Category:Tzimisce

From SanguinusWiki

Overview

The Tzimisce (pronounced Zhi-mee-see) share the reigns of power in the Sabbat with the Lasombra, though they are fewer in number and not as keenly interested in accumulating and consolidating power and influence. The ambitions of the so-called "Fiends" have more to do with gathering knowledge about the vampiric state and understanding what it truly means to be a monster. The clan is known for the bizarre experimentation they conduct behind closed doors. These studies invariably involve flesh-crafting, as the clan is gifted with the unique power of Vicissitude. This power allows them to shift and mutate skin (and, at advanced stages, bone). As a result, Tzimisce and those they experiment on run the gamut from the hauntingly beautiful to the mind-jarringly hideous -- and, in many cases, somewhere in between.

Though many outsiders perceive the Sabbat as being full of mindless barbarians, the Tzimisce contradict this stereotype. They are much more like Hannibal Lecter than Jason Voorhees -- refined, intelligent and capable of incredible cruelty. Many elders are so detached from the trappings of humanity their thinking is as alien as their appearances. In life, many were scientists, doctors or from other similarly respectable and scholarly backgrounds, but with a penchant for the depraved and the sadistic. In some cases, serial killers have been Embraced, but these are twisted geniuses and not blathering, childish lunatics. Though generally urbane and polite, the Tzimisce do not suffer fools gladly.

The Tzimisce were once the lords of the night in Eastern Europe with holdings from the Baltic states to the Black Sea. They ruled through fear and awe, cowing the superstitious populaces into passivity. Among these fearsome lords was the infamous Dracula, Vlad Tepes, or so it is rumored. Things changed, however, with the emergence of Clan Tremere during the medieval period. Based in Vienna, the mages-turned-vampires encroached into Hungary, Bulgaria and other traditionally Tzimisce spheres of influence. It is said the undead usurpers experimented on captured Tzimisce, using their vitae to finally attain unending life. Due to this historical animosity, the Tzimisce hate the Tremere more than any of their Camarilla adversaries. If anything can be said to reliably incite emotion from the cold and humorless clan, it is their unwavering hatred for the Warlocks.

When the Anarch Revolt broke out, young Tzimisce launched a rebellion against their elders, empowering themselves through the Amaranth. After the Convention of Thorns, the clan was one of two to commit itself to the Sabbat (the other being the Lasombra), though there remain a number of very old Tzimisce who claim independence from the sect (and would be referred to as Tzimisce antitribu, though not by themselves). Since then, the Tzimisce have faithfully served in the Jyhad against the ancients and their machinations. Many of the priests, counselors and scholars in the Sabbat are Tzimisce, though no small number hold actual leadership positions as well. Still, for the most part, they are content to act in a supporting position, probably to allow them to focus on their ghoulish research.

Clan is important to the Tzimisce and meetings amongst members are common. Unlike most other Sabbat, clan elders in the sect are afforded respect and deference, provided that they have not brought disgrace upon themselves or the clan and have done something meaningful with their unlife. Chief among the Sabbat Tzimisce is the Voivode, who issues commands that the clan follows. He or she does not abuse this authority, however, knowing full well that the Tzimisce have overthrown their elders and are perfectly capable of doing so again.

Nickname: Fiends

Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude

Common Paths: Death and the Soul, Caine, Honorable Accord

Weakness: The Tzimisce need an anchor in their lives despite their obsession with metamorphosis, and must surround themselves with two handfuls of dirt from a place important to them when they slumber. Every 24 hours that they do not do this, they lose half their dice pools to a minimum of 1.