Tzimisce

If clan Lasombra is the heart of Sabbat, Clan Tzimisce is the soul. Even other vampires grow uneasy around these eerie Kindred, and the clan’s nickname of “Fiends” was given to it in nights past by horrified Kindred of other lines. The Tzimisce’s signature Discipline of Vicissitude is the subject of particular dreads; tales speak of crippling disfigurements inflicted on a whim, of ghastly “experiments” and tortures refined beyond human – or vampiric – comprehension or endurance. This fearsome reputation often seems unwarranted at first. Many Tzimisce are reserved and perspicacious beings, a far cry from howling war packs that compose much of the Sabbat. Most Tzimisce appear to be rational creatures, formidably intelligent, possessed of an inquisitive and scientific bent and unstintingly gracious to guests. Kindred who treat with the Tzimisce, though, realize that the Fiends’ human traits are the merest veneer over something else. For millennia the Fiends have explored and refined their understanding of the vampiric condition, bending their bodies and thoughts into new and alien patterns. Should it prove necessary, enlightening or simply enjoyable, Tzimisce do no hesitate to bend victims in similar fashions. While younger Fiends might be described as merciless or sadistic, elders of the line simply fail to comprehend mercy or suffering – or perhaps they do comprehend, but no longer consider the emotions relevant. In nights past, the Tzimisce was among the most powerful clans in the world, dominating much of the region now known as Easter Europe. Potent sorcerers, the Fiends dominated the region’s mortals as well, in the process inspiring many of the horror stories about vampires. Clan after clan conspired to uproot the Tzimisce, but it was the sorcerous Tremere who finally succeeded. Indeed, as some tell the tale, the Tremere used captured Tzimisce vitae in their experiments to become immortal. For this, the Tzimisce hate the Tremere unrelentingly, and Tremere who fall into the Sabbat’s clutched typically suffer a hideous end at the talons of the Fiends. During the Great Anarch Revolt, the Tzimisce clan turned on itself, as younger members of the clan discovered mystic means of breaking the blood bonds ensnaring them in the service of their elders. In the ensuing struggle, the younger Fiends destroyed many of their elders and demolished what was left of their power bases. Certain Sabbat whisper that the clan managed to find and destroy its own Antediluvian progenitor, though the Fiends will neither confirm nor deny this tale.

Nickname:
Fiends

Sect:
Sabbat

Disciplines:
Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude

Appearance:
As masters of the Vicissitude Discipline, Tzimisce often have striking appearances – whether strikingly beautiful or strikingly grotesque depends on the whim of the Fiend in question. Younger Tzimisce, seeking to explore their inhuman natures, perform all manner of body modifications on themselves, Their elders, though, often affect flawless, symmetrical forms; the body is merely a passing useful machine, after all. Tzimisce faces often resemble masks of blank perfection, and the Fiends typically laugh little, though some have been known to chuckle during particularly elaborate experiments.

Haven:
Tzimisce are exceedingly private beings, placing great value on the sanctity of their haven. In fact, the clan has an entire series o elaborate protocols based around hospitality. Guests invited into a Fiend’s haven are protected with the host’s un-life; trespassers are pursued to the ends of the Earth and punished in gruesome and lingering fashions. Surprisingly, Tzimisce havens, or “manses” are not necessarily comfortable or well kept in the manner of Ventrue or Toreador dwellings. The amenities or mortals matter little to the Fiends.

Background:
Tzimisce rarely Embrace capriciously; choice of chider reflects on the sire, and thus Fiends choose only those mortals who they feel have the capacity to improve the clan as a whole. “Brilliance” and “insight” are particularly prized; whether a child’s brilliance and insight manifest in scientific theory or serial murder is a trifling distinction.

Char Creation:
Mental Attributes are most prized among the clan. Although descended from a background of nobility, the typical Sabbat Fiend is unconcerned with petty social interplay; thus, Social Attributes (with the notable exception of Appearance) are rarely primary. Knowledge is favored, and Tzimisce are as likely to follow a Path of Enlightenment (See p. 286 of 3rd Edition VTM) as they are to retain Humanity. Tzimisce often have Status (in the Sabbat), Resources, and Retainers (ghouls)

Weakness:
Tzimisce are very territorial creatures, maintaining a particular haven and guarding it ferociously. Whenever a Tzimisce sleeps, s/he much surround him/herself with at least tow handfuls of earth from a place important to him/her as a mortal – perhaps the earth of her birthplace or the graveyard where she underwent her creation rites. Failure to meet this requirement halved the Tzimisce dice pool every 24 hours, until all his/her actions use only one die. This penalty remains until s/he rests for a full day amid her earth one more.

Organization:
Despite the Tzimisce’s pride their heritage and customs, little organization exists among the clan. Sires and chider remain closer than most Sabbat vampires do, but in general each Fiends maker his/her own way in the world. One among the Fiends’ numbers bears the ancestral titles of Voivode; the Voivode is nominally the clan leader, though in practice he/she acts more as a “priest” or rite leader than a temporal ruler