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Should it prove necessary, enlightening or simply enjoyable,
Tzimisce do not hesitate to bend victims in similar fashion.
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 Eastern 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 Timisce vitae in their experiments
to become immortal. For this, the Tzimisce hate the Tremere
unrelentingly, and T remere who fall into the Sabbat's clutches
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.
Now the Tzimisce serve the Sabbat as scholars, advisors
and priests. many of the sect's practices originated in
the customs of the clan. By exrloring the possibilities
and limits of vampirism, the clan hopes to discover the
greater purpose of the Kindred as a whole. If this means
the wholesale destruction of the archaic AntedIluvians,
the razing of the Camarilla, and the vivisectlon of millions
of kine victims, well, all experiments have their consequences.
Nickname: Fiends
Sect: most Tzimisce serve the Sabbat.
A few powerful Tzimisce elders retain their Independence;
these are believed to be Inconnu Almost no Tzimisce are
in the Camarilla; even those Fiends unsympathetic to the
Sabbat find the Camarilla's skulking among the masses to
be distasteful.
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 the haven.
In fact, the clan has an entire series of elaborate protocols
based around hospitality. Guests invited into a Fiend's
haven are protected with the host's unlife; trespassers
are pursued to the ends of the Earth and punished in gruesome
and lingering fashion. Surprisingly, Tzimisce havens, or
"manses," are not necessarily comfortable or well-kept
in the manner of Ventrue or Toreador dwellings. The amenities
of mortals matter little to the Fiends.
Background: Tzimisce rarely Embrace
capriciously; choice of childer reflects on the sire, and
thus Fiends choose only those mortals who thcy feel have
the capacity to improve the clan as a whole. "Brilliance"
and "insight" are particularly prized; whether
a childe's brilliance and insight manifest in scientific
theory or serial murder is a trifling distinction.
Character 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.
Knowledges are favored, and Tzimisce are as likely to follow
a Path of Enlightenment as they are to retain Humanity.
Tzimisce often have Status (in the Sabbat), Resources and
Retainers (ghouls).
Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex,
Vicissitude
Weaknesses: Tzimisce are very territorial
creatures, maintaining a particular haven and guarding it
ferociously. Whenever a Tzimisce sleeps, she must surround
herself with at least two handfuls of earth from a place
important to her as a mortal perhaps the earth ofher birthplace
or the graveyard where she underwent her creation rites.
Failure to meet this requirement halves the T zimisce's
dice pools every 24 hours, until all her actions use only
one die. This penalty remains until she rests for a full
day amid her earth once more.
Organization: Despite the Tzimisce's
pride in their heritage and customs, little organization
exists among the clan. Sires and childer remain closer than
most Sabbat vampires do, but in general each Fiend makes
her own way in the world. One among the Fiends' number bears
the ancestral title of Voivode; the Voivode is nominally
the clan leader, though in practice he acts more as a "priest"
or rite leader than a temporal ruler.
Bloodlines: Many Tzimisce are descended
from specialized "ghoul families" who have long
served the clan as minions. Tzimisce descended from the
ghoul family Bratovitch replace Auspex with the Clan Discipline
of Potence, but suffer + 1 difficulty on any roll to avoid
frenzy. Certain Tzimisce are koldun, or sorcerers. These
Kindred replace the clan Discipline of Vicissitude with
Thaumaturgy, but suffer + 1 difficulties to resist magic
as well.
Quote: Welcome; a thousand welcomes
I am honored that we could put aside the ]yhad's foolish
rivalries for a night, that you might come under my eaves
in the spirit of- eh? You start' Ahh- that noise! A trifle'
Nothing that need concern you, sweet guest'
Stereotypes:
Assamite: Once again the Turks howl outside the gates. The
Final Nights must surely be nigh.
Brujah: Like ourselves, they have been unjustly
toppled. Unlike ourselves, they have not adapted well at
all.
Followers of Set: A worm, some say, can be
cut in two, or even minced, yet each piece will wondrously
grow whole once more. Can the Setites do likewise, I wonder.
Gangrel: Already the hunting hound paces
its kennel..Soon it shall come and lick the feet of its
old master.
Giovanni: Why do they obsess over states
of being that, as immortals, we need not deign to trouble
ourselves with?
Lasombra: They are shadows in truth - menacing
but ultimately ephemeral. Still, ofttimes it is easier to
accomplish tasks under cover of cloaking darkness.
Malkavian: The aphorism that genius and madness
lie close at hand was assuredly coined by a Lunatic wretch
who wished to concoct an excuse for his infirmity.
Nosferatu: No matter how one twists, they
always return to their original state. Fascinating.
Ravnos: No one merits fiercer punishment
than the uninvited guest.
Toreador: So lovely, so pliable, like dolls! Their most
charming gift, though, is in the screaming.
Tremere: They wished fot immortality; now
they have it. Realize, upstarts, that agony properly administered
can make an instant seem like an eternity, and that an eternity
of eternities is a long time in which to suffer.
Ventrue: If one chooses impropetly, one can
at least uphold one's errorwithdignity. The Ventrue embody
much that is noble about the Damned, and so, when the time
to destroy them comes, we will allow them to die the long
way, with honor.
Caitiff: Most were created rashly; as such,
few are of any use save as objects of study.
Camarilla: The cauldron in which the Ancients
hope to cook a bloody stew. When it is tipped over, the
others will see, and thank us.
Sabbat: Flawed, but our greatest - and only
- hope nonetheless.
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