Post by Andrei on Jun 10, 2007 17:42:44 GMT
Caine’s childer are called “The Damned,” and no vampire embody more fully than the wretches of Clan Nosferatu. While other vampires still look human and may travel in mortal society, Nosferatu are twisted and deformed by the curse of vampirism. Other Kindred speak shudderingly of Caine placing a mark upon the entire clan for the monstrous deeds of its Antediluvian founder. As such, Nosferatu find themselves loathed and ostracized by the other Children of Caine, who consider them disgusting and interact with them only when they must.
Following the Embrace, Nosferatu childer suffer an agonizing transformation as, over the subsequent weeks, they warp from humans into hideous monsters. The horror of the physical devolution often produces an accompanying psychological trauma. Unable to walk among the kine, Nosferatu must dwell in subterranean sewers and catacombs forever after.
Nosferatu often choose physically or emotionally twisted mortals for the Embrace, seeing in the curse of vampirism a possible means of redemption for the mortals. Amazingly, there seems to be some merit to this belief. Many Nosferatu are surprisingly levelheaded and practical, avoiding the obsessions, fits and rages of their fairer brethren. Not that this makes the Sewer Rats particularly pleasant to be around; indeed, some Nosferatu come to delight in the shock and horror their grotesque appearances inspire in others.
Nosferatu are survivors par excellence. Few creatures, mortal or vampire, know a city’s back alleys and dark corners like the Nosferatu do. Additionally, Nosferatu have mastered the crafts of sneaking and eavesdropping; they make a point of keeping up with current gossip and affairs, not merely for pleasure, but for survival. Information brokers without peer, they can command high prices for their knowledge. Using their Obfuscate Discipline, Nosferatu make a point of listening to others’ conversations from hiding, or sitting in on “secret” meetings. If a Kindred wishes to learn about the doings and denizens of the city, she would do well to consult the Nosferatu.
Finally, millennia of shared deformity and abuse have fostered strong bonds among the monsters. Nosferatu forego the squabbling and feuds ubiquitous to the other clans, preferring to work in unison. They treat each other with meticulous politeness and freely share information among themselves. To mess with one Nosferatu is to — mess with them all — and that can get messy indeed....
Nickname: Sewer Rats
Sect: Surprisingly, the clan as a whole belongs to the Camarilla, despite obvious difficulties with upholding the Masquerade. Perhaps they value the safety of membership; perhaps they simply want the other clans within observing distance. Still, a fair number of Nosfetatu are in the Sabbat or simply consider themselves autarkis (of no sect).
Appearance: No two Nosferatu look precisely alike, but all are hideous. Gaping fang-filled maws, discolorations, tumors, holes in place of noses, batlike ears, sloping bald heads, twisted spines, claws, wrinkled hides, pustulent sores and webbed fingers are just a few possible deformities possessed by Nosferatu. An existence in sewers and crypts tends to ensure that most Nosferatu smell about as good as they look.
Haven: Their disfigurement forces most Nosferatu to take havens far from the eyes of mortals, in graveyards, abandoned warehouses and cellars. In large cities, entire broods of Nosferatu lair in sewers and subway systems. These “kingdoms,” particularly the older ones, are often much more extensive than mortals or Kindred are aware — subterranean labyrinths stretching deep into the darkness and guarded by monstrous ghouls. Even princes treat warily with the Nosferatu kingdoms.
Background: Nosferatu choose their progeny from society's castoffs: derelicts, the mentally ill and the hopelessly antisocial. Occasionally, a vindictive Nosferatu chooses to embrace a beautiful, vain mortal, then watch gleefully as the Curse takes hold.
Character Creation: Nosferatu can have any concept, but often come from loner, outsider or drifter stock. Nosferatu occasionally retains in the the form of ghoul animals, or even a human ally or too, but Backgrounds are rarely predominant among the Clan.
Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence
Weaknesses: As mentioned, Nosferatu are absolutely loathsome to look at. All Nosferatu have Appearance ratings of zero. Nor may they improve their appearance through any other means. Even if Vicissitude is used, within a night it will have worn off and the Nosferatu will have to go through the painful transformation in a single night rather than a number of weeks; a process that can drive all but the most iron willed insane. Most social actions based on first impression, except intimidation and the like, fail automatically.
Organization: While Nosferatu do not have the rigid protocols that mark clans such as the Tremere and Ventrue, their shared deformity creates and exceptional clan unity. Shunned and reviled by other creatures, Nosferatu stick together out of equal parts necessity and loneliness.
Bloodlines: Like many other clans, Nosferatu has an antitribu analog in the Sabbat, though the branch does not differ greatly from the ruck and run of the clan save in ideology. Descendants of certain sires sometimes bear "signature" deformities, but few differ in any significant fashion.
Quote: Come here, little boy, how's about a kiss? *phlegmy wheezing hack* Whazza matter? Big bad gangbanger's scared now? Don't so much like being the victim, heh? Well, get used to it, 'cuz you ain’t seen the half of it!
Updated section from Guide to the Camarilla
Nosferatu are not monsters, at least not in the sense that others might think they are. Yes, they dwell in sewers and filth, have visages that send mortals screaming, and breed strange monstrosities as guardians for their underground domains, but the Nosferatu deal in secrets, not carnage. Hiding their faces behind illusions, they (or their servants) seek out any tidbit that appears worth having, then sell their spoils to those less observant (who would seem to be quite a few judging from their clientele). The Nosferatu’s willingness to go places other Kindred disdain serves them well on many occasions, and their reputations as monstrosities ensures that the curious don’t attempt to turn the tables on them.
Nosferatu often dwell in the city’s sewers, but aren’t restricted to them. After all, all the action (and the information that comes with it) are above ground. The sewers are merely a convenient and concealed means of accessing the world above, and an excellent place to hide what’s been found. Most Nosferatu turn the sewers around their havens into deathtraps, and the older the vampire, the more complicated and intricate the traps. Nosferatu are very fond of their privacy, and intruders had best be prepared to pay the price of trespassing. What the Nosferatu ultimately deal in is information. Often the coin of exchange is more information, which just makes the clan richer. The Nosferatu aren’t afraid to use their knowledge, either, much to the chagrin of other Kindred who have found themselves humiliated, blackmailed or even killed after letting the wrong word fall into Nosferatu hands.
Strength and Influence: It is rare for a Sewer Rat to hold a position in city government. Other Kindred are uncomfortable with having a smelly, repulsive monstrosity in a position of authority, and find ways to keep the Nosferatu out of power. Occasionally a prince tosses a position to the clan, either to demonstrate how openminded he is or in an attempt to secure the Nosferatu’s friendship, but most just play it safe and exclude the clan from power as much as possible. A Nosferatu prince is almost unheard of. In truth, the Nosferatu don’t seem to care much. Time spent attending to the duties of an office is time not spent gathering information and putting that information to use.
As information-brokers without peer, however, the Nosferatu can easily make up for any loss of “temporal” power. Vast webs of shared information result in being able to acquire dirt on just about anyone, and the Nosferatu make certain that everyone knows it. As a result, other clans wanting what the Nosferatu have are forced to come and deal, and the Sewer Rats drive a hard bargain. Favors owed and gossip shared results in a remarkable amount of influence for the clan, which is valid currency above and below ground.
Organization: The Nosferatu organization is loose, but not non-existent. Regional collections of Nosferatu, called Broods, meet on a semi-regular basis, usually to swap information. It’s common for Broods to send representatives to one another, either as delegates at meetings or to carry certain precious pieces of news too valuable to trust to letters or email. Such exchanges help disseminate information across the clan with lightning speed.
Meetings of Broods are called Hostings (which leads to all sorts of jokes about parasitism), which operate on no set schedule. Instead, a Hosting happens when a Nosferatu decides that a Hosting needs to happen. The self-proclaimed host of the Hosting must arrange a meeting space and accommodations, but beyond that, the meetings are remarkably informal. Nosferatu treat each other with a great deal of respect; the shared horror of their appearance does much to promote clan unity. In more recent years, the Nosferatu have invested heavily in the SchreckNET, wiring Brood to Brood in cyberspace and allowing for faster exchanges of data. The SchreckNET is now intercontinental, and its keepers expect to have upward of 90 percent of all Nosferatu burrows connected within the next three years.
Concerns: The Nosferatu know too much not to be concerned. They know why the Gangrel left the Camarilla. entirely too much of what goes on between Malkavians, and what’s really going on in the corridors of Ventrue power. The Nosferatu are less than sanguine about the Camarilla’s future, and have debated leaving the sect themselves at times. If there’s a problem with the Camarilla, the Nosferatu know about it and are debating the matter worriedly. One concern that the Nosferatu have that no others are privy to is the Nicktuku. According to clan lore, the Nicktuku are the danfounder’s other children, so monstrously twisted as to make the Nosferatu look normal by comparison. Enormously powerful and utterly hateful, these monstrosities hunt their less deformed brethren across the globe. Reports of the Nicktuku have increased in recent years, and an alarming number of Nosfetatu burrows have gone silent as well. Alarmist clan members are taking this intelligence as a sign that the Nicktuku are on the move, and as such they are readying their defenses for what they perceive as the final assault.
Practices and Customs:There are few practices common to the Nosferatu that have become known to others. One of the most spectacular and fearsome (which is perhaps why the Nosferatu let news of it leak) is the custom of creating breeding pools in order to manufacture guardian ghouls. Such pools are bodies of water that Nosferatu regularly infuse with their vitae. The results are literally hordes of twisted, massive and utterly loyal ghouled animals which serve as natural warning systems and defenses. Nosferatu also farm fungi and subterranean plants, creating gardens worthy of the finest apothecaries or the deadliest poisoners.
In the end, all Nosferatu custom among each other breaks down to respect and politeness. The Nosferatu seem genuinely to respect one another and their elders (the Sewer Rats are the only vampires who don’t regularly grumble about what evil deeds their elders are really up to), and that makes their dealings fluid, easy and fast. ‘What matters to the Nosferatu is not the order of precedence, but rather actually getting things done, and their dearth of formalized customs reflects this desire.
There is one hobby which the Nosferatu seem to enjoy, and that’s pushing the other Kindred. Every Nosferatu knows that the other clans prefer to deal with them as little as possible, and that they only do so when under great duress. Consequently, the Nosferatu take great pains to play up the worst aspects of their existence when the other clans come calling, testing to see just how far their prospective clients are willing to go. When the Toreador are willing to descend into the sewers, or the Ventrue to meet in a soup kitchen, not only do the Nosferatu get ghoulish pleasure out of seeing their visitors so discomfited, but the entire meeting becomes a gauge of exactly how desperate for help the high and mighty are.
Clan Prestige: Standing among the Nosferatu is based on utility and merit. Those who do exceptional work for the clan or who uncover particularly juicy tidbits of information (that can be later put to use; there’s not much use for theoretical knowledge down in the storm drains) get acclaim. Furthermore, since the Nosferatu are in continuous communication, a well-regarded vampire’s good press gets spread far and wide. Of course, the opposite is also true. A Nosferatu who fumbles an information exchange, gets a burrow violated or assaulted or who passes on false information to the rest of the clan finds his name turned to mud across the entire ShreckNet in a matter of hours.
Following the Embrace, Nosferatu childer suffer an agonizing transformation as, over the subsequent weeks, they warp from humans into hideous monsters. The horror of the physical devolution often produces an accompanying psychological trauma. Unable to walk among the kine, Nosferatu must dwell in subterranean sewers and catacombs forever after.
Nosferatu often choose physically or emotionally twisted mortals for the Embrace, seeing in the curse of vampirism a possible means of redemption for the mortals. Amazingly, there seems to be some merit to this belief. Many Nosferatu are surprisingly levelheaded and practical, avoiding the obsessions, fits and rages of their fairer brethren. Not that this makes the Sewer Rats particularly pleasant to be around; indeed, some Nosferatu come to delight in the shock and horror their grotesque appearances inspire in others.
Nosferatu are survivors par excellence. Few creatures, mortal or vampire, know a city’s back alleys and dark corners like the Nosferatu do. Additionally, Nosferatu have mastered the crafts of sneaking and eavesdropping; they make a point of keeping up with current gossip and affairs, not merely for pleasure, but for survival. Information brokers without peer, they can command high prices for their knowledge. Using their Obfuscate Discipline, Nosferatu make a point of listening to others’ conversations from hiding, or sitting in on “secret” meetings. If a Kindred wishes to learn about the doings and denizens of the city, she would do well to consult the Nosferatu.
Finally, millennia of shared deformity and abuse have fostered strong bonds among the monsters. Nosferatu forego the squabbling and feuds ubiquitous to the other clans, preferring to work in unison. They treat each other with meticulous politeness and freely share information among themselves. To mess with one Nosferatu is to — mess with them all — and that can get messy indeed....
Nickname: Sewer Rats
Sect: Surprisingly, the clan as a whole belongs to the Camarilla, despite obvious difficulties with upholding the Masquerade. Perhaps they value the safety of membership; perhaps they simply want the other clans within observing distance. Still, a fair number of Nosfetatu are in the Sabbat or simply consider themselves autarkis (of no sect).
Appearance: No two Nosferatu look precisely alike, but all are hideous. Gaping fang-filled maws, discolorations, tumors, holes in place of noses, batlike ears, sloping bald heads, twisted spines, claws, wrinkled hides, pustulent sores and webbed fingers are just a few possible deformities possessed by Nosferatu. An existence in sewers and crypts tends to ensure that most Nosferatu smell about as good as they look.
Haven: Their disfigurement forces most Nosferatu to take havens far from the eyes of mortals, in graveyards, abandoned warehouses and cellars. In large cities, entire broods of Nosferatu lair in sewers and subway systems. These “kingdoms,” particularly the older ones, are often much more extensive than mortals or Kindred are aware — subterranean labyrinths stretching deep into the darkness and guarded by monstrous ghouls. Even princes treat warily with the Nosferatu kingdoms.
Background: Nosferatu choose their progeny from society's castoffs: derelicts, the mentally ill and the hopelessly antisocial. Occasionally, a vindictive Nosferatu chooses to embrace a beautiful, vain mortal, then watch gleefully as the Curse takes hold.
Character Creation: Nosferatu can have any concept, but often come from loner, outsider or drifter stock. Nosferatu occasionally retains in the the form of ghoul animals, or even a human ally or too, but Backgrounds are rarely predominant among the Clan.
Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence
Weaknesses: As mentioned, Nosferatu are absolutely loathsome to look at. All Nosferatu have Appearance ratings of zero. Nor may they improve their appearance through any other means. Even if Vicissitude is used, within a night it will have worn off and the Nosferatu will have to go through the painful transformation in a single night rather than a number of weeks; a process that can drive all but the most iron willed insane. Most social actions based on first impression, except intimidation and the like, fail automatically.
Organization: While Nosferatu do not have the rigid protocols that mark clans such as the Tremere and Ventrue, their shared deformity creates and exceptional clan unity. Shunned and reviled by other creatures, Nosferatu stick together out of equal parts necessity and loneliness.
Bloodlines: Like many other clans, Nosferatu has an antitribu analog in the Sabbat, though the branch does not differ greatly from the ruck and run of the clan save in ideology. Descendants of certain sires sometimes bear "signature" deformities, but few differ in any significant fashion.
Quote: Come here, little boy, how's about a kiss? *phlegmy wheezing hack* Whazza matter? Big bad gangbanger's scared now? Don't so much like being the victim, heh? Well, get used to it, 'cuz you ain’t seen the half of it!
Updated section from Guide to the Camarilla
Nosferatu are not monsters, at least not in the sense that others might think they are. Yes, they dwell in sewers and filth, have visages that send mortals screaming, and breed strange monstrosities as guardians for their underground domains, but the Nosferatu deal in secrets, not carnage. Hiding their faces behind illusions, they (or their servants) seek out any tidbit that appears worth having, then sell their spoils to those less observant (who would seem to be quite a few judging from their clientele). The Nosferatu’s willingness to go places other Kindred disdain serves them well on many occasions, and their reputations as monstrosities ensures that the curious don’t attempt to turn the tables on them.
Nosferatu often dwell in the city’s sewers, but aren’t restricted to them. After all, all the action (and the information that comes with it) are above ground. The sewers are merely a convenient and concealed means of accessing the world above, and an excellent place to hide what’s been found. Most Nosferatu turn the sewers around their havens into deathtraps, and the older the vampire, the more complicated and intricate the traps. Nosferatu are very fond of their privacy, and intruders had best be prepared to pay the price of trespassing. What the Nosferatu ultimately deal in is information. Often the coin of exchange is more information, which just makes the clan richer. The Nosferatu aren’t afraid to use their knowledge, either, much to the chagrin of other Kindred who have found themselves humiliated, blackmailed or even killed after letting the wrong word fall into Nosferatu hands.
Strength and Influence: It is rare for a Sewer Rat to hold a position in city government. Other Kindred are uncomfortable with having a smelly, repulsive monstrosity in a position of authority, and find ways to keep the Nosferatu out of power. Occasionally a prince tosses a position to the clan, either to demonstrate how openminded he is or in an attempt to secure the Nosferatu’s friendship, but most just play it safe and exclude the clan from power as much as possible. A Nosferatu prince is almost unheard of. In truth, the Nosferatu don’t seem to care much. Time spent attending to the duties of an office is time not spent gathering information and putting that information to use.
As information-brokers without peer, however, the Nosferatu can easily make up for any loss of “temporal” power. Vast webs of shared information result in being able to acquire dirt on just about anyone, and the Nosferatu make certain that everyone knows it. As a result, other clans wanting what the Nosferatu have are forced to come and deal, and the Sewer Rats drive a hard bargain. Favors owed and gossip shared results in a remarkable amount of influence for the clan, which is valid currency above and below ground.
Organization: The Nosferatu organization is loose, but not non-existent. Regional collections of Nosferatu, called Broods, meet on a semi-regular basis, usually to swap information. It’s common for Broods to send representatives to one another, either as delegates at meetings or to carry certain precious pieces of news too valuable to trust to letters or email. Such exchanges help disseminate information across the clan with lightning speed.
Meetings of Broods are called Hostings (which leads to all sorts of jokes about parasitism), which operate on no set schedule. Instead, a Hosting happens when a Nosferatu decides that a Hosting needs to happen. The self-proclaimed host of the Hosting must arrange a meeting space and accommodations, but beyond that, the meetings are remarkably informal. Nosferatu treat each other with a great deal of respect; the shared horror of their appearance does much to promote clan unity. In more recent years, the Nosferatu have invested heavily in the SchreckNET, wiring Brood to Brood in cyberspace and allowing for faster exchanges of data. The SchreckNET is now intercontinental, and its keepers expect to have upward of 90 percent of all Nosferatu burrows connected within the next three years.
Concerns: The Nosferatu know too much not to be concerned. They know why the Gangrel left the Camarilla. entirely too much of what goes on between Malkavians, and what’s really going on in the corridors of Ventrue power. The Nosferatu are less than sanguine about the Camarilla’s future, and have debated leaving the sect themselves at times. If there’s a problem with the Camarilla, the Nosferatu know about it and are debating the matter worriedly. One concern that the Nosferatu have that no others are privy to is the Nicktuku. According to clan lore, the Nicktuku are the danfounder’s other children, so monstrously twisted as to make the Nosferatu look normal by comparison. Enormously powerful and utterly hateful, these monstrosities hunt their less deformed brethren across the globe. Reports of the Nicktuku have increased in recent years, and an alarming number of Nosfetatu burrows have gone silent as well. Alarmist clan members are taking this intelligence as a sign that the Nicktuku are on the move, and as such they are readying their defenses for what they perceive as the final assault.
Practices and Customs:There are few practices common to the Nosferatu that have become known to others. One of the most spectacular and fearsome (which is perhaps why the Nosferatu let news of it leak) is the custom of creating breeding pools in order to manufacture guardian ghouls. Such pools are bodies of water that Nosferatu regularly infuse with their vitae. The results are literally hordes of twisted, massive and utterly loyal ghouled animals which serve as natural warning systems and defenses. Nosferatu also farm fungi and subterranean plants, creating gardens worthy of the finest apothecaries or the deadliest poisoners.
In the end, all Nosferatu custom among each other breaks down to respect and politeness. The Nosferatu seem genuinely to respect one another and their elders (the Sewer Rats are the only vampires who don’t regularly grumble about what evil deeds their elders are really up to), and that makes their dealings fluid, easy and fast. ‘What matters to the Nosferatu is not the order of precedence, but rather actually getting things done, and their dearth of formalized customs reflects this desire.
There is one hobby which the Nosferatu seem to enjoy, and that’s pushing the other Kindred. Every Nosferatu knows that the other clans prefer to deal with them as little as possible, and that they only do so when under great duress. Consequently, the Nosferatu take great pains to play up the worst aspects of their existence when the other clans come calling, testing to see just how far their prospective clients are willing to go. When the Toreador are willing to descend into the sewers, or the Ventrue to meet in a soup kitchen, not only do the Nosferatu get ghoulish pleasure out of seeing their visitors so discomfited, but the entire meeting becomes a gauge of exactly how desperate for help the high and mighty are.
Clan Prestige: Standing among the Nosferatu is based on utility and merit. Those who do exceptional work for the clan or who uncover particularly juicy tidbits of information (that can be later put to use; there’s not much use for theoretical knowledge down in the storm drains) get acclaim. Furthermore, since the Nosferatu are in continuous communication, a well-regarded vampire’s good press gets spread far and wide. Of course, the opposite is also true. A Nosferatu who fumbles an information exchange, gets a burrow violated or assaulted or who passes on false information to the rest of the clan finds his name turned to mud across the entire ShreckNet in a matter of hours.
