From: Tarot Bloodline Tarot The Tarot bloodline was founded sometime in the fourteen hundreds by Renauld Tarot, a mystic and performer embraced by a Toreador. After his embrace Renauld discovered his ability to divine things was heightened by the vampiric blood in his veins. He developed this ability into a discipline called Divination. Oddly enough, Renauld gained more morality in his unlife than he did in his life. He developed a codex to govern this new discipline, designed to keep the knowledge that he possessed out of the hands of all but those who truly sought it. Renauld went on to found the bloodline, embracing those with natural divinatory abilities. His largest concern, though, was making sure his children followed the codex he had designed to govern the bloodline. The answer came in the form of a Tremere wizar d. In exchange for a great deal of information, the Tremere enscrolled the codex into the blood of Renauld and his children. It would be passed along with the blood to all embraced into the bloodline. The bloodline has grown slowly over the centuries, the numbers being purposely kept low. Members of the bloodline purposely seek out those mortals with natural divinatory abilities and watch them for a long while. It is only after years of observation tha t a mortal will be embraced. The bloodline has seen two large growth spurts in the last two centuries. One during the spirital interest of the late eighteen hundreds and one during the recent neo-pagan movement. Some members of the bloodline wonder if the re is a powerful magick associated with the end of a century, because more naturally gifted humans seem to be alive during these times than during any other. After an embrace, a sire will teach her child just enough to stay alive in vampiric society. The rest the child is encouraged to discover on her own, either through their own Divinational talents or through plain, old fashioned investigation. Tarot consider themselves reborn after the embrace, and always adopt a new name to refl ect this. These new names often have a mystical or mysterious inflection to them, such as 'The Raven' or 'Divina'. Nickname: Oracles Appearance: Almost all members of the bloodline Tarot enjoy an air of mystery about them. They tend to dress in clothes which will aid in this. Cloaks, trenchcoats, sunglasses, mystical jewelry and veils are just a few examples of the kind of clothing and accessories that will help accomplish this. Haven: Tarot tend to make their havens in places of mystery. Many in fact design their havens to give visitors a 'spooky' feeling. Members of the bloodline have been known to make their havens in occult bookstores, fortune teller shops and abandoned, deli pated mansions. Background: Almost all members of the bloodline had some kind of natural Divining ability in life. In fact, it has not been uncommon for the Tarot and the Tremere both to be interested in the same mortal. Also, many members of the bloodline have the curio us flaw or have a concept built around the seeking of information. Most members of this bloodline have the fortune telling talent. Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Divination, Presence Clan Weakness Like all clans and bloodlines, the Tarot have their own unique weakness. Long ago a Renauld Tarot had a Tremere wizard bind the Codex into the blood of all his children and in himself. To break the Codex will literally cause the blood to boil inside the b ody. This causes three points of aggrivated damage. The Codex Knowledge is Power - The knowledge we gain through our contact with the Wisdom gives us power, and gives power to those who we give the knowledge to. Never give knowledge freely. Instead, always demand an appopriate price. Make sure there is always a pric e for power. Only if there is danger to the bloodline, to the kindred or to humanity may knowledge be given without price. Power is Responsibility - The knowledge we gain through our contact with the Wisdom gives us responsibility. We must never use the Knowledge for the petty gain of political, financial or social power. We must never use it to harm another, though others ma y use the knowledge given to them to harm others as they like. Only if there is danger to the bloodline, to the kindred or to humanity may knowledge be used in these ways. Responsibility is the Bloodline - The knowledge we gain through our contact with the Wisdom belongs to our Bloodline first. Share this knowledge freely with your brothers and sister. Never charge them a price. Remember, in all things, the bloodline must c ome first. Organization The bloodline Tarot does not have a cohesive organization structure. It is very rare for more than one Tarot, with the exception of child and sire, to live in the same city or area. Once a year, on All Hallows Eve, members of the bloodline enter into a me ditative trance. Their minds meet in the Wisdom and it is there that bloodline policy is decided for the next year. Other than that, Tarot tend to stay in contact with each other through more mundane means, simply for the exchange of information. Stereotypes Brujah "I don't mind them, really. I just wish they would take a side! I mean, are they going to use the info the possess to change things? Or to keep them the same?" - Linda Johnson, Brujah The Brujah are an interesting paradox. They fight for change, and yet their struggle for change forces them to remain the same. I think, perhaps, one day they will realize how stagnant their little rebellions truly are. Gangel "They claim to tap into something beyond them and they claim to gain information from that something. That might be true. Sometimes, when I am alone in the forests and I am at peace... sometimes I think I can feel it as well." - Gaia's Son, Gangrel Archon Many feel that the Gangrel are like animals because they embrace the beast inside them. We know this is not true. The Gangrel are like animals because they embrace something far different. Malkavians "They've touched what we have and they think they're sane! Hoppy joy! Instead they are the most insane Malks of all! If only someone would tell them." - John Carter, Malkavian Elder The Malkavians have come closer than any other to touching the Wisdom as we have. Unfortunatly, for some reason, they could not adjust to this. That is why they are insane. If they could only overcome this flaw, then our two clans would be as one. Nosferatu "Wierd, I tell you. They think they can know anything but not work for it? Down right wierd. But at least they're smart enough not to give the info they do have away for free." - Litha, Nosferatu agent The Nosferatu seek to control information for their own goals. We seek information for the seek of information. We do not control it, nor let it control us. For all their sneaking around and spying, they will know nothing until they learn to touch the Wis dom. Toreador "They were once a part of our clan and it still shows. After all, two thirds of their hocus pocus is just that, performace and psychology. Beyond that, perhaps they have touched something greater... but are they having a good time?" Elsa Lindell, Prince o f Province Town We are grateful to our parent clan for having spawned us and we even respect some of its members. The greatest of their artists hint of the Wisdom in their work. The rest are just hedonists who seek nothing beyond physical pleasures. Tremere "Interesting and useful. I would like to learn more of this 'Wisdom' that they touch. Perhaps a new path could be developed from studying their Divinatory abilities. In the meanwhile, their prices are cheap compared to what they can give you." - Thomas Ry an, Chantry leader The Tremere are more trustworthy than they seem. That does not mean one should still trust them, but their reputation is largely undeserved. We occasionally compete for mortals to embrace, but other than that they have kept their relationship with us on a very professional level. Ventrue "Our relationship with the Tarot is much like the relationship between the kings and oracles of legend. Occasionally we ask them for information and they answer, provided we pay their price. They have never proven untrustworthy and the information recieve d is almost always useful. An effective tool." - Jennifer Flowers, Ventrue Elder The Ventrue have the potential to do great good and great evil. Watch them carefully and help them when possible. Despite their flaws, they are the worlds best hope in avoiding the terrors of Gehena. Catiff "Tight-lipped bastards, but at least they don't treat us like we're dirt. They'll play fair with you and they'll treat you with the respect you earn for yourself in their eyes. Kinda spooky though." -Elmo, Catiff Few amoung our kinds understand. The Catiff are not a sign of Gehena or of weak blood. They are unique individuals and should be judged as such. Treat them as you would any other and watch the more powerful ones. They shall be the bloodlines of the future. Giovanni "I don't know what to make of the Tarot. They can be very useful sources of information, but I always have the idea that they know so much more that they aren't telling you. Still, they're willing to answer questions, for a price. Better than nothing." - Leonardo Giovanni The Giovanni are of interest more for their necromatic abilities than anything else. We believe that the world of the dead has its own knowledge that only the dead can access. We would enjoy learning more of it. Assamites "Like us they provide a service for a price. Like us, I suspect they have their own agenda. Let us hope our goals and theirs do not conflict." - Rasim Ha'bar, Assamite Elder They are more right in their beliefs than they will ever know. And more wrong. Do nothing to anger them. Salubri "They understand the truth of the past and do not persecute us for the lies perpetuated about us. I thank them for that." - Janice Price The Salubri have been wronged. We hope one day to help them, but fear this day will never come. Ravanos "I met a Tarot, once. She travelled around with our carnival, doing a fortune telling act. She was good. And a lot of fun at parties. We shared blood a couple of times. Now, sometimes I catch glimpses of the future. Cool, huh?" - Mikael Karish, Ravanos ca rnival leader The Ravanos are much more than the simple gypsies they appear to be. I can only hope their purpose is not as dark as I fear. Oh, yes. Watch your belongings around them. Or divine where they are when the Ravanos takes them. Followers of Set "Exterminate them. They know too much about us, and should they ever decide we are a danger to them or to humanity they will give the Camarilla the keys to destroy us." - Lola Irene, New Orlean Setite These snakes are an evil poison. They seek to corrupt all they touch and their vileness even corrupts the Knowledge. We will not destroy them, yet, but I have no doubt we will in the future. Camarilla The cause of this organization is noble, but like most noble causes the structure is flawed. In potential it can truly save us all. In actuality it does little good. Work to reform the Camarilla, not to destroy it. Sabbat Beware these ones. What they cannot control they will destroy. Deal with them if you must, but cautiously. Under no circumstances allow them to subject you to their dark rights. Better to suffer the final death than to be a member of the Sabbat. Mages We know more about these special humans than any other bloodline, even more than the Tremere. There are those amoung them that fight for a great cause and others that hold our world in an iron grip. Ally yourselves with those who fight for individual choice and against the forces of wild change, rigid science or total entropy. Garou Their struggle is important, perhaps the most important thing of all. If only they could unite and then forgive us our 'taint'... then we could truly turn back the foe they fight. Wraiths It is thought that the ghosts of the dead exist on a different plane than our own. If so, perhaps they have access to information even we cannot touch. We would like to learn more of these strange souls. Faeries Like the dead, they might have access to information not contained within the Wisdom. We have spoken to a few, but their riddles are even more mysterious than our own. But, we shall try and try again. The Wisdom After a few years Renauld recieved the impression that he was touching something outside himself when he used the discipline of Divination. He became convinced that he was tapping into some other placed composed of pure knowledge. Over time he honed his d iscipline to better touch this place until he no longer needed to use the deck of cards he created as a prop or even to dream. He named this place 'The Wisdom'. According to him it contained everything that could be known. When psychology became an established science, Tarot with a Jungian bent equated the Wisdom with Jung's theory of the Universal Unconsious, where every mind is connected and that the information contained in every mind can be accessed by the subconsious. Or by Divination. Divination Divination is a discipline which allows the members of the Bloodline Tarot to access what they have termed 'the Wisdom'. By tapping into the Wisdom one can gain information about the future, the past or the present. * Intuition's Kiss The first connection to the Wisdom is nebulous and arrives in flashes of intuition. A name, an image, a small snip of a scene.... these all might be seen through the kiss of intuition. The small bit of information gleaned, however, is always relevant to a situation the Tarot is in. System: The character must make a Perception+Empathy roll against a difficulty of seven when concentrating on this power. The number of successes determines how detailed the information should be. One success might be the ghostly whisper of a name while five might be a very clear image of a certain man standing outside a certain building at a certain time of year. This power is a great tool for storyteller's to use in order to impart a small bit of information to the players. ** Fortune-telling By using props, such as Tarot cards or rune stones, vampires with Divination may begin to truly access the Wisdom. Unfortunatly, the information gained is usually vague and subject to the quirks of the divination tool being used. System: The player should roll Wits+Occult against a difficulty of seven. The number of successes determines how detailed the information recieved is. Remember that this should be tailored to the divination tool being used and the method of using it. Do the research. Storytellers may elect to allow the use of the Fortune telling talent to lower the difficulty of the Wits+Occult roll. *** Morpheus' Touch Once a Tarot's mind is more attuned to the Wisdom, she begins to tap into it during her sleeping hours. The knowledge from the Wisdom presents itself in the form of dreams. These dreams are often very detailed, more like movies than the snapshots recieved through Intuition's kiss. System: Whenever the character slumbers she should roll a Perception+Empathy roll against a difficulty of six. The number of successes determines how detailed the information recieved is. As an option, with less successes the dreams can be made more symbolic and harder to understand. The information gleaned should always be relevant to the campaign or chronicle. **** Waking Dream The next stage in the development of Divination is to access the Wisdom while awake without the crutches of fortune telling. To do this, the Tarot usually goes into a trance, seeking the information inside the Wisdom. Once in the trance, the Tarot should not be interupted or the information will be lost and the vampire will have to start over again. System: When the character wishes to use the Waking Dream, the player should make a Stamina+Empathy roll against a difficulty of seven. The number of successes determines how successful she was in retrieving the information. How long the trance lasts depends on how complex the information is and is up to the Storyteller's discretion. As an optional rule, meditation may be used to lower the difficulty number of Waking Dream. ***** Tapping the Universal Unconsious Eventually most Tarot learn to touch the Wisdom and gain not only information, but skill as well. By concentration, one with this discipline can gain, for one hour, any skill or knowledge known to man and vampire kind. System: The player should first determine which knowledge or skill she wishes to learn. Then she should roll Intelligence+Empathy. The difficulty will depend on how widely known the skill or knowledge is. If the character is trying to learn something that millions of people know, such as drive, then the difficulty should be six. If she is trying to learn something that only a few hundred know, such as wyrm lore, then the difficulty level should be eight or even nine. The number of temporary dots in the skill or knowledge gained will be equal to half the number of successes rolled, rounded up. The knowledge or skill is gained for one hour and then forgotten. This discipline may not be employed to gain the same knowledge or skill more than once a day.