Power, like a desolating pestilence,

Pollutes whate'er it touches.

Percy Bysshe Shelley, Queen Mab
Freedom? You babble to me of freedom? You, who dance to the strings of puppeteers
so vile and so manipulative that you would destroy every symbol of your old
existence at their slightest twitch? You, who scream and fight and brawl all night
long, draining not only mortals but the mortal world until it has nothing left to give?
You deserve no freedom You deserve only contempt !here were you when we built
this city? !here were you when we battled the Sabbat? !here were you when the
nights promised nothing but treachery and blood? Freedom belongs to those who
earned it For you, the only freedom is death
"hapter #ne$ %he &ternal
Boo'
Is it possible to succeed without any act of betrayal?
(ean )enoir, My Life and My Fils
My Dearest Estranza:
!hat rare emotions tonight creates in me* #ne could almost believe that + was
alive again ,ater tonight + will lead you through this anniversary of your rebirth
the last anniversary under my care You have already prepared your own havens-
tomorrow they become your homes You will always be welcome in this old country
club of mine, but now + shan.t have to listen to your obnoxious, incomprehensible
/Butthole Surfers/, while you in turn will not be /tortured/ by the transcendent beauty
of chamber music
You 'now, + envy you in this endeavor You.ve always expressed your
ama0ement at the wealth +.ve accumulated and the power +.ve ac1uired !hile both
would have helped me immeasurably in the past, + must admit that the clich2 about
the getting being more en3oyable than the having is 1uite true For the rest of eternity
4"aine willing5, +.ll remember my battles against the 6al'avian Sabado, which ended
with me in control of 7obbs +ndustrial and him in the 7obbs blast furnace #rdering
about the current "&# is nothing in comparison to that strange and invigorating feud
6y dear, + never told you how close + came to the Final 7eath during those
dangerous nights %he last fight against Sabado would have ended much differently
had + not been able to call on the assistance of (ason Summers and his Scottish
ghouls +t was they who monitored Sabado.s ties to the +n1uisition and managed to
turn that organi0ation against him
+ hadn.t planned to turn this brief note into one of my /interminable and inane/
lectures 4yes, + overheard you tal'ing to "arlos perhaps + was a bit long8winded in
critici0ing your taste in vessels5, but an interesting point has sprung to mind You
have no doubt heard me rail against certain members of our august clan ,ady 9nne in
particular has been a thorn in my side, what with her constant insistence on protocol
and strict adherence to tradition %he fool would not recogni0e a business opportunity
if it bit her on her s'inny, pale: never mind + find myself using your rude little
collo1uialisms far too often
7espite any personal feelings for ,ady 9nne, however, were + given the
choice of her aid or that of Bernhard 4by the way, than's to my actions that old
chantry leader is now a %remere lord, but that story merits an entire letter in itself5,
who shares many of my feelings and goals, + would not hesitate to choose ,ady 9nne
+t has nothing to do with her position as Prince of ,ondon- it has nothing to do with
the allies she would bring with her +t has everything to do with the fact that she is a
;entrue, and that is the only fact which matters
+ have told you about the ties that bind our clan, but you have never directly
experienced this miracle #ur clan may well comprise the most desperate collection of
conniving bac'stabbers one will ever find, but they are our conniving bac'stabbers
%here is nothing in the world li'e the sensation of reali0ing that, even when the night
is at its dar'est and all seems lost, you would rally an army to your side with but a
word
+magine yourself driven from your haven by Sabbat, forced to flee to terra
incognita, and then hunted even there %his is exactly what happened to my own sire
in the century preceding my &mbrace %rapped in #slo, he pursued a rumor 3ust as the
Blac' <and pursued him !ith the evil sect.s devilish murderers hot on his trail, he
found the !oar's "usk Inn and sought sanctuary within %he !oar's "usk, as rumored,
provided haven for three of our 'ind %hey met your grandsire.s pursuers on the field
of battle %hey never hesitated in their duty, though they 'new that even should they
prove victorious, the cost would be high indeed Such was the case 9ll the
combatants suffered grievous wounds %he Sabbat destroyed one of our clan that
night, and another has yet to rise from torpor =onetheless, "lan ;entrue was
victorious that night, and because of its members. sacrifice, you and + are now
immortals
6a'e no mista'e we may call all vampires >indred, but only other ;entrue
are of our 'ind You have as'ed me many times why + chose you for the &mbrace,
and + have given you all the stoc' answers the need for an assistant, your business
acumen, your ability to persuade and maneuver others, my fear that you would have
become stifled and withered under the influence of your chauvinistic, short8sighted
boss but one reason stood above all others, one reason + have never before told
you You were ;entrue years before + ever met you
+ have no 1uestions about your loyalty + have no doubts about your
trustworthiness + saw that side of you when + first encountered you at your ban'
7espite your obvious dissatisfaction with your 3ob, despite the fact that your superior
had implied that very morning that the only way for you to advance in the company
was hori0ontally, you fought my attempts to procure the information + needed +
wanted the business secrets you possessed, the clues that would show me why your
financial conglomerate was so interested in my pharmaceutical investments You
resisted me for longer than + thought possible
7espite the fact that the outcome was never in doubt, despite the fact that +
could have used any of a million stratagems to obtain the information + wanted, you
impressed me +t too' me a long time to arrange your transferal to a division where +
could 'eep a closer eye on you- it too' me longer still to earn your trust 9s +
witnessed your integrity and character firsthand, + became more pleased with my
choice you were someone with whom + could happily share eternity, someone who
could fulfill all the duties inherent to membership in "lan ;entrue
+ndeed, the longer + studied you the more sure + became of this fact + watched
you nightly, following your every movement 6y ghouls videotaped you by day, and
+ viewed the tapes on those nights when + did not actually watch you in bed You
'now that my taste in vessels runs toward those who consider themselves actors, 3ust
as you prefer those long8haired boys who call themselves musicians Yes, + tend to
become fixated on a few thespians at a time, but my feelings for you far surpassed
what + feel for them
!hen the night for your &mbrace finally came, and + had ensured that no
forces would turn the prince against you, + entered your cluttered condominium +
remember how you rose from your small bed, clad only in a cotton %8shirt, intent on
defending your honor at all cost %he unease + felt at draining the blood of someone
not an actor disappeared at that moment, and + 'new you were destined to become my
childe
+ remember watching in rapt fascination as you dressed at my command You
tried to fight my mesmerism throughout the limousine ride to my country club You
listened in disbelief as + told you about vampires and our clan, and your eyes grew
wide as you reali0ed that what + said was true !hen + finally &mbraced you in the
garden behind the club, + too' all your blood from you and then returned it From that
moment on you have been a ;entrue, body and soul
+ hope that some night you discover the great pleasure of creating your own
childe, for only then will you understand how proud you have made me You have
aided me incomparably in both business and politics, and your ability to deal with
anarchs has proved invaluable + remember how you managed to convince 7irtman
and his anarch gang to turn that ?angrel 7iabolist over to us + especially en3oyed that
line of yours$ /+ 'now you can.t trust us +t.s 3ust that you have even less reason to
trust anyone else/
9h, the poor anarch fools For all their blustering, posing and whining, they
understand neither what they fight nor what they fight for %hey cry, /Freedom*/
without 'nowing what freedom really is %hey scream, /#ppression*/ without
reali0ing what oppression really means !hen they demand freedom they are really
calling for e1uality, something they in no way deserve =one of them could bear the
burden of true freedom even their secret allies in the Sabbat could not do that
%he truest form of freedom is not a liberation from the demands of some
person or institution, be it the "amarilla, a clan or sire, but a freedom to do something,
to accomplish one.s fondest dreams %he members of our clan have striven for this,
and occasionally we see some transcendental glimmer of this freedom %he more we
create, the more we can create, and hopefully our efforts will ultimately complement
one another
Your anarch ac1uaintances seem to feel otherwise, for they maintain that
freedom means 'eeping anyone from ma'ing them accomplish anything So long as
their ?rail is a freedom from everything, they trap themselves in far stronger snares
than we could ever weave %he less they accomplish, the less they can accomplish
%hey destroy their own potential in these senseless battles, for even when they win
their coveted freedom 4as they believe they have in ,os 9ngeles5, they s1uander the
opportunity
+nstead of using their newfound license constructively, consolidating and
strengthening the mortals and institutions around them, they continue to fight amongst
themselves, each demanding that no one else hinder his own petty whims and vices
9ll the while they remain oblivious to the fact that the only way they can become
copletely free in this manner is by sub3ugating everyone else a goal even the
most power8hungry ;entrue would re3ect
%o address that sub3ect$ 6y dear, no matter what you may hear from that
diverse little coterie you associate with, no ;entrue is bent on world domination
9lso, no matter what similarities our 'ind may bear to the %remere, we are not
interested in raising our clan to global dominance &ven when we had the chance,
during the )oman &mpire, we did not do those things that would have allowed us the
rule of the entire world !hile + hardly have firsthand 'nowledge of that time, + 'now
that we opened the &mpire and )ome itself to all types of >indred &ven Bru3ah
found haven in the &ternal "ity, despite that clan.s horror stories of ruined "arthage
which they had created and we destroyed
#ur goal far supersedes mere dominion +nstead, our purpose is twofold First,
we strive to battle beings of incredible power who do seem intent on ruling the world
+ have seen their hand at wor', though + could not hope to tell you whose hand 4or
claw, or talon5 it was %here are Secret 6asters at wor', &stran0a, and their goals are
even less altruistic than ours is perceived as being %hey want all the beings of the
world, immortal or mortal, ,upine o fey, at their bec' and call Should their plans
succeed, we shall all become their pawns, with as much free will as termites !hy
they want this + cannot tell you, for their true purposes are as unfathomable as those of
the stars themselves
+ suspect that one or some of these 6asters are vampires but that most of them
are other types of beings 9s you have no doubt already reali0ed, we are not the only
immortals in this universe + have heard of mummies who die and are reborn, mages
who 1uaff potions of vitality li'e we drin' vit@, ,upines who remember a time before
the wolf had been domesticated, and even spirits which have flitted through the ether
since the time of the first proto0oa + would fear any such beings, and fear twice as
much the idea that there exist entities even more powerful than they
+n any case, combating them is but the first of our goals !e would be as
negligent as the anarchs themselves if our only purpose was negative and our sole
duty was to be an antithesis +nstead, we have a second, far more constructive role in
this world !e ;entrue en3oy a gift that mortals 4and vampires5 cannot imagine
!hile mortals, mortal institutions and even mortal societies are doomed to disappear
and eventually be forgotten, we live on forever %here are ;entrue who remember the
Second "ity + have met one =o doubt at least one exists who remembers the First
"ity
+ don.t mention this merely to impress you Far more impressive is what the
continuing line of ;entrue symboli0es %here is another hand at wor' on this planet,
my dear +t is far more subtle and far more concealed than that of the Secret 6asters
+t operates far in the bac'ground where no mortal could hope to perceive it, but it is
there nonetheless +.ve heard many names for it "aine, the Aniversal Subconscious,
?aia, ?od, and others but none of these does it 3ustice
!hat has transpired on this planet is not the wor' of a few great individuals +t
is the unfolding wor' of history, the continuing evolution of all sentient beings +t is
tradition, destiny, custom and convention (ust as a child cannot understand the rules
of her parents, neither can an individual hope to comprehend the course of
civili0ation 9narchs, too blind even to understand the rules of the "amarilla, have not
a prayer of understanding the ebb and flow of time, yet this tide embodies the heart of
immortality
&stran0a, it is our immortality that defines us more than any other aspect of
our nature, be it vampirism, our 7isciplines, our wealth or even the Beast itself 9s
immortals we can see the great %ruth that we are merely a part of something far
greater !e are an important part, but still only a part !e are eternity.s guardians !e
exist to do all that is within our power to see that this evolution continues !e have
seen much, but there is far more to be seen Should the Secret 6asters have their way,
all will be lost to stagnation and entropy Should we succeed, however, our reward
will be:?
#h well, + see that + have written for far longer than + intended "arlos is
calling me to say that my suit has been laid out and that + need to hurry it + am not to
be late to your &mbrace =ight festivities Please accept the following documents
among your &mbrace =ight gifts Some of them came from my own sire- others have
come into my possession by chance, exchange or even outright theft You will receive
the rest of your presents at the party tonight in the )it08"arlton ballroom %hat (aguar
and long8haired driver you found in front of the country club tonight are but the least
of them
Your ,oving Sire,
Friedrich von Weber
"hapter %wo$ %he
7istinguished <istory of
"lan ;entrue
Indeed, history is nothing ore than a tableau of cries and isfortunes.
;oltaire, L'Ing#nu
!e ;entrue have never believed the maxim that history is written by the
victors 9fter all, if that were true, why are there so many versions of the same
stories? +nstead, ;entrue who argue this point believe that history has been written
either by the survivors or, more li'ely, by the losers, for there have never been any
winners
6ost of us accept what follows as the most valid story we 'now, but are
willing to accept that our own myths and legends may be nothing more than well8
constructed lies Still, until we hear otherwise, these are the facts we will espouse
9fter all, these are the facts that ma'e us feel good
%he First =ights
Yes, my dear friend, it has always been so #ur founder, the first of what have
come to be called the 9ntediluvians, has always assumed responsibility for the actions
of his wea'er brethren, 3ust as we do tonight Sired on "aine.s orders by the one
whom legend has named &noch or ,amech, ;entrue became "aine.s first advisor and
constant companion
<e sat at "aine.s side as "aine oversaw the growth of the paradise 'nown as
the First "ity #riginally a place of mud houses and open fires, it grew into a
monument to all that the >indred can accomplish !ithout the benefit of modern
machinery, the First "ity soon boasted marble towers spiring to the heavens "aine.s
own palace shone with gold, and the beauty of his main courtyard has never been
paralleled
%he finest craftspersons of that ancient age created artwor's the li'es of which
this planet has never again seen simple but glorious, reflecting the unchec'ed
promise and hope of that time "aine himself turned the garden into a crowning
masterpiece, using both magic and s'ill to evo'e his own vision of penultimate
beauty %o wal' in the garden was to wal' in paradise
Still, our sire reali0ed that all was not as it should be 9fter "aine.s childer
began siring the rest of the %hird ?eneration, ;entrue saw lines of worry begin to
crease "aine.s unchanging face #ur founder beseeched "aine to spea' of his fears,
but at first "aine would not respond %hen the First +mmortal spo'e as though
entranced %here, sitting amid the towering monuments of the First "ity, "aine
revealed his dream of the future, wherein horror and catastrophe beset the world
Floods and earth1ua'es, volcanoes and disease would all stri'e
;entrue found it impossible to believe these stories, but "aine continued <is
own childer would survive, but the mortals would be devastated by the destruction
%hen they would see' someone to blame, and the childer of Seth would hunt the
childer of "aine, using powers of fire and faith to drive us from our havens and
destroy us one by one until all the immortals were no more
%hen "aine fell silent, and ;entrue sat stunned until he gathered the courage
to as' his 1uestion %hen he hesitatingly as'ed his grandsire that which we all fear
/+s this future engraved in stone, unchanging and unchangeable?/
"aine loo'ed out over everything he had created and 1uietly replied, /+ do not
'now/
Sharing "aine.s view of the gleaming vista that was &noch, our clan founder
could not believe that such a horror could occur 9ll his existence he had 'nown
nothing but peace and prosperity in a land where mortal and immortal lived without
conflict <ad such words been spo'en by anyone but "aine himself, our ancestor
;entrue would have dismissed them out of hand Spo'en by the Father of 9ll,
however, they tore at his soul, and he wished he could claw his ears from his head
rather than hear of such horror
"aine continued <e told our ancestor that we were not the only supernatural
beings on this planet <e spo'e of beastmen and deadmen, sorcerers and fey beings
with whom the undead would wage terrible, eternal war 9nd waiting in the shadows
beyond these beings are far more powerful masters, and these masters cannot coexist
For all their power, these masters are afraid afraid of each other and of those forces
that even the masters cannot comprehend
%hese masters see the undead as threats, for we were capable of surviving
outside of their wars !e could wor' with humans as none of them could !here the
beastmen could only sub3ugate humanity, where the sorcerers must always live apart
from their fellows, where the dead and faeries could be nothing but alien beings, we
were as much a part of the mortals. world as were the sun and the moon
!hen ;entrue was again alone, he could do nothing but ponder these words
!hen his beautiful lovers came to him, he sent them away !hen the artisans who
decorated his palace sought to show him their latest wor's, he ordered them out of his
presence 9lone he sat, spending night after night in contemplation of "aine.s words
Finally, after three wee's and two nights, he left his palace with a new
determination From that night on he would do everything in his power to 'eep this
tragedy from occurring Should it occur despite his best efforts, he would strive with
all his might to lessen the damage <e would see to it that one night mortal and
immortal threw off the shac'les of the masters and freed themselves for all eternity
%he (yhad
#f course, one cannot say that our clan founder did not contribute in some
way to the devastation which destroyed the First "ity <e began to gather those tools
that might help him combat the masters, and the other 9ntediluvians too' note
;entrue.s magnificent palace, once a museum for the most beautiful art, a building
where every inch had been meticulously constructed in as awe8inspiring a style as
possible, became a fortress <ere ;entrue gathered items of power, both natural and
artificial
Such relics as the %apestry of Blood, the head of 6edusa, the claws of Fenris,
the Faerie Bridge and #roma0us. 6ist littered the palace %o safeguard them, ;entrue
used his awesome ingenuity to design an underground sanctum that no creature could
penetrate 9ll this his >indred saw, and they worried
#ne night, when the moon filled the s'y with silver, four of ;entrue.s brethren
approached the palace /;entrue,/ cried out she who is now called Bru3ah, /why have
you ta'en those items that should belong to us all and hidden them away?/
/6y dear sister,/ ;entrue replied, /+ but protect them from those who would
steal them from us all !hen the time has come, we shall all use these tools to
recreate the world/
/;entrue,/ cried out he who is now called Set, /you should share those items
with all of us so that we might use them as we will/
/6y dear brother,/ ;entrue replied, /if + did so, they would be wasted and
lost, and when we need them we shall not have them !hen the time has come, we
shall all use these tools to recreate the world/
/;entrue,/ cried out he who is now called %0imisce, /you spend all your time
alone or with "aine 9re you trying to turn our ?randsire against us?/
=ow our sire saw the true motive behind their visit (ealousy had begun to
fester in their hearts, and ;entrue saw it as a sign that the masters had begun to wor'
their evil magic 6aybe if ;entrue had lowered himself then, begging and pleading
with the four, he could have averted the holocaust to come But he was ;entrue, first
among the %hird ?eneration, and debase himself to his younger brothers and sisters
he would not do
/6y dear brother,/ ;entrue replied, /+ do what + do for the good of us all
!hen the time has come, we shall all use these tools to recreate the world/
<e turned to the one who is now called =osferatu, expecting the 1uestions to
continue, but =osferatu merely smiled %hen the four departed, though ;entrue 'new
things could never again be as they had been From that night on ;entrue prepared
himself for war with his own 'ind, all the while hoping they would become his allies
once again but 'nowing that this meeting had hastened the end
%he 7eluge
!hen the infamous flood struc', and "aine separated himself from his childer,
our founder was the last to loo' upon him /Father of 9ll,/ he sobbed, /will you not
stay with us? !ithout you, we will have no one to lead us !ithout you, there will be
no one to resolve the petty conflicts and calm the angered souls !ithout you, the
>indred can do naught but fall to war amongst themselves !ithout you, all hope of
defeating the masters is lost/
6ighty "aine loo'ed at ;entrue and, for the first time in ages, smiled !e
may never 'now the exact words the First +mmortal spo'e unto our ancestor, but we
do 'now that when ;entrue returned to his >indred, he was the only one prepared to
direct the rebuilding that was re1uired <e supervised all the >indred, even his own
sire, during the creation of the Second "ity, and even though he 'new that it would
fall some night, he devoted all his energies to it
<ere he hid the mightiest artifacts that he had rescued from the First "ity
<ere he buried a clay pot filled with the ;it@ of "aine &ven when the city fell, and
;entrue was forced to flee, he 'new these treasures would be safe, ready to be used
by all the >indred when the time is right Some say this is why the =osferatu delve
beneath the earth they still see' these relics of anti1uity
%he ;ast 6igration
9fter the fall of the Second "ity 4and we all 'now why that happened5,
vampires spread across the planet 9 few headed north into the vast forests 9 few
more went south into the deep 3ungles But most stayed near the civili0ed lands,
moving east and west into the river valleys and along the coastline
;ampires visited all ancient races of humanity, but some civili0ations
benefited from exceptional levels of "ainite involvement in their affairs %hese
included such lands as the island empire of "rete, the lands of 9ssyria, the cities of
Sumer and, of course, the 'ingdoms of &gypt 7uring the earliest nights we ;entrue
were active in all these lands, but not in the same leadership roles we fill today
+n those years we allowed other >indred to ta'e the vanguard while we
followed a more reserved approach ,i'e the early "hristians, we believed that the
day of rec'oning was near "aine would return to lead us in battle against the Secret
6asters, and from that night and henceforth, &arth would again be a paradise !e saw
our tas's to be recording and preserving, 'eeping "aine.s dream alive until he could
return to fulfill it
#f course, some ;entrue became involved in the politics of the /ancient/
world By the time of the Persian &mpire, we were immersed as deeply as anyone
=ot until the time of the )oman )epublic, however, did we ta'e our place at the
forefront of vampiric culture
Ea Adapa
%<& S&")&% 69S%&)S
6any ;entrue firmly believe that powerful forces manipulate the world for
their own sinister purposes %he 9ntediluvians are a part of this near8omnipotent
coterie, but they compose only a fraction of the whole ;entrue 'now that some
powerful mages have existed for centuries, and those >indred with more extensive
occult bac'grounds have heard of incredibly powerful spirits who manipulate
werewolves, other spirits and mortals
;entrue have used many names to describe these 6asters Starets, +ncarna,
#ccultae )eginae, #urani, ?igantes, 7aevas and other appellations have been applied
to them, but the ;entrue have used the term /Secret 6asters/ since the late BCDD
!hile the ;entrue can only speculate why the Secret 6asters do what they do, and
cannot point to any concrete proof of their existence, they have enough circumstantial
evidence to satisfy themselves %hey see mighty beings acting in inexplicable ways,
doing things for reasons they cannot fathom, and begin loo'ing for the puppeteers
For instance, recent events in "hicago have drawn the ;entrue li'e moths to a
flame Supernatural battles involving vampires of all types, werewolves, spirits and
mages have caused incredible upheaval in that city =obody 'nows 3ust who was
responsible for what, though accusatory fingers point everywhere !hile these sorts
of conspiracy theories may seem paranoid, this ;entrue belief does not stem from one
single incident +nstead, the ;entrue can point to similar inexplicable events
throughout history
)9)&F+&7 %9S%&S
9ll vampires 'now of the ;entrue feeding restrictions 6any find them
constant sources of amusement /<ave you heard about 9braham the ;entrue? <e can
only feed on his female third cousins while in a ,incoln %own "ar par'ed on the
railroad trac's and all his relatives died during the French )evolution/ %he
;entrue, however, ta'e pride in their exclusivity
6any li'e to point to these limits as symbolic of the clan.s rarefied tastes 9ny
vampire can go around draining the bums down by the wharf 9s the ;entrue see it,
they see' out those worthy enough to donate their blood #ther ;entrue believe their
feeding habits developed as a safety mechanism Because the ;entrue 'eep a close
watch on their herds, they can be sure that the blood is untainted by disease, magic or
the blood of others =o ;entrue will admit that these restrictions are a curse or
handicap
Some astute observers believe the restrictions originate much deeper in the
;entrue psyche %hese amateur psychologists note the ;entrue passions for both
martyrdom and control %hey see ;entrue feeding habits as outward manifestations of
these conflicting drives and symbols of the clan.s repressed lusts By focusing their
feeding on specific groups, the ;entrue not only get the satisfaction of feeling as
though they are selflessly depriving themselves, but they get to focus their obsessions
on one select group
!hatever the case, there is little doubt that the effects are psychological,
though they date bac' to the clan.s earliest nights =o matter what the situation,
;entrue will not drin' the vitae of mortals other than their chosen type +ndeed, they
will reflexively refuse to swallow if such is force8fed to them ;entrue can drin' from
any other vampire, and they can overcome their limits to drain a deserving mortal for
the &mbrace 9dditionally, a given ;entrue.s specific wea'ness can change over time,
though Storytellers should only allow this as a result of extreme changes in the
character.s personality, such as higher or lower <umanity or a dramatically different
=ature
)ome and "arthage
;entrue vampires arrived with the &truscans who con1uered the +talian
peninsula in the eighth century B " 9ccording to legend, BE vampires, led by the
;entrue %inia, controlled the &truscans !hile %inia lay in torpor, her own childe led
a revolution that overthrew the &truscan rulers of )ome %his childe, "ollat,
eventually reached a compromise with his sire and became the ruler of )ome
"ollat and his sire do not appear in further myths, though a reference to a
beautiful &truscan vampire who met her death in 9sia 6inor does bear a resemblance
to %inia %he renowned ;entrue "amilla became the leading vampire in )ome and
remained the most prominent ;entrue in the world until the time of =ero
For centuries, "amilla.s main opponents in the city were mages, not other
vampires "amilla wor'ed extremely hard to bar other clans from the city, and as the
)oman )epublic spread, so did our clan.s influence By the third century B ", we
controlled most of +taly, and "amilla stood out as the most influential of us all
%wo centuries earlier, members of the Bru3ah clan had ta'en control of
"arthage, but we had little problem with that #ver time, however, they became more
and more conspicuous !hile the 6as1uerade had yet to be created, most vampires
willingly followed the First %radition +n "arthage, however, the Bru3ah wal'ed the
streets as lords, and all 'new their real nature %oreador flaunted their powers
regularly, and the most blatant built temples where they accepted child sacrifices
while the parents loo'ed on
<ad these depredations been limited to "arthage, they might have safely been
ignored, but the Bru3ah became bolder with each passing year %hey con1uered all the
land surrounding the city, enslaving the native 9fricans and deploying their ghouls to
do battle across the 6editerranean %o culminate their crimes, they promoted the
study of blood magic to such an extent that no vampire anywhere felt safe %hey made
pacts with our own enemies in )ome, the fabled #rder of 6ercury, and dealt with
demons to such an extent that even tonight vampires fear to visit that corner of
%unisia (ust wal'ing on its soil causes the most horrible fits of )Ftschrec' one can
imagine
<ad we ignored the Bru3ah.s atrocities, "aine alone 'nows what sort of
bac'lash "arthage would have created !hat unholy alliance of mortals, werewolves
and mages might have risen to fight it? #f course, once done with "arthage, this
alliance would have turned against all >indred !hile most ;entrue were unwilling to
ta'e action, the noble "amilla saw a new destiny for our clan
<e 1uietly began to gather support among those ;entrue directly threatened
by "arthage !hen he had enlisted their aid, he made his proposal for all vampires to
hear Stressing the danger posed by the "arthaginian vampires, he called for an
alliance of clans to destroy the city 9ma0ingly enough, the first clan to respond was
"lan 6al'avian, whose members were then fighting the armies of "arthage in Sicily
"amilla sent them aid, and the war began
For more than a century the >indred of the !estern world fought 9t first the
;entrue and 6al'avians stood alone against the Bru3ah and their myriad allies 9s the
years passed, however, more and more >indred began to see what would happen
should the Bru3ah win 9s a further enticement, "amilla opened first +taly and then
)ome itself to other clans, and they began to floc' to our side First the ,asombra,
then the "appadocians 4now called the ?iovanni5, and then others 3oined our cause
Still, not until we had brought the %oreador to our side with a show of force
4the con1uest of ?reece5 and a sign of appeasement 4allowing them to move to )ome5
did we have the strength to destroy "arthage %he Bru3ah fought with all the tric's
and evil magics they had, and many of us met the Final 7eath in this final conflict
%he fiercest and deadliest battles occurred in the hidden, bloodstained temples where
the Bru3ah held their sacrifices
+n these massive monuments to cruelty, )oman soldiers, their ghoul leaders
and ;entrue masters fought the Bru3ah room by room, inch by inch &ven the artwor'
the Bru3ah had forced their mortal sub3ects to create for them became weapons, and
more than one ;entrue was slain after being trapped beneath golden statues !ith
their last blood the Bru3ah cursed the city, saying that from that night on whoever
ruled "arthage would meet a bloody end +n response 4and to ma'e sure that all the
devil8worshipping Bru3ah were destroyed5, we set fire to the city and watched it burn
for BC nights %hen, with the aid of our own sorcerous allies, we salted the earth,
ensuring that the >indred in torpor there would never rise again
9 =&! "#A)S&
=ot only did the destruction of "arthage chart a new destiny for mortals, but it
set our clan irrevocably on the trac' it has followed ever since =o longer could we sit
bac' and watch as our >indred wrought havoc upon the world &ven in that distant
age, people and events had become too intertwined, too dependent on one another for
us to let a horror li'e "arthage reappear
"amilla had unwittingly furthered this process by allowing an influx of
>indred into )ome as their reward for fighting "arthage =ot only was it unwise for
us to let other vampires act without our guidance, but having so many of them in the
heart of our own territory made it impossible !e had to interact with them on a
nightly basis- that being so, the only safe course was to become their leaders !e
would ta'e on the role that "aine.s slanderers said he had re3ected !e would become
our Brothers. 'eepers
"amilla, as Prince of )ome, found himself plunged into the midst of this
torrent 9s the most prominent member of our clan, he enlisted the ;entrue in the
business of enforcing the First %radition 7espite what other vampires have said,
"amilla.s efforts involved no coercion +ndeed, during this period the ;entrue clan
was as democratic an institution as >indred society has ever seen
&ach ;entrue recogni0ed as having influence over a significant number of
mortals had as much say as any other such ;entrue %hus, the leader of a cult in the
lands of Palestine had as much say as "amilla himself #ur clan would occasionally
meet, usually in )ome, in gatherings that became the precursors of the "amarilla.s
"onclaves 9ll ;entrue in attendance could vote, and together they determined what
course the clan as a whole would pursue
%his system wor'ed best during its first nights, but problems soon arose 6uch
to our clan.s discredit, we split into factions, and soon these meetings became forums
for us to voice disagreements rather than to enact policy 6eanwhile, the other clans
were turning their eyes to that which we had built in )ome
9s we argued bac' and forth, spending our nights in endless debate, more and
more >indred floc'ed to )ome, and more and more >indred too' the opportunity to
manipulate the local leaders !hen the land under our control became too unwieldy,
and the ma3ority of ;entrue agreed to support an emperor, the other clans 4and many
mortals5 fought the change with every weapon at their disposal #ur first candidate
met a public and bloody death, and several more years of war were waged before we
could steer )ome bac' on course
"amilla had hoped that the change of government would limit the amount of
influence the other clans exerted in the )oman Senate, but he discovered that
everyone involved in those manipulations shifted their attention to the emperor
himself Soon the emperors were being pulled in so many directions that none of us
'new what they were going to do next
Antonius Hominius
%<& 697 &6P&)#) =&)#
=ero, one of the most infamous leaders in history, graphically illustrates the
disastrous effect supernatural beings, especially vampires, can have upon mortal
pawns 9t the beginning of his reign, when he appeared to be completely under
"amilla.s control, he was an admirable emperor, 'nown for wisdom, generosity and,
most of all, mercy !ithin five years that had completely changed
#ther vampires, including Setites, 6al'avians, ,asombra and %oreador, made
attempts to control him %he #rder of 6ercury, one of the secret powers involved in
much of )ome.s history, tried to convert him to its ways, and accordingly the emperor
studied sorcery throughout his reign "amilla wor'ed hard to negate all outside
influences, but then came the infamous fire that =ero has been accused of setting
"amilla disappeared during the conflagration some say at the hands of the
%oreador "aius Petronius =o vampire can deny that this event mar'ed the end of the
)oman &mpire, though we fought against its downfall for the next GDD years
=ero himself fell more and more under %oreador control, which they
strengthened when he toured ?reece in 9 7 HH %he extent of their control was
amply displayed in 9 7 HI when, going to war against the ?auls, his primary
concern was to ensure that he had proper wagons to carry his musical instruments and
theatrical props %he ;entrue finally replaced him later that year, but by then the
damage to )ome was irreversible
%he "hurch
<aving missed golden opportunities to control the "hristian "hurch, we were
determined not to pass up another %he "hurch had played a ma3or role in
destabili0ing our )oman &mpire, and the time had come for us to ma'e it ours Asing
our control over one of the )oman emperors, we caused "hristianity to be declared
the official religion of )ome ,ater, when "hristianity itself began to splinter, we
again used our influence to solder it bac' together
<owever, we have never commanded the same influence over the church
leaders that we did over the emperors &ven when we had the &mperor "onstantine
call the =icaean "ouncil in 9 7 EJK, we had no way to pacify the disparate elements
of the "hurch
By the time the !estern &mpire finally fell, as we 'new it must, we had
already shifted much of our resources out of the government and into the "hurch !e
could never consolidate our hold over the "hurch for a number of reasons %he most
important had to do with a schism within our own ran's 7uring the BKD years
following the =icaean "ouncil, our members saw that dramatic change was in the air
but argued about how to deal with it
+n the pagan past, religion had always been tied to the structure of
government &ven when priests wielded a great deal of political power, as in the
&gyptian dynasties, they never considered religion a separate entity from the secular
institutions "hristianity changed this +n the new religion, the religious leaders were
distinct from, and superior to, the political leaders +ts followers owed their allegiance
to "hrist, not "aesar
!hile past religions had aided our goal of 'eeping society stable, "hristianity
had a higher purpose %o the pagans, it appeared as though the "hristians were
shir'ing their civic duties "hristians rarely revolted, preferring to submit mee'ly
rather than fight "hristianity grew despite persecution +t would ma'e the perfect
blind for us
#ther ;entrue did not see "hristianity as an opportunity %hese vampires
gravitated toward the eastern half of the )oman &mpire, where "hristianity played
much the same role religion did during pagan times %hese ;entrue included many of
the eldest, wisest and most powerful members of our clan %his not only wea'ened the
!estern &mpire, contributing to its collapse in 9 7 GCH, but hindered our efforts to
control the "hurch
#ur second stumbling bloc' involved other powers trying to grab a piece of
the "hristian pie %hese powers consisted not only of other vampires, but mages and
extremely powerful mortals as well 9dditionally, while instances of people
displaying what we now call %rue Faith have occurred throughout history,
"hristianity attracted them li'e a magnet !e tried to 'eep these individuals from
attaining power, but many ac1uired it despite us !e learned to deal with the "hurch
through ghouls, for direct involvement often bac'fired
7espite the fact that we never obtained the level of control we desired, the
"hurch began to fulfill a number of our goals +t allowed us to influence and, in many
cases, control people of different nationalities !here before we needed empires to
influence large numbers of people, the "hristian ideology allowed us to shape them
across borders "hristianity.s promise of heaven often allowed the 'ine to shoulder the
temporal restrictions our other agents put on their lives Finally, it gave us another
weapon to use against our enemies and a way to chec' those individuals with %rue
Faith
%he +n1uisition
%his remained true through the era that has come to be called the 6iddle
9ges !e reached the apex of our power with "harlemagne in 9 7 IBJ, when the
eastern and western ;entrue reunited !e might have maintained this stability had it
not been for the bac'biting, intrigue and competition that had seemingly become
integral components of the vampiric nature
For the next GDD years we vampires ceaselessly fought each other !e ignored
the mortals except when we used them for our own advantage !e fancied ourselves
far superior to the 'ine, who huddled in their pitiful homes, sha'ing with fear every
night that we might swoop down and tear out their precious throats !hile most of us
followed the first %radition, many ignored it, and the people had good reason to fear
7uring those nights, the myth of the vampire came into its own %0imisce
lords ruled vast estates, and no serf was safe from their thirst ?angrel wandered the
deep forests, only venturing out to attac' a lone farm %hey would leave its
inhabitants butchered, and the next morning neighbors would discover only vultures
alive there 6al'avians wandered from town to town, and residents were wise to fear
strangers in the night =osferatu too' perverse pleasure in the reaction their
appearance engendered, never caring what bac'lash this might bring
+t was in this atmosphere of superstition and fear that we made one of our
costliest blunders !hen "hurch leaders called for an +n1uisition against "hristian
heretics, we made no effort to bloc' it &mbroiled in our own plots and battles, we
had no attention to spare for what we saw as a minor movement #ur enemies too'
advantage of the opportunity we gave them, and with a few short decades our control
of the "hurch had been sha'en to its roots
%he +n1uisition began in southern France during the early years of the lEth
century 9t first we ignored it, for it appeared to be aimed mainly at mortals and
mages, though the %oreador did suffer as well +ndeed, some cynics have said that a
%oreador, angered by the criticism his art had received from other %oreador, began
the +n1uisition %he pope officially founded the Society of ,eopold in BJEB, and the
world of the vampire was changed forever
%here is no way to 'now when the +n1uisition first targeted vampires, but in
BJKJ it uncovered its first ;entrue 6ortals may have discovered her on their own, or
her enemies may have pointed them in her direction, but at that point we 'new the
+n1uisition had gotten out of control !e reasserted our control over church leaders
only to discover that the Society of ,eopold was beyond our reach but that we
were within its
%o uncover vampires, the in1uisitors would use the most horrendous tortures
'nown Starvation, one of their 'ey weapons against mortals, was of no use against
us +nstead they would roast our feel over glowing coals, wrench our bodies on the
rac' to see if we would heal ourselves, slowly destroy our limbs under millstones, and
inflict a thousand other tortures +f the in1uisitors even suspected that their captive
was a vampire, they would burn him as soon as possible
7espite their power over us, they apparently came to fear our fren0ies %he
rules of the in1uisitors forbade the spilling of blood, apparently for fear that we would
fren0y at its sight, and they rarely thrust one of us into the sunlight after they got their
first loo' al the horror of )Ftschrec' 9dditionally, vampires and other supernatural
beings found ways to manipulate the in1uisitors, and soon the Society of ,eopold had
become another weapon in the (yhad, if a more horrific one
Still, it was a tool with a mind of its own +ts leaders sought out the >indred
with a vengeance, and it managed to catch younger vampires with unnerving ease !e
do not 'now 3ust how many met the Final 7eath, but we can understand the
frustration that caused the neonates to begin the 9narch 6ovement #f course, they
immediately fell under the sway of the Secret 6asters
Fabrzio Ulfila
%he "oming of the "amarilla
Success in the war against the Sabbat may well be the crowning achievement
of the ;entrue =ot only did our noble clan ta'e its rightful place at the head of its
brethren, but it has had ama0ing success against incredible odds +n its earliest nights,
the 9narch 6ovement nearly routed those who protected the %raditions +t struc'
savagely and without warning, using any means available to destroy its enemies
9ssamites and Setites roamed the hills, while Bru3ah attac'ed their elders in the cities
+nto this maelstrom of terror stepped "lan ;entrue !hile individual vampires
might be powerful, ;entrue leaders 'new that the anarch hordes were more than a
match for any single elder Some of the finest figures in vampiric history met Final
7eath on those dar' nights %hus the ;entrue began advocating for an organi0ation of
responsible, capable vampires to counterbalance the new threat
#ur success can be seen in the "onvention of %horns, which brought the
Bru3ah as a clan to our side, though individual members of that )abble have remained
the enemies of all right8thin'ing "ainites From the fall of the 9narch 6ovement,
however, sprang the dread Sabbat
%his new sect re3ected everything for which we had striven +t sought to
sub3ugate humanity under its dung8stained boot while imprisoning vampires amidst a
stagnant world where change was anathema and personal freedom and
accomplishment repugnant =o more obvious pawns of the Secret 6asters could
possibly exist, and "lan ;entrue has ever since devoted itself to the destruction of this
sect
For centuries the war between the sects raged across &urope 6any mortal
conflicts occurred against the bac'drop of this immortal war, and both sides achieved
their own successes +n the end, the ;entrue and their allies drove almost all Sabbat
vampires from the continent, forcing them to ta'e up residence in the unsettled =ew
!orld =ow the ;entrue stand poised to destroy that dar' sect, having riddled it with
their own agents and turned it into a house of cards waiting for the right bree0e to
'noc' it down
Valerius
7A&,S
!hile the ;entrue li'e to consider themselves trendsetters, carving a path for
other >indred and 'ine to follow, they are often themselves slaves to fashion #ne
example of this is their lingering fascination with sword fights and dueling
!hen fencing became popular among the mortal nobility, the ;entrue 3oined
the trend "lan members had naturally shied away from 3ousting 4a lance, made of
wood, could have 3ust the wrong effect on a vampire.s heart5, but sword fights were
ideal 7uels allowed ;entrue to hurt their enemies without ris'ing any permanent
damage while at the same time remaining cloa'ed in the trappings of honor
+n fact, dueling did not really go out of style among the ;entrue until the
BIDDs, and even tonight some Blue Bloods prefer it as a means to settle disputes %his
s'ill is often taught to childer 6any vampires have been surprised by certain
;entrue.s aptitude with melee weapons including sta'es
%he +ndustrial 9ge
9s the wars with the Sabbat continued and the "amarilla expanded, the
;entrue began to play a greater and greater role in mortal society !hen the 'ine
began migrating from the farms to the cities, the ;entrue prospered more than any
other clan %hey 1uic'ly saw the potential in the new industries and immediately
began exploiting them 7uring these years, "lan ;entrue began to assume its current
form
#f course, other forces were also at wor' "oloni0ation and imperialism
forced the ;entrue to change %he clan.s agents traveled the world, ma'ing their
presence felt everywhere !hen mortals under its control moved into +ndia, the clan
used the opportunity to assess the odd vampires of that subcontinent %hey did the
same in 9frica, the =ew !orld and the 6iddle &ast
%hese mortal agents had all the technology and economic might of &urope at
their disposal, and they used these weapons to sub3ugate whole countries and races
%he ;entrue, while latecomers to the 9ge of &xploration, 3umped into it
wholeheartedly Soon their &nglish and ?erman pawns had overcome the %oreador.s
lead, and the world lay at the feet of its ;entrue lords
9s the ;entrue extended their influence, however, they found themselves
becoming more and more entrenched in the status 1uo, less and less willing to tolerate
changes in their domains %hey became stricter and stricter in their adherence to the
%raditions and the "amarilla Few will deny that their reactionary politics helped
provo'e the renewal of the 9narch 6ovement, which afflicts the world tonight
9dditionally, the ;entrue.s efforts to spread their influence around the world
may have created an even more dangerous situation %hey have made other
supernatural creatures aware of them First contact with the fearsome 9sian vampires
came through the ;entrue, and it was this contact which seems to have led the 9sians
to loo' beyond their historic boundaries %he ;entrue have also come into conflict
with werewolves, shamans, witches, mummies and other beings enemies who
remember every slight
%he +nformation 9ge
=ow the ;entrue stand astride the !estern world li'e colossi, recogni0ed
leaders of one of the most powerful races ever to exist 6ost ;entrue see their
positions as unassailable, for they control resources undreamed of by their sires ,ess
partisan observers have a mar'edly different opinion
%hese observers note the extremely potent enemies that the ;entrue have
made 9narchs and Sabbat battle the clan for control of vampiric society 6ages
contest the clan.s control of mortal institutions, while werewolves feel increasingly
free to leave their forests and lope through the cities %he ;entrue have never had
much conflict with the wraiths and changelings, but even these beings have become
agitated recent years
!hile old clan members feel confident in their supremacy, younger ones are
not so sure %he clan has split, albeit rather cordially, over its perceived stagnation
#lder vampires prefer to maintain past policies- younger ones want the clan to
ac'nowledge individual initiative and encourage greater change
"ertain clan members share an even more pervasive concern, one about which
they often fear to spea' %hese ;entrue postulate that the Secret 6asters have
manipulated the clan.s enemies for centuries, and their speculation does not stop there
%hey see incomprehensible, self8defeating actions by clan elders, and wonder %hey
watch clan leaders hinder capable ancill@ while rewarding those who do nothing, and
worry %hey loo' at all these events and see the hands of the Secret 6asters behind
the ;entrue as well
Anonymous
%<& +=%)&P+7 &LP,#)&)S
7espite the ;entrue reputation for being staid and conservative, the clan can
boast some of the bravest explorers the >indred world has ever 'nown 7uring the
BIth and BMth centuries, ;entrue sailed the =ile )iver to its source, hac'ed their way
through the 3ungles of 9frica, made their way across the =ew !orld and pushed into
every part of 9sia #nly the ?angrel can brag of having been to more uncivili0ed
lands
!hile the ?angrel went where they did out of wanderlust, the ;entrue never
went anywhere without a distinct purpose in mind Asually, as in +ndia, that purpose
was to gain control of larger areas and populations ;entrue motives have not always
been that self8serving, however
%he clan.s early explorations of southern 9frica helped defeat the earliest
Sabbat attempts to coloni0e the area %he ;entrue.s earliest efforts in (apan were at
least partially aimed at discovering the 9sian vampires. role in the (yhad 9fter these
altruistic purposes have been achieved, however, the ;entrue had no compunctions
against usurping the land for themselves
%<& ;&=%)A& 9=7 6#%<&) )ASS+9
!hile )ussia never completely belonged to the ;entrue, the clan had its hoo's
in the country at least as far bac' as the )oman &mpire +n a land of its si0e, however,
there was no way to 'eep out other clans, and ?angrel, =osferatu, %0imisce and
others wandered at will
;entrue influence in )ussia faced its only 4and final5 challenge during !orld
!ar + "lan ;entrue had devastated itself through intraclan warfare, as clan leaders in
&ngland and )ussia battled the more established leaders in ?ermany By the end of
the war, the clan had used most of its resources against itself, and its best members
had met the Final 7eath
9 large group of Bru3ah +dealists, who had only limited involvement in the
war itself, saw its chance and moved on the isolated, devastated country +t swiftly
destroyed the ;entrue still in the country and, in what is described as either one of the
few displays of Bru3ah loyalty or an ama0ing coincidence, anarchs around the world
combined to 'eep the ;entrue too busy with them to deal with )ussia
For CD years the ;entrue could do little to defeat the Bru3ah state, and were as
ama0ed as anyone when it fell =ow individual Bru3ah and clan leaders hope to
reclaim the land ,eading this effort is the ;entrue )asputin, &mbraced in the last
nights of the old "0arist regime and ready to reclaim the power he once wielded
"hapter %hree$ %he
%raditions of the ;entrue
First and last and always till the end of the end of tie. First and last and
always ine.
Sisters of 6ercy, $First and Last and %lways$
!hile some vampires accuse the ;entrue of being as conservative and
tradition8bound as the %remere, the ;entrue themselves 1uic'ly disagree %he Blue
Bloods argue that no other clan so rewards individual initiative and accomplishment
%heir enemies retort that the clan promotes a younger vampire only when outside
pressure ma'es it unavoidable 9 little of both is true
=ot that this dichotomy bothers the clan %he ;entrue ta'e a 1uiet pride in
what they consider a pragmatic attitude toward unlife ,et other >indred worry about
who deserves to be doing what 9s far as the ;entrue are concerned, the proof of a
vampire.s right to wield power is the fact that the vampire has it
%his attitude extends to the clan.s position in vampiric society %he fact that
the ;entrue lead proves that they deserve to lead !hile this means the clan is often a
lightning rod, bearing the brunt of attac's by anarchs, Sabbat and others, its members
also en3oy the fruits of this position prime hunting grounds, wealth, adoration, etc
",9= S%)A"%A)&
#utsiders would also be surprised to discover 3ust how much the clan has
changed through the ages +n its earliest nights, the clan had no organi0ed structure
%he more power an individual ;entrue wielded, the mare respect she commanded, but
there was no formal mechanism for this %his changed shortly after the destruction of
"arthage
%<& S&=9%&
Ander the guidance of the great ;entrue "amilla, the most prominent clan
members began meeting to set clan policy %his senate, as it was called, was small at
first, but grew at a remar'able rate #pen to those ;entrue who could demonstrate
control over a substantial number of mortals, the group was remar'ably democratic in
its politics &ach member had a single vote and e1ual time to address each issue
7iscussions generally revolved around what direction the clan should ta'e,
and these early votes helped expand the ;entrue.s role from that of archivists to that
of leaders +t seemed that each time the senate met it debated some new threat to the
%raditions, and each time it resolved to increase the ;entrue.s involvement in the
affairs of other >indred
%his did not go unopposed, of course Such notable ;entrue as the historian
&a 9dapa constantly strove to return the clan to its original mission, but she and her
supporters met with little success #ther clans also discovered what the ;entrue had
accomplished with the senates, but they had no more luc' than 9dapa in stopping its
spreading influence
%his success, however, proved the clan.s undoing 9s each ;entrue expanded
her influence in the world, the senate became more occupied with its secondary role
resolving intraclan disputes ;entrue began selling their votes to other ;entrue-
meaningless power struggles continued night after night- and, after "amilla.s
disappearance, the senate devolved into s1uabbling factions incapable of
accomplishing anything
",9=S !+%<+= ",9=S
!hen the !estern )oman &mpire fell in 9 7 GCH, no senate had been called
in more than JDD years =o structure appeared to ta'e its place, and the ;entrue
instead began to form what could only be considered subclans Sires would establish
their childer in positions of power and then expect the younger vampires to support
them in the future
Subse1uently, a powerful vampire might successfully recruit a handful of
these sires to his side, and he would become the most powerful ;entrue 4and one of
the most powerful vampires5 for miles around %hese petty strongholds rarely lasted
for more than a few hundred years, and the 6iddle 9ges saw the rise and fall of many
a ;entrue
Some ;entrue found an alternate way to use this system %hese vampires
remained slightly aloof from the manipulations of the other ;entrue, instead forming
clandestine alliances with the power of the moment !hen that power began to wane,
they would cast about for someone to ta'e its place and shift their support in that
direction
%hough all ;entrue believed they shared a common vision, each vampire
focused on a different part %his 1uasi8feudal patchwor' remained the only consistent
structure the ;entrue had until the formation of the "amarilla
%<& <+77&= #)7&)S
%he inade1uacies of the ;entrue.s system became stri'ingly apparent upon the
formation of the new sect +n order to provide the leadership most ;entrue felt they
should, the clan would have to unite %he old movers and sha'ers, many of whom had
played 'ey roles in creating the "amarilla, began secretly meeting around &urope
+n order to hide their actions from both the Sabbat and other >indred who
might mista'e their motives, the ;entrue sought to cloa' their gatherings in as much
mystery as possible %hus, they created a series of secret orders and societies, each
based in a given city
%he orders were initially established only in the largest cities, and only the
leading ;entrue of a city 'new members in other cities #ther ;entrue in the
surrounding area could attend meetings of their local order and slowly earn the trust
of its leaders %hey found that the only way they could wor' with the orders in other
locations was by becoming servants of the local leader or by earning the friendship of
distant ;entrue 6ost ;entrue never understood the reasons behind their leaders.
actions, and only the leaders of the orders could see the big picture
Some of these local orders rarely met, while others congregated on a regular
basis Some orders became distinctly political, with all their members involving
themselves in mortal and >indred affairs, while others had more diverse goals Some
were 1uasi8mystical, some religious, while not a few devoted themselves to furthering
their leaders. power
For instance, one branch centered around a charismatic leader 'nown only as
the Petal, who believed the clan should play an even more prominent role in
controlling mortals 9s signs of their loyalty to him and their disdain for mortals, his
followers based their order on a parody of the "hurch, with their own rites and
ceremonies 9fter the Petal was mysteriously destroyed during a thunderstorm in
Brussels, his followers blamed clan elders for his Final 7eath !hen ;entrue leaders
attempted to put a stop to this slander, they discovered that the Sabbat had gotten
there first, and that all the surviving members of the Petal.s branch had 3oined that
sect
7espite the individual orders. diverse goals and occasional feelings, however,
the orders as a whole served important functions =ot only did the orders allow the
clan to act with some unity, they also gave younger ;entrue a way to learn and
advance without directly opposing their superiors
&ach order remained largely independent, but their leaders cooperated as
much as possible %hey also too' into account the wishes of their underlings as much
as possible while remaining unconstrained by any lesser ;entrue.s desires
%<& 7+)&"%#)9%&
%he hidden orders remained in place for almost KDD years, but even they
proved unable to 'eep up with the changing times 9s the ;entrue expanded
throughout 9frica, 9sia and the =ew !orld, they found the orders. covert nature
detrimental to clan growth 6any of the orders, especially the younger ones, came out
of hiding
+n so doing, they made their affairs open to all ;entrue and even to other
>indred %he orders became dominated by groups of powerful clan members rather
than by solitary leaders 9dditionally, as the clan too' an interest in mortal businesses,
the orders began to assume a corporate structure By the late BIDDs, a number of the
orders had openly emerged as directorates, theoretically devoted to ensuring the
success of all ;entrue and, through them, all vampires
=ow the clan has a directorate in almost every ma3or city in the !estern
world Some directorates may have only two or three members, but all serve the same
purpose ensuring that the clan.s power and influence continue to spread
7irectorates usually meet on the first %uesday of every month, and every ;entrue in a
given city is expected to attend %he senior Board of 7irectors only rarely meets, but
its members stay in constant communication
%<& 9%9;+S%S
;ery few >indred outside the clan 'now of its past structures, and that is the
way most ;entrue want things to stay First of all, those past structures were secret,
and the clan is afraid that if their existence became widely 'nown it would cast a poor
light on what the clan accomplished in earlier times Second, and more importantly,
the ;entrue do not want other vampires to 'now that its past leaders failed to maintain
clan unity 9ny sign of past wea'ness might inspire the clan.s present enemies
Some ;entrue do not feel this way )eferred to as 9tavists or %hrowbac's,
these vampires believe the directorates are flawed and inferior to past structures
%here are those 4usually young5 who espouse the democratic trappings of the ancient
senates and wish their votes counted in the directorate li'e they believe a ;entrue.s
vote counted then #thers 4usually old5 believe the directorate system has made the
;entrue soft %hese vampires want to reestablish the old subclan system, the strong
prospered and the wea' perished
Finally, an even smaller group of ;entrue believe that the clan has become too
public in its current form +nstead of leading the >indred, they say, the clan has a
divisive effect %hey note that many >indred who 3oin the anarchs or Sabbat point to
;entrue oppression as part of the reason %hese 9tavists believe the clan should
reinstitute the hidden orders and guide the undead from the shadows
;&=%)A& %)97+%+#=S
=ot only do the ;entrue spouse the "amarilla.s Six %raditions, they have
many more of their own #ne well8'nown dictum is that of Sanctuary 9ny ;entrue
can demand safety in the haven of any other ;entrue %his is one reason ;entrue help
each other so willingly better to 'eep a clanmate out of trouble than to succor him
when he.s in trouble
9nother tradition is that of 9ccountability !hile all vampires are supposed to
follow that Fourth %radition, the ;entrue believe it should apply even after the childe
has been introduced to and become a part of >indred society ;entrue sires always
feel slighted if their childer act against the clan and will be the first to try to bring
them to 3ustice "onversely, ;entrue sires also expect their childer.s successes to
elevate their own status
But following %radition does not always mean unthin'ing adherence to
senseless rules 9 less widely 'nown but more en3oyable custom is that of the
&mbrace =ights &ach year, ;entrue celebrate the anniversary of the night they
became undead %hese celebrations, reserved for the ;entrue and their closest allies,
usually involve wee's or months of planning and lots of money Some ;entrue rent
par's, auditoriums, entire hotels or massive luxury liners to hold their parties
%he variety among these parties is truly astounding given the clan.s stuffy
reputation Some ;entrue do prefer subdued affairs where they recite their lineage for
the benefit of all in attendance #thers, however, throw wild debauches where
anything goes and blood flows li'e wine
%he only constant with these parties is the gift8giving 9s with mortals, all the
guests try to surpass each other.s gifts !hile there is no obvious reward for giving the
best present, doing so is a sure way to gain "lan Prestige %hese parties are not
supposed to be tied to prestation, but the recipient cannot help but feel somewhat
indebted to the giver of an exceptional present, 3ust as guests feel beholden to hosts
who throw especially successful parties
;&=%)A& ,9!
;entrue law has never really been codified or even written down &ach
directorate ma'es and enforces its own policy, as long as that policy does not overtly
conflict with the clan.s international agenda !hile they are not bound by any written
rules, the ;entrue do have an even stricter form of regulation %radition
Bound by their history, however biased that may be, the ;entrue loo' first to
the past to determine a precedent for resolving a current situation /+f it was good
enough for my sire it.s good enough for me/ is an all8too8common sentiment !hen
;entrue want to decide whether they should support the %remere in battling the
mages or follow the %oreador prince.s policy of pensive neutrality, at least a few Blue
Bloods will begin loo'ing through their history boo's to see what the clan did in a
similar situation years before
%his adherence to %radition even more strongly governs relations among
;entrue Younger ;entrue are expected to defer almost completely to their elders
%his is partly out of respect to Social 7arwinism the ;entrue who is on top must
be the one who deserves to be on top but has more to do with the fact that this is
the way the clan has always acted
%he directorates are the final enforcers of this /law,/ but all ;entrue will turn
against a clan member who violates %radition %his situation most often arises when
younger vampires try to sha'e up old industries under the control of their elders
6aybe the business is stagnating, but the young vampire had no right trying to ta'e it
away from her elder
"#=%)#,,+=? %<& >+=&
6anipulating mortals isn.t so easy as it may initially seem Young vampires
often mista'enly believe that all they have to do is stare into a mortal.s eyes, use
7ominate, and the problem is solved !hat they don.t reali0e is what a temporary
solution this is, and how often it bac'fires 6ortals are not the unsuspecting dolts
vampires often thin' they are &ven if a ;entrue 7ominates someone into ta'ing some
action and then forces her to forget the control, he cannot 'eep her from subse1uently
undoing everything 9 police officer forced to loo' the other way will begin to
wonder why she did so, and will loo' into the situation twice as hard as she otherwise
might have 9 bureaucrat mesmeri0ed into rescinding an order condemning a
vampire.s haven will be shoc'ed at his own conduct and thus ac1uire an unhealthy
interest in the property
%he use of Presence can create an even worse bac'lash 9 person convinced
via &ntrancement to help a vampire will lose that conviction as soon as the vampire
has left !hen that person reali0es that she gave the vampire critical financial
information because of feelings she no longer possesses, she will li'ely become
resentful and angry =ot only is she li'ely to tell her superiors what happened, she
will do everything in her power to enact her own revenge %his bitterness can be
magnified even further if the victim feels that the vampire spurned her <ell hath no
fury li'e a mortal scorned
"ontrolling 'ine re1uires a delicate touch, a 1uic' mind and at least a little
&mpathy 6any vampires, especially ;entrue, ta'e a certain pride in how rarely they
have to resort to 7isciplines to get what they want %heir other tools, while less cut8
and8dried, have their own rewards
%<& ?#;&)=6&=%
;entrue, especially neonates, shy away from direct control over prominent
political figures +f a conspicuous public figure begins acting strangely, someone will
notice the change 9dditionally, the most famous public officials have both the most
power and the most restrictions Asing a congressman to stop a murder investigation
will only draw even more unwanted attention Finally, elected officials are always
sub3ect to the whims of the electorate, which only the most powerful vampires can
affect
+nstead, ;entrue focus their efforts on low8level cogs !ise ;entrue begin by
controlling employees in the city.s personnel department, who can then feed them all
the information they need to ta'e more and more control of the government Some
find their first pawns in the 0oning offices overseeing their main feeding or business
areas %hese ;entrue reali0e that if they can bloc' their enemies. business expansion
or facilitate their own, they will gain a decided edge #ther ;entrue target wor'ers in
the finance or public wor's departments for the same reasons #wning someone in the
par's department can be a good way to obtain favors from the ?angrel and 'eep an
eye in the ,upines
%he police and courts ma'e tempting targets and are highly pri0ed by ;entrue
=eonates are advised to avoid going after the police chief and 3udges- their elders
have already "onditioned these officials %he prudent neonate instead starts with the
police officers who patrol a beat near her haven- she then moves on to the precinct
captain +n the courts she will aim first for the 3udges. cler's 4who do much of the real
wor'5, promising attorneys and capable prosecutors and public defenders %hese are
the 3udges of the future
<ow does a vampire gain control of these figures? %he most common way is
with money no public servant believes he is getting paid what he is worth %his is
not the most reliable method, however, for these mercenaries can be bought by other
vampires and betray the character
!iser ;entrue stri'e up a personal relationship with the bureaucrat and
proceed from there 6any people will do all sorts of things for a friend that they
would never do for money 9ll sentient beings are susceptible to the pulls of
friendship, and ;entrue have innumerable tools to facilitate this %he Presence
7iscipline, an ability to grant favors 4anything from getting the pawn a raise to having
his annoying neighbor move away5 and the simple expedient of playing on the pawn.s
ego all go a long way Some ;entrue have claimed their main tas' is analogous to that
of a smart prostitute ma'e the 3ohn feel important and worthy no matter how much
of a schmuc' he may be
#f course, there are other tools Blac'mail has always been popular among the
undead #ffering favors, both legal and illegal, or even vampiric vitae, can wor'
wonders Politicians can rationali0e away most 7iscipline8induced actions if the
actions did not wildly deviate from their normal behavior ,ast but not least, vampires
can inspire popular support for their cause, force public officials to bend to their wills,
and then cause that support fade away as if it were never there
&,&"%+#=S
&lections are tric'y things to control, and young ;entrue usually spend more
time helping their elders than fielding their own candidates %heir first tas' is
recruiting the support of those community leaders who can deliver a number of votes
6ore than one ;entrue has been &mbraced merely because of her 'nowledge of the
political landscape and the number of votes she could deliver at election time
+n recent years, ;entrue have found willing and malleable political pawns in
the form of religious leaders %hese charismatic figures have loosed their unthin'ing
minions upon the political arena, and the vampires have 1uietly used these unwitting
dupes to ta'e over promising political institutions
;ampiric involvement in elections does not end with their control of special
interests li'e these 9nother area where young ;entrue often excel is the dirty8tric's
division %actics can be as blatant as releasing a video of the other candidate being
ecstatically flagellated by a na'ed, muscular young man or as subtle as paying off
preachers to /forget/ to tell their congregations to vote on &lection 7ay Some
;entrue implant posthypnotic commands in the rival candidate.s mind causing him to
gaffe during a big debate #thers successfully convince large numbers of 'ine 4those
whose votes they can.t control5 that voting doesn.t matter, thereby ensuring that the
only mortals who vote are the pawns of one vampire or another
Finally, some ;entrue avoid uncertainty altogether by controlling both ma3or
candidates and letting the electorate do as it pleases #f course, the anarchs argue
4often correctly5 that ideology really doesn.t matter anyway !hoever wins will be the
pawn of one ,eech or another, so one.s time is better spent trying to change the entire
system than worrying about whether Pawn #ne or Pawn %wo wins the office
%<& BAS+=&SS !#),7
"orporations provide a whole different set of challenges !hile minor
corporate officials may do most of the wor' and be responsible for a company.s
success, actual control rests in the owners. hands %hey set the direction, decide
policy, hire and fire, and most importantly, handle the money
6ethods of ta'ing control of a company are as diverse as companies
themselves Public corporations, which are owned by anyone who buys their stoc' but
managed by a board of directors and a "&#, re1uire a different strategy than do
private corporations #ften a vampire does not need to run an entire company 3ust
a subsidiary or a local corporation ;entrue often 3o'e that when another vampire
achieves success in business, it means he has sold his soul to their clan #n the other
hand, because no neonates 'now who really controls what corporation, ;entrue may
themselves be wor'ing for ?iovanni, ?lass !al'ers, %oreador or who 'nows what
else
9ccordingly, ;entrue li'e to have their control as high up the corporate ladder
as possible %his is not an easy thing to accomplish Buying up a company.s stoc' is
expensive, time8consuming and certain to attract attention 9 more common way to
gain influence in a public company is through its main officers Because most boards
of directors follow the lead of the companies. upper management, the ;entrue find
ways to ma'e the executives beholden to them
9 common tactic is to manufacture a crisis in the company 4corporate
ta'eover, labor difficulties, legal investigations or defective products5 and then appear
as a white 'night come to save the day %he executives feel beholden to the vampire
and, more importantly, will do anything to 'eep the vampire from telling the board of
directors or stoc'holders about what almost happened %he ;entrue will then use this
opening to influence the company.s direction until the "&# is afraid to move without
his master.s permission
9 board of directors can help a vampire run a company, though this is an
uncertain thing +f a ;entrue can control it, perhaps by ma'ing its chairman a ghoul,
she can neutrali0e a hostile "&# %he board can use its influence to 'eep him in line
or even fire him and hire a replacement more to the vampire.s li'ing
;entrue often use the /crisis/ method against private corporations, but in a
more overtly offensive vein +n these cases, they ma'e sure the owners 'now exactly
who created the problem !hen a shipping company.s truc's start getting hi3ac'ed at
the rate of one a night, they let the owner 'now what he has to do to ma'e the
hi3ac'ing stop !hen the assembly line brea's down every hour, on the hour, they let
the owners 'now what they have to do to 'eep it running
+n all of these cases, the company in 1uestion finds itself with a new partner
the ;entrue &ven if a ;entrue moves in legitimately, perhaps by giving the company
the money it needs to expand, she will come to dominate the firm +n order for the
firm to fulfill the ;entrue.s purpose, she must control it completely and control it
she will
?<#A,S
;entrue usually avoid &mbracing the old, though there are many exceptions to
this ;ampiric existence is extremely dangerous, and the ;entrue want their neonates
capable socially, mentally and physically )ather than letting their old allies die off,
however, ;entrue often feed them their blood and bind them as ghouls
?houls span the spectrum of ;entrue interests, and no clan ma'es more or
better use of these second8class immortals ;entrue have discovered that the lure of
eternal life ma'es a most effective bribe, especially for those mortals old enough to be
in positions capable of furthering the clan.s interests ;entrue have far more to gain by
enlisting the old and powerful than the young and promising 4these latter ma'e better
childer than ghouls5
;entrue ghouls remain in their old positions for a reasonable amount of time,
arrange a transferal of their temporal power to the ;entrue, and then ta'e positions
behind the scenes !hile some ;entrue eliminate their ghouls soon as their usefulness
has ended, most prefer to find new positions for their old allies +f those positions are
more dangerous and the ghouls meet untimely ends, then so be it
Antil such time as their utility ends, a ;entrue.s ghouls ma'e up a big part of
his unlife %he clan ta'es the Fourth %radition of the 9ccounting to heart and applies
it to ghouls as well ;entrue consider a ghoul an extension of its master and treat it as
such %hey usually avoid sending their servants into needless danger or grossly
mistreating them 6any ghouls have served their ;entrue masters for decades and
will do so for decades more
;&=%)A& 9=7 %<& !#),7
6#)%9,S
7o we have a responsibility to the children of Seth? %he answer is a
resounding yes %hey are as much in our charge as the Bru3ah, the 6al'avians or the
lowly "aitiff
%<& 9)"9=A6
#ur >indred do not reali0e what a useful tool this organi0ation has been +ts
members have succeeded in discovering much that we would never have found
ourselves Still, it remains imperative that neither it nor the "amarilla reali0es the
influence we have over it
%<& +=NA+S+%+#=
9 constant reminder of what a threat mortals can be when manipulated by
more powerful forces +f there are such things as the Secret 6asters, then the
+n1uisition is surely their handiwor'
%<& "969)+,,9
#bviously not the best of all possible organi0ations, but the best we can hope
for +t is not under our control or anyone else.s- instead, it provides a stage upon which
we can watch and learn Studied long enough, it should reveal who is attempting to
accomplish what
%<& +="#==A
%hese aged vampires are either the most flagrant liars or the most tragic dupes
in existence %hat they could ever believe that they are not being manipulated by
other, more powerful entities is incomprehensible %hese are some of the biggest
pawns in the game Still, their raw power ma'es them appear more li'e blundering
roo's or 1ueens Beware
%<& S9BB9%
Yes, it was no doubt created to be a tool of the Secret 6asters, but here we
have achieved our greatest successes %he more successes it scores, the more powerful
it becomes, the more imminent is its collapse #ur efforts have ensured that this vile
sect cannot survive !hen it comes crashing down, it will ta'e its 6asters with it
9SS96+%&S
!e have had more contact with this clan than anyone else, and almost
destroyed it during )ome.s heyday Since the +n1uisition, it has become apparent that
its power has been bro'en, and now its assassins are nothing more than faithful
lapdogs content to serve anyone who meets their price
B)A(9<
%his noxious rabble shifts with the wind li'e the stench from a garbage dump
%hey have been our allies, enemies, betrayers and benefactors +f a Bru3ah says
something, do not believe it She may mean it with all sincerity, but even she may not
'now what she will do next + would prefer their permanent enmity to our current
unsteady alliance at least then they would be predictable
F#,,#!&)S #F S&%
%hese sna'es may be predictable, but that does not ma'e them any easier to
deal with &very time you enlist one of these creatures to your cause, you can be sure
that he is searching for a way to manipulate events against you Better to set them up
as the scapegoats for anything that might go wrong, thus destroying them before they
can turn their attention to you
?9=?)&,
?ood, easily trained little pets Feed their little delusions 4/#h, yes, by living
in the Barrens you stay 1uite free of the (yhad*/5, throw them some bones 4/+ would
be more than happy to help prevent the paper mill from polluting your swamp/5, and
they will support you as surely as a dog runs to the one who feeds it
?+#;9==+
%hese charlatans li'e to play ma'e8believe, exuding an aura of magic and
mystery, but we 'now better 9s far as magic goes, they are nothing compared to the
%remere 9s far as business goes, they are less than nothing compared to us !hen we
want something that they have, they give way without complaint 9ll rumors that they
are manipulating us for some dar'er purpose are mere drivel
69,>9;+9=
+s their madness genuine, or is it a ruse to ma'e us relax our guard? %he
answer is probably both and neither %he 6al'avians have usually been our allies, as
during )ome, but this has not always been the case 6ore than li'ely they are
products of the Secret 6asters. machinations, no longer able to express free will
except through insanity
=#SF&)9%A
%his clan has done more to serve us than its members would care to believe,
but it is still a clan to fear +ts members. constant snooping helps 'eep the other clans
in line, even if it does occasionally hurt us %he older members 'now the ancient
stories, and they are the ones to fear %he very eldest see' those things our ancestors
hid away, and their deep, dan' tunnels are safe for no vampire
)9;=#S
Pawns one and all, these vampires delight in nothing more than destroying
everything that can provide a sense of community %he only good it can do is to
provide a rallying point around which we can gather the other clans for one goal its
destruction
S9,AB)+
!hat a tragic history +t is so sad what happened to these poor vampires %oo
bad there aren.t any more around so we can ma'e it up to them 4+f you see one, tell a
%remere and put him in debt to you5
%#)&97#)
Far craftier than they let on, the %oreador present an ingenuous facade- in fact,
many of its members are almost as capable at business and politics as we are
+ndividual members are trustworthy and follow the laws of prestation, but the clan as
a whole must be watched +t will change sides at a moment.s notice and still com out
smelling li'e its flowery emblem
%)&6&)&
%he biggest organi0ation of pretenders in existence, and a constant pain in the
nec' as well 9s long as no one else trusts them, we can ensure that they can never
usurp us =eedless to say, we have played a 'ey role in spreading the stories of their
double8dealings and betrayals !hile they remain subservient to us they are useful,
but the Secret 6asters have been at wor' here
P)+="&S
!e hold most of these positions, and there is no better place from which to
watch and prepare ,et those with neither conscience nor heart hide their heads ,et
them scream that we are fools or lightning rods !e have our responsibilities and our
duties, and we will fulfill them
9=9)"<S
Spea'ing of screamers: the more freedoms these puppets demand, the more
they would ta'e away from anybody else 9ll their complaints must be ta'en with a
barrel of salt, for these poor, deluded fools have no idea what is really going on in the
world %hose who believe themselves the most free are the biggest dupes
F9&)+&S
%hese odd creatures truly exist, and we have occasionally wor'ed with them
%hey have their own understanding about the universe, and while no vampire should
try to comprehend it, we can appreciate it all the same %reat them courteously, see'
to wor' with them, and always 'eep an escape route open
?<#S%S
Some ;entrue believe there is far more to these tragic wraiths than we have
believed #lder vampires say dead souls have not been this active since the 6iddle
9ges Still, we have had little to do with them, and this is the way we should 'eep
things
,AP+=&S
%hey are among the greatest tools of the Secret 6asters %hese beasts have no
will of their own and exist only to do the bidding of powerful spirits %hey would do
anything to bring us down, for their masters 'now we would do anything to bloc'
them 7o not expect 1uarter from a werewolf and do not give one any #ur Presence
powers are often enough to send the beasts howling in fear
69?&S
%he Secret 6asters manipulate the mages 3ust as they do the ,upines, but
some mages remain free +f you need allies among the mages, loo' to those who deal
with science, but do not trust them &ven those mages who are not controlled from
afar can be trusted only as long as you can 'eep them loo'ing at someone else 9s
soon as their hungry eyes turn to you, 7ominate them or run
?#,"#=79
%here is such a state, but it is a tenuous and ephemeral one at best 9ttaining it
provides s momentary respite from the demands of our existence, but loosing it proves
extremely traumatic Because it cannot be held, one is better off never see'ing it than
finding it and subse1uently losing it
"#%&)+&S
Between the ;entrue.s mistrust of the other clans and the tightly 'nit nature of
the clan itself, one might wonder why they associate with other >indred %he ;entrue
themselves, however, reali0e 3ust how necessary these alliances are
%he ;entrue understand that they need other vampires %hey cannot do
everything themselves Young ;entrue especially need the aid of other vampires
because they can accomplish almost nothing on their own %he elders seem to have
already ta'en hold of everything worth controlling, and young ;entrue often find
themselves forced to oppose their elders in order to do anything
Young ;entrue find that other neonates share many ideas with them, ideas that
are completely alien to their sire +f a ;entrue see's to ma'e his mar' in politics,
getting the support of a rising %oreador 9rtiste can be invaluable Bru3ah ma'e very
effective allies when the ;entrue.s businesses run into labor problems &ven a
%remere rival can play a critical role in advancing a ;entrue.s status in undead society
itself
"hapter Four$ ;entrue
%emplates
&e was the ildest anner'd an
"hat e'er scuttled ship or cut a throat,
(ith such true breeding of a gentlean,
)ou could ne'er di'ine his real thought.
,ord Byron, *on +uan
!hile the ;entrue have &mbraced mortals from a wide variety of
bac'grounds, most members of the clan have a number of similarities First of all,
;entrue tend to choose mature mortals who have had some time to develop the s'ills
the clan see's Second, sires usually loo' for mortals who are more stable than those
targeted by other clans Finally, ;entrue ta'e special care to ensure that their neonates
do nothing to embarrass them, and they choose their childer with this in mind
Feel free to tamper with the numbers, =atures, 7emeanors, etc, to ma'e these
characters fit your needs %hese templates may also guide you in creating your own
characters %he best characters, however, are those you design and develop from
scratch
Some of the =atures and 7emeanors used in these templates are ta'en from
The Vampire Players Guide
9=9)"< !9==9B&
Quote, "he !ru-ah ade soe good points. )ou -ust don't want to understand
the.
Prelude$ You.ve had to put up with other people.s expectations your whole
life Your parents read Sha'espeare to you while you were in the womb, put you in a
prestigious preschool when you turned two, and nagged you ever since !hile
thoughts of rebellion stir in many adolescent children, yours began when you were
five, by which point you had already learned two instruments and two languages 4you
disappointed your parents by not learning a third until you were seven5
=o matter how much you dreamed of freedom from their pushing and
prodding, you did nothing to oppose them +nstead, you dutifully fulfilled their
expectations, graduating with high honors from Yale, becoming a success in business
and achieving all the dreams they were living through you
#bviously, your &mbrace altered all this "hanged because your sire believed
you the epitome of the ;entrue type, you found yourself suddenly and completely free
of your parents. control =ot even vampires can force you to revert to your hated
existence you hope
Concept$ +f you wanted to, you could be the perfect childe but you don.t
want to You want to be rid of all the restrictions and demands others impose on you
Still, you reali0e you own something to your sire and clan, and the pull between them
and the anarchs is getting worse
Roleplaying Tips$ !hile you would li'e to cast responsibility to the winds,
you 'now you cannot +nstead, you hope to shoulder only the 'ind of responsibilities
you want, and have become very careful about your promises You don.t want to be
everything to everybody You only want to be yourself
Equipment$ %orn but clean denim8and8leather outfit, brass 'nuc'les 4never
used5, B6!
B#)= ,&97&)
Quote$ "hat's a good plan, but here's what we're gonna do.
Prelude$ 9s a mortal, you had a hard time getting done what needed to be
done You 'new the correct ways to do things and could usually get people to do
them, but not always %here were always those who couldn.t see the necessity of
doing things your way, and they would often become recalcitrant, bloc'ing you at
every turn
=ow that you are a vampire, you have little problem convincing mortals to
follow your lead +t.s other >indred who are the problems Bru3ah, ?angrel,
6al'avian, %remere it ma'es no difference %hey need you even more than the
mortals did, and until they reali0e it, you will continue to lead them whether they li'e
it or not
Concept$ You were &mbraced for your natural ability to sway people to your
side and convince them to follow your lead =o matter what you did as a mortal, you
managed to attract others to your cause %he same holds true as a vampire %he only
problem is that now your enemies are often more powerful than you and your allies
combined
Roleplaying Tips$ Ased to being the center of attention, you do not ta'e
'indly to being overshadowed !hile this means other neonates may find you
overbearing, you find elders to be even moreso %hus, anarchs and other alienated
>indred may be more willing to wor' with you than other ;entrue are You have
common enemies
Equipment$ !hite suit, dar' sunglasses, colorful tie, ,incoln %own "ar,
?loc'8BC
"9P#
Quote$ )ou think we got a proble? 4sound of crac'ing bone5 I don't think we
got a proble.
Prelude$ %o you, it was never the family +t was your family You were born
into it, grew up a part of it and never wanted any other 'ind 9 made man by the time
you were BI, you moved 1uic'ly through the ran's and learned every part of the
business You graduated early from the low8level stuff 4robberies, safecrac'ing and
legbrea'ing5, and in no time at all you were learning the finer aspects of smuggling,
gambling and all types of money8laundering
You thought your career had hit its pea' when your uncle met with an
/accident/ and the family chose you to ta'e his place in the hierarchy %his was when
you discovered the true power behind the family %he real boss didn.t mind that you
had 'illed your uncle- in fact, he rather li'ed that First he made you his ghoul- later,
he made you his childe =ow you have a whole new family
Concept$ !hile your connections and abilities made you an appropriate
choice to become a ;entrue, it was your cold8hearted brutality that attracted the clan.s
attention You can and will do anything to advance yourself and the clan even if
this means opposing clan elders
Roleplaying Tips$ +n private you are ruthless and cunning +n public you are
the heart of civility =obody should consider himself your enemy %hose whom you
most hate are the ones you want to fancy themselves your friends
Equipment$ Pinstripe suit, wing tips, GK automatic, bulletproof vest, "adillac
"#)P#)9%& &L&"A%+;&
Quote$ !uy 'e or break 'e.
Prelude$ You were born on the fast trac' to success, and by the time you got
your 6 B 9 from the <arvard Business School, you 'new it wouldn.t be long before
you finished climbing the ladder "&# was your goal, and it got closer and closer
with every deal, decision and promotion
You had the brains and the talent, but you also had help =ot that you 'new
that +n fact, you didn.t even 'now your 6entor until the &mbrace <e visited you one
night after you had put the finishing touches on an especially lucrative merger %hen
he made an offer of his own You.ve regretted it somewhat, for it means you will
never get the recognition you wanted, but you have found plenty of other rewards to
ma'e up for that
Concept$ 9s a part of "lan ;entrue, you 'now that the combined strength of
its members is incredible %he same is true of the "amarilla and all the undead %he
constant clan and sect wars are not only destructive, they.re stupid +f you could only
unite these diverse elements, there is nothing you could not do
Roleplaying Tips$ You can be smoother than sil', willing to say or do almost
anything to get what you want You can also be harder than iron, and those who cross
you once don.t do it again
Equipment$ &xpensive +talian business dress, Porsche, cellular phone,
midtown condo, portable computer, portable fax machine
"#A=S&,#)
Quote$ I understand your proble. (hat would you like to see happen now?
9s a child, you discovered that the best way to get people to li'e you was to
'eep 1uiet, listen, and then tell them what they wanted to hear You even
contemplated becoming a psychiatrist +nstead of medical school, however, you chose
law school, and have never regretted the decision
+ndeed, you so impressed one of your clients that she decided to 'eep your
counsel for all eternity 9t first you feared that the other >indred would see through
your act =ow you reali0e that they li'e having their egos stro'ed even more than
mortals do You are everyone.s best friend, and sometimes you even offer useful
advice
Concept$ %hose vampires who 'now you only by reputation believe you to be
a weasely, conniving manipulator %hose who have met you find you comforting,
warm and even inspiring =either group has a clue
Roleplaying Tips$ Be friendly and attentive at all times (ust remember,
though, that the one you really care about is you
Equipment$ 7inner 3ac'et, expensive and tasteful 3ewelry, Saab %urbo
,#;&) #F A=,+F&
Quote$ I'll worry about that toorrow night.
Prelude$ Born into a rich family, sure of your place in the grand scheme of
things, you were all set to en3oy a life of comfort and pleasure =aturally talented, if
not at all ambitious, you easily ac1uired the abilities you felt you would en3oy, and
single8mindedly avoided those that seemed the least bit unpleasant
You became a fixture at all the best parties and impressed everyone with your
wit, sophistication and flair You impressed one partygoer too much, however, and he
&mbraced you, finding you the perfect addition to "lan ;entrue <e was right You
immediately adapted to your new unlifestyle and have never regretted the change
You must occasionally deal with the 'ind of individuals you once would have
spurned, but even they can be made to revere you
Concept$ %he ;entrue clan is not 3ust about power Power is nothing without
the grace and gentility necessary to use it properly You represent this part of the clan
the part that throws the finest parties, 'eeps the best company and leads by
example
Roleplaying Tips$ People should not feel inferior around you because you act
superior, but because they are inferior You are not condescending, but those around
you should 'now that they cannot live up to your standards %he fact that you
associate with them despite this fact should impress them even more
Equipment$ &vening gown, expensive 3ewelry, ,amborghini
6+,+%9)Y 69=
Quote$ I lo'e the sell of napal in the e'ening.
Prelude$ Your earliest memories include watching the parades as the veterans
of the >orean !ar came marching home You remembered the pageantry, the
excitement, the honors and, most of all, the respect they were given For you, being
sent to military school was not a punishment but a privilege You did everything you
could to ensure an appointment to !est Point and, upon graduation, gladly too' the
field as a second lieutenant in ;ietnam
Sure, a lot of people, including many of your own men, opposed the war +t
really didn.t matter to you !hether the war was right or not was inconse1uential
You were now a soldier, and this was what you had wanted to do all your life You
served proudly, and even the most disenchanted men had to admit that serving under
you was at least bearable
Your career did not end in ;ietnam ,aos, "ambodia, and other distant shores
soon followed You were an advisor in South 9merica, 9fghanistan, %hailand and
other places Your last active service was in ?renada, where you led soldiers into
combat for the last time 9fter all, there is another war to fight a war that has been
waged for millennia %he ;entrue need their own soldiers, and now you are one of
them
Concept$ You serve the ;entrue in a number of ways First of all, you 'now
all the tric's of leadership, and your elders hope to groom you for greater and greater
positions of responsibility Second, you are an expert tactician, strategist and modern
warrior Finally, you have that rare ability to turn the most disparate elements into a
wor'ing unit, ready and able to coordinate as a team
Roleplaying Tips$ 9 man of action, you have lost none of your decisiveness
since becoming a vampire 9dditionally, you try to be fair in all things, and listen to
anyone with something to offer or with whom you must wor' You will do everything
you can to 'eep everyone willingly wor'ing together- should that fail, however, you
will gladly turn to brute force to achieve your goals
Equipment$ 6ilitary dress uniform, heavy pistol, assault rifle, wooden
bayonet, fla' 3ac'et, civilian 3eep with military radio
#P&)9%+;&
Quote$ /othing gets 'e talking like a few 0uick -olts with 12,222 watts.
Prelude$ Your career in government service began with the little stuff
electronic surveillance, smear campaigns and other blac'8bag wor' You impressed
your superiors with your hard wor', dedication and, most of all, your utter lac' of
scruples %hey continued giving you more important 3obs, and you 'ept succeeding
Your goal was to become part of the inner cabal that runs the government and
employ.s people li'e yourself
#ne night your wish came through %he only trouble was that the inner cabal
did not include the people you thought it did +ndeed, the inner cabal did not include
any /people/ at all %he ;entrue put your s'ills to wor' at once, and you.ve been
gathering information and pulling off 3obs 3ust li'e before You.ve also started
gathering choice tidbits on your masters, 3ust li'e before:
Concept$ "+9, =S9, 7+9, "9%: it 3ust doesn.t matter %hey all report to the
same fol's, and these fol's live beyond presidential administrations +n fact, they live
beyond presidents +n fact, they don.t live at all =ow you.re one of these guys, only
once again you.re at the bottom You have no intention of staying there for long
Roleplaying Tips$ Your success as a mortal derived from the fact that no one
suspected you =ow everyone does, and you can either try to counteract that paranoia
or use it to your own advantage &ither way, you 'now you have interesting times
ahead of you
Equipment$ )umpled gray suit, overcoat, EI Special, nondescript 9merican8
made car, electronic eavesdropping e1uipment, gas pen, various untested but
potentially useful chemicals
A=+#= B#SS
Quote$ In nubers there is strength.
Prelude$ 9n idealistic flame burned in your heart when you were young, but
you found bringing 3ustice to the wor'ing class rougher than you expected %he
corporate powers had their muscle, and you had to ma'e deals to get your own
bruisers deals that returned to haunt you For years you managed to accommodate
both the union and the mob, but as time went on, it became harder and harder %hen
you discovered who really ran the 6afia
You cut a deal with high government officials, promising to tell all you 'new
about organi0ed crime, and you made a similar arrangement with members the FB+.s
Special 9ffairs 7ivision Before you could tal', however, a car pulled up to you one
night as you left a diner +ts mysterious occupant ordered you to get in, and from then
on you have served the undead
Concept$ You were too dangerous to let live and too valuable to destroy, so a
powerful ;entrue &mbraced you and forced you to serve her =ow she feels that the
days of the union are numbered and has let you go your own way You 'now better,
however, and nurtured your mortal contacts during the years you served her =ow you
are ready to ma'e the world the 'ind of place you want it to be
Roleplaying Tips$ You are tough, though you 'now the meaning of
compromise You stri'e most people as uneducated, but you are sharp as a whip
9dditionally, you 'now how to stir up a crowd and command loyalty
Equipment$ Brown suit, attach2 case, bulletproof vest, baseball bat
Y#A=? %A)>
Quote$ Look, if we do it your way we risk losing 34,222,222 with alost no
chance of success. /ow, if we do it y way.
Prelude$ Politics, business, academia they all interested you, but only as a
means to something bigger &ach field has its own advantages and corresponding
wea'nesses &ach could help you rise to power and each could hinder it 9s a result,
you sought to master them all Soon you found yourself behind the scenes, where the
real power is
%he only trouble was that you were not the only one behind the scenes You
unwittingly stepped on the toes of a ;entrue up to his nec' in mortal manipulations
!hile he would normally have s1uashed you li'e a bug for your interference, your
actions gave one of his opponents a chance to ta'e him down a notch %his opponent,
yet another ;entrue, was not only impressed by your ability but 'new that the only
way to ensure your survival was to ma'e you part of the clan
Concept$ %he childe of an aggressive, ambitious ancilla, you have many of the
same traits and desires You respect the power that your elders have accumulated
through the years, but believe they are out of touch with the times %hey miss
opportunities, overreact over minor setbac's and have no way to deal with a changing
society !hile you would prefer to wor' with them, you believe you will eventually
have to wal' over them
Roleplaying Tips$ 9nyone you meet may someday be important to your
plans, so ta'e great pains to avoid alienating anyone !hile your elders may not li'e
you consorting with "aitiff, you 'now you have your sire.s support, so go right ahead
(ust don.t be afraid to sacrifice these pawns if that.s what it ta'es to get the 3ob done
Equipment$ &xpensive bi'er outfit, lots of cash, EKC magnum, cellular
phone, custom <arley87avidson Soft %ail
9ppendix$ Some
7istinguished ;entrue
%lways to be best, and to be distinguished abo'e the rest.
<omer, "he Iliad
+n the eyes of the ;entrue, all the members of their great and illustrious clan
are worthy of distinction except for their immediate adversary %hat one should be
driven from the clan and fed in small pieces to 3un'yard werewolves Still, some
;entrue have stood out for a variety of reasons, and these Blue Bloods deserve more
than the standard adulation when they enter a room 9t least they feel that they do
6ost of these ;entrue have significantly increased the clan.s power and
prestige, usually at the expense of other vampires or even other ;entrue For instance,
)uud )etief has driven a number of ;entrue from power in his efforts to bring change
to South 9frica, while 9nushin8)awan has created an island sanctuary for all
vampires without alienating anyone or so it seems
!hile these may not be the most powerful ;entrue, they are the ones about
whom everyone tal's #ther Blue Bloods 'eep avid eyes on their growth, follow their
successes, and often hope for their falls 9ny of these would be willing to help
another ;entrue %hey would be 3ust as willing to throw him to the wolves if need be
S%&P<9= !#)>69=
Stephan !or'man has only come to the clan leaders. notice in the past two
decades, and at first they regarded him with utmost suspicion 9fter all, anarchs and
;entrue rarely got on, and here was !or'man living near San (ose, on the outs'irts of
the 9narch Free States =ot only that, but his businesses were upsetting older, more
established ;entrue enterprises "lan elders began to ta'e a closer loo'
#nce a ghoul, !or'man had served his master as a technician, adept at all
manner of electrical devices !or'man.s sire &mbraced him after discovering that the
technician was as adept with corporations as he was with devices !or'man
immediately became a part of the burgeoning computer field, and it was here that he
made his mar'
Asing both groundbrea'ing technology and innovative business practices,
!or'man managed to turn a small manufacturer of computer chips into a prestigious
computer company <is main contributions revolved around simplifying the complex
engineering features, ma'ing them something the average user could understand
%his, of course, brought !or'man into conflict with older ;entrue who
manipulated some of the established computer companies !hat the ;entrue
discovered when they moved against him was that their control was nowhere near so
complete as they believed +ndeed, despite the fact that they were ra'ing in money
from their computer firms, they found themselves facing seemingly unrelated
supernatural opposition whenever they tried to use these resources against !or'man
First they had to deal with mages who had usurped 'ey areas of the computer
industry %hen, to the ;entrue.s complete ama0ement, they ran afoul of werewolves
who had an e1ually high sta'e in this field 9s the ;entrue wasted their resources
battling %echnomancers, ;irtual 9depts and ?lass !al'ers, !or'man consolidated
his power
<e freed himself from the day8to8day operations of his company and began
expanding his hoo's into other companies in the field Soon his fingers were in every
part of the pie, from chip development to hardware construction to the software
produced to support the machines Finally, when he believed he could survive the clan
infighting on his own, !or'man presented his achievements at a clan meeting in
,ondon
=one could deny that his achievements had brought greater prosperity to the
clan- one had only to loo' at the problems facing his competitors to reali0e that his
methods appeared the best Younger ;entrue point to him as an example of what
progressive beliefs and modern attitudes can do for the clan =ow, of course,
!or'man has to pay the price for his success
First of all, not all of !or'man.s opponents. problems were completely
coincidental <e cut deals with ;irtual 9depts to 'eep the older ;entrue off balance
=ow they want their payment, and !or'man has had to relin1uish more and more of
his facilities to them %his has brought !or'man into direct conflict with a faction of
mages calling itself the =ew !orld #rder, and the vampire still has no idea of what to
ma'e of it
&ven more threatening, however, have been his recent run8ins with
supernatural beings from 9sia %hese ?a'i have bloc'ed a number of his plans for
expansion %heir most recent warning came in the form of a spinal cord dangling from
a fetid, floating head, which attac'ed him as he awo'e one evening !or'man has
striven feverishly to 'eep other ;entrue from learning about his problems, but he may
have to call on their aid any night now
)AA7 )&%+&F
)etief.s success has come at the direct expense of older ;entrue, and all the
members of the clan 'now that his nights may be numbered Still, the impact he has
made on the clan in such a short time is without comparison <e has managed to
overthrow one of the mast entrenched directorates in the world and has replaced it
with what may be the most innovative one on &arth
&mbraced at the turn of the century during the Boer !ar, )etief initially
served the ;entrue leaders of %ransvaal 9fter they lost to the British ;entrue and
)etief.s sire was destroyed, the neonate was forced to switch sides )etief.s new duties
revolved around 'eeping the South 9frican mines operating at pea' efficiency, and he
performed his 3ob efficiently if without enthusiasm
+n fact, for the next HD years )etief.s unlife stayed as dull as it could possibly
be %hen, when the South 9frican directorate managed to divorce itself from its
British controllers, things began to heat up )etief became a dedicated bac'er of the
directorate.s plans to limit blac's. involvement in all matters, and he enforced
apartheid with vigor and devotion
)etief established espionage cells dedicated to instigating internecine strife
among blac's, used military units to hunt down any possible threat, and ensured that
the grossest human8rights violations went unpunished <e also used his rapidly
growing influence to 'eep tabs on his immortal rivals )etief began to dream of the
night when he would become a member of South 9frica.s Board of 7irectors
9s the years passed, however, he began to sense the futility of his goal %he
leadership seemed set in cement, and any change would re1uire a complete overhaul
of the country.s social structure 9s much as )etief detested what he had to do, he
found himself with no choice Asing extreme discretion, he began feeding support to
the blac' leaders
<e also began using his 9llies and )etainers to unearth the directors.
wea'nesses %hen, in the mid8BMIDs, he made the announcement that shoc'ed
>indred the world over 9t a "onclave in ,iberia, )etief presented visual, audio and
mystical evidence that the South 9frican Board of 7irectors had made pacts with the
Sabbat to encourage upheaval throughout Southern 9frica )etief made no attempt to
explain why the Board of 7irectors had done this, though he implied that it was only
part of some larger, more sinister plan
%he directors vehemently denied any involvement in such a plot, but it was too
late Bru3ah, ?angrel and 9ssamites from around the world had already made their
way to South 9frica, and they were 1uic' to enforce the "onclave.s decision to strip
power from the old directors #nly two of the old directors have been seen since
7espite promises of increased freedom, the situation in South 9frica has seen
little improvement Blac'8on8blac' violence increases, and many note that )etief.s old
intelligence units are as active as ever )etief blames this on continuing Sabbat
involvement, but other >indred warn that the ;entrue.s violent racism must still exist,
though he cloa's it under a new, more peaceful facade
=o vampire 'nows what will happen in South 9frica over the next few years,
but "lan ;entrue has the most to lose Still smarting from the public way )etief made
his announcement, clan leaders have sent their own agents to the country %he entire
clan worries about what will happen to its influence and power should it lose control
of this valuable land
,A"+=7&
For many generations ,ucinde has served the ;entrue (usticars, and she is one
of the very few 9rchons to serve more than one such luminary She has always made
it clear that her loyalty is to the clan and not the individual !hile this means the
(usticars do not trust her as much as they otherwise might, clan leaders almost always
insist that she serve as an 9rchon
,ucinde reassumed her traditional position when she awo'e from torpor in
BMEG She had been exceptionally close to 6ichaelis, who had periodically served as
(usticar and who again filled the position !hile ;entrue leaders 'new that the two
seemed to trust one another, no one 'new how close they were
,ucinde immediately sought out her old lover She found 6ichaelis as warm
and caring toward her as he had ever been <e put off her romantic advances,
however, and seemed entirely absorbed in archaeological research +ndeed, ,ucinde
had no luc' renewing their old passion until she visited the (usticar in &gypt, where
he had 3ust unearthed an ancient scroll
Fixed by his discovery, he shared blood with ,ucinde on the floor of an
ancient tomb &ven as ,ucinde felt the hot ecstasy of 6ichaelis. blood, she 'new
something was incredibly wrong =ever had 6ichaelis. touch been so intense &very
stro'e of his fine, pale hands caused her to writhe in simultaneous passion and
repulsion %he touch of his hot tongue triggered warning signals even as it ignited
formerly dead nerves By night.s end, as the two prepared to sleep in an ancient
sarcophagus, ,ucinde 'new that something fundamental had changed in her lover
But she loved him still 9s the years passed, ,ucinde remained 6ichaelis.
most trusted servant, assisting him with a fervor she had never before possessed She
helped him hunt down his renegade prey, using clan resources on an unheard8of scale
She even prepared to defend him on the inevitable night when his schemes would
come to light
,ucinde instead proved the cause of 6ichaelis. downfall #ther clans had
begun to wonder at 6ichaelis. curious activities, and the %remere regarded the
(usticar with even more concern than most Several of the agents, including at least
one member of the "ouncil of Seven, sought out ,ucinde and enlisted her un'nowing
support
%hrough her eyes they watched 6ichaelis %hrough her they noticed his odd
habits and odder plans %hrough her they reali0ed that the (usticar was not 6ichaelis
9fraid of what would happen should they announce this information themselves, the
%remere 'idnapped ,ucinde and showed her what they 'new %hey forced her to
present their 'nowledge to the leaders of the "amarilla
9t a "onclave in 6unich, ,ucinde revealed the fact that 6ichaelis was in fact
the Setite >emintiri %his revelation shoc'ed the "amarilla as little before had, and a
worldwide Blood <unt was decreed against the vile Sand8Sna'e ;entrue leaders,
praising ,ucinde.s efforts to unearth the truth, made her one of the first 9lastors, those
>indred who hunt vampires on the "amarilla.s most wanted list
,ucinde has had exceptional success fulfilling her duties, and has brought
numerous 9nathema 4those on the list5 to 3ustice Still, >emintiri remains ,ucinde.s
primary target, and she will spare no effort to find the Setite !hen ,ucinde does, she
will tell >emintiri all she 'nows and pray that the Sand8Sna'e will let ,ucinde serve
her once again
9=AS<+=8)9!9=
9nushin8)awan descends from a long time of distinguished ;entrue and
proudly traces her lineage bac' to the clan founder himself <er debut in what is now
the Shei'dom of Natar was a much8celebrated event, attended by (usticars,
6ethuselahs and ;entrue from around the world She immediately set about proving
her worth, acting as envoy, diplomat and peacema'er for both the ;entrue and the
"amarilla
7uring an especially harrowing mission to foil an 9ssamite assassination
attempt against a ;entrue prince, 9nushin8)awan became acutely aware of the need
for a place where vampires could meet to discuss their differences 7rawing on the
awesome resources of her clan, 9nushin8)awan purchased Yiaros, a small coastal
island in the 9egean Sea
She has allowed the island.s few mortal inhabitants to remain, but has
cordoned off a good chun' of Yiaros for her own purposes %he island is easily
accessible from ?reece by air and boat, and here invited vampires can meet in safety
49nushin8)awan only allows invited >indred on the island #thers will be expelled or
destroyed by her many mortal and immortal guards5
9nushin8)awan and her island sanctuary have gained a great deal of fame
among vampires since she established it in the BMKDs several do0en vampires have
traveled here to settle their differences, and even more have spent time here as guests
#ther supernatural creatures, including mages and mummies, have visited Yaros, and
some claim to have seen ,upines prowling the grounds Finally, the island houses a
number of faeries, a fact that 9nushin8)awan was aware of when she bought it
9nushin8)awan.s vampiric guests spend most of their time on her luxurious
estate, lounging among the relics of ancient civili0ations and feasting on her do0ens of
young servants +t is not unheard of for faeries to appear in the gardens, and some
visitors believe the fey have interbred with the island.s mortal inhabitants Such a
belief gains strength the more time one spends among these mortals
9nushin8)awan.s island attracts some of the undead community.s leading
figures, and no one can predict 3ust whom he might meet while here 9nushin8
)awan.s island has gained her at least as much Status as her ancestry and her talents
as a diplomat have 9nyone who threatens this Status will gain an implacable enemy
B+=7AS9)9
Anli'e 9nushin8)awan, who can proudly recite every member of her lineage,
Bindusara.s ancestry is clouded in mystery %hat he predates "hristianity is without
1uestion, but no one 'nows 3ust how old he is Still, he is the sort of ;entrue other
members of the clan are proud to point out, and he has gained the respect of all the
"amarilla clans
Bindusara has spent most of his unlife in the ancient city of 9lexandria, but he
travels far more than most ;entrue do, perhaps because of all the catastrophes that
have befallen his city 9 scholar of unchallenged accomplishment, Bindusara is best
'nown for his research into the earliest nights of the undead <is writings and stories
are accepted as the most reliable sources on the history of vampires up to the time of
9lexander
!hile most ;entrue have little use for this 'nowledge save to bolster claims
of illustrious forebears, some avidly study Bindusara.s wor' %hey hope that his
writing will either reveal what the oldest "ainites have planned or show that their
ancestors have been successful in 'eeping the >indred free
Bindusara has no such illusions <is in1uiries have instead shown a ceaseless
tapestry of control and manipulation +ndeed, Bindusara cannot even fathom a purpose
behind this pattern, and has begun to theori0e that it must be inherent to vampiric
nature
<e has also started to worry that the old adage stating that /vampires. greatest
enemies are other vampires/ may not be exactly true %here are other, potentially
greater, enemies out there, and humans are only the tip of the iceberg %he more he
learns, the more he fears
Still, Bindusara.s greatest personal enemies are other undead %he ;entrue
'now of his legendary feud with the 6nemosyne, a bloodline of "aine8worshippers
who devote themselves to the study of the first vampire and "he !ook of /od !hat
they do not 'now is that he is also hunted by the (ocastatians, another bloodline of
scholars, but ones who use more diabolic means to enlightenment
Bindusara has also come to the attention of the +nconnu, who fear that he
might learn too much Bindusara 'nows that these ancient vampires watch him,
though he does not 'now what their plans might be =ow he continues his studies,
courts allies, and prays for the best
F9B)+O+# A,F+,9
Alfila.s involvement with the "hurch dates bac' to the earliest nights of
"hristianity, and his success at controlling and manipulating religious leaders is
legendary among the undead %he "hurch has long been a center of vampiric
conspiracies, and Alfila.s ability to survive them all is proof of his s'ill
%hrough the centuries he has proved himself a loyal and dedicated ;entrue
=o vampire has ever been able to prove that Alfila has acted to the detriment of the
clan +ndeed, Alfila has conclusively demonstrated that he was in torpor during those
few times the "hurch has acted against the ;entrue %he +n1uisition is one example of
this
7uring Alfila s early nights, some vampires believed that he possessed %rue
Faith, but no evidence of such dedication has ever surfaced 9fter all, Alfila usually
employs ghouls li'e the notorious Ferox to deal with the "hurch hierarchy Ferox is
the one blot on Alfila.s otherwise stellar career, for he now has a place on the
"amarilla.s )ed ,ist of the most wanted
Some ;entrue believe Alfila and Ferox have been exceptionally close, for
there is no denying that Alfila.s wor' with the "hurch has declined since his former
ghoul gained notoriety %hose vampires close to the 6ethuselah say he has begun
traffic'ing with the ?iovanni, a clan he has had dealings with ever since
necromancers too' it over
Alfila has always had ties to mages, most notably the "elestial "horus, but
these ties have never compromised his loyalty to his clan &ven now, whispers that he
deals with the ?iovanni for less than altruistic motives gain no credence Still, he now
spends more time in ;enice than in )ome and has confirmed rumors that he has
developed a number of necromantic powers
%hose who 'now Alfila closely say he has become aware of tremendous
upheavals in the realms of the dead %hey believe these changes have prompted him,
at the behest of ;entrue leaders, to deal with his clan.s rivals