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Brujah

Clan Brujah is largely composed of rebels, both with and without causes. Individualistic, outspoken and turbulent, Brujah hold social change near to their undead hearts, and the clan�s ranks contain some of the most violent of the Camarilla Kindred. Most other vampires perceive the Brujah as nothing more than punks and miscreants, but the truth of the matter is that genuine passion lies behind their politics.

Brujah Kindred adopt pet passions and causes, which they support with volume and vitriol. Some Brujah follow charismatic members of their clan, while others prefer stances of blatant, defiant individualism. The clan claims a history rich with warrior-poets, and it has adapted this concept into the modern night; many Brujah are glad to have an opportunity to speak their minds, then indulge in a bit of destruction afterward to illustrate their points. The Rabble�s espousal of change unites them, albeit tenuously, in their nightly crusades. Given a common enemy, Brujah with vastly differing ideals will join side by side to oppose their foe. After that foe is defeated, however, all bets are off and it's to business as usual.

A common Brujah theme involves the foundation of a Kindred "Utopia," or the recreation of a mythical one from nights past, though each Brujah vampire has a different idea of what said Utopia is. Brujah rely on chaotic behavior and upheaval to get their ideas across, and the Rabble are allowed a certain leeway that other clans do not have. In fact, Brujah are almost expected to be incoherent and bellicose; this stereotype works to the advantage of many eloquent, well-spoken members of the clan, who have no need to resort to violence when making their arguments.

Respected for their martialry and readiness to rally under a banner, the Brujah are the physical strength of the Camarilla. Of late, however, many Rabble neonates see their role in the Camarilla as an institution unto itself, and more than a little unrest circulates among the Other Kindred believe that the Brujah would be the "first to leave the Camarilla. The Brujah believe it, too....

Nickname: Rabble

Sect: Rhetoric aside, most Brujah are in the Camarilla. Brujah Kindred also support the anarchs, arguably more so than the Camarilla. Indeed, the anarchs have more Brujah than members of all other clans combined.

Appearance: Brujah vary widely in appearance, though many adopt radical styles and bold looks. If dismissive stereotypes are to be believed, the typical Brujah wears a biker jacket, tattered jeans, combat boots and a fearsome array of high-maintenance hair. In truth, few Brujah fit this image. Youthful, fashion-forward dress and noteworthy hairstyles are indeed found among many Brujah, but others favor tasteful wardrobes that encourage others to take them seriously. In the end, a Brujah�s appearance often suggests his attitudes: A skinhead bravo is likely an open rebel or anarchist, while a bespectacled pedant in a tweed suit is probably a reformationist or liberal. It should be noted, however, that given the Brujah penchant for nonconformity, any assumption of ideals based on appearance could be potentially dangerous. Brujah look how they want.

Haven: Wherever they damn well please. Are you going to tell them to leave? More so than any other clan, the Brujah keep the company of other vampires, and one haven might house an entire brood. Brujah Kindred also keep multiple safehouses and boltholes, as their conflict-driven existence often makes single locations inhospitable. Some Brujah neonates even carry on the urban practice of the home invasion, Dominating or killing a home's occupants and taking over. Like other pursuits, however, home invasions rarely sustain the Rabble's interest, and the vampires often move on once they grow bored with the locale.

Background: Brujah prefer those who espouse change in form or another, and often recruit from college campuses, political groups or oppressed minorities. Young Brujah may hail from any background and often have a pet cause or issue of burning personal importance. All types of dissidents find their way into the ranks of the Brujah, from bomb-throwing biker anarchists to vociferous fascists to nihilistic radicals. This is, of course, part of the reason the clan is so disorganized--hatred between Brujah is often more bitter than hatred for those whom they mutually oppose.

Character Creation: Brujah often have violent, criminal concepts, but they are as likely to be intellectual or socially adept. Natures and Demeanors tend to be aggressive and similiar, as Brujah wear their emotions on their sleeves (when they have sleeves...). Physically predisposed characters are predominant among the clan, but some favor Mental Attributes. Likewise Skills are favored, with Knowledges running a close second. Any Backgrounds may be appropriate to a Brujah character, though many in the clan cultivate Contacts, Allies and Herd. Very few Brujah claim Mentors.

Clan Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Presence

Weaknesses: Fiery passion is at once the Brujah's blessing and curse. Though they are quick to adopt a cause, they are equally as quick to fall to frenzy. Of course, the brujah rabidly deny this penchant for excitement, and become quite hostile when the issue is raised. The difficulties to resist frenzy is higher than normal for members of Clan Brujah.

Organization: Clan Brujah is far too fractious and torn by internecine conflict to have true organization, and the clan never meets formally. Two conventions the clan does support universally are the Rant and the Rave. Rants are just that: informal meetings of Brujah (and other insurgents, Kindred and kine) at which anyone who can scream loudly enough can have her opinions heard. Raves, named after the all-night techno dance parties started in England, are social gatherings in the guise of huge-scale musical or entertainment events. One usually leads to another, and clues to the locations of the events are often hidden in the media of the gathering in progress. These meetings almost invariably degenerate into Riots, further eroding the organizational base fo the clan.

Bloodlines: Brujah antitribu of the Sabbat are, ironically, almost bastions of stability. In a sect devoted to chaos and destruction, the Brujah are the most dependable of the monsters who populate the Sabbat. They are viewed less as impassioned rebels and more as brutal shock troops. Sabbat Brujah tend to be less intelligent and discerning than their Camarilla brothers and sisters. Their causes fall by the wayside at the promise of new havoc to wreak.

Quote: "Think for yourself, or you�re better off dead. Either way, I�m satisfied".


[More in depth analysis]

Lo, how the mighty have fallen. Such is the perspective the elders of other clans have on the Brujah. Younger Kindred, who do not remember the clan�s nights of philosophy and glory, see the Brujah as a disorganized, anarchic rabble. Then again, in these degraded times entirely too many members of the clan fit that description, or at least enough that the stereotype has become widely accepted. With hallowed Carthage just a fading memory, the Brujah have become the angry young men (and women) of the Camarilla. Constrained by the Camarilla�s traditions and kept in their place by ruthless elders, the street-level Rabble takeout their frustrations by moving in packs, indulging in Rants and generally adopting a bad attitude at odds with the enforced gentility of Elysium and the Ventrue.

These nights, the Brujah shun the halls of power. The clan�s younger members have little interest in playing the Ventrue�s games or exposing themselves to Toreador ridicule, instead, they stand as the (mostly) loyal opposition to the sect, essentially for the Camarilla but with little interest in its rules and regulations. Elders may take a more philosophical bent in line with the clan�s direction at the time of their Embrace, but the common image of the Bruj�h now is that of the leather-jacketed rebel.

Strength and Influence: Within the Camarilla, the Brujah have relatively little pull among princes. With the clan�s penchant for getting into trouble (the legendary Brujah temper can produce equally legendary breaches of the Masquerade or other Traditions), few princes are willing to give them much beyond the time of night. Brujah princes are rare, though a surprising number of sheriffs and scourges are members of the clan. As many of the quote-unquote "rabble" that these officers must deal with are Brujah as well, the conflict can make for interesting infra-clan politics.

In truth, the Brujah have their strongest influence on the streets and in the ivory towers. Of all the clans, they have the strongest hold on mortal academia, a relic of the clan�s nights as would-be philosopher-kings. Elders still work hard to pull from that base of potential Embracees, but these nights, the clan�s primary interests lie elsewhere. Once ruling from fortresses and training halls, now the Brujah rule the streets, primarily through sheer numbers. Many Brujah came from or were familiar with a rough-and-tumble lifestyle, and chose to continue it beyond the grave. Like calls to like, and vampires who came from the street have made a habit of Embracing those from the street as well.

The clan has the widest variety of membership of any of the Camarilla clans; in many cases a flash of attitude or a demonstrated unwillingness to take crap is all that it takes to earn someone the Embrace. All the rest, the Brujah reason, can be taught.

Organization: The usual response one gets when asking the Brujah about their clan structure is either laughter or a punch to the gut. The Brujah are the most disorganized of the clans, shunning formal meetings in favor of informal Rants (often held after concerts or particularly energetic parties). There are no "Boards of Directors" or formal awards of status among the Rabble; instead like-minded Brujah get together to swap news and brag, or to argue about damn near anything. Somehow, news manages to get disseminated by this haphazard fashion, but anyone hoping to catch all of the local Brujah at a sit-down meeting is in for a world of disappointment. The only organization the Brujah have is a rough breakdown along philosophical lines. Younger, more anarchic Brujah are some times called Iconoclasts (though their response to the term isn�t printable), and it is from these vampires that the stereotypical image of the clan derives. Older members of the clan, called Idealists (though they prefer something in Greek most of the time) are more interested in the ideals of the clan and reclaiming the scholarship and philosophy that was once theirs; many are of an age to recall Carthage.

Idealists look down on the Iconoclasts as unruly children, while the Iconoclasts sneer at the Idealists as do-nothing fossils. Caught in the middle are the Individualists, who straddle both camps in age and temperament. Needless to say, they catch flak from both sides.

Concerns: There are almost as many concerns among the Brujah as there are Brujah. As the clan falls short of a unified policy on pretty much anything, it�s hard for a single issue or concern to rouse the clan�s ire. The anger over Carthage still burns hot for the ancients, but few Brujah created in the last millennium care much for the issue. Iconoclasts raise howls about selective law enforcement and oppression by the Ventrue, but such cries often fall on deaf elder ears. The only concern that draws members of the clan together across party lines is the encroachment by the Sabbat. The street is where the Sabbat operates, and that means that the Brujah take the brunt of any initial Sabbat assault. As a result, the Brujah feel (rightly or wrongly) that they are being used as a buffer by the other clans against the Sabbat ("Willing to fight to the last Brujah" is a common joke). A few loudmouths have even gone on record as saying that if they don�t get any help, next time the Brujah should just let the antitribu through, but such sentiments are not yet common throughout the clan.

Practices and Customs: Brujah customs are a hodgepodge of half-remembered mortal rites, dusty traditions passed down absently from sire to childe and whatever else comes to mind. Most are improvised from city to city, as the Brujah figure it�s the meaning of what they�re doing that�s really important. Besides, it�s not as if the Iconoclasts and the Idealists could agree to do anything in unison in any case. Instead, customs among the Brujah are more a matter of aligning along the clan�s primary axis of sentiment and acting in accordance with it.
Brujah gatherings, called Rants, are not regularly scheduled. Instead, they just happen when something else interesting does- concerts, exhibitions, festivals, conferences and so on� and often the mortals responsible for triggering the Rant get drafted into it as well. Rants are essentially open to members of any clan, though any Tremere who attends is in for a rough time. The Brujah make no secret of their distaste for the Warlocks, and delight in introducing Tremere spies to new and exciting definitions of pain.

Humanity: The Ventrue may have their fingers in the mortal world up to the elbow and claim they have the most interaction, the Brujah run an extremely close second. The difference between the clans� interactions lies in their approaches. The Ventrue seek out mortal institutions, but the Brujah seek out individuals. As a result, the Brujah might not pull the strings on a mayoral candidate, but may well have connections to people that candidate stepped on during his climb to the top�and the information gathered from such contacts can be as useful as anything garnered by a multi-million dollar Ventrue campaign.

Clan Pretige: Brujah clan prestige is bestowed more for attitude than specifics. The clan has at least a rough allegiance toward weakening authority and promoting anarchy, and acts which accomplish both or either win their performers status within the clan. Telling off a prince, disrupting a Ventrue deal (and living to tell about it), tweaking the Tremere or exposing a corrupt mortal politician for the fraud he is � all of these can win a Brujah points with her elders and peers. Unfortunately, the Brujah penchant for going after the high and mighty often turns the youngsters of the clan on their elders, which means that matters of prestige can get touchy. Rewarding a neonate for acts which subvert a Brujah elder is asking for trouble, but is also true to the spirit of the clan. Younger Brujah also have a habit of ignoring their elders� pronouncements and setting their own pecking order. Such arrangements are usually based on questions of strength or numbers of adherents; Brujah tend to move in packs and follow charismatic leaders.


Brujah and their Stereotypical Views on other Clans

Assamite: They fell too far from the tree to have a place in our world.

Followers of Set: Oily bastards. I have to wonder what they're hiding if what they don't mind showing you is so heinous.

Gangrel: These animal-types are okay. However they care more about the great outdoors than fighting in the streets. When our interests match, then sometimes they'll help out. If we can get them on our side, well and good. If not, stuff 'em.

The other thing we have in common is that the princes go after Gangrel a lot, particularly when anarchs aren't doing much. The princes always need scapegoats to make themselves look more important. They stupidly lump Gangrels into the category of "anarch" when they're looking for an excuse to make themselves look big. Then the Gangrel have to turn to us for aid.

They fight well, and they're willing to go to the wall for what they believe in. Maybe we'll join them if they leave the Camarilla. Or maybe we'll leave first....

Giovanni: I'm not sure what their angle is, but if it involves dealing with the dead, it can't be good.

Lasombra: Swing first and ask questions later when dealing with these Kindred, or they'll talk you into slitting your own throat.

Malkavian: Vampires call this clan "Kooks" for good reason. Some make fine anarchs, some make equally fine lackeys for the princes. If one has proven herself to you, you can probably trust her. They've always got some good insight into whatever's going on. Just never take your eyes off of them. Remember, Malkavians are always crazy, but that craziness varies. Some can handle things pretty well despite their mental illness. Besides, who are we to call them insane? If so, we're as crazy as they are.

In spirit, no other clan is as close to us as the Malkavians. There are a few cities with Malkavian princes. These are the ones where we can function most freely. Usually, these Kook princes get to power because they have a lot of influence, or because of weird circumstances. They are too busy playing their own games to worry about Anarchs.

They're completely batshit, but at least they don't immediately hate you based on who you are.

Nosferatu: This is the only clan we really get along with. Most of the princes are Venture or Toreador, and these two clans want nothing to do with the Sewer Rats. The Nosferatu have got their own plans, sure, who can blame them for that? Whey they choose to get involved, though, it is almost always on the side of the anarchs instead of the princes.

Geh! Still, they hit as hard as we do, and they know everything, so it's probably best just to be civil with them. After all, the poor bastards need all the friends they can get.

Ravnos: Touch my s**t and I'll rip out your ******** heart, Eurotrash.

Toreador: These art snobs are almost as obnoxious as the Venture. That's enough of an excuse there to take on the clan. They're almost as bad as the Venture when ruling the cities. If they could throw a decent party, it might be a different story.

However, some of the newer clan members aren't bad. Those younger ones make good anarchs, because they're always fighting against the "old-style" art their Elders likes so much. The clan usually Embraces more violin prodigies than heavy rock guitarists, though.

Have any of these Kindred ever actually done anything? Or do they just snipe at each other every night?

Tremere: These mage guys are the most untrustworthy of all the clans. They've got plans within plans. Half the time even they probably don't know what they've got planned. And who's going to trust them as anarchs? If one of them wants to join your group, think real hard before you let him. Remember, they're often blood bound to their elders. They may seem loyal. They may even look loyal. But if the uppity-ups in the clan give them their marching orders, they'll almost always turn on you. It's the way their clan works.

You'll never be free of Tremere planning. The problem is that they're powerful. Sometimes too powerful. To latch on to that kind of power, you're going to have to take the risk of trusting a Tremere. The Tremere are the ones that got the best handle on magic. You never know when some ritual might come in handy.

It's like someone Embraced a bunch of D&D geeks and told them their spells were real.

Tzimisce: Take 'em or leave 'em. The one I met seemed more trustworthy than most of my Camarilla "Kindred," but I can't help but think it's because she wanted something.

Venture: The Enemy!! They stand for everything we hate. Esteem, high society and organization are what they value most. Of course, that's why more princes are Venture than any other clan. The elders may go on about how the Venture ruined their "Dream of Carthage," but that's centuries of old news. They've got more than enough against us here and now to worry about why the whole thing started.

The Ventrue want everything to be nice and organized - with them calling the shots, of course. They scorn everything we stand for and the feeling's mutual. If a Venture ever wants to join you, don't trust what he says. He might claim he's against princes. More likely, he's using you as cannon fodder to overthrow the current prince and take the position himself. Even if he's sincere, his airs will probably make you want to kill him within weeks.

But you may have to put up with it. I'm not saying you got to trust the guy to work with him. The first rule is, never trust anyone. Usually he's got some pretty dirt on the prince. If you can use him and keep him from using you, then you're ahead in the game. Beside's a couple of them really do hate the princes. Just don't let one push you around.

Also, Venture against Ventrue feuds are beautiful to watch. Get a couple of them going at it, and settle back and enjoy the fireworks. Be ready to move as soon as the dust settles.

These fascist assholes are complete hypocrites, just like anyone else with a bit of power to throw around. My sire says they ******** us over a while back. Paybacks are hell, ********> I have a couple of friends among the Clanless. We are the only clan that treats these unfortunates as
equals.

Camarilla: The lesser of two evils - at least they're better organized than the Sabbat.

Sabbat: Then again, there's something to be said for decisive action.

Even other Damned fear the Malkavians. The cursed blood of their clan has polluted their minds, with the result that every last Malkavian across the world is incurably insane. What�s worse, a Malkavian�s madness can take nearly any form from overpowering homicidal tendencies to near-catatonia. In many cases, there�s no way to tell a Malkavian apart from the "sane" members of other clans. Those few whose psychoses are immediately obvious are among the most terrifying vampires to stalk the streets.

For as long as even the eldest Cainites can remember, the Malkavians have always stirred Kindred society with their passage. Although the clan has instigated no great wars nor toppled mortal governments (at least, to the best of their fellow vampires� knowledge), the very presence of a Malkavian works a subtle change on a city. Chaos nips at the Lunatics� heels, and those who associate with even the most well-meaning Malkavian often find their lives or unlives altered by the Cainite�s madness.

Recently, the Malkavians executed their grandest "prank" of all. None can say whether it was worked in a great Malkavian Parliament held somewhere in an isolated European village, or on a bleak and forgotten moor somewhere far from the cities. A few stories speak of a epidemic of contagious dementia exploding among those of Malkav�s blood. Whatever the cause, Malkavians across the world have begun displaying a new, dangerous edge to their madness, accompanied by bizarre events in Kindred cities around the world. A long-standing Malkavian conceit holds the Jyhad to be a joke instigated by the founder of the clan; some Kindred wonder if, in fact, Malkavians have played the joke on them all along.

None can say what exactly makes the Lunatics so dangerous. Certainly, their madness often frees them from fear of pain or Final Death. More than a few demonstrate horrifying murderous urges or a complete lack of emotion, including compassion. But most convincingly, the Malkavians are free from the confines of rationality and may do whatever they like and this freedom is coupled with an uncanny insight, a strange wisdom that cannot be perceived by the sane. The Malkavians possess a dark intellect that is often � and increasingly - set to frightening purposes.


Nickname: Lunatics

Sect: The Malkavians as a clan have an.. .understanding. . .with the Camarilla. They also populate the Sabbat in lesser numbers, where they frighten even their packmates with their psychotic displays. But when it all comes down to it, their true loyalties likely transcend sects. When Gehenna arrives, nobody can say for sure where the Malkavians will stand.

Appearance: Malkavians run the gamut from terrifyingly psychotic to convincingly ordinary in every way � sometimes both at once. Just like serial killers, they could be anyone � the scruffy bum talking to himself, the pleasant but quiet neighbor, the borderline-suicidal musician. These vampires are capable of great subtlety, and rarely show anyone a face other than the one they want people to see.

Haven: The Lunatics by and large take whatever shelter they like, although more than a few find aging hospitals and poorly funded asylums to their tastes. Many seem to enjoy the company of desperate mortals, and prefer slums and institutions to more secluded havens.

Background: Malkavians take their childer from all walks of life and for all number of reasons. Anyone can be chosen to further a sire�s twisted purposes, although most Lunatics prefer Embracing those already close to (or subject to) madness. Most other vampires believe that the Malkavians Embrace childer on a whim; however, virtually all Lunatics discover themselves subtly championing some barely perceptible "purpose", the full extent of which none--not even their sires--can properly fathom.

Character Creation: Malkavians come in all shapes and flavors, but many have primary Mental Attributes, befitting the clan�s reputation for wisdom and insight. Apart from that, it's anyone�s guess just what Traits a Malkavian may manifest--with the diversity of their concepts and backgrounds, the mad vampires could be anyone. Anywhere.

Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Dementation (or Dominate), Obfuscate



Weaknesses: Every last vampire of Malkav's blood is irredeemably insane in some form or another. Some attribute this to a curse of the blood, while other Lunatics actually call it a special blessing, a gift of insight. When A Malkavian character is created, the player must chose at least one derangement for that character at the time of the Embrace, this derangement can be temporarily fought with Willpower, but can never be permanently overcome.



Organization: The hierarchy of the Malkavians, if it exists at all, defies description. Most are usually content to let one another do as they like from night to night. But now and again, in times of great need, Malkavians demonstrate an uncanny ability to act in unison, even without any apparent leadership � and sometimes without any apparent communication. As one, they rise from their desolate haunts; as one, they all work on the problem at hand. And when it is a problem no longer, they drift back to their usual routines. If the Malkavians indulge in any form of machinations as a clan, it is incomprehensible to outsiders--which may be a blessing.

Bloodlines: Before the Dementation Discipline spread contagiously throughout the clan (in 1997 or so), a great number expressed their mind-warping talents through of the Dominate Discipline. A few Malkavians weren�t caught in the redoubled tide of insanity that swept the clan, and still possess that power in lieu of Dementation. The rest of the clan pays these offshoots no particular notice; indeed, with only a few exceptions, Malkavians don�t differentiate between this bloodline and the clan proper at all.

Quote: "Laugh if you like. Doesn�t matter. Assume that you�re so much smarter than the poor, broken lunatic. Doesn�t matter. But think about this: You�re a dead thing, same as me. You died and were reborn.. .as this. What makes you and me different? Simple--I remember what I saw when I was full and truly dead. You�d be mad, too".

More In depth analysis

Kooks. Fools. Madmen. Such are the descriptions the other clans have for the childer of Malkav, who frankly don�t give a damn what anyone else thinks of them. The Malkavians are insane, but not in the way that others imagine. Each Malkavian sees the world through her own cracked lens perception, a highly personal distortion that outsiders dismiss as mere insanity. But that distortion is the key to enlighten ment, the Malkavians insist at least those philosophically inclined and often the Lunatics seem to know more about what�s really going on than their so-called sane brethren. What exactly the Malkavians are doing in the Camarilla is a subject of some debate. While the clan�s allegiance to the sect has never wavered, it is nevertheless true that the sect�s interests only seem to intersect with the clan�s peripherally. As a result, the Malkavians view the Camarilla with a sort of bemused affection, while their counterparts in other clans can�t help feeling vague and disquieting suspicion about the Lunatics� real motives.

Recently, the entirety of the clan was somehow infected with the Dementation Discipline by the antitribu of the Sabbat. The deed was done over the Malkavian Madness Network, though even the Malkavians themselves seem at a loss to explain how exactly that happened. The new Discipline doesn�t seem to have affected clan members� behavior over much, but with the Malkavians, one never knows.

Strength and Influence: Malkavian strength and influence varies from city to city, depending on the individual quirks of the local Malkavian population. In some places the Lunatics are nearly incapaci tated by their manias, and thus are a non-factor in city politics. In others, the famed clan dementia is a non-issue or actually feeds an individual�s drive to power. A power-hungry Malkavian with an obsessive personality can be a frightening thing for friends and foes.
To no one's surprise, the Malkavians find the mental health system to be a hospitable environment; many set up little fiefdoms in managed health care systems. However the Lunatics aren't limited to health care facilities--it's more a question of what an individual Malkavian is driven to experiment with. In some cases that's nothing at all, in others it's art that the Toreador envy or business dealings that give the Ventrue pause. A very few dabble in magic, and the thoughts of what those Malkavians might be up to gives many powerful Tremere nightmares.

Organization: Defining Malkavian organization is like trying to empty the oceans with a sieve. The task is simply pointless, as the Lunatics� ways of arranging themselves mutate and change with blinding speed. The clan's irregular meetings are open to all comers, primarily because the Malkavians don�t care about keeping anyone out, but observers often returned chilled by what they saw. At times the Malkavians have mounted eerily accurate pastiches of Ventrue or Tremere clan gatherings; at others they mimic the Sabbat, or engage in behaviors utterly incomprehen sible to anyone not sharing the communal cup of madness. There is no local, national or global organization of Malkavians. The clan simply is. Trying to force it into the framework of "normal" behavior, as the Ventrue and others have been trying to do for centuries, is utterly fruitless. The Malkavians meet whenever they choose, do whatever they choose and revel in the thread of insanity which binds them all together.

Concerns: Do the Malkavians have unifying concerns? No one knows. There is speculation that the infection perpetrated by the antitribu has sparked at least some discussion among the Malkavians, but if anyone knows the truth, they�re not talking. The more socially adept Malkavians routinely steer conversation away from clan matters, while the less func tional ones don�t seem to be worth asking.

If the clan can be said to have a core issue, it is the matter of enlightenment through new perception (or what the unenlight ened mistakenly call insanity). By removing the scales of "normal" behavior from their eyes, the Malkavians claim to be able to see true reality more clearly than ever before. Not a few clan members want to share that renewed vision with the rest of the Camarilla and then the world. Such vampires are almost universally feared, as their conversion efforts amount to driving their victims insane.

Practices and Customs: The Malkavian custom that has the highest profile is the art of pranking, playing "jokes" on other Kindred so as to expand their perceptions. Of course, these jokes can take any form and are usually only funny to the Malkavian playing them; the targets find them to be anything from annoying to fatal. Malkavian pranking doesn�t involve whoopee cushions and buckets of water balanced on doors; rather, it is an inspired attempt to kick the crutch of consensual reality out from under other Kindred. Pranks can range from continually rearranging all of the furniture in a vampire�s haven to careful use of Dementation to siccing a hunter on an unfortunate target, and a vampire who becomes the subject of a Malkavian�s interest rapidly finds his friends abandoning him for fear of being caught in the blast radius.
Malkavian targets for the Embrace tend to be outside the mainstream of society. While not all are clinically insane before the Embrace, none are paragons of stability, and many just need the horror of the Embrace to push them over the edge. Malkavian sires don�t seem to be particularly attentive to their childer, but somehow the neonates end up knowing everything they need to know. Outsiders speculate that the Madness Network must somehow be involved, but since outsiders blame the Malkavian Madness Network for everything since the murder of Abel, such theories are often yawned off.

Clan Prestige:There�s no telling what might set a Malkavian above her fellows. Clan standing varies wildly from night to night, and the Malkavian everyone follows one night might be shunned the next. It only makes sense to the Malkavians, and not even to all of them, it seems. An approximate guideline is that anyone who does exceptional work to break down a shared perception of reality (say, by getting a prince to speak in tongues or a keeper of Elysium to hang a finger painting) often wins kudos from her peers, but otherwise the Malkavian system of prestige just seems to be a parody of the other clans� approaches.

Insanity: It is a common misconception among the other clans to regard the Malkavians as cute or childlike, wacky little pranksters who, in the end, are harmless. Nothing could be further from the truth. Malkav�s childer sport a wide range of dysfunc tions, ranging from relatively mild cases of regression to full-blown psychoses and homicidal manias, but as a rule they are not cute. A Malkavian is far more likely to be toting a much-used straight razor than he is to carry a teddy bear; bloody rags are infinitely more common than bunny slippers. While there are some Malkavians who do regress to childish behavior, they do so with all the strengths and powers of a full-grown vampire. Tantrums thrown with the weight of Dementation or a frenzy behind them should not be thought of as adorable, and neither should the Kindred throwing them.

Malkavian Stereotypical Views

Assamite: So. That's done, then.

Brujah:Wasted and wounded, bruised and brutal Brujah, how does your rebellion grow? Ranting and raving and chanting and changing everything but your own weary self. You would pluck out the eyes of the rest of the world before you would rinse the film of filth from your own eyes and see that the outer world you hate looks a lot like your self -polluted inner landscape. You know, the one you flee from. Remember, all revolutions go 360 degrees. That's why they call them revolutions. That's what I call a vicious circle.

Brujah bully boys can be useful buddy boys, 'cause their eyes are sometimes still open. Prank them good, and help them rebel against everything they hold dear instead of what other people hold dear. Otherwise you'll see their revolution come full circle and bite ' em on their Brujah butt. The few Brujah called Individualists ( imagine that--a group of people called Individualists. and they call US crazy!) have already taken a good whack at the wall between Here and What is Out There, and have put a few good cracks in it. Prank that wall from the other side, and meet 'em halfway!

I want to like your average Brujah, but his skull's just so damned thick that he can't crack it open and
get at the good stuff he doesn't even know he's got in there. So forget him.

Followers of Set: I can't understand them. Aren't they mad yet? Don't they understand what they've seen?
Goddamn. Goddamn....

Gangrel: Scruffy the cat and Dougie the doggie and all the little Rumpleteasers-- restless wanderers, country hicks, and animal pals. If I could talk to the animals, learn their languages...then I could talk to a Gangrel.

They may be lost in the forests of their minds and not know about the thorn in the paw of their soul, but they sure can sit quietly and watch the moon rise, and hey, that's half the battle.

They aren't animals, no matter people say. Look under the skin of the corpse, then loon under the
layer of beast-thought, and what do you find? A secret worse then man, corpse or animal? Yes? Yes!

Giovanni: What price did these idiots pay for their inside gossip? It's yesterday's news, anybody can find if it
they listen, and the Giovanni have sold their souls for it so they can call it their "biig secret." Feh.

Lasombra: (An explosion of helpless, hysterical giggling, swelling up into full-throated laughter.)

Nosferatu: How many Nosferatu does it take to end the Inquisition? All of them.
These ugly little vermin have got their fangs sunk into a larger chunk of the elephant than the rest of the blind bats, and know a whole lot more of the Big Picture. But the price they pay for their knowledge is the icky rejection of the flesh stuff. Pee-yoo! Still, at least they know they are vampires and don't try to sanitize it for your protection, like the others. Who knows, they may get to the heart of the matter before we do. Keep an eye on them. But for heaven's sake be sure to give them a little vanishing cream to get rid of those unsightly blemishes.

They just about mortified enough of their own flesh to blast through the wall of delusion from the
other side of perception. They're onto something but who knows if there'll be anything left of them when they
get there?

Ravnos: Call us deluded? Go look at Ravnos for a while.

Toreador: Poseur, Artiste, Hoser, Farteest: they're all one and the same. Oh no, now I remember. One makes the art and the other eats it. Prancing ponces and pretentious poufs all. Which makes them great company. with simply marvelous parties, don't you know. Which means they'll put up you reaming them and pranking them WAY longer than anyone else will, because they think it's hip and trendy to have a Malkavian cut up at their parties. Besides, all their friends will snicker at them for being a poor sport if they complain. So they have to be good sports and laugh, overly made-up clown, laugh, even when their ego is breaking.

But they'll turn on you in a second and stick a stake in your back quick as they'll say, " So how do you like the Vermeer behind you? Don't you love the textural play of the light on the towel around her head?" So be sure not to turn your back to see, but instead look 'em in the eye and say, "Yeah!"

If that doesn't take 'em down a peg or two, nothing will. Except slashing up the Vermin next time you sneak into their Haven, No, no, they'd just blame that on a Brujah. No, don't slash it up. Replace it with a cunning replica you painted to look just like the original except that now her eyes follow you around the room except when you're looking right at it. Then give the original canvas to a chilly homeless person to keep him warm. And who says art can't be functional? By the time the Toreador realizes the switch and tracks the original down, it'll be cracked and stinky. And so will he cuz staring at the eyeballs will drive him around the bend.

And some of the ones that actually create art are pretty close to the edge already. Reach out and give them a push.
Here's the Toreador paradox: They live for pleasure, yet they are not alive and can't experience pleasure. They have fallen into an undead memory of pleasure, and they can't get up. Free them.

Puppets who pull their own strings, or offer them to anybody who wants to make them dance.

Tremere: Tricky tricky ricky Tremere. Clever lads, but oh, so serious. Very serious; scholarly little wizards. Clever, but stodgy enough to be the butt of a good joke. And they throw great tantrums when we frustrate them. We used to be able to fool 'em good, but now they're onto us. Some of 'em anyway. Not all of 'em. Don't believe that rot about them all being ants in a great, airtight, hive-minded pyramid of power. That's one leaky pyramid, pal. You better start bailing out the sand it's filling up with.

But some have begun to figure us out. Some younger wizards presented a dissertation on us before a big Wiz Circle. "New Vis Sources Procurable through Malkavian Perceptual Reality Adjustment." That's Wiz-speak for: they are cracking the code. We played a prank that made the Elder Tremere ridicule them, but some of 'em know there is power in reality tunnel manipulation and they won't quit till they get it. So let 'em follow you down the primrose path to psychopathic power. Cuz before you know it----ZAP! You can't have the power without the psycho. You can take the power out of the psycho but you can't take the psycho out of the power. Or is it the other way around?

They. Are on. To us.

Tzimisce: Penguins. They decided they like the water so much, they traded in their wings for flippers. And
they were so close...

Ventrue: If there were Kindred any easier to torment than those stuffed capes, we'd have to quit 'cause it would just be too darned easy. Their belts and ties are too tight, constricting the blood flow and making their spirits constipated. Hey, that could happen.

These spiritual B&D fans enjoy being tied up to the conventional reality tunnel of the day. They are so chained to the rock of consensual reality that they cannot see the vulture of conformity until it plucks out their liver of...of...well something important!

They will never accept it, no matter who tries to hand it to 'em. Well, don't say we didn't warn you.

Caitiff: From their number will the Herald emerge.

Camarilla: It's like The Haunting of Hill House, but you can't wait for the ending, where they wake up and
realize what they are!

Sabbat: It's more fun when you don't try so hard.

Toreador

The Toreador are called many things � "degenerates", "artistes", "poseurs" and "hedonists" being but a few. But any such lumpen categorization does the clan a disservice. Depending on the individual and her mood, Toreador are alternately elegant and flamboyant, brilliant and ludicrous, visionary and dissipated. Perhaps the only truism that can be applied to the clan is its members� aesthetic zeal. Whatever a Toreador does, she does with passion. Whatever a Toreador is, she is with passion.

To the Toreador, eternal life is to be savored. Many Toreador were artists, musicians or poets in life; many more have spent frustrating centuries producing laughable attempts at art, music or poetry. Toreador tout themselves as cultivators of all that is best about humanity. Occasionally, a particularly gifted or inspired creator is Embraced into the clan, to preserve her talent for eternity. In this manner, Clan Toreador has inducted some of humanity�s greatest artists, poets and musicians into its ranks; of course, if one thing can be said about the Toreador, it is that no two of them agree on precisely what "gifted" or "inspired" means.

Of all clans, Toreador are the vampires most connected to the mortal world. While other vampires view the kine as pawns or simple sustenance, Toreador glide gracefully and effortlessly through the society of the Canaille, sampling the delights of each age as a gourmand savors rare delicacies. Toreador are the Kindred most likely to fall in love with mortals, and they surround themselves with the best, most elegant and most luxurious things � and people � that the world has to offer. It is, thus, acutely tragic when a Toreador succumbs to ennui and discards aesthetic pursuits in favor of pointless hedonism. Such Kindred become decadent sybarites, concerned only with indulging personal whims and vices.

Toreador are committed to the Camarilla and share the Ventrue�s love of high society, though not for them the tedium of actually running things � that�s what functionaries are for, after all. Toreador know that their place is to captivate and inspire�through their witty speech, graceful deeds and simple, scintillating existence.

Nickname: Degenerates

Sect: Most Toreador are in the Camarilla, as only that august organization � promotes "culture" and allows the Toreador to live among the mortals they so favor. Those in the Sabbat pursue bizarre "artistic" pastimes, such as torture and blood-painting, or are the rulers of the most decadent underground movements.

Appearance: Toreador Embrace out of passion as much as any other reason; accordingly, many Toreador are creatures of surpassing beauty. Of all Kindred, Toreador are the vampires most attuned to human fashion trends; centuries-old Degenerates are often more stylish than some 3O-year-old mortals. If it�s in, chances are that at least one Toreador will adopt it.

Haven: Toreador take care to ensure that their havens are comfortable, convenient for socializing and � above all � conform to their aesthetic tastes. Vampires of a more artistic bent might maintain spacious lofts to display their works, while their "poseur" counterparts love opulent suites perfect for hosting parties.

Background: Toreador range across a spectrum of concepts, from lonely, tortured artists to debauched jetsetters. Some Toreador are Embraced for no reason other than their beauty or personal style, as a passionate sire decides that they simply must be "preserved" for eternity.

Character Creation: Social Attributes and Abilities are prized among the clan, though Toreador are typically concerned less with outright control than with making a good impression. Perception is also favored, both for creation and for critiquing. Artistes favor Abilities such as Expression and Performance often enjoying very high levels in these aesthetic Traits; poseur brethren must make do with Abilities like Subterfuge and Etiquette. Toreador are very social creatures, and love adoration from both Kindred and kine; as such, Backgrounds like Allies, Contacts, Fame, Herd, Resources and Status are common.

Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence

Weaknesses: Toreador are preternaturally attuned to the aesthetic and beautiful, but this sensitivity can prove dangerous. When a Toreador views, hears or even smells something that is truly beautiful � a person, a painting, a song, a particularly lovely sunrise � he may become entranced by the sensation. The Toreador will stand in rapt fascination for a scene or until the beautiful thing withdraws. Enraptured Toreador may not even defend themselves if attacked, though being wounded allows them to "break the spell."


Organization: Toreador have little practical organization, though their cliquishness and social networks are legendary. The clan meets frequently, but more as an excuse to host lavish parties and showings than to accomplish anything. Status among the Toreador is a tempestuous whirlwind in which one subtle smile or catty critique can lead to fortune or disaster; a prodigy may be adored one night, comment a barely perceptible faux pas, and be ostracised the next.

Bloodlines: Toreador put a fair degree of stock in lineage, a vampire fortunate enough to descend from a favored sire is lavished with adoration (to her face, anyway), while childer of a sire "on the outs" suffer social humiliation. Few of these lines deviate from the main clan in any significant way. The Toreador antitribu of the Sabbat are a notable exception, for they take equal aesthetic delight in great beauty or great ugliness.

Quote: "Oh, yes, isn�t she exquisite? Yes, she�s my newest find � I�m her muse, the sweet little creature. Imagine!
And what of�-?"
"oh, Thomas? Why, I could hardly say � after all, he had his "15 minutes," as they say, but it just wasn�t going to last, and it all became so very tedious, so I had to say adieu. Suicide? Really? Silly boy � he should thank me, then, that I didn�t give him the Embrace. It would have made things so difficult, after all"....

[More in Depth]

To the Toreador, or at least to any worthy of the name, beauty is as important as blood. The ultimate aesthetes, these Kindred are devoted to the exploration, creation and preservation of art in all forms, whether that art wants to be preserved or not. Easily transfixed by an image of beauty, the Toreador can also be coldly vicious in destroying that displeases them. And as the same creation--or mortal--can pelase and displease equal numbers of Toreador, dealing with this clan at all can be a dangerous thing.

Contrary to their image of fops and poseurs, the Toreado are among the most effective manipulators the Camarilla possesses. Masters of intrigue for its own sake (just another art form for some Toreador), these Kindred can give words a sharper edge than a Gangrel's claws. the superhuman senses that let a Toreador bask in the presence of a Van Gogh also give her a clue as to her enemies' moods and anticipated actions. As for the study of art, an immortal sculptor's knowledge of anatomy can be applied with equal facility to a slab of marble or an opponent's throat.

Call it expression, call it art or call it beauty, the Toreador are after something that no other clan is. Excellence and artisty in all things call to the Toreador (those derserving of the Embrace, in any case), and it is the quest to achieve and preserve that sort of achievement that drives the clan. With all eternity before them, the Toreador have all the time they need to seek perfection. They just don't always seek it in the ways or places that the other Kindred expect.

Strength and Influence: Apart from the Ventrue, no other clan has so thoroughly adapted to the Camarilla as have the Toreador. If the Ventrue are the sect's backbone, the Toreador are its heart. As a result, there are more than a fair share of Toreador princes, sheriffs, seneschals and the like. Even if a city's prince is of another clan, odds are good that there's a Toreador at hsi elbow advising him. the field of politics is as much a canvas as anything else for the Toreador, and many clan members have gotten very skilled in the medium.

Oddly enough, fewer keepers of the Elysium than one might expect hail from Toreador ranks. Popular theory holds that this is beacuse too many Toreador keepers were entranced by the exhibits assorted Elysiums held to do their jobs properly; the Toreador refuse to dignify this rumor with a response and instead flock to join the ranks of harpies.

It is through the harpies that the Toreador truly exercise their clout. The final arbiters of status in a city, the harpies can make or break a vampire's reputation in a matter of seconds. they can drive him to acts of desperation to reclaim his good name, or exalt him to dizzying heights on the basis of a single deed. Princes can be brought low or credited through the harpies' effors, and as much as other Kindred might want to discount the Toreador's influence, there is too much evidence of their power to allow it.

Organization: Toreador organization is a collection of free-floating cliques and artists' collectives. Like so many of the other clans, the Toreador have no formal international organization. Instead, individual Kindred drift from group to group, which can be as formal or informal as the temperaments of their members demand. Deference is showed to Toreador of demonstrable age, knowledge or talent, but for every neonate eager to pay homage to an elder whose work he admires, there's a former exotic dancer claiming that his physical beauty makes him a walking work of art. Such schisms break the clan down into two rough groups: the Artistes and the Poseurs. In truth neither faction is formalized enough to have a name; these are just the insults that each side flings at the others. Artistes are the truly creative among the Toreador, the ones who produce works of true inspiriation and beauty. Their opposite numers are those who are ....less talented. the ranks of the Poseurs include critics, agents, substandard creators who were embraced through lapses in judgement and those who claim their lifestyles or their anatomies make them works of art incarnate. There's no love lost between the two rough factions, and a great deal of time and energy gets devoted to petty squabbles for supremacy on the local level.

Concerns: Most of the clan's concerns are internal. the schism between talents and no-talents, the debates over what makes art, the endless urge to dabble in the mortal world to nurture art and creativity -- all these enfold the Toreador in endless debate. The concerns of the Camarilla are merely political and transient, you see, while the Toreador concerns themselves with eternal verities and questions.

On the other hand, that's not to say that all Toreador deal strictly with the ethereal. Prime breeding grounds for culture on the East and West Coast are being swamped, denying the Toreador access to those pools of talent. The Tremere seem to be making a play for supremacy in the sect, and should they dethrone the Ventrue, it seems likely they will be far less generous patrons of the arts than the Blue Bloods.

Practices and Customs: Of utmost importance to the Toreador is the appreciation of art and beauty. they do this in a variety of fashions: patronizing mortal and immortal artists, purchasing works of art, instigating new artistics movements, acting as "muses" to mortals and so on. However, Toreador patronage can rapidly turn sour; a promising artist who doesn't live up to expectations may find his paton fatally disappointed. Even less lucky are those throwaways the Toreador let live; they are sentenced to a lifetime of broken dreams and desperate longing for what was shown to them once, then snatched away.

Unlike the other clans, the Toreador love gathering. There's an informal clan meeting practically every week (if not every night), when the Toreador get together to swap gossip, compare trends and generally bask in one another's presences. Gatherings of this sort are called Affairs of the Clan, and attendance is strictly voluntary. However, since these Affairs are vital for gaining prestige within the clan, they're always heavily attended.

The clan (local groupings called Guilds, much to the amusement of those who actully remember what artisans' guilds were like) also has a formal meeting each month on the night of the full moon. Such meetings are called Balls, and they are open to all Toreador. Outsiders can atend only by prior invitation; such invitations are highly sought-after, as the Toreador throw one hell of a party.

The Grand Ball is a once a year event set for Halloween, a Ball put on collectively by several Guilds. The site for the Grand Ball changes from year to year, and competition for the honor of hosting it is fierce. Most of the business discused at Grand Balls is Toreador-specific and of utterly no interest to anyone outside the clan.

Once every 23 years (the significance of the number is still unknown) the Toreador gather for an event called Carnivale, a week-long festival of the Toreador's true nature. Mortal and immortal artists attend, demonstrations of great beauty and savagery are given, everyone (who survives) has legendary stories to tell, and, at the of the festivities, the mortal whom the Toreador acclaim as the greatest artist of her generation receives the Embrace and much acclaim. The debate over just who receives the gift is subject to much politicking and intrigue, and more often than not a compromise candidate ends up serving as the selection.

Clan Prestige: Toreador gain standing within the clan for creating or discovering works of art. Particulary successful Balls, manipulations of other vampires or cutting remarks at Elysium also win a Toreador points with her peers. Substandard discoveries or performances, embarrassing moments and demonstrated failures in social settings, however, can earn a Toreador her clan's unrelenting and eternal scorn.

Toreador Stereotypical Views

Assamite: There is beauty in what they do, make no mistake, but it is a beauty best observed from a distance. There is beauty in what they do, make no mistake, but it is a beauty best observed from a distance.

Brujah:On the first night, their passion terrifies. On the second night, their passion fascinates. On the third night, their passion inflames. After that ... frankly, their passion begins to bore.

Followers of Set: It is inevitable, of course, that persons of epicurean refinement will in the course of eternity
engage in dealings with those of... unsavory character. Record well any transactions made, and repay all favors promptly.

Gangrel: As charmingly untamed as a tiger; as worthy of consideration as a housecat.

Giovanni: They dress splendidly and are charmingly manneder. Why, then, do they frighten me so?

Lasombra: Their Miltonian conceit is dreadfully provocative, or provacatively dreadful but they take it all so
seriously.

Malkavain:The fractured kaleidoscope of their thoughts is enchanting at first glimpse. Gaze at it too long, though, and one grows prone to terrible headaches.

Nosferatu: Odious beasts! Arid to think that they are ,allow in the halls of culture! Oh, how gauche....

Tremere: One deals with the butcher and the bureaucrat because they provide useful conveniences. One graciously acknowledges services efficiently performed. One does not, though, invite the hired help to the soiree, not take kindly to party-crashers.


Tzimisce: To experience this clan's alien fruits would be almost worth the price. Remember well that
"almost," dear.

Ventrue: Every masterwork must have its frame; every bust must have its pillar. This the Ventrue understand, and they perform their functions admirably.

Caitiff: Really. Who let them in?

Camarilla: Through its auspices may Kindred and kine harmoniously coexist, each benefiting from the
other's presence.

Sabbat: Why would I wish to spend eternity wallowing in gore?

Ventrue

Old-fashioned and tradition-bound, the Ventrue are sophisticated and genteel. They believe in good taste above all else and work hard to make their lives comfortable. They are most frequently the leaders in the Camarilla, and are cautious, honorable, social and elegant Kindred. The Ventrue fancy themselves a clan of the modern world, and deny that they live in the past.

This may be true of the most powerful members of the clan, but many are unable to give up the habits and dress of the time when they were Embraced. The attitudes and beliefs of one's mortal days are never forgotten by a Ventrue.

They are most often found among the upper crust of the mortal world. Their sophistication serves them in good stead among the elite of mortal society, and it allows them to control many of the more powerful members of the city. Because of the relative ease in which they fit in among such company, the Ventrue often have a monopoly on political control of the city. If something goes wrong, it is often to the Ventrue that the other Kindred turn to for aid.

There is a strong Ventrue tradition that any member of the line may find safe refuge with any other member of the line, and cannot be refused. Thus many Ventrue aid their fellow clan members before the need arises for this tradition to be invoked. Harboring a fugitive in one's haven can be detrimental to one's welfare. They are very proud of their leadership of vampire society, and will always insist that they were the founders of the Camarilla. They will do nearly anything to retain their grip on the politics of the cities and the Camarilla, and are exceedingly protective of their reputations.

Nickname: Blue Bloods

Appearance: The Ventrue do not change their ways easily, so they often dress in very old-fashioned styles - lace and ruffles, top hats and evening coats. Younger members still dress very well - preppy would best describe it. Whatever would have been the sign of good breeding and sophistication in the time the vampire was embraced, is what they are most likely to wear, though some buck the trends.

Haven: They tend to make their homes in mansions, often their mortal dwellings.

Background: Typically they select older and more experienced people as neonates, usually members of the upper class. Sometimes they will only Embrace their own mortal descendants.

Character Creation: Ventrue tend to have upper class concepts. Mental Attributes are primary, as are Knowledge Abilities. Resources and Influence are common Background Traits.

Clan Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence

Weaknesses: Ventrue have exacting and rarefied tastes, even when it comes to blood. The player must pick a restriction on the type of blood her character can feed upon, e.g. only young men, no animals, only virgins, etc. The character will feed on no other type of blood, not even if she is starving or under duress.

Organization: Though the Ventrue clan meets often, their councils are sarcastically called "debating societies" because of the amount of talk and lack of action. The Ventrue consider this the only civilized way to get anything done.

Quote: "The best way to get even with one's enemies is to outlive them. Because we are reasonable and above such petty concerns as vengeance, we are the leaders among our kind. Our colleagues do little to support the Camarilla, so we must bear the burden alone."

[More in Depth]

The Ventrue are the backbone of the Camarilla, the clan most firmly committed to the ideal of the sect. Perhaps this is because one of their own is given credit for first envisioning the Camarilla, perhaps it is because they honestly believe in the sect�s ultimate good, but the fact remains that the Ventrue are the clan whose identity is most firmly tied to the Camarilla�s. The Ventrue boast more princes than any other clan, and seem to take a special pleasure in organizing conclaves. Indeed, the Ventrue see participation in the Camarilla as a duty, and they are capable of going on at great lengths about it to other vampires whom they feel aren�t pulling their weight. Such Kindred usually retort with comments about the clan�s martyr complex, but the Ventrue take such slanders in stride. They know it is the lot of the noble to be unappreciated.

Always a clan of the aristocracy, the Ventrue these days are transitioning from Embracing the hereditary elite to enfolding the financial elite instead. The clan has always flocked to power, and in these modern nights the power is in the board room instead of the court. As a result, the Ventrue have become firmly enmeshed in speculative markets, industry and other financial arenas. They are well-aware of the power money has, and through their multitudinous mortal pawns they use that power exceedingly well. None of the other Camarilla clans can match the Ventrue in this field; few even try anymore.

The Ventrue do admire breeding, and are among the most urbane, sophisticated and formal of the Kindred. The clan has a plethora of traditions and customs, most of which are utterly nonsensical to other Kindred, but which the Ventrue follow doggedly. Young Ventrue who question the wisdom of doing such tend to have the lessons beaten into them by their sires, who value directed initiative rather than independence. Despite the guise of gentility the clan adopts, the Ventrue capacity for cruelty and rapacity is boundless. They may be polite, but they are nonetheless vampires at the top of the power pyramid of the Kindred, no less. Kindness and other admirable qualities had nothing to do with getting them there; ruthless efficiency, burning ambition and tireless dedication did.

Strength and Influence: The Ventrue remain the most powerful clan in the Camarilla. Part of this derives from the fact that they are so much more intensely interested in the sect than their peers are, but part of it also derives from the drive to power that seems to be the clan�s unifying trait. In most Camarilla cities, the local power structure is riddled with Ventrue. Even those who don�t hold official titles have their fingers in some important mortal pie or other; stock exchanges, financial institutions, city hall and the like are common areas of Ventrue interest.

One of the products of this Ventrue stranglehold on the local hierarchy is that there is often little room for young Ventrue to ascend. They are kept in what amount to eternal apprenticeships to undying masters, and many grow restive under the yoke. As a result, there is a curious dichotomy in Ventrue behavior patterns; normally the most conservative and urban of vampires, the Ventrue also have a habit of seeing their younger clanmates flock into recently opened territories (physical, such as a city retaken from the Sabbat, or financial, a La a new industry rising to prominence) in hopes of staking new claims.

Organization: The Ventrue have an exceedingly formal clan organization, but that formality has a surprising degree of flexibility of response built into it. The leadership of the clan, sometimes referred to as the "Board of Directors," has approximately 30 members from all over the place, though the most important are in New York, London and Paris. Meetings of the Board are irregular but attendance is nighmandatory; with the power that the directors have at their command there�s little excuse for not being able to jet to a convocation of the Board from anywhere.

Less exalted Ventrue make due with a clan structure that seems equal part corporate entity and club. Each city with a Ventrue population hosts a clan headquarters, called a Board and frequently run out of either a gentlemen�s club or expensive office space. The Board also doubles as a corporation, and is the tool which the Ventrue exercise much of their financial control on the local level.

One of the Ventrue�s self-described strengths is the fact that everyone knows his place within the clan; all roles and chains of command are clearly and formally demarcated. Progress through the ranks is slow for younger Ventrue except in unusual circumstances; too much ambition or initiative is frowned upon by the clan elders.

Concerns: The Ventrue�s primary concern is the Camarilla, namely, how to keep it going in the wake of the defection by the Gangrel. While the Ventrue never had much use for the Gangrel, common opinion held that they were extremely useful in defending against the Sabbat. With them gone, the Camarilla stands weakened, and the Ventrue feel they must shoulder even more of the burden of supporting the sect. There is also worry over the successful Sabbat incursions on the east coast of North America, which the clan is trying to spread to the rest of the sect. Within the Camarilla, the clan�s greatest concern is the growing power of the Tremere, who seem poised within a few short decades to attempt to wrest command of the sect from the Ventrue. There�s also the usual fretting about increasing anarch activity, but most Ventrue tune this out as white noise. They�ve heard it all before, seen it come to naught and have no interest in hearing it now.

Practices and Customs: The formal practices of the Ventrue are too numerous (and in many cases, too nitpicky) to go into here; suffice it to say that they have a great many. There are customs for who gets to drink first, who speaks in which order at the Board, what sorts of clubs (gentlemen�s only; if there are none such, then often the alumni clubs of prestigious univerities are chosen as substitutes) can be used to house the Board, parties to celebrate Embrace dates and so on. Every move is circumscribed by tradition and precedent; innovation is smiled upon only so long as it doesn�t disrupt existing practice. The most essential custom of the Ventrue, however, is that of assistance. In all things, the clan comes first, and any Ventrue can come to the Board or to a clanmate for assistance. By long tradition, those Ventrue thus petitioned are obligated to come to their cianmate�s aid, regardless of personal risk or preference. A Ventrue who fails in this obligation loses face within the clan, and can expect no help from any of his clanmates should he request it.

When it comes to the Embrace, the Ventrue are exceedingly selective. Only the creme de la creme will do for the Blue Bloods, the best of the mortal, best in business, politics, the military and so on. Ventrue take care to instruct their childer in the ways of the Camarilla, seeing as someday it will be those neonates� duty to uphold the sect. Ventrue never really step too far away from their childer unless compelled by society or distance; the strong bonds between sire and child are part of what helps unify the clan.

The Ventrue meet on the first Tuesday of every month at the Board; attendance is mandatory, and those playing hooky find themselves fetched by the retainers of the "Chairman" (the local elder and head of the board, usually also a member of the primogen council). The meetings are called Directorate Assemblies, though older Ventrue insist on calling them by older names in French, Latin and Greek. Directorate Assemblies resemble nothing so much as mortal board meetings, with financial and political data providing the bulk of the conversation. The meetings are also used to regulate clan standing, with "promotions" and "demotions" coming in the form of public praise or scorn from the Chairman or membership on select committees.

Clan Prestige: Clan prestige is acquired by the Ventrue as a by-product of success. Successful acquisitions, business maneuvers, political coups or other activities that benefit the clan or the sect are rewarded with prestige, though it is common practice for as many Vertrue as possible to try to grab some of the credit for any activity that goes well. Activities that circumvent the bounds of normal clan behavior are regarded cautiously; if they succeed without denting the fortunes of other Ventrue, the instigators are lavishly rewarded, but if they fail or hurt the clan, the punishment is severe. Ventrue who don�t behave themselves properly also risk losing standing in the clan, as do their sires and childer. Blood and breeding will tell, after all.

The Mortal World: Of the Ventrue�s greatest strengths is the depth of their interaction with the mortal world. They dabble in mortal, political and financial institutions as reflexively as mortals breathe, and as a result have more influence among the living than do any of the other clans. While doing such occasionally puts the Masquerade at risk, it also gives the clan admirable resources. The Ventrue also have the most skilled, most highly placed and in general the most numerous ghouls of all the clans, and their expertise at using the mortal tools is one of the keys to the sect�s continued survival.

Within the clan itself, there is growing resentment against a perceived "old boys� network" of elders whom younger Ventrue see as denying them opportunities for advancement. The younger Ventrue also feel that the clan�s structure is inefficient, while the elders shake their heads over the impetuousness of youth and claim that their experience gives them the mandate to keep things just as they are.

Ventrue Stereotypical Views

Assamite: Nobility once belonged to this clan, but they have cast aside their honor in pursuit of wanton
diablerie.

Brujah: This noxious rabble shifts with the wind like the stench from a garbage dumpster. They have been our allies, enemies, betrayers and benefactors. If a Brujah says something, do not believe it. She may mean it with all sincerity, but even she may not know what she will do next. I would prefer their permanent enmity to our current unsteady alliance---at least then they would be predictable.

Followers of Set: Their association with serpents is more than appropriate, for their poison infects all whom
they taint with their presence. Do not allow them in your domain.

Gangrel: Good, easily trained little pets. Feed their little delusions ("Oh, yes, by living in the Barrens you stay quite free of the Jyhad!"), throw them some bones ("I would be more than happy to help prevent the paper mill from polluting your swamp."), and they will support you as surely as a dog runs to the one who feeds it.

They are as trustworthy and useful as well-bred dogs. We send them forh when it is time for hunting, then call them back to the kennel when more subtle tasks beckon. In this way does everyone fulfill their role.

Giovanni: There are none so base as those who would raze the pillar of stability to further their own twisted
interests.

Lasombra: For time out of mind have we dueled with these self-styled Keepers. It is a small comfort to see
they cannot achieve for their Sabbat what we have garnered for the Camarilla. All the capering and bloodsports in the world cannot disguise inadequacy.

Malkavian: Is their madness genuine, or is it a ruse to make us relax our guard? The answer is probably both and neither. The Malkavians have usually been our allies, as during Rome, but this has not always been the case. More than likely they are products of the Secret Masters' machinations, no longer able to express free will except through insanity. The price they pay for their supposed enlightenment far exceeds its benefice. Still, learn from them what you may.

Nosferatu:These pitiful creatures still pay the debt earned by their sires so many nights ago, though through
no fault of their own. This clan has done more to serve us than its members would care to believe, but it is still a clan to fear. Its members' constant snooping helps keep the other clans in line, even if it does occasionally hurt us. The older members know the ancient stories, and they are the ones to fear. The very eldest seek those things our ancestors hid away, and their deep, dank tunnels are safe for no vampire.

Ravnos: Exercise the wisdom of the ancient kings when dealing with these vulgar deceivers.

Toreador: Far craftier than they let on, the Toreador present an ingenuous facade; in fact, many of its members are almost as capable at business and politics as we are. Individual members are trustworthy and follow the laws of presentation, but the clan as a whole must be watched. It will change sides at a moment's notice and still come out smelling like its flowery emblem.

Truly, their great passion must be a curse, for Kindred lack the ability to create what they may
only impotently observe.

Tremere: The biggest organization of pretenders in existence, and a constant pain in the neck as well. As long as no one else trusts them, we can ensure that they can never usurp us. Needless to say, we have played a key role in spreading the stories of their double-dealings and betrayals. While they remain subservient to us they are useful, but the Secret Masters have been at work here.

It is good that they favor stability, otherwise their depredations might outweigh their utility.

Tzimisce: Are there any left? How quaint!

Caitiff: One can choose neither one's parents nor one's sire, so bear them no ill will unless they earn it.

Camarilla: This is both our honor and our penance.

Sabbat: Infantile and unruly, the Sabbat abandons any hope of redemption.