From: Dark Whispers Subject: The Avengers of Diedne THE AVENGERS OF DIEDNE This offshoot of the Salubri are little known by most Kindred, which, for their sake, is a good thing; if they were to be discovered, there is no doubt that they would be quickly destroyed. It is these Kindred who lend truth to the Tremere propaganda about the Salubri, and even the peaceful Childer of Saulot seek to destroy these abberations when the opportunity presents itself. While their lineage resides with the Salubri, and certainly their powers are a corrupt version of the Salubri's own healing abilities, this is where the similarity ends. These Kindred are vengeance driven shells of their formers selves and they seek only one thing out of their unlife; the utter destruction of the House and Clan Tremere. Their history commences during the same period as that of the Tremere. In A.D. 767, the great Magus and philosopher Bonisagus founded the Order of Hermes by unifying many of the Magi of Europe. Bonisagus was joined by a few Magi of both Celtic and Classical backgrounds, of which Tremere was one, and these Magi formed the twelve Houses of the Order of Hermes. The Order continued this way for centuries, but in the ninth century A.D. a Magus of House Tytalus founded House Ex Miscellanea, which became the thriteenth Hermetic House. Thus, the Order of Hermes now contained thirteen houses, and remained as thus until the second millenia A.D. However, in 1003 A.D., the Order of Hermes was forever changed. House Tremere, with the aid of House Flambeau, warred upon the Hermetic House of Diedne, and by 1012 had suceeded in all but obliterating the House's existance. Rumours abounded about what reason the House Tremere had for performing such a heinous act against their brothers and sisters of the Order, but no proof or motive ever came to light. The few remaining members of House Diedne retreated into hiding, and the Order as a whole disbanded their House and denied that such a House had ever indeed existed, as the Schism War had been a messy affair, and not one that the majority of the Order were proud of, and the House was quickly forgotten. While members of the former Hermetic House did not officially exist any longer, there were still some who managed to endure and survive the horrors that the members of House Tremere had put them through in search of some 'secret knowledge' of which they would not speak. One such member was a powerful, young Magus by the name of Dalorese. After the fall of the House Diedne, she, along with a number of her loyal appretices and fellow Magus of the Diedne, escaped and went into hiding. Dalorese was enraged at the treatment that their House had received at the hands of House Tremere, and she swore revenge against all the Magus of that Hermetic House; that they would know pain and suffering as the Diedne had known it. To this end, she rallied her followers, and organized them in a series of Guerilla-style strikes against the House Tremere. It was at the hands of these Magi that more than one Tremere Chantry fell, and it was during this 'war' that Dalorese discovered the true reason for the fall of House Diedne, and the dark secret of the Tremere; Tremere himself, along with his most loyal Magi, had used the knowledge that they had stolen from the Diedne during the Schism war, to become immortal. They were now Vampires. Dalorese's rage knew no bounds. She found it incredulous that the Tremere had used the knowledge of the Druidic House of Diedne for the purpose of making themselves an abberation of nature, and she re-doubled her efforts against the Tremere, and continued the war against them for over a century by using re-vitalizing magics on herself and her followers. While Dalorese and her 'guerilla-force' of Magi did become a rather annoying thorn in the side of the Tremere during the Eleventh century and into the Twelvth, they simply did not have the man-power or resouces to cause any substantial damage to the Tremere. In order to resolve this difficulty, Dalorese left her cabal in search of allies against the Tremere, and left her close friend and ally Telusia in charge of the cabal with explict instructions; they were to continue their war with the Tremere until her return. However, her enthusiasm against the Tremere did not match her success in finding allies against them. Many of the surviving members of the House Diedne were fearful of moving against the Tremere, as they were aware of the amount if mystical and temporal power the Tremere had gained since the Schism War. Also, many feared reprecussions from the entire Order of Hermes; House Diedne was now an embaressment to them and the surviving members were concerned that the Order would move to destroy them if they struck back at the Tremere. Dalorese continued her search for allies in the legions of the other Houses, and other supernatural beings, but received a similar response. It was during these journeys that she discovered the existance of the Salubri; a clan of Vampires whose founder had recently been destroyed by the Tremere and who were now being systematically wiped out by the Tremere. She saw many similarities between these Salubri and her own House Diedne, and she decided to find one of these Vampires and ienlist their aid against the Tremere. Her search continued for over twenty years, with little success. As she discovered, the Salubri had become amazingly adept at hiding their presence away from people whom they did not wish to have contact with. But, as she was beginning to lose hope of ever finding one of these elusive Kindred, one found her. A Salubri by the name of Saucius had heard about her inquiries into the presence of his bloodline, and he had become intrigued by her. He had been secretly tracking her progress for over a year, and, when he had decided the time was right, presented himself to her. She immidiatly attempted to recruit his aid against the Tremere, but Saucius flat out refused, stating that the Salubri were beyond such petty conflicts, and that he had achieved a state which the Vampires called Golconda, and he was at peace with himself. However, he explained, it would soon be time for him to pass on from this immortal coil, and he required a person of good heart and quick mind to pass on what he had learned. He saw great promise in Dalorese, if she could manage to let go of all of the hatred and anger that she kept inside. He then offered to train Dalorese in the ways of the Salubri, and offered her an 'apprenticeship'. Dalorese, disappointed by Saucius's response to her petition for aid, agreed, hoping to at least learn some useful information about Vampires which she could apply to her battle against the Tremere. For the next several years, Saucius trained Dalorese in the ways of the Salubri, Golconda, and the mystic abilities of Vampires which they called disciplines. Saucius also taught Dalorese how to let go of her anger and embrace acceptance, which Dalorese eventually did. She forgot her war against the Tremere, and became content with her existance with Saucius, and fell deeply in love with him. However, the time for Saucius's passing on eventually arrived, and it during this ritual of renewal that Saucius made a fatal error; instead of Embracing Dalorese, training her, and then forcing her to Diablerize him, he performed both actions at the same time. The shock of the Embrace was too much for Dalorese's mind, and the horror of draining her love's very lifeblood threw her over the edge. As she cradled her love's now lifeless body in her arms and watched it slowly crumble to dust, she snapped. All of the training and discipline that she had learned over the last few years retreated to the recesses of her mind as she succumbed to the beast and fled out into the night. Dalorese, or at least the creature that used to be Dalorese, remained this way for over six years, living in the forests of the country-side and ripping the throats out of un-wary travellers. It continued this way until a Setite, curious about the local rumours of a 'man-beast' which roamed the woods at night, investigated for himself. When he came upon Dalorese, he was almost overcome by her fury, but he managed to restrain her. Controlling his first impulse to destroy her outright, he saw uses for a Vampire such as this, and, as a secondary interst, under her mud-caked scalp he discovered that she bore a mark of Set (as Dalorese had red hair). He took her back to his haven, and brought her back from the sway of the Beast. He trained her in controlling the Beast with a series of strongly felt beliefs, and she learned quickly. However, little did the Setite Malius know that Dalorese had, during his trainings, managed to regain her memories, and she used her hatred for the Tremere and disgust for what she had become as the basis for her control, and not this 'Path of Typhon' of which Malius spoke. Malius was also fascinated by the powers which Dalorese had access to; he had never seen the effects of Obeah (which Dalorese now remebered), and was amazed by the potency of the discipline, as well as the third eye which Dalorese was now beginning to develope. However, Malius suggested new uses for the discipline, and he and Dalorese began to corrupt it for more offensive purposes. Dalorese's third eye turned from ice-blue (her natural eye colour) to red-black, and the whites of the eye transformed into a sickly grey-black. This signalled the true corruption of the former Salubri, and Malius suggested that Dalorese put her skills to use for the Followers of Set. Dalorese answered by paralyzing him with the very powers he had helped develope, and diablarizing him. Dalorese then left in search of her old followers of the House Diedne. After several months search, she discovered them, still waging guerilla war against the Tremere. She Embraced them, and named her new bloodline the Avengers of Diedne. Now they would be able to battle the Tremere throughout all eternity, and they have remained a substantial thorn in the side of the Tremere ever since. The only reason that the Tremere has not been able to wipe them out are the same reaons for their lack of success against the Salubri in recent years; it is difficult to destroy that which you cannot find. There are also dark rumours which suggest that the Tremere allow the Avengers of Diedne to survive as it gives them fuel for their fire against the Salubri. As the majority of Kindred can not distiguish between the Avengers and their original line, this serves the Tremere against both of these bloodlines. NICKNAME: Black Druids, Bullseyes (because if the reddish tint many of them possess in their third eye) APPEARANCE: More often than not, this bloodline recruits it's members from Kindred who have been wronged by the Tremere in some way. Thier Weakness of damaging their vessels while they are drinking from them makes it rather difficult to create progeny. As a result, members of this bloodline can have any appearance, but many appear rather scruffy as a result of their underground war against the Tremere. HAVEN: The Avengers of Diedne tend to make their havens in undeground dwellings. However, they do not co-exist well with the Nosferatu, and will remain separate from their systems of tunnels. BACKGROUND: Members of this Bloodline can be from any background, as long as they have been wronged by the Tremere is some way. In fact, the vast majority of the Kindred of this Bloodline have been recruited by the Avengers from other Vampiric Clans and Bloodlines, so the backgrounds of these Kindred are highly varied. CHARCACTER CREATION: The vast majority of the Avengers have drifter-style concepts. Many have Fanatical natures, but any demeanor is useable. Those who specialize in the Magic of the Diedne tend to have Mental attributes and Knowledges as Primaries, while those who lean towards personal combat usually have Physical Attributes and Talents as Primaries. The most common background of these Kindred is Generation, although any background is applicable. DISCIPLINES: Fortitude, Nakyrae, Thaumaturgy WEAKNESSES: This Bloodline suffers from several weaknesses. Their primary weakness is that any creature from which they drink will take an aggravated wound level for each wound level they normally inflict. Thus, if an Avenger of Diedne drank one blood point from a Mortal, they would inflict one aggravated wound instead of a regular wound. There are some Kindred who have theorized that, because of this, the Bullseyes are related somehow to the Giovanni, but they real reason lies in their saliva, which is acidic. For this reason, the Black Druids tend to drink from victims that they have killed shortly beforehand, as their saliva can no longer heal the wounds which they inflict, and a few of them have been known to bloodbank. A secondary weakness which derives from their acidic saliva (which is developed at the first level of Nakyrae) is that these Kindred have great difficulty in producing progeny. The acid in the saliva of the vampire enters into the system of the Mortal, causing extensive damage to internal organs and the cardio- vascular system. Many of these wounds are so servere that more than half of the progeny that the members of this bloodline creates perish shortly after receiving the Embrace. Thusly, the Avengers of Diedne have taken to recruiting members of other Clans to their cause. Similarly to the discipline of Obeah, training in the discipline of Nakyrae causes the user to open up a third eye in their forehead as they learn the tenants of the discipline. Another weakness of this Bloodline is their third eye. Unlike the Salubri, who can easily disguise their additional eye, the third eye of the Avengers is quite prominent. While open, it is often a red, black, or sickly green colour. While closed, the eye is still prominent, and will form a large bump on the Kindred's forehead that appears to be infected. Thus, it is much more difficult for an Avenger to hide their true nature from Kindred and Mortals alike than it is for the Salubri. Finally, many members of this Bloodline possess the Vengeance and Driving Goal Flaws, the goal of course being the utter destruction of Clan Tremere. This severly hampers their dealings with other Kindred and any kind of involvement in mortal affairs. ORGANIZATION: The Avengers of Diedne have no formal organization. They tend to exist in coeteries of small numbers. This allows them to wage guerilla-style strikes against the Tremere while not being noticible enough to draw attention to themselves. Once in a while, a few of these groups will band together for an assault upon a Tremere chantry, but these occasions are very rare. GAINING BLOODLINE PRESTIGE: Not surprisingly, the best way for a Bulleye to gain prestige within the Bloodline is to wage successful attacks against the Tremere. The more daring the tactic, and the more successful the strike, the more prestige the Kindred will gain. QUOTE: " Although we are small in number, we are powerful. From the depths of destruction we grew. Even when no others would aid us in our quest, we perservered. And now, when they are more powerful then they have ever been, the Tremere shall come to fear the name... Diedne. " (Maniacal laughter) STEROTYPES: Salubri: Some of us have our doubts whether or not we actually were once part of this pathetic bloodline. They're useless search for the state known as Golconda is a waste if effort; Golconda doesn't exist, and any 'pire who believes that it does is just deluding themselves. They wouldn't help us against the Tremere, so they're against us. Camarilla: These Kindred are a waste of space, and are the pawns of the Tremere. Anyone who takes a quick look at the Camarilla will quickly see that it's the Tremere who control this sect, and they simply let the Ventrue think they are in control. The Nosfertau aren't so bad; they seem to be the only clan of the bunch that have any idea of what the Tremere are really up to, though I wouldn't trust one. The rest of them are unwitting playthings of the Tremere, and if they get in our way, we'll have no qualms about wasting them. Sabbat: Now these Licks have the right idea! Unlike the Camarilla, they don't play at being human; Vampires are alot of things, but human ain't one of them. Problem with them is that they got Tremere too. While they may think that these Tremere are different from their Camarilla counterparts, we don't think so. We wouldn't put it past those Bloodsuckers to fake a Clan split to get an in in the Sabbat too. Tremere or Tremere Antitribu, they shall all pay for their crimes against House Diedne. Anarchs: We draw our largest amount of members from the ranks of the Anarchs. Most of them got some kind of beef with the Cam, and that means a beef with the Tremere in some way or another. If these guys could get organized, they would make a kick-ass group of front-liners against the Tremere. If they could get organized... Inconnu: If these withered up elders think they can avoid the machinizations of the Tremere by stayin' outta the way, they're fooling themselves. If they try and interfere with our destruction of the Tremere, they may find themselves in the same position as Malius did; at the business end of our fangs. STEREOTYPES OF THE AVENGERS OF DIEDNE Salubri: It is a shame that members of our own have become so twisted and evil. Saucius's folly is a lesson to be learned by all Kindred, and we must take responsibility for our actions. We shall attempt to turn the Childer of Dalorese, and, failing that, we shall have no choice but to forcibly restrain them. Such a waste... -Naomi Conners, Salubri Camarilla: These Kindred are a danger to the entire Camarilla. Though I am loathe to admit the underlying power that the Tremere has in the Camarilla, their influence is necessary for the effcient functioning of the sect. While several Nosferatu contacts of mine insist that the Black Druids keep the Tremere from becoming complacent by keeping them on their toes, and I myself and not abverse to having an enemy keeping the Tremere off my back and out of my affairs, I am concerned that the existance of the Avengers of Diedne threatens our entire sect. -Angelica Pablossa, Ventrue Archon of the Toreador Justicar Sabbat: While these whelps may be a danger to the Camarilla, they pose no threat to us. It is a well known fact that we hate the Tremere at least as much as they do. However, if they happen to take a couple of Tremere Antitribu out in the fight, I don't have any problem with that. -Anton McDowell, Brujah Antitribu Bishop of Toronto Anarchs: The Avengers of what? Wasn't that a T.V. show in the sixties or something? -Case, Caitiff Inconnu: This Bloodline truly leads a tragic existance; to live out their entire unlives in pursuit of such a useless goal...what an empty existance they must have. However, tragedy aside, these Kindred are not to be trifled with. They fully intend to bring about the utter destruction of the Tremere, and they will show no mercy to any who come between them and their goal. My advice would be to give them a wide berth, and walk the other way if you ever come across one. -Julianna LaFeyette, Kiasyd Monitor Thaumaturgical Notes: Unlike the Tremere, the Avengers of Diedne are not very strict with their apprentices as to which Path of Thaumaturgy they should learn and in which order that they learn them. While Blood Magic does have it's importance (as the House Diedne were Druidic Magi, and were tied to the Verbena), it is not necessary that they learn it first. They may select the Path they wish to study first, instead of being forced to learn Blood Magic. As being derived from a Druidic Tradition, the Avengers learn only paths which apply to Nature and Elemental Forces. The Paths which are available to them are: Elemental Mastery, Neptune's Might, the Lure of Flames, the Taste of Blood, Weather Control, and Naturae's Touch. They also have their own rituals which are known to them and only them. Although the Tremere gained access to many of their magics when the House was destroyed, Dalorese and her followers have since developed magics which have been quite useful in their battle against the Tremere. StoryTeller's Notes: Speaking as a StoryTeller, I highly recommend that you DO NOT let a player play a member this bloodline in a chronicle. The purpose of the creation of this bloodline was to develope a resource for Non-Player Characters and Plotlines. While it would be interesting to have your player's come accross a member of this little known bloodline, it would probably be disasterous to let a player play one. This, of course, is at your discretion. ------- NAKYRAE The Discipline of Pain and Injury It is this awesome power that makes the Avengers of Diedne one of the most feared bloodlines (at least feared by the few who are aware of their existance). While it was originally a perverted version of the Salubri's discipline of Obeah, over the years it has transformed into something far more vile. It is the use of this power by the Black Druids that gives the Tremere a basis in fact from which to spread their propaganda regarding the Childer of Saulot. Like Obeah of the Salubri, Nakyrae seems to be intrinsically connected to the third eye, and any who learn this discipline will develope the putrid third eye of the Avengers of Diedne. Unlike Obeah, the third eye opens after the first level of this discipline has been attained, so all members of this bloodline know this discipline to at least the first level. Level One: Liadere's Kiss This fearsome power is the source of many of the weaknesses of the bloodline. The saliva of the user becomes transformed into a powerful acid, allowing her to cause great damage to those who come into contact with it. It is this transformation which causes the victims of the user's feedings to become so damaged during the process, and it makes the Avengers unable to create progeny and to lick their wounds. System: A lick by the Avenger will cause one Heath Level of Damage. For every Blood Point they expend during the licking, they may cause a level of aggrivated damage (as this increases the potency of the acid). The character may also use this power to spit at foes, at a range on 10 feet for every level of Strength and/or Potence that the character possess, and the attack causes one level of aggrivated damage per blood point spent. Note: If Blood Points are not spent, the character may not use the spitting attack, as the acid loses it's potency when out of the mouth. Level Two: The Touch of Torment A Vampire utilizing this power can cause someone to become paralyzed with wracking pain with just a touch. System: The character must touch the victim, and then make a Willpower roll, with the difficulty as the target's Willpower. The effect will give the target 7 levels of illusionary damage which can not be healed with Blood Points. If this attack puts the target beyond incapacitated, then they automatically enter torpor because of the intense agony. Once the illusionary levels have disappeared, the target will recover from Torpor. These illusionary 'pain' level of damage will last a length of time dependant on the number of successes rolled. Note that this power will work on any supernatural being, provided that it can be physically touched. 1 successes one turn 2 successes two turns 3 successes five turns 4 successes one hour 5 successes one day Level Three: Deimonic Guard This power allows the user to put up a defensive barrier that will neutralize her enemies with fear while protecting her at the same time. System: In order to activate this power, the character must spend two willpower points. This creates a barrier surrounding the Vampire, allowing none who were not within the barrier's protection when it was erected to approach. The barrier can encompass everything to a maximum of 10 feet from the caster, but it can be as close as 5 feet. Any who attempt to enter the barrier must engage the Vampire in an extended Willpower test, and she must exceed the user's successes by at least three. If the user scores three or more successes than the intruder, then the intruder will be overcome with fear for five turns. Powerful visions of the intruder's greatest phobias will spring to her mind, and she will immidiately have to roll her Courage/Morale against a difficulty of 8 not to enter the Rotschreck. If she succeeds on the role, she will still be paralyzed with crippiling fear for five turns. If she fails, she will flee as far and as fast from the Deimonic Guard as possible, until she recovers. If she botches, she will immediatly receive a Phobia Derangement, although the details are left up to the Player and the StoryTeller. Level Four: Achilles' Heel This power allows a Vampire to use her third eye against an unmoving target, and to sense character flaws within their personality. The Vampire can then use her power to enhance this character flaw, creating a full fledged insanity from it. System: The character rolls Perception and Empathy against a difficulty of 8. Similar to the level 2 Auspex power, this allows the Vampire to sense the target's true nature and their character flaws; the more successes they receive, the more information they can sense from the target. Once they have found a character flaw (this may be an actual flaw, or simply a function of their Nature), the user must roll Manipulation and Medicine to enhance this flaw to a full fledged derangement, with all the penalties that a derangement incurs. The choice of the derangement should be left up to the Player of the Target and the User, as well as the StoryTeller, and a derangement which 'suits' the player should be selected. Not surprisingly, those of Clan Malkavian and the Malkavian Antitribu seem to be strangly immune to this power. Level Five: Diedne's Diablarie This is perhaps one of the most feared powers of the Bloodline, and it has been a great source of propaganda for the Tremere. By staring into the eyes of the Target with her third eye, the Vampire slowly removes the soul from the target's body, turning it into a mindless slave. Once the soul has been removed, it is destroyed, and the knowledges of the soul become the possessions of the user. This perverted version of Diablarie has taken more than one Tremere, and it is perhaps the reason that the Avengers are privy to so many of the Tremere's rituals and secrets. The former body of the soul remains a slave to the user, following every instruction that it is given. However, this 'zombie' can perform no voluntary actions, and it must be told to feed and to protect itself when in danger. Also, the 'zombie' is by no means indestructable, and it can easily be destroyed in the manner that any kindred can (or any of its kind can in the event that the target is not Kindred). System: In order to take the victim's soul, the character must stare into the target's eyes and engage them in an extended Willpower vs. Willpower test. If the target succeeds, she may choose to break eye contact. If eye contact is broken, or this test is interfered with in any way, it must be started again. If the user succeeds, the character then removes the soul from the target, and incorporates elements of that soul into her own. For any Talent, Skill, Knowledge or Discipline that the target had a higher rating then the user in, the user gains one dot. In the event that this includes Thaumaturgy, the user may also gain a ritual of a level which they may perform. After this 'incorporation', the soul of the target is irrevocably destroyed, and the target's body becomes the slave of the user. Level Six: Death's Caress The Vampire who utilizes this power can send another Kindred into Torpor with but a mere touch. The effects on others, however, is more grisly... System: If the user of this power utilizes a Willpower point, they can send any Vampire whom they touch into instant Torpor. Unlike the 'false' Torpor of the Touch of Torment, this is true Torpor, and the Vampire will remain in this state for as long as their Humanity/Path Rating dictates. This power has been known to take Methuselah's out of the action for a few centuries. The effect of this power on Non-Kindred is much more painful. It will instantly kill a Mortal, and it will cause seven Health Levels of non- aggravated damage to any other supernatural being. Level Seven: Spiritual Disfigurement This power allows the Kindred to rend the spirit of a victim, causing their spirit to become disfigured. This results in others avoiding the victim at all costs, as they seem to be impossibly rude and uncouth, as well as making all around them feel highly ill at ease. System: By looking at the victim with her third eye, the user causes their spirit to become disfigured. The result of this is that others will feel very unsettled when in the presence on the target, and will attempt to avoid them if at all possible. Many victims of this power are shunned by their clans, and some have even become Caitiff. The result of this power is that the victim will automatically fail all social rolls (ie any rolls involving Charisma, Manipulation or Appearance) as all around them feel so uncomfortable, they will do all they can to get away from the victim. Also, anything they say seems to come out badly, and all victims of this power appear to be very rude and disrespectful. This power has been known to destroy Princes and Toreador alike, and may be one of the reasons that the Avengers get along relativly well with the Nosferatu. Level Eight: There are no known powers beyond level 7. ------- PATHS OF ENLIGHTENMENT The Path of Liadere "Only by seeking oneness with Nature and loving the Beast may true understanding be gleened. That which is unnatural, and interferes with the cycle of life, must be destroyed, or else this unity is in grave danger. The Tremere gained their powers via unnatural means, and destroyed the lovers of the Mother in the process; for this they shall be destroyed." - Jessica Forsythe, Avenger of Diedne Basic Beliefs: This path is devoted to loving nature, being one with the Beast Inside, and the utter destruction of that which is 'unnatural' (i.e. the Tremere). To follow this path is to give ones unlife to the goal of the destruction of House and Clan Tremere; those who follow this path and refuse to do so, pay the price. The followers of this path love Nature dearly (at least as far as they define 'nature'), and will go through great lengths to protect it. However, they never interfere with 'the cycle of death and rebirth'; it is nature's way. It is interesting to note that these Kindred define themselves as natural; indeed hey believe themselves to be the apex of the food chain. Even though Vampire's are technically out of the cycle of life, these Kindred don't believe that this is the case. Whilst the Vampire does not grow old, and they are not susceptable to mortal diseases, they still need to feed, and they still are quite susceptable to the final death. The 'natural' creation of progeny is equilivilent to mortal reproduction as far as the followers of this path are concerned, and to do so is considered a beautiful thing. These Vampires also believe that the Beast is a purely natural thing as well, and thus they seek to love it and understand it rather then lock it away. To them, the Beast is simply the natural insticts of the Vampire, and they seek to 'ride the wave' of frenzy rather then trying to control the Beast. To restrain one's natural impulses is perverse to them, and they see this as a blasphemous act. Those who seek dominace over the Beast should be taught to revel in their instincts, and those who refuse to do so should be punished, as they are vainly attempting to hold onto their mortal humanity and they can not accept that they are no longer human, but are a force beyond mere mortal comprehension. As far as these Kindred are concerned, the definition of 'unnatural' is anything which derived its existance through some means other than 'natural' reproduction (natural reproduction includes the normal creation of progeny). The Tremere are the primary example of this definition, as they achieved their vampiric existance through the use of powerful magics rather than the Embrace. Other examples include Clones and other artificially created lifeforms, like Homonculi. These creatures are blasphemous, and should be destroyed on sight. While some of the Kindred who are aware of this path believe this definition to simply be a rationalization for the Avengers' hatred of the Tremere, the followers of this path disagree, and claim that the Tremere are a 'crime against Nature'. The Ethics of the Path * Undermine the Unnatural whenever the opportunity presents itself * Do not atempt to stifle the Beast with such inane efforts as Self-Control; when Frenzy comes, ride it, caress it, love it as you would a lover * Whenever possible, gain information about the Unnatural and their plans, and destroy those from whom you gain this information; they are a danger * The Kine are inconsequential and should be treated as thus; use them for food as that is their only use to us * Destroy all allies of the Unnatural; allow them no strength in our war * The Unnatural must be destroyed at all costs; one's unlife means nothing in comparison to the grandeur of this goal, and one must be willing to give their unlife willingly to see this goal through History This Path was developed by the founder of the Avengers of Diedne, Dalorese. While being trained by the Settite Malius, she took elements from his teachings and used her own feelings to develope a Path of Enlightenment that she could use and respect the tennants of. This path is taught to all of the Avengers of Diedne, and there are few outside of the bloodline who are aware of its existance, let alone practice it. Current Practices This path concentrates on the utter destruction of all things Unnatural (read; Tremere), and the willingness to sacrifice one's own unlife to further this goal. The followers of this path have no qualms about engaging in Diablarie, and will do so if the opportunity presents itself. Those who follow the path of Liadere will go to any length to bring about the destruction of that which is deemed unnatural, and this appears to be their primary, and only, practice. Description of Followers The followers of this path all have a strong hatred for the Tremere, which, in turn, feeds their hatred for other things Unnatural. All the followers of this path are Avengers of Diedne, and they are willing to utterly destroy any who get between them and their goal. Common Abilities: Brawl, Melee, Dodge, Firearms, Survival, Stealth, Herbalism Subterfuge, Alterness, Athletics, Intimidation, Animal Ken and Occult Prefered Disciplines: The Discipline of Nakyrae is, of course, almost intrinsic to this path. Also, the discipline of Animalism is highly respected, and the discipline of Protean is also respected, albeit to a lesser degree. The Thaumaturgic Path of Naturae's Touch is also preferred. Hierarchy of Sins 10 Not sacrificing yourself to destroy the Unnatural 9 Assissting others when it doesn't casue harm to the Unnatural 8 Not using allies to undermine the Unnatural 7 Failing to recognize the postion of the Kindred in the cycle of Life (ie using humans for anything else besides feeding) 6 Not discovering information regarding the Unnatural at any cost 5 Accepting defeat at the hands of the Unnatural 4 Not destroying those who desicrate Nature 3 Failing to ride the wave of Frenzy 2 Not destroying any Unnatural encountered 1 Wanton and Senseless destruction of Nature Note: The followers of this path possess, not surprisingly, the Sabbat virtues, ad not those espoused by the Camarilla. Instead of Conscience, Self-Control and Courage, they possess Callousness, Instincts and Relentlessness (my own replacement for Morale, as Morale is purely Sabbat). These virtues function in the exact same way as the Sabbat virtues, with the exception of Relentlessness, which functions in the same way as Courage. ------- THAUMATURGICAL PATHS Naturae's Touch Akin to the Hermetic Path of Elemental Mastery, this form connects the Thaumaturgist to nature, allowing communication and control over living plants and low life forms. It does not allow control over organic materials that are not alive, however. * The Voice of the Mother: This power allows the Thaumaturgist to speak with plants, insects, and other lower forms of life. Although these beings have little concern for anything but their own survival, the use of this power allows the Thaumaturgist to interpret impressions from these beings. System: The Thaumaturgist rolls Wits + Linguistics (difficulty 7) to see if she can interpret the impressions that she is being given. The more successes, the more information can be understood. ** The Mother's Influence: This power gives the Thaumaturgist limited control over plants and lower life forms. She can cause vines to snake out and grab opponents, and she may direct a swarm of insects towards an opponent. The life forms which are being controled must be in the near vicinity of the Thaumaturgist. System: The Thaumaturgist must make a Manipulation + Survival roll versus a difficulty of 7. The more success gained on the roll, the more control that the Thaumaturgist gains over the being that she is influencing. The being to be controlled must be within line of sight. *** Call to Arms: By using this power the Thaumaturgist is able to summon lower forms of life, and has gained enough control over plants to enable her to bond them into new forms. At this level, the Thaumaturgist could draw upon the plantlife around her to create a Wall of Thorns, or a new form of tree. There must be enough live organic material surrounding the Thaumaturgist to make up the new form; beyond that, the only thing required is the thaumaturgist's imagination. System: There are two systems, one for summoning lower life forms, and another for bonding plants. To summon lower forms of life, the thaumaturgist must make a Charism + Survival roll against a difficulty of 6 (although this may be higher depending on the area). The number of success rolled determines the number of beings that will show up, as well as from how far they will come. It may also represent the control over which the Thaumaturgist has over the summoning (ie they wish to summon wasps instead of all insects), and the summoning will be heard for approximatly 500 yards per success. All lower forms of life that are summoned will respond to the call. To Bond Plants, the Thaumaturgist rolls Manipulation + Survival, the number of successes indicating how well the bonding occured, and how large the new form may be. This power will never make a plant more intellegent than it already is, and it cannot be made to make a plant preform instinctive actions that it would not have before the bonding (ie turning a Rose into a Venus Fly Trap). **** One with Nature: This power is very similar to the Protean power of Earth Meld, and indeed those who possess it may meld with the earth. However, the thamaturgist who utilizes this power may also meld with other natural forms which are large enough to hold her (ie trees and large rocks). This form must be solid, and it cannot have spaces (like bushes). System: This power requires a roll of Stamina + Survival (difficuly 7). If she is successful, then the thaumaturgist melds with the form. The downside of this power is that any damage that the form takes while the Thaumaturgist is within it is also taken by the Thaumaturgist. More than one user of this power has been known to perish in a Forest Fire. ***** Stream of Life: This power allows the Thaumaturgist to draw upon the life force of a plant or lower life form to replenish her own life force and heal herself. It may also be used to help the Thaumaturgist replenish her Blood Pool. System: If the Thaumaturgist touches the form, she may heal one level of health for every level that the form possess. This causes one level of damage for every one that the Thaumaturgist heals, and the form will become sickly and die within a matter of minutes. If the Thaumaturgist wishes to use the life force of the form to replenish her blood pool, she must roll Stamina + Survival, and will gain one blood point per success, at the cost of one health level of damage to the form that she is draining. This is almost always fatally traumatic to the form, and even if they still possess some of their life force, they almost always wither away and die. To the nature loving users of this path, this is a power of last resort. Note: Yes, 'lower life forms' include everything from single-celled life forms all the way to insects. This path can be used to control bacteria and viruses, as well as algae, lower mollusks and arachnids. This allows the Thaumaturgist to effectivly summon diseases...however, the Thaumaturgist may be as affected by these viruses and bacterium as the opponents they are attempting to subdue.