TREMERE
“Do you really think that you, can stop me? Evolution cannot be stopped. Not by you, not by anyone...” (created by astyr)
During the unknown Kindred more than one Golconda came what the Mages creature, legend Kindred, a way walk under themselves with blood. They were consume a mortal Diablerie. Their when they of this ritual, day. A Vampire his clan in consuming ritual (a Mage). As began consuming the participants (having their Awakened blood) fell in to Torpor. willworker the consume, group of Mages after the Vampire Centuries was diablerised Ventrue clan. This
Dark Ages, an clan, having spent eternities on pursuing across a creature from call “The Abyss”. The says, revealed to those they could once again daylight and sustain more than mortal taught a way to soul in a way similar to frustration rose greatly realized that the effects lasted for less than a named Tremere, fooled performing the soulon an Awakened mortal soon as the Vampires the Mage's blood, all of met their Final Death veins burnt by the and Tremere himself Rumors claim that the Kindred attempted to survived and now a exist that are named that initiated the ritual. later, Tremere himself by a member of the is how the Tremere
bloodline was born. During Tremere's torpid, the Awakened blood had slowly turned into Vitae, allowing the diablerist to perform Blood rituals that are as potent – if not more so – than any other power of the Blood. After realizing his new powers – and rumors of his diablerie spread like wildfire among neighboring domains -, the (now) Tremere was self-exiled, to study his new powers and grow the bloodline in numbers. At first, he studied his new powers with the help of ghoul apprentices. A great number of them were later Embraced. It took the Warlocks many years before they would once again dwell in an Elysium. The rumors regarding the Diablerie that brought this bloodline into existence, were never forgotten. For this reason (as well as their blood rituals, now practiced as the discipline of Thaumaturgy) most Tremeres are dealt with great caution and mistrust. A bloodline of great survivability, the Tremere never pass an opportunity to engage in Kindred politics. One must always expect a pinch of Paranoia when dealing with the Tremere. The sin commited by the first member of the Bloodline was never forgotten and fear that a terrible grudge has yet to be repaid. Despite the rumors of Diablerie that surround this bloodline, most Tremere can be found among the Invictus. To a lesser extent, the Warlocks also favor the Circle of the Crone and (suprisingly to some) the Lancea Sanctum. However, very few Tremere dwell among the Ordo Dracul and it is unheard of a single Warlock to have joined the Carthian Movement. The Tremere, though originating in the Old World, have lately traveled across the continents to establish footholds elsewhere. Tremere elders (few as they may be), regularly convene in Vienna, where the Bloodline's seat of power is believed to lie, to discuss the bloodline's future direction. Many large cities across the globe house Tremere “chantries” well-defended houses that are equal parts university, monastery and stronghold. There the Warlocks gather to exchange information and study their vampiric witchcraft, safe from the attentions of their rivals. Parent Clan: Ventrue Nickname: Warlocks Covenant: Mostly Invictus. To a lesser extent Circle of the Crone and Ordo Dracul. Few – if any – join the Carthians. Appearance: The sorcerous Tremere are typically imposing or sinister in mien. Some favor classic suits; others prefer a slightly more antiquated look, dressing in 1940s-cut suits, Edwardian tinery or the simple black turtlenecks of the Beat era. Many wear charms or amulets, inscribed with cabalistic or other arcane symbols, as a sign of their learning. Although individual Warlocks may run the gamut from immaculately precise to disheveled and eccentric, the vampiric sorcerers' eyes always gleam with hidden insight and frightening acuity. Haven: Warlocks in small cities may maintain their own individual havens (often complete with extensive libraries), the bloodline maintains a chantry in every city that harbors a strong Tremere presence. A chantry is open to any member of the bloodline and absolutely forbidden to all others. The Warlocks are infamous for their well-guarded havens; almost all boast mystical wards that even other Tremere would find difficult to circumvent. Background: Most Tremere dabbled in occult or other scholarly pursuits in life. However, a fascination with the unknown is hardly enough to draw a Warlock's attention; bloodline members seek “apprentices” with aggressive natures and clear thinking and care little for muddle-headed New Agers or betuddled conspiracy theorists. The bloodline has an unspoken tradition of sexism, and most of its elders are male. Tremere ancillae have become rhater more open-minded of late, though, and draw ample numbers of suitably ambitious and persistent warlocks from both sexes.
Character Creation: Tremere are typically strong in Intelligence, Wits and Resolve attributes and have a high Willpower to match; dilettantes and churls cannot meet the grueling demands of sorcery. They favor Mental skills over the rest, excelling in Intelligence and Occult. Although a few Tremere specialize in one particular area of excellence, many more prefer a more wellrounded approach to personal aptitudes; after all, a Warlock can typically rely on no one other than himself. Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy Weakness: It is bloodline law that every neonate Tremere must drink the blood of the bloodline's elders when they are embraced. Therefore, all Tremere are under vinculum to the elders of the Bloodline. Furthermore, as a result of the diablerie that gave birth to the Tremere bloodline, members of the Tremere bloodline are even more exposed to mental illnesses than the members of their parent clan (-3 on derangement rolls). Organization: The internal structure of the Tremere is unmatchable. No clan binds its neonates the way the Tremere bloodline does. No clan acts with such unity of purpose as the Tremere bloodline does. Although younger Warlocks enjoy freedom to do more or less as they wish, occasionally they receive instructions from their elders that they may not ignore. Paranoia keeps the bloodline well-oiled and unified. Of course, the Tremere do encourage individual achievement among the group, seeing it as a Darwinian method of ensuring the clan's strength. With such ambitious, powerful young vampires cooperating with such commendable unity, it's no wonder the Warlocks have plenty of envious and spiteful enemies among the Kindred. The Tremere's pyramidal hierarchy contains several ranks, each divided into seven mystical “circles” than an aspirant must master if he desires to advance in rank (and nearly every Tremere desires that very thing). The lowest rank, that of apprentice, belongs to neonates. Above the apprentices are the regents, each one the master of a chantry; then the lords, whose domains include several chantries each. Several Tremere hold the title of pontifex, each bearing great responsibilities. And at the top of the pyramid sits the Inner Council of Seven, some the masters of entire countries; and all whispered to be in constant mental communication with the others. Thaumaturgy: Thaumaturgy as presented below, represents what the Tremere call the “Path of Blood”. Most warlock ancillae, however, have managed to broaden their understanding of Thaumaturgy and follow (or be the first to discover) several more paths. Rumors speak of warlocks capable of setting whole buildings on fire or turn mortals into dust in less than a second. •
* A taste for Blood: Through this power of Thaumaturgy, a warlock may determine a foe's might (how much vitae remains in the subject's body, whether the subject is a vampire, how recently he has fed, his blood potency and, with an exceptional success, whether he has recently commited diablerie). Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Thaumaturgy Action: Instant Dramatic Failure: A dramatic failure causes the warlock to receive confusing or contradicting information regarding the subject. On many occasions, a dramatic failure also delivers completely false information about the subject.
Failure: The player gains no information whatsoever on the subject. Success: The player gains some critical information on the subject's vitae (the storyteller decides what information is that). Exceptional Success: The player learn all information on the subject's vitae and also whether or not the subject has recently commited diablerie. •
** Blood Rage: This power allows a vampire to force another Kindred to expend vitae against his will. The warlock must touch her subject for this power to work, though only the lightest contact is necessary. The subject affected by this power might feel a physical rush as the thaumaturge heightens his Strength attribute, or may even find himself on the brink of frenzy as his vitae pool is mystically depleted. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Thaumaturgy - Stamina Action: Instant Dramatic Failure: If a dramatic failure is rolled, not only does the subject not suffer from the effects of this power, but the thaumaturge finds himself expending vitae equal to his Thaumaturgy dots. Failure: The player fails to force the subject to spend vitae. Success: The subject is forced to expend 1 vitae for each success the thaumaturge rolls. If the subject becomes hungry, a hunger frenzy check must usually be rolled. Exceptional Success: Same rules as a success apply but the subject must roll a fear frenzy check instead. Modifiers: +2/-2: The subject and the thaumaturge share a childe/sire relation. +1/-1: The subject and the thaumaturge share a vinculum.
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*** Blood of Potency: The thaumaturge gains such control over his own blood that he may effectively “concentrate” it, making it more powerful for a short time. In effect, he may temporarily raise his blood potency with this power. This power may be used only once per night. If the warlock is diablerized while this power is in effect, the power wears off immediately and the warlock returns to his original blood potency. The thaumaturge cannot raise his blood potency above 10 and for the rest of the scene, the feeding limitations of the resulting blood potency apply. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Thaumaturgy Action: Instant Dramatic Failure: A dramatic failure, results in the thaumaturge to either lose a random amound of vitae (roll 1 die) or lose one point of blood potency for the rest of the night. Failure: The player fails to raise his blood potency. Success: The player raises his blood potency by one point for each success
rolled, for one scene. Exceptional Success: Not only does the thaumaturge manage to raise his blood potency but he is able to maintain it for the rest of the night.
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**** Theft of Vitae: A thaumaturge using this power steals blood from her subject. Contact with the subject is not necessary – blood literally streams out in a physical torrent from the subject to the Kindred (it is mystically absorbed and need not enter through the mouth). The subject, however must be visible to the thaumaturge and within 50 feet. If this power is used on Kindred, vinculum rules apply. Public use is considered a breach of the Masquerade. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Strength + Occult + Thaumaturgy vs. Stamina + Composure Action: Instant; Contested Dramatic Failure: Dramatic failure results in the thaumaturge checking for hunger frenzy. Furthermore, if the power was used on Kindred, the thaumaturge suffers from vinculum. Failure: The thaumaturge fails to steal any blood from the subject. Success: If the thaumaturge rolls more successes than the subject, he gains one vitae for each success and the subject loses one blood/vitae consequently. Exceptional Success: The thaumaturge not only manages to steal vitae but if the blood was stolen by a Kindred, the thaumaturge avoids suffering the effects of vinculum. Modifiers: +2/-2: The subject and the thaumaturge share a sire/childe relation. +1/-1: The subject and the thaumaturge are within touching distance. +1/-1: The subject and the thaumaturge share a blood bound relation.
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***** Cauldron of Blood: A thaumaturge using this power boils her subject's blood in his veins like water on a stove. The Kindred must touch her subject, and it is this contact that simmers the subject's blood. This power is always fatal to mortals (although few ghouls are said to have survived such an attack), and causes aggravated damage to even the mightiest vampires. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Thaumaturgy – subject's blood potency Action: Instant Dramatic Failure: The heat caused by the thaumaturge hands, unable to damage the subject, causes one point of aggravated damage to the thaumaturge. Failure: The subject suffers no effect from this power. Success: If the subject is a mortal, one success is enough to result in the death of the subject. If the subject is a supernatural, the power inflicts one point of aggravated damage for each success rolled. Exceptional Success: If an exceptional success is rolled and the subject is a
vampire, the subject's body immediately explodes resulting in a final death. Modifiers: -3: The subject and thaumaturge share a sire/childe relation.