Clans & Bloodlines

Approach the Prince when I bid you, or lose your hands.

Approach the Prince when I bid you, or lose your hands.

The Lamia were a bloodline of Cainites devoted to defending Clan Cappadocian. The founder of the bloodline, Lamia, claimed to be a daughter of Lilith, Adam’s first wife. According to legend, a Cappadocian elder named Lazarus found her performing sacred rites to Lilith, the Dark Mother. Impressed by her skill and perhaps taken with her fierce beauty, he Embraced her.

While she died and the Change took her, Lilith gave her a vision, a deep understanding of her future and that of the Cappadocians. When she recovered, she whispered something to Lazarus, and the Cappadocian elder fled in terror.

Lamia did find her way back to the Clan, though, and her bloodline became the guardians of the Cappadocians. They were never very numerous, but important Graverobbers often had at least one Gorgon standing at their side. The Lamia learned to feed sparingly, since their bite carried disease, and developed their own path of Necromancy based on the four humors. Over the centuries, they became an important resource for the Cappadocians. And yet, behind their loyalty was perhaps a greater dedication to the Dark Mother and to the vision of their founder.

The Revelation of the Dark Mother seems to have led the line to tragedy, however. The Lamia died defending the Cappadocians when the Giovanni subsumed the Clan. Augustus Giovanni murdered Lamia herself following his diablerie of Cappadocius, and the last known member of the bloodline was destroyed in 1718 as part of a Camarilla blood hunt.

Appearance

The Lamia did not share the Cappadocians’ pallor. Many of them were of Mediterranean or Semitic descent, though as the Cappadocians traveled across Europe with their Gorgon bodyguards, other nationalities came into the bloodline as well. The bloodline was predominantly female, but it wasn’t uncommon for Lamia to dress as men (usually armed and armored).

Haven

The Lamia shared havens with their Cappadocian patrons. When they made their own, they often chose crypts and sarcophagi, preferring to be alone among the dead (feeding on the recently dead also minimized their chance of starting an outbreak of plague).

Background

Since the Lamia Embraced women almost exclusively, they seldom had the chance to Embrace trained warriors. Instead, the Gorgons often chose women who had some experience with death. Women who had attempted or contemplated suicide, or had recently committed murder, were common choices. Likewise, women with a pronounced interest in black magic or scholarly pursuits in general were candidates for the Lamia Embrace. Training in combat could come after the gift of immortality.

Character Creation

All Lamia had some combat training, usually from their sires. Physical or Mental Attributes might be primary, as were Skills. The Lamia also tended to have some familiarity with Occult, both from the rites taught to them by their own bloodline and simply by proximity to the Cappadocians.

Clan Disciplines

Fortitude, Necromancy, Potence

Weakness

The Lamia carried the “Seed of Lilith,” a wasting disease spread by their bite. Anyone the Lamia fed upon was required to make a Stamina roll (difficulty 6 for women, 8 for men). If the roll failed, the victim contracted a Black Plague-like pox that was fatal within several days. Any vampire that consumed Lamia blood became a carrier of the disease until all of the Lamia vitae had been purged from his body.

Organization

The sire-childe relationship in the Lamia was very strong, as most Lamia had to remain with their sires for at least a year to achieve the necessary combat skill to be of use. Lamia remained the leader of the bloodline until her destruction, but her first and most important order to her daughter was to serve the Cappadocians.

Stereotypes

• High Clans: Our masters’ fellows cannot be trusted. Bow, but with one hand on your blade.
• Low Clans: Their humors are purer. Sometimes far too pure.

Sect

The Lamia were somewhere between the High and Low Clans. They were not a Clan, but were considered part of Clan Cappadocian in most Cainites’ understanding. Other Cainites, however, treated them respectfully as servants or soldiers, both out of deference to their skills and to their patrons.

Weakness

The Lamia carried the “Seed of Lilith,” a wasting disease spread by their bite. Anyone the Lamia fed upon was required to make a Stamina roll (difficulty 6 for women, 8 for men). If the roll failed, the victim contracted a Black Plague-like pox that was fatal within several days. Any vampire that consumed Lamia blood became a carrier of the disease until all of the Lamia vitae had been purged from his body.

Background

Since the Lamia Embraced women almost exclusively, they seldom had the chance to Embrace trained warriors. Instead, the Gorgons often chose women who had some experience with death. Women who had attempted or contemplated suicide, or had recently committed murder, were common choices. Likewise, women with a pronounced interest in black magic or scholarly pursuits in general were candidates for the Lamia Embrace. Training in combat could come after the gift of immortality.

Organization

The sire-childe relationship in the Lamia was very strong, as most Lamia had to remain with their sires for at least a year to achieve the necessary combat skill to be of use. Lamia remained the leader of the bloodline until her destruction, but her first and most important order to her daughter was to serve the Cappadocians.