Assamite, The Miasma of Terror

Subject: Assamite, The Miasma of Terror Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:52 pm

Assamite

From the desert wastes of the East come the Assamites, and they bring with them a miasma of terror. The Assamites are known throughout vampire society as a clan of murderous assassins, working for whoever can pay their price. The price they charge for their work is the vitae of other Kindred; for the Assamites, diablerie is the greatest sacrament.

Assamites tend to avoid the affairs of the Camarilla and the Sabbat, working for either or both sides in pursuit of their goals. They do circulate among sect-held cities; other Kindred find them useful for slaying rivals, enforcing blood hunts, scourging undesirable childer, and infiltrating rivals' power bases. However, Assamites rarely form true alliances with other Kindred, for they consider other Children of Caine to be of inferior stock. Unlike the other clans, the Assamites do not claim to have a founder of the Third Generation, Rather, they believe their founder to be a member of the Second Generation, making all other Cainites flawed copies of themselves.

In the nights prior to the formation of the Camarilla and the Sabbat, the Assamites practiced Diablerie widely, always looking to bring themselves closer to "The One", as they referred to their mythical founder. As the Anarch Revolt ensued, and the Sabbat and Camarilla rose from the Ashes, many powerful elders grew uneasy at the cannibal assassins stalking their ranks. Calling upon the Tremere to curse the Assamites' blood, the Camarilla placed a yoke on the clan that rendered its members unable to consume the vitae of other Kindred. Unable to face the unified front the Camarilla represented, the Assamites submitted to this indignity. Those few who did not accept the curse went into hiding and joined the Sabbat.

Those who deal regularly with Assamites have sensed great upheaval among the clan. The greatest sign of this is the clans recent circumvention of the Tremere Blood curse. Freed from the mystic shackles preventing it from engaging in diablerie, the clan has begun a campaign of murder and cannibalism once again. Assamites now kill other Kindred without provocation - Indeed, without sanctioned Contracts.

The clan as a whole has assumed a more aggressive disposition. Whereas once the Assamites would take no further contracts on a victim who bested their assassins, the clan may now pursue that victim, often does with unparalleled fervor. Similarly, Assamites no longer honor the age-old custom of tithing to their sires. In these nights of impending Gehenna there is no place for lazy Assamites who rest on their Laurels.

Pricely what the Assamites want, though, is unknown. Certainly, Assamites have flexed their muscle in both the physical and the political arenas, and hidden agents of the clan have come out of cover in cities where the ruling vampires have become lazy and fatuous. Their hold on the cities of India and the Middle East is much stronger than other Kindred had previously guessed. Whereas other Kindred once viewed the Assamites as honorable (i.e relatively impotent), useful functionaries, they now hold the clan in dread.

Common Nickname: Assassins

Sect: The Assamites hold Sabbat and Camarilla in equal contempt. Some Assamites remain among the Sabbat, and a scattered few exist as loners in the Camarilla.

Appearance: Assamites tend to dress stylishly but practically. Aquiline noses, dark hair and slim, graceful builds dominate the clan's membership, though African members obviously bear more Nubian characteristics. Also, Assamites' skin grows darker as they age (as opposed to other vampires, whose skin gets paler with age); particularly ancient Assamites are almost ebony in complexion.

Haven: Most clan elders make their homes at Alamut, the clan stronghold, which is located high atop a mountain thought to be somewhere in modern Turkey. Neonates and operatives abroad typically select remote, inaccessible locations to ensure that they receive no unexpected guests.

Background: Many Assamite fida'i (newly Embraced apprentices) hail from Asia minor or nothern Africa. Most members of the clan have been involved with assassination, wet work or terrorist activities for some portion of their mortal lives, though this is less true among the Assamite vizier bloodline.

Clan Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus

Weaknesses: Assamites' are easily addicted to the blood of other Kindred. Any time an Assamite drinks the blood of another Kindred, they have a chance of losing self-control and becoming addicted; sending them into a sanguinary frenzy, in which he or she will do anything physically possible to partake of as much blood as possible. When (not if) the characters addiction manifests, the consuming need for blood should be roleplayed - Clan Assamite no longer sees the need to hide its vampiric nature.

Organization: Assamites have been dispatched throughout the world, killing Kindred with or without sanction or contracts. Many of the clan members follow a set of "Rules of Engagement" - such as the prohibition against hunting an opponent who'd already bested another Assamite.

Assamites organize themselves into units similar to Sabbat packs; these bands are known as falaqi. A falaqi typically consists of two or three Kindred who infiltrate a city and gain a foothold there. Assamites in a city engage in activities common to many Kindred (establishing power bases, cultivating herds), but also weaken rival Kindred through selective assassinations, for they do not see the Sixth Tradition as applying to them.

General Terms:

Falaqi - A pack of two to three Organized Assamites.

Fida'i - Newly Embraced Apprentices

Yeoman Posts : 35 Join date : 2011-12-11

I have a question. I played Vampire Masquerade long ago something on the order of 15 years ago. I also got into the Dark Ages version as soon as it came out. So, I remember that the camarilla and sabbat was what came from the convention all vampires had and came to agree upon. What I am getting at is that to this date there is no camarilla and no sabbat, also I believe that to this date there is no curse on the Assimites.

Correct me if I am wrong. As I said its been quiet awhile since I played this.

Admin Posts : 127 Join date : 2008-06-23

There is the Camerilla and Sabbat, just off the island. The Eldest vampire of the island does not allow it the seperation in her territory. So the Assimites have been cursed by the tremere at this point if i remember my time line right as it happened right about the 1330 mark i could be wrong by a few years.

Yeoman Posts : 35 Join date : 2011-12-11

// Alright my thanks for the clarification.

» Azim (Assamite Vampire)