From: Paul Strack Subject: Dakini (a Vampire bloodline) Well, here is another page from the work of Stacey Lawless, posted through my account. For those of you that remember, she's the same person who wrote the Iscariots bloodline a few months back, and co-authored the Alternate New Orleans with me. I will pass on any comments either here or emailed to my account. Hope you like it. - ------------------------------------------ THE DAKINI "O Mother mine, Daughter of the Mountain! Why are you clad like this? You have put your feet on the body of a god, and you have no trace of shame, you have placed your feet on Shiva, you are naked and wear no covering, your tongue is lolling out and flicking, your long hair is flowing loose. But, O terrible wife of Shiva, you are chewing the flesh in your hand for the sake of saving this world..." (Hindu devotional) The Indian subcontinent is the borderland between the West and the East in many ways. It is a many-layered mixture of cultures, traditions, races, and religions, and it is the home of many strange and exotic creatures--including a group of Kindred who might be a clan, or might be one of the oldest bloodlines in the world. The Dakini are perhaps an offshoot of the Assamites, or of the Toreador. Then again, there are many Kindred who believe them to be one of the Eastern Clans. It cannot be denied that the Dakini have an ancient lineage, nor that the elders of the bloodline are incredibly powerful. Whatever the origins of these Kindred, they are honorable, passionate and proud, fierce warriors and skilled artists who love and hate with equal intensity. However, other vampires regard them with fear and disgust. The reason for this is that the Dakini are all murderers. They spend much of their time stalking and slaying both Kindred and kine. Murder is their religion, their preferred method of gaining vitae, and often, it seems, their main form of recreation. Though they aren't active diabolists in the manner of the Sabbat, many Dakini have the black traces of diablerie in their auras, and their predation upon the kine strains the Masquerade badly. To most Western Kindred the Dakini appear to be decadent monsters, who wantonly slay to satisfy their twisted desires, heedless of the danger they pose to the rest of vampire-kind. Yet there is more to the Dakini than meets the eye, and beneath their wicked facade lie some very good reasons for what they do. The Dakini kill to feed, because they must. It is the weakness of this bloodline that only the blood of the dead can sustain them. All living vitae, be it animal or human, is no more good to them than water is. Some of them will scavenge for their nightly meals, but too often the only way for a Dakini to feed is to stalk and kill someone. This weakness is also the reason for the almost religious emphasis the Dakini place upon murder. Forced as they are to kill for their very survival, many of them have embraced a philosophy which sanctifies their existences and justifies their bloody work. This philosophy is in fact a Path of Enlightenment, and is called the Path of Nataraja. The majority of the Dakini practice it. The Dakini claim that they were the first Kindred in India, and the Assamites have a few legends that seem to support this. It is definite that the Dakini, along with the early Ravnos, were intimately involved with the ancient Indus Valley Harappan culture, and that when other Kindred arrived along with the Aryan invaders they found the Dakini arrayed against them. The invaders won that struggle but the Dakini remained active and strong in the new order of things, sharing power with Gangrel, Toreador, Malkavians, and Nosferatu; and later Assamites (who entered India along with the first Muslims.). The Kindred of India evolved a vampiric culture that was distinct in many ways from that of Europe, and the Dakini played a major role in it. Sometime during the early years of the Moghul Empire, a Ravnos committed the Unforgivable Act against Sarasvati, Maharani of Benares. Nobody knows the true nature of the Act, as Sarasvati refused to speak of it ever after and the Ravnos are all liars, but it was said to be a heinous trick of truly legendary proportions, and many fanciful tales circulate still which purport to describe it. Whatever the Unforgivable Act was, the fury--and clout--of Sarasvati was so great that she rallied her bloodline to drive the Ravnos from India, along with their proto-Gypsy retainers. As a result, relations between the Ravnos and the Dakini are cool to this day. However, the bloodline had no real vampiric enemies until the British East India Company, with its Ventrue overlords and Tremere backers, came to India. India at that point was reeling from the collapse of the Moghul Empire, and various factions, mortal, mage, and vampiric, were battling each other for supremacy. The British and the Ventrue were able to exploit the disarray and seize economic control of the country with relative ease. The other Kindred of India were from clans that were familiar to the West, and thus the Ventrue were able to coexist with them fairly easily, but the Dakini were another story entirely. Virtually unknown to the West before then, to the Masquerade-conscious Ventrue they seemed exotic and cruel, callous brutes who were little better than the Sabbat. It didn't help that the proud Dakini fought tooth and nail to retain their ancestral power. The Ventrue began rooting out and destroying the Dakinis' sources of power and support. One of these was the Thuggee cult, a secret society of assassins which the Dakini had controlled for centuries. In addition to providing a fertile recruiting ground for Euthanatos mages (whom the Dakini had a loose alliance with, based on similar interests) and Assamite Kindred, the Thugs had long provided the Dakini with retainers, spies, soldiers, and a supply of easy blood (the Thugs strangled their victims). Working through a young British officer, and with the assistance of the Tremere, the Ventrue broke the back of the Thugs in a few short years. The Dakini retaliated by Embracing several hundred Thuggee prisoners, thus touching off a vicious shadow war that culminated with the Sepoy Rebellion. The British crushed the Dakini-backed uprising and the embattled bloodline reluctantly sued for peace, becoming grudging members of the Camarilla. Still, hatred for the Ventrue runs deep among the Dakini, while the Ventrue themselves regard the "savages" with cold disdain. Today, though mortal India has won independence from the British, English Kindred still control many areas. Things are tense between the Dakini, the other Indian Kindred, and these foreigners, which contributes to the nation's political unrest. Recently, the Dakini have made several bold moves to consolidate their power. At the same time, younger members of the bloodline have begun migrating to Western nations, particularly Great Britain and the United States. The elders of the Camarilla are worried about this, as they consider the fierce, independent Dakini to be one of the greatest internal threats to the Masquerade. Repeated requests to the elders of the bloodline that they bring their errant childer to heel have been met with polite indifference. The Camarilla suspects the Dakini of being up to something, and has appraised several Justicars and Princes of its concerns. Nickname: Doomstalkers or Thugs Appearance: Because most Dakini are of Indian heritage, they share the characteristics of people from that area: dusky or dark skin, dark eyes, and black hair. Like most vampires, their skin grows paler over time; however, their blood gradually darkens in color until it is black. Haven: Like most vampires, the Dakini generally dwell in the cities, both for ease of hunting and protection from shapeshifters. Many keep elegant homes and apartment suites, furnishing them with an almost Toreador-like taste for beautiful furniture and excellent art. Others, however, dwell among the urban poor. It is easier to hunt undetected in the slums, and these Dakini are well-positioned to take immediate advantage of urban unrest. Both styles of Dakini haven are generally well-fortified, and most Dakini keep at least one hideaway in the sewers or burial grounds. Background: The Dakini tend to Sire prolifically, as many of their childer go mad shortly after the Embrace and have to be extinguished. However, the bloodline is not casual about how it picks its Neonates. Generally a Sire-to-be will secretly observe a prospective childe for some time, to determine the human's suitability. Dakini frequently look for these qualities: strong will, a strong personality, a passion for life, and interests or aptitudes outside of killing that would benefit both the Neonate and the bloodline. Once the decision to Embrace has been made, the Sire spends a good deal of time training the childe in the arts of murder (if necessary) and in Dakini philosophy. This training period traditionally lasts for three years, after which the Neonate is presented, first to their grandsire and great-grandsire (wherever possible), then to the Prince or Maharaja of the city. After that the new Dakini is on her own. Character Creation: Almost all Dakini are of Indian descent, though Europeans and Americans have been Embraced in recent years. Many of them have soldier concepts, though artists, dilettantes, criminals, and politicians are fairly common among them. Their Natures and Demeanors are usually similar, but occasionally wildly different. Any Attributes may be primary, but Talents are the primary Abilities. Popular Backgrounds are Mentor (the sire, grandsire, or great-grandsire) and Generation. Note: Dakini may NOT take the Herd background, as their clan weakness makes it irrelevant. Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Rumali Weaknesses: Dakini cannot digest the blood of the living. The blood they imbibe must come from a deceased human or animal--or vampire!--for it to provide them with any sustenance. Each point of living blood that a Dakini drinks becomes inert in her body, taking up space in her Blood Pool but providing no benefits and doing nothing to ease the Hunger. This useless blood will remain in the Dakini's system until purged somehow. Note: Dakini can drink from other vampires without having to extinguish them first, as Kindred are by definition already dead. Some Dakini cultivate vampiric allies whom they are willing to risk being Blood-Bonded to, in case they need to feed in a hurry and the situation prevents them from hunting. Organization: In India the bloodline controls Benares, many smaller cities and towns, and Delhi, which has become the seat of its power. These cities are divided into several traditional fiefdoms composed of both physical territory and political interests, each ruled over by a Raja or Rani. These nobles answer to the Maharaja of the city, who is the final arbiter of all disputes and who makes executive decisions concerning the entire city. This structure is very much akin to the feudal system practiced in medieval Europe. While all vampires are expected to know their place in the political structure, they have a fair amount of leeway in how they go about their business provided they stay within the proper bounds. Outside these cities, the Dakini keep in loose contact with one another. Members will aid one another freely, but all debts are expected to be paid in full. Dakini in the West tend to be loners, ranging far from others of their kind. However, some of them have been Siring as they go, so this situation may change before long. Gaining Clan Prestige: Perhaps surprisingly, the Dakini award little to no prestige for skill in murder. In a bloodline where all are killers, they feel, such talents are far too commonplace to be worthy of extra attention. Instead they prize knowledge, especially of metaphysics, and art. Thus important discoveries and works of art that are beautiful and insightful can earn one recognition within the bloodline. The clan also respects power, and gaining political advantages is another way to win prestige. The Dakini also respect those who struggle toward Golconda, as they know the way is particularly difficult for their bloodline. Quote: "You say that we are evil, you call us 'monstrous' because we take pride in our work. Is it monstrous to be true to one's nature? We must kill; why not do it well? The tiger, too, must kill to survive, yet you do not call tigers evil... You think us depraved because we meddle with your well-laid plans, but we simply understand that the old must fall to make way for the new. And, like tigers, we test our prey, searching for weaknesses..." STEREOTYPES The Camarilla: "The sect of our allegiance is nothing but the puppet of the enslaving Ventrue and Tremere. One day we will break the chains that bind us to this cloying relic and show our fellow-slaves that the Dead have nothing to fear from the living." The Inquisition never touched India, and so these brazen fools think that all humans are like the superstitious sheep they butcher at home. They don't realize the danger their bloody antics pose to all of us. Should any come to my city I will lead the hunters to their very doors--perhaps then these animals will begin to understand. Friederich, Ventrue Prince of Bamberg The Sabbat: "These Kindred have come close to understanding the truth of our existence, but terror keeps them blind. The Gehenna they fear is a necessary phase in the world's evolution, nothing more. Even worlds must take a chance on dying." These vampires waste too much time in philosophical pursuits, but their talents are highly desirable. Fortunately their ties to the Camarilla seem weak. We should do what we can to sever these ties, whenever possible. If they do not join us then, we can simply let the Camarilla pick them off. Illona, Tzimisce priscus The Inconnu: "We have a lot of respect for these ancient ones. They have attained true enlightenment, and their wisdom and power are very great. They seem to have some understanding of the work we do, and for this we honor them as much as possible when we hunt them." 'Tis said that these black-blooded beasts gave Saulot the crucial insight he needed to achieve Golconda. If so, I cannot imagine what it was. Were it not for the fact that some of my comrades are originally from this dark lineage, I would not believe the Dakini to be vampires at all, but something worse! We must watch them most carefully, and do what we can to curb their excesses. Weyland, fifth-generation Gangrel GLOSSARY Amrita: The Dakini equivalent of "vitae", they use it to refer to dead blood, which to them is the only kind worth drinking. Asura: The Dakini make ghouls for use as retainers, but they call them asuras instead. The word "ghoul" has a very different meaning for them. Ghul: Pronounced like "ghoul", this world refers to a cursed, devolved sub-bloodline of the Dakini. Maharaja: Basically, the "Prince" of a Dakini-controlled city. The feminine title is Maharani. Raja: Basically, a "Primogen" member in a Dakini-controlled city. The feminine title is Rani. Rakshasa: Ferocious man-eating, shapeshifting demons. The Dakini use this word as a catchall term for the Changing Breeds. The rakshasas they are most familiar with are the Cat (Khan and Bagheera Bastet) and Caiman (Mokole) varieties, though there are also Wolf rakshasas in the forests. Shambhala: An alternate name for Golconda. There is an old fortress in India called Golkonda, and many Dakini feel it is an affront to this exalted state of being to make it share a name with a mere place. Ustad: "Tutor", a title often given to those who Sire. THE PATH OF NATARAJA Nickname: Dancers Basic Beliefs: "Vampires are Death. Brahma the Creator and Vishnu the Preserver made the World, but they saw that it was static and lifeless, and mourned their too-perfect work. From the mourning came forth Shiva the Destroyer, who shattered Brahma into himself and 999 other gods, of many personalities and powers. The gods saw how Suffering and Destruction had brought new dynamism to their own existence, and decreed that the same fate must befall the World so that the peoples of the World would truly know Life. So Shiva searched among the thousand and one gods until he found his twin soul (for destruction begets destruction), Kali Ma, and they became husband and wife and bore a son. Their child is called Nataraja [Lord of the Dance] and he dwells in the World amongst us to bring the change and death that is necessary to make Life out of mere Existence. In gratitude, Brahma and Vishnu have given Nataraja the ability to make children like himself, that his work may be easier and more pleasant. These children are the Vampires." Dancers believe that vampires literally embody Death. Not only must vampires hunt the living to survive, they point out, but the mere presence of vampires in any area causes death, decay, entropy and violence to collect in that area, often actively encouraged by the vampires themselves. The Path of Nataraja encourages the vampire to come to terms with the fact that he or she is death incarnate, and to play that role well. Dancers believe that they must be true to their vampiric natures, but also that they must be true to their ultimate purpose, which is to enhance Life. Vampires on this Path study both themselves and the world around them in order to better comprehend the cycles of existence. Many of them have become great scholars, and many others have created beautiful works of art to express their insights. They are all skilled murderers, believing that the best way to fill their roles as Death is to kill with full intention and consciousness of their action, rather than rely on the sloppy, incidental murders that surround non-Dancers like dark halos. Many Dancers kill in highly "artistic" ways, while others have constructed for themselves strict guidelines for determining what does and does not constitute proper prey or a proper killing method. Most Dancers don't quibble over these minor differences; in their view, it doesn't matter how a vampire does her work, as long as it gets done. Dancers believe that souls are extremely long-lived, if not necessarily eternal, and reincarnate throughout a long cycle of lives and experiences. Many also believe in some form of karma. While the Path does not officially condone diablerie, it does not discourage it either. Dancers may practice diablerie for any of several reasons: the power it gives makes survival easier, eases Nataraja's burden, and makes it possible to carry out more of the great work. Diablerie keeps the vampiric race dynamic by keeping the old ones on their toes and giving the young something to strive for, and a logical extension of Dancer beliefs is that even Death must die. All vampires can be killed, all vampires must eventually be killed, and diablerie is the most productive and beneficial way of killing a vampire. Those who follow this Path believe that the only way a vampire can find peace is to accept that she was created for a sacred purpose, and to fulfill that purpose. For most, this entails coming to terms with the Beast. Thus, it is possible for vampires to follow this path to Golconda. Indeed, some Dancers believe that Saulot found Golconda with the insights given to him by an early follower of Nataraja. The Ethics of the Path of Nataraja * Never feel remorse for killing. You are only doing what you must to survive. Without death, there would be no life. * Savor and protect the good and beautiful things in life, for they have been bought and paid for with blood and pain. Let no sacrifice be for nothing. * Meditate and spend time alone to better understand yourself and your purpose. * Learn as much as you can about the world you dwell in, so that you will understand and appreciate your place in it. * Study the Beast inside you. Understand it. The Beast is Death, and can teach you many things about existence. * Never fight frenzy. Always ride the wave. Frenzy is a force of nature, like hurricanes and earthquakes, and should be treated as such. This is the way of the Dance. * You must Sire at least once. Our father bears a grim burden and it is our duty to help him carry it. Choose your Childe carefully and train her well. * Avoid Final Death at all costs. It is the struggle to survive that gives existence meaning. However, do not fear Final Death, for the soul is eternal and you will be reborn into another life. * Respect life, and do not kill casually or without good reason. Path of Nataraja Hierarchy of Sins 10 Failing to spend at least two hours per night in solitary meditation or study. 9 Refusing to Sire when presented with a good candidate. 8 Failing to feed whenever hungry (less than maximum Blood Points) and time permits. 7 Permitting prey to live once you have decided to kill it. 6 Feeding without hunting. (Saving the amrita from an earlier kill is acceptable, but practices such as "banking", scavenging, and grave-robbing are not.) 5 Fighting frenzy. 4 Failing to protect those things and people that give your life meaning and pleasure. 3 Contemplating or attempting suicide. 2 Feeling guilty about killing. 1 Refusing to kill when it is necessary or would be beneficial to do so. History This Path is primarily practiced by the Dakini, though other Indian Kindred have been known to follow it. Legend has it that in the distant past, a powerful and visionary vampiress called Sati caught a glimpse of the true nature of vampire-kind. Wishing to study her vision in peace, she travelled to the Indian subcontinent, which at that time was devoid of all other vampires. Fasting and meditating, Sati searched for wisdom without success. At length, starving and weak, she exposed herself to the sun in a last attempt to gain her answers. As she felt her death approach, Sati found herself in the presence of a dark, powerful, and terrifyingly beautiful being. It spoke to her, saying, "You are all my children, the blood of my son. By the sorrow you cause you bring Light to the world. By the death you cause you bring Life." Then the presence was gone and Sati somehow found the strength to drag herself to shelter. There she lay for many months, healing her wounds. When at last she emerged, she had changed: the truth she had sought had branded her with honesty, and she could no longer feed upon the living. All her Childer bore this trait, and Sati thus became the founder both of the Dakini and of the Path of Nataraja. Sati named the presence she had felt "Kali Ma" [Dark Mother], and the Dakini have honored Kali ever since. When Kindred of other clans began to trickle into India, they brought tales and myths from the Nod cycle with them. The Dakini began to equate Nataraja with Caine to the point where the names became interchangeable, but managed to keep the basics of their belief system intact. Though they do not proselytize, they will teach the basics of the Path to interested seekers. Nearly all Dakini follow the Path of Nataraja. THE DISCIPLINE OF RUMALI * The Radiance of Death: The Dakini can evoke a strange aura around himself. It is barely noticeable to the eye, but is faintly dark and quite cold. Anyone who is close by the Dakini will feel the chill and a eerie sense of foreboding, as though someone had stepped on their grave. This power gives the Dakini three extra dice on Intimidation rolls. At the Storyteller's discretion, the Dakini may also get an extra die on Stealth rolls under some circumstances; this reflects the tendency many people have to try and ignore the things that disturb them. System: There is no roll, but a Blood point must be spent to activate this power. ** The Honored: The Dakini can set a mystical mark on a being whom she wishes to keep track of. As long as the mark is in place, the Dakini will always have a sense of how far away the Honored One is and in what direction. If she concentrates she can easily track the Honored One to its location. The Honored may only be used on one being at a time, but the Dakini may leave the mark in place for as long as she likes, and can remove it at will. The mark is invisible to the eye, but those who have developed Rumali to at least level 2 can sense it, and Aura Perception might be able to detect it. There is no known way to remove the mark without the assistance of the Dakini who set it, but at the Storyteller's discretion certain rituals or magicks might do it. Likewise, some magicks or rituals could temporarily block a Dakini's sense of where the Honored One is; for example, a Dakini who has Honored a Garou might not be able to sense the Garou's location while it is in the Umbra. System: No roll is required, but a Blood point must be spent to Honor someone, and the Dakini must be able to see them. They do not need to see the Honored One to remove the mark. *** Kali's Eyes: With but a look, the Dakini can wrack his victim with phantasms of her own demise. The Dakini must look into his victim's eyes and make a Manipulation + Intimidation roll with a target of the victim's Willpower, getting at least two successes. If he succeeds, the victim will undergo nightmare-like scenes of her own death. This is a very frightening experience; mortals who see through Kali's Eyes must make a Willpower roll with a difficulty of 8 to avoid fleeing in blind panic. Successes mean that the victim has retained her self-control, but the visions are naturally quite distracting, and the victim receives +3 to all difficulty numbers until the visions run their course. A botch causes the victim to curl up in a fetal ball and whimper. If this power is used on a Vampire, the unlucky Lick must make a Courage roll to avoid Rotschreck. The victim will experience one "death" per success that the Dakini received. The duration and content of the visions are entirely up to the Storyteller. The visions induced by looking through Kali's Eyes can be precognitive, and if a victim of the power can avoid panic or Rotschreck, she can sometimes discern the potentially lethal people or situations in her life. **** Kali's Blessing: The Dakini can tell her victim about death with such eloquence that the victim will resign himself to it, and even yearn for it. The Dakini must roll Manipulation + Intimidation with a target of her victim's Willpower, and get at least two successes. If she succeeds, the victim is plunged into a haze of sorrow, and melancholy, a resignation to and acceptance of his own death. In fact, the victim becomes passively suicidal and finds it difficult to take any action to prolong his life (Willpower roll, difficulty 8). The depression lasts 24 hours for every success the Dakini received. ***** The Glory of Death: Similar to the Radiance of Death, this power allows the Dakini to evoke a weird aura around himself. This aura blazes with cold black light and is quite visible. It grants the Dakini three extra dice on all Intimidation rolls, and the strange cold energy enables him to do aggravated damage with his bare hands. In addition, the Glory of Death grants the Dakini three extra dice for soaking non-aggravated damage. System: No roll is required, but a Blood point must be spent to activate this power. ****** Dancing the Paths of the Dead: The Dakini can walk into one corpse and exit another up to a mile away. This power acts as a rather gruesome form of teleportation. The Dakini may Dance the Paths of the Dead to bypass walls and other obstacles, make quick get-aways, and even to travel. He may also try to pull others through a corpse to him, by reaching into the corpse, grabbing the victim, and pulling her through the Paths to his own location. System: The Dakini must decide where he will emerge before he enters and make a Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 6). Failure means he goes nowhere, and is likely ankle-deep in rot and bone. A botch gives the Storyteller carte blanche to be evil (the Dakini gets trapped inside the corpse, Wraiths attack him, he gets lost on the Paths and is stuck in the Underworld, etc.). Pulling someone through requires at least two successes on an Intelligence + Brawl roll. The Dakini may only Dance through corpses that were at least roughly half his mass in life (large dogs, crocodiles, calves, horses, humans, elephants, etc.). The state of the body matters little, although if a lot of it is missing the Storyteller should feel free to raise the Dakini's difficulty. The Dakini cannot step through any body that still has a soul or is undead, so while they could Dance the Paths using a Tremere's or Giovanni's zombie, they cannot step into mummies or other Kindred unless said mummy or Kindred has been extinguished. ****** Honored Multitude: This power allows the Dakini to Honor more than one person at a time. In all other respects it is the same as The Honored. The Dakini can never mark more individuals than her Rumali rating, however. ******* The Glory of Kali: With this power the Dakini can assume the form of the Black Mother: a seven-foot-tall, black-skinned demoness with four arms ending in clawed hands, three eyes, and terrible strength. This form is the very image of Kali Ma in Indian art, and some Dakini keep necklaces of skulls around to wear in this form on special occasions. The Kali-form is distinctly female; interestingly enough, male Dakini who use the Glory of Kali still take on the female form. System: No roll is required, but three Blood points must be spent to assume the Glory of Kali. When in this form the Dakini's Physical attributes all increase by three and Perception increases by one (this is a mystical Third Eye, not a metis deformity), and all Social attributes drop to zero. The claws do Strength + 1 aggravated damage, and the Dakini may use the three Stamina dice gained while using this power to soak damage caused by fire and sunlight. ******** The Exalted: The Dakini can be amazingly subtle killers when the situation warrants; this level of Rumali is in large part the reason why. With it, a Dakini can make the Exalted One's life into a thoroughly dangerous hell of accidents, chance occurrences, and freak coincidences. Cars swerve to hit him, his tuna salad is contaminated with botulism, the tasty-looking Vessel turns out to be a Lupine, the fugu chef is hungover, the disgruntled employee starts shooting while he's in the office, he gets the wrong address and walks into a Sabbat Blood Feast, and so on. There is a pretty good chance that he will die as a result of one (or more) of these accidents. The Exalted is especially deadly if used in conjunction with Kali's Blessing. System: The Dakini must be able to see her victim, and must roll Wits + Occult, with a difficulty of the victim's Willpower. Two successes are required to Exalt someone, while a botch indicates that the Dakini has managed to open herself up to whatever bizarre, random events the Storyteller chooses to inflict. The Exalted state lasts for twenty-four hours. If the Dakini wants to extend the period, she must let the first Exalted state run its course, then sight her victim again and make another Wits + Occult roll. ********* Kali's Gift: At this level of Rumali, the Dakini becomes capable of saving lives or ending them with only a thought. Those with Kali's Gift can, if they choose, save the life of a creature who is about to die by "borrowing" the death; that is to say, literally taking the death away from the creature, thus giving it another chance at survival. Conversely, the Dakini can use this power to slay instantly, by bestowing the "borrowed" death upon a chosen victim. The death can take many forms in mortals, but all of them are shockingly swift; depending on circumstances they can range from sudden heart failure,to spontaneous human combustion to getting shot. When Kali's Gift is bestowed on Kindred,the victim simply crumbles instantly to ash. System: To take a death, the Dakini must roll Wits + Occult, with a difficulty of 8. Failure means that the dying being passes away, while a botch means that the dying being has become trapped in this world as a ghost, and is understandably hostile toward the Dakini. A "borrowed" death may be kept for as long as the Dakini wishes; some have been known to carry a death around for decades, searching for just the right victim to give it to. However, only one death may be retained at a time. To kill someone by giving her a death, the Dakini must make a contested Intelligence + Occult roll with a difficulty of the victim's Willpower, and the victim rolls her Willpower with a difficulty of the Dakini's Intelligence + Occult. If the Dakini fails, or his victim gets more successes than he does, the death is harmlessly negated. If the victim fails or botches, she dies quickly. If the Dakini botches, one of two things can happen. The death can "rebound" back at the Dakini, who must then make a Wits + Occult roll with a difficulty of 9 to avoid dying himself. Or, more eerily, the death can get loose, escaping the Dakini's power and wandering about on its own, perhaps developing sentience and a personality as it goes. Level 10: There are no known Dakini of the third generation or lower. As always, though, there are rumors... THE GHULS There is a sort of decayed branch of the Dakini, wretches who most Indian Kindred feel would be better off extinguished. The Dakini call them "Ghuls" after the fashion of the Moslem invaders of India. They also refer to the Ghuls as "untouchables". When the Dakini can be persuaded to discuss the Ghuls at all, they say that seven hundred years ago, a bandit chieftain made his lair somewhere near Benares. He was a vile, cunning and depraved man, ravishingly handsome and splendidly rich. He was clever, too: though a particular Dakini who called herself Sindha had long been trying to control him and his bandit army, he had been able to resist her wiles and worm out of her traps at every turn. Sindha could not help but admire the cunning and evil of her quarry, and finally she came to him in person and asked what she could offer him to entice him into her service. The Kiss, he named as his price, for he found the power it offered to be too much to pass up. And Sindha, more fool she, agreed to it. Hardly had the bandit king died and been reborn, when he twisted in his Sire's arms and, grabbing the sabre he had carefully hidden for just such an occasion, struck off her head. He only had drunk a little from her corpse before it withered into dust, so he stormed into the night to rouse his men. The hunger and blood had made him drunk, and he fully intended to drink and slay any and all his army came across that night. But he had killed his Sire before she could tell him anything of the race he had joined, and no matter how he ripped out the throats of the hapless travellers he found and slurped down their hot, still-living blood, his hunger was not satiated. In fury, he beat his own men 'til scarlet ran from them, but this living blood did not ease his thirst either; it was like water to a dope fiend. He frenzied then, ripping into his men and their horses, til the sun rose. The bandit king fled its burning rays, and still in frenzy ran to shelter. The many of his army who had not been lucky enough to escape lay as mangled wrecks on the earth, interspersed with raw chunks of horseflesh, and became a feast for the flies and kites. At dark, the bandit king returned, ravenous. Though he was no longer in frenzy, the Beast, always close to his heart, had dug its claws in deep and its feral light glimmered behind his dark eyes. He was unable to find anything alive to rend and kill, and hunger beat at him until, desperately, he fell upon the bodies of his former servants. The little blood left in their veins was thick and clotted, stinking and laden with the eggs of flies, but it was laced with the cool dark wine of death, and he was, at last, able to ease his hunger. But the horror he felt at drinking from the spoiling bodies eroded the last of his sanity, and the Beast claimed him. Thereafter he scavenged from cold funeral pyres, from slaughterhouses and battlefields and the vulture-towers of the Parsees, and murdered anyone he could for their fresh amrita. He was no more than a brute, but a vile and cunning one, and he eluded the Rakshasas and Sindha's avengers for nearly a century. During that time he now and again grew anxious for company, perhaps from a last glint of cultured sensibility, and would dishonor the Blood in his veins further by feeding it to a beggar or brigand after slaying them. Sometimes he would later devour these companions; more often he drove them away after a few nights. These wretches went on to scavenge and murder as their Sire had taught them, and some of them Sired, and the more clever ones learned how to be cunning and hide, so that when the disgraced Dakini came hunting, they could never be certain they had eradicated the bloodline. These Ghuls, as the Dakini came to call them, learned to hide among beggars and lepers and feed from the dead wherever they could. Many took to following merchant caravans, killing and robbing any stragglers, and sleeping in the cargo by day whenever they could. Along with these caravans, the Ghuls spread across India, into Persia, and beyond. Ghuls still exist, and can be found in India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan; rumors also place them in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iran, and every now and then, Iraq. They are not many in number, but they are very good at hiding and at not drawing attention to themselves. They are craven and nearly as opportunistic as cockroaches. All of them are lost to the Beast, and most of them would barely qualify as sentient. A handful, however, have managed to hang onto their minds. These are usually the ones who Sire, are almost always the oldest Ghuls around, and can be truly dangerous. Habits: Ghuls usually scavenge their amrita from any dead they come across, but they will kill for it and do so fairly often. Occasionally they will eat the flesh of the victim as well, but no-one is sure why, as they cannot possibly derive any nourishment from it. Some lurk in the countryside, feeding from and terrorizing villagers, but most Ghuls keep to the cities, where they can avoid the Cat Rakshasas and have more plentiful food. The more intelligent Ghuls hide in slums, where they blend in with the urban poor and diseased. Some of them have organized gangs of human wretches as Retainers. Bestial Ghuls make their dens wherever they can; in New Delhi, one popular place is beneath the stone ghats (huge stone steps) that descend the Ganges' banks and into the water, and the ghat-Ghuls will swim the river at night and climb into boats (though they must be wary of the Caiman Rakshasas, who kill every Ghul they catch). Organization: Generally speaking, none. In fact, they seem to have little regard for their brethren and regard other Ghuls as not much more than competition or potential amrita. Rumors persist, however, of large gatherings of Ghuls deep in the jungles or high in the mountains, of the remains of bonfires replete with charred bones (human, animal, and otherwise) near where the Ghuls are supposed to gather, of weird and unpleasant carvings on earth and trees, and sometimes flesh, of chants carried on the wind that sound almost like Latin learned by rote, or like less pleasant things, of a corpse found in a shack in Lahore, killed in a darkly ritualistic fashion, the blood used to paint strange symbols on the walls. It is unknown if these rumors point to the existence of a Ghul cult, or are falsehoods spread for some mysterious purpose. Little evidence has actually been put forward to prove the rumors. Many of India's Kindred, however, fear that something evil has come to make its home in their country. Appearance: The Ghuls share the dark skin of their Dakini forbears, though they frequently seem pale due to the dust and dirt that often coats their skins. Their hair is matted and filthy, their eyes and cheeks hollow from mortal disease or malnutrition. They are universally skinny, and between this and the dirt it is hard to say what age any given Ghul looks like. The ghat-Ghuls of the river cities are usually a bit cleaner by virtue of spending time in the water. They wear rags, or nothing. In the last hundred years, a few Ghuls have been caught who displayed stranger appearances than their fellows: leathery, withered skin stretched tight over the bones, caved-in noses, and receded gumlines. Their blood was found to contain traces of embalming fluids and spices, leading their Ventrue captors to speculate that the strange appearances resulted from the Ghuls (or perhaps their Sires) feeding on embalmed corpses. With the spread of the Samedi bloodline, some Kindred have noted similarities between these Ghuls and the "mummified" type of Samedi, and wonder if there is a connection. Disciplines: Usually the only one these debased Vampires ever develop is Celerity, although a few seem to have picked up the rudiments of Auspex. Rumali is completely unknown among them, despite their Dakini origin. Every so often a tale drifts around of this Ghul who displayed Potence, or that one who Earth Melded, or the one who vanished in plain sight. These tales are given little credence; after all, where could these degenerate beasts find anyone to teach them Disciplines? Paul Strack pfstrack@email.unc.edu