~BLOODLINES~
Many modern philosophers argue that the present age has caused an apathy and disinterest ties of faith, nation, and blood. Certainly for the Kindred, the concerns of faith and nation are as dead as ever, but none care more dearly for the ties of blood.
While those of the Blood seem to be loners by nature and necessity, the need of society and structure seems to tug at them as strongly as it does mortals. This is most evident in the importance of liniage to the Kindred. Much of the respect one is due is based on the identity of one's sire, and the sire's sire, and so on. Even the most moronic of Kindred is entitled to some respect if his lineage is of regard.
At one time each vampire could name her sire, and her sire's sire, and so on all the way back to Caine. The importance of bloodlines has diminished of late, as Kindred became more and more removed from Caine. Their connections to the elders of import are lessened by the many generations between them. The relative peace offered by the Camarilla has made them soft and self-satisfied, and they have lost respect for the elders. As might be expected, this is deeply resented by the conservative elders. Most Kindred created in this century know little of their lineage and seem to care even less.
Even so, within the world of the vampire the bloodright of one's clan is still of crucial consequence. Most vampires can trace their general liniage, if not the precise bloodline, back to an Antediluvian of the third generation. While the founder of the bloodline may no longer exist, or at least have dropped from sight, all of his progeny still hold many traits in common. Each clan possesses certain gifts and curses associated with it that others do not share; more importantly, members of the same clan hold similar values and virtues.
Represented within the Camarilla are seven major clans, though Kindred of any bloodline are welcome. There are allegedly 13 distinct clans, as well as innumerable minor bloodlines. Two fo the clans are said to be of the Sabbat, while the remaining four clans owe allegiance to neither sect.
There are likely many more unknown bloodlines, especially when one considers the mysterious eastern Kindred, who undoubtedly have their own unique divisions. ~~
Bloodlines listing
ASSAMITES
Vampires are the Killers in the night, and none more so than the Assamites, slayers of both Kindred and kine. Called in regularly by the world's JUsticars as archons and by princes as assassines, no clan is more feared by the Kindred. Secretive and taciturn, Assamites will travel anywhere in search of their targets, accepting as payment the blood of their employers.
While Assamites spend much of their time in the same solitary pursuits as other Kindred, they are best known for their skills as hired killers. In exchange for using their unique talents against the enemies of princes and anarchs alike, Assamites demand a portion of their employers' vitae. They do not accept every petition for aid, but once they have accepted a "contract", they consider themselves honor-bound to carry out the exact word of the agreement.
The clan was founded more than a millennium ago in the hinterlands of the Turkish mountains, and has always fiercely protected its privacy. Assamites are fundamentalists of a bizarre brand, practicing a faith that is a mixture of many Middle Eastern religions and Kindred mythology. They believe that the only way for vampires to reach heaven is to become closer to Caine -- and the only means of doing this is to lower one's generation.
For much of the clan's early history the Assamites engaged in diablerie, seeking always to bring themselves closer to "the One". They became the most feared killers among the Kindred. Assamite legend claims the clan founder slew two of the second-generation Cainites by his own hand.
Unfortunately for the clan, it is no longer posible for Assamites to engage in diablerie. During the late Middle Ages (during the period of the Sabbat uprising), the Assamites found it easy to hunt their prey. So many elders were killed that the Camarilla declared a Blood Hunt against the entire Assamite clan. After a period of seven years, Alamut, the clan's ancient fortress sanctuary, was close to being discovered. For the first time in its history the clan sued for peace, and negotiated a complicated treaty.
The Assamites agreed never again to hunt other Kindred for their blood and, in exchange, the Blood Hunt against them was called off. The clan was forced to allow the Tremere Council of Seven to cast a great ritual upon all its members. This ritual made it impossible for Assamites to drink the blood of other Kindred.
Howerver, the Assamites managed to adapt some of the most ancient rites of their clan into an approximation of diablerie. The blood they take as pay from those who hire them is collected and then used in a ritual of creation. When the clan holds its five-year gatherings at Alamut, its members are able to brew potions using the blood thus collected. These potions can reduce the effective generation of a clan member.
While not Blood Bound or Dominated into following clan traditions, individual Assamites are usually fanatically loyal to the clan. Should anyone try to cheat an Assamite, or attack her under circumstances other than an assassination attempt, the weight of the entire clan will crash upon the offender's head.
Should an assassin be killed by a target, however, the clan will take no additional revenge. Its members will not accept any other contracts for that person's head, and will even honor her when they are given a chance.
Once a contract has been accepted, the assassin will not stop trying to fulfill it until the target is dead or the Assamite has proof that the employer violated her trust (told her a vampire was ninth geration when he was sixth, or neglected to mention that the target was protected by a pack of Lupines).
NICKNAME:
Assassins
APPEARANCE:
Because most Assamites are of Middle Eastern heritage, they share the characteristics of people from the area -- swarthy skin, aquiline features and black hair. Additionally, while most vampires become paler over time, the members of this clan become darker as the years pass by, until their skins turn a dark ebony.
BACKGROUND:
Generally, the clan watches a given human for a long time before allowing a member to initiate the subjict. If permission is granted, the mortal must serve the sire-to-be for seven years, and only if she serves exceedingly well is she Embraced (otherwise she is killed). She is then called a fidais and apprenticed for another seven years, during which time she is introduced to the mysteries of the clan and taught the techniques of assassination. During this entire period, she is expected to be fanatically loyal to the clan.
ORGANIZATION:
The Assamite leaders hold court in Alamut ("Eagles' Nest"), their ancient mountain fastness, far from others' prying eyes. Here they receive assassination requests from the most powerful Kindred and kine, and assign assassins to specific contracts. Though no assignment is mandatory, Assamites lose much Prestige if they refuse assignments. Younger Assamites are spread across the world, and use their own judgment on accepting assignments from individuals other than clan leaders.
CLAN DISCIPLINES:
Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
WEAKNESSES
The Assamites tithe blood to their sires and are unable to imbibe of the blood of other Kindred, if it is forced into them it acts upon them as poison does on a human.
Bloodlines listing
FOLLOWERS OF SET
The followers of Set, or Setites as they often call themselves, make up one of the most widely loathed clans in the world. The Camarilla decision to ask the Setites to join came only after weeks of divisive debate, and the fact that tew Setites responded to the call was met with a wave of relief from the young sect.
The explanation for this reaction lies with the very nature of the Setites. They are the masters of moral and spiritual corruption. They seem to have an uncanny ability to find the weakness in any organization or individual, and the uncommon urge to exploit it. Drugs, sex, money and power are their weapons of corruption, and they take great delight in using them against Kindered and kine alike. THe Setites believe that the power of decay and corruption is absolute; no one is immune.
Although few Setites have become members of the Camarilla, this has not stopped factions within the sect from making use of their special talents. In the world of Kindred politics, the Followers of Set have the distinction of being regarded as a necessary evil.
The Followers claim to be able to trace their clan's lineage back to the Egyptian Dark God himself. The truth of this statement, however, remains unrevealed. In any event, they are darkly powerful beigns with unclear interests beyond the assumption of mortal and supernatural power.
According to legend, the clan originated in ancient Egypt. About 5000B.C., a group of powerful Kindred gathered around the Nile River delta. There they are said to have established a thruving civilization and enthroned themselves as the ruling gods. Among these Kindred was one named Sutekh. Sutekh, renowned as a warrior and hunter, stalked the darkness like a great beast; by 3300 B.C. he was being worshipped by some mortals as the God of Night and Darkness. He was more than likely a member of the third generation, an Antediluvian.
For the next two millennia, Sutekh, now calling himself Set, enjoyed the worship of mortals and the respect of his fellow Kindred. However, a power struggle began when a vampire known as Osiris, along with several of his progeny, began to claim absolute kingship over the rest of the Kindred. Set opposed Osiris, and for several hundred years the two waged a savage war. By 900 B.C., the tide had turned against Set and his followers. A being known as Heru-Behutet, and his warriors, defeated Set and his allies in a great battle. Set was exiled and his followers slaughtered. In his anguish, Set vowed that if he were to be exiled into the darkness, then that darkness would become all-powerful.
In the centuries that followed, Set recruited new followers. Most came from Egypt but there were others as well. Greeks, Romans, Persians and Semites all fell under the influence of Set, god of darkness. His message spread to the far corners of the known world. From the mountains of Spain to the shores of the Black Sea, the seeds of darkness were planted. Finaaly, in A.D. 33, Set himself vanished from the world (likely to escape being a casualty of the Jyhad). Before he disappeared, Set promised his followers that he would eventually return in all his dark glory.
Even after his disappearance, this clan grew in power. Always small in number, it exerted an influence that belied its size. Some say that its members were partially responsible for the birth of the Inquisition, though there is no proof to substantiate this allegation. Empires have come and gone and still the Followers of Set carry on their master's dark traditions.
In modern times, the Setites found a new home in the Western Hemisphere. Both Jamaica and Haiti became fertile recruiting grounds for the clan. Using the sophisticated science of modern times, the Setites became druglords extraordinaire. Several Haitian secret societies and Jamaican posses are rumored to be under their control, along with at least one Middle Eastern terrorist group.
The first Follower into an area establishes a temple and prepares the way for others. Once a newcomer arrives, she stays at the temple until she has enough power to found her own. Each temple is at the center of a web of corruption, and is always led by a single vampire.
NICKNAME:
Sand-Snakes
APPEARANCE:
The vast majority of the Followers of Set have very distinct Middle Eastern features; however, increasing numbers are taken from all races. Red hair is especially prized because it is considered a mark of Set. When the Followes are seen, they are usually garbed in deepest ebony robes of an ancient quasi-Egyptian style. Ritual disfigurement is also common, though the nature seems to vary from member to member.
BACKGROUND:
Typically, the Folloers of Set choose neonates from their own human Retainers. &nbps;Originally, only those of Egyptian descent were chosen as Retainers. Within the last century, howerver, a number of Europeans and Americans have been recruited.
ORGANIZATION:
Each city with a Setite presence has its own local temple of Set, overseen by a Kindred priest or priestess. There may be one or more subpriests depending on the size of the domain. There are usually three to five human Retainers per priest. The Grand Temple of Set is rumored to be somewhere in southern Sudan near the Ugandan border. Monthly gatherings are held in each temple at the dark of the moon. It is rumored that once every century there is a great gathering held at the Grand Temple.
It is also said that there once was a group known as the Children of Osiris, whose members opposed the Follwers of Set. Nothing is known of them, and the Setites claim to have literally consumed them.
CLAN DISCIPLINES:
Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis
WEAKNESSES:
Setites are extremely susceptible to sunlight. They are also susceptible to bright lights.
Bloodlines listing
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~~EXCERPS FROM THE WHITE WOLF BOOK OF THE MASQUERADE~~