Clans of the Masquerade Prt 4
#4 of Vampire: Masquerade
The fourth installment on my brief rundown of the clans from Vampire: the Masquerade
Giovanni: to the rest of the vampire community, they would be known as the vampire mafia, but this is a front for their true goals. The Giovanni were once members of the Cappadocians but usurped them when they drove the clan to extinction. Now the Giovanni embrace mortals exclusively from their own family tree. The Giovanni family is also known for their extreme feats of perversion, approving of such acts like incest and necrophilia.
The Giovanni stole the Cappadocians secrets of necromancy, using its power to reanimate the dead into servants of the clan. The Giovanni's true ambition is to find a way to enter the land of the dead and rule as gods in the afterlife. But most outside the family do not know this and merely believe them to be mobsters and crime lords.
Not every member of the Giovanni is a vampire. Indeed, most within the family aren't even aware of its true nature. Only the best and the brightest are allowed to join the inner circle and receive the embrace. Being invited to join the inner circle is a matter of great prestige, because the family pits candidates against one another in ruthless smear campaigns to increase their chances of impressing the family's higher ranking members. Even still, though who do not make the cut of becoming full vampires may be granted the Proxy Kiss and become Ghouls for someone who did.
The Giovanni are an independent clan, having not sworn allegiance to any of the factions. Why would they when they seek to obtain godhood over all souls? They are also devoted to their family first and foremost, which could get in the way of political advancements with the Sabbat and Camarilla.
The Giovanni clan disciplines are as follows.
Necromancy - A form of magic that deals with controlling the forces of death and manipulating dead matter.
Potence - The power of supernaturally enhanced strength.
Dominate - The power to bend the minds of others to your will.
Ventrue: the lords of the night, and if you try to claim otherwise, they will be more than happy to prove it to you. Throughout the historical periods, the Ventrue have always included the ranks of those who held the reigns of society. They refuse to accept any station lower than the top of society, and will use whatever methods at their disposal to ensure they remain on top. They have been nobles and royalty, priests and merchants, crime lords and politicians. Now that the modern world is becoming more technologically based than ever before, the Ventrue have begun to consider the benefits to embracing scientists and doctors as well.
As befits the lords, the clan takes great pride in their ancestry. Every Ventrue teaches their progeny about their heritage as far back as they are able to trace it. They are also known to be picky eaters and can only gain sustenance from high born members of society. Those of low birth such as prostitutes and the homeless can force the Ventrue to vomit the blood they just consumed, retching in a fit of disgust.
The Ventrue arrogantly boast that they are the pillar of vampire society. Without them to hold society together, the rest of the clans would plunge into chaos. This, of course, is a blatant lie, but the Ventrue would never be willing to accept that. Whether or not the Ventrue truly caused the Brujah to fall from grace, the two clans still hate each other in the modern nights, most likely because the two of them are such opposites to one another. The Brujah embody freedom and creativity, where as the Ventrue embody submission and conformity.
The majority of clan Ventrue joined the Camarilla and they rise to the top of the organization more often than any other clan. They claim that they are the ones who hold the organization together, apparently oblivious to the fact that the Brujah created their precious organization in the first place.
The Ventrue clan disciplines are as follows.
Dominate - The power to enthrall others, bending them to your will.
Fortitude - The power of supernatural durability
Presence - The power of supernatural charisma, inspiring fear or respect.
Followers of Set: also known as the Setites, this clan of vampires is a religious cult dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god, Set. In ancient Egypt, he was known as a god of darkness, storms and chaos, with the snake being his symbolic animal. When asked about their history, the Followers of Set claim that Set was the first vampire, not Caine. They also claim being embraced into the clan is a great honor, a blessing from their god to those who continue to work his will upon the world. Because they believe Set is the first vampire, Setites count themselves as being 2 generations lower than normal.
The signature discipline of the cult is called Serpentis, which the Setites firmly believe is a gift from their god. It grants them a multitude of snake based powers including shapeshifting talents similar to Protean. Despite numerous attempts to convince them to stop practicing it, the Setites have continued to do so, and often become quite hostile towards those who even suggest such a thing.
The Setites are corruptors who seek to bring about the downfall of those outside of the cult. But their machinations are subtle and precise, most do not even realize they are being corrupted until it is too late. The Setites will pretend to be the perfect neighbor, granting you any boon or favor that is within their power to do so. But as they do so, they will carefully orchestrate your fall. Once you are thoroughly corrupted, the Followers of Set can stand back proudly and claim that if you had lived under the teachings of Set, this would never have happened.
Set demands willing converts, not mindless slaves. A Setite will never force the embrace upon anybody, instead letting the mortal freely choose to join them. However the Setites are religiously devoted to their founder and so before they will grant the embrace, they groom and prepare the mortal to become a devoted worshiper. Once the mortal truly believes in Set's teachings and freely chooses to receive the embrace, then they are worthy to join the Followers of Set as a true member.
Within the cult, Ghouls are given a far greater level of respect than they would among other clans. Setite Ghouls are the priesthood of the clan, leading mortals in religious sermons and rituals while the vampires orchestrate the downfall of society. It is thanks to the Ghouls that the Setites attract more converts from the mortal ranks, especially since they can move about in the day, where a Setite can not.
The curse of the Setites is that they are even more vulnerable to fire and sunlight than other vampires. They claim that the sun is the domain of Osiris, the arch enemy of Set. As his loyal followers on earth, the Setits are Osiris' arch enemies, hence their banishment from the sun's rays.
The Followers of Set are an independent clan because of their religious organization. Their service to Set trumps all other alliances. However, they have been known to work with other factions such as the Camarilla, Sabbat, or the Anarchs if they feel it can assist with their religious duties.
The Followers of Set clan disciplines are as follows.
Serpentis - ancient Egyptian magic that heavily revolves around snakes and corruption. It holds religious significance to the Setites.
Obfuscate - The power to deceive the bodily senses, including such feats like invisibility.
Presence - The power of supernatural charisma, inspiring fear or awe in others.