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Clan Ventrue. Elegant, aristocratic and
regal, the Ventrue are the lords of the Camarilla. It was Clan Ventrue that
provided the cornerstone of the Camarilla, and it is Clan Ventrue that
directs and coaxes the Camarilla in its darkest hours. The majority of
princes descend from Clan Ventrue. The Ventrue would, of course, have things
no other way. In the tradition of noblesse oblige, the Ventrue must lead the
other clans for their own good. Ventrue are mostly chosen from nobles,
merchant princes or other wielders of power.
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Clan Toreador. The Toreador are called
many things -- "degenerates," "artistes," "poseurs," and "hedonists" being
but a few. But any such mass categorization does the clan a disservice.
Depending on the individual and her mood, Toreador are alternately elegant
and flamboyant, brilliant and ludicrous, visionary and dissipated. Perhaps
the only truism that can be applied to the clan is its members' aesthetic
zeal. Whatever a Toreador does, she does with passion. Whatever a Toreador
is, she is with passion. To the Toreador, eternal life is to be savored. Many
Toreador were artists, musicians or poets in life; many more have spent
frustrating centuries producing laughable attempts at art, music or poetry.
Toreador share the Ventrue's love of high society, though not for them the
tedium of actually running things -- that's what functionaries are for,
darling. Toreador know that their place is to captivate and inspire --
through their witty speech, graceful deeds, and simple, scintillating
existence.
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Clan Tremere. Even among vampires, the
insular Clan Tremere bears a reputation for treachery. This reputation is
well earned; the Tremere were formerly a cabal of human wizards who,
hungering for immortal life, wrested the secrets of vampirism from unwilling
Kindred. Such vile deeds earned the clan a sinister reputation; even today,
certain vampire clans would love nothing better than to destroy the entire
Tremere line.
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Clan Brujah. The Brujah are inheritors of
a majestic and ancient legacy, which is unfortunate. Tonight's Brujah seem
less like a clan and more like a mob. Punks, terrorists, revolu tionaries,
criminals, gangbangers and the like make up the Brujah; the clan seems to be
united in nothing save its contempt for the institutions of vampire and
mortal society. Well, this is not entirely true; Clan Brujah are among the
most savage vampires, and the most trivial slight or annoyance may trigger a
howling Brujah frenzy. The Brujah's disunity keeps the clan tenuously in the
Camarilla, but Brujah thugs routinely defect to the anarchs, the better to
strike against their hated elders.
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Clan Gangrel. Of all vampires, the Gangrel
are perhaps closest to their inner nature. These nomadic loners spurn the
constraints of society, preferring the comfort of the wilderness. How they
avoid the wrath of the werewolves is unknown; perhaps it has something to do
with the fact that the Gangrel are themselves shapeshifters. When a mortal
speaks of a vampire changing into a wolf or a bat, she is probably speaking
of a Gangrel. Like the Brujah, Gangrel are fierce warriors; unlike the
Brujah, Gangrel ferocity does not stem from anarchic rage, but from
animalistic instinct. Gangrel have a keen understanding of the Beast in
their souls, and prefer to spend their nights in communion with the animals
whom they so emulate.
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Clan Malkavian. At first glance, the
members of Clan Malkavian do not appear to be a clan at all; they are chosen
from all races, creeds and social strata. But Malkavians, regardless of
mortal standing, bear one disturbing commonality: They are all quite mad.
Whether from the clan's choice of victims, the circumstances of the Embrace,
or some property in Malkavian blood itself, all Malkavians go insane shortly
after the transformation (if they were not insane to begin with). Accordingly,
many Malkavians find themselves pariahs, ostracized by a vampiric society
fearful of their random urges and capricious whims. Wiser Kindred, however,
prefer to keep the madmen close at hand: Behind the Malkavians' lunatic
cackling and feverish rantings lie smatterings of insight, even wisdom.
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Clan Nosferatu. Caine's childer are
called "The Damned," and no vampires embody this more than do 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. To put it bluntly, the Embrace transforms them into hideous
monsters. Unable to walk among humans, Nosferatu must dwell in subterranean
sewers and catacombs. Other vampires revile Nosferatu, considering them
disgusting and interacting with them only when they must. Because of this
stigma, however, Nosferatu are survivors par excellence. Few creatures,
mortal or vampire, know the city's back alleys and dark corners like the
Nosferatu do. Additionally, Nosferatu have refined the crafts of sneaking
and eavesdropping to fine arts; if anyone or anything has the latest dirt
on mortal or vampiric society, it is 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. You mess with one, you mess with `em all --
and that can get messy indeed....
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Clan Assamite.
To be added.
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Clan Lasombra.
To be added.
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