Vampires from the old world

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Vampires from the Old World (English Vampires: The Dark Ages ) is an RPG based on Vampire: The Masquerade that was published in 1996 by White Wolf . As game designers, Jennifer Hartshorn, Ethan Skemp, Mark Rein · Hagen and Kevin Hassall were responsible for the conception. In 2002 a second edition of the game was published by the same publisher. Both editions were translated into German by pen and sword .

The first edition took place in 1197, while the second pushed the timeline to 1230. Both take place in a dark, medieval Europe, where vampires rule the night.

At the time of the release of the second edition, several side lines playing in the same setting were added: Dark Ages: Werewolf, Dark Ages: Mage, Dark Ages: Inquisitor and Dark Ages: Fae. These minor lines were never translated into German.

Clans

In Vampires from the Old World , as in Vampires: The Masquerade, 13 clans appear. All of these clans can be traced back to a grandson of Cain (3rd generation, "antediluvian"). The clans are briefly characterized below.

Assamites

The Assamites are notorious as contract killers. They come from the Arab countries. As payment for contract killings, they usually ask for the blood of their victims. They were also involved in the Crusades on the side of the Arabs. The clan stays away from other clans and does not make long-term alliances.

They go back to the Antediluvian Haqim.

Brujah

The Brujah are a strangely divided clan. On the one hand, its members are philosophers who strive for an egalitarian order in which humans and vampires can live together openly. They have already tried unsuccessfully to implement this “project” in Carthage. On the other hand, they are extremely quick-tempered and irritable and more easily lose control than members of other clans. (In this state, known as frenzy, the vampire is only controlled by the animal , which seeks to kill everything that moves.)

There is a rumor that their chief Troile won his position through diablerie (that is, completely drinking up and usurping the soul) on his sire Brujah. This is set around the fall of Carthage . The offspring of Brujah should therefore be less irritable. According to this version, the modern Brujah were originally a fighter bloodline that was supposed to protect the main clan against enemies.

Gangrel

The Gangrel are often referred to as "shapeshifters" but also as "backwoodsmen". The first nickname refers to one of the clan's own shapeshifting powers. The second, less flattering name refers to the fact that Gangrel mostly prefer life in the wilderness to living in cities. Accordingly, they are often solitary and the clan is not particularly organized. The Gangrel in Transylvania have an alliance with the Tzimisce and Nosferatu, which is primarily directed against the emerging Tremere.

The Gangrel trace their antediluvian to Ennoia.

Disciples of Seth

The disciples of Seth (also Setiten ) are decried as "snakes" because they see it as their duty to "corrupt" both mortals and vampires and to seduce them into sinfulness. Setites are or appear to be very well educated and are happy to offer their help at any time. They then use the debt of thanks to instigate intrigues through their debtors and sow depravity. The Setites are originally from Egypt, where the elders of the clan still reside. Because of their goal of corrupting everyone else, they do not make long-term alliances with other clans.

The disciples of Seth trace themselves back to the Egyptian god Seth and claim that he was even a direct child (2nd generation) of Cain and allowed him to turn him into a vampire.

Cappadocians

They are a clan of necromancers and necromancers. You are primarily concerned with the study of death, without much concern with the politics of the other Kain children. They are only trying to achieve the great goal of the clan, the becoming god of their clan founder Cappadozius, even if most of the members are unaware of this plan. In addition, it is common to all of them that they are deathly pale, no matter how much blood they drink. The clan has recently added members of the Italian merchant and necromancer family Giovanni to its ranks, which will later prove to be a fatal mistake. At the end of the 15th century, the entire clan will have been wiped out by the Giovanni and only members of the family will be kissing.

The clan traces itself back to the antediluvian Ashur or Cappadozius. This is diablerated in 1444 by Augustus Giovanni.

Lasombra

The Lasombra are a ruling clan, just like the Tzimisce and the Ventrue. In contrast to the former, they usually prefer not to rule themselves, but rather pull the strings as the gray eminence in the background. They are puppeteers and manipulators of incredible skill. Furthermore, they have the ability to deform shadows and even create the blackest darkness from the abyss. Your undisputed kingdom is Spain. The clan has a particularly strong influence on the Roman Catholic Church. The clan's biggest problem is its recent split. There is an Islamic and a Christian faction, with the majority of the clan and its leadership remaining Christian and trying to suppress the Islamic part with an iron fist. The clan can be traced back to the antediluvian Lambech, who is said to be still asleep in the "Castel d'Ombro" (Castle of Shadows) on the coast of the island of Sicily.

Malkavians

The main characteristic of the Malkavians is their incurable madness. This madness is passed on from generation to generation and can range from the harmless lunatic to the psychotic serial killer. Chaos follows the Malkavians wherever they go. It is as if an aura of madness fills the place that is haunted by a Malkavian. Nobody can say exactly what makes a Malkavian so dangerous. But freed from the barriers of the mind, they just do what they want and in their madness gain insight into a grotesque wisdom that will remain forever closed to a healthy mind. This clan has a variable organization depending on requirements. They have a loose alliance with the Ventrue and Toreador, but where their loyalty actually lies no one knows.

The Malkavians lead back to the pre-flood Malkav.

Nosferatu

When a human receives a Nosferatu's kiss, they don't just turn into a vampire. Within weeks, the new Nosferatu's body undergoes a terrible transformation and mutates into an ugly monster. This gruesome transformation often causes psychological trauma combined with hatred for everything that is beautiful. Other Nosferatu take a real pleasure in frightening others with their grotesque appearance. This clan recruits new members from the outcasts of society, tramps, criminals, excommunicated priests, etc. Nosferatu live underground in catacombs, sewers and caves. They are masters at hiding, sneaking up on, going unnoticed, and so come into possession of all kinds of information that they sell. Despised by the other vampires because of their monstrous appearance, this clan is very well organized, the members stick together and treat each other very politely.

The Nosferatu in Transylvania have an alliance with the Tzimisce and the Gangrel.

The Nosferatu go back to the Antediluvian Absimiliard.

Ravnos

The Ravnos are known as the clan of gamblers. They are often associated with the classic Roma \ Sinti.

Ravnos have the clan disciplines animalism, chimeras and fortitude. Their clan weakness is - in whatever way - to commit crimes.

The Ravnos go back to the Antediluvian Ravana (aka Zapathasura).

Salubri

The Salubri consist of two main lines, a healer bloodline and a fighter bloodline. These lines have a reputation for being pacifist or extremely righteous paladins. In fact, almost all Salubri confirm these prejudices. They trace back to the antediluvian Saulot, who is considered a pacifist and is said to be the first vampire to reach Golconda.

In 1133 Saulot was diablerated by the former magician Tremere. In the following centuries, with a few exceptions, the pacifist Salubri were mercilessly hunted down and wiped out by the Tremere.

toreador

The toreadors are all artists. They were chosen either because they have mastered an art very well or because they are incredibly beautiful so that they are art themselves. They spend their entire lives looking for art and are the only clan that is really still among the people. Accordingly, they often influence the culture of mortals, but are also shaped by that culture. Some clans therefore consider the Toreadors to be weak and effeminate.

The Toreadors are hardly organized at all, they just live loosely as a clan; they only meet occasionally and these are not meetings to discuss problems or matters of the clan, but rather for entertainment and social get-together.

The disadvantage of the toreador is that sometimes they are so overwhelmed by the beauty of a sight that they cannot tear themselves away from it and so even stand in front of that sight for hours, unable to move or react to anything. Even if the sight is sunrise.

The Toreador descend from a third generation Cainite. These are articles that are mostly described as female. However, there are also rumors that Arikel was slain and diablerized by her child Ishtar, making Ishtar the founder of the lineage.

This is supported by the existence of a group of Cainites who are based in Africa. However, these immigrated from the Middle East and claim to be descended from a deity there (Ishtar) and therefore call themselves Ishtarri.

Tremors

The Tremere are a committed clan with a strict and steep hierarchy. The line consists almost entirely of those who were powerful magicians and scholars during their lifetime. They choose their members according to their potential and aptitude in the arcane sciences. Each newly created child is forced to take blood from each of the seven councilors, creating a strong bond between the clan member and the eldest, which is usually fruitful in unconditional obedience.

Tzimisce

This clan consists mainly of descendants of aristocratic families in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans. They have a close connection to their homeland and their lands, which is also reflected in their particular weakness. They must always sleep in the soil of their home. As one of the few clans, they control a number of ghoul families (also called revenant families). Their unique "discipline" is that of meat shaping. However, this is a soul parasite introduced from the umbra. However, one line of the clan is not infected by this soul eater and continues to exist in fewer numbers than the "Tzimisce of the Old Country" (Old Clan Tzimisce).

The Tzimisce are one of the two clans who almost entirely subscribe to the Sabbath when it was founded. Together with the Lasombra they represent the essential power factor of this sect. At the time of Vampire: Dark Ages they belong to the "high clans", so they are socially respected and accepted.

The Tzimisce destroy their antediluvian as part of the “Anarch Revolt”.

By means of a captured ancestor of the Tzimisce, the (still human) Tremere magicians succeed in turning themselves into vampires. Since then, a blood feud has existed between the Tzimisce and the Tremere.

Also among the Tzimisce there are blood magicians who are called Kolduns and who work “Koldunic witchcraft” instead of thaumaturgy.

Ventrue

The Ventrue like to see themselves as a clan of rulers. In fact, this clan makes up most of the princes. The goal that the Ventrue always seem to be working towards is to unite all clans under their rule. They usually recruit their members from the aristocracy or other leadership elites of society. The Ventrue, more than any other clans, place value on controlling not only vampiric society, but also mortal society. Hence, most of the ruling families of Ventrue ghouls have infiltrated and the rulers are manipulated by the Ventrue. However, they have little influence on the church, which is largely controlled by the Lasombra.

The Ventrue are the first clan to negotiate with the Tremere, long hated by the other clans for the merciless pursuit of the Salubri.

Others

Another role is played by the "clan" of the Baali, who, however, according to most speculations, are not descended from a grandson of Cain (3rd generation) but from a great-grandson (4th generation). That would actually make them a bloodline. However, it is unclear from which grandson of Cain the founder of this line descended. Since the Baali are demon summoners and openly boast about their malevolence, it is not surprising that no one is responsible for their existence.

Vampire Chronicles

Links to pages for each clan

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Deird're Brooks: Clanbook Ravnos, revised , p 26, ISBN 1-58846-209-9
  2. ^ Robin D. Laws: House of Tremere , 2000, p. 26, ISBN 1-56504-272-7
  3. ^ Jacob Klünder: Players guide to High Clans, Chapter Three: Noble by Association , 2003, S 1, ISBN 1-58846-289-7