Views: 20978
Ok let's start by getting down to basics. We'll need to define the core game that Mark Rein-Hagen used to launch into the second largest gaming company of the 1990s.
Rather than focus on the core books as they existed, we can make slight adjustments for storytellers to reskin and use as their own. We can create the scenes that were once left only to the major metropolises of the time like New York, LA, Chicago and Washington DC.
The first is we can admit we live in a more violent age than when WOD was first written. Neither North America nor Europe are as safe as they once were. A such, we can scale away from the old one vampire per 100,000 mortals rule, instead focusing on 1 vampire per 10,000 mortals. It multiplies the safe number of vampires in a city by ten. It also opens the door to having the kindred in many places they would not have been able to be in earlier.
Storytellers should keep in mind that a city or towns population isn't just the people that live there. It also includes the people that visit.
For example, New Orleans (which was featured in New Orleans by Night) nor only has its local population but has
The New Orleans region is home to a racially and ethnically diverse population of nearly 1.5 million people. More than half of the residents are white while about one-third are African American, and eight percent are Hispanic or Latino.
New Orleans is known worldwide for its spirited nightlife, unique cuisine, and rich cultural heritage, all of which draw more than 19 million people to visit the city each year.
New Orleans has been named the #3 Top Destination for City Lovers in the United States for 2022.
Obviously, 19 million tourists would not be the same feeding grounds it would be if people lived their year round; however, it adds an average of 1.58 million visitors per month, which boosts the local population of possible vampires. The local population would support 150 kindred, instead of 15 under the old rules. The tourists then expand that to another 158 possible kindred, before the kindred population is even endangered of violating the masquerade and being discovered.
The homebrew expands the possible number of people in flux to 308 kindred instead of 30 under the base system. This can apply to medium and small towns as well with sufficient population.
The second base system that I'd like to define is the use of Humanity. This is the preferred morality system, as using an alternate path, will allow vampires in Torpor to rise quicker, which is a primary concern for the Sabbat as it is best not to tempt the most desperate among them to commit diablerie on their own.
That said, as a matter of Homebrew, Humanity should still be tracked by the DM, as its used for sensing corruption (as in Sense the Wyrm) and how inhuman the character appears even with a high path rating.
https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Humanity_(VTM)
Humanity (VTM)
Overview
Since every Kindred was a human before their Embrace, their most natural response in resisting the Beast's feral, predatory nature is to cling to their humanity. This is generally represented by the strength of their Conscience and Self-Control, virtues common to Kindred and mortals alike.
A Kindred's humanity has a direct effect on the strength of the vampiric curse; those who lose ground to the Beast and lose their humanity find it more difficult to interact with mortals, to be active during daylight hours, and to awaken from long periods of torpor.
Humanity is universally adopted by the vampires of the Camarilla, but even among the Sabbat it is the "natural" and most common way of dealing with the Beast. Some vampires however reject the mores of mortal existence and adopt an alien Path of Enlightenment, in which they learn or construct a wholly different standard of morality. These often incorporate different virtues – conviction instead of conscience, and instinct instead of self-control – and establish a very different relationship with the Beast. Replacing the morality of one's human life is a daunting task, not to be taken lightly, and generally impossible without the support of one who already follows the alternate path.
The practice of assuming a Path of Enlightenment was much more common in the Dark Medieval, when every vampire had to choose a "Road", a quasi-religious path to harmony with or control over the Beast. Humanity was one of these Roads, known then as the Via Humanitatis ("Road of Humanity"). Though less common than today, the Road of Humanity was still the most natural Road to follow.
Humanity Ratings
A vampire's Humanity rating reflects how much of a character’s mortal nature remains despite the curse of Caine. It influences how well a character may deny her vampiric state, as well as how effectively she may pass for mortal.
Rating Moral Standards 10 Saintly 9 Compassionate 8 Caring 7 Normal 6 Distant 5 Removed 4 Unfeeling 3 Cold 2 Bestial 1 Horrific 0 Wight Hierarchy of Sins
Humanity Rating Moral Guideline 10 Selfish thoughts. 9 Minor selfish acts. 8 Injury to another (accidental or otherwise). 7 Theft. 6 Accidental violation (drinking a vessel dry out of starvation). 5 Intentional property damage. 4 Impassioned violation (manslaughter, killing a vessel in Frenzy). 3 Planned violation (outright murder, savored exsanguination). 2 Casual violation (thoughtless killing, feeding past satiation). 1 Utter perversion or heinous acts. A Humanity of 0 indicates no moral values. Such a creature only knows to sleep, feed, and kill. The vampire becomes a wight.
Humanity and torpor
Vampires who enter torpor due to wounds must rest for a period depending on their Humanity or Path rating:
Rating Length of Torpor 10 One day 9 Three days 8 One week 7 Two weeks 6 One month 5 One year 4 One decade 3 Five decades 2 One century 1 Five centuries 0 Millennium or more Following this period of rest, the player may spend a blood point and make an attempt to Awakening. If the vampire has no blood in his body, he may not rise until he is fed; the vampire may try to awaken for as long as he has vitae on his system. If the vampire rises successfully, he is considered Crippled and should either spend blood or hunt immediately to regain his full strength.
As Homebrew, the Difficulty of Humanity rolls and the successes required should be something that is fitting the crime. This is the Conscience roll.
Rating | Moral Guideline |
---|---|
10 | Selfish thoughts (thinking of committing one of the seven deadly sins, defined as Vices in 3rd edition). Difficulty 2 and only one success required. |
9 | Minor selfish acts (committing minor acts of a sin of Vice defined as above). Difficulty 2 and only one success required. |
8 | Injury to another (accidental or otherwise). This does not include self defense or defense of an innocent. That said, not helping an innocent in mortal danger could qualify as this if they are crippled or killed. Also note that professional killing in wartime would not be counted as lower than this level unless war crimes like torture, rape or other heinous acts are involved. Difficulty 3 and only one success required. |
7 | Theft. This does not include justified acts of War or something like taking away a serial killers weapon. Difficulty 4 and only one success required. |
6 | Accidental violation (drinking a vessel dry out of starvation). This includes killing or crippling another in friendly fire during battle or war. Difficulty 5 and two successes required. |
5 | Intentional property damage. This does not include justified acts of War. Difficulty 6 and two one successes required. |
4 | Impassioned violation (manslaughter, killing a vessel in Frenzy). Difficulty 7 and two successes required. |
3 | Planned violation (outright murder, savored exsanguination). Difficulty 8 and three successes required. |
2 | Casual violation (thoughtless killing, feeding past satiation). Difficulty 9 and three successes required. |
1 | Utter perversion or heinous acts. Difficulty 10 and three successes required. |
Humanity can be regained once per story as if buying willpower with experience and an act of good will or contrition. For example, taking care of your victim's family financially or protecting them from something really dangerous could be a suitable act of contrition. Continuing to help them over multiple stories could be a road to regaining even more humanity as well.
The game's core sect...
https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Camarilla_(VTM)
The Camarilla is the most organized of the vampiric sects, an elite club that favours tradition and control of the mortal populace from behind the scenes. Across their domains, they enforce six major Traditions, chief among them being the Masquerade. All clans have an individual presence in the Ivory Tower, though a select group of pillar clans make up the core of its membership. Once the Camarilla welcomed all Kindred who obeyed its laws, but recent events have caused the leadership to adopt more exclusive membership rules. No Anarchs, Caitiff, or thin-blooded vampires are allowed to exist within the sect.
In addition to preventing the growing mortals masses from discovering the existence of vampires, the Camarilla aims to maintain the status quo of Kindred society; as such, much of its structure and traditions mirror that of Cainite society in feudal Europe in the Dark Ages, and places it at odds with the agenda of the Sabbat and Anarchs, both of whom seek to overthrow archaic Kindred society.
History
The Camarilla's birth was grounded in the growing threats of the Inquisition and the Anarch Revolt, both of which were threatening Cainite domains throughout Europe. Though there had been attempts to form alliances in the past, a meeting of elders to seriously consider the idea of forming a league of vampires was not held until 1394.[1] Little came of it, however, until a bold attack was made on the castle of the elder Ventrue Hardestadt led by the famous Anarch Tyler. The Founders-to-be recognized the need for a unified front and so banded together several of their most trusted childer and servants into a joint task force to use against the Anarchs. Though meant to illustrate what could be accomplished if elders pooled their resources together, politics and rivalries would continue to divide them even as the Founders slowly made preparations for their new alliance.[2]
The formation of the "Camarilla" (a word that denoted both that it was a convocation of peers or comrades and that it met in session secret from mortal knowledge) was announced in 1435 as the Founders began openly rallying support for a coalition to protect vampires from the dangers of roving anarchs, the invading Assamites, and the increasingly dangerous mortal mobs.[2][3][4] After all, the very Spanish word camarilla also means to mutually scratch one another’s back, a meaning that would be given expression in the convoluted workings of prestation throughout the sect.
War continued to rage over the next several decades and the Founders, now called Justicars, fought to hold the nascent sect together. In 1486 the first national conclave was convened, during which the justicars were given broader authority to punish vampires who violated the Traditions. A new body of agents was also formed to report to the justicars and free them to further develop the sect, creating what would eventually become the position of archon.[2][4]
In 1493, the Convention of Thorns marked the end of the First Anarch Revolt and the birth of the Camarilla as it is known today.[2][4] The Traditions were accepted as law. Representatives for the Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue clans officially joined the sect, while those speaking for the Lasombra and Tzimisce, who were majoritarily anarchs, rebelled against what they considered an offensive ultimatum and went on to form the Sabbat in opposition to everything the Founders intended. While the Convention of Thorns was a significant victory for the Camarilla, it set the stage for the next five centuries of conflict between the two sects.
The New World
Over the next two centuries those Anarchs who refused to accept the Convention of Thorns coalesced into the Sabbat and struck out against the Camarilla's power. The organization and superior numbers of the older sect gave it a distinct advantage, however, and during the 17th century the younger Sabbat vampires began migrating to the New World en masse, leaving most of Europe to the Camarilla.[5]
For a time there was some debate as to whether to pursue their enemy to the Americas, but eventually the idea of staking out new territories was accepted as a means of placating younger Kindred.[2][3] Whereas it had seemed that the Sabbat might claim all of the New World, as their enemies fell into internal conflicts over dwindling resources the Ivory Tower consolidated power in the English, Dutch, and French colonies. The War of 1812 mirrored a renewed battle for the Atlantic coast where the Camarilla gradually lost city after city throughout the first half of the 19th century. As the war expanded to the American frontier the Camarilla was barely able to hold on its domains only because of civil war within the Sabbat's ranks.[3]
In the 20th century, the Camarilla was greatly weakened by internal disputes as Kindred took differing sides in the mortal conflicts in Europe. This was especially true during the Second World War when many elders, particularly among the Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue, supported the Axis Powers; the Inner Circle refused to take sides, and even individual justicars ended up working against one another. However, when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, it became deadly apparent how important preserving the Masquerade and global peace was, for mortals now possessed the power to destroy both themselves and all Kindred.[2]
Once again, the Homebrew is launching with the unlimited potential of the game as it was when 1st and 2nd edition launched. There is talk of the final nights. That said, it may not happen for thousands of years...
If you are using this system, it might be best to avoid the undertow of that storyline. You could play a game for 30 years and never touch it. If you touch it, most games will end and its not like the storyline didn't blow up in White Wolf's face.
My 2 cents. Your mileage may vary.
https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Camarilla_(VTM)
Organization
The Camarilla is a global organization that maintains and oversees a collection of feudal domains, particularly inNorth AmericaandEurope. It is a loose alliance lacking a strong central authority or standing military.[7]Individual Camarilla cities are almost always ruled by aprincewith the assistance of theprimogen, who either act as a council of advisers or hold their own measure of power. Other offices of a city include theHarpy,Keeper of Elysium,Seneschal,Sheriff, andScourge.
Most Camarilla cities are fairly autonomous, and the broader Camarilla authority usually only becomes involved when there are concerns of a large Sabbat incursion, significant breaches of the Masquerade, or conflicts between a city's elders that could cause greater instability. In such cases one or moreArchonsare dispatched to look into the matter and either resolve the matter or report back to their respectiveJusticar. Whereas there are any number of archons that have been enlisted to serve the sect's leaders, there is only one justicar for each official clan in the Camarilla. These influential vampires represent the highest visible authority of the Camarilla and hold tremendous power to enforce the sect's precepts and call on its resources. They answer only to theInner Circle, a secretive body of the Camarilla's eldest members that determines the sect's direction and policies.
InV5, titles were added such as Principal of Faith(advisors on matters of thesoul), TheHerald(who acts as the voice of the Prince, proclaiming decrees to Kindred subjects and carrying messages to and from other rulers) and TheShadow(formal advisor to acoterie, assigned by the Prince to shepherd them through the minefield of Kindred society).
Original members:
https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Traditions_(VTM)
Traditions (VTM)
Overview
Here is the basic breakdown of the six traditions:
- Masquerade: Hide the existence of vampires.
- Domain: A kindred's hunting ground is his own territory, and he rules it absolutely.
- Progeny: Sire only with permission of one's elders.
- Accounting: Until childer are released, their actions are the responsibility of their sire.
- Hospitality: Honor the domains of others, and present oneself to the ruler of any domain you visit.
- Destruction: The right to kill Kindred is reserved for the Elder of a community. Only an elder may call a Blood Hunt.
The Traditions form the legal backbone of Camarilla society, although in modern nights, the Prince fulfills the Elder role outlined in the traditions. Most vampiric culture springs from the Traditions – presentation is outlined in the Tradition of Hospitality, the Blood Hunt in the Tradition of Destruction and the parceling of land in the Tradition of Domain.
The Traditions
First Tradition: The Masquerade
Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood.
Doing such shall renounce thy claims of Blood.Second Tradition: The Domain
Thy domain is thine own concern.
All others owe thee respect while in it.None may challenge thy word while in thy domain.
Third Tradition: The Progeny
Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine Elder.
If thou createst another without thine Elder's leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain.Fourth Tradition: The Accounting
Those thou create are thine own children.
Until thy Progeny shall be Released, thou shall command them in all things.
Their sins are thine to endure.Fifth Tradition: The Hospitality
Honor one another's domain.
When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there.
Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing.Sixth Tradition: The Destruction
Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind.
The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder.
Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt.
The Brujah
The Gentleman Gamer's
The Gentleman's Guide to Vampires: Clan Brujah
https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Brujah
History
Early History
Scratch the surface of a Brujah, and these days you are more than likely to find a Brujah thug underneath. However, the clan is a fallen clan, still mourning the death of their Carthaginian paradise and decaying from their era of warrior-scholars to the petty rebels common in the Final Nights.
Little consistent knowledge is known about the Brujah Antediluvian because the stories may confuse two individuals: the original founder of the Brujah (named as "Ilyes" in one account and as "Troile the Elder" in another) and his childer and diablerist, Troile.
According to most records, Brujah was a callous and fiercely logical creature. Dispassionate in the extreme, the Antediluvian sired a clan of equally dispassionate childer. Among these, however, was a less controlled whelp: Troile the Rebel. What events caused the Embrace of Troile are unknown, but clan history holds that Troile diablerized her sire and claimed the clan as her own. A small bloodline, the True Brujah, claim descent from Brujah and hold this grievance close in the Final Nights.
Following the death of [Brujah] in unrecorded history, the clan Brujah lived among the mortals, letting themselves revere as kings and gods, trying to recreate the glory of the Second City and the harmony between the Children of Seth and the childer of Caine. The first place that became an experiment of the Brujah was Greece, specifically Athens. Learning from and discussing their ideals with the Athenian orators and philosophers, the Brujah found countless impeti to improve society. The Brujah allowed other Cainites to enter their city and to share Athens glory. Conflict with Spartan Ventrue led to discord and the first Brujah War. After that, many of the praedicandi, the rulers of the Clan, left Greece, convinced that the experiment had failed and that they should start again elsewhere. Many of the praedicandi seized the moment and followed Troile's example, diablerizing their sires to leave no witnesses or patrons to what they regarded as a failure.
The clan's next major moment is also its greatest moment. The Brujah built or co-opted a Phoenician colony, Carthage, for another grand experiment. The Brujah say that Carthage was a utopia — a city where Kindred and kine lived in harmony, and where justice reigned. Other clans, and history, tell the story somewhat differently. The Carthaginians were cowed by their gods, offering their children to the flames of Moloch; and, apparently if the blood of sacrifices should flow down the gullet of a methuselah, Moloch did not mind. Exactly what happened in Carthage is dependent on who speaks of it – the Brujah claim Paradise, the other clans claim the presence of the Baali and human sacrifice. Some of those who were present in Carthage admit and acknowledge the truth.
Carthage fell during the Third Punic War in 146 BCE, when Scipio Aemilianus, aided by the Malkavians and Ventrue of Rome crushed the shell of a city hollowed out by two previous wars. The earth was salted (preventing those Kindred who had melded with the earth from rising), the land was plowed, and the Brujah experiment ended.
Dark Ages
During the Dark Ages, the Brujah were considered part of the High Clans, a clan of warrior-scholars noted for their fierce devotion to radical philosophies. The Brujah viewed themselves as the practitioners of a Greek philosophy of total mental and physical discipline (commonly called entelechy), and would often train their neonates in combat and the classics with equal discipline. Brujah of the Dark Ages were associated primarily with politics, especially in Greece. Their historical association with Carthage gave them a dim view of Rome and her heirs.
The Renaissance proved to be one of the turning points in the history of the Clan, when the division between the various ideological strains within the Clan exploded in the heavy infighting that strain them today. The cultural explosion within Europe resulted in ecclesiastical and civil strife, that the Brujah were only too willing to follow.
Victorian Age
During the Victorian Age, the Clan was divided in those few who lived true to their legacy as the Learned Clan, and those bulk who were mere troublemakers and criminals in the eyes of their sect, as many neonates rebelled against the oppressive and stagnant politic of the Camarilla. The closeness of the clan to mortal passions brought forth the best and the worst of the Age within the clan. Many Brujah started to regard themselves as the proletariat of vampiric society and wanted to change this through revolution.
Many Brujah during this time were fierce supporters of various ideas like Marxism, collectivism, syndicalism, and Darwinism and engaged in various revolutionary groups to topple the rising pauperization during the Industrial Revolution.
Caffeinated Conquests
How not to Brujah (Vampire the Masquerade)
Gangrel
The Gentleman Gamer's
The Gentleman's Guide to Vampires: Clan Gangrel
https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Gangrel_(VTM)
Overview
Nomads who hold closer ties to the wild places than most of their city-bound cousins, they are also closer to the animal aspect of the Beast, and are masters of the Protean Discipline. They were one of the seven founding clans of the Camarilla, but became disillusioned with the sect in the Final Nights, its elders eventually deciding to sever its ties and become an independent clan.
History
Early History
There are many different approaches to the history of the Gangrel. The disparate nature of the Outlanders and their mostly oral recorded histories make an exact depiction of their early history difficult, but it seems certain that the Gangrel were always wanderers, who followed nomadic tribes around, sleeping in the earth to escape the sun. Although some Gangrel tell the myth of Caine and how Ennoia was cast out due to a betrayal of the Ravnos Antediluvian and forced to live with the beasts, there are many other tales. The Gangrel of Scandinavia tell tales of the Einherjar and Canarl, who was cursed by Odin, while another popular myth was that Ennoia and her twin brother Churka were demigods that warred against each other, Ennoia with the most brave warriors and Churka with the most cunning, at night, so that the other gods would not learn of their feud. After Ennoia, however, was betrayed by two of her lieutenants who left her, she and her army were driven to the East, where Ennoia left them on their own. By battling Churka's get and the demonic giants that served him, they would do penance for the betrayal of their chieftains. After a long series of battle, the Gangrel were driven into the West, in the civilizations of other Kindred. Other stories tell that Ennoia was the mother of Romani and both the werewolves and the Gangrel descend from them. Most among the Clan, however, do not know or care any longer about creation myths of their kind, instead focusing to survive in the present. The mystery remains.
The Gangrel shunned many of the civilizations of antiquity, instead roaming the woods and preying on tribal societies who regarded them as evil spirits that were meant to appease. They had almost nothing to do with the development of the Roman Empire, though occasionally a Brittaniac, Gaulian, or Gothic Gangrel would nose around Rome in the hopes of catching a young neonate off-guard. If there were any Gangrel in the city itself, they were likely attached to the people the Romans took as slaves. Gangrel fought on both sides of the Punic Wars, although in the end, most flocked to the Ventrue. In Scandinavia, the methuselah known as Odin, the All-High, held the Nordic peoples in a tight grip and ruled as a corporeal god, sending them down to raid the civilizations he despised in order for his warriors to earn the right of the Embrace.
Dark Ages
The northwestern Gangrel during this period, regarded as members of the Low Clans by their high-blooded peers, were experimenting with expansionism and traveled to the four winds to far off lands to conquer, explore and trade. As paganism was on the decline and many Gangrel could not pose as normal humans due to their growing abnormality, they instead prowled the countryside, feeding from peasants and travelers. During these days, the Gangrel allied themselves with the Tzimisce against the nascent Tremere in the Omen War.
The Islamic Gangrel of the period were called Wah'Sheen, and were essentially straightforward nomads, masters of the deserts and wastelands of Arabia and North Africa. A few of the Wah'Sheen felt differently, and eventually split from the main part of the clan, calling themselves the Taifa Gangrel. These were generally more scholarly and adept with civilization than the rest of the bay't.
The Renaissance and the loss of woodland made unlife complicated for the Gangrel. The Masquerade and the heavy decline of pagan religions made hunting difficult for them without drawing notice and the growing anger of the Lupines against human encroachment found more often than not a ventil within a lone Gangrel. Many Gangrel left the Camarilla during this time, instead traveling as Autarkis, leaving Europe completely in search for untouched wilderness or receded into those few tribal societies still existing.
Victorian Age
In the rapid growth of cities and technology that marked the Victorian Age, very few Gangrel had any interest in staying in towns and hamlets that became industrial centers almost overnight. Additionally, though there were few documented cases of mortals possessing "true faith", the growth of religious influence made many Gangrel cringe, wary of another round of the vicious Inquisitorial practices of the Dark Ages. Only the scholar and theology debater Beckett was known to have any regular dealings with "proper" Kindred society during this period; most other clan members hiked into the wilderness to wait out this newest burst of human ingenuity and religious fervor.
Some claim that the City Gangrel began to evolve during this age, due to urbanization and the desolate situation in most fabrics.
Caffeinated Conquests
How Not To Gangrel: How the Gangrel Stole Christmas! (Vampire the Masquerade)
Malkavian
The Gentleman Gamer's
The Gentleman's Guide to Vampires: Clan Malkavian
https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Malkavian_(VTM)
Overview
Malkavians are an enigmatic and deeply disturbed group of Cainites. Members of the clan have assumed the roles of seers and oracles among Kindred and kine, eerie figures bound by strange compulsions and the ability to perceive what others cannot. They are also notorious pranksters whose "jokes" range from silly to sadistic. Against all odds, however, the children of Malkav are among the oldest surviving vampiric lineages. They are one of the 13 original Cainite clans and can trace back their history to times preceding the biblical Deluge. They were also among the founders of the powerful Camarilla, and are widely known as one of its pillars in modern nights.
History
Early History
As with all the major clans, the Malkavians originated in the pre-Deluge city Enoch. Little is known about the clan's early composition, only that their Antediluvian, Malkav, was a seer Embraced by one of the Second Generation. Malkav was particularly close to two other Kindred: Saulot, the founder of the Salubri, and Set, self-appointed god to his followers. Some accounts suggest the three shared the same sire, possibly Enoch.
Sometime after the Flood, Malkav was ambushed and murdered by his fellow Antediluvians. Most Malkavians believe that he is still undead, only now he exists entirely within the Madness Network (or "Cobweb"), the group mind that all Malkavians share. Some Malkavians speculate that Malkav literally is Clan Malkavian and that when Gehenna arises, he will devour the clan whole and reconstitute himself.
Many of the early Malkavians posed as city-gods, using their oracular powers to convince the population that they spoke and listened to the gods. In Greece and the lands of the Fertile Crescent, many of the early Malkavians prospered as oracles and soothsayers and later, their foresight placed them into the role of viziers and advisors to the ruling Ventrue of Rome. It was on behest of the Malkavian prophetess Tryphosa that Camilla called for the war against Carthage and it was with the aid of Alchias, the Malkavian ruler of Syracuse, that the Romans proved to be successful in the end. Later, however, the Malkavians were blamed for the more unstable emperors and when Rome finally fell apart, the Malkavians drifted away, shattered and lost. Several Malkavians, however, became attracted to early Christianity (a running gag within some elements of the Clan are the consequences of a grave robbery in 33 CE), seeing Jesus as the reborn Malkav who would end their curse. Some even claimed that Andreas, one of the disciples of Jesus, was secretly a Malkavian, and tasked by him to find Caine to persuade him to finally ask for forgiveness from God.
Dark Ages
“ When we attended the Convention of Thorns, our clan divided into a roughly 50/50 split. The true maniacs, those who lost control over their temperament and connection to humanity, of course drifted. But where did they drift? The Camarilla... Sabbat drove the sane insane and Camarilla acted as nepenthe to the madness. ” — Jacob in a letter to Therese Voerman The Dark Ages were a difficult time for the Malkavian; still suffering from their fall from grace as an important clan after the collapse of Rome, many of the Kindred feared and distrusted the Madmen. Many more pitied their sad, insane state. Humans, needless to say, also feared the madness of the Malkavians; many were persecuted more for their derangements than vampirism. That is not to say all Malkavians suffered horribly; quite a few became advisors, seers, and jesters to well-placed and powerful Cainite Princes. However, the bulk of the clan lived up to the Low Clan status bestowed on them by the more self-important Kindred. Part of this age were also the Ordo, secret covenants of Malkavians who sought to utilize their madness to predict the future and carried on the legacy of the Malkavian Oracles of Antiquity.
The Renaissance was a chaotic and paradoxical time for the Lunatics, much to their delight. The developing forms of literature and philosophy granted them a freedom that was only overshadowed by the religious backlashes against it. Malkavians stood on both sides of the fray, often also enjoying dabbling in Camarilla and mortal politics that provided an intricate web of possibilities to disrupt. Many Malkavians also came to regard the growing medical developments, particularly insane asylums.
Victorian Age
The Victorian Era was the time of Freud and Jung, as the old theories of phrenology, demon-possession and divine punishment gave way to more learned theories of psychology and psychiatry. Asylums now started doing what Malkavians had been practicing for centuries – taking an interest in insanity. While the reforms of these hospitals no doubt crippled more than one Malkavian's supply of blood, the new system permitted the Lunatics to experiment with madness like they had never before. Some set themselves up as psychologists – others visited psychologists as patients.
The rise of the Bohemian lifestyle within society meant many more kine were willing to expand their own perceptions with new cultures, experiences and drugs. The Malkavians were only too happy to oblige. New forms of expression and ways of thinking both nourished the Malkavians and allowed them to be as florid as they pleased – after all, if a finely dressed gentleman is shouting about how dogs on the street are telling him to kill people, why it must simply be the newest performance piece going around the salons. In fact, a friend of yours heard it on the streets of Paris...
Caffeinated Conquests