vodoun, and may call 
  upon any number of loa, the end goal of most practitio-
  ners is to gain the patronage of a specific loa. Develop-
  ing a personal relationship with a loa takes a great deal 
  of time and energy, but once a loa offers its patronage, 
  the houngan has access to much more specialized and 
  formidable powers than those available to vodouisants. 
  When a player buys a third dot of Rapport, his character 
  has become skilled enough to attract the attention of a 
  specific loa, and must perform the ceremony of bat guerre 
  (the battle for the spirits). Through physical exertion and 
  mental concentration, against the hypnotic backbeat of 
  drums, chanting and the clashing of ceremonial machetes, 
  the initiate is possessed by a particular loa who offers its 
  patronage. A character cannot ascend to a Rapport level 
  of	•••	without	going	through	bat guerre.
  If the vodouisant accepts the loa’s offer during the cer-
  emony, he or she becomes a houngan (priest) or mambo 
  (priestess) devoted to that specific loa, and may proceed 
  to	learn	the	higher	level	rituals	(levels	•••	and	above)	
  associated with that loa. Once a houngan completes bat 
  guerre and gains the patronage of a loa, he can still call 
  upon	any	of	the	other	loa	for	lower	level	rituals	(levels	••	
  and below), but he can only perform higher level rituals 
  kindred Vodoun
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - kindred vodoun
  
  ancient bloodlines
  74
  (levels	•••	and	above)	associated	with	his	patron	loa.	A	
  houngan may only accept the patronage of one loa, so he 
  must consider his path carefully.
  The Ritual
  In Kindred Vodoun rituals, a devotee invites a loa into 
  his body. Each loa demands a different offering or gift 
  from the ritualist. If the loa finds the vampire’s offering 
  sufficient, it will enter his body and grant him unique 
  abilities. The devotee retains control of his own body and 
  senses while the loa rides his body and may choose to end 
  the possession at any time, except in the case of dramatic 
  failure (see below). How the possession affects the ritual-
  ist varies from loa to loa. Kindred may take on physical 
  or personality traits associated with the loa: an unusually 
  haughty attitude, a slight limp, or grotesque, festering 
  sores. The characteristics of the loa affect the vampire for 
  a number of hours equal to the level of the ritual. 
  Cost: The use of Vodoun always costs the character 
  one point of Vitae. Additionally, each loa requires an of-
  fering. Upon invocation of the ritual, the loa consumes 
  what has been offered, leaving behind nothing — regard-
  less of whether or not the ritual results in a successful 
  possession. 
  Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Rapport
  Action: Extended. The number of successes required 
  to activate a ritual is equal to the level of the ritual (so a 
  level-three ritual requires three successes to enact). Each 
  roll represents one turn of ritual casting. Note also that 
  each point of damage incurred in a turn is a penalty to 
  the next casting roll made for the character, in addition 
  to any wound penalties suffered.
  If a character fails to complete the ritual in time (such 
  as by being sent into torpor before accumulating enough 
  successes) or decides to cancel the ritual before garner-
  ing enough successes to activate it, the effect simply fails. 
  Any Vitae expenditures made are not recovered, and the 
  offering is consumed.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The devotee relinquishes control of 
  her body, becoming entirely possessed by the loa for the 
  remainder of the scene (which may or may not be det-
  rimental to the vampire depending on the loa, and the 
  vampire’s relationship with it). The loa’s consciousness 
  takes the place of the ritualist’s, and the loa controls all 
  actions made by the vampire during that time. When the 
  vampire regains control of her body, she recalls nothing of 
  what happened during the possession and is temporarily 
  disoriented, taking a -3 penalty to any action performed 
  in the subsequent round. 
  Failure: No successes are added to the total. If the char-
  acter is forced to stop before the ritual is complete, the 
  ritual fails. Vitae and offerings are consumed as normal, 
  but possession does not occur. 
  Success: Successes are added to the total. If the character 
  reaches the target number of successes, the ritual takes 
  place as described, and the possession is successful.
  Exceptional Success: The ritual takes place as described. 
  In many cases, extra successes are their own reward, caus-
  ing additional damage or conferring extra duration or 
  capacity.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The ritual is performed in a place sympa 
   
  thetic to the nature of the loa.
  +1 
  The loa is the patron of the Kindred  
   
  performing the ritual.
  -2 
  The ritual is performed with inappropri 
   
  ate offerings.
  -2 
  The ritualist demands cooperation rather  
   
  than asking for it or treats the loa with  
   
  disdain or arrogance.
  -3 
  The ritual is performed lacking any  
   
  offering.
  
  75
  Each loa is a distinct being with its own drastically 
  varying personal likes and dislikes, sacred rhythms, songs, 
  dances, vévés (ritual symbols) and related rituals. Loa 
  expect to be served and respected, and any arrogance or 
  disrespect will not be tolerated. 
  Devotees who serve the loa loyally are granted potent 
  abilities. It should be noted, however, that Kindred are 
  inhuman monsters, forever at war with the Beast within. 
  Of the thousands of loa that exist, only those with a cer-
  tain affinity for darkness will suffer to ride a vampire.
  WhaT aRe The loa?
  In the context of the World of Darkness, what are 
  the beings that empower Kindred Vodoun? One 
  might as well ask what empowers Crúac or Theban 
  Sorcery. Something obviously makes it work, and 
  the adherents to the faiths that practice these 
  sorceries claim that because the magic works, this 
  proves the supremacy — and existence — of the 
  deities they worship.
  Except, of course, that the fact that Theban 
  Sorcery gets results doesn’t stop Crúac or Kindred 
  Vodoun from working as well. So the question 
  remains: What are the loa? They might be spirits 
  (see the Introduction), and the vampires who 
  practice this blood magic are playing into bans 
  set in place hundreds of years ago (perhaps in 
  Haiti before the Revolution, perhaps in Africa 
  before the slavers came). Kindred Vodoun might 
  be a set of powers inherent to the Kindred, just 
  like Disciplines or the ability to augment Physical 
  Attributes with Vitae, and the ritual that vampires 
  attach to it is artificial. 
  And, of course, there’s always the possibility that 
  the loa do exist just as described, and that they are 
  keeping an eye on the world for Bondye. That begs 
  the question of what He’ll think of His custodians 
  mucking about with vampires….
  Ghede
  Ghede is the lord of death and the keeper of graveyards. 
  He controls the eternal crossroads that mark the paths 
  between life and death. His followers are said to have the 
  ability to converse with the dead, and were rumored to 
  create zombies from mortal corpses to attend as undead, 
  speechless servants entirely without free will. 
  Loa characteristics: A vampire who calls upon Ghede 
  takes on a visible death mask. His cheeks become hollow 
  and sunken, dark circles appear beneath his eyes, and 
  his skin stretches taught across his face — giving him a 
  skeletal appearance. 
  Ritual Offering: Rum, cigars and food (Ghede is a 
  glutton and a well-prepared feast is a sure way to gain 
  his favor). 
  Death Echo
  (Level-One Vodoun ritual)
  A devotee can call upon Ghede to grant him the ability to 
  perceive the moments of another vampire’s Final Death 
  as though he were experiencing the Final Death himself. 
  The Kindred perceives the death as it was occurring from 
  the point of view of the deceased vampire. The character 
  sees what the vampire saw, smells what he smelled, feels 
  how he felt, etc. Kindred are able to maintain Death Echo 
  for a minute per Rapport level, and must know the name 
  of the dead vampire in order to use this ritual.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  The ritualist has a physical object  
   
  connected to the deceased (e.g. hair,  
   
  clothing, a photograph).
  +2 
  The ritualist is well acquainted with the  
   
  deceased, or the deceased is connected  
   
  to the ritualist through a blood tie. 
  Ghede’s Touch
  (Level-Two Vodoun ritual)
  A devotee can call upon Ghede to cause any material 
  object to corrode, rust or become rotten. This ritual low-
  ers the object’s Durability by a number of points equal 
  to the vampire’s Blood Potency, but it does not affect the 
  object’s Structure. 
  Create Zombi
  (Level-Three Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Ghede)
  A houngan under the patronage of Ghede can call upon 
  him to reanimate a lifeless corpse and create a zombi. A 
  zombi created through Vodoun ritual is completely un-
  der the control of the houngan. It can be recognized by 
  its listless gait, and empty, soulless eyes. It can hear and 
  obey simple commands, and is said to be entirely without 
  memory of its mortal life — until its tongue touches salt. 
  the loa
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - the loa
  
  ancient bloodlines
  76
  According to folklore, the taste of salt will bring the zombi 
  back to its senses, and it will hurry back to the cemetery 
  to return to its grave. More likely, however, salt is simply 
  a supernatural weakness. Either way, houngan often sew 
  the corpse’s lips together before calling upon Ghede to 
  animate the body. Zombies are unfailing, devoted slaves. 
  What they lack in intelligence and motivation, they more 
  than make up for in dogged determination and sheer, 
  tireless pursuit of the tasks to which they are set.
  Generally speaking, such zombies possess a level of 
  reasoning just above that of a rather intelligent dog, and 
  lack even that dog’s ability to predict the future or make 
  independent decisions. They understand certain visual 
  cues (such as the opening of the door they are meant 
  to guard) and auditory commands (“Defend me!”), but 
  cannot perform feats requiring abstract intellect. They 
  have a limited memory, but cannot make even basic 
  correlations or inferences. (While they can, for example, 
  dimly recall that their master has changed their clothes 
  once a day, they cannot determine that he is likely to do 
  so again tomorrow.)
  They have no individual initiative. These corpse-slaves 
  are not really any stronger than they were in life, but they 
  are tireless and completely without the ability to sense or 
  respond to pain. They need not eat or sleep, and will do 
  whatever chore they are set to until told otherwise, even 
  if it requires them to tear their own bodies apart in the 
  attempt. They experience neither fear nor the desire for 
  self-preservation and have no minds, per se, for others 
  to control. 
  Each zombi created by this ritual has the following 
  base traits:
  Attributes: Power 1, Finesse 1, Resistance 2
  Size: 5 (or less if the corpse is small)
  Speed: 1*
  Initiative: 1*
  Defense: 1*
  * These traits begin at 1, regardless of Attribute scores. 
  The character can spend Vitae to make a zombie stronger, 
  however. For each Vitae spent (in additional to the point 
  required to activate the ritual), the player can raise any 
  one trait by two, or any two traits by one. There is no limit 
  to the amount of Vitae a vampire can use to empower 
  a zombi (up to the limits of his blood pool, obviously), 
  but once the character stops spending blood to do so, 
  thus completing the ritual, he cannot further empower 
  that zombi. 
  Zombies do not suffer wound penalties and cannot heal 
  damage naturally. Bashing, lethal and aggravated wounds 
  are marked normally, but zombies never suffer incapacita-
  tion — they just keep going until their last Health point 
  is lost to aggravated damage. When a zombie’s final 
  (rightmost) Health box is marked with bashing damage, 
  no roll is required to remain conscious. When its final 
  Health box is marked with lethal damage, it does not 
  collapse and begin bleeding to death — it keeps going. 
  Any damage suffered after that is upgraded to aggravated. 
  Once this happens, the corpse loses body parts with each 
  new upgraded wound until it is completely pulverized or 
  disintegrated (the Storyteller decides which parts fall off 
  with each wound).
  A zombi continues to rot. It suffers one lethal point 
  of damage with each passage of a number of nights 
  equal to its Resistance. A zombi with a Resistance of 
  3 therefore suffers one lethal point of rotting damage 
  every three nights.
  In addition, zombies created by this ritual have a vulner-
  ability to salt. If a zombi “tastes” salt, it is destroyed instantly. 
  Otherwise, zombies can only be destroyed when their final 
  Health box is marked with aggravated damage.
  Return to Dust
  (Level-Four Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Ghede)
  Kindred can call upon Ghede to pull the soul of a slain 
  vampire back into the dust of his remains for a limited 
  time. An impression of the face of the dead vampire ap-
  pears in the dust, answering the houngan’s questions in 
  a soft, dry whisper. The ritualist can ask one question of 
  the ghost per level in Vodoun. After it has answered, it 
  departs. (The houngan cannot delay for more than five 
  turns between questions, or else the ghost disappears 
  prematurely.) The ghost’s answers are not necessarily 
  truthful or straightforward, as the ritual in no way forces 
  the ghost to be honest. This ritual cannot be used to call 
  up the soul of a diablerized vampire.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The ritualist is well acquainted with the  
   
  deceased.
  +2 
  The deceased is connected to the ritualist  
   
  through a blood tie. 
  -2 
  The deceased disliked the ritualist.
  Cheat Death
  (Level-Five Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Ghede)
  Ghede is Lord of the Dead and keeper of the eternal 
  gateways between life and death, and as such, he has final 
  say over who dies and who lives. A houngan of Ghede 
  
  77
  may call upon his patron loa to shield him from Final 
  Death. A houngan who performs the ritual Cheat Death 
  is protected by Ghede from Final Death for one hour 
  after the ritual is performed. No matter how hard his foe 
  may try, the houngan simply will not die when under the 
  protection of his patron loa. 
  Cheat Death may only be performed once a night. After 
  the initial ritual is completed, a houngan can activate the 
  effects of Cheat Death as an instant action at any time 
  within the course of a night. When the effects of Cheat 
  Death have been successfully activated, the vampire is 
  under the protection of the ritual for one hour.
  The rightmost Health box cannot be filled with any kind 
  of damage while a character is protected by Cheat Death. 
  If the vampire enters frenzy, however, the ritual is dis-
  solved, and the character may be killed. Wound penalties 
  apply normally to a character protected by this ritual.
  Papa Legba
  In Haitian Vodoun, Papa Legba is the intermediary be-
  tween the spirit world and humanity. He is guardian of 
  the gateways to and from the spirit world and gives (or 
  denies) permission to speak with the spirits. Papa Legba 
  is believed to speak all human languages, and is said to 
  facilitate communication, speech and understanding. Ac-
  cording to the Vodoun tradition, Papa Legba is depicted 
  as an old man on a crutch or with a cane, wearing a broad 
  brimmed straw hat and smoking a pipe.
  Loa characteristics: A vampire who summons Papa 
  Legba walks with a noticeable limp, as though a leg bone 
  is broken.
  Ritual Offering: Black coffee, tobacco, and roasted 
  corn or peanuts
  Spiritual Intermediary
  (Level-One Vodoun ritual)
  Papa Legba can be called upon to grant the ritualist the 
  ability to see, hear and speak with spirits. Kindred granted 
  this ability can also detect their unseen presence if they 
  are hiding or have chosen to not reveal themselves. Un-
  less the vampire has some means of peering across the 
  Gauntlet or affecting the Shadow, he can converse only 
  with Twilight spirits. The effects of the ritual last for one 
  hour per dot of Rapport.
  Universal Translator
  (Level-Two Vodoun ritual)
  A vodouisant may call upon Papa Legba to translate any 
  language, verbal or written, allowing communication 
  and understanding across cultural and knowledge barri-
  ers. When Universal Translator is in effect, the vampire 
  understands all languages and can speak or write any 
  language that he chooses to focus upon. Fundamentally, 
  Universal Translator is based upon pattern recognition. 
  Therefore, it may also be used on computer and program-
  ming languages, allowing the vampire to understand and 
  write the language of code. Universal Translator remains 
  in effect for one scene.
  Legba’s Curse
  (Level-Four Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Papa Legba)
  In linguistics, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis states that 
  there is a systematic relationship between language and 
  how a person both understands the world and behaves 
  in it. It is language that defines the world. Without 
  language, a person cannot think or communicate, he 
  can only perceive. 
  A houngan of Legba may temporarily remove a person, 
  place or thing from the mind of a victim, rendering the 
  subject incapable of talking about, understanding, or even 
  thinking about the removed noun. The victim may still 
  perceive the object if confronted with it outright, and he 
  may even understand its fundamental properties individu-
  ally, but he cannot group those properties together to fully 
  grasp or describe what the object is. For example, a victim 
  is made to forget the word “apple.” If he is subsequently 
  confronted with an apple, he sees that it is round. Then 
  he sees that it is red, but he cannot recall or see that it is 
  also round. Then he feels that it is smooth, but he cannot 
  recall or see that it is also round and red, and so on. 
  The victim need not be present for the ritual, but the 
  houngan must know his name, or possess an object con-
  nected to the victim (hair, an article of clothing, etc.). If 
  the ritual is successful, the devotee chooses any single 
  noun (including proper nouns), which is then removed 
  from the victim’s mind for a number of days equal to the 
  houngan’s level of Rapport. 
  Leech Understanding
   (Level-Four Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Papa Legba)
  A houngan of Legba may perform the ritual Leech Under-
  standing upon a restrained or incapacitated vampire. The 
  ritualist lays his hands upon the vampire, and knowledge 
  pours into him from the mind of the victim. A character 
  who performs Leech Understanding permanently gains 
  an additional dot in a random Skill that the victim pos-
  sesses at a higher level than the houngan, and the victim 
  permanently loses a dot in that Skill. If the victim does 
  not possess any Skills at a higher level than the houngan, 
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - the loa
  
  ancient bloodlines
  78
  the ritual has no effect. The Skill dot gained need not be 
  paid for with experience points. Leech Understanding 
  may not be used on mortals.
  Using this ritual causes a degeneration check for vam-
  pires with Humanity 4 (roll three dice).
  Create Gris-Gris 
  (Level-Five Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Papa Legba)
  Kindred under the patronage of Papa Legba can call 
  upon him to trap a spirit within a gris-gris, a talisman 
  that houses a spirit and grants the wearer certain abili-
  ties or protection. Gris-gris are typically small, cloth bags 
  containing herbs, oils, stones, small bones, hair and nails, 
  pieces of cloth soaked with Vitae, or other small items 
  that calm the trapped spirit and connect it with the owner 
  of the talisman. 
  Before the houngan calls upon Papa Legba, he must 
  first make the amulet that will house the spirit. Creating a 
  gris-gris requires an extended Dexterity + Crafts roll with a 
  target number of 10. Each roll is equal to five minutes. 
  Once the talisman has been created, the houngan 
  performs the ritual to call upon Papa Legba. If the ritual 
  is successful, Papa Legba will trap a spirit within the talis-
  man. The type of spirit and Rank of the spirit trapped is 
  determined by what the houngan wants the gris-gris to do. 
  A gris-gris that can be used to provide light might require 
  a fire-spirit of low (1-2) Rank, while a talisman that can 
  grant the user the ability to cause foes to burst into flame 
  requires trapping a fire-spirit of high Rank (3 or more).
  The ritual that traps a spirit within a gris-gris is contest-
  ed, pitting the ritualist’s Presence + Persuasion + Rapport 
  against the spirit’s Rank + Resistance. 
  Vampires creating gris-gris are wise to tread carefully. 
  Spirits do not usually wish to remain trapped within a 
  gris-gris, forced to serve a houngan. Many attempt to break 
  free, and if they are able, may turn upon the houngan 
  who imprisoned and enslaved them. For this reason, it 
  is very difficult, and dangerous, to trap a powerful spirit 
  within a gris-gris. While potent spirits offer greater abili-
  ties to the houngan, they are also extremely difficult to 
  contain and are dangerous (and sometimes deadly) when 
  emancipated. 
  If the gris-gris is destroyed, the trapped spirit is freed 
  and the devotee no longer enjoys the benefits the talis-
  man provided.
  The spirit releases its Numina only upon the talisman’s 
  activation. The user must request or command the spirit 
  to act whenever he seeks its power. This is done non-
  verbally with an instant action Wits + Persuasion + Rap-
  port roll. Success allows the vampire to use the talisman 
  for the following scene. 
  Each time the talisman is activated, the trapped spirit 
  has a chance to escape. The spirit contests the houngan’s 
  Wits + Persuasion + Rapport roll with its Resistance. If the 
  spirit breaks free of its prison, the gris-gris becomes useless. 
  Lesser spirits return to Twilight or the Shadow, while more 
  powerful spirits may choose to attack the houngan.
  Kalfou 
  According to Vodoun tradition, Kalfou is the loa of bad 
  luck, evil charms, black magic and misfortune. He repre-
  sents the malevolent side of chaos and destiny. As such, 
  he is able to lend his dark influence over fate to Kindred 
  who serve him loyally. Like the loa, Kalfou’s followers tend 
  to be fascinated with destiny; they may be fortune tellers, 
  soothsayers or dark prophets. A mambo devoted to Kalfou 
  can inflict devastating curses upon her foes. 
  Loa characteristics: Kalfou is said to be the origin of 
  darkness. The eyes of a vampire who summons Kalfou 
  turn flat black and weep shadow. 
  Ritual Offering: Incense, sugar and raw meat 
  Kalfou’s Misfortune
  (Level-One Vodoun ritual)
  Kalfou may be called upon to inflict a curse intended 
  to bring about immediate ill-fortune upon another. The 
  target of the curse need not be present to be affected by 
  Kalfou’s Misfortune, but the devotee must have met the 
  target. Success causes a number of dice to be removed 
  from the subject’s dice pool. One die is subtracted per 
  Rapport dot the ritualist possesses (an additional die is 
  subtracted if Kalfou is the patron loa of the ritualist). 
  Kalfou’s Misfortune lasts an hour per dot of Rapport the 
  ritualist possesses. 
  This ritual involves a contested action, pitting the 
  ritualist’s Presence + Persuasion + Rapport against the 
  subject’s Resolve + Blood Potency. Resisting Kalfou’s 
  Misfortune is a reflexive action. Kalfou’s Misfortune can 
  be used a number of times per night equal to the ritual-
  ist’s Rapport.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  The ritualist has a physical object con 
   
  nected to the target of the curse (e.g. hair,  
   
  clothing, a photograph).
  +2 
  The ritualist is well acquainted with the  
   
  subject.
  +2 
  The subject is connected to the ritualist  
   
  through a blood tie.
  
  79
  Kalfou’s Oath
  (Level-Two Vodoun ritual)
  A devotee can swear a binding oath under the eye of 
  Kalfou, and even more importantly, the oath may take 
  place between any number of Kindred. Only one of the 
  vampires involved needs to be able to cast the ritual. 
  Each vampire making an oath under Kalfou signifies her 
  promise with a drop of her own blood upon a swatch of 
  white linen. 
  A promise sworn beneath the watchful gaze of Kalfou 
  can only be broken at a great price. If a vampire knowingly 
  and willingly acts in any way contrary to an oath sworn 
  beneath Kalfou, the loa curses him with bad luck, and the 
  oath-breaker receives a -5 penalty to all actions until his 
  promise has been fulfilled, he dies, or the oath is lifted. 
  The oath is only lifted if the binding cloth on which 
  the oath-takers’ blood was shared is destroyed.
  Ill Omen 
  (Level-Three Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Kalfou)
  A mambo of Kalfou may call upon the loa to inflict a 
  horrifying nightmare upon a foe. The focal point of the 
  nightmare may be a person, place or object. Whatever 
  the subject of the nightmare is, the victim wakes with an 
  intense phobia of it. The Kindred attempts to avoid that 
  person, place or object as though their very existence 
  depended upon it. If the victim is somehow confronted 
  with the object of his nightmare, he will react with utter 
  horror. Each turn the victim remains within 10 feet of 
  the object, the player rolls Resolve + Composure – the 
  mambo’s Blood Potency. If the roll fails, the victim im-
  mediately flees from the object in terror. If escape is not 
  possible, he enters Rötschreck. If the victim is mortal and 
  is unable to escape, he immediately faints, and remains 
  unconscious for an hour or until forcibly roused, which-
  ever comes first.
  It should be noted that although the victim wholly and 
  irrationally believes that the object of his fear will harm 
  him, it is, in fact, no more dangerous than it would be 
  under normal circumstances.
  Ill Omen remains in effect for a number of nights equal 
  to the mambo’s Rapport.
  Curse Object
  (Level-Four Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Kalfou)
  Kindred under the patronage of Kalfou may perform a 
  ritual to tie bad fortune to existing lifeless objects (jewelry, 
  clothing, a weapon, etc.). 
  If the ritual is successful, the targeted object is cursed. A 
  character who comes into physical contact with the object 
  must remove a number of dice from her dice pool for any 
  action subsequently performed. One die is subtracted 
  per Rapport dot the ritualist possessed at the time of the 
  item’s creation. 
  The subject need not remain in contact with the item to 
  be affected by its curse. Simply brushing again the cursed 
  object brings bad luck upon the individual. The curse is 
  automatically contested by the victim upon touch, pitting 
  the ritualist’s Presence + Persuasion + Rapport against 
  the subject’s Resolve + Blood Potency. If the victim fails 
  the roll, he is cursed for a number of hours equal to the 
  houngan’s dots in Rapport.   
  Vodoun Doll
  (Level-Five Vodoun ritual,  
  only available to patrons of Kalfou)
  Made popular through horror films and tales whispered 
  around the fire, the Vodoun Doll is probably one of the 
  most iconic items associated with the practice of Vodoun. 
  As it relates to Vodoun practiced by Kindred, a Vodoun 
  Doll (or poppet) is a potent magical tool used by the most 
  beloved houngan of Kalfou. A vampire may stick a wooden 
  nail into a fabricated doll, and in doing so, manipulate 
  his enemies from afar or inflict any number of dark and 
  powerful curses upon them. 
  Vodoun dolls can be constructed from almost any 
  material: cloth, wrapped twine, clay, wax or corn husks. 
  Creating a voodoo doll requires an extended Dexterity + 
  Crafts roll with a target number of 10. Each roll is equal 
  to five minutes. The houngan must have a piece of the 
  target or something very important to him — a drop of 
  blood, a lock of hair, or an item of great personal worth 
  such as a wedding ring or a piece of a favorite garment. 
  Alternately, the ritual can be performed using a simple 
  photograph or an object that the target has touched within 
  the last week, but either of these imposes a -2 modifier 
  on the ritual’s activation roll.
  Once the doll has been created, the houngan performs 
  the ritual to call upon Kalfou. If the ritual is successful, 
  Kalfou creates a sympathetic connection to the intended 
  target. The doll retains the link to the living individual 
  for five hours. If the Vodoun doll is destroyed, all the 
  sympathetic control is broken and the target is freed 
  from all effects. 
  Once the doll is connected to its target, the houngan 
  can puncture it with a single wooden nail. Only one 
  nail may be used at a time (multiple pins may not be 
  used to simultaneously affect different areas), but the 
  nail may be removed and the doll punctured again in 
  bloodlines of the haitian revolution - the loa
  
  ancient bloodlines
  80
  another location to achieve a different effect as often as 
  the houngan likes. 
  Placement of the nail, pushed into the Vodoun doll, 
  affects the target in a variety of ways: 
  Pin Placement: 
  Heart 
   
  The target is “staked,” a nail in the  
   
  heart of the Vodoun doll renders  
   
  the foe paralyzed until the nail is  
   
  removed. Used against a mortal, a  
   
  nail in the heart reduces the target’s  
   
  Stamina to 0 for purposes of deter 
   
  mining Health and all dice pools  
   
  involving endurance or fatigue. 
  Pin Placement: 
  Eye 
   
  The target is rendered blind until  
   
  the nail is removed.
  Pin Placement: 
  Ear
   
  The target is rendered deaf until  
   
  the nail is removed.
  Pin Placement: 
  Mouth 
   
  The target is rendered mute until  
   
  the nail is removed.
  Pin Placement: 
  Forehead
   
  The target is cursed with bad  
   
  luck while the wooden nail  
   
  remains in the Vodoun doll’s  
   
  forehead. When the target  
   
  attempts to perform a task that  
   
  requires significant thought (any  
   
  action that makes use of a Mental  
   
  Skill or Attribute), the target’s  
   
  player loses one die per dot of  
   
  the houngan’s Blood Potency. 
  Pin Placement: 
  Stomach
   
  The target feels ill, and becomes  
   
  violently sick if he attempts to  
   
  consume blood while the nail  
   
  remains in the poppet’s stomach.  
   
  He does not vomit the Vitae  
   
  currently in his system, but cannot  
   
  feed to gain additional Vitae until  
   
  the pin is removed. If the Subject  
   
  is mortal, he may not eat or drink  
   
  until the nail is removed.
  Pin Placement: 
  Extremities
   
  The target is cursed with bad luck  
   
  while the wooden nail remains in  
   
  the Vodoun doll’s hand or foot.  
   
  When the target attempts to  
   
  perform a task that requires  
   
  significant physical prowess (any  
   
  action that makes use of a Physical  
   
  Skill or Attribute), the target’s  
   
  player loses one die per dot of the  
   
  houngan’s Blood Potency. 
  kindRed of neW oRleans and Vodoun
  It might seem that the vampires of New Orleans, 
  especially Baron Cimitiere (p. 287 of Vampire: The 
  Requiem), would be perfect candidates for Kindred 
  Vodoun. This is true. If you choose to use Kindred 
  Vodoun in your story, he and other such vampires 
  of the Big Easy can be granted dots in Rapport and 
  Vodoun rituals as your Storyteller sees fit. 
  
  81
  Few German Kindred active tonight can truthfully claim to have seen four centuries pass before them. The eldest 
  Kindred of Central Europe possess confused memories of a nightmare war between ravenous packs of infuriated 
  neonates throwing themselves against everything that represented the traditional Kindred society. Before the anarchs’ 
  revolution, the European Kindred existed as a single society — complete with the ruling class, a clerical order and 
  the commoner masses. Afterwards the covenants would forever exist as discreet entities, biting at one another and 
  keeping an eye on neophytes who showed too great a surfeit of ambition.
  While the causes of the strife among the Kindred remains shrouded in mystery, the results echo into the modern 
  nights throughout Europe and beyond. Young Kindred claim the psychic disturbances and hoary ghosts that haunt 
  Europe are largely the result of the World Wars, but older Kindred know better. Long before the assassination of Franz 
  Ferdinand, starving packs of neonates clashed against one another in the torch-lit streets of Bremen and Hamburg, 
  while the elders of Prague and Vienna bolted their chambers against the madness in the wilderness beyond and, 
  between blood-drenched soirees and salons, planned raids against the youth.
  The crucible of a Central Europe at war with itself destroyed much within its borders. Two bloodlines rose from 
  the ashes, however, succeeding where others fell and surviving into the modern nights. The Geheim began as a 
  lineage of Austrian nobles obsessed with alchemy as a route toward self-perfection and power, and grew into one 
  of the most infamous bloodlines in Europe. The Septemi, on the other hand, brought righteous judgment to the 
  Lancea Sanctum from France. Despite repeated attempts by the Sanctified to wipe the Maidens out, they persist 
  to the modern nights, leading furtive unlives and working to protect the living from the depredations of the dead. 
  European Sanctified claim that only a period of such debased chaos could generate a line that matches its infamy 
  with degeneracy and another as loathed as it is heretical.
  Risen from the twisted households of the 
  Austrian aristocracy, the Geheim seem to 
  outsiders equal parts depraved extended 
  family, bizarre esoteric society and 
  cunning aristocrats. Never particu-
  larly trusted or popular, the Geheim 
  suffered a public relations fiasco 
  in the 20th century when it (its 
  detractors claim) became involved 
  in the Nazi Party. Tonight the fam-
  ily retains positions of prominence 
  throughout Central Europe, spread-
  ing beyond the borders of former Hab-
  sburg holdings and bringing their syncretic 
  combination of hedonism and alchemy to the 
  rest of the world. 
  Bloodlines of the  
  lost Generation (Ce 1618-1648)
  Geheim
  There can be no sublimation without putrefaction.  
  How can you expect me to know sanctity without experiencing depravity?
  Parent Clan: Ventrue
  Bloodline Disciplines: Animalism, Blut 
  Alchemie, Dominate, Resilience
  Nickname: Dilettantes
  Weakness: The Geheim share the 
  Ventrue clan’s tendency to fall into 
  madness (see p. 113 of Vampire: 
  The Requiem). 
  Furthermore, the Dilettantes are 
  obsessed with the applications and 
  implications of Vitae. Their constant 
  work with and exposure to various 
  quantities and qualities of blood twist 
  their perceptions and desires. Members of the 
  Geheim bloodline are always at a –1 penalty when 
  bloodlines of the lost generation - geheim
  
  ancient bloodlines
  82
  rolling for Vitae addiction (in addition to any other penal-
  ties or bonuses). 
  Additionally, the Geheim refuse to deny their hun-
  ger and believe that no others should deny it either. A 
  member of the line does not regain Willpower during 
  her daysleep if she failed to feed the night prior. For the 
  following night she is irritable, suffering a –2 to all frenzy 
  rolls made as the result of anger. The penalty fades when 
  the Geheim consumes at least one Vitae.
  History and Culture: Scattered throughout the rul-
  ing class of the Holy Roman Empire, the rise and fall of 
  the lineage’s fortunes have largely mirrored those of the 
  Habsburg family. Dilettantes claim that the founder of 
  their bloodline, a Kindred known to his contemporaries 
  as Count Geheim of Graz, was Embraced from among 
  the sprawling Habsburg family. While the assertion has 
  proven difficult for members of the line to substantiate, 
  there’s little doubt that Geheim of Graz moved in the 
  same social circles as the Habsburgs, as early as 1480. 
  Personal correspondences among the Habsburgs across 
  the centuries often mention a shadowy teacher or similar 
  figure who matches the accepted description of Geheim. 
  (The fact that these letters and diaries occasionally fawn 
  over Geheim has been interpreted as evidence that he kept 
  some of the writers under the bonds of Vinculum.)
  In a ceremony documented by Invictus, Sanctified and 
  Ordo Dracul records of 1577, Geheim and two childer, 
  Cecilia and Volker, formally announced the formation 
  of their bloodline, making a number of claims of entitle-
  ment regarding domains within Vienna and Switzerland 
  — claims which they were apparently able to back up, 
  despite the difficulty of travel during the period. Modern 
  detractors point out that several of the locations claimed 
  by the lineage boasted fewer than 1,000 mortals, making 
  them poor possessions for any vampire.
  Geheim and his childer had already garnered a reputa-
  tion for hedonism and excess, having hosted lavish parties 
  for even the most lowly of visiting functionaries. While 
  reports of baths of blood and bodies hanged from rafters 
  are probably exaggerations, few scholars doubt the tales 
  of woozy, blood-drained nobles stumbling to their waiting 
  carriages after a night of debauched intemperance. The 
  bloodline’s status as esoteric dabblers only began to grow 
  after their official declaration in 1577. After acquiring ter-
  ritory in Vienna and Prague, they began hosting salons for 
  the discussion of unusual and esoteric texts. These gather-
  ings, which usually lacked the depraved self-indulgence of 
  their parties, were not limited to attendance by Kindred, 
  and numerous mortals of learning came to be regulars at 
  Geheim soirees. Some Kindred even suspect that a few of 
  the bloodline’s consorts were mages or creatures stranger 
  yet. The lineage prospered, even through the anarchs’ war, 
  somehow gaining new members and territories even as 
  the rest of Kindred society collapsed about them. They 
  became early and energetic advocates of the studies of 
  the Ordo Dracul, assisting that covenant in its mission to 
  find recruits from among the erudite and open-minded 
  members of the Invictus and Lancea Sanctum.
  After the Thirty Years’ War however, the Habsburg 
  House entered a centuries-long decline. The Geheim, 
  once one of the most expansive Kindred families in 
  Central Europe, with close ties to a royal line that held 
  much of Europe at its height, found itself deteriorating in 
  influence. The line continued to grow, but the power it 
  had to share among its membership decayed. The esoteric 
  work of the Geheim, once lauded as ground-breaking, 
  became old hat, and while the ability to turn blood into 
  gold kept the bloodline’s coffers fat, their tricks provided 
  them little other help in the Danse Macabre. The group 
  attempted to cope by infiltrating and creating numerous 
  secret societies (a fact that furthered its reputation for 
  witchcraft and infernalism among the Sanctified), utilizing 
  their bloodline Discipline to gain high standing among 
  the mortal adherents to the esoteric. 
  The most infamous of these organizations was called 
  the Thule Society, created by a group of Germans in the 
  early twentieth century. The group’s focus, the mythologi-
  cal pure race called the Aryans, drew the attention of the 
  Geheim, who felt that exploration into the lost civilization 
  of Thule might provide new sources of mystical strength. 
  The Geheim had little chance to influence the Society 
  before two of its members formed the political group that 
  would grow to become the Nazi Party. While the Nazis 
  renounced and disbanded the Thule Society, rumors of 
  the connection between the Geheim and the Nazis quickly 
  spread through Kindred society. The bloodline found 
  itself less trusted and more loathed than ever before.
  Tonight the bloodline still reels from its greatest political 
  blunder, which occurred only recently as some European 
  Kindred reckon history. Its three founding figures have all 
  entered torpor, (though members of the line seem to be 
  preparing to ease the return of Count Geheim himself in 
  the near future) leaving the lineage to flounder listlessly 
  without direction. While many of the eldest cleave to the 
  ideals of the bloodline’s past, continuing studies into the 
  unknown and infiltrating and manipulating the highest 
  strata of mortal society, the youth of the line indulge 
  themselves with an almost apocalyptic fervor. The fall of 
  the traditional aristocracy has resulted in the bloodline be-
  coming more closely associated with organized crime and 
  corporate culture, and some of the line’s newest recruits 
  have been garnered from the ranks of those groups.
  
  83
  Reputation: As their sobriquet suggests, the Geheim 
  have garnered a reputation for failing to fully devote 
  their unlives to any cause. The lineage contains its fair 
  share of spoiled, wealthy Ventrue, many of whom take 
  the bloodline’s philosophy as an excuse to wallow in 
  whatever excesses can hold their attention. The lineage’s 
  deep connections to the aristocracy of Europe garner 
  them only slight esteem and no small amount of derision; 
  the Carthians object to such outdated social structures 
  on principle (plus there’s the whole Nazi thing), while 
  many Invictus feel that the Geheim simply don’t take 
  full advantage of the benefits they are handed. Their 
  love affair with organized crime infuriates the Sanctified 
  (not to mention their study of alchemy, which the Lancea 
  Sanctum generally labels as witchcraft). 
  Even the Ordo Dracul, the bloodline’s chosen patrons, 
  keep the lineage at arm’s length, viewing their discover-
  ies with no small amount of skepticism. Thus far no 
  one outside of the bloodline has been able to precisely 
  reproduce the Geheim’s results. Most Dragons consider 
  that evidence that the Geheim’s procedures reflect some 
  strange quirk of their blood rather than verifiable scien-
  tific or occult principles.
  The Geheim tend to join the Ordo Dracul with greater 
  frequency than any other covenant. Not only do the Drag-
  ons value the bloodline’s abilities, but their position in the 
  covenant’s history grants them a bit of freedom from the 
  derision they almost universally face from other Kindred. 
  Those who aren’t cut out for the Order’s psychological 
  exercises and bizarre rites often end up with the Invic-
  tus, turning the covenant’s resources towards the end of 
  feathering their own nest. Invictus Dilettantes typically 
  make an effort to hide the greatest of their excesses and 
  experimentations. Those who can’t even manage that 
  occasionally fall in with the Circle of the Crone, which 
  allows greater leeway for a vampire hoping to explore the 
  full range of the Kindred experience.
  Concepts: Bloodline apologist, debauched celebrant, 
  destitute aristocrat, hidden diablerist, lustful philanthropist, 
  mad chemist, overbearing society matron, silent internation-
  al business partner, vampire Mafioso, Vitae connoisseur
  Blut Alchemie
  In an uncharacteristically pragmatic display, the Geheim 
  named their unique take on Kindred occultism Blut 
  Alchemie (literally “Blood Alchemy”). They consider 
  their processes to possess components both scientific 
  and spiritual, and that through learning to refine and 
  manipulate the blood in the laboratory, a Kindred can do 
  the same to the Vitae within the crucible of the vampire 
  form. Geheim tend to develop a faint obsession with the 
  blood, acclaiming it as the seat of the Kindred soul. By 
  purifying the Vitae, they claim, one can purify the soul. 
  The goal of this work is the sanguine stone, a Kindred 
  equivalent to the philosopher’s stone. Cecilia von Ge-
  heim coined this term, but whether she was referring to 
  an actual physical substance or a spiritual state has been 
  lost during her centuries asleep.
  Questions of whether or not the effects listed below are 
  a Discipline or an esoteric science inevitably rise in most 
  discussions of the practice. Those who claim the former 
  assert that those outside of the lineage cannot replicate 
  the effects achieved through the procedures practiced 
  by the bloodline. Those on the other side of the fence 
  point to certain experiments by the Ordo Dracul that 
  have produced similar (though never identical) results. 
  Individual members of the Geheim family tend to fall 
  in either camp, but most ultimately dismiss the question 
  as irrelevant.
  Each of the abilities below requires access to a laboratory 
  to perform, usually needing either the Merit Haven (Size 
  •+)	or	Covenant	Status	(Ordo	Dracul	•+).	Because	the	
  procedures of Blut Alchemie require one or more hours to 
  perform, the Discipline is ill suited for tasks requiring im-
  mediate results. Additionally, Blut Alchemie only affects 
  blood or Vitae that has been spilled or harvested since 
  the most recent sunset. After that, the blood loses some 
  vital spark and becomes too degraded to be effectively 
  transmuted or examined.
  • Sanguine Analysis
  Before Vitae can be utilized, it must be broken down and 
  understood. The first procedure a newly inducted member 
  of the Geheim family learns allows her to do just that. 
  Through Sanguine Analysis, a Kindred garners a great 
  deal of information about a blood sample.
  This power renders the blood useless for anything other 
  than further uses of Blut Alchemie.
  Cost: —
  Dice Pool: Intelligence + Investigation + Blut Alchemie
  Action: Extended. Each roll represents one hour of 
  laboratory study.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character not only fails to garner 
  information, she also ruins the sample — rendering it 
  useless to further Blut Alchemie procedures.
  Failure: The character gains no insight into the sample.
  Success: The character garners one piece of the following 
  information regarding the sample: 
  bloodlines of the lost generation - geheim
  
  ancient bloodlines
  84
  The age of the character (if mortal) or time since the 
  •	
  character’s Embrace or last torpor, whichever was 
  most recent (if Kindred). 
  Whether the character suffers from or carries 
  •	
  any diseases (one disease per success).
  The general health of the character (if mortal).
  •	
  The amount of blood that was in a human 
  •	
  or Kindred’s system at the time the sample 
  was taken.
  The presence of animal, human or lupine 
  •	
  blood in the sample (the presence or lack 
  thereof of each is garnered per success).
  The presence of another Kindred’s Vitae in the 
  •	
  sample.
  The clan the Kindred who provided the sample hails 
  •	
  from (whether or not he originates from a given clan 
  per success).
  Whether or not the sample came from a ghoul 
  •	
  (one success) and the clan of the ghoul’s regnant 
  (whether or not the regnant is a member of a given 
  clan per success). 
  Whether or not the Kindred is a member of the 
  •	
  Geheim family (the Geheim may be able to test for 
  members of other bloodlines if he has confirmed 
  samples available from a member of said line).
  Each success is considered a successful test of the 
  sample, allowing the player of the Geheim to ask the Sto-
  ryteller one of the above questions and gain an accurate 
  answer. The character is limited to a number of rolls equal 
  to her Blut Alchemie.
  Example: Cecilia von Geheim surreptitiously takes a small 
  sample of blood from the scene of a ghoul’s murder. Cecilia knows 
  that the ghoul served a stranger to the domain, a Gangrel nomad 
  who calls himself Aaron. The amount of blood she manages to 
  take is small, she knows (and will inflict a -3 penalty on her rolls), 
  and the fact that he is a ghoul will make determining information 
  about the blood more difficult (another -1). Luckily, Cecilia is 
  an elder and her dice pool for Sanguine Analysis is 8 after the 
  penalties. She retires to her laboratory, where she could made 
  five rolls (based on her Blut Alchemie rating), were it not for the 
  fact that the dawn will interrupt her in three hours (allowing her 
  only three rolls). Her player rolls eight dice three times, garnering a 
  total of seven successes, allowing her seven pieces of information. 
  First she makes sure that the servant was actually a ghoul (he 
  was). She then attempts to discern the regnant’s clan, beginning 
  with Gangrel (which, despite his claims, he is not), followed by 
  Ventrue (also false), and Mekhet (this rings positive). She now 
  knows that either Aaron is actually a Mekhet or that his ghoul 
  was a double agent. She checks for another Kindred’s Vitae 
  
  85
  in the ghoul’s system and finds none. She has spent five of her 
  seven successes. Suspecting that “Aaron” may be a member of the 
  Morbus bloodline, she checks to see if the ghoul was diseased and 
  uses her last two successes to find that he carried both syphilis 
  and cholera. If she had more successes, she could check for more 
  diseases (and if she had a sample of Morbus blood, she could 
  confirm her suspicions), but for now she has enough information 
  to begin a more thorough investigation… assuming that Aaron 
  hasn’t left town by the time she finishes in the lab.
  Exceptional Success: No benefit, save that additional 
  successes will accumulate.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  Each aspect, of the sample listed above,  
   
  that the character already knows about  
   
  the subject prior to beginning work.
  -1 
  The provider of the sample is a ghoul  
   
  or otherwise has consumed Kindred Vitae  
   
  in the last month.
  -2 
  The provider of the sample has committed  
   
  diablerie within the last year.
  -3 
  The character possesses only a small sample  
   
  of the blood (less than one Vitae).
  -5 
  The provider of the sample has committed  
   
  diablerie within the month.
  •• Vitae Distillation
  Once a Dilettante has carefully examined a sample of 
  Vitae through Sanguine Analysis above (requiring only 
  a single success), she may transmute it into another 
  liquid substance.
  Cost: Varies. The character must utilize a number of 
  pints of blood equal to twice the Resources value of a pint 
  of the liquid being produced. Kindred Vitae counts for 
  twice the value of human blood, and hence an amount of 
  Vitae equal to the Resources value (whereas the amount 
  of gasoline produced by this power would be Resources 1,  
  a fantastically rare wine might be Resources 5) of the 
  produced liquid must be used. The character need not 
  pay this cost herself. Finally, the character can distill three 
  pints of blood into a single point of neutral Kindred Vitae 
  (meaning that it carries no threat of Vinculum).
  Dice Pool: Intelligence + Science + Blut Alchemie
  Action: Extended. Each roll represents an hour of 
  laboratory work. The character must garner a number 
  of successes equal to the Resources value of the liquid 
  being produced. See p. 116 of the World of Darkness 
  Rulebook for more information on how dots in Resources 
  convert to cost. 
  bloodlines of the lost generation - geheim
  
  ancient bloodlines
  86
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character not only fails to trans-
  mute the blood, she also ruins the sample, rendering it 
  useless to further Blut Alchemie procedures. If the char-
  acter was attempting to create an unstable or combustible 
  substance, it explodes or ignites, damaging the laboratory 
  and likely any characters present.
  Failure: No successes are added to the total.
  Success: Successes are added to the total. When the 
  player reaches the target number of successes, the character 
  produces a single pint of a substance whose natural state at 
  room temperature is liquid (or the character can produce a 
  single point of Kindred Vitae for every three pints of blood 
  distilled). The blood used in the procedure is destroyed.
  The character can create highly unstable liquids (such 
  as nitroglycerin) through this power, though doing so re-
  quires the roll of a single die after each hour of work. On 
  a 1, the substance explodes or combusts, with appropriate 
  results to the surrounding environment and characters.
  Exceptional Success: Considerable successes are added 
  to the total. If the player reaches the target with five extra 
  successes, the character’s work is particularly fruitful; she 
  produces two pints of the substance rather than one.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +3 
  The character attempts to create purified  
   
  water.
  +1 
  The character utilizes Kindred Vitae in  
   
  the work. Some Geheim claim that the  
   
  blood of other supernatural creatures  
   
  grants a similar (or greater) benefit, and  
   
  it may indeed do so at the Storyteller’s  
   
  discretion (the blood of creatures full of  
   
  living energy such as werewolves, mages  
   
  and changelings are more likely to provide  
   
  a higher bonus, while that of undead  
   
  creatures such as zombies may inflict a  
   
  penalty on the roll).
  — 
  The character attempts to create a  
   
  substance with a Resources value of 1.
  -1 
  The character attempts to create a  
   
  substance with a Resources value of 2.
  -2 
  The character attempts to create a  
   
  substance with a Resources value of 3.
  -3 
  The character attempts to create a  
   
  substance with a Resources value of 4.
  -4 
  The character attempts to create a  
   
  substance with a Resources value of 5.
  ••• Internal Athanor
  Once a Dilettante has carefully examined a sample of her 
  own Vitae through Sanguine Analysis above (requiring 
  the expenditure of at least one Vitae and a single success 
  on the roll), she may unlock the potential of her own 
  blood. Through meditation, a series of carefully ritualized 
  movements and a small expenditure of Vitae, she stokes 
  the internal furnace of her soul, empowering herself by 
  effectively increasing her own Blood Potency.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Occult + Blut Alchemie
  Action: Instant. The character must have utilized San-
  guine Analysis on a sample of her own blood since the 
  most recent sunset, however, necessitating a bare mini-
  mum of an hour to fully complete this procedure.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character stokes the inner furnace 
  of her damned soul, but the flame rages out of control. 
  She loses half of her current Vitae pool (round down) and 
  immediately rolls to resist frenzy (three successes required); 
  the frenzy roll may be penalized due to loss of Vitae.
  Failure: The character fails to achieve the desired effect. 
  She may attempt the roll again without needing to further 
  utilize Sanguine Analysis.
  Success: The character increases her effective Blood 
  Potency by one for the night. Additional successes add 
  to the raised Blood Potency (one per success) or duration 
  (one extra night per success), chosen by the character 
  when the power is used. Once chosen, these cannot be 
  changed. The character can only benefit from one use of 
  this power at any time, and an attempt to activate it again 
  The MeTaphysiCal WeighT of expense
  The complexity and rarity of a material does not 
  necessarily correlate with its monetary value. Yet, 
  the Geheim have discovered that gold, silver, 
  diamonds and other precious materials seem 
  far more difficult to manufacture than rarer but 
  cheaper substances. The Geheim postulate that 
  the import placed on these precious materials by 
  society somehow imbues them with a mystical 
  weight that impedes the process by which they 
  are created.
  Similarly, some blood alchemists claim, the 
  incredible difficulty of achieving enlightenment 
  results from the import that humanity and Kindred 
  society alike put on such a state. By degrading 
  themselves and the search for enlightenment, they 
  attest, they can devalue both, making the goal of 
  transcendence more attainable. Such theories have 
  yet to bear fruit.
  
  87
  Success: The character produces a single pound of a 
  substance whose natural state at room temperature is 
  solid. The blood used in the procedure is destroyed.
  The character can create highly unstable or reactive 
  solids (such as phosphorus or sodium) through this 
  power, though doing so requires the roll of a single die 
  after each hour of work. On a 1, the substance explodes 
  or combusts, with appropriate results to the surrounding 
  environment and characters.
  .
  Exceptional Success: The character’s work is particu-
  larly fruitful; she produces one and one half pounds of 
  the substance rather than one.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  — 
  The character attempts to create a substance  
   
  with a Resources value of 1.
  -1 
  The character attempts to create a substance  
   
  with a Resources value of 2.
  -2 
  The character attempts to create a substance  
   
  with a Resources value of 3.
  -3 
  The character attempts to create a substance  
   
  with a Resources value of 4.
  -4 
  The character attempts to create a substance  
   
  with a Resources value of 5.
  -5 
  The character attempts to create a substance  
   
  with unusual properties such as  
   
  radioactivity.
  ••••• Bloody Bezoar
  While the sanguine stone remains outside of the Geheim’s 
  reach, she can learn to create a small, translucent blood-
  red stone with powerful properties. When swallowed by 
  the Geheim who created it, the stone protects her against 
  the predation of other Kindred and even the most viru-
  lent poisons of the world. When swallowed by another 
  Kindred, the bezoar sets off a chain reaction that destroys 
  much of his Vitae.
  The process of creating the bezoar is somewhat com-
  plicated. First the Kindred must break down and analyze 
  five points of her own Vitae via the Sanguine Analysis 
  power above. She feeds the resultant mixture to a mam-
  mal (which can range in size from a large rat to a goat); 
  the animal rarely wishes to consume the mixture, so 
  Animalism is often necessary to force the matter. The 
  animal dies during the course of the following day, and 
  the Geheim can harvest the stone from its intestines when 
  she awakes at sunset.
  A Geheim can possess a number of bezoars equal to 
  her Blood Potency at any given time. Attempts to create 
  while benefiting from a previous use causes the duration 
  of the previous procedure to immediately end.
  The effectively raised Blood Potency determines how 
  much Vitae a Kindred can possess at one time, how much 
  Vitae she can expend per turn and what type of blood the 
  Kindred must consume to garner the benefits of feeding. 
  The increased Blood Potency is used when determining 
  the effects of the Predator’s Taint, and it does add to (or 
  subtract from) appropriate dice pools. It does not have 
  any other effect (including length of torpor). 
  Exceptional Success: Extra successes are their  
  own reward.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  Per success garnered through the use  
   
  of Sanguine Analysis prior to activating  
   
  Internal Athanor.
  -1 
  Each dot of Blood Potency the character  
   
  possesses above 1.
  -2 
  Character has rolled to resist frenzy (from  
   
  any source save the Predator’s Taint) during  
   
  the chapter in which she uses this power.  
   
  Not cumulative with the penalty below.
  -5 
  Character has succumbed to frenzy (of  
   
  any sort, including the Predator’s Taint)  
   
  during the chapter in which she uses this  
   
  power.
  •••• Vitae Transmutation
  Having examined a sample of Kindred Vitae through the 
  Sanguine Analysis procedure above, she may transmute 
  it into a solid substance. 
  Cost: Varies. The character must use a number of Vitae 
  equal to the Resources value of the produced substance. 
  The character need not pay this cost herself, but it must 
  be Kindred Vitae that is utilized.
  Dice Pool: Intelligence + Science + Blut Alchemie
  Action: Extended. Each roll represents an hour of 
  laboratory work. The character must garner a number of 
  successes equal to the Resources value of the substance 
  being produced.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character not only fails to trans-
  mute the Vitae, she also ruins the sample, rendering it 
  useless to further Blut Alchemie procedures. If the char-
  acter was attempting to create an unstable or combustible 
  substance, it explodes or ignites, damaging to the labora-
  tory and likely any characters present.
  Failure: No successes are added to the total.
  bloodlines of the lost generation - geheim
  
  ancient bloodlines
  88
  further stones fail for reasons unknown. Bezoars last 
  until consumed.
  Cost: 5 Vitae
  Dice Pool: No roll is required. 
  Action: Special
  So long as the character follows the appropriate steps, 
  she successfully creates the bezoar. Of course, the steps 
  may involve their own difficulties (such as convincing 
  an animal to drink the putrid Vitae mixture). Once the 
  bezoar has been made, it can be used in one of the four 
  following manners (any of which destroys the stone):
  The bezoar acts as a lesser philosopher’s stone. 
  •	
  Utilizing it in any of the other procedures of Blut 
  Alchemie grants a one-time bonus of +5. This applies 
  to a single roll, even if the action is extended.
  The bezoar protects the Kindred who created it from 
  •	
  the fangs of other Kindred. By swallowing the bezoar, 
  she temporarily transmutes her blood into a vile 
  poison. Kindred who feed from the Geheim suffer 
  one point of aggravated damage per Vitae taken. 
  This generally induces the drinker to stop, but a 
  Kindred in frenzy may destroy herself in an attempt 
  to drain the Dilettante. The poisoned blood has no 
  unusual effect on non-Kindred. Since Kindred blood 
  quickly loses its potency after being removed from 
  the Kindred, this cannot be used to create poisoned 
  weapons. This protection lasts for a single scene.
  The bezoar acts as an immediate remedy to the few 
  •	
  poisons that can normally affect a vampire. If the 
  Kindred consumes the bezoar during the same turn 
  in which she is poisoned (doing so is an instant ac-
  tion, so long as the bezoar is on her person and she 
  can reach it), she completely ignores the effect of 
  the poison or venom. If consumed in a later turn, 
  the bezoar instantly negates any further effect from 
  the substance.
  The bezoar interacts violently with the Vitae of other 
  •	
  Kindred. If another Kindred consumes the bezoar, 
  he immediately suffers a loss of Vitae equal to the 
  Dilettante’s Blood Potency (at the time the stone 
  was created). Each Vitae lost immediately inflicts 
  one point of aggravated damage as it burns violently 
  within the vampire’s body. Resilience can reduce this 
  damage as usual.
  
  89
  While the Sanctified have long claimed to be the 
  most faithful and godly possible vampires, the Sep-
  temi exist as a relatively modern phenomenon set to 
  challenge the covenant’s presumptions. Where the 
  Sanctified attest that the Kindred were person-
  ally Damned by God to act as his lash against 
  the back of a sinful mortal populace (thus 
  driving them towards divinity), the Septemi 
  spare the rod, declaring that vampires have no 
  exalted place in the Lord’s creation. They work from 
  the shadows to counter the influence of the Sanctified, 
  driven by their higher soul to undo the work of evil men 
  and lead humanity to salvation through charity and 
  education. Such altruism dooms a Kindred to a difficult 
  Requiem (often made more difficult yet by the fact that 
  the Septimi’s altruism does not necessarily extend to 
  their fellow vampires).
  Parent Clan: Daeva
  Bloodline Disciplines: Abjurism, Celerity, Majesty, 
  Vigor
  Nickname: Passionate (among themselves), Maidens or 
  Roaches (among the Sanctified — both derogatory terms)
  Weakness: Members of the Septemi bloodline suffer the 
  curse of the Daeva (see p. 105 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  Unlike the majority of their brethren, however, the 
  Septemi find that their higher soul pulls on them with the 
  same strength, addicting them to works of grace. Maidens 
  must spend two Willpower points to avoid engaging in 
  their Virtue when granted the opportunity. The oppor-
  tunity must be one in which the character would regain 
  all of her Willpower for acting in accord with her Virtue, 
  and thus usually poses some danger to the character. If 
  the character indulges her Virtue, she regains her full 
  Willpower pool.
  While a character can only regain her full Willpower 
  once per chapter, by indulging in her Virtue, Septemi may 
  be tempted to perform their Virtue multiple times in a 
  single session. After the first time a vampire fulfills her 
  Virtue during a session, thus refilling Willpower, subse-
  quently indulging in her Virtue only spares the Maiden 
  the two Willpower points she would have lost for not 
  doing so — and confers no other benefits.
  History and Culture: The genesis of the Sep-
  temi is a matter of some confusion. The ostensible 
  founder of the lineage, Robert le Tuteur, served as 
  a soldier in the army of none other than Jeanne 
  d’Arc (known to English speakers as Joan of 
  Arc) during the Hundred Years’ War (and 
  in fact, some claim, received the Embrace 
  on the third night after her martyrdom). He 
  has since claimed that his introduction to the 
  Requiem came at the hands of a Daeva elder who gave 
  only the name Septima and that she told him of her 
  legacy, a long line of Kindred who served God’s true 
  will in the face of great perfidy. She set him on the 
  path he would follow before vanishing into the night, 
  intimating that she was the last surviving member of 
  a bloodline that had existed since before the rise of 
  Rome. No record of such a lineage can be found prior 
  to Robert, however, and the fact that no record remains 
  of any Kindred in France by Septima’s name or descrip-
  tion at the time of Robert’s Embrace further muddies 
  the waters (though, as many scholars point out, were 
  Septima a Sanctified heretic she may have given a false 
  name for her own protection).
  Most Passionate accept Robert’s story, but also claim 
  that whether Robert inherited an older legacy or created 
  the lineage remains immaterial to its overarching goals 
  and beliefs. There can be no doubt that Robert serves 
  as the single most important figure in the bloodline’s 
  modern history, acting as a catalyst for the growth of a 
  small movement of Christian Daeva unwilling to accept 
  the teachings of the Lancea Sanctum. Robert taught his 
  followers that Christianity applied to the Kindred as it did 
  to mortals, and that their fallen state gave vampires no 
  inherent dominion over the living. He rejected the terms 
  Canaille and Kine, refusing to see the mortals as mere 
  feeding stock, and ruffled feathers by denying many of 
  “the pretty euphemisms” (as he put it) of the Damned. He 
  drew to him numerous young vampires, many of whom he 
  initiated into his own bloodline, though he purportedly 
  sired no childer of his own. These schismatic Kindred 
  drew negative attention from the Lancea Sanctum, but 
  the covenant was too distracted by the mortal inquisition 
  during the bloodline’s initial growth to effectively move 
  Septemi
  The scales have fallen from my eyes. What is beautiful is not good. What is hideous is not 
  evil. The Lance has lied to me, and I shall shatter it so that all may know the truth.
  bloodlines of the lost generation - septemi
  
  ancient bloodlines
  90
  against it. Misguided vampire heretics seemed a lesser 
  problem than torch-wielding priests. Instead, they largely 
  dismissed the heretics, branding them with the sobriquet 
  “Maidens” due to the founder’s supposed association with 
  Joan of Arc, the Maiden of Orleans.
  Children of the Revolution
  The lineage truly came into its own during the waning 
  years of the anarchs’ revolution. Among the mortals, the 
  Catholic French backed the Protestant revolutionaries, 
  initially through grants of wealth and eventually with 
  martial assistance. The elders of the French Lancea 
  Sanctum, eager to see the Holy Roman Empire fall into 
  decline, followed suit, providing aide from their own cof-
  fers and stables of blood-bound servants. Yet their plan 
  made slow progress. The Septemi had already entered the 
  Empire, making every attempt to stop infighting among 
  the Austrian and German Kindred and descending on 
  destroyed mortal villages to assist in the rebuilding efforts. 
  While the Sanctified would normally have dismissed the 
  Septemi as minor thorns at worst, the Septemi began 
  openly employing the signature mutation of their blood, 
  a mystical ability that interferes with the supernatural, 
  including the sacred dark miracles of Theban Sorcery. 
  The French Lancea Sanctum immediately became 
  incensed, naming the entire line anathema and destroy-
  ing all members of the group who surfaced within their 
  parishes. Though some German Sanctified followed suit, 
  the Septemi remained in Central Europe, working to 
  undo the horrors of the civil wars both among vampires 
  and the living. Yet, for all their work, the blood-borne self-
  righteousness of the Septemi garnered the line few allies, 
  and members quickly migrated. The line grew, spreading 
  into Eastern Europe, Russia and Great Britain.
  The Septemi Tonight
  In the centuries since their abortive crusade against the 
  French Sanctified, the Septemi have made enemies almost 
  everywhere they travel. Far from being heroes, their blood 
  addicts them to the rush of martyrdom, the pleasure 
  inherent in giving of themselves for an apparent greater 
  good. The fact that many use less than noble tactics in 
  their quests has done nothing for the lineage, and those 
  Kindred familiar with the line label them hypocrites (and, 
  more recently, terrorists). 
  During the late 18th century, nomadic Sanctified began 
  spreading a message within each domain they traveled to: 
  the Septemi, they claimed, were an infernal threat that 
  must be cleansed from the world. What followed were 
  numerous bloody witch-hunts as suspected Kindred were 
  dragged from their havens and rendered torpid. On occa-
  sion, the accused even stood trial before being left for the 
  sun. The onus of proof, however, rested with the accused, 
  and proving that one’s lineage does not include the taint 
  of an obscure bloodline can be incredibly difficult.
  The hunts were not terribly effective, however, and 
  in most cases, trials simply served as an excuse for one 
  elder to strike against a Daeva rival. Later Sanctified 
  would call the Septemi “Roaches” for their ability to 
  survive everything the covenant threw at them; the real-
  ity, however, is that the Sanctified largely undercut their 
  own initiatives.
  Tonight the Septemi still exist, often hiding in the folds 
  of the Carthian Movement and keeping the truth of their 
  lineage hidden. Few among the Sanctified still remember 
  that they exist, though within those parishes perennially 
  plagued by the Passionate, especially in Central Europe, 
  the feud continues to simmer to this night. On those 
  rare occasions that the Septemi openly display their pres-
  ence in a city with any Sanctified influence, the church 
  attempts to have them banished, destroyed or tried for 
  treason against Kindred society. The wise Passionate never 
  grants them that chance.
  The Three Roads
  The Septemi lineage splits into three rough divisions, 
  each corresponding to a member’s approach to the blood-
  line’s mission. The most active and aggressive division, 
  the Justiciars, works to remove the tools that the Lancea 
  Sanctum uses to keep humanity frightened and submis-
  sive. They observe local Sanctified, destroying connections 
  with mortals through physical abuse and scare tactics (a 
  gangster once loyal to a Lancea Sanctum bishop may be 
  considerably less so after a visit from one of the Septemi) 
  and directly physically assaulting the Sanctified only if all 
  else fails. They usually veil their genuine objectives behind 
  typical covenant and Kindred politics, so as to avoid giving 
  away their true identities.
  The second division, the Pacifists, strives to undo the 
  horrors that the Sanctified inflict on the living by help-
  ing those who such vampires harm. If a Sanctified places 
  a Vinculum on a mortal, a Pacifist attempts to break it. 
  When a Sanctified priest keeps a city block under his rot-
  ting thumb, the Pacifist disseminates literature of hope 
  and faith. Kindred of the bloodline consider the Pacifists 
  the oldest philosophy within the line, and Robert le Tu-
  teur, the founder of the lineage, has expressed personal 
  beliefs in line with this faction on the rare occasions he 
  has made his presence known to his descendents.
  Unlike the other two divisions, the Custodians often 
  content themselves with minimizing their own impact 
  on the living rather than acting to undo that of other 
  
  91
  Kindred. They hope to lead by example, demonstrating 
  that the Kindred can survive without causing undue 
  harm to the mortal herd. These Kindred can easily fall 
  into an ascetic style of existence, but they tend to be the 
  Passionate most likely to rise to positions of prominence 
  within Kindred society (mostly by dint of stepping on 
  fewer toes than the Justiciars and Pacifists). From there 
  they guide their chosen covenant in a way consistent with 
  the bloodline’s philosophy. 
  A member’s sire has nothing to do with which of the 
  three groups she falls into. Instead, her curse draws her to 
  one group at the exclusion of the others. In game terms, a 
  character’s Virtue determines which of the three philoso-
  phies she is most inclined towards. Characters with Justice 
  and Fortitude usually join the Justiciars, allowing nothing 
  (sometimes including their Humanity) to stand between 
  them and their quest to end the evils of the Lancea Sanc-
  tum. Characters who uphold Charity and Hope typically 
  join the Pacifists, believing that they cannot heal the 
  world through harm. Temperate or Prudent characters, 
  on the other hand, often join the Custodians, striving to 
  curb their own excesses. Finally, the Faithful among the 
  Passionate find themselves drawn to all three divisions, 
  always choosing a path based on the nature of their faith 
  but often acting as intermediaries between the groups. Ex-
  ceptions do occur, of course, and a Maiden might pursue 
  Justice through public works and government manipula-
  tion while another might Prudently plot out every aspect 
  of her plan to destroy the local archbishop.
  Yet the Septemi have little in the way of bloodline organi-
  zation. The three paths are less factions of the line than they 
  are personal decisions made by the Kindred in question. 
  Most Septemi teach their childer a series of closely guarded 
  pass phrases designed to help Septemi differentiate one 
  another from the rest of Kindred society. These phrases 
  usually resemble riddles, biblical passages, koans or sutras, 
  but cannot be traced back to a written source. 
  Sires choose childer they feel will strive to improve 
  the lot of mortals and vampires alike, but remain vigi-
  lant against Embracing those who lack the reserves of 
  willpower necessary to survive the Requiem. As a result, 
  Septemi come from many different walks of life, but tend 
  to be those who possessed some interest in philanthropy 
  or vigilantism in life (sometimes both, and the line boasts 
  more than one self-styled modern-night Robin Hood). 
  Thus a Passionate may be a former night-shift emergency 
  room nurse, a disgruntled police officer or a gangster try-
  ing to clean up his neighborhood.
  Septemi never inform a newly Embraced childe of her 
  lineage. Instead they do what they can to raise the member 
  in a manner consistent with the bloodline’s beliefs. These 
  teachings tend to begin privately, but are of a largely secu-
  lar philosophical nature. If the neophyte shows acceptance 
  and interest in the bloodline’s principles, the instruction 
  sessions slowly transform, becoming steeped in religion 
  and baroque mysticism. If (and only if) the childe seems 
  willing to take on the lineage’s mission at the risk of her 
  unlife will the sire adopt her into the line (a similar initia-
  tion awaits outsiders who the line deems promising). After 
  all, a failed indoctrination could doom the sire.
  Reputation: The Kindred consider the Septemi mis-
  guided and naïve at best and dangerous and maladjusted 
  at worst. Neither the Invictus nor the Sanctified would 
  knowingly shelter or admit a member of the bloodline 
  except under the most unusual of circumstances. While 
  the Invictus stops short of branding the entire lineage a 
  heresy to be wiped out, the bloodline’s beliefs and tactics 
  tend to directly counter those of the First Estate more 
  often than not. The Sanctified, on the other hand, would 
  see the Septemi wiped from creation. Their actions, sins 
  in the eyes of Longinus, disrupt Kindred society and 
  endanger all vampires, they claim. Some go so far as to 
  declare that the abilities of the Septemi display an almost 
  certain link to infernal practices, but few other Kindred 
  take such accusations seriously.
  While the Circle of the Crone would be unlikely to 
  admit a Passionate into its ranks (and the Passionate even 
  less likely to apply for admission), the faith as a whole 
  appreciates the Septemi. The lineage’s tendency to draw 
  heat away from the Acolytes is welcome, though the Circle 
  frowns upon the line’s adherence to mortal religion. 
  Worse yet, in domains where the Sanctified don’t pose a 
  problem to the mortal populace, the Septemi tend to turn 
  their attention towards the blood witches, a group hardly 
  known for its altruistic attitude towards humanity.
  The Ordo Dracul rarely crosses paths with the Septemi. 
  Each group has quite a bit to offer the other, however, 
  and alliances do occasionally form. The Septemi, for 
  their part, dearly covet the advantages the Coils grant 
  (especially those that minimize impact on the mortal 
  populace, such as the Coil of Blood); they do not, how-
  ever, appreciate the grisly studies that many Dragons 
  embark on in order to unearth their eldritch powers. 
  The Dragons, on the other hand, find the Abjurism 
  Discipline and its capacity for overcoming the various 
  threats in the World of Darkness fascinating. As a result, 
  short-term relationships between single Dragons and 
  Passionate occasionally occur, but usually collapse when 
  each finds the other’s approach reprehensible.
  The Septemi assisted the anarchs during the troubles 
  of the 17th century and aided the nascent Carthian 
  Movement when it began to spread across Europe. While 
  bloodlines of the lost generation - septemi
  
  ancient bloodlines
  92
  the line hardly has a position of importance within the 
  covenant as a whole, its philosophies mesh with those of 
  the Carthians more often than they do other groups. As 
  a result, the Movement attracts more Septemi than any 
  other covenant. While the average Carthian finds the Pas-
  sionate’s dedication to Christianity unusual, few actively 
  work against members of the lineage so long as they pull 
  their weight. Given the bloodline’s weakness, members 
  often rise above the call of duty.
  The Septemi do possess one major claim to fame 
  (and to the efficacy of their philosophies): The lineage’s 
  founder, Robert le Tuteur, remains active to this night 
  and is rumored to have achieved the much-debated state 
  of Golconda. He leads a nomadic unlife, typically hiding 
  his true nature (and masquerading as a neonate) unless 
  forces conspire to inspire him to intercede in a situation. 
  While detractors point to his supposed achievement of 
  enlightenment as an obvious lie and bit of propaganda 
  spread by the line to further its heresy, those who have met 
  Robert report that there’s something about his pale blue 
  eyes, long sandy hair and beardless face forever frozen at 
  two decades of age that inspires belief. Others point out 
  that a Succubus of his age certainly possesses a stunning 
  mastery of Majesty. Whether tales of Robert’s spiritual 
  puissance will be authenticated or disproved as a hoax 
  remains to be seen.
  Concepts: Ascetic martial artist, Carthian investiga-
  tor, ghetto Robin Hood, law in a lawless neighborhood, 
  mob instigator, monstrous monster hunter, political 
  activist, protest singer, suicide hotline operator, wealthy 
  charity chairperson
  Abjurism
  Though the Passionate have an undeniable tendency to 
  embrace religion and despite the fact that their Discipline 
  adopts aspects of Catholic ritualism, the proprietary Disci-
  pline of the Septemi does not necessitate faith on the part 
  of the user. Indeed, the bloodline founder learned to focus 
  the esoteric forces of his own blood to protect himself 
  and others against the depredations of his vampire kin. 
  The fact that his abilities proved equally effective against 
  the other monsters of the World of Darkness came as a 
  surprise to him.
  Most Kindred know that elders seem to garner a 
  resistance to powers of the blood that goes beyond 
  their resolute wills. Some vampires have even 
  discovered that such power grants a defense 
  against the attacks of witches and Lupines, 
  and that those entities prove similarly un-
  affected by vampire Disciplines as their 
  faculties grow. Though few Passionate truly 
  
  93
  understand it, their founder learned to focus that power, 
  using it as a defense against his enemies.
  In game terms, most supernatural characters possess 
  an Advantage (such as Blood Potency for vampires) that 
  defends them against the supernatural powers of other 
  characters. The Septemi use that facet of their being in a 
  manner more efficient and focused than most. As a result, 
  their Discipline only functions against supernatural pow-
  ers. It cannot aid them in contested rolls that only utilize 
  mundane Skills, even if those are aided by a supernatural 
  power (such as a punch enhanced by Vigor).
  • Buttress the Soul
  With a word of prayer and a quick ritual of protection 
  (usually the Passionate crosses herself), the Septemi can 
  focus her supernatural defense against outside forces, 
  heightening it for a brief moment.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: This power involves no roll. Upon activating 
  Buttress the Soul, the character gains a bonus to her defense 
  equal to her rating in the Abjurism Discipline (whether 
  rolled by the Septemi or subtracted from her attacker’s 
  pool) against any powers that target her for a single turn. 
  This power is reflexive and needs to be activated only once 
  in a given turn to defend against all powers used against 
  the character during that turn. The bonus remains until 
  the end of the turn during which it was activated, though 
  it can be activated as a defensive action (like going prone or 
  Dodging, the character can use the power prior to her own 
  point in the initiative roster). This power can be activated 
  after an enemy declares that he will use a power against the 
  Septemi but before the roll is resolved.
  Buttress the Soul involves some small ritual that can 
  always be seen by onlookers but involves no blatantly 
  supernatural display. Use of this power almost never 
  constitutes a Masquerade violation, and only enemies 
  with a strong knowledge of the Septemi will identify this 
  power for what it is.
  Action: Reflexive
  •• The Light of Truth
  The Passionate performs a ritual, usually with religious 
  significance (Septemi often pray over a rosary, sprinkle 
  holy water or swing a censer in lazy arcs, wafting smoke 
  across the target of the power), banishing the lies of the 
  Adversary from the truth of God’s Creation. The Septemi 
  destroys illusions created by other supernatural beings 
  (though the Passionate has no dominion over natural 
  optical illusions).
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Investigation + Abjurism
  bloodlines of the lost generation - septemi
  
  ancient bloodlines
  94
  Action: Extended. The number of successes required 
  to dispel an illusion is equal to the number of successes 
  garnered by the crafter of the illusion. Each roll represents 
  a turn spent in ritual. 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character fails utterly, convincing 
  himself of the reality of the illusion. He may not attempt 
  to dispel the illusion again until the next sunset.
  Failure: The attempt fails.
  Success: The character accumulates successes towards 
  his goal.
  Exceptional Success: The character makes substantial 
  progress towards the target number of successes. Exceed-
  ing the target number by more than five, results in the 
  immediate destruction of any other illusions present 
  within a number of yards equal to the character’s Abjurism 
  + Blood Potency.
  Once the target number is reached, the illusion is 
  banished and utterly destroyed. No character present is 
  affected by it thereafter. In the case of multiple illusions, 
  the weakest is banished first (when the character reaches 
  the appropriate number of successes for the illusion with 
  the least successes, it dispels); once an illusion has been 
  dispelled, a character must expend another Vitae and be-
  gin the extended roll again to banish further illusions.
  An “illusion” includes any effect intended to disori-
  ent or mislead a character’s senses. The effect must be 
  established (the power does not prevent effects from 
  coming into play, it only dispels extant effects) and 
  independent (it must be focused on a space, item, or 
  area, not an individual — false walls, illusory flames, and 
  one dollar bills magically masquerading as one hundred 
  dollar bills, for example). Powers that directly affect a 
  character’s mind fall under Buttress the Soul, above, 
  or Cleanse the Mind, below). Due to these restrictions, 
  this power cannot reverse the effects of any level of the 
  Obfuscate Discipline. 
  The Light of Truth grants no ability to see an illusion for 
  what it is, but does not require a character to be cognizant 
  of the presence of an illusion to function. A character 
  who suspects a nearby illusion can utilize the power in an 
  attempt to overcome it (the range of the power is equal to 
  the character’s Abjurism + Blood Potency in yards).
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +3 
  The character is certain that an illusion is  
   
  present and has identified it.
  +2 
  The character suspects the presence of an  
   
  illusion and its general nature.
  +1 
  The character knows the identity of the  
   
  entity who created the illusion.
  -1 
  The character lacks an appropriate item of  
   
  religious significance (such as a rosary,  
   
  censer, thurible, holy water or incense).
  -3 
  The character suspects the presence of an  
   
  illusion but not its nature or location.
  ••• Cleanse the Mind
  The Passionate speaks a quiet prayer before kissing a 
  companion upon the forehead (or, in some cases, plac-
  ing a prayer strip on his brow). Through the power of 
  her blood, she banishes the dark taint of the unnatural 
  from the target.
  The character must touch the target’s forehead to use 
  this power.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Intelligence + Empathy + Abjurism
  Action: Instant 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails, instead inflicting a 
  mild derangement on the target that remains until the 
  end of the scene. The target cannot benefit from further 
  uses of this power by any Septemi until after the follow-
  ing sunset.
  Failure: The attempt fails.
  Success: The character removes a single supernatural 
  effect from the target. The effect must be something that 
  directly affects the mind. Examples include Dominate 
  commands, all Majesty powers and the powers of Obfus-
  cate. (Cleansing a character of the effects of Obfuscate 
  allows her to see an otherwise hidden character, even if her 
  companions cannot. Attempts by the cleansed character 
  to point out the Obfuscated individual fail, but if she 
  interacts with the creature, by attacking him, for example, 
  she can draw their attention to him.)
  Cleanse the Mind only cancels ongoing effects; powers 
  that have a permanent effect after they have been com-
  pleted (such as The Forgetful Mind and Conditioning 
  powers of Dominate) are not affected. Septemi may not 
  use this power on themselves.
  Exceptional Success: The character removes two super-
  natural effects from the target, if two simultaneously exist.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The character knows precisely what effect  
   
  she is trying to undo and who inflicted it  
   
  on the target.
  
  95
  +1 
  For each dot of Blood Potency the character  
   
  possesses over that of the character who  
   
  established the supernatural effect. Count  
   
  the supernatural tolerance trait (Primal  
   
  Urge, Gnosis, etc.) of other supernatural  
   
  entities and the Resistance of spirits and  
   
  ghosts as Blood Potency for the purposes  
   
  of this power.
  — 
  The character knows either what effect she  
   
  is trying to undo or who inflicted it on the  
   
  target, but not both.
  -1 
  For each dot of Blood Potency the  
   
  character possesses less than that of the  
   
  character who established the  
   
  supernatural effect.
  -2 
  The character knows neither the specific  
   
  effect she is trying to undo nor the  
   
  individual who inflicted it on the  
   
  target.
  -3 
  The character attempts to cleanse her  
   
  target of an Obfuscate effect. This penalty  
   
  adds to any applicable penalties above.
  •••• Banish the Summoned Servitor
  The denizens of the World of Darkness often traffic with 
  ghosts and demons, binding them to their will and using 
  them as tools against the living. Others create entities out 
  of thin air or call to themselves animals to guard them, 
  twisting nature to their foul whim. The Septemi reject 
  such abuses of both the material and spiritual realms.
  The Passionate ritualizes loudly, vocally commanding 
  an entity from beyond this world to leave the inhabitants 
  of God’s creation be. If successful, she can choose to 
  drive a possessing spirit or ghost from a body (whether 
  living, dead or undead) or banish it from the Passionate’s 
  presence. Similarly, she can command an animal either 
  created through a supernatural power or under a super-
  natural compulsion to flee the area.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Abjurism vs. Power + 
  Resistance (if a spirit or ghost) or Resolve (if an animal)
  Action: Extended and contested. Each roll represents 
  one turn of ritual. The character attempts to garner suc-
  cesses equal to the target’s Willpower. The target’s goal is 
  equal to the character’s Abjurism + Blood Potency.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails and the target being 
  becomes immediately hostile towards the Septemi, ignoring 
  other characters in order to harass or assault the Passionate 
  for the remainder of the scene. Even worse, the Septemi’s 
  powers of Abjurism no longer affect the entity (or any effect 
  the entity establishes) until after the following sunset.
  Failure: The character garners no successes towards 
  his goal. If the target achieves the goal first, it remains 
  unaffected by the power.
  Success: The character garners successes towards his goal. 
  If he overcomes the being’s Willpower before it overcomes 
  his Abjurism + Blood Potency, he either drives it from a body 
  it is possessing (immediately ending any applicable Numina) 
  or banishes it. A banished spirit returns to the spirit realm 
  and a banished ghost is locked within one of its anchors. This 
  effect lasts for one night per success the Passionate achieves 
  on the roll (though destroying a ghost’s anchor while the 
  ghost is locked within frees it, assuming that the ghost pos-
  sessed another anchor, otherwise, it vanishes). If the target is 
  an animal, it flees the scene, even if other magic (including 
  a Vinculum or uses of Animalism) affects it. A swarm of 
  small creatures (such as insects, rats or fish) is considered a 
  single animal for the purpose of this power.
  Exceptional Success: As above, save the entity remains 
  banished for one week per success on the character’s roll, 
  or, if an animal, it turns against its former master.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The character knows the target’s true  
   
  name.
  +1 
  The character utilizes tools appropriate  
   
  for an exorcism and knows how to perform  
   
  one (see p. 214, The World of Darkness  
   
  Rulebook).
  +1 
  Per success on a Feral Whispers roll  
   
  targeting the creature (if it is an animal)  
   
  in the turn directly preceding the use of  
   
  Banish the Summoned.
  -1 
  The character does not know the nature  
   
  of the possessing entity (for example,  
   
  whether it is a ghost or spirit).
  -2 
  The character believes that the entity is of  
   
  a type that it is not (for example, he  
   
  assumes a possessing spirit is a ghost).
  -3 
  The target (if it is an animal) is under the  
   
  Vinculum of an individual present in  
   
  the scene.
  ••••• Break the Weave
  The most potent of the powers of the Septemi, Break 
  the Weave immediately ends a single supernatural ef-
  fect. Characters whose effects are broken in this manner 
  do not regain any expended Willpower, Vitae or other 
  supernatural traits. The Septemi shouts a simple prayer 
  bloodlines of the lost generation - septemi
  
  ancient bloodlines
  96
  (no more than three words), unleashing a powerful wave 
  of energy that disrupts other supernatural powers.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Occult + Abjurism vs. target’s 
  Composure + Blood Potency
  Action: Instant and contested. Alternately, the target 
  may choose not to resist this power. The target is always 
  considered the character afflicted with or benefiting 
  from a power (which is not necessarily the one that 
  established the effect). If the Septemi uses Break the 
  Weave to destroy an effect on an inanimate object or 
  locale, the roll is not contested. 
  MagiC iTeMs and The bRoken WeaVe
  Permanently magical items (such as blessed 
  items, a werewolf’s fetish or a mage’s Artifact, or 
  permanently imbued or enhanced items) cannot 
  be divested of their magic through the use of 
  this power any more than a vampire can be made 
  incapable of spending Vitae. Effects created 
  through the use of the item, on the other hand, are 
  fair game (meaning that while a Passionate cannot 
  render an Artifact non-magical through this power, 
  he can undo spells cast through it).
  If the item is only temporarily enhanced, on 
  the other hand, this power takes effect as usual, 
  contested by the Composure + Blood Potency of 
  whoever currently has the item in her possession.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The Septemi fails, resulting in a 
  massive backlash of energy through her own form. She 
  immediately loses any supernatural effects that she was 
  benefiting from and cannot use Abjurism again for the 
  duration of the scene.
  Failure: The character fails to undo whatever unnatural 
  power she attempted to overcome.
  Success: The targeted supernatural effect immediately 
  ends.
  Exceptional Success: As above, save all supernatural 
  effects on the targeted character, item or locale immedi-
  ately end.
  This power can target all Kindred Disciplines and their 
  remaining effects as well as the powers of other supernatu-
  ral entities. Furthermore, it can break the Vinculum and 
  even cure Vitae Addiction (these are considered two differ-
  ent effects, necessitating two separate applications of the 
  power), though breaking a Vinculum costs a permanent 
  dot of Willpower on the part of both the Septemi and the 
  target (the targeted character must truly wish to overcome 
  her dependence on her regnant). It cannot undo healing 
  of any kind, though it can reverse changes made to the 
  body for any other purpose. The presence of ghosts or 
  spirits is not considered a supernatural power (unless sum-
  moned into the scene, in which case the specific effects 
  of the power used to summon the entity is undone, pos-
  sibly including the entity’s ability to be present), though 
  Numina that allow an entity to manifest in the physical 
  world are. This power cannot remove a template from 
  a character (meaning that it cannot undo the Embrace, 
  First Change, Awakening, etc.) or destroy a character’s 
  Advantage pool (Vitae, Essence, etc.). This power cannot 
  revert a ghoul to human state.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The targeted effect is Kindred in origin.
  +2 
  Character spends a turn chanting and  
   
  ritualizing prior to the activation of the  
   
  power. The character can do nothing else  
   
  during that turn (though does retain her  
   
  Defense).
  — 
  The targeted effect is non-Kindred in  
   
  origin.
  -1 
  The character targets a character, place  
   
  or thing rather than a specific effect.  
   
  The Storyteller chooses which effect is  
   
  ended by the power.
  
  97
  The Wild Hunt has long haunted the forests and 
  mountains of Central Europe. Some claim that the myth 
  of a company of spectral men on horseback, riding forth 
  with weapons and hounds to hunt the living, served as 
  a primitive explanation for thunderstorms. Among the 
  Kindred of Central Europe, however, the Wild Hunt is 
  nothing to be dismissed so easily. Whether or not the 
  phantom steeds race across the clouds, the Kindred know 
  that the echoing peal of thunder seems to resonate with 
  the restless dead, calling them forth. 
  Thunderstorms in Germany and Austria seem always 
  to bring with them an increase in ghostly incidents. Pol-
  tergeists hound homeowners taking refuge against the 
  downpour, while specters plague the winding streets and 
  back alleys of ancient cities. Some Kindred whisper that 
  the thunder brings forth or agitates the ghosts of soldiers, 
  awakening their memories of heavy artillery falling across 
  the battlefield. Others claim that the apparent ghosts are 
  nothing but psychic scars, wounds left in the metaphysi-
  cal world as a result of the deaths of so many during the 
  numerous wars of Europe; the sound of thunder activates 
  them, and the spiritual realms experience again the tur-
  bulence of battle in a kind of waking nightmare.
  One thing is certain: Kindred tell their ghouls never to 
  go out of doors during a noontime thunderstorm. Such 
  is a sure way to draw the wrath of the Yanussaren, some 
  of the most vicious members of the Hunt.
  The Fiery Dead
  The rumors Kindred spread of the Yanussaren vary wildly 
  from domain to domain. The name itself came from 
  stories told after the Thirty Years War, tales of the ghosts 
  of dead Ottoman soldiers (Janissaries) returned to take 
  vengeance on those who would serve the living dead. 
  Another common legend painted the Yanussaren as the 
  shades of Christian dead who died fighting one another 
  at the behest of the Kindred, while the Ottoman Empire 
  lurked at Austria’s borders. Others claim that the Yanus-
  saren are the female handmaidens of God, come to earth 
  to smite those impudent Kindred who use thralls to spread 
  their influence into the realms of the day.
  According to Kindred folklore, any ghoul who braves 
  a thunderstorm during the height of the day draws the 
  attention of one of the Yanussaren, who, according to 
  most traditions, ride with the Wild Hunt. These monsters, 
  visible only to the hunted ghoul as a fiery specter, hound 
  their quarry to a secluded location before falling upon 
  him, tearing their victim limb from limb and crushing 
  his bones before finally releasing him to death. Only by 
  avoiding midday thunderstorms, the Kindred claim, can 
  a ghoul escape such a fate. Those rare thralls who survive 
  a visitation by the Yanussaren live on borrowed time; the 
  next thunderstorm, so it is said, will be their last.
  Worse yet, it is believed that when a ghoul dies at the 
  hands of a Yanussare, the creature sucks from the victim’s 
  marrow, learning the whereabouts of its master’s haven. 
  A vampire whose servant has suffered such a fate is sure 
  to experience the same, unless he takes care to secure his 
  haven against noontime intrusions by creatures made of 
  light given form.
  Yanussaren
  Keep running… I have eternity.
  Her fair features radiate a pale golden light that feels like 
  ice as it falls across one’s skin. She is tall, statuesque and 
  regal, her angular features home to full lips and a pair 
  of eyes that forever seek her quarry. Her diaphanous 
  gown falls lightly across her form, like thin, high clouds 
  across the sun, and her hair shifts between the burning 
  auburn of the dawn and the bright golden of the sun 
  at its zenith. She walks towards her marked target, and 
  the crowd, faceless men and women with umbrellas or 
  newspapers held overhead against the rain, parts for her. 
  Only then does her prey recognize that he’s the only one 
  who can see her.
  The Yanussaren are hunters, first and foremost. They 
  seem to take a perverse joy in destroying the servants of 
  vampires  — an almost sadistic attitude that belies the sto-
  ries that paint them as angels or benevolent spirits. They 
  appear seemingly from nowhere, ensure that their prey 
  sees them, then commence the hunt, running the ghoul 
  down until he is exhausted and on the brink of madness. 
  Only then does the creature strike, breaking the poor 
  soul’s bones and strewing his organs across the street in 
  a frenzied orgy of violence. As she sucks the marrow from 
  the pathetic slave’s bones, her eyes turn in the direction 
  of his slumbering master’s haven.
  Attributes: Power 4, Finesse 5, Resistance 5
  Willpower: 9
  Essence: 15
  Initiative: 10
  the yanussaren
  bloodlines of the lost generation - the yanussaren
  
  ancient bloodlines
  98
  Defense: 5
  Speed: 14
  Size: 5
  Corpus: 10
  Weapons/Attacks: 
  Type 
  Damage Range  Dice Pool Special
  Brutal 
  0(B) 
  — 
  9 
  +3 with  
  Strike  
   
   
   
  Vigorous  
   
   
   
   
  Strength
  Vice-like 
  — 
  — 
  10 
  +3 with 
  Grip  
   
   
   
  Vigorous  
   
   
   
   
  Strength
  Supernatural Powers
  Dread: As the Nightmare Discipline of the same name, 
  save that the Yanussare spends 1 Essence and rolls Power + 
  Finesse against a single target (usually her ghoul quarry).
  Drinking the Marrow: By sucking the marrow from the 
  bones of one of his ghouls, the Yanussare can expend 6 Es-
  sence to determine the location of a slumbering vampire. 
  Because this power is so draining, most Yanussare prefer to 
  keep that information for later, waiting to regain their re-
  serves before going on the offensive… and possibly giving the 
  vampire the time needed to escape her brutal judgment.
  Fiery Aura: At the cost of 2 Essence, a Yanussare may 
  engulf itself in radiant flames for a scene. She gains Armor 
  of 2/2 and inflicts lethal damage with unarmed attacks 
  (aggravated against vampires). Any character who comes 
  into contact with her automatically suffers 1 point of 
  lethal (or aggravated) damage.
  Finding the Slave: The Yanussare can spend one Es-
  sence to automatically determine whether or not anyone 
  within her line of sight is a ghoul. If she senses a ghoul, 
  she may roll Power + Finesse to determine which specific 
  individual carries the taint of vampire blood. If there are 
  multiple ghouls in the area, she spies the one with the 
  lowest Willpower. If two have the same Willpower, she 
  notices the one whose regnant has the highest Blood Po-
  tency. If two or more ghouls are identical in both respects, 
  she recognizes each of them for what he is.
  Otherworldly Beauty: The Yanussaren may be terrible, 
  but they are terrible beauties. By expending 1 Essence, a 
  Yanussare can gain the benefits of Striking Looks 4.
  Terrify: As the Numen of the same name (p. 212, the 
  World of Darkness Rulebook).
  Vigorous Strength: The Yanussaren can spend one Es-
  sence to gain a bonus of 3 dice to a single physical action.
  
  99
  The beginning of the 15th century marked the explosion of European exploration of the world. Western civilization 
  was taken across the seas and into lands that were not yet ready for the changes it brought. Mortals were not the only 
  ones interested in what the new trade routes and, later, colonial expansion offered. Kindred, too, made concerted ef-
  forts to take advantage of the larger world around them. In addition to the vast resources being accumulated by men, 
  strange vampires and their secrets were being discovered.
  The first and most successful collaboration of Kindred who took part in this age of discovery and exploration was 
  the Grémio de Corajoso. Organized by a brood of Portuguese elders, they dominated all Kindred efforts across the oceans 
  and in the colonies around the world. In modern nights, the major covenants deny the success of such a minor guild, 
  insisting that it was but a faction of the Invictus. Fortunately, vampires from that age passed the truth through the 
  generations and into tonight’s Elysiums.
  Memories fade and journals are lost, but actual lineage and the traditions of Kindred spawned from a particular 
  period of history — and the historical events themselves — preserve that knowledge. The Corajoso bloodline formed 
  from within the Grémio, during the height of the guild’s power. Even in modern nights, its members continue 
  the guild’s pursuit of lost Kindred secrets. One of the most significant “discoveries” the Grémio is responsible 
  for is the Adroanzi. Self-proclaimed gods (indeed, some Kindred scholars think the first Nosferatu originated in 
  central Africa), they ruled entire tribes and lorded over the their mortal subjects. Forced into the world outside of 
  Africa, the Adroanzi nearly disintegrated in the resulting clash of cultures. Fortunately, their affinity for creating 
  precious lacrima allowed the lost gods to be reborn. Both bloodlines bear a significant grudge towards those who 
  attempted to rewrite history and exterminate them in the process.
  Bloodlines of the GréMio de 
  Corajoso (Ce 1415-1580)
  Corajoso
  You should be careful about spilling your blood. It told me so much about you.
  Family unity is a strange concept in the minds of 
  most Kindred. Between the passage of time and the 
  Machiavellian schemes of rivals, mortal relations 
  become a liability, merely a torturous reminder of a 
  vampire’s breathing days, if he is lucky. Some Kin-
  dred, however, find comfort of sorts in the limited 
  trust and familiarity that close relatives in blood 
  are more apt to demonstrate than other Kindred 
  — who simply share the same general characteristics 
  determined by clan. Sires usually have a driving purpose 
  behind a vampire’s Embrace, and childer can provide 
  a backdoor to an enemy, should the childe become ne-
  glected or antagonized. The Corajoso not only found 
  value in the relationships within any given vampire’s 
  lineage, but they capitalized upon it.
  As the post-Crusades European nations sought to 
  expand their capacity for trade with the Orient and ex-
  plore the new lands they discovered in the process, the 
  Kindred who existed among them risked their unlives 
  for the prestige of discovering or founding vampire 
  domains across the world. The Corajoso bloodline 
  discovered that one of the primary difficulties in 
  traveling the vast distances across the seas, whether 
  the destination was to an established civilization 
  or into the frightening unknown world, was the 
  lack of communication and the substantial delay 
  in the exchange of information. In many cases, even 
  the most basic bit of knowledge sent to the correct 
  individual could prevent future catastrophe or spur 
  immediate aid… if only it could get there in time. With 
  the relative unity of the Kindred of the Corajoso, their 
  network stretched across the globe, allowing members 
  of this bloodline to coordinate their actions through 
  the mystical ties of blood and their unique expertise in 
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - corajoso
  
  ancient bloodlines
  100
  the arts of the Linagem. Being a brood of Lords, however, 
  ensured that there was certainly madness to this method. 
  The bloodline was, after all, formed in order to ensure a 
  legacy for the line’s progenitor.
  Parent Clan: Ventrue
  Bloodline Disciplines: Animalism, Dominate, Lina-
  gem, Resilience
  Nickname: Telepaths
  Weakness: The Corajoso suffer the same weakness as the 
  rest of the Ventrue (see p. 113 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  In addition, the Telepaths are constantly barraged by 
  the psychic turbulence inadvertently caused by Kindred 
  around them. Regardless of whether or not a member of 
  this bloodline has learned the Linagem discipline, every 
  one of them is distracted by the constant flux of other 
  vampires’ connections through Blood Sympathy. When-
  ever a Corajoso is in the presence of two or more Kindred 
  who are not of the Corajoso bloodline, he suffers from 
  distracting voices, intermittent random hallucinations 
  and rushes of emotion. Under such conditions, the Tele-
  path does not receive the 10 again quality on Resolve or 
  Composure rolls (though this penalty does not apply to 
  rolls made to activate Disciplines, it does apply to Percep-
  tion rolls), and Resolve is always considered one less when 
  used as a defense trait subtracted from an attacker’s roll 
  (as with The Forgetful Mind power). 
  History and Culture: Throughout the 12th and 13th 
  centuries, Portugal struggled to find stability in its own 
  independence and identity. So, too, did a brood of 
  Kindred spread throughout the regions of Portugal and 
  Galicia (now part of Spain) to the north. The chaos of 
  the tumultuous transitions in Kindred power across Eu-
  rope combined with the constant bloody conflict with 
  the Moors throughout the southern Iberian Peninsula. 
  A Ventrue named Afanso had solidified a domain that, 
  when combined with the domains of his two childer, en-
  compassed much of northern Portugal and southern Gali-
  cia. As the Crusades came to a close, Kindred of Castille 
  and Aragon organized themselves and pressured Afanso 
  to fall in line with their iron-fisted rule. The elders knew 
  his weakness; Afanso held a particularly strong affinity for 
  the tiny nation and its peoples. When he refused to offer 
  tribute, a strategically placed village would suddenly be 
  missing most of its young men, or a fire would strike the 
  home of an important noble. Before long, urged by his 
  childer, Afanso submitted to the myriad of rules, tributes, 
  and other demands placed upon his “sovereignty.” 
  Brave Origins
  Late in the 13th century, Afanso vanished. His childer 
  set adrift without his guidance and his lands open to 
  any Kindred insurgent, he simply disappeared without 
  warning or reason. Many of his superiors and adversar-
  ies throughout Castille and Aragon (then beginning to 
  solidify into Spain) assumed that he had been driven into 
  torpor by one of their own. Afanso’s childer tried to lash 
  out at the powerful network of vampires descending upon 
  Portugal, but had no long-term success. Alfonso’s fate was 
  not what everyone assumed, however. During his decade 
  of absence, Afanso had struck deals with mystics among 
  the Moorish Kindred still resisting expulsion to Africa. 
  In return for a future of relative safety in his domain, the 
  strange Kindred among the Moors taught him secrets 
  necessary to put his plans into motion.
  After Afanso returned to Portugal, his childer and their 
  handful of childer quickly followed his lead. They did not 
  attempt to regain their lost domains. They found a new 
  purpose and plan for the future. Professing strength in unity, 
  Afanso urged his brood into the arduous process of retak-
  ing their homeland — bypassing the traditional methods of 
  influence and prestige. As fate would have it, the royalty of 
  Portugal involved the nation in a series of naval expeditions 
  that pushed Europe into an era of exploring unknown seas 
  and discovering unknown lands. The new techniques of the 
  Vitae Afanso had taught his childer suited this era perfectly. 
  He considered himself blessed — divine, even. 
  Throughout the following few centuries, the Corajoso 
  thrived. Stowed away in ships’ cargo holds, masquerad-
  ing as nobles and merchants, and taking on the role of 
  intrepid explorers, the Telepaths spread across the world. 
  They initially focused on the efforts of the Portuguese 
  Empire, but they quickly latched on to the successes 
  and results of other European nations as well. A dispro-
  portionate number of this bloodline worked among the 
  Kindred who established new domains. Others sought 
  out vampires of the newly discovered cultures, hoping to 
  broker their secrets to the world (those secrets they did 
  not hoard for themselves). The subtle arts of Linagem 
  assisted them in ways that amazed other Kindred and 
  roused deep suspicions, as well. Indeed, those secrets 
  virtually ensured that the bloodline’s progenitor would 
  indeed receive his legacy… and the consequences of the 
  debt he had failed to fulfill. 
  Hubris Takes Hold
  A bloodline of vampires capable of peering into others’ 
  minds is especially untrustworthy, particularly among 
  Kindred. As the Corajoso elders grew in power, they were 
  faced with the problems of cementing their individual 
  legacies while at the same time keeping their childer 
  (and themselves) from Final Death at the hands of other, 
  understandably fearful, Kindred. 
  
  101
  Greed, paranoia and fear motivated the eldest of the 
  Corajoso. Each one of them harbored the terrifying 
  awareness that their record of stealing the carefully hid-
  den histories and secrets of other vampires would return 
  to haunt them. The youngest continued to carry on with 
  personal schemes and goals. However, those who had 
  at one time held a closer connection to their founder 
  turned towards the darker side of Linagem in order to 
  protect themselves. Finding difficulty functioning in the 
  ever-growing courts of Kindred society, they focused on 
  the younger and more easily manipulated descendants 
  of their own blood. With greater skill in the bloodline’s 
  unique talent came an even greater affinity for the Lords’ 
  ability to cloud and control the minds of their own childer, 
  grandchilder, and occasionally those of even more distant 
  blood relations. 
  At least as vicious and controlling as any other group 
  of elder vampires, Corajoso ancients carefully arranged 
  their pawns and more valuable pieces across the world 
  and nudged them into roles suitable for the various 
  elders’ plans and defenses. The ancillae and neonates 
  geographically closest to their elders (whether those 
  younger Kindred were aware of the fact or not) suffered 
  the most diabolical acts of the bloodline. The masters of 
  Linagem had resorted to using various methods of mind-
  control upon their younger descendants, forcing them 
  to succumb to the Vinculum. On many occasions, the 
  thralls continued such an existence without any memory 
  of taking the Blood Oath.
  Irony Divides
  Were it not for the eventual necessity of torpor, this blood-
  line may have completely devolved into an incestuous 
  breeding stock of withdrawn, paranoid monsters. Over 
  time, however, various elders have been lost to the Fog 
  of Eternity or to other more tangible foes. Some of the 
  younger members of the line found freedom from their 
  invisible chains and once again ventured out on their own 
  voyages of discovery. As part of their intricate systems of 
  control and continued shackling of the younger genera-
  tions, many of the Corajoso kept a variety of Requiem 
  Diaries, scattered clues, and hidden methods of commu-
  nicating with other elders in their “secret dynasty.” Irony 
  certainly finds a home in the domains of Kindred. The 
  younger and newly liberated Telepaths now make use of 
  those elders’ relics.
  The Corajoso have become a bloodline of two widely 
  varied philosophies. Most of the ancient Kindred of the 
  line hold on to the older values; they use complex schemes 
  of control and manipulation to hide from and defend 
  against the enemies who they have accumulated over the 
  ages. In turn, many of the younger Corajoso have taken 
  the more offensive road. They endeavor to free those 
  who have fallen under the control of their ancestors and 
  scour the world for clues to their own history and their 
  predecessors’ host of enemies.
  The Corajoso have found homes in every covenant. 
  Most of the older members of the bloodline hide within 
  and function from positions of power inside the Invictus 
  and, to a lesser extent, the Lancea Sanctum. Tradition, 
  ritual and the relative monotony of those covenants suit 
  the elders’ need to be vigilantly aware of their peers. On 
  the other hand, most of the younger Corajoso turn to 
  the Carthian Movement and occasionally to the Ordo 
  Dracul. Aware of the value of the status quo the elders 
  seemingly require, Telepaths among the Carthians take 
  part in some of the most chaotic factions of the covenant. 
  Modern concepts and tonight’s fluid society tend to be 
  the greatest weapons in freeing others from the elder 
  Corajoso shackles. The rare younger Telepath who 
  does not feel a particular calling or obligation to “fix” 
  the sins of their fathers tends to dive into the mystery 
  of where their unique nature comes from and just why 
  it has evolved into such a potent weapon. The Dragons 
  are commonly the only vehicle suitable for exploring 
  such questions.
  Regardless of age or place in Kindred society, the Tele-
  paths’ talents and curses force them into certain roles. 
  Most tend to be loners. Those who insist on taking part in 
  a more crowded floor of the Danse Macabre tend to lead 
  other Kindred through force and intimidation. Typically, 
  individuals are Embraced into the bloodline because of 
  their fearlessness, because they are visionaries of sorts, or 
  due to their specific skills and experience in uncovering 
  the hidden. Survivalists, private investigators and scien-
  tific explorers could easily find themselves brought into 
  the ranks by younger Telepaths. Older Corajoso, by con-
  trast, typically came from the strata of the wealthy nobles, 
  influential clergy, and from the ranks of knowledgeable 
  members of specifically useful cultures encountered dur-
  ing initial explorations of the “new” world.
  Reputation: Publicly, the Telepaths are widely dis-
  trusted. In addition to snippets of real knowledge that 
  some Kindred might know about them, a number of 
  rumors fly about as well. In domains where Corajoso 
  vampires are known to dwell, one might hear tales of 
  mass mind-reading, gained knowledge through diablerie, 
  and insidious bloody rites of divination. Most Kindred 
  in positions of power expel the suspect from the city 
  immediately, but some call for more drastic measures. 
  Telepaths have been tortured and coerced into sharing 
  accumulated knowledge. Others have suffered destruction 
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - corajoso
  
  ancient bloodlines
  102
  at the hands of princes demanding information that these 
  Kindred are not omniscient enough to obtain. Especially 
  paranoid princes order any Corajoso vampires within their 
  domains slaughtered. 
  Individuals, however, are far more curious about the 
  Corajoso. Handfuls of brave Kindred seek out members 
  of this bloodline. Some of these vampires offer a variety 
  of payments in exchange for information the Corajoso 
  might possess or be able to discover about their rivals. 
  Most of the time, the Telepaths tend to shy away from 
  such contracts; digging up a vampire’s secrets usually at-
  tracts more trouble than simple payments or favors are 
  worth. On other occasions, Kindred employ one of the 
  Corajoso for finding lost sires or missing members of 
  their coterie. Even this can be dangerous; Kindred do 
  not take kindly to being found if they don’t have the 
  desire to deal with old contacts.
  Concepts: Kindred genealogist, charlatan 
  psychic, explorer of the urban jungle, sinister 
  psychologist, dilettante, vampiric profiler, 
  surreptitious blood-bonder, Age of Explo-
  ration apologist, stalking horse, werewolf 
  photographer
  Linagem 
  Linagem is a potent set of techniques designed by the 
  Corajoso to heighten their awareness of Blood Sympathy, 
  expand their command over Blood Ties, and take devious 
  advantage of the Vinculum (Vampire: The Requiem, pp. 
  161-164). As each member of the bloodline develops this 
  Discipline, he also gains the unsettling knowledge that he 
  just might be the victim of this power at any given time. 
  Ghouls cannot develop this Discipline. They simply do 
  not have potent enough blood to be able to open their 
  senses to Kindred Vitae.
  • Affinity for Blood
  The most basic power of this Discipline allows the 
  Telepath to slowly increase his overall ability to enforce 
  and recognize blood ties. With this power, even younger 
  Kindred have a chance to forge a Vinculum and enthrall 
  Kindred decades or centuries older than themselves.
  Cost: — 
  Dice Pool: This power involves no roll. It provides 
  bonuses to other rolls; it is considered to be “always on,” 
  and does not need to be activated.
  Add the character’s dots in Linagem to rolls for the taste 
  of family or blood sympathy. Additionally, characters find 
  resisting any stage of a Vinculum to the Telepath more dif-
  ficult. The rolls made to resist the Vinculum, at any level, 
  suffer a penalty equal to the vampire’s Linagem rating.
  
  103
  •• Sanguine Secrets
  Normally, a vampire is able to discern the presence of 
  close relations by tasting the blood of another Kindred 
  (or mortal, in the case of his own mortal lineage). With 
  an amount of skill, he may even be able to identify the 
  blood of another clan. However, this power expands the 
  sensitivity of his palate and allows him to reach for the se-
  crets bound in the Vitae. Corajoso using this power might 
  be able to discover the identities of Kindred connected 
  to the donor, as well as complete Vinculums the donor 
  is involved with (as regnant or thrall). The vampire using 
  this power must still taste the blood (as per the rules for 
  the taste of family), but he cannot derive information of 
  the traditional sort at the same time he uses this power.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Linagem – subject’s 
  Blood Potency
  Action: Instant
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The vampire is overwhelmed by the 
  taste of the Vitae. He may not use this power for the rest 
  of the scene.
  Failure: The vampire gains no information from the 
  tasted Vitae.
  Success: The vampire learns part of the identity of oth-
  ers who are connected to the blood’s donor. The Telepath 
  receives a brief mental image of a face and learns how that 
  person is related to the donor (sire, grandsire, childe, 
  grandchilde, thrall or regnant). The vampire discovers 
  one such person or vampire per dot of Linagem. 
  Exceptional Success: In addition to the information 
  above, the vampire also learns the primary name, nick-
  name or title of a given connected vampire or mortal. 
  If the donor does not personally know enough about 
  the connected individual to know a name or identity, 
  no additional information is provided. 
  ••• Binding Ties
  As the Corajoso studies the effects of blood ties, he is 
  able to strengthen the connection to those with whom 
  he shares a direct lineage. He can also extend a lesser 
  connection to “siblings” in blood (Kindred who were 
  Embraced by the same sire).
  Cost: —
  Dice Pool: This power involves no roll. It provides 
  bonuses to other rolls; it is considered to be “always on,” 
  and does not need to be activated.
  When using any Discipline or other power that benefits 
  from being turned on a vampire with whom the user has 
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - corajoso
  
  ancient bloodlines
  104
  a blood tie, the bonus is equal to the character’s dots in 
  Linagem, rather than the usual +2. 
  Example: Joseph possesses Linagem ••••	and attempts 
  to Dominate his childe. Normally, Joseph’s player would add 
  two dice to the pool rolled for Dominate. However, because of 
  Vidal’s Linagem Discipline, the player adds four dice instead 
  of the two dice from blood ties. 
  Additionally, the normal effects of blood ties now ex-
  tend to this vampire’s siblings. Any power that allows a 
  bonus due to blood ties provides a +2 bonus when turned 
  on any vampire that was Embraced by the same sire as 
  the Telepath. 
  •••• Blood Lies
  The bloodline’s weakness is due to the constant connec-
  tions Kindred share with others linked to them through 
  blood ties. While most such psychic transmissions are too 
  faint for the average vampire to perceive, the Corajoso are 
  cursed with the confusion of sensing all of the feelings 
  and communications received by all other Kindred nearby. 
  There is a benefit, however. At this level of mastery, a 
  Telepath can force his own false messages into a target’s 
  perceptions. Corajoso use this power to lure enemies into 
  traps, incite riots and impersonate powerful elders.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Presence + Empathy + Linagem vs. Resolve 
  + Blood Potency
  Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The vampire sends a message, but 
  the recipient immediately recognizes it as a forgery — as 
  does any vampire within a 10 mile radius who could have 
  sent the message (the target’s sire, for instance). 
  Failure: The vampire is unable to simulate blood ties.
  Success: The Corajoso can send a false impression 
  of blood sympathy to any vampire within line of sight. 
  This blood sympathy is a burst of emotion or a feeling 
  of danger, much like a normal expression of blood sym-
  pathy would be, and requires a successful Wits + Occult 
  roll from the target to feel it (see p. 163 of Vampire: The 
  Requiem). The recipient’s player receives a +2 modifier 
  on this roll, however, since the “blood sympathy” is ex-
  pressly intended for him. The Corajoso can specify how 
  the blood sympathy feels in terms of time, distance and 
  direction. 
  Exceptional Success: The target does not need to roll 
  to experience the sympathy. He automatically feels the 
  equivalent of an exceptional success, perceiving exactly 
  what is happening to the distant Kindred — or rather, 
  exactly what the Corajoso wants him to perceive. 
  ••••• Distant Mastery
  Distant Mastery is the ultimate in a Telepath’s focus on 
  Vinculi and blood sympathies. The Vinculum ensures 
  a great deal of influence over any mortal or vampire a 
  regnant has enthralled. Total mastery of Linagem allows 
  a Telepath to refine that influence into a conduit for com-
  manding his thralls. This power is unique in the sense that 
  it does not provide functionality on its own. Knowledge 
  of Animalism and/or Dominate is required to fully utilize 
  this power’s benefits. Normally, a regnant may turn the 
  powers of the Dominate discipline on his thrall without 
  the need for eye contact. Distant Mastery allows the Tele-
  path to issue such commands, as well as similar uses of the 
  Animalism discipline, through Vinculum-forged spiritual 
  connections similar to those of blood sympathy.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: This power involves no roll. It allows the 
  Telepath to follow up with an application of Animalism 
  •	or	••	or	Dominate	•	or	••.
  Action: Reflexive. The Willpower point is spent in the 
  same turn that the Corajoso uses either Animalism or 
  Dominate. All rules, rolls and modifiers apply to the use 
  of the follow-up power, as normal. Because Willpower 
  is spent to activate Distant Mastery in the same turn as 
  Animalism or Dominate, Willpower may not be spent to 
  increase dice pools during that turn.
  This power allows the Corajoso to use Animalism or 
  Dominate on any animal, mortal or vampire that is fully 
  blood bound to him. This can be accomplished at a range 
  similar to the limits of blood sympathy’s link (within the 
  same city or roughly 50 miles outside urban areas), but 
  the range can be greatly extended. A Corajoso can use 
  bound targets as “relay points,” measuring the distance 
  from them rather than from himself.
  For example, a Telepath has a ghoul living roughly 50 
  miles away, and another living 100 miles away. The vam-
  pire can send a message to the more distant target using 
  the blood of the intermediary as a relay. This inflicts a 
  point of bashing damage upon all intermediary targets, 
  and costs the vampire one Vitae for each intermediary 
  he uses. Even so, it’s entirely possible for Kindred to 
  communicate their wishes around the world — which, of 
  course, was the original use of the power.
  Devotion of the Corajoso 
  Blood Beacon 
  (Auspex •••, Linagem •••••)
  This Devotion expands the capability of a Corajoso to use 
  blood as a marking device. The vampire can smear any 
  
  105
  object with a small amount of Vitae, and then ever after, 
  even if the blood is washed away, he can view the area 
  surrounding that object. He can also use such “marked” 
  objects as relay points for the Distant Mastery power (see 
  above), just as if they were blood bound individuals. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae + 1 Willpower 
  Dice Pool: No roll is required for this Devotion. 
  Action: Instant
  Once the mark is in place, the effect is permanent. 
  The character can view the area surrounding the marker 
  when within 50 miles of it, or more, subject to the rules 
  for Distant Mastery. To view a marker’s area, the player 
  rolls Wits + Occult + Linagem. 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The blood on the object boils to the 
  surface and then evaporates. The effect is broken, and 
  the character cannot use that object as a Blood Beacon 
  without marking it again.
  Failure: The character cannot see the Beacon’s sur-
  roundings.
  Success: The character can see the Beacon’s surroundings. 
  This sight lasts for one turn per success, and the character 
  can change his “angle” from the object as he sees fit. 
  Exceptional Success: The character can see from the 
  Beacon for the remainder of the scene.
  This power costs 24 experience points to learn.
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - corajoso
  
  ancient bloodlines
  106
  Long before western civilization had real knowl-
  edge of the African continent and 
  the mysteries within, gods walked 
  the earth. Sometimes alien and 
  bizarre, these gods interjected 
  themselves into the lives of 
  the mortals throughout the 
  area. They were known to take 
  on widely different forms, and 
  most of their appearances did not 
  resemble the typical dark-skinned 
  native African. Just as varied were the 
  stories of creation each tribe or culture 
  attributed to their patrons; some legends 
  claimed that humanity sprang from the 
  earth or grew from unorthodox parts of 
  their god’s anatomy.
  The Lugbara were, at one time, a culture spread through-
  out areas including modern day Uganda and the Republic 
  of Congo. They worshipped a god named Adroa, a being 
  of two aspects, good and evil, his body split in half. Half 
  of his form — one arm, one leg, one eye, and half of his 
  torso — resided in their world. The other half existed in 
  the heavens. He was tall and white, always looking like 
  he was near death. His offspring were the Adroanzi. Also 
  said to appear like they had only half of a body, they were 
  visible when viewed from one side and vanished when 
  turned to view the other.
  The Adroanzi had more contact with the tribes of the 
  Lugbara than their deific parent ever conducted. They 
  would protect the people from wildlife and malevolent 
  bandits, they would keep watch over their chosen, and 
  they would ensure benevolent harvests for the most worthy 
  tribes. They were not, however, wholly benign patrons. 
  Stories told by the Lugbara warned against trying to look 
  at the god-children. A mere glance would infuriate the 
  Adroanzi, prompting them to kill and devour the offender 
  immediately. Even more mysterious tales were told of the 
  homes of the Adroanzi. From time to time, the tribesmen 
  would find groves of demented trees, full of perverted 
  plants that could not be found anywhere else in their 
  lands. Those who ventured into these groves returned 
  with horrifying stories of venomous flowers, carnivorous 
  trees and crawling roots. All of these plants dripped with 
  blood, and were growing from or 
  around disturbed graves and bodies 
  of those claimed by the gods.
  Parent Clan: Nosferatu
  Bloodline Disciplines: Nb-
  uru, Nightmare, Obfuscate, 
  Vigor
  Nickname: Gardeners,  
  Lacrimists
  Weakness: All Adroanzi share the 
  weakness of the Nosferatu clan (see p. 
  111 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  In addition, the Lacrimists are exceed-
  ingly bitter about their place among 
  humanity and their apparent denial 
  from the residence of the gods. This twist of 
  fate infuriated the first of the Adroanzi so much that 
  none of the subsequent generations would be allowed to 
  forget their loss of divinity, nor would they be allowed to 
  forgive humanity for it. Any time an Adroanzi feeds, he 
  lashes out and abuses his prey. Whether he gnaws and 
  chews while he drinks, pummels over and over again, or 
  physically disfigures the victim, the end result is the same. 
  For each point of Vitae taken, an Adroanzi inflicts an ad-
  ditional point of lethal damage. This means that it is more 
  difficult to feed while trying to be discreet, and probably 
  also interrupts the mortal’s experience of the Kiss. It is 
  possible to avoid exacting this revenge, but the player must 
  spend a Willpower point. This allows the vampire to feed 
  from a single victim for a single scene without inflicting 
  this additional damage. 
  History and Culture: Long before Europeans made 
  their way into the interior of Africa and interfered in the 
  affairs of the indigenous cultures, a number of vampires 
  took the roles of gods. While many required their human 
  subjects to perform various rituals or provide different 
  tributes, most of them appeared to be often benevolent. 
  Almost universally, this benevolence was simply given to 
  keep the mortal tribes from fleeing or fighting back. Thus 
  it was that the Adroanzi “cared for” the Lugbara tribes.
  A number of these supposed gods had a culture and a 
  form of society of their own. Throughout central Africa, 
  most of these vampires conducted games and competi-
  adroanzi
  Many gods have been lost to the ravages of time. But some of us are still listening.
  
  107
  tions through their devoted tribes. Tribes would wage 
  war upon each other, challenge each other for land and 
  resources, and demand rights of breeding from the other 
  tribes. In most cases, these tribes were simply going about 
  their own business. However, the Adroanzi never left 
  their subjects unmolested for long. They would com-
  mand their chieftains, sour the local wildlife (forcing the 
  tribe to migrate), or subtly instigate aggressions. With 
  the intrusion of European outsiders, the tribes’ cultures 
  began to change. Some were decimated by the invaders, 
  some incorporated the teachings of others. Christianity, 
  however, was the benevolent poison to the Adroanzi’s 
  carefully cultivated Lugbara.
  The Adroazni did not take well or adjust easily to the shift-
  ing cultures, introductions of new religions, and emergence 
  into a larger world. A significant number of them perished 
  in battles against the outsiders and a sizeable portion fell 
  into torpor, hoping to be swept up to the heavens with the 
  rest of the gods once revered by the people of Africa. Only 
  a minuscule minority of these vampires made any serious 
  attempt to integrate themselves with the Europeans or 
  Asians, and with the world around them in general. The 
  youngest and most impressionable, who did make the ef-
  fort, quickly discovered a niche they could fill.
  Through the decades and centuries of ruling the mortals 
  from the position of gods of nature, they had accumu-
  lated a great deal of skill in manipulating plants. These 
  manipulations certainly bore the mark of the vampiric 
  condition, and there was one beneficial side effect to 
  this practice. The Adroanzi became known as Lacrim-
  ists because their horticultural experiments produced 
  mandragora plants more reliably than any other known 
  practice. From these mandragora, the Adroanzi were able 
  to extract quantities of lacrima. A rare delicacy among 
  Kindred, Adroanzi were able to barter great favors and 
  vast resources for their lacrima. It took very little time for 
  a few entrepreneurial Lacrimists to make the transition 
  into the societies outside of Africa.
  Initially, these vampires traveled with and settled near 
  the Kindred who had first discovered them among the 
  African tribes. Thus, they were most prevalent near 
  colonies controlled by the Grémio de Corajoso. Where the 
  Gardeners went, the Grémio forged mutually beneficial 
  relationships. The guild protected the Adroanzi while 
  they capitalized on their association with the peddlers of 
  Kindred vice. Few knew of the Gardeners’ origins, and 
  those with such knowledge rarely cared after their first sip 
  of lacrima. A few of the fallen gods attempted to return 
  to their old ways, especially those rare elder Adroanzi 
  who had ventured out into the world. On the heels of 
  mortal explorers, these vampires sought out cultures and 
  civilizations that had not suffered the same dilution theirs 
  had. Attempting to enslave new villages, manipulate other 
  Kindred, and reestablish their divine place over mortals 
  rarely met with success.
  This time, in the relative public eye of Kindred society, 
  the acts of a number of Adroanzi elders cast a shadow over 
  the bloodline. They developed a reputation as maniacal 
  monsters who threatened the Masquerade. When they did 
  occasionally find success and enthrall a remote village, ex-
  plorers and invaders swiftly put an end to the oppression. 
  Most of the bloodline was hunted down. The temptations 
  of lacrima became tainted with suspicion. The majority of 
  Kindred who learned of the substance through dealings 
  with the Gardeners suspected foul play. Most wondered 
  how many vampires had become unsuspectingly blood 
  bound to the African elders. Even the most reputable 
  Gardeners ended up running from Kindred domains, 
  fearing destruction. Memories clouded by torpor, infor-
  mation inaccurately passed from one generation to the 
  next, and the passage of time eventually allowed them to 
  return from hiding.
  Modern Adroanzi differ very little from the members 
  of the bloodline who existed centuries ago. They are 
  consistently reminded of their divine origins and take 
  MandRagoRa and laCRiMa
  Mandragora (sometimes called “mandrakes”) are 
  plants that have been infused with Kindred Vitae. 
  They are not ghouls and do not have any sentience 
  of their own, but they do have intrinsic value to 
  many Kindred. These warped and perverted plants 
  produce small amounts of a bloody sap known as 
  Lacrima (also referred to as “mandrake tears”). 
  Lacrima is a unique substance that Kindred may 
  consume. In fact, due to its compelling taste and 
  properties that allow it to be blended with human 
  blood, the rust-colored sap is sought out as a rare 
  delicacy. Creating mandragora is an exceedingly 
  difficult process that takes months and requires 
  specific conditions for the plant to transform into 
  this aberrant thing. 
  Mandragora and lacrima are discussed in more 
  detail in Ghouls, but in brief: A plant can become a 
  mandragora if a vampire feeds it blood for a long 
  period of time. Not every plant becomes one (most 
  die, in fact), and there is no set formula for how 
  much Vitae is required to make the change. Larger 
  plants require more blood, yes, but it’s possible that 
  a smaller patch of greenery becomes voracious and 
  sucks up whatever the vampire gives it, while an 
  oak grows sickly and dies after only a few nights of 
  the treatment. Mandrakes sometimes gain a bit of 
  mobility, and slowly grow toward sources of blood, 
  much like normal plants turn toward sunlight. 
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - adroanzi
  
  ancient bloodlines
  108
  great pride in the fact that they still possess their mas-
  tery over nature and the flora around them. Between the 
  uneasiness they cause in social situations and their utter 
  contempt for humanity’s decision to abandon them for 
  Christianity, the Gardeners tend to isolate themselves 
  with personal pursuits. These activities commonly involve 
  the exploration of various types of mandragora and the 
  varieties of lacrima they can produce, but they can also 
  bury themselves in the past. Feeling such a connection 
  to the divine spurs a number of these vampires to delve 
  into their own history, searching for how and why they 
  fell from the grace of the other gods.
  If the Adroanzi are more prevalent in any single 
  covenant, it is in the Circle of the Crone. Lost rites, 
  connections to ancient gods, and bloody tradition cer-
  tainly appeal to many of them. The rest of the covenants 
  generally attract only small numbers of the Gardeners. 
  These also tend to be younger members of the bloodline. 
  Searching any path that might offer answers to their past 
  and longing for stability in a group separated from Man, 
  they spread across the other covenants. Kindred aware of 
  the bloodline’s history are always 
  surprised to hear about one of 
  the Adroanzi joining the Lancea 
  Sanctum. However, the Sanctified are, after all, certainly 
  not like the devout Christians of the breathing world. 
  Indeed, younger Gardeners are far more open to explor-
  ing the darker side of the Sanctified. 
  Reputation: Most Kindred find the Adroanzi to be 
  eccentric and deviant peddlers of their liquid sin. Some 
  elder Kindred may remember the years of ambitious and 
  egotistical Adroanzi insisting that they were the direct 
  offspring of a god, but very few would have had (or cur-
  rently remember) direct confrontations with the “lost 
  gods” trying to reclaim their glory. That being said, they 
  tend to be viewed as novelties; worth attention only when 
  the tiny bottles of lacrima are being passed around. Kin-
  dred who choose to roam the wilderness might have the 
  most need to raise a conflict with Adroanzi in their own 
  territory. Wherever the Gardeners conduct their experi-
  ments with plants, the property or landscape is littered 
  with failed attempts — dead vegetation that take years to 
  
  109
  decompose, pools of bloody, pulpy, putrid and liquefied 
  plants, and aggressive, bloated insects that scour the area 
  of any other, more normal, insects. These disposal sites 
  and groves for experimentation certainly cause a taint on 
  the land around them, scaring away wildlife and placing 
  a strain on anyone who depends on that land.
  On the other hand, movers and shakers within the 
  Kindred community feel very fortunate when they can 
  contact and maintain a relationship with one of the Gar-
  deners. Simply possessing lacrima can elevate a vampire’s 
  reputation; having a regular method to distribute tiny vials 
  of the substance to favored allies can place a vampire’s 
  admirers in awe.
  Concepts: Vintner to the elders, poisoner, herbalist, 
  inner city pharmacist, drug dealer, graveyard gardener, 
  god of the dead forest, monster of the woods, wood stake 
  weaponsmith, African refugee protector
  Nburu
  The Adroanzi have always seen themselves as 
  gods of nature. While ancient history holds the 
  secrets of how and why the bloodline came 
  into being, their defining power has 
  survived throughout time. Nburu 
  is the discipline that allows their 
  control over nature. This discipline 
  not only has a specific set of powers, 
  but a Gardener’s understanding of it also improves his 
  chances of successfully cultivating mandragora. 
  • Silent Passage
  Adroanzi, being self-proclaimed masters of nature, rein-
  force their mystery by use of this power. They can move 
  through the wilderness without fear of being heard or 
  discovered. Even animals have trouble finding evidence 
  of a Gardener’s presence.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: This power involves no roll.
  Action: Instant
  When activated, Silent Passage provides the character 
  with a number of benefits related to moving about in a 
  natural setting. He must be walking through grass, on soil, 
  through water, or across a naturally occurring surface. 
  The power does not function if the character is walking 
  across concrete, wading in a constructed fiberglass-bottom 
  pool, or traveling on or over any sort of similarly worked 
  or artificial surface. The power lasts for the duration of 
  the scene.
  First, he is virtually silent when walking or even 
  running. Observers using Heightened Senses have the 
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - adroanzi
  
  ancient bloodlines
  110
  potential to hear the character, but this requires a suc-
  cessful Clash of Wills (see Vampire: The Requiem, p. 
  119). The Adroanzi’s player rolls Resolve + Survival + 
  Nburu during this contested action. Users of this power 
  also mask evidence in regards to scents. This, too, can 
  be subject to a Clash of Wills. Finally, Silent Passage 
  also hides evidence of the vampire’s passing. He does 
  not leave tracks in the sand, break the grass as he walks 
  through, or disturb the surface of water as he is walking 
  or swimming. In the case of traveling through water, the 
  character may move no faster than his normal walking 
  speed. Moving any faster will disrupt this power and cause 
  it to fail. Tracks and other evidence are not completely 
  hidden, but any roll made to track or investigate the area 
  receives a -5 modifier.
  •• Defiled Presence
  Centuries ago, when the Adroanzi were lording over the 
  tribes of the Lugbara, they used a number of tactics to 
  keep their mortal followers obedient. From time to time, 
  the chieftains and their people needed to be punished. 
  The most despicable of Adroanzi’ punishments struck 
  the people indirectly. Without the land and all that grew 
  from it, the people likely starved and were deprived of 
  materials for building their homes. With this power, the 
  Adroanzi could destroy swaths of smaller plants, kill trees 
  and insects, or even render tools useless.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Strength + Survival + Nburu
  Action: Instant
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The entropic energies meant for the 
  plant life around him backfire, inflicting one point of 
  lethal damage on the user.
  Failure: The Vitae is spent, but the character is unable 
  to summon the energies needed to destroy the intended 
  object or plants.
  Success: If the character was attempting to destroy larger 
  amounts of insects and/or smaller plants such as grasses, 
  weeds, flowers, small shrubs, and the like, he kills all of the 
  plant life and insects in a radius of one yard per success. 
  Larger plants, such as trees, that are within the affected area 
  are not harmed (though they may show signs of disease or 
  rot). If the character was attempting to destroy a single larger 
  object, the object loses one point of Structure per success 
  rolled. This bypasses the object’s Durability.
  Exceptional Success: No additional damage is inflicted, 
  but anything destroyed is utterly gone. The plants or object 
  becomes little more than ashes, as if it was completely 
  burned or decomposed.
  In order to destroy a plant, group of insects, or object, 
  the vampire must touch the item or the ground where the 
  living things are located. Simply standing on the ground 
  where the plants or insects are located qualifies. Objects 
  that may be affected by this power must be wholly organic. 
  This power can destroy a cotton shirt, leaving behind only 
  the polyester collar tag and the plastic buttons. However, a 
  shirt made of a synthetic polyester and cotton blend could 
  not be affected. Leather jackets, baseball bats and simple 
  doors are all candidates for defiling. More complex items 
  may require Storyteller adjudication. A couch or sofa, for 
  example, might be susceptible to this power, depending 
  on a number of factors — is the fabric natural or not, does 
  it have a steel frame for the hideaway bed inside?
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  -1 
  Per point of an object’s Size that exceeds  
   
  the user’s Nburu rating.
  -2 
  The target object has been worked into its  
   
  form (baseball bat, door).
  -2 
  The character is unable to directly touch  
   
  the object (wearing shoes or gloves).
  -4 
  The target object has been manufactured  
   
  (cotton shirt, leather jacket).
  ••• Synthesis
  Another tool for stalking prey, watching their mortal 
  charges, and hiding from superior enemies, the Adroanzi 
  developed the ability to meld with the largest of plants. 
  Typically, trees or larger cacti were the most appropriate 
  candidates for applications of this power, which bears 
  some resemblance to the Protean power Meld with the 
  Earth.
  Cost: 1 Vitae (or more)
  Dice Pool: This power involves no roll.
  With this power, a vampire is able to meld into a plant 
  that is at least the same size as he is. The plant may be 
  either dead or alive, but it cannot be worked into any 
  other form. While he is melded with the plant, the char-
  acter’s senses are extended from the plant, providing a 
  full 360 degree range of sight, hearing, touch, etc. These 
  senses extend throughout the entire plant. For example, 
  if he melds with a tree that is taller than a nearby wall, 
  he would be able to see over the wall from the vantage 
  point of the tree’s taller branches. As his sense of touch 
  extends throughout the tree, he could feel people climb-
  ing  or damaging it.
  When the character “leaves” the plant and ends the 
  Synthesis, he exits the vegetation exactly where he en-
  
  111
  tered it. However, at the cost of 1 Vitae per turn, the 
  melded character can move throughout the plant. He 
  “moves” at half of his Speed within the plant. At the end 
  of the scene, the character is immediately expelled from 
  the plant at the original point of entry (or from where 
  he has “moved” to within the plant). He may end the 
  power at any time, exiting the plant as an instant action. 
  Alternately, he may quickly exit the plant as an element 
  of surprise or to be able to quickly escape. Exiting from 
  the plant in this fashion is a reflexive action and costs 
  one additional Vitae.
  •••• Hungry Swarms
  One of the most terrifying abilities of the Adroanzi, 
  they can summon nearby insects and imbue them with 
  a thirst for blood capable of killing small animals as 
  well as placing human sized creatures in grave danger. 
  With the first taste of the vampire’s blood, swarms of 
  ants, spiders, mosquitoes, or anything capable of hunt-
  ing for prey swarms their commanded target, eager to 
  consume it whole.
  Cost: 1 Vitae per turn
  Dice Pool: Presence + Survival + Nburu – target’s 
  Defense
  Action: Instant
  Dramatic Failure: The summoned insects attack the 
  vampire using this power. For a single turn, they swarm 
  him and drain one point of Vitae. This power may not 
  be used again for the remainder of the scene.
  Failure: While some insects are brought forth, they do 
  not swarm and are not under the vampire’s command. 
  The effect ends and may not be initiated again for the rest 
  of the scene. If this was a roll made to continue the use of 
  the power, the insects simply fail to gain enough access to 
  the victim to have any effect. The power still ends, as the 
  frenzied momentum of the attack has been broken.
  Success: The insects follow the user’s command and 
  swarm the victim. See below for details.
  Exceptional Success: As with a success, but the insects 
  use the blood from the victim to continue the power 
  on their own. No Vitae is spent for this use of Hungry 
  Swarms. 
  The Adroanzi initiates this power by shedding his own 
  blood (usually through cutting his hand) and flinging it 
  on the ground or in the air around him. This immediately 
  summons any available insects to him, where they can 
  then be directed by the user of this power. Once focused 
  onto a specific target, they cannot be redirected (though 
  the vampire can use the power again on another target). 
  They simply continue to swarm the victim until the effect 
  is ended. The intended target must be within 30 feet of 
  the vampire. Should the target flee and leave this range, 
  the power’s effect ends.
  Once Hungry Swarms is activated, the target takes one 
  point of lethal damage (if living) or loses one Vitae (in 
  the case of a vampire) each turn. Additionally, the swarms 
  obscure the victim’s senses enough to reduce his effective-
  ness in anything he attempts. All of the victim’s dice pools 
  are reduced by two as long as the power is in effect. 
  The player must spend one point of Vitae per turn for 
  the effect to continue. If the Adroanzi has Hungry Swarms 
  activated on multiple targets, he must spend Vitae for all 
  of them (unless the player rolls an exceptional success; 
  see above). 
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  -3 
  Character uses the power in an urban  
   
  setting.
  -5 
  Character uses this power inside a  
   
  maintained building.
  ••••• Dark Spirit of the Forest
  The Adroanzi terrified the tribes they commanded, as well 
  as their enemies, by forming a reputation for springing 
  seemingly from nowhere. No matter where their targets 
  would hide and no matter how fast they could travel, they 
  were vulnerable to these dark gods of the land. Without 
  any warning, the Adroanzi could step out from behind a 
  tree next to a terrified victim, convincing even the most 
  seasoned chieftain that there simply was no escape from 
  these lords of the night.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: This power involves no roll.
  Action: Instant
  The vampire must be using the Synthesis power in or-
  der to utilize Dark Spirit of the Forest. He may instantly 
  transport himself from the plant he is inside of to any 
  other plant within visual range that would be a suitable 
  candidate for the Synthesis power. This visual range must 
  be true line of sight (not through mirrors, television moni-
  tors, etc) and the vampire must be able to clearly see the 
  plant to which he is traveling. He cannot see a forest on a 
  nearby mountain and simply guess that there is a suitable 
  tree where he is looking.
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - adroanzi
  
  ancient bloodlines
  112
  Two Kindred and a ghoul servant have become a trio 
  of individuals that are destined to erupt into violence, 
  requiring only a little outside force or unlucky circum-
  stance to act as the catalyst. One vampire is hundreds of 
  years old; he has been a vicious monster, even by Kindred 
  standards. He cannot, however, remember actually being 
  that monster. 
  The second vampire is still just a neonate. He’s taken 
  his meager skill and experience as one of the Damned 
  and has embarked on a quest to make his sire’s murderer 
  answer for the crime. He doesn’t even know what the 
  outcome of his quest will be. Justice? Revenge? Or will 
  he join his sire in oblivion?
  Finally, a mere ghoul holds the key. Nearly completely 
  insane, he is forced to tread the line between protecting 
  his master from becoming a despicable creature again 
  without directly undermining the only other vampire his 
  regnant has found worthy to trust and assist.
  What none of them realize is that their fates are all 
  tightly intertwined by blood and hunger. The elder vam-
  pire murdered the neonate’s sire, but lost that memory 
  along with many others. The neonate feels that the elder 
  could help him discover the truth, since he knows that the 
  elder was once knowledgeable about such matters. The 
  ghoul, the only one who knows the whole story, is trying 
  desperately to keep the pair of Kindred in the dark. It’s a 
  futile task — sooner or later, the truth will come out.
  These three vampires carry within them not only the mud-
  dying influence of time and the Fog of Eternity, but the legacy 
  of the Grémio de Corajoso and the “discovery” of the Adroanzi. 
  The meetings between these two factions were vicious when 
  they originally occurred, and history is about to repeat itself. 
  BoilinG oVer
  John Stevenson
  Background: John Stevenson (a name he chose recently, 
  as he does not remember his own) has precious little 
  recollection of his past. In fact, he remembers absolutely 
  nothing of the nights prior to July 15, 1988. That was the 
  evening he rose from his latest bout of torpor. On that 
  night, he also killed a person for the last time.
  On the first night he remembers, he woke up in an 
  abandoned basement, attended by a loyal ghoul he’d 
  never known and still does not recognize. The poor soul 
  was ravaged and killed, leaving behind only a tattered 
  journal that was being kept safe for the vampire master 
  upon his return. Bloody and torn to shreds, the remains 
  of that journal are all that John now has as a lead to find 
  his past and identity.
  For the last two decades, John has explored what he can 
  of his past. He gradually rediscovered his knowledge of 
  the Spanish and Portuguese languages, and had the good 
  fortune to find a ghoul already well-versed in Kindred 
  society. With this ghoul’s help, John explored the new 
  world, searching for clues as to his past existence. He 
  learned that the Grémio’s markers around the world are 
  still mostly intact. He doesn’t remember placing them, 
  and yet their locations always seem familiar. He felt he 
  was growing close to a breakthrough. 
  And then, after meeting Bennett, he backed off from 
  his search. Bennett had a much more pressing need — a 
  need to find his sire’s murderer and put him to the sword, 
  or at least learn why he’d been killed. Stevenson put his 
  own quest on hold, and his mental state has benefited for 
  it. No longer obsessive about the past, he is free to truly 
  experience his unlife.
  Description: He is a short and dark-skinned man. 
  Most likely from a tropical environment, he has not 
  
  113
  lost the hardiness or agility that certainly benefited him 
  during his mortal days. Tonight, he is a simple man, 
  preferring blue jeans, sturdy shirts and a worn pair of 
  boots. Function rules over form, not only in his choice 
  of clothing, but in his choice of vehicles, residence and 
  unlifestyle as well.
  Storytelling Hints: John is likely to be the calmest and 
  most rational vampire any Kindred will meet. There is an 
  inner peace that none can match. “Ignorance is bliss,” 
  some of his naysayers whisper from a distance. Certainly 
  suspicious and extremely cautious about what may haunt 
  him from his past, a curiosity drives him. The hidden 
  treasures of his past don’t hold the secrets to completing 
  a partial vampire; they hold the remainder of lessons 
  needed to finish his journey. However, should John fall 
  into a frenzy, a monster will truly be unleashed. Pent up 
  rage and subconscious frustration are within him with 
  a ferocity that assures any witness that there is certainly 
  more to John than a simple seeker of wisdom.
  Clan: Ventrue
  Bloodline: Corajoso
  Covenant: Unaligned
  Embrace: 1601
  Apparent Age: mid 20s
  Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 4
  Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
  Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Com-
  posure 5
  Mental Skills: Crafts (Automotive Repair) 2, Investiga-
  tion 2, Politics 1
  Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl (Bite) 3, Drive 1, 
  Stealth 3, Survival (Hunting) 3, Weaponry 1
  Social Skills: Animal Ken 3, Expression 2, Intimidation 2,  
  Streetwise 1
  Merits: Direction Sense, Fast Reflexes 1, Languages 
  (Portuguese, Spanish), Retainer 4 (Brent), Vitae Connois-
  seur (wounded individuals)*
  Willpower: 9
  Humanity: 6
  Virtue: Faith 
  Vice: Pride 
  Health: 8
  Initiative: 9 (with Fast Reflexes)
  Defense: 3
  Speed: 11 
  Blood Potency: 3
  Vitae/Per turn: 12/1
  Disciplines: Animalism 1, Auspex 3, Celerity 1, Domi-
  nate 2, Linagem 4, Resilience 3, Vigor 4
  Devotions: Blood Beacon**, Destructive Might*, Les-
  sons in the Steel
  *These traits appear in Ancient Mysteries. If you do 
  not have access to this book, simply remove them from 
  Stevenson’s traits.
  **Although Stevenson no longer has the Linagem rat-
  ing necessary to use this Devotion, this is due to his loss 
  of memory from torpor. He could regain the fifth dot of 
  the Discipline at any time (see Story Hooks) and therefore 
  regain knowledge of this Devotion.
  J.R. Bennett
  Background: Bennett’s future was once quite bright and 
  hopeful. He was an amazing student throughout school 
  and during his brief exposure to college. Still without a 
  true direction before he was dragged into the nights of 
  Kindred intrigue, Bennett showed the potential to forge a 
  path wherever he wanted to go. Unfortunately that degree 
  of ingenuity and brilliance attracted the ancient monster 
  needing a gateway into the modern world.
  He was Embraced by a man who thought himself to 
  be a god. Bennett could hardly argue his sire’s divinity 
  for the first few years of his nightly existence. In time, 
  this creature drew tremendous loyalty from Bennett. He 
  thought of nothing but following his sire’s instructions, 
  learning the secrets of a world long lost to time. Bennett 
  never quite figured out exactly why a relatively minor 
  man such as himself would be chosen by a god to carry 
  the knowledge and to forge new traditions from those 
  secrets. The elder fell to diablerie before his motivations 
  for Embracing Bennett became clear.
  In the aftermath of the battle in his sire’s tomb, Bennett 
  found a number of ancient relics. Most were simply valu-
  able curiosities, but one broken statue changed his unlife 
  instantly. Within the crushed statue were two books. 
  One was a hand-bound journal written in a language 
  that Bennett can only assume to be an African dialect 
  further obscured by code. The other was a modern diary 
  half-full of scrawled entries written in broken English. 
  The diary, written by his sire over the previous decade, 
  described a number of years leading up to his decision to 
  leave his childe to continue the heritage and sleep until 
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - boiling over
  
  ancient bloodlines
  114
  he was called back to the Earth. His sire traveled across 
  the Americas, looking for others of his kind, as well as 
  for a mysterious group named the Grémio de Corajoso. 
  According to the diary, one member of this enigmatic 
  group of vampires was hunting him in return. His sire was 
  convinced that this nemesis lusted after his divine right 
  of mastery over nature. After all, Bennett’s sire posited, 
  that was this particular vampire’s history and dark pas-
  sion: Diablerie. Bennett began a search for this vampire, 
  and finally found someone who he believes could help 
  him — John Stevenson. 
  While it did initially cross Bennett’s mind that Steven-
  son might be his sire’s murderer, he’s abandoned that 
  theory. His sire’s Requiem diary never mentioned his 
  enemy’s clan and only gave a cursory description, but 
  even so, Stevenson looks very different now than he did 
  then (as a result of his increased Humanity). But since 
  Stevenson was an associate of the Grémio, he’s ideally 
  suited to help Bennett find his sire’s killer, and is more 
  than happy to do it.
  Description: Tall and just a little on the heavy side, 
  Bennett is an initially imposing young man. Upon closer 
  examination or simply extended association, his own lack 
  of social graces infects those around him. Nobody can 
  spend much time with him without feeling a bit awkward, 
  consistently reminded of their own failings by the blank 
  and lost look in his eyes. He constantly carries a faint 
  odor of decay in his clothes, most likely from his extended 
  periods of research in his favored rural spots.
  Storytelling Hints: As Bennett reads and rereads his 
  sire’s diaries, he forms elaborate scenarios in his mind 
  about how the finale must have gone. Did his sire fight 
  back, calling up plants and insects to aid him? Did he in-
  jure his assailant? Did his soul drive the diablerist mad? 
  But as with so many people fixated on revenge, Bennett 
  is in for disappointment. Not only did Stevenson diabler-
  ize Bennett’s sire out of nothing more than ravenous, 
  Beast-driven hunger that just got out of control, but he 
  now has no memory of it. Even if confronted with incon-
  trovertible proof, there will be no confession, no pleas for 
  remorse, not even a disdainful snarl. Stevenson has lost 
  that part of his mind, and Bennett, sooner or later, will 
  have to accept that there can be no closure. Whether his 
  mind can take this blow remains to be seen.
  Clan: Nosferatu
  Bloodline: Adroanzi
  Covenant: Circle of the Crone
  Embrace: 1976
  Apparent Age: 18
  Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 3
  Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
  Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Com-
  posure 3
  Mental Skills: Academics (Research) 3, Computer 2, 
  Crafts (Horticulture) 3, Occult 2
  Physical Skills: Athletics 1, Drive 2, Firearms 1, Stealth 2,  
  Survival (Finding Shelter) 2, Weaponry 1
  Social Skills: Animal Ken 2, Empathy 1, Persuasion 1, 
  Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 2
  Merits: Danger Sense, Encyclopedic Knowledge, Lan-
  guages (French, Spanish), Resources 2
  Willpower: 6
  Humanity: 5 (fixation, 6)
  Virtue: Prudence 
  Vice: Wrath 
  Health: 7
  Initiative: 6 
  Defense: 3
  Speed: 10 
  Blood Potency: 3
  Vitae/Per turn: 12/1
  Disciplines: Animalism 2, Obfuscate 2, Nburu 2, 
  Nightmare 2
  
  115
  Background: Brent has been Stevenson’s assistant, 
  servant and ghoul for nearly 50 years. In fact, up until 
  Stevenson returned from torpor in 1998, Brent’s brother 
  Spencer also served the vampire. Unfortunately, Spencer 
  fell victim to the elder vampire’s hunger when he unex-
  pectedly woke up. Just as Stevenson took a new direction 
  that night, so did Brent. Taking a week to stalk and watch 
  his regnant, Brent realized that the vampire was different, 
  not the violent savage he once was. No less devoted or 
  loyal, Brent pretended to be a stranger and forged a new 
  relationship with Stevenson.
  Brent took a new road in serving and protecting his 
  master. This “new person” that his regnant had become 
  was so much better, more rational, and far less psychotic 
  than he had been before the decade-long slumber overtook 
  him. The ghoul vowed to protect his master by prevent-
  ing the vampire from once again embracing the monster 
  that seemed to still be dormant within him. Hiding evi-
  dence (including a journal written by an ancient vampire 
  Stevenson had diablerized shortly before his slumber, as 
  well as a few documents that shed light on his past and 
  activities for the last half-century) and carefully building 
  the façade of being a new servant to Stevenson, Brent has 
  carried on with his tactic of keeping his master sane by 
  denying him his past.
  Fate and synchronicity certainly must exist for Kindred 
  as they do for people, Brent has mused over the last few 
  years. That, or there is something in Stevenson’s sub-
  conscious driving him to similar goals. Several years ago, 
  Stevenson and Bennett met and decided to pursue their 
  quests together. Brent found tremendous wells of inner 
  strength and creativity during the first few nights after 
  the two Kindred met. A few well-placed diversions and 
  small lies in those early conversations kept Bennett from 
  suspecting anything was amiss. Brent, however, was able 
  to sneak a look at Bennett’s sire’s diary. That confirmed 
  to Brent that fate truly seemed to torture vampires; he 
  now knows beyond any doubt that Stevenson diablerized 
  Bennett’s sire.
  Description: Made a ghoul in the late 1940s, Brent had 
  recently returned from post-World War II Europe. He’s 
  fairly tall at just over six feet, thin, lean and surprisingly 
  strong for his build. Over the decades, he has aged a bit 
  and changed his style a number of times. These days, he 
  claims to have taken to the open roads, though it’s mostly 
  an affectation. Old jeans, tattered leather vests, oil-stained 
  t-shirts, and a carefully faked Southern drawl completes 
  his current identity as a long-haul truck driver.
  Storytelling Hints: Completing this vicious triangle 
  that will inevitably explode in rage, Brent has a singular 
  goal. That objective is simply to ensure that his regnant 
  does not rediscover his “old unlife.” While he tends to 
  play the part of a faithful servant (even though he feels 
  far more like a caretaker), each waking moment is spent 
  carefully crafting plans and contingencies just in case 
  Thomas remembers anything; his name, his history, or 
  his ancient connections to some lost sect of vampires. All 
  of this time with a vampire has taken its toll on Brent’s 
  sanity. His mind finally broke when Stevenson rose and 
  exsanguinated his brother. The strong bonds that contin-
  ued to attract Brent to Stevenson endured and perverted 
  any thoughts of revenge into a catatonic reaction. Any-
  time he sees vampires in any kind of physical conflict 
  more serious than a simple punch, he completely loses 
  his mind, flees, and attempts to lock himself away from 
  the monsters. Once safely away he falls into a protective 
  terror-induced comatose state. 
  Apparent Age: late 30’s
  Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2
  Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4
  Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Com-
  posure 3
  Mental Skills: Computer 1, Crafts 2, Investigation 1, 
  Medicine 1, Occult 1
  Physical Skills: Brawl 2, Drive (18-wheelers) 2, Firearms 2,  
  Larceny (Stealing Cars) 3, Stealth 2, Weaponry 1
  Brent
  bloodlines of the grémio de corajoso - boiling over
  
  ancient bloodlines
  116
  Social Skills: Empathy 1, Intimidation 2, Socialize (Lo-
  cal Pubs) 1, Streetwise (Fencing) 3, Subterfuge 2
  Merits: Barfly, Iron Stamina 1, Language (Spanish), 
  Strong Back, Stunt Driver
  Willpower: 5 
  Morality: 4 (fugue: 5, avoidance: 6)
  Virtue: Justice 
  Vice: Lust 
  Health: 9
  Initiative: 6 
  Defense: 3
  Speed: 11 
  Disciplines: Auspex 1, Resilience 2
  Story Hooks: Boiling Over Into Your City
  This is a situation ready to explode and consume ev-
  erything nearby. Stevenson was a monster before his re-
  awakening. Bennett is a potential monster, on the brink of 
  madness and perpetual grief. And Brent, despite his good 
  intentions, is just piling one lie on top of another. 
  A Ventrue character in deadly danger finds himself 
  •	
  saved — Stevenson and Bennett appear from nowhere 
  and dispatch the vampire’s assailants. When asked, 
  Stevenson describes a feeling of terror and pain: 
  blood sympathy. Apparently, the character is a distant 
  (or not so distant) relation of Stevenson. This event 
  sparks an increase in Stevenson’s Linagem Discipline, 
  and he relearns his Blood Beacon Devotion. What 
  secrets has he left for himself to find? And might he 
  insist that the character he saved accompany him, 
  since their fates are clearly entwined?
  Stevenson and Bennett have a number of pieces to 
  •	
  the puzzle, and are able to trace the movements of 
  Bennett’s sire and the diablerist across the country. 
  The wandering trio comes to the coterie’s home city, 
  and in presenting itself to the local Prince, finds a lead 
  on Bennett’s search. Brent, ever trying to be helpful, 
  removes the information and destroys it — but it so 
  happens that the information was contained in some-
  thing of value to the players’ characters (a Requiem 
  diary, perhaps, or maybe Brent murders a historian 
  Contact or Ally). Brent by himself isn’t much of a 
  threat, not after dark, anyway. Bennett and Stevenson, 
  however, are, and they regard their ghoul with much 
  more value than most Kindred.
  One or more characters in the coterie are descended 
  •	
  from one of the bloodlines or lineages involved with 
  the Grémio de Corajoso. Stevenson, known to be a loose 
  cannon in years passed, was still considered to be an 
  asset to the Grémio. His disappearance over the last few 
  decades has alarmed some of his former allies. The 
  players’ coterie is given the honor of being selected 
  to make contact with the resurfaced Corajoso (obvi-
  ously not known to the old allies as John Stevenson). 
  Alternately, the characters themselves might be the 
  elders once associated with the Telepath. How much 
  can the ghoul prevent? How will either Kindred react 
  to Stevenson’s past?
  
  117
  In the 13th century, the Thai people overthrew their Khmer rulers and the first historical Kingdom of Thailand was 
  founded. It was a time for great change and cultural growth in their history. Ramkhamhaeng was the nearly mythi-
  cal king who ruled during the golden age of this dynasty. He is often credited as the creator of the Thai alphabet, 
  solidifying Therevada Buddhism as the national religion and promoting the arts and dance nationwide. The nation 
  of the Thai people has since that time remained unconquered by foreign rule.
  With a narrow understanding of the people of the time, it appeared the Sukhothai dynasty was a paradise, and 
  stories attribute the mortal King with responsibility for good seasons, excess of crops and general economic boon. 
  What of the Kindred of the era? At this time, regrettably, the largest Kindred court was backwards and empiric. The 
  highest predator is still remembered as Asira the Naga King, a Yaksha of terrible power and influence.
  Then came the Mae Ji, an enigmatic woman of questionable lineage who suggested that meditation and mindfulness 
  were the true solutions to all problems inherent in the Kindred condition. In stories that border on mythical, the 
  Mae Ji converted the Naga King — who then established an undead monastic order that quickly grew to overtake the 
  whole of Thailand. The Mae Ji left Thailand for lands far west to spread her teachings to princes and slaves alike. 
  Of course, perfection is an illusion; the new way hardly sat well with the worshipers of Thailand’s old gods, and 
  from that time on, a sort of cold war has brewed. 
  Now, as more and more Thai people leave Thailand they bring more then their culture with them. They bring the 
  ancestral history of their country, in a sense, in the form of the undead. With this history come truths about the 
  Kindred condition that few modern Kindred are prepared for.
  Driven into hiding hundreds of years ago, the 
  Kinnaree believe themselves to be the secret 
  keepers of Thailand and the protectors 
  of its Dharma. This bloodline of so-
  cial monsters uses a combination of 
  perfected bodies, poise and insight 
  to hide among the Kindred of 
  Thailand, waiting for their chance 
  to strike at their prey — namely any 
  demon, monster or god who has 
  outlived her purpose.
  As protectors of these traditions 
  in the Free Land of the Thai, they 
  preserve the Hindu and older folk 
  practices that predate Buddhism. Hav-
  ing an earthy and ancient form of Crúac, 
  they tend to be Acolytes though their western 
  cousins rarely accept them. In many European 
  Bloodlines of the first kinGdoM 
  of thailand (Ce 1238-1368)
  Kinnaree
  Your mentor is old and bloated on the blood brought to him in charity.  
  Kill him and bring me his ashes and I’ll free you, as you are meant to be free.
  Acolyte traditions, a Kindred is a “maiden” 
  only up until the point where she kills for 
  the first time. The Kinnaree consider 
  themselves immortal virgins in the 
  service of their Patron Demoness 
  no matter how often they kill, and 
  this sets them apart from Western 
  Acolytes and often makes it dif-
  ficult for them to find a place 
  within their covens. 
  Parent Clan: Daeva
  Bloodline Disciplines: Celerity, 
  Majesty, Vigor, Auspex
  Nickname: Fawn
  Weakness: Like their parent clan, the 
  Kinnaree are joyfully in touch with their darker 
  natures (see p. 105 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  bloodlines of the first kingdom of thailand - kinnaree
  
  ancient bloodlines
  118
  The Kinnaree believe themselves to be Asura, or de-
  mons of Hindu tradition, and throw themselves headlong 
  into that role. When faced with potential anger frenzy, the 
  Kinnaree treat riding the wave as if it were an additional 
  Vice. That is to say, when confronted with the provoca-
  tion to anger frenzy, if the Kinnaree chooses not to ride 
  the wave he loses two points of Willpower.
  History and Culture: Scholars tell the story of 
  Banna, a thousand armed demon and devotee of 
  Shiva who earned the gift of invulnerability from 
  his patron for his dedication and penance. The 
  stories say that the All Mother created a virgin ava-
  tar to destroy this menacing Asura once and for all. A 
  girl slew the greatest demon of the age because it was her 
  Dharma to do so. The Ramakien tells the story of Ravan, 
  with his thousand heads, who was also a devotee of Shiva, 
  and also gained from him virtual invulnerability. The Ra-
  makien goes on to say that his sister, an Asura with long 
  terrible nails, caused a war between her brother and the 
  greatest king the Thais ever knew that ultimately ended 
  in Ravan’s utter defeat.
  History and mythology treats these as dissimilar myths 
  with no root connection. The Kinnaree, secret defenders 
  of Thailand, know the truth. There is no difference. 
  The virgin avatar was able to destroy the Asura Banna 
  because she knew his secret flaws. Shurpanakha, the 
  long nailed demon, manipulated her brother into 
  a war he could not win in an act of revenge for her 
  husband’s death earlier on. What’s more, to the 
  Kinnaree, this virgin slayer and the demoness were 
  one and the same. 
  The secret cult of Acolyte-like witches in Thailand wor-
  ships Shurpanakha as a local and powerful Asura. How-
  ever, the Daeva of the Kinnaree see themselves as direct 
  descendents of the Asura’s blood and claim their history 
  starts where she fades from legend. In the Kindred ver-
  sion of the story, Shurpanakha was a tragic victim whose 
  Dharma largely involved the destruction of her own kind. 
  A child, she was created from the soil by the All Mother 
  and in child-like stumbling, fell in love and married. Still 
  not quite a woman she was unknown to her husband’s 
  marital bed and when her brother murdered him, she 
  was left heart broken and vengeful. 
  After her husband’s murder, she went to the Himma-
  pan woods and preformed great and bloody penance to 
  Durga. Being so young, and with penance so horrible, 
  Durga looked at the girl with pity and restored the parts 
  of her face she had slashed away and mended the skin 
  she had burned in sacrifice. Durga asked the girl why 
  she would show such devotion, and the child simply 
  
  119
  responded that she wanted to know what her fate was so 
  that she could fulfill it with joy instead of sorrow. Durga 
  was impressed and not only explained to the girl her duty, 
  but granted her a gift to aid her in her quest. 
  For Shurpanakha, her Dharma was simple: all things 
  must come to an end, even gods and demons. Because 
  she was of the latter and gifted by one of the former, 
  it was for her to know the Asura and the Devi — and 
  when they grew bloated and stagnant with age, she was 
  to destroy them. Her gift was the Embrace without a 
  sire. The Kinnaree do not assume their patron and 
  imagined founder was the first Daeva, just the most 
  important one. 
  Kinnaree is a name taken from the Sukhothai half-bird 
  women of the Himmapan forest. They were said to have 
  protected and succored Shurpanakha after she received 
  Durga’s blessing. They hold to two ideals: that the tradi-
  tions of Thailand must be maintained or the greatest and 
  most evil of the Asura will return from Hell and destroy 
  the world, and that lesser earthbound Asura who have 
  bloodlines of the first kingdom of thailand - kinnaree
  fighTing sTyle: Muay Thai
  Muay Thai, as a Fighting Style Merit, uses the same 
  systems	for	••,	•••	and	••••	as	the	Boxing	Fighting	
  Style (p. 110 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). 
  The	•	and	•••••	maneuvers	are	described	below.	
  Cut Kick (•): Your character knows how to 
  deliver powerful round kicks to her opponent’s 
  legs. When you choose this option your character 
  inflicts one less point of damage than usual, 
  counted after rolling to see if the attack succeeds. 
  (For example, an attack that scores one success 
  would still be a successful cut kick, but inflicts no 
  Health damage). However, each kick reduces the 
  opponent’s Speed by one, down to a minimum 
  of one. If you roll as many successes as the 
  opponent’s Size, he falls prone because he’s been 
  swept by a kick or can’t use his legs out of sheer 
  pain. Opponents can get back up whenever they 
  have the chance, but their Speed only recovers at 
  the end of the combat scene.
  Thai Clinch (••••): Your character grabs an enemy 
  around the head and pulls him into a vicious elbow 
  or knee strike. If you are establishing a grappling 
  hold as the first part of using the Combination 
  Blows maneuver to inflict damage as the second 
  move, add your Dexterity to your dice pool 
  to attack. Drawback: The usual –1 penalty for 
  Combination Blows applies to the first grappling 
  attempt, not to the following attack. This benefit 
  does not apply if your character has already 
  established a hold, or during future attempts to 
  damage an opponent from the same hold, but 
  she can always abandon her current hold and try 
  a new grapple to use the Thai Clinch.
  
  ancient bloodlines
  120
  forgotten their place in the celestial order must be slain. 
  All things must come to an end for the Wheel to turn 
  and Kindred and other demons are no exception. This 
  puts them into direct opposition with the Kindred monks 
  of the Sakadagami order, though ancient agreements be-
  tween the Kinnaree and the founder of the order prevent 
  it from devolving into an all out war. 
  These Fawn, a Thai word for dance, have spent the last 
  thousand years infiltrating and manipulating all levels of 
  Thai culture, including the ritual dances so important 
  to national holidays. In fact, the bloodline draws many 
  childer from the traditional dancers, since the Kinnaree 
  believe that an expert dancer physically experiences the 
  history of the people of the land. A special secret telling 
  of the Ramakien presents Shurpanakha as the puppeteer 
  and true hero of the story, and only the greatest of these 
  dancers are invited to dance it. 
  In the 12th century, when the Kingdom of Sukhothai 
  was first established, the kings started sporting events 
  around a marital practice called Muay Boran. This would 
  later evolve into the brutal fighting form called Muay 
  Thai. Among themselves, the Kinnaree claim that it was 
  due to their influence with the King and the monks of 
  the time that so many of the maneuvers are named for 
  events from the Hindu Thai epic, the Ramakien. The 
  brutal and athletic nature of Muay Thai appealed to the 
  dancers among the Fawn and many of them took on its 
  study, though mostly in secret. 
  The Masquerade is only loosely observed in much of 
  Thailand, and this has been the case as far back as any el-
  der can remember. Most humans live with the knowledge 
  that the Asura and Devi of legend might exist, though 
  few can report actual interactions with them. Still, erring 
  on the side of prudence is always wise, and the citizens 
  practice many folk rituals to appease or keep the old mon-
  sters at bay. Most Thai boys wear phra phrim, a protective 
  amulet made using special recipes and spells, from an early 
  age. While older mortal Buddhist monks make most phra 
  phrim, the Kinnaree’s subversive hand is found in the 
  fact that most recipes include the burnt ash of a temple’s 
  oldest scrolls. After all, all things must become ash. In 
  more rural areas, farther from the organized temples of 
  the Sakadagami, devotees of Shurpanakha interact with 
  the farmers and villagers. Here, the Kinnaree might even 
  openly lead, largely recognized as priests and revered 
  demons. Gaining good Karma by “making merit” is an 
  old Buddhist tradition in Thailand, and often families 
  invite monks into their homes and feed them as a way of 
  helping everyone along the path to peace. In a dark and 
  bloody version of this tradition, some rural households 
  open their doors at night in an elaborate ceremony where 
  sToRy hooks
  The Anand family has just moved to Miami in 
  •	
  order to send their son to medical school. They 
  bring with them traditional food, rituals, beliefs 
  and great-grandmother in a box. Grandmother 
  is over a hundred years old and has her own 
  ideas about how to do things. First things first, 
  though, and that’s to create a new generation 
  of devotees to Shurpanakha.
  Some rare pieces of Thais Hindu art are on 
  •	
  display at the museum where court is held. The 
  pieces on display, however, are stolen, and a 
  coterie of Thai Kindred come to court to demand 
  them back.
  A young cult of Shurpanakha, quickly 
  •	
  disenchanted by the agreement between their 
  elders and the elders of the Sakadagami, pack up 
  and leave Thailand to come to the States — with 
  the full intention of fulfilling their Dharma. 
  the demons are invited to drink their fill in exchange for 
  blessings in the season to come. Due to the rarity of this 
  belief, these nights of “making black merit” rarely end in 
  death. That would be wasteful.
  Contrary to belief outside of the Sakadagami, the 
  acolytes and their Kinnaree leaders are not strictly fe-
  male. In fact, the worshipers of the old Hindu gods and 
  especially those of Shurpanakha welcome male Kindred 
  as a necessary balance. Many seasonal celebrations need 
  male participants and in fact many older drama-dances 
  were once composed of all male dancers. While that is 
  rarely true today, male Kinnaree are granted many boons, 
  including first feeding rights. In some rural areas, people 
  believe that being fed upon by a male Asura is a part of 
  fertility superstitions that might predate Hinduism. Out-
  siders analyzing the beliefs of the Kinnaree might see a 
  direct conflict in concepts like preserving the magic and 
  culture of the distant past, and destroying old monsters 
  to make room for new life. This paradox, however, is not 
  one the Kinnaree consider. 
  Reputation: Because they are social chameleons like 
  their parent clan, it is possible that more Kindred know 
  a Kinnaree than know of the bloodline. This is as true 
  in Thailand as it is in the rest of the world, thanks to the 
  need for extra secrecy among the Sakadagami controlled 
  court.
  They are not openly known among the Invictus, as any 
  Fawn among them would be there in secret in order to 
  destroy wayward Asura. To the Carthian Movement in 
  and around Southeast Asia and in American communities 
  with a large Thai population, the Kinnaree are valuable al-
  
  121
  lies if not easy converts. To the small sect of Islamic Lancea 
  Sanctum in the area, the concepts of being demonic are 
  similar, but damnation and ignorance in the face of local 
  religion have lead to active disputes with this bloodline 
  and the Acolytes around them. 
  Concepts: Seasonal dancer, Mauy Thai instructor, Car-
  thian infiltrator, flagellant, elder hunter, monster hunter, 
  long-nailed monster in the woods, overly curious historian, 
  half Thai Army brat, second generation family defender
  Rituals and Devotions of the Kinnaree
  Tapas, Rituals of Penance
  (Level-One Crúac Ritual)
  Throughout the stories of the Thai people, devotees of 
  the Devi would perform rituals of sacrifice in the hopes 
  of receiving blessings from their patrons. Rather than one 
  specific ritual, the Tapas are a suite of rituals used to grant 
  the penitent bonuses to certain dice pools depending on 
  which spirit receives the sacrifice. The bonus lasts for one 
  scene, but each one must be purchased as a separate ritual 
  to a different member of the pantheon; three examples 
  are listed below.
  Tapas to Ma Durga: Calling out to the destroyer of 
  demons, a petitioner must make an offering of the pre-
  cious blood from her own tongue without showing signs 
  of pain or suffering. This does not cause any damage, but 
  requires a Resolve + Composure roll to resist a display of 
  pain (add any dots in the Iron Stamina Merit to this pool). 
  On successful activation of the ritual, Ma Durga grants 
  the penitent two dice to any Weaponry roll that pertains 
  to swords, Durga’s preferred weapon. 
  Tapas to Brahma: Like Shurpanakha’s wicked brother, 
  a petitioner calls out to Shiva and stands on one foot for 
  a full turn. Upon successful activation of the ritual, the 
  penitent is gifted with a bonus of two dice to Politics 
  rolls, or three dice for Politics rolls involving conquest or 
  political domination. 
  Tapas to Hannuman: The King of the Monkeys was a 
  great friend of Lord Rama, and a master of beasts. A peni-
  tent seeking Hannuman’s boon must symbolically break 
  the neck of a hog or boar; this can be as simple as drawing 
  a picture of the animal and tearing the paper in half. Upon 
  successful activation of the ritual, the penitent receives a 
  bonus of two dice to all Animal Ken rolls for a scene.
  Gora Mukhi
  (Level-Two Crúac Ritual)
  In the Ramakien, Shurpanakha used her demonic magic 
  in order to transform herself into a beautiful maiden 
  so that she might seduce Lord Rama. The Kinnaree say 
  that the story is backwards. They claim that the lovely 
  virgin with her long nails used blood magic to transform 
  her child-like form into that of a potbellied, cross-eyed 
  monster of a hag. Using this horrible visage, she terrified 
  Lord Rama so he would be more apt to war against her 
  brother Ravan. By smearing their lovely young skin with 
  blood and the waste of animals, the Kinnaree becomes 
  hideous and terrible. Modern Acolytes have found that 
  they can perform the ritual without the excrement, but 
  traditionalists scoff at the deviation.
  Successfully enacting the ritual costs the ritualist her 
  ability to use Socialize or Persuasion on mortals for the 
  remainder of the night, but in exchange, she gains her level 
  of Crúac as a bonus to Intimidation rolls. Any aggressors 
  against the Kinnaree suffer an Initiative penalty equal to 
  the caster’s Crúac as well. The character can also, by spend-
  ing an additional point of Vitae, extend her fingernails 
  out into wicked-looking curved claws. These claws inflict 
  1L damage in combat, but on a dramatic failure they snap, 
  causing a point of lethal damage to the Kinnarree.
  Asura Yuu Thi Nay 
  (Crúac •, Auspex ••, Kinnaree)
  In their role as hunters who hide among their prey, 
  Kinnaree use this Devotion to pinpoint a demon at the 
  center of its network. With a taste of a mortal’s blood, 
  the Kinnaree are able to see if that mortal is under su-
  pernatural influence. 
  Cost: —
  Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Auspex
  Action: Instant
  With success, the player receives a simple “yes” or “no” to 
  indicate blood addiction, Dominate, Majesty, possession, 
  or even more exotic influences such as being ensorcelled or 
  actively influenced by magic. With an exceptional success, 
  the Kinnaree is able to get a small glimpse of the demon 
  behind the influence, and enjoys a bonus of two dice to 
  rolls relating to identification of that demon.
  This Devotion costs nine experience points to learn. 
  bloodlines of the first kingdom of thailand - kinnaree
  
  ancient bloodlines
  122
  The path to Nibbana, or Enlightenment, is paved 
  with far more steps than meditation and denial. 
  It is more complicated than putting on a robe 
  and feeding less often than Kindred would 
  like. It is largely about making merit, 
  making right choices and leading the 
  type of unlife a vampire’s Dharma 
  demands. No lineage of Kindred 
  understands this better than the 
  Mayarap, descendants of the Naga 
  King forever bound to pay for his 
  deeds, and indeed, the deeds of 
  all Kindred.
  Parent Clan: Nosferatu
  Bloodline Disciplines: Bhumisparsa, 
  Nightmare, Obfuscate, Resilience 
  Nickname: Coiled Snakes
  Weakness: As with their parent clan, the 
  Mayarap suffer from a quality of ‘otherness’ 
  that is so palpable that they have great difficulty 
  dealing with social situations (see p. 111 of Vampire: 
  The Requiem).
  However, unlike the Nosferatu, it is no simple night-
  marish monstrosity that sets them apart. Perhaps it is 
  the constant restraint, their detachment from desire, or 
  payment for their predecessor’s sins, but the Mayarap all 
  come across as cold and heartless — even for one of the 
  Kindred. While they are able to superficially empathize, 
  they are not able to express any understanding in the 
  feelings of others. At first blush they appear aloof, deeper 
  interaction and they seem to be sociopaths. 
  Indeed, even their Beasts seem different. The Mayarap 
  are incapable of feeling the deep anger common to Kin-
  dred; in fact, when anger frenzy is provoked the Mayarap 
  instead enters fear frenzy with all the negative effects that 
  follow. Suffice to say, the Mayarap cannot ride the wave 
  of frenzy. 
  History and Culture: After Asira, the Naga King, took 
  up robes and became the Naga Monk, he fell into a deep 
  meditative state, only stirring to dictate thoughts from 
  his internal study to his closest and most devoted childer. 
  While much of Asira’s Dharma was already determined 
  by the time he converted, his childe Suna was not so 
  restricted and was able to hone his blood to what he 
  considered highly spiritual ends. 
  Suna spent 20 years walking the woods of 
  Thailand (then still called Sukhothai), 
  contemplating his sire’s words and the 
  secondhand lessons he’d heard of the 
  Mae Ji. He slept in the soil, always 
  under fig trees, and battled with 
  his Beast and many demons in the 
  woods. At the end of his danger-
  ous walking meditation, he saw 
  a change in himself he could not 
  fathom. Gone were the ravages of 
  his demonic appearance and the 
  mortals’ wise fear of him. Gone too 
  was the bubbling rage that had under-
  lain most of his unlife. Once changed, he 
  returned to the Wat Ning to share all that 
  he had learned and all the growth that he 
  had accomplished. 
  Asira, his sire, nodded almost sadly as he listened to 
  what Suna had to say. It was then that Suna noticed that 
  his sire’s face was still the terrible visage it had been in his 
  old unlife. He saw that for all his time in contemplation 
  and skillful thought, Asira’s Beast still sat close and nearly 
  in control of his every action.
  Horrified, Suna asked his sire, “I do not understand. I 
  practiced the Eightfold Path that you have taught me. I 
  have followed all the precepts as you perform them and 
  I would not know meditation except that you showed it 
  to me. Why is it then that I have changed so much and 
  you remain the same?”
  Asira thought on this at his childe’s side for three nights 
  before he spoke with a forked tongue. He answered: “I 
  have a great debt to the world in my karma, my childe. 
  The crimes I have committed are many and perverse 
  over hundreds of years. It might be that one lifetime of 
  following the right path and doing the right thing is not 
  enough. Perhaps a thousand lifetimes would be required 
  for me to reach Nibbana. Perhaps a thousand family 
  members making merit in my name would be enough 
  for me to reach Nibbana. I do not worry, though. This, 
  too, is impermanent.”
  Mayarap
  Forget the words of your priests. Forget the love of your mother. Forget the feel of your sire. Even 
  these things are an illusion. Now, stop crying and sweep up what’s left of your leg.
  
  123
  Suna marveled to see his sire content with his fate of 
  suffering, and wondered at the paradox of peace found 
  in affliction. He meditated on this paradox for a month 
  before deciding that it was a koan, a problem without a 
  logical answer. Knowing this, he meditated further, and 
  his intuition finally answered the puzzle.
  In order for the Naga Monk to continue on in his 
  path he needed a great many others seeking Nibbana to 
  share their merit with him. Sharing merit makes merit, 
  and so by suffering, Asira was able to offer many others 
  the chance to make more merit, which was itself a merit-
  making act.
  With this flash of insight, Suna understood his Dharma 
  and how it tied into Asira’s. From that night on, Suna 
  spent his unlife turning over rocks and seeking in gutters 
  the lowest of the low — murderers, pimps and drug addicts, 
  crooked politicians and actresses so vain that they believed 
  their own lies. Suna, his childer, and his childer’s childer 
  sought the most despicable among the mortal world, the 
  people so very lost in illusion and ego that they did not 
  even realize they were suffering. People whose crimes 
  were so great a hundred lives serving under the Mae 
  Ji herself would not grant them peace. 
  Once found, Suna and his growing family would 
  strip them of mortal ties, Embrace them, and set them 
  back on the path to right thought and right deed. 
  Sometimes new Mayarap want neither enlighten-
  ment nor all the responsibility that comes with it. 
  Sometimes, newcomers simply aren’t cut out for the 
  monastic unlife among the Sakadagami. Sometimes 
  they resist, and sometimes their souls are just too 
  dark to be able to change. At its most mild, resistance 
  is met with the patience of the Bodhisattva. Time and 
  kindness (a merit in itself) go a long way with most of the 
  saddest dredges. In more extreme cases, older and more 
  experienced members of the line are called in to inflict 
  real and legitimate cruelty on the neonate, with acceptance 
  of her role as the only out. (The Mayarap do not consider 
  this a violation of free will because the neonate is still 
  making a choice. The most important choices tend to be 
  the hardest ones.) 
  At its worst, usually only a problem among converts to 
  the line or late bloomers, those who are far too close to 
  their final frenzy or utterly unrepentant monsters, the only 
  solution is a tragic one. Not often, but when it is right to 
  do so, the line will gather at a private temple deep in the 
  woods, a Wat with no name built on the site where Suna 
  first saw the change in himself. Once there, they take 
  the irredeemable to a pit seven meters by seven meters 
  by seven meters. He is asked once more if he would like 
  to enter the stream and one night reach Nibbana. If he 
  once more refuses or proves false, he is dropped down 
  into the pit, shackled and unable to escape. The pit is 
  covered with a grating of iron locked to the floor. The 
  Mayarap say prayers and blessings to the unfortunate and 
  leave him to his fate.
  The roof of the temple there has a hole in it just large 
  enough to fill the pit with sunlight not long after dawn. 
  One elder, far along in his understanding of the Treasure 
  of Anicca, stays behind in the room for as long as he can 
  in order to observe the unfortunate’s Final Death. It is 
  thought that at worst, the creature will reincarnate in Hell 
  where he can fulfill his Dharma in another way.
  In addition to the normal duties of all ordained, the 
  Mayarap are expected to make as much merit as possible 
  so that it may all be shared with their greatest ancestor, 
  the Naga Monk. Great acts of charity, teaching Dharma, 
  and providing blood for other Ordained is expected to 
  such extremes that some find it impossible to satisfy the 
  needs of others and maintain themselves and their own 
  bloodlines of the first kingdom of thailand - mayarap
  
  ancient bloodlines
  124
  contemplation and meditation. Without the rigors of 
  meditation and training, they are more likely to slip up 
  and fall to their Beasts. Falling to the Beast is failure, 
  and all members of the line know exactly where failures 
  end up. 
  Reputation: Those who choose to take refuge and join 
  the temple find they are often held in high regard by 
  the rest of the Sakadagami for their noble Embrace, but 
  they are also tested the most vigorously in all aspects of 
  their philosophy, duty and action. The stakes are higher 
  for the Coiled Snakes and failure ends in a pit full of 
  sunlight. Success, if such a thing is possible, ends in a 
  pyre of flames, and so to an outsider, it may seem like a 
  lose/lose situation. The faithful Mayarap rarely see it as 
  such, and believe that the unfaithful rarely see anything 
  for what it truly is. 
  In fact, since the Sakadagami and even the laity outside 
  of the temples never truly see a Mayarap in a state of 
  gracelessness, they are largely attributed with a level of 
  supernatural influence they simply do not have. In more 
  rural temples, they are given saint-like status, and some 
  few do take advantage and cultivate that reputation. 
  To those heathens and nonbelievers, the Acolytes, the 
  Mayarap are often considered “the problem” as it was 
  their ancestor’s dogma that drove them underground. 
  Laity who have had their less-than-enlightened endeavors 
  interrupted or stopped by these do-gooders tend to seek 
  first to discredit them, then to destroy them. The pressures 
  to the Mayarap are endless. 
  Concepts: Politically driven priest, sadistic teacher, 
  hippy guru, former drug addict, farmer-cum-defender, 
  ‘reformed’ Acolyte, doomed perfectionist, serial killer, 
  ‘fair-minded’ blood merchant, guilt-ridden son
  Bhumisparsa
  When the Buddha was tormented by all the demons 
  of Evil that Mara had at his disposal, the Shinning 
  One remained calm and in meditation. He per-
  formed the Bhumisparsa Mudra, and called the 
  earth goddess to his aid. Because of his good 
  life, she rose from the earth and wrung the 
  water from her hair, which created a tide that 
  drowned all the demons so that the Buddha 
  was safe.
  The Mayarap are not as blessed and not as 
  good as the Great One, but they can still feel 
  the earth’s protection through their blood. It is 
  traditional for a Coiled Snake to point one hand at 
  the ground or even touch it while she is under attack and 
  seeking protection.
  Bhumisparsa has an inherent limitation. During any 
  night when the Mayarap has gained sustenance from an 
  unwilling vessel, Bhumisparsa refuses to function. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae per scene
  Dice Pool: Bhumisparsa is unlike many Disciplines 
  in that it is not actively rolled. Each dot of Bhumisparsa 
  subtracts one die from all incoming attacks directed 
  at the character, so long as the character is aware of 
  them. Against damage that does not stem from a direct 
  attack (such as a car crash), the vampire enjoys the benefits 
  of armor equal to his dots in Bhumisparsa. This Disci-
  pline does not protect against the legendary weaknesses 
  of Kindred — fire or sunlight.
  Once activated, the effects of the Discipline last for 
  one scene. 
  Action: Reflexive
  
  125
  Not all Kindred relish the endless hunger and violence 
  the Embrace leaves in its wake. Many seek loopholes in the 
  undead condition, whether through divine intervention or 
  infernal bargaining. Before the teachings of Dracula and 
  the Ordo Dracul, no group of Kindred worked together to 
  seek an end to their suffering from within, through thought 
  and experience, or so Western undead culture would have it. 
  In this belief, though, Western Kindred are wrong. Within 
  the insular sect of Thai Kindred lays a somewhat older 
  philosophical practice that, an aspirant would hope, is able 
  to free them from the toils of Kindred desire. Deep in the 
  sect’s stories and practices may even be the deepest roots of 
  the much younger Ordo Dracul.
  Wisdom of a Dead Kingdom
  Thailand was not always free for the Kindred of the land. 
  Before the Sakadagami, under the reign of the terrible Naga 
  King, tyranny was the norm and a suffering of unending hell 
  awaited any who displeased him.
  In those nights, the Kindred observed a rigid caste sys-
  tem based on the status and standing of one’s sire. Once 
  Embraced low, there was no way to rise above your station. 
  If Embraced high, no mistake could remove your standing 
  and importance within society.
  Then came the Naga King’s conversion to Buddhism. De-
  pending on the part of Thailand, the stories vary slightly in the 
  details. Rarely, it is suggested that the Naga King was visited 
  by the Buddha himself in a vision that cleared the Yaksha’s 
  eyes and relieved him of suffering. An even less common 
  myth implies that Asira was a sort of self-enlightened devotee 
  of Buddha, as there were no teachings that worked exactly 
  for the Kindred condition. Most stories however, including 
  the tales of monks who remember these times, say that true 
  self-enlightenment came to a lowly temple servant called only 
  the Mae Ji. It is said she came to the Naga’s court in order to 
  free a few mortal monks the King was set to eat. Showing him 
  her ability to withstand the normal failings of the Kindred 
  condition with grace and ease, the Naga King converted on 
  the spot and encouraged the whole of his court to take up the 
  mantle of this Kindred-specific Buddhist tradition.
  While not all the undead of Sukhothai joined the growing 
  monastic movement, many did. The young and disenfran-
  chised found that the teachings of the Mae Ji and the Naga 
  Monk liberated them from their previous shackles. So too 
  did the lower castes find refuge in what would soon be called 
  the Sakadagami Order. Those whose desires and interests 
  were less philosophical and spiritual became laity and went 
  on about their unlives.
  Shortly after his conversion, Asira founded the first temple 
  to Buddha — specifically for Kindred worshippers — with an 
  underground sanctuary for any in need of protection from 
  the sun. He called it Wat Ning, or roughly, the Temple of 
  Stillness. The Sukhothai dynasty at the time had a capitol 
  of the same name, and the Naga believed a temple should 
  be in that central city. 
  Of course, not all were so pleased to watch their empire 
  crumble, nor their ancient religious practices be tossed aside 
  in favor of this new Kindred movement. Within a hundred 
  years of the conversion of the Naga Monk, the practitioners 
  of the old faiths, Acolytes to the western view, waged a cold 
  war against the Sakadagami. The blood shed over ceremonial 
  dances and seasonal holidays grew increasingly abhorrent 
  until the Naga Monk met in secret with the masked leader 
  of the opposing force. They struck a deal at that time that 
  has put the conflict to rest. 
  By 1782, several mortal kingdoms had come and gone. The 
  Sakadagami remained much the same, though they had codi-
  fied and formalized much of their structure. The Mae Ji was 
  largely a memory by now and had withdrawn from Kindred 
  existence in Thailand (then called Siam). The Naga Monk, 
  50 years in a torpor-like meditative state, woke to instruct 
  the Sakadagami to transport the Wat Ning to Bangkok, the 
  new capitol. Since then, as Thailand remained uncolonized 
  by European empires, the Sakadagami were able to exist and 
  practice in relative obscurity.
  Sotapanna: Entering the Stream 
  Like their mortal counterparts, the philosophers of the 
  Sakadagami Order accept the Four Noble Truths of Bud-
  dhism… but what from there? Clearly, the practices and 
  wisdoms of a mortal religion could not work for a stagnant, 
  monstrous race. This is why the Mae Ji brought teachings to 
  the Kindred of Thailand, say the Sakadagami. What follows 
  are the lessons the monks and laity alike use in their death, 
  in hopes of escaping their endless suffering. 
  Historically, the Mae Ji bent the Naga King and converted 
  him by proving that she had freed herself of the three lower 
  fetters and started on a path to Nibbana, or enlighten-
  ment. The first of these fetters is recognized as a false view 
  of self. To the Order, this first step is to fully accept what 
  you are and not to deny it. A vampire is dead, a vampire 
  needs the blood of life to survive, a vampire is a territorial 
  monster in an endless struggle between the need for like 
  monsters and the need to be left alone to hunt. For the la-
  ity of Thailand, knowing this is enough and acts of respect 
  to this truth are considered blessings or “making merit” 
  sakadaGaMi: Children of the naGa
  bloodlines of the first kingdom of thailand - sakadagami
  
  ancient bloodlines
  126
  along the path to Nibbana. For the ordained monks and 
  nuns, an additional step must be realized: that a vampire 
  is not human, and while the Kindred may perform the 
  most rudimentary charades in order to keep peace between 
  themselves and mortals (wearing robes, speaking in Thai, 
  following human social taboos when in public), any attempt 
  to actually live as a human is to turn ones back completely 
  from the path of peace.
  Second, the Mae Ji demonstrated that she had freed 
  herself of doubt. She did not question her beliefs when the 
  Naga King used magic and trickery to disprove her under-
  standing. To the Sakadagami, being free of doubt comes 
  first from acknowledging the true self — the practitioner 
  is the hungry dead — and that once she steps into the 
  stream, Enlightenment is possible through dedication and 
  perseverance. There is no room to question these truths, as 
  there is walking, talking, blood-drinking evidence that the 
  philosophy works. This is enough for the laity, but as with 
  the first fetter, the ordained take this a step further. Doubt 
  is a sneaking shadow even in the nights when the moon is 
  most full and bright, and as such, the monks and nuns of 
  the Order regularly test themselves and each other. It is not 
  uncommon for elaborate and dramatic morality plays to be 
  preformed on an unwitting novice to test his doubtlessness, 
  without him realizing it is all only a test. 
  The third fetter the Mae Ji rid herself of is the need to cling 
  to ritual and rites. Simply put, when a Kindred accepts her 
  nature, and becomes doubtless of the fact that she can awaken 
  past that state and into Nibbana, she must also accept that 
  all of her old rituals and traditions were merely distractions 
  from the true way to be free of suffering. For laity, seasonal 
  and national celebrations are acceptable both because they 
  build community and peace, and because they are such 
  marvelous opportunities to feed. However, even laity should 
  remember that the ritual practices within these holidays can 
  and do cause one to stumble along the way. The ordained 
  are forbidden from taking part in any ceremony, outside of 
  temple rituals, until they have proved that they have reached 
  a certain level of understanding. This can take anywhere from 
  a month from ordination to a hundred years, depending on 
  the student. After that, if an ordained has proven he or she 
  is past such road blocks, that individual is welcome to visit 
  the festivities as is polite, but must not feed there or be heard 
  laughing loudly. 
  In order to consider an ordained truly Sakadagami, two 
  more hurdles must be overcome. Laity rarely reaches these 
  levels of dedication because a quiet unlife of stillness and 
  contemplation is required. 
  First is resistance to lust. Of course, acknowledging the 
  truthful state of self, a Sakadagami knows that he must feed. 
  What he must do in order to free himself of the suffering of 
  hunger is to learn though rigorous meditation and self denial 
  that blood brings no real satisfaction and there is no need to 
  desire it. The Beast, of course, rails against these ideals, and 
  as such is often the first obstacle to be overcome. Many elders 
  of the order can feed off of animals or vessels of fresh blood 
  just as easily as a fresh Embrace, regardless of how potent 
  their blood might be.
  Finally, the philosophy at its most advanced stage requires 
  the practitioner to uproot hate from her thoughts, deeds 
  and spirit. In part, this state is reached by suppression of 
  the Beast, just as it is with freedom from lust. The true dif-
  ficulty comes in resisting the very aspects of the predator 
  that desire conquest and destruction of any other Kindred 
  in one’s way. Truth be told, it is a state that few if any are 
  actually recognized to have reached. From there, the rare 
  and precious Anagami is given a choice to continue on his 
  unlife in order to teach the path, or take part in a ritual 
  death by fire in order to reach Nibbana in dramatically ap-
  propriate fashion. 
  Sakadagam Saranam Gacchami: Taking Refuge
  When I was some fifty years dead by my sire’s reckoning, he said to me, “Son, you aren’t cut out for the 
  life of a merchant, and you barely have the teeth to make it as a hunter. I was mistaken in murdering you, 
  and I know that now. Go to the temple and take up the robes so that I never again have to listen to you 
  whine. Go to the temple and make merit for me since I can’t. I think it’s your Dharma.” Maybe he was 
  right, or maybe he was simply trying to rid himself of me. Either way, I had no choice in the matter. In 
  the secular order of the Dead in Thailand, one is nothing without his sire. I would have more likely met 
  the sunrise than to try to make it on my own. 
  So I went to the Wat Ning in Bangkok in order to beg to be taken in, what they call “taking refuge.” 
  After three protected nights of questions to test how serious I was, they accepted me and prepared me for 
  Ordination. By the third night I was sure that I wanted to spend the entirety of my unlife in that temple. 
  The monks and nuns were so peaceful and content. I barely felt the presence of any Beasts as I walked the 
  underground halls of the Temple sanctuary in quiet conversation with the Abbot. He and others who were 
  skilled teachers prepared me for monastic life. They wanted no surprises for me once I had taken my robes. 
  
  127
  The exact traditions surrounding a seeker coming into 
  the Ordained varies from temple to temple. Nearly univer-
  sal and strangely significant is to shave the seeker’s head. 
  Due to the unique characteristics of the Embrace, however, 
  this is the first small test of her dedication, as it requires 
  Mastery of that Coil would be described as having a “mind 
  like a diamond.” Thus, a Master of Banes would instead be 
  called “Anicca with a diamond mind,” while someone with 
  the first levels of Blood and Beast but nothing else might 
  be described as “having a mind like an open sore, suffering 
  under the beast and a blood thirst.” This may seem long 
  and cumbersome, but the titles are reverential and used in 
  many meditations. 
  Of course, the similarities between the Treasures and 
  the Coils begin and end with how they function. The 
  Sakadagami recognize neither maddening research nor 
  pseudoscience behind the Kindred condition. Research-
  ing Wyrm’s Nests would sound as absurd to a member of 
  the ordained as it might to a human hearing it for the first 
  time. To the Sakadagami, there is no mystery in the Kindred 
  state. It is merely a physical expression of the metaphorical 
  descriptions of suffering in Buddhist teaching. It is not that 
  freedom from these weaknesses are unobtainable by the 
  uneducated, but that most Kindred are simply too weak to 
  let go of their attachments.
  Of course, collecting the Treasures is hardly a matter of 
  listening to some stories and agreeing to let go. A devoted 
  member of the order must test herself against temptation 
  and desire constantly. Desire is a very personal thing, of 
  course, and attachments cling to a Kindred in many differ-
  ent ways. While one young Venture might play at games of 
  domination and intrigue only to force himself to lose and 
  be free of the longing to win, an elder lustful Daeva might 
  fill his cell with plump blushing maidens in order to bring 
  his weakness to the fore.
  Not all ordained understand their attachments, though, 
  and many are too weak to admit them to themselves. Some-
  times the eldest of a temple assist. Kindness and mercy are 
  important to mortals, of course, but in the path to peace, 
  many of the eldest monks have let go of such human con-
  cepts. To an outside observer, the ritual abuse and torture 
  of young Kindred within the order might seem gratuitous, 
  but rarely does the Temple see it that way. 
  When the time was right - it had something to do with where the stars were in the sky - I was taken to 
  the river and washed. Mortals and laity gathered around and shouted blessings at me. In return it was expected 
  that some of the merit I gained in joining the temple would extend to them. After that I had my head and 
  eyebrows shaved, then, looking more like a monk now, I was rubbed down with a paste made of turmeric and 
  the blood of my elders. Dressed in red, I was prepared to enter the temple and become a novice. 
  the Kindred to devote a small part of herself to keeping 
  her hair shaved. That is, she must sacrifice a Willpower dot 
  in order to prevent her hair from returning to its state at 
  the time of Embrace (as described on p. 175 of Vampire: 
  The Requiem).
  Much of the ceremony that followed was strange and confusing. I do not speak Pali, only Thai, and so 
  I’m not sure what was being said. I was asked a series of questions before I was given my black robes to 
  symbolize that stillness is the ultimate goal.
  The questions asked are to further assure that the seeker is of 
  stable enough mind to join the temple. While the abbot asks 
  the questions, a monk with great skill with Auspex observes 
  and testifies to the seeker’s honesty. In theory, this is to assure 
  that only the willing and devoted can enter, but it is possible 
  to manipulate this system somewhat, and rumors that some 
  monks can be bought off persist. One of the most important 
  questions is “are you human.” In mortal traditions, this ques-
  tion is also asked and the expected answer is of course “yes.” 
  In the Sakadagami, the expected answer is “no” as part of the 
  understanding of self. Announcing “no” in public to such a 
  question can be a very dramatic moment for young Kindred. 
  The Cessation of Suffering:  
  Coils in the Sakadagami
  Most Kindred in Thailand do not doubt the veracity in the 
  Sakadagami claim that they have found a way out and past 
  the trials of the Requiem. Most have seen, in one form or 
  another, the Ordained of their society resist even the most 
  powerful traps and temptations the Kindred condition 
  knows. But how? It is possible that the Sakadagami of Thai-
  land are the ancient roots of the Ordo Dracul, so ancient 
  that they now do not know one another. A Storyteller can 
  reflect the Sakadagami’s path of denial and conquest of 
  defilement with use of the Coils of the Dragon (see p. 149 
  of Vampire: The Requiem). The Order refers to these gifts 
  as the Three Treasures of the Mae Ji. Simply change the 
  names as suggested below:
  Coil (Ordo) 
  Treasure (Sakadagami)
  Blood Tahna (Blood Thirst)
  Banes Anicca (Setting Back Impermanence)
  Beast Dukkha (Suffering the Beast)
  The Sakadagami refer to their Treasures differently than 
  the Ordo does its Coils. To say that a vampire has a first tier 
  of a Coil, he would be described as having a “mind like an 
  open sore.” To say he had mastered a second tier of a Coil, 
  it would be said he had a “mind like a flash of lightening.” 
  bloodlines of the first kingdom of thailand - sakadagami
  
  ancient bloodlines
  128
  The truth is, though, Treasures may free a Kindred of 
  some of her weaknesses, but they do not make her human, 
  and some of the most centered and meditative Ordained 
  are little more than introverted monsters who simply do not 
  realize they are capable of selfish evil. 
  Upadana “Loose the Bonds of Attachment” 
  The Sakadagami see great strife and suffering grow from 
  the attachments of the blood. Through centuries of trial 
  and error, in an attempt to remove these terrifying bonds of 
  the blood, some few Ordained have mastered the Treasure 
  listed below. 
  Mind Like an Open Sore: The Sakadagami is able to 
  affect the blood addiction she causes, and her own vul-
  nerability to it. By spending one Willpower point for an 
  evening, the Sakadagami’s Vitae causes no blood addiction, 
  and if she feeds from other Kindred, the roll to resist doing 
  so again (see p. 158 of Vampire: The Requiem) receives 
  a +2 modifier.
  Mind Like a Flash of Lightning: A monk has not mastered 
  the addictive qualities in his blood, but is able to minimize 
  the damage that the Vinculum can do. Kindred blood 
  only causes Vinculi that last one month per step, and the 
  Sakadagami loses one step of the bond per month, unlike 
  normal Kindred.
  Mind Like a Diamond: Now, with almost complete under-
  standing of the ties of blood, the Ordained can reduce the 
  threat of blood borne attachment, even from those closest to 
  him. The character’s blood cannot be identified as belong-
  ing to any clan, should someone attempt to do so using the 
  Taste of Family (p. 163 of Vampire: The Requiem) or more 
  rarified methods like Blut Alchemie (p. 83). 
  The feeding restrictions were the hardest part, without a doubt. Some elder monks were so very violent 
  when we would weaken and fall to our hunger and rage. Twice I was beaten into torpor for baring fangs 
  at a mortal I was begging from late in the night. Begging was, at first, very humiliating, and it was many 
  years before I found it humbling instead. Once a week, sometimes less frequently, I would be taken out 
  of the temple with an elder monk and would walk through the streets of Bangkok with my eyes on the 
  ground. When mortals would stop to speak to us, we would ask if they would like for us to teach them 
  about Dharma in exchange for a few moments of their life. If they agreed, we would see them into an 
  ally and were allowed to feed a very little bit before offering same teachings and starting out again. We 
  were allowed to feed only so much as to stave off hunger for another week. Regularly, the laity would come 
  to the temple bringing vessels of blood in order to receive blessings and to make merit. Though the blood 
  tastes stagnant and barely satisfies me, I have grown to prefer it as it is less distracting and more practical. 
  One of the eldest and most venerable monks, other than our abbot, sometimes can lend his blood to those 
  who are very weak from having forgotten to feed or from pushing themselves too far. 
  Early in their training, most of a novice’s concerns revolve 
  around staying fed and staving off frenzy. Unlife is very hash 
  and Final Death is not uncommon at this point. If the vampire 
  survives, the Sakadagami’s mediation practices and training 
  around the Three Treasures of the Mae Ji will eventually develop 
  and curb some of the struggle. Of course, that’s the point.
  Now that I have more peace about me, I am able to really appreciate the fortune I have here at the 
  Wat Ning. Once, a monk from a far off forest temple came to visit with us. He said that his feeding 
  restrictions were far stricter and that they were allowed no attachments, so that no monks or nuns had 
  names and none were allowed to speak to one another except to repeat scriptures. That visitor suggested 
  their training was superior and their monk was far more enlightened than ours. I don’t think so; Pha Thet 
  is a good man and very patient with everyone. He keeps to the traditions of the Sukhothai Kings of old. 
  There is a bell that anyone can ring, from the lowest mortal to the most powerful Kindred, and the abbot 
  will see to them, personally helping them with problems if he can or giving advice if he can’t. I have heard 
  rumors that people think he might reach Anagami any night now. Some wonder if he will take the path of 
  the Bodhivistta or end his existence. I hope he stays to teach.
  Though the rewards are great, many lay Kindred have to 
  wonder who would suffer the hardships of monastic unlife 
  for the ultimate goal of being burned. So who would take 
  up the robes and seek refuge? In the times of the found-
  ing of the Sakadagami Order many came to the temples 
  as unwanted childer, incompetent hunters, humanists 
  who couldn’t cope with their new existence or monsters 
  dangerously close to losing themselves to the Beast. In the 
  past few hundred years, very little has changed. Sires in 
  Thailand just like anywhere else still Embrace on impulse, 
  and regret their choices later. There are still incompetents 
  and pacifists, and still serial killers turned undead. Beyond 
  that, some Kindred go to the order to continue their 
  practices from life, some to bring merit to their families. 
  Occasionally, a Kindred takes on the robes for social or 
  political gain. It is a hard road to power, and one that 
  
  129
  that a people would fight change initially, and Kindred are 
  typically even less able to change and adapt. It is unlikely 
  that, on meeting a western Kindred, a Sakadagami would 
  announce what he was, spill all his secrets and invite the 
  stranger to start training with him. More likely, he gives a 
  polite greeting, speaks softly and observes until he is able to 
  return to his work and studies without being rude.
  But things change, whether Kindred wish it or not, and 
  with new Embraces in a cross-cultural era inevitable, more 
  western Kindred are having deeper brushes with Thai Kin-
  dred and their paths to peace. Some ideas:
  A Mae Ji, having left her temple a hundred years ago, 
  •	
  exists in quiet contemplation among the Thai popu-
  lation of Los Angles. She has spent the last 20 years 
  observing the western Kindred and has finally decided 
  to step into their Requiem and offer them a better path. 
  Of course, that means that the more worldly Kindred 
  of the Carthian Movement might immediately seize 
  on her as a symbol of revolution. 
  An old Acolyte from Thailand, surviving off her 
  •	
  Thai cult in Philadelphia, hears a young Carthian 
  spouting ideals similar to the Children of the Naga. 
  Amused, she persuades the neonate (and his coterie) 
  to go to Thailand and look for the truth behind  
  his philosophies.
  In Providence, Rhode Island, an Ordo Dracul coterie 
  •	
  and a Sakadagami temple have accidentally uncov-
  ered one another. At first their similar goals opens 
  the door to discourse between the two on technique 
  and philosophy. However, when the Ordo discovers 
  the Sakadagami aren’t scientists, and the Sakadagami 
  discover the Ordo are not philosophers, but both are 
  somewhat successful, a war of ideologies might not be 
  far behind and bloodshed seems likely.
  may ultimately collapse on itself, but one the arrogant or 
  confident monster might follow.
  For the mortals in Thailand, it is not uncommon for a 
  young man to become ordained for a short period of time, 
  living at a temple before taking off the robes and returning 
  to the secular life. At one time any able boy would do so at 
  the age of 20 and could not marry before he had spent his 
  time as a monk. For the Kindred of the Sakadagami, taking 
  off the robes is a much more serious and difficult matter. Re-
  joining the laity can be a painful experience because without 
  the strict temple structure, many do not survive long — their 
  Beasts run loose. Some, usually due to outside influence 
  (such as political pressure) leave the temple and retain many 
  of the techniques without the ethical obligations.
  Enlightenment Outside of the Free Land
  It is easy to assume that the Sakadagami have remained 
  in their insular kingdom untouched by outside Kindred 
  and never leave that place to interact with the rest of the 
  world. Nothing could be further from the truth. Since 
  travel for Kindred has gotten slightly less perilous, and 
  immigration for mortals is such a regular occurrence, 
  some small number of the Ordained and the laity have 
  left the place of their training for new fertile ground. 
  Indeed, pilgrimage for certain members of a temple is a 
  long standing tradition (see the Mae Ji above).
  So why, then, have western Kindred not interacted with 
  members of this order? Some have, but they may simply not 
  have realized there was anything worth noting about the 
  foreign Kindred. On occasion, immigrant communities can 
  be even more insular than their original nation may have 
  been. In resistance to the culture shock, it is not surprising 
  The Mae Ji
  In mortal Thailand women are still unable to 
  become nuns. This gender bias does not exist 
  among the dead. However, for the sake of 
  tradition, many Sakadagami Temples still have the 
  ceremonial role of a Mae Ji in deference to the 
  first. She is revered and respected for taking on a 
  nearly sacrificial mantle. The Mae Ji in any given 
  temple is expected to clean and perform manual 
  duties for the monks. She is treated as little more 
  than a servant and is not allowed instruction in 
  meditation or the Three Treasures. What’s more, 
  she is expected to train and learn to meditate on 
  her own, as the original Mae Ji did. Given time, 
  it is rumored that some actually do achieve the 
  same inner strength as their forerunner, and when 
  they do they leave as unliving saints and pilgrims 
  who travel the world spreading the wisdom they 
  have garnered.
  WhaT abouT ouTsideRs  
  and The unenlighTened?
  Of course, besides the secret worshipers of Vedic 
  and Brahman demons, Thailand has Lancea 
  Sanctum dwelling and worshiping in and among 
  its small Muslim and even smaller Christian 
  populations. The widening world has room in it for 
  atheists, foreigners, and any number of different 
  faiths in large cites like Bangkok. Officially, most 
  temples follow the lead of Wat Ning and accept all 
  kinds in their open social discussions with political 
  decisions made by a loose sort of democracy. Of 
  course, official doctrine and reality are rarely 
  one and the same and not all Ordained or laity 
  are open and welcoming to Kindred not on the 
  “right path.” 
  bloodlines of the first kingdom of thailand - sakadagami
  
  ancient bloodlines
  130
  The fall of the Camarilla plunged the Kindred of Europe into a dark age. The widest ranging Kindred culture that 
  has ever existed splintered into hundreds of discreet societies with a multitude of philosophies that would, through 
  the combined efforts of the Invictus and Lancea Sanctum, eventually vanish from the night. The Invictus Empire, 
  a group of German princes hoping to place all of Europe under their dominion, served as the first of these efforts, 
  flagging only as it crashed into the remnants of the Camarilla in Constantinople. Though inner conflict tore the 
  Empire apart, the conglomerate of domains managed to spread an orthodox Kindred society across Europe, absorb-
  ing or destroying competing systems and philosophies.
  Yet few things are more difficult to destroy than an idea. Where a covenant may fall in the face of its enemies, 
  a bloodline can uphold an obscure faith or way of unlife. While the Lancea Sanctum purged the Gnostic heresies 
  within its ranks, the Mystikoi survived to uphold their bizarre dualistic philosophy. Though the knightly orders of 
  the past became the social clubs of the modern Invictus, to this very night the Order of Sir Martin maintains the 
  ideals it cleaved to in the 12th century.
  A heresy may outlive the attempts to stomp 
  it out, if it is given a fertile and insular home 
  in which to flourish. The Mystikoi, a dualist 
  heresy born in the early years of the Lancea 
  Sanctum, survives to this night in the shadows of 
  the Ordo Dracul. The Dragons encourage their 
  studies, pressing them forward in their own search 
  for spiritual transcendence.
  For the Mystikoi, however, 
  transcendence means far more 
  than freedom from the shack-
  les of the Kindred curse. The 
  Mystikoi seek nothing less than 
  the reunification of all life with the 
  godhead. Only through a return to 
  the divine source can the evil world be 
  scourged from existence and all souls, human and Kin-
  dred alike, raised from inequity and polished to reflect 
  the glorious light of heavenly perfection.
  Such an ascension can only be gained through a per-
  fect understanding and reconnection with the divine 
  source, the original Unity, which can only be approached 
  through an increase in Gnosis, or understanding of 
  creation. While the night of ascension remains far off, 
  Bloodlines of the Crusades  
  (Ce 1095-1300)
  MyStikoi
  The things you do not know could fill this world. Indeed, they do, and many more besides.
  the Mystikoi devote themselves to understand-
  ing the universe, both in its base physical and 
  higher spiritual aspects, and reshaping their 
  own forms in what they believe to be God’s 
  image. Unfortunately, their primary guide in this 
  endeavor is their Beast.
  Parent Clan: Gangrel
  Bloodline Disciplines: Animal-
  ism, Protean, Resilience, Spiri-
  tus Sancti
  Nickname: Illuminated, Bu-
  reaucrats (Archaic)
  Weakness: Despite their scholarly 
  bent, members of the Mystikoi blood-
  line suffer from the Gangrel clan flaw 
  (see p. 107 of Vampire: The Requiem).
  Additionally, the Mystikoi possess a connection (and 
  some would say a subservience) to their Beast that few 
  among even the Gangrel know. A Mystikos may never 
  spend Willpower to add dice to a roll to resist frenzy 
  (though she may do so to ride the wave). The Mystikos 
  may not spend a Willpower point to resist a Discipline 
  or other supernatural power that would force her into 
  
  131
  frenzy. The Coil of the Beast, too (p. 149 of Vampire: The 
  Requiem), works slightly differently for the Illuminated. 
  The first tier, Chastise the Beast, requires that the player 
  spend the Willpower point to avoid frenzy before rolling 
  dice, rather than allowing the option of spending after a 
  failed roll. The second tier, Lure the Beast, does not waive 
  the Willpower point requirement to ride the wave. The 
  third tier, Exhaust the Beast, is unchanged.
  History and Culture: Byzantine Emperor John I Tzi-
  misces, in power during Armenia’s decision to grant legal 
  religious freedom to the dualist Paulician sect, encouraged 
  an influx of members of the sect into Byzantine lands. 
  With the sect came a small group of Armenian Kindred 
  nomads devoted to the Lancea Sanctum, but possessed of 
  a heresy similar to that of the Paulicians. These Kindred, 
  almost exclusively of Clan Gangrel, had long eked out a 
  furtive existence on the very edges of the Longinian world. 
  Now in Christendom’s greatest metropolis, the sect came 
  to the attention of the Sanctified authority who worked 
  to absorb the nomads into their orthodoxy. With the 
  exception of a pair of elder Savages, the Sanctified met 
  with success.
  The two Gangrel, however, found that their relatively 
  easy new existence within the Tagma ton Xenon (the pri-
  mary military group of the Byzantine Kindred) granted 
  them a reprieve from the base struggle for survival, and 
  they turned their attention ever more deeply to their 
  spiritual explorations. Over time they sired a small brood, 
  which devoted itself to furthering the philosophy of the 
  line, and the group garnered a reputation for studious 
  understanding and spiritual sensitivity that rivaled the Me-
  khet. The Priscus of Gangrel petitioned the Imperator to 
  elevate the group to the rank of Theme. He did so, naming 
  them Mystikoi and granting them exclusive feeding rights 
  over a monastic order within the city so long as they kept 
  safe the many detailed records of the Athanatoi. This ac-
  tion birthed a thousand-year feud with the Agonistes line 
  (which had, until then, been the primary record-keepers 
  and historians of Constantinople).
  At the same time, the eldest Illuminated began slipping 
  into seclusion, often wearing heavy robes to obscure the 
  strange malformations taking root in their physical forms. 
  Only among other members of the line did the Mystikoi 
  leave their physical changes exposed, and within the fel-
  lowship the bizarre markings came to signify advanced 
  spiritual understanding. The line withdrew from the 
  Tagma ton Xenon and petitioned for membership in the 
  Lancea Sanctum. They were rejected and took shelter 
  instead under the aegis of the Athanatoi.
  The destruction of Constantinople saw the scattering 
  of the Mystikoi. Most traveled north into the Carpathians 
  or east into Russia. There they became wondering priests, 
  a role they were particularly suited to, bridging the gap 
  between animist native Kindred and the monotheistic 
  religious tradition that the pagans found so difficult to 
  understand. In time, the Illuminated drew the attention 
  of a Transylvanian vampire called Vlad Dracula, and the 
  lineage became one of the early cornerstones of the Ordo 
  Dracul, lending the covenant many of its ideals.
  The Hidden Church
  The bloodline takes care to choose its childer from among 
  the faithful and studious. The lineage respects scholar-
  ship and quiet meditation, tasks often at odds with the 
  vociferous Beast of Clan Gangrel. As a result, members 
  must be intelligent and willful enough to overcome the 
  instinctual need to exist forever in the moment. Sires 
  largely reject ceremonial trappings during the Embrace 
  and entrance into the bloodline. They usually encourage 
  childer to continue the research they pursued as mortals, 
  but to add to it studies of faith and philosophy. 
  The Illuminated maintain a strange, uncomfortable 
  relationship with their inner Beast. Mystikoi philosophy 
  posits three levels of being: the physical, the intellectual 
  and the spiritual, each a more pure pursuit than the 
  last. Traditional Mystikoi faith upholds the Beast as 
  the syzygos, the Divine Self, a spiritual guide towards 
  transcendence. The Beast is that which is eternal within 
  the Kindred, and thus more akin to the divine source 
  than not. While the Sanctified pursue oneness with the 
  archons, the Darkness’s jailors over his creation, the Il-
  luminated step up the rung, setting their sights on the 
  higher Unity. Through the secrets of Spiritus Sancti, the 
  lineage communes with the hidden world. Most consider 
  the spirits they encounter through the power to be higher 
  beings, the spiritual counterparts to physical creation, and 
  emulate them in order to become more like them. (The 
  vicious behavior among spirits observed by elders of the 
  line serves as part of the reason that so many consider 
  their Beast a divine guide.)
  In modern nights a schism has formed within the blood-
  line. Some members claim that the Beast, as a creation 
  of the Darkness, serves primarily as a cruel warden over 
  the jail of the adherent’s physical form. Furthermore, the 
  spirits the Mystikoi venerate exist primarily as a reflection 
  of the physical world. No understanding of the divine can 
  be garnered from meditation on such base entities. These 
  Kindred instead work to reject and chain the Beast, pursu-
  ing perfection primarily through the Coils of the Dragon 
  and utilizing Spiritus Sancti as a tool of study.
  Like many older bloodlines, the Mystikoi have almost 
  nothing in the way of an overarching organization. Their 
  bloodlines of the crusades - mystikai
  
  ancient bloodlines
  132
  rejection of ritual as frivolous pomp results in a culture 
  based primarily in the members’ understanding of how 
  one goes about scholarship and study, an understanding 
  that changes over the centuries. Teachers have a position 
  of particular reverence within the line, however, and 
  those who serve as Avus to bloodline applicants earn a 
  great deal of respect.
  Reputation: The Mystikoi, though historically impor-
  tant, remain a small and insular bloodline in the modern 
  nights. They tend to operate in separate enclaves, sharing 
  their discoveries with one another and the Ordo Dracul. 
  They rarely burden unbelievers with their theories and 
  almost never proselytize. As a result, few Kindred have a 
  strong opinion of them. They go largely unnoticed by both 
  the Invictus and the Carthians, who simply don’t share 
  their esoteric interests. The Circle of the Crone feels that 
  the line likely began among their number but has become 
  woefully misguided over the centuries. The Sanctified still 
  consider them heretical, but hardly any more so than the 
  Dragons who they associate with.
  Members of the Ordo Dracul tend to hold the lineage 
  in some esteem. The Illuminated not only focus their 
  existence on the study of philosophy and esoterica 
  (primary concerns of the Order as a whole), they were 
  also the first lineage outside of Dracula’s to pledge itself 
  wholesale to the Dragons in the early nights of the cov-
  enant’s history. To this night, the vast majority of the 
  Mystikoi hold membership among the Dragons, while a 
  rare few join the other major covenants. For their part, 
  the Mystikoi work well with members of other lines and 
  covenants, as they are often eager to learn more of the 
  world around them in all of its endless variations and 
  more than happy to explore the philosophies of other 
  vampires, at least for a while.
  Concepts: Antiquities dealer, bizarre banker, Catholic 
  priest-turned-Longinian heretic, drug-addicted student, 
  esoteric scholar, New Age guru, science fiction writer, 
  sorority sister, street corner preacher, weird scientist
  Spiritus Sancti
  The Illuminated believe that the original being, the divine 
  Unity in its perfection, must emanate lesser selves into the 
  universe. Like a fire, the heat of the divine grows weaker 
  the further it gets from the source. In short, the dark im-
  perfections of the world, including vampires, exist in the 
  shadows cast at the edge of the Unity’s own light.
  The Mystikoi also accept the Holy Trinity of the Father, 
  Son and Holy Spirit. Each is an aspect of the Unity that 
  has been emanated into the world. The Father is the 
  Logos, the most perfect emanation of the Unity that can 
  exist until all is reintegrated into a perfect singularity. The 
  
  133
  Son (in short, Christ) is the divine guide sent by the Father 
  into the world of the living to show humanity the way to 
  return to the Unity. The Holy Spirit (the spiritual realms) 
  is the animating breath that envelops the world like a 
  net, saving it from a fall into complete material squalor. 
  Through the secrets of Spiritus Sancti, the Mystikoi peel 
  back the layers of the world like an onion, delving into the 
  darkness within and finding an enlightened communion 
  with their own Beast. 
  • Embracing the Invisible Other
  The Illuminated opens her mind to the whispers of her 
  higher self, the syzygos, and heeds its teachings. She learns 
  to give the Beast its due, and the two work in tangent to 
  overcome the obstacles of the material realm.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: No roll required.
  Action: Reflexive
  The player may choose to spend one Vitae at any time 
  to activate this ability. Doing so allows the character to 
  ride the wave of frenzy (p. 181, Vampire: The Requiem), 
  even if she would normally be unable to do so (such as 
  if she were in an involuntary Frenzy or in the process of 
  being programmed through the Discipline of Dominate). 
  Additionally, it grants the character a bonus to each roll 
  to ride the wave equal to her dots in Spiritus Sancti.
  All other rules regarding riding the wave (including 
  the Willpower cost, the fact that it is an extended action, 
  and the number of requisite successes) remain the same. 
  A character using this power can also benefit from Lure 
  the Beast (p. 150, Vampire: The Requiem). 
  •• Eyes of the Inner Archon
  The Illuminated closes her eyes, opening her soul to the 
  wisdom of the Beast. When she opens her eyes again, 
  they have filled with the rage of the Beast, transforming 
  into a pair of slits, not unlike a great cat, that reflect red 
  when they catch the light. While in this frenzy, she casts 
  down the lies of the demiurge in order to perceive the 
  purer spiritual truth of the world.
  Cost: 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Composure + Spiritus Sancti
  Action: Extended. Each roll represents one turn of 
  concentration. Five successes are required. If the character 
  possesses Lure the Beast, activating this power requires 
  only three successes (due to the Mistikoi’s bloodline weak-
  ness, it still costs a Willpower point).
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character fails utterly, accidentally 
  loosing the Beast upon herself. She immediately enters 
  bloodlines of the crusades - mystikai
  
  ancient bloodlines
  134
  Upon accumulating the required successes, the character 
  enters a form of half-frenzy in which she can communi-
  cate through speech with local entities in Twilight for the 
  remainder of the scene. She loses the ability to converse 
  with those present physically, however. She rides the 
  razor’s edge of frenzy and must make a reflexive Resolve 
  + Composure roll for each minute of conversation she 
  engages in. If she fails, the power ends and she enters an 
  immediate uncontrolled frenzy. Otherwise, the player may 
  end the power voluntarily, choosing whether the character 
  rides the wave or abandons frenzy entirely.
  Exceptional Success: As above, save the character and 
  her Beast act as one. She need not roll to resist frenzy 
  during the course of the power.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The character is in the vicinity of a  
   
  powerful Wyrm’s Nest.
  +1 
  The character is in the vicinity of a weak  
   
  Wyrm’s Nest.
  -1 
  The character is hungry.
  -2 
  The character is starving.
  -2 
  The character is in a dense urban  
   
  environment.
  -3 
  The character is in a sterile environment  
   
  (such as a laboratory).
  •••• Communion with the Higher Realms
  The Illuminated learns to let go of her Beast, allowing it 
  to roam free and join the sacred breath of the Holy Spirit. 
  As her Beast communes with the divine, she falls into a 
  deep sleep reminiscent of torpor from which she cannot 
  be awakened. When she opens her eyes again, she has 
  gleaned information from the cosmos and garnered truth 
  from the Holy Spirit.
  Cost: 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Occult + Spiritus Sancti
  Action: Instant. Lure the Beast does not affect the use 
  or cost of this power in any way.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character fails utterly, accidentally 
  loosing the Beast upon herself. She immediately enters 
  an uncontrolled frenzy. She may not utilize Embracing 
  the Invisible Other, Leashing the Beast or Chastise the 
  Beast to resist or exit it.
  Failure: The character enters an uncontrolled frenzy.
  Success: The character enters a death-like trance and 
  casts her Beast into the void. She remains in the trance 
  for an hour minus five minutes per success rolled.
  an uncontrolled frenzy. She may not use Embracing the 
  Invisible Other to resist or exit it.
  Failure: The character enters an uncontrolled frenzy.
  Success: The character makes progress towards her goal. 
  Upon accumulating the required successes, the character rides 
  the wave of Frenzy, gaining all of the benefits and drawbacks 
  thereof. However, she can also perceive all local entities in 
  Twilight for the remainder of the scene. The power confers no 
  ability to see through walls; any opaque structures block the 
  character’s sight of the spiritual. (Thus a ghost could, were it 
  to think of it, hide behind a desk and avoid detection.)
  Exceptional Success: The character’s Beast sharpens 
  even her mundane senses considerably, granting her a 
  +2 to all Perception rolls.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The character is in the vicinity of a  
   
  powerful Wyrm’s Nest.
  +1 
  The character is in the vicinity of a weak  
   
  Wyrm’s Nest.
  -1 
  The character is hungry.
  -2 
  The character is starving.
  -2 
  The character is in a dense urban  
   
  environment.
  -3 
  The character is in a sterile environment  
   
  (such as a laboratory).
  ••• In the Presence of the Holy Spirit
  Through the animalistic urges of the Beast, the character 
  gains an understanding of the spiritual world. While using 
  this power, the character can communicate with entities in 
  Twilight, regardless of what language they speak, but loses 
  the ability to converse with the denizens of the material 
  realm. Instead she barks and growls at apparently empty 
  air, hanging at the very edge of frenzy.
  Cost: 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Expression + Spiritus Sancti
  Action: Extended. Each roll represents one turn of 
  concentration. Five successes are required. If the character 
  possesses Lure the Beast, activating this power requires 
  only three successes (due to the Mistikoi’s bloodline weak-
  ness, it still costs a Willpower point).
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character fails utterly, accidentally 
  loosing the Beast upon herself. She immediately enters 
  an uncontrolled frenzy. She may not use Embracing the 
  Invisible Other to resist or exit it.
  Failure: The character enters an uncontrolled Frenzy.
  Success: The character makes progress towards her goal. 
  
  135
  Exceptional Success: Additional successes are their 
  own reward.
  The character must specify a particular question or 
  concern she wishes information on before activating the 
  power. If successful, the character awakes with memories 
  of a surreal vision that offers insight into the question. 
  These can be prophetic, but more typically offer abstract 
  clues to help the character resolve the situation at hand. 
  The Storyteller may be as obtuse with this information as 
  she wishes, but is encouraged to make it useful.
  Mechanically, the character gains a +2 to all rolls to 
  investigate the dream imagery (including rolls to investi-
  gate the subject of the vision). Furthermore, she acquires 
  a +3 bonus to apply to a single roll that works towards 
  resolving the situation (as she comes to understand some 
  of the imagery in a sudden flashing moment of insight). 
  The character may benefit from only one vision at any 
  given time. Using this power a second time removes all 
  mechanical benefits garnered from the first use.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The character meditates successfully prior  
   
  to the ritual, garnering four or more  
   
  successes (see p. 51 of the World of  
   
  Darkness Rulebook). 
  +2 
  The character is in the vicinity of a  
   
  powerful Wyrm’s Nest.
  +1 
  The character is in the vicinity of a weak  
   
  Wyrm’s Nest.
  -1 
  The character is hungry.
  -2 
  The character is starving.
  -1 to -3  
  The character is in a distracting  
   
  environment, ranging from loud,  
   
  distant noises (-1) to immediate flashing  
   
  lights or pounding music (-3). Penalties  
   
  for each distraction are cumulative.
  ••••• Accepting the Mantle of the Divine
  Elder Illuminated profess not only to an understanding 
  of the nature of reality above that of any other Kindred, 
  but also defend that knowledge with powers beyond the 
  pale of the average vampire’s experience. Such savants 
  become changed by their encounters with the divine, 
  their forms shifting and gaining features that are at turns 
  angelic and demonic. 
  Through this power the Mystikos allows her Beast to 
  rise to the surface of her flesh, blending her body and 
  spirit into a single terrible whole. She gains subtle inhu-
  man features, often based in part on the Disciplines she 
  knows. A character’s skin may seem to thicken into a gray 
  or hairless hide or chitenous shell (Resilience), become 
  translucent, or develop chameleon scales (Obfuscate). 
  More exotic Disciplines result in stranger changes: she 
  may develop animalistic features such as tufted ears or 
  elongated fingers tipped with sharp claws (Protean) or 
  gain unusual or unpleasant mutations that seem utterly 
  alien to this world (Spiritus Sancti). Such changes risk 
  the Masquerade, so Mystikoi under the influence of this 
  power take pains to hide their deformities.
  Worse yet, the character’s Beast becomes infused in her 
  flesh, making it impossible for the character to utilize the 
  other powers of Spiritus Sancti. The advantages, however, 
  are considerable, and a character who has accepted the Man-
  tle of the Divine becomes a terrible foe to her enemies.
  Cost: 1 Vitae and 2 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Composure + Spiritus Sancti
  Action: Extended. Each roll represents thirty minutes 
  of prayer. Six successes are required. If the character pos-
  sesses Lure the Beast, activating this power requires only 
  four successes.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character fails utterly, accidentally 
  loosing the Beast upon herself. She immediately enters 
  an uncontrolled frenzy and remains in it for the rest of 
  the scene. She may not utilize Embracing the Invisible 
  Other, Leashing the Beast or Chastise the Beast to resist 
  or exit it.
  Failure: The character enters an uncontrolled Frenzy.
  Success: The character makes progress towards her goal. 
  Upon accumulating the necessary number of successes, 
  the character garners an Investment (see below). This 
  Investment remains part of the character’s person for one 
  night per success on the activation roll. The power may 
  not be ended early.
  Exceptional Success: As above, save the power can be 
  ended early at the character’s whim.
  While the character is under the affects of this power, 
  she exists in a state of frenzy available only to masters of 
  Spiritus Sancti. She may not ride the wave while benefit-
  ing from this power (meaning that she cannot utilize the 
  first three powers of Spiritus Sancti) nor can she separate 
  herself from her Beast (and thus cannot use Communion 
  with the Higher Realms). She is not, however, immune 
  to frenzy (quite the opposite, in fact). She cannot utilize 
  Chastise the Beast nor Leashing the Beast to resist frenzy 
  (though she can use the latter to inspire it in herself or 
  others), nor does she gain the usual bonuses from frenzy 
  when she enters that state.
  bloodlines of the crusades - mystikai
  
  ancient bloodlines
  136
  Instead, the following applies to the character, whether 
  or not she is in Frenzy:
  The character gains a +3 bonus to all Animalism rolls.
  •	
  The character gains the Unseen Sense Merit for all 
  •	
  supernatural entities who can enter maddened rages 
  (vampires and werewolves, for example) as well as for 
  entities who exist primarily in Twilight (such as spirits 
  and ghosts). By spending one Vitae, the character 
  can perceive Twilight entities for twenty-one seconds 
  (seven turns).
  The character gains an Investment (see sidebar). A 
  •	
  character may only have a single Investment at any 
  given time.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  The character meditates successfully prior  
   
  to the ritual, garnering four or more  
   
  successes (see p. 51 of the World of  
   
  Darkness Rulebook). 
  +2 
  The character is in the vicinity of a  
   
  powerful Wyrm’s Nest.
  +1 
  The character is in the vicinity of a weak  
   
  Wyrm’s Nest.
  -1 to -3  
  The character is in a distracting  
   
  environment, ranging from loud,  
   
  distant noises (-1) to immediate flashing  
   
  lights or pounding music (-3). Penalties  
   
  for each distraction are cumulative.
  inVesTMenTs
  A character utilizing Accepting the Mantle of the Divine garners one of the following abilities. These powers include 
  a physical manifestation of the improved or additional ability, from bulging muscles to razor-sharp fangs.
  Focused Will: The character gains the 9 again rule when spending Willpower for extra dice. When using Willpower 
  to avoid being hit or otherwise resist a power, she enjoys a +4 rather than a +2 modifier.
  Furious Strength: The character gains a bonus die to all physical dice pools. Furthermore, she benefits from the 
  9 again rule on such rolls. Finally, her attacks cause Knockdown (p. 168, World of Darkness Rulebook).
  Incredible Hide: The character gains an Armor rating of 1 (this stacks with other forms of Armor and is not reduced 
  by Armor piercing weapons) and ignores wound penalties.
  Mandate of the Archons: The character may utilize the Dominate power Mesmerize (whether or not she has it) 
  on spirits and ghosts. The Illuminated adds her rating in Spiritus Sancti rather than Dominate, and the Twilight 
  entity resists with Power + Resistance. The character need not establish eye contact, but both the target and the 
  Illuminated must be able to perceive one another. The power otherwise functions as normal (see p. 125 of Vampire: 
  The Requiem for details), but the character may not use this Investment to control the actions of entities other 
  than spirits or ghosts.
  Predator’s Awareness: The character gains a +1 to all Perception rolls. Furthermore, she benefits from the 9 again 
  rule on such rolls. Finally, she benefits from the Danger Sense Merit.
  Primal Appearance: The character gains the Striking Looks Merit at four dots for the duration of the 
  Investment.
  Resolute Heart: All attempts to influence the character’s mind, by Dominate, Majesty or other means, suffer a -3 
  penalty. Rolls for the character to resist or throw off mental influence receive a +3 dice bonus.
  Vicious Bite: The character’s fangs elongate and sharpen, but can never be retracted while she benefits from this 
  Investment. She need not grapple before making a bite attack and her fangs inflict aggravated damage.
  
  137
  The First Estate’s acceptance of the 
  bloodline and knightly order known 
  as the Order of Sir Martin comes 
  as something of a surprise to most 
  Kindred. Often described with epi-
  thets ranging from “unpleasant” to 
  “scurrilous” or worse, the Knights 
  of Sir Martin seem at first glance 
  antithetical to the First Estate. They 
  claim to uphold the law, never openly 
  defying it and always adopting a stance 
  of submission towards the authority of 
  the Invictus, yet they seem constantly 
  plagued by accusations of secretly flaunt-
  ing the edicts of the domain and spreading 
  disease among the masses.
  In truth, the Order of Sir Martin acts as a 
  sort of secret police for the Invictus, willing to act 
  in ways and investigate in places that the more proper 
  members of the covenant could never sanction. The eclectic 
  membership of the order opens it to Kindred who would 
  never otherwise find a niche within the First Estate, while the 
  covert operations it engages in on behalf of the Invictus al-
  lows its members to channel their most destructive impulses 
  into productive avenues. The Invictus appreciates the Leper 
  Knight’s unique talents and have kept them close to their 
  breast for almost a thousand years.
  Parent Clan: Nosferatu; rumors persist, however, that 
  the Order of Sir Martin can spread their foul disease to 
  members of other clans, drawing them into the bloodline 
  against their will.
  Bloodline Disciplines: Nightmare, Obfuscate, Resilience, 
  Vigor
  Nickname: Leper Knights (or more derogatorily, simply 
  Lepers)
  Weakness: Members of the Order of Sir Martin suffer 
  from the Nosferatu clan weakness (see p. 111 of Vampire: 
  The Requiem).
  Additionally, they are wracked with a foul disease that 
  upsets their humors. Whenever a Leper Knight feeds, her 
  player rolls Resolve + Stamina. On a failure, she vomits up an 
  amount of Vitae equal to her Blood Potency or the amount of 
  blood she consumed, whichever is less. This applies whether 
  the feeding occurs in the course of play or falls to an abstract 
  roll (see Vampire: The Requiem, page 164).
  The regurgitated liquid remains 
  human blood and carries no risk of 
  Vitae addiction or Vinculum (though 
  few vampires would risk exposing 
  themselves to the Lepers’ taint, 
  even for the heady rush of Kindred 
  Vitae). It may be possible to consume 
  the Vitae again, depending on the 
  circumstances, though unless special 
  care is taken, most of the Vitae will 
  be lost (assume that in most situations 
  one quarter of the Vitae vomited can 
  be reclaimed). Licking vomited Vitae 
  from the ground is not only disgusting, 
  but also requires the Leper to roll again 
  to avoid vomiting.
  While the majority of the members of this 
  line don’t have horrific physical deformities (at least 
  not in the modern nights), such malformations remain 
  common enough to be considered part of many Kindred’s 
  stereotype of the bloodline. For their part, deformed Leper 
  Knights wear their blemishes as badges.
  History and Culture: The Most Noble Order of the Fallen 
  King, more commonly known as the Order of Sir Martin, 
  originated in the late 11th century, just as the Crusades first fell 
  upon the Holy Land. Bloodline legend accredits the formation 
  of the line to an ancient monster called Martin of Jerusalem. 
  The Haunt, long blighted with deformities that gave him the 
  appearance of a leper, dressed in rags and existed among the 
  colonies of the diseased and infirm. Over the centuries he drew 
  several vampires to him, most of which were Haunts whose 
  curse had manifested in ways they felt too severe to allow them 
  to exist within the framework of Kindred society.
  The pilgrims of the First Crusade slaughtered much of the 
  populace of Jerusalem, robbing the local Kindred of a once-
  plentiful herd. While his more erudite and sophisticated 
  contemporaries fell into torpor, Martin adapted, moving 
  among the mortal knights and spreading the diseases he 
  had long carried within his blood. The population of hos-
  pitalized westerners rose, and Martin moved among the 
  blighted knights, studying their philosophies and religion 
  and melding it with his own understanding of the world. 
  A few of the warriors proved too pleasing to release to the 
  cold grasp of death, and Martin took on new childer, em-
  powering them with his Vitae and teaching them his own 
  brand of survival.
  order of Sir Martin
  The disease I got only goes to the bones. Yours goes soul deep.
  bloodlines of the crusades - order of sir martin
  
  ancient bloodlines
  138
  By the end of the 12th century, the lineage had grown 
  to almost a dozen Kindred residing throughout the 
  Holy Land. While a few were directly related to 
  Martin, most were European monsters who had 
  followed the Crusade east. Martin took such 
  outcasts to his bosom, as he had always done, 
  and taught them to move with subtlety and 
  guile. Better to skulk, hide and survive 
  within Kindred society than be banished to 
  the wilds and fall to the rapacious monster 
  within. Yet the line faced rejection, both 
  from the local Kindred, who felt Martin 
  had become too westernized, and from the 
  Sanctified and Invictus that had followed 
  the Crusade, who saw Martin as a local 
  heathen and threat.
  Martin again adapted, adopting the 
  organization of the knightly orders that 
  accompanied Kindred of the two great 
  covenants to the Levant. In 1183, Martin 
  gathered his extended family and bound 
  them together in an oath, christening his 
  group the Most Noble Order of King Baldwin 
  the Leprous (who was then the King of Jerusa-
  lem). After Baldwin’s death two years later, Sir Martin 
  renamed his followers the Order of the Fallen King.
  Though the Leper Knights never gained the respect of the 
  other knightly orders of the period, they both outperformed 
  and outlasted the vast majority. Martin taught his followers 
  to cleave only to the words of oaths, discarding the spirit 
  for a convenient loophole. He taught them to defend 
  themselves, not only with weapons and armor, but with 
  the fear of the diseases they might have. Members of 
  the line teach their childer the following aphorism, 
  attributed to Martin himself: “Be so unpleasant 
  that they cannot bear to look at what you are 
  doing. Smell so of filth that they keep their 
  noses out of your business.” 
  The lineage began haunting the various 
  roads between the west and the Holy 
  Land, feeding on the sick and infirm 
  and spreading fear and loathing in 
  their wake. The western covenants, 
  too repulsed by the Order’s habits, 
  failed to realize the wide-ranging 
  network the Order had established. 
  A dark reflection of the Knights 
  Templar, the Order began trading 
  in favors and influence, allowing 
  a Kindred to provide a service 
  to a Leper Knight in Europe for 
  the promise of a later favor 
  in Jerusalem. Nomadic 
  
  139
  Kindred leapt at the opportunity, allowing the Order to 
  garner wealth and power at a startling rate. Members of the 
  Order printed notes with special seals that attested to what 
  the traveler was owed by the line. The Leper Knights of the 
  Levant even honored the writs of those few vampires who 
  survived the arduous journey.
  With Martin’s blessing, the Order melded with the 
  Invictus in 1317. Since then the Order has grown in size, 
  always clinging to the outskirts of Kindred society, provid-
  ing necessary services that the majority of Invictus find too 
  repellent to perform themselves. The Order continues to 
  take in those who would otherwise founder in the Danse 
  Macabre, teaching them to overcome their curse and work 
  towards their own welfare rather than devolving into slaver-
  ing monsters.
  Tonight the Order looks much as it always has. In Europe, 
  where the bloodline boasts the most members, the Leper 
  Knights organize into Chapters, each of which usually covers 
  a small region (such as London and its environs). In areas 
  with smaller populations, a Chapter may cover a larger geo-
  graphical area, but never so large that the Chapter cannot 
  gather four to five times a year or easily communicate. No-
  madic members of the lineage, called Rovers, travel between 
  the Chapters, providing information and aid to compatriots 
  in distant domains. Thus the bloodline manages a rough 
  communication system that spans Europe, allowing infor-
  mation within the line to pass between domains far more 
  quickly than it does through other sources.
  In the Americas, the Chapter system breaks down, and 
  few such organizations exist outside of New England. More 
  typically a small city may include one or two members of 
  the line, while a larger metropolis may boast a small gang 
  of Leper Knights (who often adopt a gangland attitude and 
  fashion sense, if only to further their unwholesome image). 
  Groups of Leper Knights (even the New England Chapters) 
  in the Americas rarely communicate across the vast expanses 
  of wilderness and don’t benefit from the same information 
  network that their European cousins do.
  Reputation: The Order of Sir Martin has never enjoyed 
  a particularly positive reputation among either its peers 
  within the Invictus or in Kindred society as a whole. The 
  Carthian Movement, especially, finds the Order distasteful. 
  According to the Carthians, they serve as exemplars of the 
  worst mercenary tendencies of the Kindred, willing to take 
  any assignment, no matter how degrading, for whatever 
  table scraps the Invictus throw their way. Most grating 
  to the Carthians is the fact that many of the Kindred the 
  Order takes on were vampires who the Movement was 
  eyeing for recruitment.
  The Lancea Sanctum and Circle of the Crone have eerily 
  similar opinions about the Order. Both groups feel that the 
  bloodline wallows in self-interest, rebuffing any opportunity 
  bloodlines of the crusades - order of sir martin
  
  ancient bloodlines
  140
  for enlightenment or grace. In short, the line fails to uphold 
  the will of God (or the gods). The Leper Knights don’t share 
  the animosity, and in domains in which the Invictus has a 
  strong relationship with either covenant, members of the 
  lineage often attend mass or the solstice rituals.
  While Kindred of the Order of Sir Martin almost univer-
  sally swear fealty to the Invictus, a rare few forsake the First 
  Estate for the Ordo Dracul. Such Kindred are almost always 
  elders who have decided that they want something more out 
  of unlife than the riches that come with membership in the 
  Invictus. These Kindred find enough familiarity in the Order 
  to embrace it, and many become celebrated members of the 
  Sworn of the Axe. Unfortunately, leaving the Invictus re-
  quires a Leper Knight to recant his sworn oath to the knightly 
  order. The lack of reprisal such turncoats face often worries 
  the Ordo Dracul, and the Dragons usually watch their new 
  members with extreme care, making entirely clear what will 
  befall them if the local Invictus begins showing signs of the 
  Coils of the Dragon.
  Concepts: Anti-Crone crusader, apparent AIDS victim, 
  disease carrier, doctor-turned-murderer, extremist militant, 
  gangland tyrant, information broker, spy in a foreign court, 
  unceremonious prostitute, urban cowboy
  The Advantages of Membership
  Members of the Order of Sir Martin gain two advantages. 
  First, upon entering the bloodline, the character swears 
  an oath of fealty to his fellow Leper Knights. The Knights 
  help one another regularly, forming a web of mentorship 
  with a slightly different focus than the Invictus. As a result, 
  characters who claim both membership in the bloodline 
  and Status of at least 1 in the Invictus may purchase the fol-
  lowing Merits at half the usual cost in experience: Fighting 
  Styles, Haven, Mentor and Retainer. They do not continue to 
  purchase Herd at half price, and this bonus does not apply 
  at character creation.
  Additionally, members of the Order of Sir Martin gain 
  access to the following Devotions. Each is a closely guarded 
  secret within the sect and never taught to outsiders.
  The Rejected Malady 
  (Resilience •, Vigor ••) 
  The character becomes a master of her body, learning to 
  reject that which would sicken her. Through this power she 
  may completely eliminate all natural diseases and toxins from 
  her body. In doing so, she vomits forth a thick, acrimonious 
  black bile.
  Cost: 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Medicine + Vigor
  Action: Instant
  If the invocation roll is successful, the character imme-
  diately banishes any diseases, poisons or other deleterious 
  substances or toxins from her system. She spends the turn 
  in which she uses this power curled over and vomiting. 
  She may take no other action and does not benefit from 
  her Defense, even through the use of Celerity or other 
  supernatural powers, though armor still applies. After the 
  power has been used, she no longer suffers any ill effects 
  from the foreign substance, nor can she pass a disease on 
  to another being. (Leper Knights occasionally seek out 
  specific diseases to spread to other Kindred or mortals, 
  knowing that they can reject the disease afterwards.) This 
  power has no effect on supernatural diseases or poisons 
  (though natural diseases exacerbated through supernatural 
  means, such as the Discipline of Cachexy, are affected) and 
  cannot remove the effects of consuming the blood of other 
  supernatural entities, such as werewolves.
  This power costs nine experience points to learn.
  Repulsive Mien 
  (Nightmare ••, Obfuscate ••••) 
  The Leper Knights know the reputation they have even 
  among the Invictus. Rather than refute it, they utilize the 
  rumors to the utmost. This power plays on the targets’ as-
  sumptions and fears about the Leper Knights, what foul 
  action they plan to take and what diseases fester within 
  their dead arteries.
  Cost: 1 Vitae
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Nightmare vs. 
  subject’s Composure + Blood Potency (The Nosferatu clan 
  weakness does not apply to the Discipline user’s roll.)
  Action: Instant and Contested
  As	per	Dread	(Nightmare	••,	p.	133	of	Vampire: The 
  Requiem), save that rather than inspiring fear in any targets 
  who fail to overcome the character’s activation roll, this 
  power magnifies their assumptions about the Leper Knight. 
  Those who assume that she is a traitorous wretch notice her 
  shifting eyes and fidgeting hands; those who believe she is 
  a disease carrier notice that she’s looking sickly and pale. 
  The usual effects of Dread apply, but only in regards to the 
  character. Any actions taken against her are penalized, includ-
  ing attempts to uncover her emotions or motives, physical 
  attacks or efforts to spot hidden weapons, as the character 
  is simply too repulsive to pay much attention to and targets 
  thus affected cannot spend Willpower to enhance actions 
  against the character. Furthermore, this power only affects 
  other Leper Knights if they have an excellent and concrete 
  reason to mistrust the user.
  This power costs 18 experience points to learn.
  
  141
  The Middle East may be the cradle of civilization, but it 
  is a cradle set afloat upon a sea of blood. For thousands 
  of years the men and women of the Holy Land have met 
  one another with daggers, swords and stones, murdering 
  in the name of faith, tribe or creed. Some of the faithful 
  know that the violence their compatriots pursue only 
  serves to keep humanity divided and weak in the face of 
  the greater threat: demons and monsters of the night. For 
  as long as the faithful have crouched about fires in the 
  deserts of modern day Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria, 
  so have monsters haunted the shadows about those fires, 
  waiting for them to gutter out and die, that they might 
  fall upon a prey without recourse.
  The violence continues to the modern night. A decrease 
  in sectarian violence within an Iraqi city may only mean 
  that the Sunni or Shiite militants have utterly wiped out 
  the other faction within its borders. Palestinian terror-
  ists destroy embassies and hotels, and the Israeli military 
  responds with fighter jets and assault rifles. An American 
  soldier moves to help a fallen Iraqi citizen only to be hit 
  in the back of the head with a brick by another (a man 
  who is riddled with bullets moments after by the Marine’s 
  squad mate).
  Some might expect that the monsters have won the 
  Middle East, that the people of the region are too busy 
  fighting one another or plotting terrorist strikes to orga-
  nize themselves against the monsters of the night. Those 
  people haven’t heard of the Ahl al-Jabal, the People of 
  the Mountain, who test themselves nightly against the 
  darkness, afraid of death only insomuch as it represents 
  the end of their vigil.
  Early Islam was particularly rife with violent schisms, 
  often over issues of orthodoxy and leadership. The first of 
  these, the break between the Shiites and Sunnis, occurred 
  almost immediately after Muhammad’s death. The latter 
  upheld Abu Bakr, a compatriot of the Prophet, as the new 
  caliph of Islam. The Shiites felt that Ali ibn Abu Talib, 
  the son-in-law of Muhammad, should take up the mantle 
  of the spiritual leader of Islam. When the Sunni faction 
  passed up Ali, again, when choosing a successor for Abu 
  Bakr, the Shiites diverged from the larger faction, becom-
  ing a rallying point for numerous groups of dissent within 
  the Islam faith. The Shiites upheld the position of Imam, 
  the holy leader of Islam and direct heir to the Prophet. A 
  disagreement over the succession of the Imam within the 
  Shiite populace resulted in a second schism, producing 
  the Twelver Shiites and the Ismailis. Yet another schism 
  within the Ismailis produced the Fatimid dynasty of ca-
  liphs and the Naziri Ismaili, the most infamous of which 
  were the warriors of Alamut.
  Hasan-i-Sabah, a charismatic and brilliant leader, 
  formed the sect that would eventually operate from 
  Alamut. The sect garnered numerous epithets, the most 
  lasting of which was Hashshashin, the origin of the word 
  assassin. The Hashshashin served as a combination holy 
  order, secret society and revolutionary state, with several 
  independent cells operating within strongholds across 
  the region, each answering to the highly secure mountain 
  stronghold of Alamut. They practiced an ascetic approach 
  to Islam, and each member was slowly initiated into the 
  deeper esoteric truths (the batin), an initiation that includ-
  ed a preliminary period of dissolution of each initiate’s 
  faith in the larger society and priesthood of Islam. Were 
  the Hashshashin merely a heretical offshoot of a heretical 
  branch of a grand heresy within the region’s foremost 
  faith, they may have been left largely alone. Instead, the 
  sect, under the orders of Hasan, struck at highly-placed 
  officials and rulers within Islam (and later, the Christian 
  Crusaders), killing each in broad daylight with a dagger 
  to the heart, earning the enmity of much of Islam.
  Over time, the Hashshashin weathered heresies of their 
  own, but it was Rashid ad-Din Sinan, the Shaykh al Jabal 
  (Elder of the Mountain), the leader of the Syrian Assas-
  sins during the Crusades, who was responsible for the 
  greatest (and least historically known) schism among the 
  assassins. Sinan followed the lead of his contemporary at 
  Alamut, Hasan II (Hasan-i-Sabah’s grandson), in rejecting 
  the overt ritual trappings of Islam. After Hasan II’s own 
  family murdered him, Sinan refused to follow the orders 
  of Hasan’s son and successor. He instead clashed with the 
  dominant Muslim warlord of the age, Sultan Saladin. The 
  pair shared a particularly vicious rivalry as assassins struck 
  Ahl al-Jabal
  The Martyrs
  so long as I keep alive 
  the flame of the human spirit.
  I don’t mind being 
  snuffed out, 
  bloodlines of the crusades - ahl al-jabal
  
  ancient bloodlines
  142
  at the Sultan and the Sultan’s armies overran Hashshashin 
  strongholds. Yet the two met in 1176, then went their 
  separate ways, never to clash again.
  Only the closest followers of Sinan knew what had 
  occurred between the two men. Sinan, who had learned 
  that a blood-drinking monster had infiltrated Alamut and 
  manipulated his former friend, Hasan II, had turned his 
  attention from murdering enemies of Islam to destroy-
  ing those very same monsters and the political figures 
  he believed to be under their sway. Saladin had seemed 
  to be just such a figure. Saladin, too, had heard tales of 
  Sinan’s abilities and worked towards defeating the Hash-
  shashin for the same reasons. Once the two learned how 
  the paranoia engendered by their enemies had poisoned 
  their efforts, they made a pact to establish a new group 
  of warriors, a hidden sect dedicated to ridding Islam of 
  the progeny of Hell. 
  Saladin continued to wage war against the Christian 
  invaders, and Sinan traveled constantly between the 
  mountain fortresses under his banner, dispatching assas-
  sins as he always had. Yet the two remained in contact, 
  through secret missives coordinating strikes against the 
  greatest enemies of humanity. Eventually their secret war 
  must have overwhelmed them, exposing them to their 
  adversaries: Saladin and Sinan died within months of 
  one another. 
  Yet their secret society of assassins persisted. Even after 
  Alamut fell to the raiding Mongols and the Naziri Ismaili 
  migrated into India (where they remain to this night), the 
  Ahl al-Jabal (People of the Mountain) continued their 
  holy war against ghouls, sorcerers, jinni, ifrits, lilitu and 
  stranger creatures yet. Tonight, unaffiliated cells spread 
  across the nations in which Islam remains a major reli-
  gion. Members are drawn almost exclusively from the 
  Muslim community, initiated first into the Ahl al-Jabal’s 
  interpretation of the Ismaili faith, then into the busi-
  ness of monster hunting. In the Americas, an increasing 
  number of Martyrs are drawn from the population of the 
  prison system, where Islam takes root in followers who 
  are or (through the overcrowded prisons) quickly become 
  familiar with the vagaries of violence.
  Philosophy
  The Ahl al-Jabal largely adhere to the Nazari Ismaili 
  faith. They practice a form of Islam that largely disre-
  gards the importance of the ritual and law of the religion 
  (though most continue to practice such rites) in favor 
  of a deeper philosophical understanding of the faith. 
  Furthermore, they include in their studies Greek philoso-
  phy, mysticism and Gnosticism, as well as mathematics, 
  astrology and various natural sciences. The Ahl al-Jabal 
  tend to be fiercely loyal to their teachers, the dai, willing 
  Sinan the Magician
  A scholar of great renown, Sinan bore a reputation for mastery of alchemy 
  and astrology, and other tales paint him as an adept of sorcery and psychic 
  powers. Though the Alamut Hashshashin sent assassins to strike at Sinan, he 
  somehow managed to neutralize or subvert each of his attackers. Tales bestow 
  Sinan with the ability to deflect falling stones with but a wave of his hand and 
  an aura so fearsome that it kept his enemies beyond spear’s reach. One story 
  speaks of Sinan calling a few of his followers to him to witness the reanimated 
  head of a fallen assassin; the followers claimed afterwards that it spoke most 
  eloquently of the Paradise that awaited those who died in jihad.
  Vampires who learn of the Ahl al-Jabal and Sinan often come across these 
  stories. Some recognize the powers of a Kindred at work, and assume that Sinan 
  was yet another ghoul under the influence of yet another Kindred, one whose 
  faction eventually slipped loose of her control (or is perhaps still following 
  her orders to this night). Others believe that Sinan may have become a mage 
  over the course of his hunt. A rare few Kindred believe that Allah gifted 
  Sinan with the ability to perform miracles. More commonly, scholars theorize 
  that Sinan unearthed some of the abilities of those he battled and chose to 
  fight fire with fire.
  Whatever the truth of the matter, no Martyr in the modern nights has ever 
  displayed abilities similar to those possessed by Sinan. Even were one of 
  these holy killers to develop such skills, her fellows would almost certainly 
  destroy her as one of the enemy.
  
  143
  to perform murder or die at their orders. After all, the dai 
  hold the secrets of spiritual understanding; the future of 
  one’s soul is reliant upon them, and dying in their service 
  is a sacred honor.
  The primary tenet of the Ahl al-Jabal that separates 
  them not only from the Nazari Ismaili but also from the 
  Hashshashin, is the understanding that monsters haunt the 
  world. Such creatures, the dai teach, are the offspring of 
  Satan, and they perform his work by crushing joy, learning 
  and creativity among the mortal masses. It is the duty of 
  each Martyr to fight back that darkness so that humanity 
  may shine more brightly in Allah’s image.
  The Enemy
  Ahl al-Jabal consider their mission a holy one, a matter 
  of faith. Their chosen flavor of religion, Ismailism, puts 
  significant emphasis on the subtle, esoteric aspects of 
  Islam, while the history of abuse the Shiites and Ismaili 
  have faced have engendered in the Ahl al-Jabal a strong 
  tendency towards secrecy. Furthermore, the current world 
  culture tends to turn a suspicious eye on any insular group 
  of Muslims, especially when they carry weapons and com-
  bine their daily prayers with training in multiple forms 
  of combat. As a result, members rarely coordinate with 
  outsiders, including most of the major groups of monster 
  hunters in the world.
  The Ahl al-Jabal approach the hunt with a determined 
  stoicism and quiet faith. They train heavily in the use 
  of both the kukri and dagger, traditionally utilizing the 
  larger weapon against monstrous or undead foes and the 
  dagger against the human enemies of humanity. Ahl al-
  Jabal practice the Shiite survival skill known as taqiyya, 
  a dispensation among the faithful to hide their true 
  religious beliefs and affiliation when under the threat 
  of violence or persecution. As the Ahl al-Jabal recognize 
  that they always face the threat of undead monstrosities 
  or devil-hearted wizards, they tend to live their entire lives 
  in secret, letting their guard down only among other Mar-
  tyrs. As a result, members come from all walks of life and 
  may hold down any number of jobs. Other hunters, from 
  other organizations, sometimes suspect that a few go so 
  far as to join their groups while hiding who they actually 
  are, but such must surely be the modern day equivalent 
  to the prejudice the assassins have always faced.
  The Martyrs also uphold jihad, the holy struggle to 
  improve society. They believe that each monster they 
  destroy weakens the influence of Satan in the world. 
  Furthermore, they know that if they die in the course of 
  the struggle, they will be reborn into Paradise. The Ahl 
  al-Jabal do not, however, murder indiscriminately. Like 
  the original Hashshashin, the Martyrs strive to do the most 
  good with the fewest possible acts of violence. Rather than 
  assault a vampire with guns blazing, a tactic assured to kill 
  at least some of the vampire’s unfortunate slaves if not 
  a number of innocent bystanders, the Martyr infiltrates 
  the vampire’s lair, destroying the creature directly, often 
  as it sleeps. Furthermore, the Ahl al-Jabal recognize that 
  not every supernatural creature qualifies as a monster. 
  The Martyrs do their best to explore and understand 
  their enemies, judging each one on its own merits rather 
  than murdering every unusual entity they come across. 
  After all, their own founder was a man of many unusual 
  and varied talents, yet the world has never seen a Muslim 
  more devoted to the faith. While the Martyrs are willing 
  to die in the pursuit of their cause, no member of the 
  Ahl al-Jabal has ever become a suicide bomber; such in-
  discriminate destruction represents everything that their 
  faith abhors.
  Members of the Ahl al-Jabal possess a surprising amount 
  of lore regarding the supernatural threats facing them in 
  the World of Darkness. Unfortunately for them, the lore 
  is spread so widely and so thin, that no individual cell of 
  hunters benefits from the bulk of it. Most members of 
  the Ahl al-Jabal recognize that fire and sunlight serve as 
  the most efficient means of destroying a vampire (as the 
  light of Allah, they claim, cleanses all inequity). They know 
  that placing a wooden stake through its heart and cutting 
  off its head can also destroy a vampire. (They traditionally 
  utilize blessed stakes made of aspen trees and their kukris 
  to complete their grim task.) 
  Martyr characterS
  The Ahl al-Jabal have been presented primarily as antagonists for Kindred 
  characters across the ages. Readers with access to Hunter: The Vigil, 
  however, will notice similarities in the way the Martyrs are presented to 
  the organizations in that book. Feel free to borrow from the Hunter rules to 
  increase the lethality of Ahl al-Jabal antagonists or to import this compact 
  to your Hunter game.
  bloodlines of the crusades - ahl al-jabal
  
  ancient bloodlines
  144
  Most hunters come to understand that vampires 
  divide themselves into several social groups, and two 
  have become particularly loathed within the sect. The 
  first, the Lancea Sanctum, seems to exult in all of the 
  worst excesses of Christianity, going out of their way to 
  inflict harm upon the mortal populace. The second, the 
  Daeva, work to lead the faithful to sin, making them 
  drunk without alcohol and inflicting every form of abuse 
  upon their body and spirit. Such monsters rarely earn 
  a Martyr’s mercy.
  Status
  Status within Ahl al-Jabal results largely from one’s 
  understanding and acceptance of the faith. Ironically, 
  though ostensibly an organization devoted to the hunt, 
  destroying monsters rarely constitutes justification for an 
  increase in Status on its own. Instead, a comprehensive 
  insight into the esoteric truths revealed by the faith and 
  the ability to relate them to others tend to serve as the 
  primary measures of worth among the Martyrs. 
  •	You’ve	been	accepted	as	one	of	the	fidai, the faithful. 
  Your faith in traditional Islam has been dissolved and 
  you have begun the study of the batin as well as extensive 
  training in the Martyr’s fighting style. You may purchase 
  the Fighting Style: Two Weapon Merit (p 112, World of 
  Darkness Rulebook) at half the usual cost in experience, 
  whether or not you meet the prerequisites. If you fail to 
  meet the Merit’s prerequisites, you may only use it when 
  wielding a kukri in one hand and a dagger in the other.
  •••	You	have	devoted	yourself	as	one	of	the	rafik, 
  becoming deeply initiated into the esoteric secrets of your 
  teachers. You gain a free Occult Specialty in Mysticism, 
  Gnosticism or Philosophy. Additionally, you acquire a 
  free dot of Allies (Ahl al-Jabal).
  •••••	You	have	risen	to	the	rank	of	dai and are a 
  missionary within your sect. You have met with other dai, 
  and they expect you to travel to a new city and establish a 
  new cell. It has become your mission to further the faith 
  rather than risk your existence in the jihad. You gain the 
  Inspiring Merit (p. 115, World of Darkness Rulebook) for 
  free, whether or not you meet that Merit’s prerequisites, 
  but can only use it when interacting with other members 
  of your sect. If you already possess the Inspiring Merit, 
  its affects stack, now granting two Willpower points 
  whether bolstering the spirits of those within your sect 
  or without.
  
  145
  The fragmented memory of the Kindred recalls the Babylonian empire as it was at its height — a magnificent para-
  dise of jeweled ziggurats and moonlit alleyways, ruled from the shadows by the Damned. Kindred arose from the 
  masses as subtle gods among men, and the streets of Babylon were stalked by the progenitors of some of the most 
  powerful bloodlines that exist tonight. In those nights, demons and desert whispered their secrets to Kindred, and 
  they were host to many strange powers. 
  Every golden age must come to an end, however, and the Dammed of ancient Babylonia were decimated by a new 
  predator born through blasphemous rite, the Edimmu. The seven spirits tore the empire apart from within, and the 
  streets of Babylon were black with the dust of slain Kindred. The few who survived bound together for the sake of 
  survival or fled from the Near East altogether, scattering their kind throughout the world.
  Dark sorcerers and subtle assassins, members 
  of the Iltani bloodline are as clever, spiteful 
  and venomous as snakes. 
  They operate in stealth and secrecy, 
  and are masterful manipulators 
  and deceivers. Vipers are unusu-
  ally adept at controlling their 
  own emotions, and they cling 
  to their anger in death, fueling 
  and transforming its corrosive en-
  ergy to suit their own purposes. A 
  vampire meeting an Iltani for the 
  first time could never hope to see 
  or understand the depth of the seeth-
  ing anger that is forever just beneath 
  the surface of her stoic gaze — at least, not unless 
  she chooses to unleash her fury. 
  The rare and highly specialized poisons the Iltani use 
  to weaken their enemies are distilled from anger, spite 
  and resentment. Kindred scholars speculate that it is by 
  channeling this dark, emotional energy and transforming 
  it through the Beast that members of the bloodline are 
  able to harness their unique abilities. Whether or not 
  this theory has any veracity may never be ascertained, 
  as members of the bloodline are uncommonly elusive 
  and secretive. 
  Bloodlines of the BlaCk streets  
  of BaBylon (625-539 BCe)
  IltanI 
  You don’t remember me, do you? That doesn’t matter, darling, because I certainly haven’t 
  forgotten you. Now why don’t I help refresh your memory?
  Parent Clan: Mekhet
  Bloodline Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, 
  Celerity, Obfuscate
  Nickname: Vipers
  Weakness: The Iltani have the 
  same weakness to sunlight that 
  curses all Mekhet (p. 109 of Vam-
  pire: The Requiem). 
  Additionally, an Iltani’s 
  Beast makes her blood seethe 
  with anger and resentment, and 
  never misses a chance to seize 
  control. Whenever the player fails a 
  Discipline roll, the Storyteller rolls 
  one die. One a 1, the Iltani’s Beast 
  leaps to the fore, forcing the player to roll 
  to avoid frenzy (two successes required; see p. 179 of 
  Vampire: The Requiem). 
  History and Culture: The Iltani bloodline can be traced 
  back to ancient Mesopotamia. The bloodline’s founder, 
  Nanshe Iltani, was a powerful priestess of the Coven of 
  Nanaja, and a consult to the Kindred royalty of the shadow 
  empire of Babylonia. 
  According to Kindred of the bloodline, Nanshe Iltani 
  had a lover, Arahunaa, to whom she was deeply devoted. 
  bloodlines of the black streets of babylon - iltani
  
  ancient bloodlines
  146
  One night, the En (a title for the Kindred emperor in 
  ancient Babylonia) came to consult with Nanshe Iltani. 
  When the En saw the beautiful Arahunaa, he immediately 
  wished to possess her. Despite Nanshe Iltani’s desperate 
  pleading, En Isiratuu took Arahunaa back to the royal 
  temple to live at his side. Adding to the tale of treachery, 
  Arahunaa went with the En willingly — preferring an 
  unlife of royal luxury over the companionship of Nanshe 
  Iltani. The cruel actions of Arahunaa and the En enraged 
  Nanshe Iltani, and she vowed from that night forward that 
  she would be the one to bring about their Final Deaths. 
  She knew that she would never succeed in killing her 
  betrayers outright and survive. Instead, she would be 
  patient, using a subtler approach of stealth and sorcery, 
  striking when the moment was right. It was Nanshe 
  Iltani’s desire for vengeance that led her to uncover the 
  secrets associated with her bloodline tonight. 
  In the years that followed, Nanshe Iltani devoted herself 
  to finding new ways in which her powers could be used to 
  destroy Arahunaa and the En, taking many solitary walks 
  through the moonlit steppes and deserts of Babylonia 
  to reflect upon her goal. It was during these travels that 
  Nanshe Iltani was believed to have developed her affinity 
  for the venomous, lowly creatures of the earth: snakes, 
  spiders, insects and scorpions. That she was drawn to such 
  creatures is not surprising, as she herself was poisonous 
  from her own festering resentment. She found that she 
  could call the stinging, biting creatures of the desert to her 
  side, and even influence their movements. After a time, 
  she uncovered methods of condensing and transforming 
  her anger, through the Beast within, into potent venoms. 
  Eventually, she made use of the creatures she called upon 
  to act as vessels of her spite, using their stings to deliver 
  her poison to the victim. While Nanshe Iltani did not 
  succeed in discovering a poison strong enough to lead to 
  instantaneous Final Death, her newfound abilities were 
  useful to her cause nonetheless. 
  One night, Arahunaa appeared to Nanshe Iltani in a 
  dream. According to her former lover, the En had devel-
  oped a terrible, dark gift, the likes of which the Damned 
  of Babylon had never seen. Soon, the En would be unstop-
  pable, and the empire would suffer for it. 
  Seeing that the news could be used to her advantage, 
  Nanshe Iltani seized her chance. Feigning sympathy for 
  her plight, Nanshe Iltani gave Arahunaa a scorpion with a 
  poisonous sting to set upon the En. The venom of Iltani’s 
  scorpion did not directly cause the deaths of Arahunaa 
  and the En, but it was potent enough to indirectly guide 
  them to their ultimate end. It was through Nanshe Iltani’s 
  cursed venom, members of the bloodline claim, that the 
  Edimmu of legend were able to gain access to the En, 
  tearing him apart from within and then subsequently 
  killing Arahunaa in the massacre that followed.
  In the chaos that occurred shortly after the death 
  of the En of Babylonia, it is unclear what became of 
  Nanshe Iltani. Since then, however, her progeny have 
  spread throughout the world, refining her techniques 
  and passing along her secrets in low whispers to each 
  new generation.
  Kindred of the bloodline almost always choose to sire 
  a childe from an individual who was resentful or bitter 
  during his mortal life. Iltani encourage their childer to 
  cling to their anger, to fuel and strengthen it, but never to 
  allow their fury to show. If anything, a Viper appears void 
  of emotion. It is through an Iltani’s ability to control her 
  feelings that she gains her power — skillfully transforming 
  and molding her vitriol into useful manipulative tools. 
  Initiates to the bloodline must prove that they can control 
  their anger. New Kindred are treated harshly, chastised and 
  provoked until the young vampire enters a state of anger 
  frenzy. The initiate must successfully “ride the wave” (see 
  pp. 178-181 of Vampire: The Requiem) to prove he has 
  the self-control required to become an Iltani.
  Reputation: Members of the Iltani bloodline are 
  unusually guarded and secretive, even for the Damned. 
  Many Kindred tonight believe that the Iltani bloodline 
  does not exist at all, and that it is simply a legend from 
  the long-forgotten past. Those who do know of their 
  existence, however, fear them for their strange ways and 
  deadly abilities. 
  Because many Kindred laugh at the notion of the 
  Iltani bloodline’s very existence (and the Iltani prefer 
  to keep it that way), members of the bloodline are excel-
  lent assassins. While some Iltani may be willing to offer 
  their services as an assassin, it usually comes with a steep 
  price. Vipers are much more likely to use their abilities 
  to manipulate rather than kill. They prefer to stand in 
  the shadows, watching as their venom slowly tortures or 
  drives their victim to madness. 
  Kindred who know of the Iltani also know never to 
  cross one. An Iltani never forgets those who have betrayed 
  her, and she uses memories of past transgressions to fuel 
  her anger. A vampire who betrays an Iltani may not pay 
  immediately, but he always pays dearly in the end.
  Concepts: Kindred assassin, lord of the flies, manipula-
  tive sociopath, espionage agent, underhanded informant, 
  stoic enforcer, herpetologist, power behind the throne, 
  eccentric collector, mysterious apothecary 
  
  147
  Mérges Sorcery
  The Sumerian word “Mérges” can be translated to mean 
  “poisonous” or “angry.” It is a fitting descriptor, therefore, 
  for the brand of sorcery practiced by the Iltani bloodline. 
  Iltani have the unique ability to distill their negative emo-
  tions (anger, spite, resentment, hatred, etc.) into rare and 
  highly-specialized magical venoms. The secrets of Mérges 
  Sorcery are jealously guarded and carefully passed down 
  from one generation to the next. Iltani have been known 
  to hunt down and kill undeserving Kindred who have 
  learned of its mysteries.
  All vampires who become skilled in Mérges Sorcery 
  develop specialized, hollow fangs that can be used to 
  administer venom. When not in use, the fangs fold back 
  against the roof of the mouth and are enclosed in a 
  membranous sheath. 
  Cost: The use of Mérges Sorcery always costs the char-
  acter one Willpower point. It is the Iltani’s own will that 
  instigates a reaction between his hatred and the Beast 
  within, and it is through this reaction that the venom-
  ous curse is formed. Willpower spent in this manner 
  does not add three dice to activation rolls. (However, 
  subsequent extended Mérges Sorcery rolls, past the initial 
  activation roll, may be augmented by spending a point 
  of Willpower).
  Mérges Sorcery does not have the same linear progres-
  sion that other Disciplines do. It is a character’s mastery 
  that dictates the highest level of the rituals he may learn. 
  For example, a character with two dots in Mérges Sorcery 
  can know an unlimited number of level one and level two 
  rituals (provided the experience points are paid to learn 
  each), but he may not learn any level-three Mérges Sorcery 
  rituals until his Mérges Sorcery level is increased to 3. 
  Each time a character acquires a dot of Mérges Sorcery 
  (including at character creation), he gains a ritual of that 
  level at no additional cost. New rituals can be bought at 
  a cost of two experience points multiplied by the level of 
  the ritual.
  To master Mérges Sorcery, an Iltani must never let go 
  of his hatred. Instead, he must fuel it, control it, and 
  transform it through his Beast. In the time that passes 
  after his Embrace, a Viper gradually forgets how to forgive 
  others, and he cannot recall what the peace of absolution 
  felt like as a mortal. To an Iltani, anger is fuel, but because 
  he never ceases to carry corrosive emotions within himself, 
  his own hatred slowly begins to eat away at his Humanity. 
  A character’s dots in Mérges Sorcery, subtracted from 10, 
  is the maximum to which his Humanity may rise. For 
  example, a character possesses Mérges Sorcery at level 
  three. His maximum Humanity is therefore 7. If a charac-
  ter increases his Mérges score higher than his Humanity 
  would normally allow, his Humanity immediately drops 
  to the appropriate level and the player makes a Humanity 
  roll to see if the character acquires a derangement in the 
  process of heightening his occult knowledge. (See pp. 182-
  188 of Vampire: The Requiem for more on Humanity 
  rolls and derangements.) If a character learns both Crúac 
  and Mérges Sorcery, his Humanity is limited by the higher 
  of the two traits.
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Intimidation + Mérges Sorcery
  Because negative emotions are the source and fuel of 
  Mérges Sorcery, characters with the Vice Wrath add +1 
  to relevant rolls. Conversely, characters with the Virtue 
  Temperance take a -1 penalty to relevant rolls.
  Action: Extended. The number of successes required 
  to activate a ritual is equal to the level of that ritual (so a 
  level-three ritual requires three successes to enact). Each 
  roll represents one turn of ritual casting. Note also that 
  each point of damage incurred in a turn is a penalty to 
  the next casting roll made for the character, in addition 
  to any wound penalties suffered.
  If a character fails to complete the ritual in time (such 
  as by being sent into torpor before accumulating enough 
  successes) or decides to cancel the ritual before garnering 
  enough successes to activate it, the effect simply fails. Any 
  Willpower expenditures made are not recovered.
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The ritual fails spectacularly, and the 
  character enters an immediate anger frenzy, which lasts 
  for the rest of the scene. 
  Failure: The ritual fails entirely, but not dangerously. 
  Willpower is consumed as normal, but the ritual has no 
  effect.
  Success: The ritual takes place as described.
  Exceptional Success: In many cases, extra successes are 
  their own reward, causing additional damage or conferring 
  extra duration or capacity.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  Power is turned against, or applies to,  
   
  a vampire with whom the user has a  
   
  blood tie (see p. 162 of Vampire:  
   
  The Requiem).
  — 
  There are no threats or distractions to  
   
  bother the character.
  bloodlines of the black streets of babylon - iltani
  
  ancient bloodlines
  148
  -1 to -3 
  The character is rushed or distracted,  
   
  such as by invoking a ritual in combat  
   
  or while trapped in a burning building.  
   
  This penalty is cumulative with multiple  
   
  distractions (such as by casting a ritual  
   
  in combat during a hurricane). Successes  
   
  gained on a meditation roll for the night  
   
  (see p. 51 of the World of Darkness  
   
  Rulebook) offset interruption penalties  
   
  on a one-for-one basis.
  Venomous Bite
  (Level-One Mérges Sorcery ritual)
  An Iltani can distill her own emotions 
  into specialized poisons that can be 
  injected into her victims through the vam-
  pire’s bite. As described on p. 157 of the World 
  of Darkness Rulebook, a character attempting 
  to bite as a combat action must first achieve a 
  grapple hold on the target. Then, on the follow-
  ing turn, the attacker can use the venomous 
  bite ability. An Iltani may not consume Vitae 
  from victims in the same turn that she uses 
  Venomous Bite. 
  The Iltani can activate this ritual at any time 
  in a given night, whereupon she is capable of 
  using Venomous Bite until the following sun-
  rise. She does not have to reactivate the bite to 
  use different kinds of poisons (see below). 
  Traces of the venom remain in the victim’s 
  body even after its effects have worn off, and are 
  still present in the victim’s remains after death 
  — unless the Iltani covers her tracks by using 
  Antidote (see below). Once delivered, the vic-
  tim’s player rolls Stamina + Resolve – Toxicity 
  Rating. If the victim fails, the poison automati-
  cally takes effect and deals immediate damage equal 
  to its Toxicity Rating, unless stated otherwise (see the 
  poison rules in the Introduction to this book). The 
  Toxicity Rating for Mérges Sorcery poisons is equal to: 
  Blood Potency + Mérges Sorcery.
  An Iltani can produce a number of venom doses per 
  day equal to her Blood Potency. 
  Venomous Bite may be used multiple times on the 
  same victim. If an Iltani chooses to do so, the victim 
  may be affected by multiple poisons simultaneously. 
  Similarly, an Iltani may administer multiple doses 
  of a single type of poison to intensify its effects (see 
  Compounding Poisons, below). 
  Compounding Poisons: Some Iltani poisons can be 
  compounded, while others cannot. With subsequent 
  
  149
  doses of the same poison, the effects may increase or 
  intensify, depending on the nature of the venom. 
  When compounding a poison, the concentration of the 
  toxin in the victim’s blood increases with subsequent doses. 
  The concentration of a poison within a character’s blood is 
  measured by his Toxin Level. As the Toxin Level increases, 
  the effects of certain poisons become more pronounced or 
  severe. There are five Toxin Levels: levels 1-2 are considered 
  low amounts of a particular poison, level 3 is a moderate 
  amount, and levels 4-5 indicate high or lethal amounts of a 
  poison within the victim’s blood. At levels 4-5, any vampire 
  who drinks the blood of a poisoned victim might feel the 
  effects as well. The player rolls Stamina + Resolve – the 
  Toxicity Rating of the poison in the victim’s blood. If the 
  roll fails, the consuming vampire also suffers the effects of 
  the poison. Members of the Brothers of Ypres bloodline 
  (p. 22) are not subject to this, and can drink from victims 
  of Mérges Sorcery poisoning with no ill effect. 
  When a poison with a specific duration is compounded, 
  the duration resets and begins again from the last dose ad-
  ministered, without weakening or losing previous effects. 
  For example, Venom of Paralysis (see below) is a poison 
  that can be compounded. Venom of Paralysis completely 
  paralyzes a victim for a number of hours equal to the 
  Iltani’s rating in Mérges Sorcery. If an Iltani with three 
  dots of Mérges Sorcery administers Venom of Paralysis, 
  the victim would normally be paralyzed for three hours. 
  Instead, the Iltani waits two hours and administers a 
  second dose. The duration resets, and the victim remains 
  paralyzed for another three hours (five hours total). 
  If a poison cannot be compounded, its effects last for 
  the stated duration. The duration cannot be lengthened 
  by additional doses, although an Iltani can wait until the 
  venom wears off and then administer a new dose. 
  The effects of poisons may be compounded as long 
  as the toxin remains within the victim’s system. In this 
  way, an Iltani can repeatedly administer a poison to a 
  victim night after night, slowly killing him or driving 
  him mad. 
  Upon learning this ritual, the Iltani gains the ability to 
  use a poison that causes muscle spasms, painful cramps 
  and damage to the nervous system. In game terms, the 
  poison simply inflicts physical damage based on the Ilt-
  ani’s master of Mérges Sorcery:
  Mérges Sorcery Level 
  Type of Damage
  1 
  Bashing
  2 
  Lethal
  3 
  Lethal
  4 
  Lethal
  5 
  Aggravated
  bloodlines of the black streets of babylon - iltani
  
  ancient bloodlines
  150
  A Viper can choose to inflict a less severe type of dam-
  age if she wishes to. 
  In addition, the character can learn to produce other 
  types of poisons. Each of the poisons counts as a separate 
  level one Mérges Sorcery ritual for purposes of experi-
  ence points. 
  Sample Venoms
  Venom of Paralysis: The victim is completely paralyzed 
  for a number of hours equal to the Iltani’s level in Mérges 
  Sorcery. This poison causes no physical damage.
  This poison can be compounded. With each dose suc-
  cessfully administered, the duration is extended in the 
  typical fashion. No new effects are added.
  Venom of Madness: A victim poisoned with Venom of 
  Madness develops a derangement of the Iltani’s choice 
  for every Toxin Level (see pp. 96-100 of the World of 
  Darkness Rulebook). Each Toxin Level can either inflict 
  a mild derangement or increase an existing derangement 
  (whether one the victim already possessed or one caused 
  by this poison) to severe. Therefore, a victim poisoned at 
  Toxin Level 3 (with no preexisting derangements) could 
  have three mild derangements or one that is severe and 
  one that is mild. The effects of this venom last for a num-
  ber of nights equal to the Iltani’s level in Mérges Sorcery. 
  Venom of Madness causes no physical damage.
  This poison can be compounded. With each dose suc-
  cessfully administered, the duration is extended in the 
  typical fashion.
  Venom of Lethargy: Venom of Lethargy inflicts no 
  damage, but saps the victim’s drive to act, and slows his 
  movements temporarily. The victim’s Speed becomes 
  equal to his Strength alone (rather than the usual Strength 
  + Dexterity + 5). The victim’s Initiative modifier becomes 
  the lower of his Dexterity or Composure, and the Fast 
  Reflexes Merit no longer applies. Venom of Lethargy 
  lasts for a number of hours equal to the Iltani’s level in 
  Mérges Sorcery. 
  This poison cannot be compounded.
  Control Anger 
  (Level-One Mérges Sorcery ritual)
  An Iltani is able to work herself into anger frenzy with 
  ease, and is adept at maintaining control over her mind 
  and actions while in such a state. Thus, she is able to reap 
  significant benefits from the heightened emotional state 
  of frenzy. An Iltani who successfully performs Control 
  Anger may activate its effects as an instant action at any 
  time during the same night the ritual is performed. Once 
  activated, the Iltani enters a state of frenzy that lasts for 
  one scene (a character may choose to end the anger frenzy 
  prematurely if she wishes). This has the following effects 
  on a character: 
  The character ignores wound penalties until 
  •	
  wounds become severe enough to render the char-
  acter torpid.
  The character receives one extra die to all Physical 
  •	
  Attribute rolls.
  The character receives a +1 bonus to all Mérges Sor-
  •	
  cery rolls while in a controlled anger frenzy.
  The character has no mental deficits normally in-
  •	
  duced by a state of frenzy.
  Plant Venomous Bite
  (Level-Two Mérges Sorcery ritual)
  An Iltani may plant her venom within a snake, spider, 
  insect, scorpion or other stinging or biting creature. Many 
  Vipers make use of Plant Venomous Bite to attack their 
  victims from a safe distance, or to store their poisons for 
  future use. 
  An Iltani can produce a number of venom doses per day 
  equal to her Blood Potency. Rather than using Venomous 
  Bite to immediately deliver her poison, she may choose to 
  plant some, or all, of her daily doses within living creatures. 
  Only insects and animals that naturally have a poisonous 
  bite or sting may be used in this ritual. Once the venom has 
  been planted, an Iltani may use the Animalism Discipline 
  to further instruct the host. A single creature can hold one 
  dose of venom, and the poison remains useable within it 
  for a number of nights equal to the Iltani’s Blood Potency 
  + Mérges Sorcery, after which the creature dies.
  The poison begins to take effect once the victim has 
  been stung or bitten. Immediately after the creature has 
  delivered its venom, it crumbles to ash. Once poisoned, 
  the victim receives the usual chance to resist (Stamina + 
  Resolve – Toxicity Rating). If the victim’s resistance fails, 
  the poison automatically takes effect. Poisons adminis-
  tered using Plant Venomous Bite may be compounded 
  as described in Venomous Bite (above).
  Invoke Vice
  (Level-Two Mérges Sorcery ritual)
  Anger can bring out the worst in people, causing an indi-
  vidual to say and do things she ordinarily wouldn’t. An 
  Iltani can invoke anger in his foe, temporarily causing her 
  Vice to dominate her actions. While under the effects of 
  Invoke Vice, the subject becomes obsessed with indulging 
  her Vice, leaving all other obligations by the wayside. The 
  victim will only pause in her pursuit if her own life is in 
  danger, and only until the threat is resolved, after which 
  the obsession returns. The Iltani must be able to see or 
  
  151
  touch the victim in order to use this ritual. Invoke Anger 
  lasts for a number of hours equal to the Iltani’s level in 
  Mérges Sorcery.
  Antidote
  (Level-Three Mérges Sorcery ritual)
  The Iltani is able to remove all traces of venom or poison 
  from any person or object. In living and undead creatures, 
  Antidote stops the effects of poisoning (both natural and 
  supernatural) in its tracks, and prevents any further dam-
  age or influence on the creature by the poison. Iltani often 
  use Antidote on the remains of their victims to cover their 
  tracks by removing trace amounts of residual poison from 
  the body. Antidote may also be used to render naturally 
  poisonous plants or animals harmless, or to purify poi-
  soned food or water.
  Venom Mastery
  (Level-Four Mérges Sorcery ritual)
  An Iltani with Venom Mastery can produce exceptionally 
  deadly and powerful venoms. Venom Mastery poisons 
  may be administered as described in Venomous Bite 
  or Plant Venomous Bite (above). Each of these poisons 
  counts as a separate level four ritual for purposes of 
  experience points.
  Venom of Weakness: The Venom of Weakness temporar-
  ily withers the victim’s muscles, causing acute fatigue and 
  weakness. For one night, all Physical Attributes are reduced 
  by a number of dots equal to the Toxicity Rating of Venom 
  of Weakness. This poison causes no physical damage (but 
  reduces Health indirectly by reducing Stamina).
  This poison can be compounded. With each dose suc-
  cessfully administered, the duration is extended in the 
  typical fashion. No new effects are added.
  Venom of the Slow Burn: The victim’s skin becomes 
  highly sensitive to light of any kind when poisoned with 
  Venom of the Slow Burn. Even moonlight and artificial 
  light slowly damages a vampire or mortal afflicted with 
  this poison. At low to moderate Toxin Levels (levels 1-3), 
  Slow Burn is more painful than deadly. However, the 
  target still feels his flesh slowly and excruciatingly burn-
  ing away, which usually causes the victim to avoid light 
  altogether. Some Iltani are known to use the Venom of 
  Slow Burn as a brutal means of extracting information 
  from their foes. After paralyzing a victim, an Iltani admin-
  isters the venom, then uses a flashlight as an instrument 
  of torture.
  Higher levels of the poison are much more deadly, as 
  described below. The effects of this Venom of the Slow 
  Burn last for a number of nights equal to the Iltani’s level 
  in Mérges Sorcery.
  Damage: See Toxin Levels, below
  This poison can be compounded, and the duration is 
  extended in the typical fashion. The victim does not take 
  damage from Venom of the Slow Burn until exposed to 
  light (of any kind). With each dose administered, the 
  length of time a victim can remain in the light before 
  sustaining an additional point of damage shortens.
  Toxin Level 
  Toxin effect
  1 (minimum) 
  Exposure to any kind of light  
   
  (natural or artificial) causes the  
   
  victim noticeable discomfort. The  
   
  character takes one point of  
   
  bashing damage per hour he  
   
  remains in the light. Additionally,  
   
  when exposed to light, the victim  
   
  takes a -1 penalty to all actions  
   
  that require mental focus or  
   
  concentration. The damage at this  
   
  level is subtle enough that the  
   
  target might not notice what is  
   
  causing it.
  2 
  Exposure to any kind of light  
   
  (natural or artificial) causes the  
   
  victim pain. The character takes  
   
  one point of bashing damage per  
   
  each 30 minute interval that he  
   
  remains in the light. Additionally,  
   
  when exposed to light, the  
   
  character takes a -2 penalty to all  
   
  actions that require mental focus  
   
  or concentration.
  3 
  Exposure to any kind of light  
   
  (natural or artificial) causes the  
   
  victim intense pain. The character  
   
  takes one point of lethal damage  
   
  per each 15 minute interval that  
   
  he remains in the light.  
   
  Additionally, the character takes a  
   
  -3 penalty to all actions that are  
   
  not devoted to seeking total  
   
  darkness. At this point, the victim  
   
  can feel his skin blister and burn  
   
  under even fluorescent lights.  
   
  Vampires must check for  
   
  Rötschreck upon seeing any source  
   
  of light (2 successes required). 
  4 
  Exposure to any kind of light  
   
  (natural or artificial) causes the  
   
  victim intolerable agony. The  
   
  character takes one point of lethal  
   
  damage per each five minute  
  bloodlines of the black streets of babylon - iltani
  
  ancient bloodlines
  152
   
  interval that he remains in the  
   
  light. Additionally, the character  
   
  takes a -4 penalty to all actions that  
   
  are not devoted to seeking total  
   
  darkness. Vampires must check for  
   
  Rötschreck upon seeing any source  
   
  of light (3 successes required).
  5 (maximum) 
  Exposure to any kind of light  
   
  (natural or artificial) causes the  
   
  victim’s skin to bubble, blister and  
   
  melt. The character, if mortal,  
   
  takes one point of lethal damage  
   
  per each 10 second interval that  
   
  he remains in the light. For  
   
  vampires, this damage is aggravated.  
   
  Additionally, the character takes a  
   
  -5 penalty to all actions that are  
   
  not devoted to seeking total  
   
  darkness. Vampires must check for  
   
  Rötschreck upon seeing any source  
   
  of light (5 successes required).
  Venom of Deceit: A character under the influence of 
  Venom of Deceit believes anything he is told to be the 
  truth, no matter how absurd or irrational. The victim then 
  acts under assumptions based upon the false fact for the 
  poison’s duration (regardless of being confronted with the 
  truth). For example, a man who is told “your wife has been 
  murdered” acts as he would if his wife had actually been 
  murdered for as long as the poison remains in his system, 
  even if he is confronted by his wife, alive and well. (He may 
  attempt to rationalize her appearance by believing that she 
  is some imposter trying to fool him, but he will not realize 
  that she is truly alive until after the poison wears off.)
  Upon successful administration of Venom of Deceit, the 
  Iltani may state a single “fact” to the target. The statement 
  should be no longer than a sentence or two, as the victim 
  only remains impressionable for a matter of seconds (if a 
  character rambles on for too long, how much the victim 
  believes of what the Iltani tells him is at the Storyteller’s 
  discretion). The victim believes the statement for a number 
  of hours equal the Iltani’s level in Mérges Sorcery.
  Venom of Deceit does not directly force the victim to 
  behave in any particular way or feel any differently than he 
  would ordinarily. For instance, a victim who is told “find 
  the man who murdered your wife” may not actually do 
  so. Having heard that statement, the victim now believes 
  that a man has murdered his wife, but if he was waiting 
  to cash in on the life insurance, he may not care much at 
  all about finding her killer. He might book a trip to Tahiti 
  with his mistress, instead. The statement “you are looking 
  for the man who murdered your wife” might seem more 
  effective, but in this case, the same man would probably 
  just sit around until the poison wears off — believing the 
  statement to be true, but wondering what possessed him 
  to set out looking for his wife’s murderer when he would 
  rather be in Tahiti with his mistress. 
  This poison can be compounded. With each dose 
  successfully administered, the duration is extended in 
  the typical fashion. No new effects are added. Venom of 
  Deceit inflicts no physical damage.
  Master Rage
  (Level-Five Mérges Sorcery ritual)
  Master Rage is a more powerful version of Control Anger 
  (above). The Iltani has mastered her hatred, and may enter 
  anger frenzy at will. As with Control Anger, An Iltani who 
  successfully performs the Master Rage ritual may activate its 
  effects as an instant action at any time during the same night 
  the rite is performed (the character rolls Wits + Intimidation 
  + Mérges Sorcery to activate the effects of the ritual). Once 
  activated, the Iltani enters a state of frenzy that lasts for 
  one scene (a character may choose to end the anger frenzy 
  prematurely if she wishes). Frenzy initiated by the Master 
  Rage ritual has the following effects on a character: 
  An Iltani ignores wound penalties to dice pools. The 
  •	
  character can also avoid torpor for a short time. Once the 
  character’s last Health box is marked with lethal damage, 
  the character remains active for a number of turns equal 
  to her Blood Potency + Mérges Sorcery before falling into 
  torpor. The character cannot avoid torpor at this point 
  (that is, the player can’t spend Vitae for the character to 
  heal some damage and dodge falling into torpor), but 
  she has a few extra seconds to exact retribution.
  The character adds two dice to any Physical Attri-
  •	
  bute roll.
  The character receives a +2 bonus to all Mérges Sor-
  •	
  cery rolls while in a controlled anger frenzy.
  The character has no mental deficits normally in-
  •	
  duced by a state of frenzy.
  While Master Rage is in effect, an Iltani’s anger is so 
  •	
  powerful that it becomes infectious. If a Viper chooses 
  to do so, she may loose her anger upon her foes. For 
  each turn the Iltani chooses to use this ability, enemies 
  within a radius of 50 yards for every success rolled (so 
  100 yards for 2 successes, for example) must make a 
  contested Resolve + Composure roll -3 to avoid falling 
  into an anger frenzy themselves. This only affects crea-
  tures with the capacity to enter some kind of berserk 
  frenzy (vampires, werewolves and other supernatural 
  creatures at the Storyteller’s discretion), but only 
  vampires take the -3 penalty to avoid it.
  
  153
  Members of the En bloodline seek power 
  above all else, and will stop at nothing to 
  obtain it. They hail from royal blood, and 
  believe themselves worthy and entirely 
  deserving of unquestioning loyalty from 
  their lessers. Emperors are self-made and 
  self-proclaimed leaders, and often seek positions of 
  political, financial or even military power. En are 
  not known for their patience, however, and many 
  gain their power though corrupt means, rather than 
  through work and hard-won support of others.
  While many of the Damned have a thirst for power, 
  the En bloodline is, perhaps, more capable than most 
  to achieve greatness. Members of the bloodline are 
  host to symbiotic demons, called alu, that grant the En 
  potent abilities and assist them in their rise to power. 
  An En must always remind himself of who he was before 
  his union with the demon, however, lest he lose himself 
  entirely on the path to greatness. 
  Parent Clan: Daeva
  Bloodline Disciplines: Celerity, Dominate, Majesty, 
  Vigor
  Nickname: Emperors
  Weakness: Like all Daeva, En have difficulty resisting 
  temptation (see p. 105 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  Emperors also tend to be intensely focused upon their 
  own power and advancement. As such, En frequently 
  underestimate and misjudge others. While they can learn 
  to fake social niceties, it doesn’t come easy for them. The 
  untrained penalty on Social Skills is -3 rather than -1, 
  and En characters do not benefit from 10 again on rolls 
  involving Empathy, Persuasion or Socialize (not including 
  rolls to use Disciplines). 
  History and Culture: The En bloodline takes its name 
  from the Sumerian word meaning “lord” or “god” which 
  was also the title given to the Kindred ruler of the shadow 
  empire of ancient Babylonia. The En bloodline traces its 
  roots back to a singularly puissant En, Isiratuu, who held 
  regency over much of Babylonia for twelve thousand years. 
  It is said that the founder of the bloodline gained a “great 
  and terrible gift” from a dark stranger in a dream. It was 
  this gift that gave him the strength and the right to rule 
  over all. Kindred descending from the En are said to have 
  similar experiences involving a shadowy 
  being of some kind. 
  Members of the bloodline are born 
  leaders, and, as most En would say, were 
  obviously meant to reign due to their 
  royal lineage. Many Emperors feel utterly 
  justified in unceremoniously claiming positions 
  of authority, and they expect nothing less than 
  the utmost respect when they do so. Members 
  of the En bloodline do not tolerate objection to 
  their inherited supremacy, and, when it will not 
  hinder his advancement, an En uses brutal means 
  to make certain that contesting vampires are aware 
  of that fact.
  A Daeva is recognized as a member of the bloodline 
  when he is chosen by a “Dark Stranger” — a symbiotic 
  demon called an alu. Alu feed off of the corrupt power 
  of their Kindred host, and, in return, they assist those of 
  the bloodline in their rise to greatness by granting them 
  certain abilities known as the Gifts of the Alu. 
  An alu seeks out a Kindred host and offers a partner-
  ship. While any Daeva might be suitable, Alu tend to 
  prefer Kindred descended from En Isiratuu, perhaps 
  drawn to the lust for power passed on through the pro-
  genitor’s blood. If the vampire accepts the demon’s offer, 
  he becomes a full-fledged member of the bloodline. The 
  alu merges with the new Emperor, becoming one with 
  his blood. As the demon feeds off of its host it increases 
  in power, and the abilities it bestows upon the vampire 
  become more formidable. The powers granted by an alu 
  should be used carefully, however, as the En runs the risk 
  of losing himself entirely by consorting with the demon 
  (see Gifts of the Alu, below).
  En Embrace often, but are relatively few in number 
  because they typically do so purely to build up a support 
  system of loyal followers. They are not fond of compe-
  tition, and as such, En typically try to Embrace from 
  mortals who others easily manipulated in life. However, 
  because members of the bloodline are so focused upon 
  their own advancement, they tend to frequently misjudge 
  the strength and potential of their children. True En arise 
  from these errors in judgment, as an alu can recognize 
  innate potential for power even if an Emperor cannot. 
  En 
  What was your name again, boy? Forget it.  
  Where are the seven staked neonates I ordered you to bring me?
  bloodlines of the black streets of babylon - en
  
  ancient bloodlines
  154
  New En surpass their sires to repeat the vicious cycle with 
  each new generation. 
  Reputation: En have a reputation for using corrupt 
  methods to quickly rise to power, making them unpopu-
  lar to all but their most devoted subjects. Diablerie is 
  common among the En bloodline, and Emperors do 
  not suffer the same detriments that other vampires 
  would by committing such an act. Perhaps because 
  of this, Kindred who know of the En greatly fear 
  the bloodline.
  Some vampires, however, are more than willing 
  to follow an En, as power often trickles down to 
  those beneath. An Emperor can be most generous 
  to those who serve him devotedly and acknowledge 
  his superiority, granting favors and portioning au-
  thority among his supporters.
  Concepts: Corrupt politician, rising starlet, demand-
  ing father-figure, brash drug lord, deluded serial killer, 
  condescending magistrate, cult leader, callous CEO, 
  mob boss, arrogant aristocrat
  Gifts of the Alu 
  The abilities an En gains from his alu are devastating to 
  those who hinder his advancement to power. A vampire 
  in partnership with an alu must be careful, however. If 
  an En’s Humanity should ever drop to zero, the alu takes 
  over the body of its Kindred host entirely, destroying the 
  soul of the vampire in the process. Even more frightening 
  is that an alu who takes over its host can do so seamlessly, 
  being intimately familiar with every detail of the unlife 
  of the vampire whose body it shared — leaving those 
  around the En none the wiser. An Emperor who wishes 
  to reap the benefits his symbiotic demon provides must 
  carefully balance his actions and forever remind himself 
  what it was like to be human, lest he cross the point of 
  no return and utterly lose himself to his demon. 
  Activating Gifts of the Alu requires no roll or 
  expenditure unless otherwise stated. A character al-
  ways has the option of using a Gift available to him, 
  though benefits of the Gift may be “turned off” at the 
  Kindred’s discretion. 
  Gifts of the Alu are purchased with experience points 
  at the same cost as in-clan Disciplines, with the number 
  of Gifts available to the En serving as the current level, 
  and the “new level” being the next Gift to be achieved. 
  For example, a character with Addiction Immunity and 
  Transcend Amaranth would need to spend 18 experience 
  points to buy Build Brood. Gifts of the Alu do not neces-
  sarily need to be purchased in any order, but they each 
  require a specific level of Blood Potency. A character who 
  has purchased Build Brood can only use it if his Blood 
  
  155
  Potency remains at 4 or higher. If, for some reason, his 
  Blood Potency drops below four, he still possesses the 
  Gift, but he may not use Build Brood until his Blood 
  Potency returns to the required level (although he can use 
  Gifts that are at lower levels, with lower Blood Potency 
  requirements). Required Blood Potency levels are noted 
  for each Gift below.
  Addiction Immunity
  Required Blood Potency: 1
  If an En wishes to become truly powerful, he must be 
  unhindered by the urges of addiction. It is imperative that 
  he be able to gain his power wisely and strategically, and 
  preoccupation with an addiction can obscure the path 
  to greatness. An Emperor with Addiction Immunity is 
  shielded from addiction by his alu, and cannot become 
  addicted to drugs, Vitae or the act of diablerie. The En 
  has complete control over whether or not he consumes 
  substances or commits acts that would ordinarily be addic-
  tive to most Kindred. For example, if a character who has 
  imbibed Vitae has the chance to do so again, the player 
  need not roll Resolve + Composure for the En to resist 
  the temptation (as he feels none). He may, however, choose 
  to drink the blood again if doing so serves his purpose. 
  Emperors with Addition Immunity are still able to be 
  bound by Vinculum, however. 
  Transcend Amaranth
  Required Blood Potency: 2
  The act of diablerie is the single most efficient way to gain 
  great power in a short period of time. While many 
  Kindred fear the consequences of the tradition of 
  Amaranth, an En’s alu shields his host from most 
  negative effects of drinking the soul of another vam-
  pire. When an Emperor attempts to commit the act 
  of diablerie (as described on pp. 158-160 of Vampire: 
  The Requiem), his alu assists him in the process. As 
  such, he has a limit of rolls when attempting to commit 
  diablerie equal to the diablerist’s Willpower dots +3. If the 
  act is successful, the En reaps all of the typical benefits from 
  diablerie. Additionally, the alu cleanses the En’s aura of the 
  telltale black veins that would typically reveal his crime. The 
  character’s Humanity automatically drops by one, but he 
  does not need to roll to avoid a derangement.
  Build Brood
  Required Blood Potency: 4
  A leader is only as strong as his followers. To 
  acquire greatness, an En must have a solid base 
  of support. Inherently understanding the basic 
  primal fact of power in numbers, an Emperor’s alu 
  bloodlines of the black streets of babylon - en
  
  ancient bloodlines
  156
  can assist the vampire when he Embraces a new childe. An 
  En with Build Brood may Embrace with the expenditure 
  of a point, rather than a dot, of Willpower. As such, he 
  may build up his number of progeny quickly, Embracing 
  many new Kindred at a time if he chooses to do so. 
  Embracing brings the curse of undeath upon mortals, 
  however, and doing so casually or in great numbers may 
  cause an En to lose touch with his Humanity. When a 
  character uses the Build Brood Gift he must make a degen-
  eration roll (roll two dice). If the character fails the degenera-
  tion roll, he loses a dot of Humanity, but he does not take 
  a derangement, as his alu shields him from madness.
  Blood of the En 
  Required Blood Potency: 7
  An En never falls into torpor from having a high Blood 
  Potency. When an En’s blood becomes so potent that feed-
  ing becomes difficult, his alu can sustain him until suitable 
  nourishment becomes available. During the time that an 
  alu sustains its host, the En is perpetually hungry, but not 
  to the point that hunger frenzy occurs. An alu is only able 
  to sustain his host for so long, however. If an En is unable 
  to find a suitable source of Vitae within a number of weeks 
  equal to his Blood Potency, the alu reduces his host’s Blood 
  Potency by one dot per week until it is at a more manage-
  able level. The En’s Blood Potency does not drop below 6, 
  however, as the required Blood Potency to use this Gift is 
  7. This ability allows the En to rule indefinitely, weathering 
  the times when suitable nourishment is unavailable, and 
  allowing him to build his strength back up when food is 
  plentiful once more — without losing authority or position 
  by falling into torpor. 
  Loose Alu
  Required Blood Potency: 8
  The En’s alu has become so powerful that the En no lon-
  ger needs to commit diablerie. With a single touch, the alu 
  can reach from its host into the victim, pulling the target’s 
  soul directly from her body and integrating it into the En. 
  In combat, an Emperor must successfully grapple his foe 
  in order to use Loose Alu. Once the character achieves 
  contact with his victim, he may perform Loose Alu as an 
  instant action. If the act is successful, the En drains the 
  victim of her soul and the empty body immediately dis-
  solves to dust. All of the usual effects of diablerie apply, 
  including the acquisition of a dot of a Skill or Discipline. 
  The En’s Humanity automatically drops by one, but his 
  alu shields him from having to take a derangement, and 
  removes the black veins from his aura. Loose Alu is con-
  tested by the victim’s Resolve + Composure. 
  Action: Instant and contested; target rolls Resolve + 
  Composure reflexively
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Brawl + Blood Potency 
  Roll Results 
  Dramatic Failure: Part of the En’s own soul imbues his 
  victim. The En’s adversary may take a dot in either a Skill 
  or a Discipline that the En possessed at a higher level 
  than the target does. The increase need not be paid for 
  with experience points. The victim does not lose a dot in 
  Humanity. The En’s Humanity still automatically drops 
  by one, however, and the attempt fails.
  Failure: Loose Alu fails entirely, but not dangerously. 
  The En’s Humanity still automatically drops by one.
  Success: Loose Alu takes place as described.
  Exceptional Success: No effect for extra successes.
  Reshape Soul
  Required Blood Potency: 10
  At a Blood Potency of 10 an En’s alu has reached its full 
  potential, and can reshape the very soul of its host to ac-
  commodate abilities he would never be able to contain 
  otherwise. An En may use the gift Reshape Soul in tandem 
  with Transcend Amaranth or Loose Alu. The gift Reshape 
  Soul allows the En to take a dot in any bloodline’s unique 
  Discipline, in addition to the benefits already reaped from 
  Transcend Amaranth or Loose Alu. The Emperor may 
  take a dot in any bloodline’s unique Discipline that the 
  victim possessed at a higher level than the En. He can learn 
  bloodline-specific Disciplines only by using this Gift. An En 
  may not spend experience points to gain additional dots in 
  another bloodline’s unique Discipline, for example. 
  The alu TRiuMphanT
  What happens, then, when an En’s alu symbiote 
  overtakes him? Such creatures do not enter the 
  perpetual frenzy of other zero-Humanity Kindred. 
  Alu-controlled vampires are capable of behaving 
  exactly like their former hosts, using their Skills and 
  Disciplines, and, of course, the Gifts of the Alu. Such 
  beings are extremely dangerous to other Kindred, 
  since they retain their taste for diablerie. 
  
  157
  As the records of the United tell, in ancient Babylonia 
  the first Edimmu was created by a coven of mystics in 
  order to destroy En Isiratuu. The En’s swift rise to power 
  was due to his unique ability to drink the souls of Kindred, 
  while never falling into torpor or succumbing to madness 
  and growing ever more powerful with each soul consumed. 
  Knowing this, the Coven of Nanaja created a creature that 
  would tear the En apart from within if he should ever try 
  to consume its soul. The monster the coven created was 
  a perfect weapon to use against the En. 
  A cold, calculating killer, the Edimmu has the ability to 
  appear as though it were simply another vampire. Inside 
  the creature, however, are seven vengeful spirits driven 
  to destroy the Damned. Once the original Edimmu had 
  achieved its purpose and destroyed the En, it was unable 
  to be controlled (scholars of the United suspect that the 
  Coven of Nanaja may have been tampering with forces 
  they only partly understood). When the En attempted to 
  diablerize the soul of the Edimmu, the seven spirits did 
  destroy the En as the coven had planned. But in addition 
  to killing En Isiratuu, it fed upon him, Beast, body and 
  soul, multiplied, and continued to massacre the Damned 
  of ancient Babylonia until the remaining Kindred gath-
  ered their forces and slowly regained control. 
  Background: Those well-versed in the occult believe 
  that the seven spirits harbored within the Edimmu were 
  never meant to be called to Earth. It was Kindred who 
  tore them from their paradise for selfish reasons. Perhaps 
  this is why it is all Kindred who seemingly must pay.
  Although Edimmu seek to destroy all Kindred, they can 
  only multiply through the act of diablerie, and so they rely 
  upon the very creatures they wish to annihilate to help 
  them proliferate. An Edimmu who wishes to “breed” seeks 
  out a vampire with a black-veined aura, and then goads 
  that target into committing diablerie upon him. When 
  a vampire attempts to drink the soul of an Edimmu, the 
  seven spirits rush from the body of the creature into the 
  unsuspecting Kindred. The seven spirits consume the 
  body, Beast and soul of the vampire, and then multiply 
  by seven. Once the vampire has been utterly consumed, 
  seven skeins — each with seven new spirits — burst forth 
  into the night in search of nearby Kindred to possess and 
  transform into new Edimmu. Each skein can survive a 
  single night without a host, after which the seven spirits 
  are unmade. The spirits’ attempt to possess a new host 
  is an instant, contested action. A skein rolls one die for 
  each spirit (7 total), and the host resists with Resolve + 
  Stamina. If the possession attempt succeeds, the host’s 
  soul is consumed and a new Edimmu is created. If the 
  possession attempt fails, the skein seeks a different host. 
  A skein never tries to possess the same vampire twice.
  In ancient Mesopotamia, it was customary for certain 
  high-ranking vampires to perform diablerie on their 
  enemies with proper ritual. The act was a display of 
  authority, and the power gained was publicly said to be 
  for the good of the Empire. This practice was tolerated 
  and accepted due to the fact that any given vampire in a 
  position of authority who performed diablerie would suc-
  cumb to madness or torpor (and sooner, rather than later), 
  clearing the way for a new successor. It was due in part to 
  this custom that the Edimmu became such a threat. The 
  seven spirits fed upon the Beast of the diablerizing host, 
  multiplying by seven each time and leaving no witnesses 
  to tell tale of the act. Because diablerie is less common 
  tonight, the Edimmu’s numbers are greatly diminished, 
  but the threat still remains.
  Description: The Edimmu, in its “natural” form, has 
  a generally humanoid shape, but its limbs and flesh are 
  warped by the seven vengeful spirits it carries. Its skin 
  may bulge and ripple from the movements of the spirits 
  within, or it may appear to have too many or not enough 
  joints, causing it to move or walk strangely. An Edimmu 
  has no eyes, instead, its empty sockets burn with the cold, 
  blue light of the seven vengeful spirits — windows to the 
  the ediMMu
  There are seven! There are seven!  
  Return to the depths of the ocean!  
  Return to the heights of the heaven!  
  Return to the ocean stream in the palace of your birth!  
  Heed us and return!  
  There are seven! There are seven!  
  Twice over there are seven!
  —An ancient Babylonian Chant to exorcise the seven spirits of the Edimmu 
  bloodlines of the black streets of babylon - the edimmu
  
  ancient bloodlines
  158
  world outside. The Edimmu always has a distinctive brand 
  somewhere upon its form, where the flesh of its host 
  was burned by the force of the seven spirits rushing into 
  the body. To unsuspecting Kindred, an Edimmu has the 
  ability to look like the vampire whose body it claimed. 
  In vampire form, the only way to distinguish an Edimmu 
  from an unpossessed Kindred is by the distinctive “Brand 
  of the Edimmu” that appears somewhere upon the crea-
  ture’s body, impossible to hide through magical means 
  but able to be concealed with clothing or makeup. 
  The destruction of even a single Edimmu was a long 
  and arduous task. Each of the seven spirits within the 
  body of the undead host has a ban, so seven bans must be 
  collected. The bans might reflect the nature of the spirits 
  or something appropriate to the type of spirit composing 
  the skein. A death-spirit might respond to cemetery dirt, 
  for example. Other bans reflect the nature of the host, 
  something personal to the vampire who the seven spirits 
  destroyed upon possession. The blood or tissue of a living 
  relative of the vampire, a favored possession, or even the 
  vampire’s birth name spoken allowed might qualify. 
  Each spirit contained within an Edimmu is distinct 
  from the others, and they alternate dominance over 
  the host. As each spirit’s personality comes forward the 
  Edimmu’s speech, mannerisms and preferences might 
  change (a spirit of a reptile might avoid cooler areas and 
  seek heat, for example). Through observation and study, 
  coteries tracking an Edimmu may gain clues about the na-
  ture of each particular spirit. It may take years to uncover 
  all seven, despite the meticulous records of the United 
  cataloguing known bans. Once the bans are collected, the 
  Edimmu can be contained within a circle of the seven bans 
  and a ritualistic chant can be performed, exorcising the 
  seven spirits from the body of the possessed Kindred. 
  An Edimmu confronted with any of its bans is ren-
  dered immobile, at which point a coterie may perform 
  an exorcism. The exorcism is an extended and contested 
  action, with each roll representing five minutes of chant-
  ing (troupes performing an exorcism should refer to the 
  rules for Teamwork on p. 134 of the World of Darkness 
  Rulebook). The exorcists’ players roll Resolve + Compo-
  sure + (the total number of bans collected by the group) 
  versus the Edimmu’s Wits + Composure. On each roll, 
  the side with the most successes causes the other to lose 
  one point of Willpower. In the event that the Edimmu 
  obtains the most successes, it regains movement for a num-
  ber of turns equal to its current Willpower, interrupting 
  the exorcism. When the Edimmu is subdued once more, 
  the exorcism may pick up where it left off. The exorcism 
  rolls continue until the characters voluntarily abandon 
  the attempt, or one side runs out of Willpower. If a 
  character runs out of Willpower during an exorcism, he 
  falls into torpor (if using the teamwork rules mentioned 
  above, only the primary actor loses Willpower, and the 
  character acting in this capacity can change from turn to 
  turn). If the Edimmu runs out of Willpower, the spirits 
  are no longer able to maintain their hold on the host. 
  The spirits discorporate, leaving behind an empty body 
  (which subsequently dissolves to dust).
  Note that it is possible to destroy an Edimmu piece by 
  piece, but that the greatest advantage lies in assembling 
  all seven of the bans at once. The Edimmu’s traits do 
  not decrease as the number of spirits do, but the bonus 
  to the exorcism roll is only equal to the number of bans 
  assembled at that particular exorcism. Once a given spirit 
  is destroyed, its ban ceases to have any effect.
  For example, a coterie might learn that an Edimmu’s 
  bans include bat’s blood. They confront the Edimmu 
  with a cut open bat, rendering the creature immobile. 
  In the ensuing exorcism, the characters’ roll is Resolve + 
  Composure + 1, since they have only acquired one ban. 
  If the exorcism attempt is successful, one of the seven 
  spirits of the Edimmu is destroyed, and the bat’s blood 
  ban no longer applies.
  Note, too, that an Edimmu that manages to reproduce 
  (by inducing a vampire to diablerize it) regenerates all 
  missing spirits. Upon being diablerized, an Edimmu with 
  even one remaining spirit still produces seven skeins of 
  seven spirits each. 
  Attributes: The Edimmu keeps the host’s Attribute 
  ratings, but adds seven dots as the Storyteller sees fit. 
  Mental Skills: An Edimmu has the same Mental Skills 
  that its host had before her body was claimed by the 
  seven spirits, as well as an additional +2 Investigation 
  and +1 Occult.
  The uniTed
  As coteries formed to fight the Edimmu, it became 
  clear that a means of organizing attacks between 
  independent groups of Kindred was needed. Thus, 
  the United was formed. The United was a group 
  of Kindred devoted to making information on 
  the Edimmu available to all vampires who asked 
  — the better to expedite the destruction of this 
  common threat. Such generosity was born purely 
  from necessity. Tonight, the United continues its 
  role of acquiring information on supernatural 
  creatures that threaten the existence of the 
  Damned. Following the traditions of Babylon, 
  once a document is marked with the seal of the 
  United, it must be made available to any Kindred 
  who asks to view it.
  
  159
  Physical Skills: An Edimmu has the same Physical 
  Skills that its host had before her body was claimed by 
  the seven spirits, as well as an additional +2 Athletics, +1 
  Brawl and +2 Stealth.
  Social Skills: An Edimmu has the same Social Skills 
  that its host had before her body was claimed by the 
  seven spirits, as well as an additional +1 Intimidation, +2 
  Persuasion and +2 Subterfuge.
  Merits: An Edimmu has the same Merits that its host 
  had before her body was claimed by the seven spirits, as 
  well as Fast Reflexes 2 and Fleet of Foot 3.
  Willpower: Resolve + Composure
  Health: Stamina + Size
  Initiative: Dexterity + Composure + 2 (for Fast  
  Reflexes)
  Defense: Higher of Wits or Dexterity
  Speed: Strength + Dexterity + 8 (for Fleet of Foot 3)
  Size: as host vampire
  Essence: Edimmu have an Essence pool equal to five 
  times the number of spirits composing them (35, un-
  less some spirits have been destroyed). They regenerate 
  Essence at one point per day, and spend Essence in the 
  same manner that vampires use Vitae (to heal, power 
  Disciplines and increase Physical Attributes). Edimmu 
  can spend up to five Essence per turn.
  Weapons/Attacks: An Edimmu has the same weapons/
  attacks that its host had before her body was claimed by 
  the seven spirits, in addition to Spirit Burn (see below).
  Supernatural Aspects:
  Hide True Form: An Edimmu has the ability to look like 
  •	
  the vampire whose body it claimed. At will, it can hide 
  its true form to appear like an ordinary vampire. When 
  Hide True Form is activated, the only way to distinguish 
  an Edimmu from a typical Kindred is by the distinctive 
  “Brand of the Edimmu” that appears somewhere upon 
  the creature’s body. This mark is impossible to hide 
  through magical means, although an Edimmu is able to 
  conceal their telltale mark using bandages or clothing, 
  for example. Edimmu can trigger Predator’s Taint if they 
  so desire, and may choose the level of Blood Potency 
  that other vampires’ Beasts perceive. 
  Know the Host:
  • 
   An Edimmu possesses the same 
  knowledge of clan Disciplines that its host had be-
  fore her body was claimed by the seven spirits, and 
  may use these Disciplines as its host did in unlife. 
  The Edimmu’s effective Blood Potency is equal to 
  the number of spirits that dwell within it (seven, 
  unless some have been exorcised). Instead of Vitae, 
  the creature spends Essence. 
  Goad Hunger:
  • 
   Once per night, an Edimmu can in-
  duce a supernatural hunger so intense that a vampire 
  will likely attempt diablerie upon it. While this power 
  can be used on vampires who have never committed 
  diablerie, it is much more effective on vampires who 
  have performed diablerie in the past. 
  Cost: — 
  Dice Pool: Wits + Persuasion – Resolve
  Action: Instant 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails and the Edimmu 
  may not attempt to use Goad Hunger again until the 
  following night. 
  Failure: The attempt fails and the Edimmu may not 
  attempt to use Goad Hunger on that vampire again until 
  the following night.
  Success: The Edimmu induces a state of intense hunger 
  in the targeted vampire, putting him on the verge of hun-
  ger frenzy (see p. 179 of Vampire: The Requiem). Once 
  Goad Hunger is in effect, resisting frenzy is an extended 
  action, as usual. If the character fails to resist wassail, 
  once Goad Hunger has been successfully performed, he 
  immediately feels compelled to diablerize the Edimmu 
  (allowing the Edimmu to multiply, and causing the Final 
  Death of the vampire) and suffers all other usual effects of 
  Wassail. Vampires under frenzy induced by Goad Hunger 
  may not attempt to ride the wave. 
  Exceptional Success: No special effect for extra successes.
  The following factors dictate how many successes must 
  be achieved in order to resist wassail brought about by 
  Goad Hunger.
  Successes Required to Resist Situation
  2 successes 
  The character has  
   
  never performed  
   
  diablerie.
  3 successes 
  The character is blood- 
   
  addicted.
  4 successes 
  The character has  
   
  performed diablerie  
   
  once.
  6 successes 
  The character has  
   
  performed diablerie  
   
  repeatedly.
  Mental Influence Immunity: 
  • 
  Edimmu are imper-
  vious to all Disciplines and other vampire-specific 
  supernatural powers that would otherwise cause it 
  to be controlled, compelled or mentally influenced 
  in any way. It is resistant, though not completely 
  immune, to other such supernatural powers. If the 
  bloodlines of the black streets of babylon - the edimmu
  
  ancient bloodlines
  160
  power usually subtracts a resistance trait from the 
  roll, the Edimmu’s relevant number is doubled. If the 
  power involves a resistance roll, the Edimmu enjoys a 
  +3 to that roll (in addition to the creature’s effective 
  Blood Potency; see above).
  Spirit Burn: 
  • 
  An Edimmu can cause its spirit-
  infused flesh to burn any vampire it touches. 
  When the Edimmu grapples a vampire and inflicts 
  damage with an overpower maneuver (see p. 157 
  of the World of Darkness Rulebook), the damage 
  is considered aggravated.
  Warp Form: 
  • 
  Edimmu are held together by the spirits 
  within, and as such can reflexively alter their forms 
  as an instant action, twisting, stretching or warping 
  their flesh and muscle to gain unusual advantages. 
  For example, an Edimmu can retract its ears back 
  into its scalp to muffle sound, or lengthen its arms 
  to reach a handhold that would normally be too 
  high. These changes last for one scene or until the 
  Edimmu chooses to revert to its typical form. Several 
  possible uses of this power are described below:
  Muscle Augmentation:
  •	
   By shifting its musculature, de-
  taching currently unnecessary muscles and reinforcing 
  those being actively used, an Edimmu can increase 
  its Strength or Dexterity by +2. Doing so causes the 
  opposing Attribute to drop by -2. Thus, increasing its 
  Strength impacts its Dexterity, and vice versa.
  Muscle Hardening:
  •	
   By moving muscle fibers around 
  in its body to compensate for impact, the Edimmu 
  gains an Armor rating of 2. This armor is cumula-
  tive with armor from other sources. This shift is 
  performed as an instant action, and the Edimmu 
  suffers a -1 to Strength and Dexterity while using 
  this ability.
  Entanglement:
  •	
   By shifting and stretching its flesh, 
  an Edimmu can entangle and enwrap an enemy. 
  This grants a +2 to all grapple rolls, but inflicts a -1 
  to its Strength and Dexterity for all non-grappling 
  purposes. To use this ability, the Edimmu must 
  inflict one point of lethal damage on itself, in 
  order to extrude the muscle fibers.
  Brachiation:
  •	
   By exuding muscle fibers from its 
  shoulders, back or arms (generally through a break 
  in the skin somewhere), an Edimmu may use 
  muscle tendrils to climb, either allowing them to 
  pull its form upwards, or using them to aid its own 
  climbing efforts. If it chooses to allow the fibers to 
  do the climbing, it is capable of using its hands for 
  other things. It gains a reflexive action each turn 
  that is only used for climbing (whether to perform 
  climbing as an instant or extended action). 
  If it chooses to aid its own climbing efforts, it gains a +3 
  to its climbing rolls, and each climbing roll in an extended 
  action takes only 30 seconds, rather than the normal 
  minute. Use of this ability inflicts a -1 to its Strength and 
  Dexterity for any non-climbing purposes. To use this abil-
  ity, the Edimmu must inflict one point of lethal damage 
  on itself, in order to exude the muscle fibers. See Climbing 
  on p. 64 of the World of Darkness Rulebook.
  Attack:
  •	
   By exuding muscle fibers into a strong, thin 
  whip-like tendril, an Edimmu can attack its foes. 
  This may be exuded from its body anywhere it bears 
  a wound, creating a mobile tendril that can attack 
  any opponent within two yards. This tendril can be 
  used to open terrible gashes by making the end of it 
  thin, or may bludgeon opponents with a thicker ball 
  of muscle. This is a Strength + Brawl roll, with a +2 
  bonus (if it inflicts bashing damage), or no bonus 
  (if it inflicts lethal damage). 
  If the tendril is exuded from the arm, the Edimmu may 
  use that arm to facilitate the attack; this adds one die to 
  the attack pool. While using this ability, the Edimmu gains 
  a -1 to its Strength and Dexterity for any non-attacking 
  purposes (as well as to Defense). To use this ability, the 
  Edimmu must inflict one point of lethal damage on itself, 
  in order to exude the muscle fibers.
  Other: 
  •	
  This ability can be used for a variety of effects 
  not covered above. With the Storyteller’s permission, 
  assume that it can be used to gain a +2 to a roll in-
  volving muscle power, though the Edimmu suffers 
  a -1 to Strength and Dexterity for all other tasks not 
  directly related to those the muscles are dedicated 
  to at that moment.
  Unnatural Predator: 
  • 
  An Edimmu can instinctively 
  sense the presence of the Damned, and can recognize 
  its prey immediately on sight. If a vampire has hid-
  den itself, or attempts to flee, an Edimmu receives a 
  +5 modifier to tracking and finding its prey.
  Aura Perception: 
  • 
  An Edimmu can see the aura that 
  surrounds each vampire, (see p. 162 of Vampire: The 
  Requiem). This requires a Wits + Composure roll. In 
  this way the Edimmu can detect the black veins pres-
  ent in the aura of a diablerist, finding more suitable 
  targets to attempt Goad Hunger on (see above).
  
  161
  Egypt was a land of one religion, yet many gods, each one focusing on a core necessity in the lives of the average 
  citizen. The Sun (Ra), the Desert (Set) and Knowledge itself (Thoth) all had their own deities. The Underworld had 
  several gods assuming various roles, including those of arbiter (Horus), judge (Anubis) and guide (Osiris). In the mid 
  1300s BCE, Pharaoh Akhenaton attempted to monotheize Egypt’s culture through military might. This had serious 
  ramifications for the undead, as well as the living, of Egypt. 
  After almost a hundred years of infighting, the followers of the pantheon of gods finally looked past their differ-
  ences and banded together, forming what is known today among some Kindred historians as the Great Covenant. 
  The gods returned to their rightful places in Egyptian society, led by the Servants of Ra and the Warriors of the Dead 
  (and supported by Pharaoh Ramses II). 
  The Great Covenant was composed of members from all five known clans and brought together the various gods 
  in a unique power-sharing structure. The Servants of Ra would oversee most major long-term decisions affecting 
  Egyptian Kindred as well as be final arbiter of all disputes, the Warriors of the Dead would have final say on all 
  matters regarding the Embrace and torpor, while the followers of the other gods were given supreme, night-to-night 
  control over all other aspects of their specific city-states.
  The unity that the Great Covenant brought to Egyptian Kindred and their herds was unparalleled and remained 
  intact for hundreds of years, even after the Greeks invaded the Nile valley. It all came to an end, however, when the 
  Roman Empire, specifically, Ventrue-led Kindred, invaded Egypt and systematically wiped out or sent into hiding 
  the followers of the pantheon of gods. It is believed that several bloodlines were hastily created in order to keep the 
  secrets of the gods hidden from the invaders. The Anubi, a Gangrel-dominated bloodline, claim to be descendants 
  of that time period, while the Circle of the Crone holds within its ranks Kindred who still worship the female gods 
  of Ancient Egypt. Two other bloodlines, however, have recently emerged. 
  The Cult of Osiris was dedicated to assisting those who 
  knew that the brother of sleep, otherwise called torpor, 
  was soon to come. They offered assurances that 
  memories would be kept safe and 
  that battles against the demons 
  of the Underworld and the God 
  of the Dead would be fought and 
  won. The creator of the blood-
  line, a Nosferatu High Priest of 
  Osiris, became concerned that their 
  secrets could easily be stolen by spies 
  from the traitorous Cult of Set or 
  even from lands beyond Egypt. So he 
  decided to make sure those secrets would be safe from anyone 
  and everyone who were not of his blood.
  Bloodlines of anCient eGyPt  
  (CirCa 1279 BCe)
  USiri
  Yes, of course you can trust me.
  The Usiri, who called themselves 
  the Warriors of the Dead, were 
  quite different from what most 
  other Kindred believed them to 
  be. In reality, they were collectors 
  of information, hoarders of that 
  most precious of commodities: 
  secrets. The rest of the Kindred 
  of Ancient Egypt, however, saw the Usiri 
  as their protectors and guides through the 
  dangerous realm of nightmares and dreams as-
  sociated with torpor. 
  As far as non-Usiri knew, the Warriors had a 
  twofold mission: to fight Kindred enemies in the 
  dreamscape of torpor and to assist their Kindred allies on an 
  bloodlines of ancient egypt - usiri
  
  ancient bloodlines
  162
  undoubtedly difficult and often nightmarish journey through 
  the Underworld. Those who awakened from torpor often 
  found themselves being comforted by an attending Usiri priest, 
  who would whisper to them of the glorious battles they had 
  fought against demons and, in some cases, even manifestations 
  of Osiris himself. These whispered tales were described by 
  the Usiri in exhaustive detail, providing the newly awakened 
  Kindred with numerous images and stories to draw upon.
  In modern nights, the Usiri have found a niche as in-
  formation gatherers, Kindred psychologists and advisors 
  to elder Princes who covet what the Usiri offer. Thus, the 
  Warriors of the Dead have reinvented themselves. They 
  still proclaim to do battle with the spirits of the Under-
  world and they continue offering to protect and store the 
  memories of those Kindred who near their time of torpor. 
  Now, though, they do so from a more secular standpoint. 
  The ancient Egyptian god of the dead has no place in the 
  modern world, it seems, and some ultra-orthodox Usiri fear 
  that Osiris might consider them betrayers, and even go so 
  far as to exact vengeance upon them for abandoning Him. 
  This consideration has caused those Sleepers to take their 
  own, memory-saving precautions.
  Parent Clan: Nosferatu
  Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Hypnagogia, Nightmare, 
  Obfuscate, 
  Nickname: Warriors of the Dead (ancient times), Sleepers 
  (modern nights)
  Weakness: Usiri suffer the Nosferatu clan weakness (see 
  p. 111 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  Further, the Usiri truly believe that whenever they fall asleep, 
  they enter the Underworld to do battle with the demons and 
  horrors that exist there. They also believe that they must traverse 
  numerous obstacles within that Underworld. This mental and 
  spiritual struggle throughout the day takes a toll on the Usiri 
  sleeper and one point of Willpower is lost upon awakening 
  each night. This point can be regained by fulfilling their Virtue 
  or Vice or by accomplishing a significant goal (see p. 96 of the 
  World of Darkness Rulebook). 
  History and Culture: Usiri was initially the title given to the 
  High Priest of Osiris. Kindred who worshipped this particular 
  god became fascinated with stories of the Underworld and 
  with assisting Ra, the Sun, in its nightly battle to rise again 
  each morning. The Usiri began searching for ways, through 
  study and prayer, to protect the mind while the body slept 
  and the spirit waged war on the Underworld’s demons. The 
  Usiri became known as Warriors of the Dead, Kindred who 
  would take and protect the memories of their allies as they 
  slept. They were trusted among many ancient Egyptian Kin-
  dred (including followers from the Cults of Ra, Anubis and 
  Horus, for example) and rejected by others (the Cults of Set 
  and Thoth, whose followers feared the idea of trusting others 
  with their thoughts more so than losing those memories to 
  the fog of time).
  Everything changed for the Usiri upon the Roman (and 
  Ventrue) invasion. The gods of Egypt were dismissed as my-
  thology and the Usiri were decried as liars and tricksters. It 
  was then that they made a pact among themselves to leave 
  the waking domain and enter Osiris’s Realm. They agreed 
  to enter voluntary torpor and vanish into the Underworld 
  until such a time as the invaders had long forgotten them. 
  They hoped that, by spreading their memories and histories 
  among each other, through numbers alone enough of their 
  history would survive the time spent in the Underworld. 
  Until enough of them are awakened, the Sleepers bide 
  their time.
  Enough Kindred in modern nights fear what they could 
  lose should they be forced prematurely, for whatever reason, 
  into torpor. The Usiri use this fear as a tool to gain posi-
  tions of power within various Courts. They can be found 
  an usiRi TRuTh
  Before the birth of Christ, when preparation for 
  the final sleep included both judgment and the 
  actual journey into the Underworld, Usiri Kindred 
  used their abilities to pretend at being real warriors 
  of the dead. Any problems with a memory that 
  was unrecoverable, for whatever reason, could 
  be explained away as the wrath of Osiris or a 
  battle lost within the dreamscape. Obviously, this 
  rarely happened, otherwise the Usiri reputation 
  as knowledgeable guides and steadfast protectors 
  would suffer. 
  Usiri of the present are faced with a much more 
  difficult conundrum. Belief in the Underworld is 
  no longer a given in modern nights. A vampire 
  may indeed fear torpor enough to ask for 
  Usiri protection, but that aegis might be from 
  something that the Sleepers know nothing about. 
  Usiri awakening in modern nights are therefore 
  drawn to the occult and, specifically, to more recent 
  Kindred history, in an effort to get “up-to-speed” 
  on the fears and needs of their clients.
  The Sleepers are masters at making their clients 
  believe what they want them to believe. The truth 
  of the Usiri predicament is far more pathetic than a 
  simple lie, however. The Usiri know that everything 
  they are peddling to their clients is a complete 
  fabrication. They manufacture magnificent 
  Underworld battles and plant those thoughts, 
  images and ideas into the minds of their clients. The 
  members of this bloodline are aware of this and it 
  is their job to continue to spread the lie, if only to 
  keep their bloodline from being hunted down and 
  destroyed by those who might take offense. They 
  are the faux guardians of the dreamscape. Their 
  existence is predicated on the ability to keep torpid 
  vampires from losing their memories (and their 
  minds). In this, at least, they offer a great service 
  to many within the Kindred community, regardless 
  of how they sell themselves.
  
  163
  in every covenant, whispering to whomever will listen to 
  them, offering guaranteed protection from the brother of 
  sleep and returning the memories handed over for safe stor-
  age. Fortunately for the Usiri, the information they help to 
  protect will always be a part of them.
  In their efforts to adjust to present time, the Usiri have 
  begun making overtures to their ancient allies, the Anubi, 
  and the re-awakening Bak-Ra, concerning the formation of a 
  pact between their respective bloodlines. Whispers within the 
  Circle of the Crone suggest that they, too, have been contacted 
  by the Sleepers. After all, they have given up so much and 
  have received so little in return. The Sleepers are snake-oil 
  salesmen, except that their particular concoction is the stuff of 
  nightmares. They continue to perform their rituals of memory 
  protection, however, all the while collecting and storing every 
  other bit of information they can to help them survive. 
  Reputation: The history of the Usiri has been lost, as far as 
  most Kindred know. These days, they are thought of as either 
  the protectors of secrets (by those who believe in dreams, the 
  occult and superstition) or as con-artists (by those Kindred with 
  mental abilities who aren’t so swayed by the power of dreams 
  or the threat of losing precious memories). At this point in the 
  modern Requiem, there are simply too few of them to make 
  an accurate assessment of the bloodline as a whole, although 
  if they are capable of even half of what they claim, there might 
  be reason to worry. The Usiri bring into question the entire 
  notion of what is real and what isn’t — a vampire might ask, 
  are the thoughts in my head my thoughts or were they placed 
  there by someone else?
  Concepts: Court advisor, bodyguard, dream interpreter, spy/
  information gatherer, occult instructor, new-age guru, private 
  detective, Egyptologist, archeologist, Kindred psychologist
  Hypnagogia
  Hypnagogia is that brief state between consciousness and 
  sleep where the mind and spirit go to prepare for their jour-
  ney into the Underworld. It is a feeling of total relaxation, 
  a moment of perfection after a long night of struggle and 
  before the inevitable horrors of daylight slumber.
  The Usiri use this Discipline to take memories for “safe-
  keeping,” add memories for “client pliability,” create a place 
  of bliss where the Beast cannot enter, convince the sleeper 
  that they are friendly guides who have come to protect and 
  help him, or, in extreme cases, brutally attack and erase 
  whatever memories they uncover. 
  Hypnagogia can be a tool for bringing calm to allies, 
  gathering information or, ultimately, as a weapon to destroy 
  an enemy. 
  Using this Discipline requires that the Usiri is within 
  (Blood Potency in yards x 10) of a sleeping or torpid vampire. 
  While using Hypnagogia, the Usiri is, to all scrutiny, asleep. 
  If someone tries to rouse her, she responds as described on 
  p. 184 of Vampire: The Requiem). 
  • The Void
  Usiri are able to take a specific memory from another Kindred 
  and collect it for themselves. The memory is instantly stored 
  in “the void,” a part of the Usiri’s own subconscious mind 
  that she has compartmentalized and kept separate from her 
  conscious. It takes a great deal of control and willpower to 
  keep the walls of the void in place, but as long as the Usiri 
  remains active that control is maintained.
  If, however, the Usiri falls into torpor, all control over the 
  void is lost. If she hasn’t yet returned the stored memories 
  to their rightful owners, they become as susceptible to the 
  Fog of Eternity as any Kindred’s.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Hypnagogia vs. Resolve 
  + Blood Potency
  Action: Instant and contested (resistance is reflexive)
  Roll Results 
  Dramatic Failure: For the rest of the night, the user instantly 
  adopts any derangements present in the target.
  Failure: The user is unable to grasp the subject’s target 
  memory. Another attempt cannot be made until the next 
  evening.
  Success: The user successfully grasps the subject’s tar-
  get memory, where it immediately goes into the void for 
  safekeeping.
  Exceptional Success: The user grasps the subject’s target 
  memory and another random memory along with it. The 
  subject is unaware that a second memory has been taken.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  Power is focused on, or applies to, a vampire  
   
  with whom the user has a blood tie.
  - 
  Power is used on a willing subject.
  -1  
  Power is used on an unwilling subject.
  -3 
  Subject has a suspicion or paranoia  
   
  derangement.
  •• Overwrite
  The Usiri is able to overwrite a specific thought or image 
  from his victim with one of his own choosing. She now be-
  lieves that this new “memory” is her own and that she has 
  personally experienced it at some point in her past. 
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Hypnagogia vs. 
  Composure + Blood Potency
  Action: Instant and contested (resistance is reflexive)
  Roll Results 
  Dramatic Failure: For the rest of the night, the attacker is 
  unable to overwrite the victim’s memory and instantly adopts 
  any derangements present in the victim.
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  ancient bloodlines
  164
  Failure: The character loses or ties the contested roll and 
  is unable to overwrite the victim’s memory. The target is 
  aware that someone is attempting to manipulate her and 
  recognizes both “memories,” including which one is real 
  and which one is false.
  Success: The character wins the contested roll. He is able 
  to overwrite a memory with one of his own choosing. The 
  victim believes that the new memory is, in fact, what really 
  happened. She recalls the experience vaguely, as if it hap-
  pened to someone else, but still believes it to be her own 
  recollection.
  Exceptional Success: The character wins a contested 
  roll with five or more successes. He is able to overwrite an 
  undesirable memory with a new one. Further, he is able to 
  provide some supporting details, giving it a more “real” feel. 
  The victim recalls the experience subjectively, as if she was 
  an integral part of it.
  The overwritten memory cannot encompass more than a 
  scene’s worth of time, and if the subject is ever confronted 
  with direct evidence of the truth, the subject’s player rolls 
  Intelligence + Composure. If this roll succeeds, the charac-
  ter’s original memory comes back. If the use of Overwrite 
  resulted in an exceptional success, the subject receives a -2 
  modifier to the roll to remember.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  Power is focused on, or applies to, a vampire  
   
  with whom the user has a blood tie.
  -2 
  The victim has the Eidetic Memory  
   
  Merit.
  -3 
  The victim has a suspicion or paranoia  
   
  derangement.
  ••• The Realm Between
  This power is the true definition of Hypnagogia. It allows 
  the Usiri to project a feeling of bliss and perfection onto 
  another individual, relaxing and smothering him in a state 
  of euphoria. The Beast itself is completely denied and vio-
  lent activity isn’t even a consideration while in the Realm 
  Between. The victim is in a state of Hypnagogia and can 
  remain in such as state until the end of the scene.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Hypnagogia vs. 
  Composure + Blood Potency
  Action: Instant and contested (resistance is reflexive)
  Roll Results 
  Dramatic Failure: Rather than pacifying the Beast, the char-
  acter unleashes it and the target must check for frenzy.
  Failure: The character loses or ties the contested 
  roll. The attempt to pacify the Beast fails and the target  
  is unaffected.
  
  165
  Success: The character wins the contested roll. The target 
  feels all his rage begin to dissolve. He finds himself feeling 
  peaceful and content. The character suffers a -3 modifier to 
  all violent or aggressive actions for the rest of the scene, and 
  all rolls to resist frenzy receive a +3 modifier. Riding the wave 
  requires seven successes, rather than five.
  Exceptional Success: The character wins a contested roll 
  with five or more successes. As success above, except that 
  the effect extends until the end of the night. The Beast is 
  completely pacified and the subject has no clear understand-
  ing of how it happened, nor does she care.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  The target is in a state of relaxation.
  -1 
  A conflict (physical or otherwise)  
   
  involving the target has occurred at some  
   
  point during the present scene.
  -3 
  The target has a suspicion or paranoia  
   
  derangement.
  •••• Spirit Guide 
  While the subject sleeps, the vampire makes contact with the 
  sleeper’s dream-image and attempts to convince his target the 
  he is her friend and confidant in the dream world. He is able 
  to extend his awareness into the mind of the target and pretend 
  to be a friendly dream guide there to assist the subject. While in 
  the dream state, he is able to interact with the subject and, po-
  tentially, milk her for whatever information he’s looking for. 
  Cost: 1 Vitae + 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Hypnagogia vs. Com-
  posure + Blood Potency
  Action: Instant and contested (resistance is reflexive)
  Roll Results 
  Dramatic Failure: The character instantly adopts any 
  derangements present in the target for the rest of  
  the night.
  Failure: The character loses or ties the contested roll and 
  is unable to make contact with the subject’s dream self. The 
  victim remains asleep and unresponsive.
  Success: The character wins the contested roll. He con-
  vinces the sleeper that he is, indeed, a good and trusted 
  friend. He is able to ask his target one question and get 
  the correct answer back immediately. This supersedes the 
  victim’s good judgment because the sleeper perceives the 
  Usiri as part of her own dream — answering the question is 
  therefore less a matter a literal conversation and more of the 
  Usiri manipulating the victim’s subconscious mind.
  Exceptional Success: The character wins a contested roll 
  with five or more successes. As success above, except that 
  he is able to ask a second question of his victim and gain an 
  additional piece of information.
  bloodlines of ancient egypt - usiri
  
  ancient bloodlines
  166
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +2 
  Power is focused on, or applies to, a vampire  
   
  with whom the user has a blood tie.
  +1 
  The user knows who the victim’s allies are.
  -3 
  Victim has a suspicion or paranoia  
   
  derangement.
  •••••Tabula Rasa
  This is arguably the most fearsome power an Usiri, or any 
  Kindred for that matter, can summon forth. It has the capa-
  bility of completely wiping the mind of the intended target 
  clean, erasing all memories of who and what the Kindred 
  has been and still is, essentially creating a blank slate to be 
  molded by the caster’s will. The target is usually an unaware 
  Kindred in torpor, but this can also be attempted against 
  a waking target (willing or unwilling), provided the caster 
  wishes to take the risk of destroying his own mind. This abil-
  ity is invasive, to say the least, and few would ever willingly 
  subject themselves to it, although one never knows what a 
  paranoid Kindred might do to protect himself long-term. 
  If a player decides to use this power against an unwilling 
  target, he must make a successful degeneration roll if his 
  character’s Humanity is above 4 (roll three dice).
  Unlike other Hypnagogia powers, Tabula Rasa can be used 
  against waking targets as well as sleeping ones. In this case, 
  the target must be in the attacker’s line of sight.
  Cost: 1 Vitae + 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Hypnagogia versus Re-
  solve + Blood Potency (willing subject or in torpor) or Manipula-
  tion + Intimidation + Hypnagogia versus Resolve + Composure 
  + Blood Potency (if the victim is awake and unwilling)
  Action: Instant and contested (regardless of whether the 
  subject is in torpor, is willing or unwilling, as the mind 
  does not easily give itself to a foreign presence; resistance 
  is reflexive)
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The vampire and the target are both sub-
  jected to surreal, terrifying nightmares. The attacker’s player 
  must succeed on a Resolve + Composure roll, or else the Usiri 
  gains a severe derangement (paranoia is a good choice). 
  Also, regardless of whether the victim is willing or unwilling, 
  the player must make a successful roll against degeneration.
  Failure: The target’s memories remain secure and intact. 
  Further, the player of the Usiri must make a successful de-
  generation roll for his character regardless of whether the 
  victim was willing or unwilling.
  Success: The victim loses all short-term memories, from 
  the present moment back to the beginning of the story. All 
  Skills or Disciplines learned during this time are lost and 
  must be relearned, but at half cost.
  Exceptional Success: The victim of Tabula Rasa loses 
  all memory of his identity. He is unaware of his vampiric 
  condition and knows nothing of who he is, where he is or 
  what has happened to him. He is a true blank slate, in the 
  most complete meaning of the term. 
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  Power is focused on, or applies to, a vampire  
   
  with whom the user has a blood tie.
  The RaMifiCaTions of Tabula Rasa
  This is a truly devastating use of the Hypnagogia Discipline. The Storyteller needs to seriously consider the 
  ramifications of what this power can do in the context of a game setting. Think about it: what if a character actually 
  succeeds in erasing the mind of some unsuspecting elder? She no longer knows who or what she even is. It then 
  becomes the job of the players and the Storyteller to incorporate this turn of events into their overall chronicle. 
  What will become of the blanked Kindred’s place in the power structure? What will her sire or her childer do when 
  she is discovered as nothing more than a neonate? What will her covenant leaders do? Retrain her? Destroy her 
  outright? Mold her into the perfect drone? Let her go to fend for herself? 
  Also, Tabula Rasa isn’t the sort of power that the Storyteller should spring on players without some attention to 
  whether they’d find sudden revocation of purchased traits and character memories entertaining. It might be wise 
  to build some way for the memories to return into the story. Perhaps if the character confronts the Usiri who did 
  this to her in the dreamscape, she can battle him and take back her unlife. But then, that raises the question of 
  whether she wanted to lose those memories in the first place…
  
  167
  The Bak-Ra (literally, Servants of Ra) 
  were once leaders of a great society 
  of Kindred. They united the clans 
  of Ancient Egypt when solidarity 
  was needed most. They led by 
  example, by fear and by wielding 
  power that both terrified and 
  awed their brethren. Once the 
  Romans invaded the Kingdom 
  of the Nile, however, the Bak-Ra 
  found themselves being hunted 
  down and persecuted for heresy and 
  other crimes against the “one true God.” 
  Many of the Bak-Ra decided to enter voluntary torpor 
  as a means of escaping the insidious traps of the Roman 
  Kindred, hoping to keep Ra’s greatest, most powerful 
  secrets away from the mongrel Ventrue of Rome and their 
  vampire puppets.
  Unfortunately for the Bak-Ra, they were forgotten, left 
  buried in their tombs for an unfathomable three thousand 
  years, unable to awaken themselves, consumed by mad-
  ness and trapped in the fog of time. Now, they have an 
  unquenchable thirst for everything that was taken from 
  them. For the Bak-Ra of modern nights, their only hope 
  is to rediscover their history and locate the rituals, tools 
  and abilities that made them what they once were. They 
  are in a desperate search for their identity and clues to 
  their place in modern nights.
  Now, an irresistible drive to remember who they were, 
  and what they were once capable of, fills their blood 
  with renewed purpose and vitality. The Bak-Ra who have 
  awakened in the modern nights have become obsessive 
  scholars, doing everything in their power to relearn their 
  history. Sadly, those who have managed to crawl up from 
  their earthen tombs find that they are often the targets of 
  scorn, ridicule and mockery. This only fuels their insane 
  fervor more, feeding their Beast for the night that they 
  can unleash it and exact their revenge. 
  Finally, it is important to note that all the Bak-Ra know 
  about their past is what is available to the historians of the 
  modern nights, along with the few fragments that indi-
  vidual Bak-Ra kept in their tombs. No known member of 
  this bloodline has awakened with her memories intact.
  Parent Clan: Mekhet
  Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, 
  Celerity, Majesty, Obfuscate
  Nickname: Servants of Ra, 
  Childer of the Sun, The Sun-
  Stroked (derogatory)
  Weakness: The Bak-Ra have 
  the Mekhet clan weakness 
  (see p. 109 of Vampire: The 
  Requiem). 
  In addition, the Bak-Ra, as devoted 
  (some would say fanatical) sun-worship-
  pers, have difficulty leaving the sunlit world behind and 
  joining the dark Requiem every night. Bak-Ra characters 
  require an extra Vitae point to wake up each evening. 
  History and Culture: It seems odd that a clan most 
  noted for its aversion to the sun and affinity towards 
  shadows should, in fact, not only worship the god of the 
  sun, but claim to have once been able to walk beneath 
  it as easily as any human. The power of Ra, however, 
  remains within their collective souls. They fervently, ob-
  sessively, believe that they were once able to walk during 
  the day, beneath the Sun, and they know for certain that 
  it is only a matter of time before they remember how to 
  do so again. 
  Perhaps the secrets are still hidden in one of their buried 
  tombs. Perhaps one of their allies, the Usiri, has their 
  secrets and memories stored in dream-space somewhere. 
  Whatever the case, the Bak-Ra are intent on rediscovering 
  their past glory. In the meantime, they endure the ridi-
  cule and spend much of their time in self-imposed exile, 
  studying and waiting for the night when they can make 
  the heretic invaders suffer for their transgressions.
  What the Childer of the Sun know in their undead 
  hearts is that Ra ruled the heavens and thus, it is only 
  logical that his followers ruled the Earth. However, his-
  tory tells them that Ra’s priests didn’t rule unilaterally, 
  but rather that the Cult of Ra merely managed an already 
  unified covenant of gods. Rather than provide comfort 
  however, this information merely angers and confuses 
  them. How could such disparate beliefs ever come to a 
  consensus and unity? Why would Ra deign to share power 
  with lesser beings? 
  Bak-ra
   Help us break the curse or spend the rest of your undead lives in the darkness. 
  bloodlines of ancient egypt - bak-ra
  
  ancient bloodlines
  168
  And yet, every historical artifact discovered and every 
  piece of information received leads the Bak-Ra to the 
  realization that this was, indeed, the case. The possibility 
  that their history is a lie, a fiction written by the murder-
  ous, invading Ventrue dogs of Rome, flames their already 
  virulent distrust and hatred of the Lords. There can be, 
  in their minds, no other plausible explanation for what 
  has happened to them. Why hadn’t the others awakened 
  them sooner? Where were the Anubi, the Usiri, the Hori 
  or the Thothites? Why hadn’t they come? 
  The one thing that all Bak-Ra retain is their physical 
  ties to ancient Egypt. They often appear in colorful, flow-
  ing gowns which are always adorned with scarabs and 
  symbols of Ra somewhere on their person. Their havens 
  display Egyptian artifacts as if they were artwork. Indeed, 
  the Bak-Ra can often be seen creating new papyrus in the 
  ancient style, perhaps as a way of relearning their culture. 
  Whenever entertaining a perspective client, it is always 
  remarked, later, that the look in the Bak-Ra’s eyes is one 
  a TeRRifying neW WoRld
  Recently, a Sanctified coterie, searching for relics 
  beneath one of the great pyramids of Giza, located 
  a well-hidden entrance beneath the deepest of the 
  known archeological digs. This opening dropped 
  the coterie deeper into the Earth and fed into a 
  trap-laden network of caves and crawlspaces. The 
  coterie lost two of its members in the exploration, 
  which eventually ended in the tomb of an ancient 
  Kindred, still in torpor. The remaining vampires 
  decided to awaken the sleeping vampire, curious 
  as to what it was and, hopefully, prepared for 
  what they would learn. He rose from his sleep 
  enraged, claiming to be something called a Bak-
  Ra. He began screaming incoherently, and the 
  coterie believed that he had been driven insane 
  by the amount of time spent in torpor. The coterie 
  quickly subdued the Bak-Ra and realized that they 
  had discovered an ancient vampire who might 
  offer them power beyond their imagination. They 
  returned to the surface with their find and showed 
  the ancient vampire what he had awakened to, 
  hoping that he would understand the futility of 
  his situation and go with them for further study 
  and indoctrination into this terrifying new world 
  he had been awakened into. The shock of seeing 
  such dramatic change was enough to shatter 
  what was left of his precarious sanity. He escaped 
  the coterie and fled back into the depths of the 
  Egyptian sands. The coterie attempted to track him, 
  but lost the ancient in the tunnels. They left before 
  sunrise and when they returned the next evening, 
  they discovered that the entire network of tunnels 
  beneath the pyramids had collapsed. Their prize 
  was gone, and with him whatever secrets he may 
  have held in his withered brain.
  
  169
  of joyous expectation, as if they know it is only a matter 
  of time before the lesser “covenants” look up to them 
  once again, begging them for Ra’s mercy and trembling 
  in fear of the Sun God’s wrath.
  The Servants of Ra disappeared from history and those 
  who have been awakened do not like what they are learning 
  of the past three thousand years. They harbor grudges against 
  their former allies, the Usiri, the Anubi and the other cults 
  of Egypt that still exist. They shudder at the thought that 
  Ventrue hold so much power and that the gods are noth-
  ing but myths, parables and fables. This Lancea Sanctum 
  troubles them, as does the Ordo Dracul and its progenitor. 
  The Carthians make no sense to the Bak-Ra, for what is an 
  existence without the gods to offer strength and guidance? 
  Only the Circle of the Crone and the Agoniste bloodline 
  offer them hope that they might regain some of their lost 
  knowledge. Unfortunately, the Circle’s history is almost 
  as muddled as their own and the Agonistes are unable to 
  provide the Bak-Ra with what they really need.
  Reputation: The Bak-Ra are considered eccentric 
  and excitable misfits. They have a reputation among 
  Kindred of the modern nights as neonates with delu-
  sions of grandeur, sad little sun worshippers who 
  can never get what they want. The Sun-Stroked hide 
  in their shadowy lairs, wear their fancy robes, talk 
  to their beetles and whisper to themselves in harsh, 
  guttural curses. Especially among the Invictus, they 
  are considered useless.
  The bak-Ra and The agonisTes
  The Agonistes are a bloodline devoted to uncovering 
  the truths of Kindred history and spreading that 
  truth to every covenant and individual vampire 
  they can. Unfortunately, the Bak-Ra have no 
  memory of their past. This severely limits their uses 
  to the Agonistes. 
  The Bak-Ra have been reduced to begging the 
  Agonistes for the use of their libraries in order to 
  gather more information about themselves. They 
  promise to share with them everything that they 
  discover. However, there is no guarantee that the 
  Bak-Ra will ever learn anything about their past, 
  although the Servants will never admit that as a 
  possibility. Thus, they spend much of their time 
  questioning the Agonistes, whose information 
  of Kindred history prior to the fall of Rome is 
  incomplete at best. The Bak-Ra hope that the 
  Agonistes will provide something that may spark 
  a fog-enshrouded memory to surface, or show the 
  path to discovering where those bits of history 
  might be.
  bloodlines of ancient egypt - bak-ra
  
  ancient bloodlines
  170
  Derogatory nicknames notwithstanding, the Bak-Ra 
  are absolutely certain that they were once able to walk in 
  sunlight without fear of the curse burning them to ash. 
  They are convinced that all they need to do is rediscover 
  the secrets that time has stolen from them. Those secrets 
  are surely hidden somewhere inside their minds or 
  beneath the desert sands and it is only a matter of time 
  until they are found.
  From a practical standpoint, it is impossible to argue 
  with a Bak-Ra regarding her beliefs. The total conviction 
  each member of this bloodline possesses seems to be hard-
  wired into their blood and that kind of religious zeal is 
  difficult to refute. 
  They say that history will prove that their claims are 
  not just lies and madness. When they discover the truth, 
  and they will discover the truth, the Servants of Ra will 
  remember those who helped them. And they will especially 
  remember those who stood in their way.
  Concepts: Psychology student, eccentric collector, self-
  help guru, political advisor, ancient history professor, 
  Kindred sociologist, astronomer, Agoniste stalker, occult 
  preacher, Harpy
  Devotions of the Bak-Ra
  The Shadow’s Revelation 
  (Auspex •••, Majesty ••)
  This Devotion allows the Kindred to project a specific 
  emotion onto an inanimate object, thereby forcing the 
  next person who touches it to feel the emotional impres-
  sion left behind. Further, the target feels compelled to 
  share with the Kindred a specific memory attached to 
  that emotion, as if the only way to purge the feeling is 
  to talk it out. 
  A cunning and manipulative vampire should be able to 
  get the information he needs from his victim simply by 
  being nearby when the target touches the prepared object. 
  Then, using whatever Attributes or Skills he possesses, the 
  Kindred can guide the target into telling him everything 
  he wants to know.
  A Bak-Ra using this Devotion should consider two 
  points of caution, though. One is to be careful when 
  applying anger. Should the victim suddenly feel such a 
  powerful burst of rage, she might be thrown into an un-
  controllable frenzy. This might be a convenient method 
  of pitting one of the Kindred’s foes against another, of 
  course, but wouldn’t be pleasant to be around. Second, if 
  the victim has a derangement that is triggered by a given 
  strong emotion, she might be overcome by it and be un-
  able to provide any useful information.
  Cost: 1 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Majesty –  
  Composure 
  Action: Instant 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: Not only is the wrong emotion trans-
  mitted to the object in question, but the target realizes that 
  she is being manipulated in some way and that someone 
  is actually trying to get information out of her.
  Failure: The victim feels as if something isn’t quite 
  right and immediately drops or removes her hand from 
  the object. No further attempt can be made to manipulate 
  the target by using the same object.
  Success: The correct emotion is projected onto the ob-
  ject. The character can then play to that emotion, ferreting 
  out information from the target by taking advantage of 
  his fragile emotional state. This grants a positive modifier 
  to Social rolls with the target (not including rolls to use 
  Disciplines) equal to the successes that the player rolls.
  If the Bak-Ra implants anger, a vampire who touches 
  the object must roll to avoid frenzy. 
  Exceptional Success: Extra successes are their  
  own reward.
  Once an object is “imprinted” with an emotion, the 
  power remains for a number of turns equal to the Bak-
  Ra’s Blood Potency. If the object ever leaves her sight, the 
  Devotion’s effects end.
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +3 
  The target is already under the influence  
   
  of Entrancement.
  +2 
  Power is focused on, or applies to, a vampire  
   
  with whom the user has a blood tie.
  +1 
  The target is able to get full hand contact  
   
  on the object.
  - 
  The target merely gets a finger-touch on  
   
  the object.
  -3 
  The target is an enemy. 
  This power costs 15 experience points to learn.
  The Glory of Ra 
  (Auspex •••••, Majesty •••••)
  By their very nature, Kindred are unable to feel the touch of 
  the sun on their skin without watching their flesh roast and 
  shrivel in excruciating pain. Any vampire who believes other-
  wise will most certainly be burned to ash. That didn’t stop the 
  Bak-Ra from making others believe that they had conquered 
  the curse, however. It was the one major point that succeeded 
  in uniting all Kindred under one Great Covenant during the 
  
  171
  era of Ramses II. If any vampire could actually achieve this 
  miracle, they must be truly graced by the gods and deserve to 
  be followed. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. 
  A Kindred with this Devotion appears able to defeat the 
  vampiric curse by sending out his “ghostly body,” while his 
  corporeal form rests in day sleep, and actually becoming 
  visible to those whom he wishes to be seen by. Should 
  anyone become curious and approach the vampire using 
  this Devotion, they encounter what seems to be a solid, 
  fully aware vampire, walking beneath the Sun. In reality, 
  the Glory of Ra does not provide a solid form, but only 
  the appearance of a solid form. Should someone touch the 
  character, the witness believes he is touching the Kindred, 
  when, in fact, he is so blinded by the vampire’s Majesty 
  that his mind fools him.
  Cost: 2 Willpower
  Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Majesty vs. subjects’ 
  Composure + Blood Potency
  Action: Instant and contested (resistance is reflexive)
  This Devotion relies on the user’s ability to make others 
  believe he is really walking beneath the sun. The Kindred 
  is not really there, except in his ghostly state, even though 
  it appears as if he is solidly walking or performing actions 
  as normal. Everything he does is dependant upon the 
  belief of those who see him. They can “hear” him speak-
  ing, “feel” his hand as he reaches out to touch, and watch 
  him lift objects, open doors or simply sit in a chair. The 
  experience is exactly what they expect it to be.
  The Kindred cannot use any of his other Disciplines 
  except Auspex and Majesty while in this form, although, 
  he can make it appear as if he is using other powers by 
  playing into what those who are interacting with him 
  expect. If they anticipate a show of Celerity, for example, 
  that is what they’ll see.
  The group hallucination can be maintained even if one 
  person doesn’t believe in it. However, to break the spell 
  over an entire group of individuals, the disbeliever must 
  act against the Kindred’s form and do something that 
  specifically proves that the vampire isn’t really there (e.g. 
  walk through him when the ghostly image can’t avoid 
  such a move.)
  Anyone who sees the vampire makes a resistance roll and 
  compares the results to the activation roll for this Devotion. 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The Kindred appears in daylight, but 
  his form is anything but solid. It seems as if his body is 
  being projected, like a holographic image, and his claims 
  are obviously false.
  Failure: The user fails to appear at all.
  Success: The Kindred becomes visible and is likely able 
  to convince any onlookers that he is standing before them, 
  solid and unharmed. He can perform simple actions like 
  sitting in chairs or walking and standing around, but his 
  interaction is limited.
  Exceptional Success: The vampire appears solid and 
  unharmed by the sun’s rays. He can perform complex 
  actions and can appear to manipulate objects, such as 
  opening doors, carrying books and shaking hands.
  This power costs 30 experience points to learn.
  bloodlines of ancient egypt - bak-ra
  
  ancient bloodlines
  172
  The study of ancient Egypt — “Egyptology” — has been 
  a popular field for thousands of years. The Egyptians 
  themselves spent time and resources restoring historic 
  tombs, temples and other buildings, and the Greeks and 
  Romans had their own accounts of Egyptian history. 
  But it was Napoleon’s “Egyptian Campaign” that placed 
  ancient Egypt firmly in the minds of European citizens, 
  and even now, modern people have a distinct set of images 
  concerning the lands of the Nile. 
  The undead were not immune to Egyptomania. The 
  Kindred of Europe in the 19th century saw artifacts and 
  historical discoveries being shipped from Egypt back to 
  France and England, and wondered what secrets of their 
  kind might be buried in ancient tombs. Their curiosity, 
  of course, was well justified — in those dusty crypts lay the 
  story of the Great Covenant, and the slumbering Bak-Ra 
  and Usiri, among other bloodlines. 
  But just as mortals are wont to misinterpret their find-
  ings at first, the Kindred have an incomplete picture 
  of their roots. Unlike mortals, vampires are decidedly 
  ill-suited to revising their beliefs as further facts come 
  to light, in part because they can’t really trust their own 
  memories. That is why the Bak-Ra now believe that they 
  were glorious rulers of the Great Covenant, Kindred 
  who defeated the curse that locks them from daylight, 
  rather than the charlatans they truly were (and remain). 
  That is why the Usiri scour their own memories and the 
  memories of any vampire foolish enough to let them. 
  These vampires are searching for a past, but not the one 
  their people really had. 
  In 1998, a book entitled Initiations of Dream and Flame 
  was discovered in a crypt in Abusir. Although the pyra-
  mid had been excavated years before, the researcher from 
  Waseda University in Tokyo (a ghoul) claimed that it dated 
  back at least 3000 years. Recognizing some of the symbols 
  as vampiric (specifically Mekhet), the researcher, one Jirou 
  Sato, kept the discovery from the living and passed it on to 
  his regnant. This vampire, a Shadow named Kotone, left 
  Japan, first for England and then to travel to the United 
  States. She was looking for help in translating the book, 
  and in verifying her ghoul’s claims. 
  Within a year, both Kotone and Sato were dead and 
  the book had disappeared. Kindred, it seems, could be 
  as obsessive and starry-eyed about ancient Egypt as mor-
  tals, and the promise of magic so long removed from the 
  Lancea Sanctum was tantalizing. The book eventually fell 
  into the hands of a vampire named Renfro Delaney, who, 
  an Egyptologist in life, was able to translate it. It was his 
  work that led to stories of the Usiri and the Bak-Ra being 
  spread throughout Kindred society. The rumors spread 
  slowly, but the one that captured the attention of vampires 
  across the world was, of course, that of the Bak-Ra and 
  their ability to withstand the sun. 
  Delaney survived long enough to translate the book and 
  carbon date some of the material in it to approximately 
  1000 BCE. Most vampires who followed the rumors as-
  sumed that the Lancea Sanctum had found and destroyed 
  him — he himself was certainly terrified that the Kindred 
  Inquisition was coming for him. But others wondered if 
  that was really the case. Delaney put forth the notion that 
  Theban Sorcery predated Christianity by many years, but 
  anyone with a good grip on history knew that theory was 
  probably the case (it came from Thebes, after all). Other 
  undead scientists and philosophers had been saying ex-
  actly that for years, and the Lance hadn’t buried them. 
  So what, then, did Delaney really discover?
  While fragments of his notes, recordings that he made 
  to himself while working and letters from correspon-
  dents exist, the full truth may never come out. What is 
  known, though, is that the book itself doesn’t date back 
  to ancient Egypt. A simple glance at the book proves 
  that — it includes papyrus, vellum and several other types 
  of “paper.” Some of it, yes, does date from the time that 
  Delaney specified, but much of it is considerably more 
  recent. This fact tends to get glossed over when vampires 
  discuss the Initiations. Likewise, Delaney added pages for 
  his translations, and carefully bound it all together in a 
  huge, unwieldy tome. The result is a mélange of ancient 
  Egyptian philosophy and history, 19th century European 
  attempts to make sense of this philosophy, and modern 
  ramblings on how a vampire might walk beneath the 
  sun without being burnt to a crisp. A reader would need 
  more than a firm background in the requisite languages 
  to read it. He would need the patience of Job and a good 
  imagination. 
  But for a vampire with that patience and imagination, 
  the Initiations of Dream and Flame does hold some value. 
  He might find magic embedded in those pages, magic 
  requieM diary:  
  initiations of dreaM and flaMe
  
  173
  that casts doubt on the divide between Crúac and The-
  ban Sorcery. Thus far, no vampire, not even Delaney, has 
  discovered it, but it’s there, waiting to be found. 
  Of course, it might not be entirely safe to have the book 
  in one’s possession for any length of time, for a variety 
  of reasons. 
  The Initiations
  The book details how vampires are to be admitted into the 
  “Warriors of the Dead” and the “Children of the Sun.” Of 
  course, both of these august groups are bloodlines, and so 
  being “admitted” to them is less a matter of joining a club 
  and more a matter of altering one’s blood accordingly. 
  However, like many bloodlines, the cultural aspect of the 
  groups was given a great deal of weight. 
  Warriors of the Dead
  According to the Initiations, a vampire meaning to join 
  the Usiri would be brought to the High Priest after hav-
  ing been tested and observed by others of the bloodline 
  for months. Once the High Priest judged him favorably, 
  he was either Embraced or indoctrinated into the blood-
  line (the book is unclear on how this was accomplished 
  directly after an Embrace) and forced into torpor for a 
  period of one month, without blood to sustain him. He 
  had to survive the nightmares of torpor unscathed, and 
  then also find a way to awaken himself and escape his 
  tomb. Should this happen, he was then provided enough 
  sustenance to keep the Beast at bay. Finally, he was forced 
  to consume the blood from a living, human heart — a 
  member of his own mortal family — in order to complete 
  the initiation.
  Since the exposure of the Initiations, modern Usiri 
  have attempted to perform this ritual, and the book 
  bears testimony from those who have endured it. One of 
  the problems that they encounter, of course, is that for 
  a vampire to enter torpor and then arise after a month, 
  he must be relatively close to the Man (that is, have high 
  Humanity) and weak of Blood (low Blood Potency). 
  Prospects aren’t always vetted that way, though, and so 
  the bloodline sometimes winds up with potential recruits 
  who can’t wake themselves up. The book doesn’t offer 
  any hints about what to do with vampires who fail the test 
  this way, and so it is very much down to the proclivities 
  of the Usiri presiding over the initiate. 
  Children of the Sun
  The Bak-Ra cling to their idealized belief in the past and 
  the glory of what they are certain is to come. The account 
  of their initiation ritual is more complicated (and poorly 
  translated) than that of the Usiri, and consists of three 
  trials: mind, body and soul. Unlike the Usiri initiation, 
  which involves only one supplicant, the Initiations seem 
  to indicate that the Bak-Ra were indoctrinated as a group. 
  Such a group was composed either of mortals (or ghouls) 
  who wished to obtain the Embrace, or Mekhet who 
  wished to join the bloodline. However many vampires 
  there were in ancient Egypt, it’s rare in modern nights for 
  several vampires of the same clan to come together wish-
  ing to join the same bloodline, and so when this ritual is 
  performed at all, it usually involves mortals. 
  Mind
  The test of mind allows a prospect the opportunity to 
  manipulate his way out of a deadly situation. If he is 
  able to convince his fellows that he is the one who must 
  survive (or that the others do not deserve to live), then he 
  moves to the next level of the initiation process. If not, 
  the Bak-Ra search for a new prospect.
  Body
  The test of body is a way for the prospect to prove to the 
  Bak-Ra that he is capable of surviving as a vampire. He is 
  placed into another situation similar to the test of mind, 
  except that, in this case, he must not only survive physi-
  cal obstacles, but must also ensure that the others in his 
  group do not survive the test. If the prospect succeeds, he 
  moves to the final test.
  Soul
  Once a prospect has survived the testing of mind and 
  body, he must endure the test of soul. Unfortunately, this 
  part of the Initiations is unclear, and Delaney’s translation 
  didn’t shed any light on the subject. The Test of Soul refers 
  to “dark and venomous things” being allowed to attack 
  the one surviving subject, “poisoning his soul and tainting 
  his body.” Delaney interpreted this symbolically, reason-
  ing that since the test of body had already concluded, the 
  ancient Bak-Ra wouldn’t have wasted time with a further 
  physical ordeal. He was unhelpful, though, in providing a 
  solution as to what the passage really did mean, and so the 
  Bak-Ra of tonight had to come up with their own ideas.
  They place the subject in a situation where his faith 
  will be tested, usually telling him that for all his moral 
  sacrifice and cleverness, he has been denied membership 
  and is going to face destruction the next morning. He 
  is then given the opportunity to make his peace in any 
  way he sees fit. It is here, the Bak-Ra feel, that the true 
  measure of the man is revealed. Is power his god? Is it 
  wealth? Knowledge? It only really matters that he believe 
  in something, because the Bak-Ra are so convinced of their 
  own superiority that there is no doubt that any prospect 
  bloodlines of ancient egypt - initiations of dream and flame
  
  ancient bloodlines
  174
  who survives the initiation process will eventually come 
  to believe in Ra’s eternal magnificence.
  sToRy hook: suRViVal of The fiTTesT
  Have you seen the movie Cube? How about House 
  on Haunted Hill or No Escape? Think of any movie 
  that has placed a group of people together and 
  asked them to fight and think their way out of 
  their trap. Life and death are the only two possible 
  outcomes, and only one will survive.
  The Bak-Ra “initiation” might make for an 
  interesting prelude. Of course, as written, only 
  one character survives to get the Embrace, but the 
  Bak-Ra don’t know what the hell they’re doing 
  — so there’s no reason to assume these rules are 
  inflexible. Likewise, you could just as easily use 
  the story as a prequel to the real chronicle, one in 
  which all of the characters die and the characters 
  in the Vampire chronicle run across their remains 
  (or ghosts) later.
  Magic in the Book
  The Storyteller needs to decide what rituals might be 
  discovered in Initiations of Dream and Flame, of course, 
  but the precepts of Crúac, Theban Sorcery and even, if 
  the Storyteller so desires, Mérges Sorcery (see p. 147) are 
  likely candidates. That means that a character who spends 
  time studying the book (subject to the systems below) can 
  receive bonuses to learning rituals from those sorceries. 
  The Initiations lays out the underlying philosophies of 
  vampiric blood magic in such a way as to remove contem-
  porary or even ancient theology from the matter, and a 
  vampire who can understand these philosophies stands 
  to become a powerful magician indeed. Of course, few 
  Kindred are capable of this kind of lateral thinking, even 
  without the language barrier. 
  In order to study the book, the character must either 
  read Delaney’s translations or learn Late Egyptian. In 
  either case, the player rolls Intelligence + Academics as an 
  extended action. Each roll requires four hours of research, 
  and 20 successes are required. 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: All previous successes are lost — the 
  character has been basing his research on a flawed inter-
  pretation of the text or a mistranslation. 
  Failure: No successes are accumulated toward the total.
  Success: Successes are added to the total. If the player 
  achieves the requisite number of successes, he immediately 
  makes an Intelligence + Occult roll for the character. For 
  every success on this roll, the player subtracts one expe-
  rience point from the cost of buying: Theban Sorcery, 
  Crúac, Mérges Sorcery and any other blood magic that 
  the Storyteller would like to include (the Coils of the 
  Dragon are not blood magic, and do not apply), and 
  associated rituals. The successes can be spread out over 
  multiple expenditures, but cannot reduce the cost of a 
  given trait below one. 
  Exceptional Success: Considerable successes are added 
  to the total. If the player finishes the research action with 
  at least 25 successes, he adds three dice to the ensuing 
  Intelligence + Occult roll. 
  Suggested Modifiers
  Modifier 
  Situation
  +1 
  Character already has dots in a form of  
   
  blood sorcery (Crúac, Theban or Mérges  
   
  Sorcery, Kindred Vodoun, etc.). These  
   
  modifiers are cumulative — a character  
   
  who knows both Crúac and Theban  
   
  Sorcery would receive a +2 modifier.
  +1 
  Character has a Specialty in Ancient  
   
  Egypt.
  -3 
  Character has no dots in Occult.
  -4 
  Character is working from Delaney’s  
   
  translations.
  Dangers of the Book
  The most obvious danger associated with the Initiations is 
  that several factions of vampires are after it. Neither the 
  Lancea Sanctum nor the Circle of the Crone want the 
  tome in the hands of another covenant, and obviously the 
  Ordo Dracul would love to have such an important occult 
  resource. The Invictus and the Carthian Movement aren’t 
  as interested in the book for its own sake, but recognize 
  its potential as a bargaining chip (and, should word get 
  out that it can be used to learn blood sorcery, its value to 
  those covenants increases dramatically). 
  Likewise, a number of bloodlines see the Initiations as 
  their property. The Usiri and the Bak-Ra are, obviously, 
  chief among them, but the Iltani (see p. 145) would also be 
  highly interested in the book. Any bloodline with an attrac-
  tion to blood sorcery, or the Lancea Sanctum in particular 
  (such as the Septemi, p. 89) might also like a look. 
  But quite beyond factional disputes, the book itself is 
  dangerous. As mentioned, while parts of the tome do 
  date to the New Kingdom, others are much more recent. 
  In fact, one of the most disturbing passages in the book, 
  one that Delaney never translated, was written in the late 
  19th century. 
  A Bak-Ra vampire named Asaremhet awoke from torpor 
  in 1894. Trapped in his tomb, he employed his mastery of 
  Auspex to flit about the land in Twilight. He entered the 
  
  175
  resting place of the Initiations, searching for the torporous 
  remains of one of his comrades from the Great Covenant. 
  He found the vampire — seconds before French explor-
  ers excavated the tomb. Sunlight entered the chamber 
  for the first time in centuries, and the ancient vampire, 
  Asaremhet’s friend, was burnt to ash in seconds. 
  Unable to take direct revenge, Asaremhet cursed the 
  men, using his Devotions to appear before them, haunting 
  them, leading them into the tomb’s many traps. Within 
  a month they were dead, and Asaremhet used his blood 
  magic to possess the corpse of the lead Egyptologist. He 
  unearthed his friend’s Requiem diary and, using the blood 
  of the grave robbers, entered a curse upon all who would 
  use the treasures of the past for their own ends. 
  The curse took a great deal of Asaremhet’s power, 
  and murdering the Egyptologists had taken a toll on his 
  Humanity. By the time the curse was laid, Asaremhet 
  could only return to his body, wasted and half-mad, to 
  sleep for another century (he appears in his current form 
  in Ancient Mysteries). He has no memory of writing in 
  Initiations of Dream and Flame or of placing the curse, 
  though he does sometimes dream of his friend’s death 
  in the sun. 
  The curse does not affect anyone who attempts to read 
  or translate the book. It becomes active only when a 
  vampire tries to use the knowledge that the book bestows, 
  whether to perform one of the initiations or to gain the 
  benefit of blood magic. The curse is the loss of one’s own 
  memory, a hastening of the Fog of Eternity. The vampire 
  begins to lose memories every time he goes to sleep, rather 
  than during long periods of torpor.
  Mechanically, a vampire who takes advantage of the 
  benefits described above or presides over or partakes in 
  either of the initiations described earlier in the chapter 
  gains the Flaw: Memory Erosion. Other vampires can 
  take this Flaw as well and reap the normal benefits, but a 
  vampire suffering under Asaremhet’s Curse does not gain 
  experience points when the Flaw hinders him. 
  Memory Erosion: Whenever the vampire sleeps, his 
  memories begin to fade. Upon awakening in the evening, 
  the vampire can either lose three points of Willpower (this 
  Willpower is spent over the course of the day in a struggle 
  to retain the memories) or the player can roll Resolve + 
  Composure – Blood Potency. 
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The character loses his mind entirely, 
  becoming a complete amnesiac. Traits are unaffected, but 
  the character has no memory of his unlife as a vampire, or 
  his mortal existence. Discovering the truth will doubtless 
  be a great shock. 
  Failure: The vampire suffers a -2 penalty on rolls based 
  on recall (normally Mental rolls, but other types of rolls 
  might qualify at the Storyteller’s discretion) for the re-
  mainder of the night. If the player fails a number of these 
  rolls in a row equal to the vampire’s Resolve, the vampire 
  loses a dot of a Skill (player’s choice). 
  Success: The character suffers no ill effects for the 
  evening. 
  Exceptional Success: The character suffers no ill effects 
  for the evening, and realizes that his mind is slipping away. 
  This might allow him to pursue a cure.
  The curse might be cured by further study of the book, 
  by traveling to Egypt to seek out other such works, by 
  helping Asaremhet to regain his memory (though he’s 
  unlikely to want to undo the curse once he does, since he 
  would then remember why he placed it), or by soliciting 
  the help of the Usiri bloodline. 
  bloodlines of ancient egypt - initiations of dream and flame
  
  ancient bloodlines
  176
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Storyteller [multi]/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/CofD/Vampire - The Requiem/Vampire the Requiem - Ancient Bloodlines.pdf