SAMEDI
The Samedi bloodline may be an offshoot of the Nosferatu, or possibly a branch of the Giovanni. Neither clan will take the credit (or the blame?) for these Kindred. The Samedi bloodline has only been around for a few hundred years. The line appeared in Italy and the Caribean. Only a very few of these Kindred have come to the United States.
The Samedi are easily identified by the shreds of rotting flesh constantly falling from their bodies, and are often confused for zombies by those unfamiliar with them. This bloodline claims no allegiances, but is known to have members in both the Sabbat and the Camarilla.
Those who have done battle with the Samedi seldom forget the experience, for the bloodline has the power to rob other Kindred of their immortality -- at least temporarily. The Samedi are generally reviled as too disgusting to be allowed to survive; only the fact that they can be powerful allies has kept the bloodline from meeting obliteration at the hands of the Camarilla.
The Samedi are known to be competent assassins and bodyguards, and can often be found serving anyone who can meet their price. The Nosferatu and the Giovanni both seem to have an affinity with these twisted Kindred, and most Samedi will refuse to attack either of these clans unless paid a substantial amount of money.
NICKNAME:
Stiffs or Zombies
APPEARANCE:
Samedi look like corpses in fairly advanced stages of decomposition. Their skin is soft to the touch, leaking foul fluids at the lightest contact. Certain Samedi are leathery and emaciated, resembling shriveled mummies in appearance. In either case, the Samedi's eyes are sunken in their heads and the lips and gums have receded from their teeth. Almost all Samedi lose the majority of their noses.
BACKGROUND:
The Samedi have only been appearing for a short time, but over the last 200 years the bloodline has heavily expanded. As a general rule, these Kindred seldom associate, and it is extremely rare to find more than two of them in a city, even one of substantial size. Most Samedi will confess to having worked as coroners or morticians before being Embraced. Many will also admit to being at the edge of suicide at the time of the Embrace.
ORGANIZATION:
Samedi appear to have no true organization. On the rare occasions when two or more of these Kindred meet, they gossip and go their separate ways. There is a small faction of this bloodline that is trying to rectify this situation, but so far no major changes have occurred. On the other hand, reports have been made of small groups of these Kindred meeting in graveyards late at night.
CLAN DISCIPLINES:
Necromancy, Obfuscate, Thanatosis
WEAKNESSES:
Like the Nosferatu, the Samedi are hideous to look upon, the stench of decay from these Kindred in even the lightest wind, and the unusual texture of the Samedi's skin is enough to repulse even the strongest constitutions.
Bloodlines listing
CAITIFF
Some Kindred do not have a clan at all, but are of bastard blood. This is sometimes because they were abandoned by their sire, or were Embraced by an outcast vampire. A combination of a thinness of blood and a lack of social training has made them Clanless. This is a fairly recent phenomenon, and thus they are disdained by many of the other Kindred. Though many Caitiff are considered to be pariahs or anarchs, not all of them are outcasts. Some are accepted among the Damned, but none have yet reached an age where they have achieved any real power. Indeed, it seems as though the greatest explosion of the Clanless has occurred in the last 50 years.
Bloodlines listing
OTHER CLANS
There are many clans besides the ones described above. These clans do not claim membership in the camarilla, though individual members of such lines may do so. Some clans are members of the Sabbat, while others are truly independant of any sect.
Bloodlines listing
~~EXCERPS FROM THE WHITE WOLF BOOK OF THE MASQUERADE~~