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My musings on the Create-a-Clan game format last month led me to think about other Bloodlines, and their unique Disciplines which have not yet received the V:TES treatment.

The Lhiannan are one such example. A pagan offshoot of the Gangrel clan, they are first mentioned in the Dark Ages Companion, and it is implied that they were made extinct long before the modern era. Their unique Discipline of Ogham was a form of Celtic magic linked to the wielder’s environment and home territory.

The Lamia (mentioned last month) were also originally described as having their own Discipline of Deimos (which focused on conjuring nightmares, poisons and doom) before they were re-written in Dark Ages Vampire to possess Fortitude instead.

An ever more obscure reference is that of Bardo, a Discipline formulated by the Children of Osiris who are not a Bloodline as such, but a tiny coalition of Independent Kindred who reject the notion of vampirism and seek to retain their Humanity. First mentioned in the original A World of Darkness: Mummy book, the Children of Osiris were founded by Khetamon, apparently the only surviving progeny of Osiris.

Legend has it that Osiris was made undead in ancient times before his brother Set, and used the dark power of his blood to rule the land of Egypt and to wage horrible war upon his enemies. Set was cast out from his home but after becoming a vampire himself he returned to contest the dominion of his brother. Osiris’s mortal family were caught in the terrible conflict. Isis, his sister and his wife was a great sorceress and when Osiris was torn into many pieces by Set she used her power to reconstitute his body and resurrect him. She perfected her Spell of Life and used it again when their mortal son Horus was slain – he was the first of the living Mummies created by the Cult of Isis.

Osiris was eventually utterly destroyed by Set and it was left to Horus to continue the battle. Horus and his fellow Mummies proved to be formidable adversaries and so Set schemed to learn the Spell of Life to create his own Immortal army. To this end, he turned a priestess named Kementiri against her sisters, and using the incomplete fragments of knowledge she stole from the Cult of Isis he created the twisted Bane Mummies.

The Discipline of Bardo developed by Khetamon is detailed in the book The Hunter’s Hunted, which paints the Children of Osiris as potential enemies of any Kindred coterie. Although primarily interested in the destruction of the Followers of Set, they will align themselves against any vampires that flaunt cruelty and forsake their Humanity.

Here I have enclosed a small set of cards to represent the Children of Osiris and the Discipline of Bardo in VTES. These cards can be used print-and-play style in any game where all players agree to their use beforehand – this includes other Storyline events and game formats (including your Returned league).

 

Returned Vampire #5 – Montano

Montano is reputed to be the first progeny of the Lasombra Antediluvian, and was allegedly always his favourite childe. As a mortal Montano grew up a tribal warrior of the Massai in Africa. He was Embraced long before the time of Christ and travelled far and wide for centuries before settling with his sire in Italy.

At the outset of the Anarch Revolt Montano was sympathetic to the cause of the rebellion but as soon as it became threatening to the Clan and to Lasombra himself out of pragmatism he sided with the conservatives to crush the Anarchs. It was only after Gratiano’s betrayal and their sire’s destruction that he came to hate them.

Montano retreated from public affairs not long after the formation of the Camarilla. As a master of the energies of the Abyss he has surfaced from time to time to try and teach a select few the same dark arts. Most recently he emerged from hiding to assist Lucita of Aragon in quashing a group of rogue Lasombra who tried to summon the shadow of the clan’s founder from the Abyss.

 

the-capuchin

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Mike Nudd, VEKN Storyline Coordinator

A popular ‘unofficial’ event format is Create-A-Clan. Originally devised by Ben Peal and nicely summarised by Jussi Hattara here it is a fun format that lets you come up with your own vampire ideas.

A slight spin on the format is to have a go at bringing to life some of the other ‘canon’ vampire bloodlines from the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. I thought I’d take the time to describe some of them here. (More to follow next month.)

Noiad

The Noiad are an ancient Gangrel bloodline that have in modern times faded to obscurity. They claim to be the first Cainites to enter Europe thousands of years ago. Legend has it they followed a mortal tribe known as the Samí northwards into the lands now known as Norway, Sweden and Finland. They consider themselves the servants of the pagan gods worshipped by the Samí, and consider it their duty to guide and protect the tribe from their enemies.

The extreme conditions of their native lands mean that every year they must endure several months of constant daylight. During this time most Noiad fall into shallow form of torpor and rely on faithful members of the tribe to periodically wake them and feed them. This arrangement requires a great deal of trust and understanding between the bloodline and the Samí people.

Also called Wanderers, the Noiad are actually fiercely territorial and refuse to travel far from their domains. They practice the Disciplines of Animalism, Auspex and Protean, and they use their supernatural powers of perception to interpret the signs of the northern lights, which they believe to be messages from their pagan gods.

Tlacique

The Tlacique are another venerable bloodline that flourished in South America many years before the continent was conquered by Europeans. Although Kindred scholars posited that their origin must have been from the Gangrel or Setite clams, the Tlacique themselves claimed descent from Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec god of night and black magic.

In fact, many credited the growth of the mortal Aztec Empire to the prevalence of the Tlacique, with each city ruled by a different elder of the clan and his brood. The coming of the Europeans and the spread of smallpox did much to undo the Empire, but even worse to the Tlacique was the coming of the Sabbat. Foolishly considering them as allies against their common enemy, the Camarilla, the Sabbat quickly turned on the Tlacique, stealing their relics, aping their sacred rituals and diablerizing their most esteemed elders.

In modern nights the remaining Tlacique are a scattered and dispirited lot. They practice the Disciplines of Obfuscate, Presence and Protean. Some also learn a special form of Thaumaturgy called Nahuallotl, the knowledge of which also grants special status within the bloodline.

Old Clan Tzimisce

The Old Clan - also called the Oradea League, after the region of Europe where they are based - are a small group of powerful Tzimisce elders that refused to participate in or support the formation of the Sabbat. Following their survival of the Anarch Revolt they have remained staunch allies even in the Final Nights, adhering to strict rules which compel them to protect each other, and which forbid them to sire any progeny.
This Old Clan, have also shunned the practice of Vicissitude their entire unlives, favouring instead the Disciplines of Animalism, Auspex and Dominate. Many of them are also powerful magicians, versed in their own special form of Thaumaturgy known as Koldunic Sorcery.

Azaneali

It is said that the Azaneali – also called Angellis Ater (literally ‘Black Angels’) – are the descendants of the great Baali Azaneal. Devoted to the worship of the great darkness of the Abyss, in ancient times they were rumoured to have discovered great secrets in the ruins of the fabled city of Chorazin.

Although they are rare in modern nights, they are rumoured to still exist, and are quite powerful. They most commonly practice the Disciplines of Daimoinion, Obtenebration, and Obfuscate, although some may also possess Dominate and Presence.

Lamia

Also known as Gorgons, the Lamia are an offshoot of the Cappadocian clan devoted to the worship of Lilith, said to have been created by Lazarus himself. Predominantly female – male Kindred of the bloodline exist but are never given positions of power – they were prevalent in the Middle Ages, serving as bodyguards to their parent clan until it – and they too - were decimated by the Giovanni.

In modern nights the Lamia are widely thought to be extinct, but may still persist in places where the Giovanni have not thought to look for them. The worship of Lilith, the Dark Mother however has definitely survived, and can now be found as a Path of Enlightenment practiced by some Sabbat.

The Gorgons practice the Disciplines of Fortitude, Potence and Necromancy. They are keen scholars and also ferocious warriors.

Returned Vampire #4 – The Capuchin

capuchin

The Capuchin is one of the most mysterious figures from Cainite myth and legend. Rumoured to be Lazarus, the faithless childe and sole surviving progeny of the late Cappadocius, the Capuchin has cropped up numerous times in Kindred history as an enigmatic and powerful figure.

After Augustus Giovanni destroyed his clan’s founder the Capuchin approached him with a deal – in return for his knowledge of Necromancy the latter would offer him the secrets of the Vatican.

 

the-capuchin

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Mike Nudd, VEKN Storyline Coordinator

Hey, everyone!

Congratulations to Matt Hirsch for winning his second North American Championship, and congratulations as well to all the other tournment winners at Origins and the Week of Nightmares! Many thanks to Kevin Mergen, Bob Joseph, Mark Loughman, Jay Kristoff, and Hugh Angseesing for organizing and running tournaments all week!

I had a very productive meeting with the playtesters at Origins. It was great to be able to get more in-depth insight from the players, and I came out of it with a much clearer picture of the playtest feedback we've been getting. There's a lot of information to sort through, and it's fun and interesting to get several different answers from several different people for the same questions. However, the decisions we in the Design Team have to make are made a lot easier as a result of the discussions and feedback. Round Three of playtest will be wrapping up in the next week or so.

The featured artist this time is returning artist Javier Santos, who previously did work on Danse Macabre. Pieces he did include Dark Steel, Inside Dirt, Shakar: The Hunt, and Shadow Boxing. We're thrilled to have him back! You can check out his online portfolio here, and here's a piece he did for the new set as well:

http://javisart.com/

artpreview7

Lastly, fellow Design Team member Mike Nudd has a Kickstarter campaign going for a boardgame he's created called Waggle Dance. It's all about bees and honey-making, a particular interest of Mike's. Reviews of the game have been very positive! There are two days left in the Kickstarter, so please check it out!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/1811420414/...-dance?ref=discovery



- Ben Peal and the V:EKN Design Team

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