Hi everybody!
Right now, we’re closing in on a lot of drafts of V20 Dark Ages. Many are in editing. Some are getting some last-stage polish. In the mean time, I wanted to share one of my favorite V20 Dark Ages bloodline writeups: The Lamiae. We have about a dozen bloodlines, and a few transitional bloodline/clans (like the Tremere, Salubri, Cappadocians, and Giovani).
Anyway, here’s the Lamiae, as presented by the wonderful J Dymphna Coy, who is also providing the Cappadocian content, Necromancy, much of the introductory fiction, and some of our Antagonists content.
Lamia
Ages ago, Lazarus, the wandering childe of Cappadocius, discovered a cult of mortals who worshipped in Egypt a woman named Lamia, a powerful sorceress who claimed direct descent from the Dark Mother, Lilith. Fascinated by her knowledge, awed by her power, and perhaps even entranced by her beauty, Lazarus Embraced Lamia upon the altar of her temple.
The legend becomes murky here. Rumors persist that, after her Embrace, Lamia gently beckoned Lazarus over and whispered a few words into his ear. Upon hearing them, Lazarus fled the temple and has rarely emerged since. Regardless of what transpired between them, Lazarus has gone into hiding since that day, and his maggot-white skin turns paler still when the name of Lamia is mentioned.
Lazarus is not the only one of the Kindred to fear the Lilin. They are renowned for their martial prowess and mental discipline. Their place among the Kindred is complex. They do not seek out mortal power or influence, nor do they care for the petty rivalries and factionalism of the Jyhad. They rather prize learning and knowledge — specifically of the occult. Their studies make them well-matched with their Cappadocian clanmates, though they are more likely to learn through ritual, direct experience, and meditation than by a more scholarly approach. It is not uncommon for a Lamia to live as an itinerant scholar or duelist, traveling between Domains, only returning home to impart the wisdom earned on her travels to her flock.
Appearance: The Lamiae do not possess the corpselike pallor of the other Cappadocians. Older Lamiae are generally descended from the people of Egypt and the Holy Land are thus as diverse as its peoples: Copts, Arabs, Jews, Kurds, Turks, Nubians, Berbers, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans alike are found in the elder generations. Younger generations tend to also include some members from Western and Northern Europe, but they’re comparatively rare.
When not in a ritual space, most Lamiae dress in armor or practical clothing that allows them to move quickly and freely. For women, this often means affecting masculine dress.
Haven: In general, the Lilin take their Havens in remote areas mortals are reluctant to visit. Crypts, graveyards, shrines, and abandoned plague-villages are ideal locations for a Lamia to rest. Lamiae who are closely aligned with a local cult will often make their havens in the ritual space of the temple, if one exists.
Background: It is commonly assumed that the Lamiae Embrace women almost exclusively. This is incorrect. Like their female counterparts, male Lamiae are typically Embraced because they are mortal cultists, magicians, or scholars. They must, however, recognize and venerate the feminine aspects of the divine, and consider women to be –at the very least– equals to men. The clan attracts members who find themselves stifled or persecuted under patriarchal norms. Although our modern concepts of gay men, lesbians, transgender persons, or bisexuals do not exist as such in the Dark Medieval, Kindred who might be considered as such by modern eyes are frequently encountered among the Gorgons.
Character Creation: Nearly all Lamiae are trained in combat, though many receive this training after the Embrace. Survival, martial prowess, and Stamina are highly valued by the group. Knowledges, particularly involving the occult, as similarly valued.
Though they may have mortals as followers or magi as allies, the Lamiae seldom have Backgrounds that relate to status in Kindred courts outside of their own clan Even by Kindred standards, the Lamiae who deign to swear fealty to a Prince seldom seem to take their oaths particularly seriously. It is currently fashionable among the Kindred for a Prince to keep a Lamia as an enforcer.
Nicknames: Gorgons, Lilin
Clan Disciplines: Fortitude, Necromancy, Potence. The Lamiae have developed their own branch of necromancy — the Path of Four Humors — which is guarded carefully and only taught to those who have come to venerate the Dark Mother.
Weakness: The Lamiae are not touched by death in the way that the Cappadocians are. No, the Gorgons say, they are blessed by that great and terrible Mother that lies beyond death, and her merciless and terrible love brings ruin to those who are weak enough to not withstand it.
The bite of the Lamiae brings the Seed of Lilith, a wasting plague that rots away the members of a still-living body until eventually killing mortal victims, causing one lethal damage per night (nightly Stamina roll, difficulty 7 to resist) for a fortnight. Any Kindred that consume Lamiae blood will also be carriers of the disease until all Lamia blood is purged from their bodies.
Organization: The Lamiae are organized in small cults throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Holy Land. They will typically be found wherever the feminine divine is worshipped; many shrines to Mary have a cult of Lilith hidden behind them. These groups are typically secretive, tight-knit cells composed of less than a dozen Gorgons and their mortal worshippers. It is not uncommon for childe and sire to stay in close contact even long after the Embrace. A few high-ranking representatives of the Lamiae will make the annual pilgrimage to Ericyes with the rest of the Cappadocians, but most Gorgons convene instead at the Temple of Lamia.
Stereotypes
Assamite: Your sanctimony won’t save you.
Brujah: Delight in the pain. Don’t rage against it. You might actually learn something that way, if you even care about learning anymore.
Cappadocians: They will never admit it, but they truly fear the darkness. Why else would they hide behind their cadavers and their musty books?
Followers of Set: There is only one Serpent, little hatchlings, and She is greater than your pathetic little god.
Gangrel: Feed and fuck and breed and suffer. Know the world with the dark animal of your body.
Giovanni: They think themselves unnoticed.
Malkavian: Wisdom is to be experienced, not learned. They know this.
Nosferatu: If you have the patience to suffer their quasi-sincere groveling, you may learn much from them.
Ventrue: You were given the night, and this is what you’ve chosen to do with it?
Baali: Demons are our brothers and sisters, and we do not fear them. We do not serve them, either.
Caitiff: Get up. You will endure, and grow strong.
Character creation don’t include preferred roads?
I agree! The main problem with bahari is: what road fit well with them?
You forgot clan Salubri under Stereotypes 😛
For space, we only have a handful of stereotypes for each clan/bloodline. So, Salubri just haven’t popped up in those lists.
I totally expect Salubri to show up in the Tremere entry, though..
Nice so far. Dont forget the Kyasid, it’s about time to stop this nonsense of not give us information pr only parcial half true hidden information anyway. And read your own books, they are a dark ages bloodline. I can wtite it myself.
That seems needlessly aggressive. Saying that, if you feel like you can write up the Kiasyd I recommend learning how to spell their name first.
Calm down.
We’re doing Kiasyd. If you want to write your own, that’s awesome. Hopefully you’ll like our version, too.
Reading what you are doing so far im sure i will. Everything looks great! My fear was only to not see them after 20 years in this golden chance to do something great for a great game! But they will be presented!
Yes, bring back the Kiasyd
I would change a bit the part that speaks of them as the vampiric LGBT community. It speaks too much in modern day terms. I understand is disrespectful to speak of LGBT people in medieval terms, but summarizing it in something like “They invite among them homosexual people as well as persons who feel a gender different of their own body”. I am not a native English speaker, I figure you can find a better formula that does not drive you out your medieval immersion. I feel also that they need a reason to do so, because it is such a unusual medieval behaviour, why do they value the LGBT people? Why them among all bloodlines and clans? Have they an special room for them in their beliefs?
The change of the Lamia being composed with as many men as women is rather strong. I don’t have anything against per se, but my impression is that this DA revision is making strong changes without strong reason. I see the Lamia as good as woman only as they are as a mixed group, so, why change the players knowledge and possibly force us to make changes in our work, when they were working as they were? I don’t say don’t change nothing, i. e. they were strong changes in Road of Heaven, but they were strong reasons as well.
Finally, no more High and Low clans?
High and low clans exist. They’re a much more fluid concept, though. Not as hard a concept, for a few reasons.
Seeing a modern reference to LGBT in a medieval context jarred a little with me, as well, but it got me thinking about medieval attitudes towards homosexuality. There are plenty of references to it being associated with either heresy (The Ophite movement, which influenced some strands of the Cainite Heresy, revered non-procreative sex, and of course there were the accusations against the Templars), and violations of “natural” law. Mortals who already see themselves as “unnatural” or in violation of religious law might be drawn more readily into the… well, Embrace… of the Lamia. Apostate Cainite Heretics could be a good source for male Lamia, as would Templars who were actually guilty of some of the charges that Phillip leveled against them (in the WoD, it’s more likely that the charges Phillip cooked up had a bit of substance).
It’s actually something we touch on lightly in a couple of places. Attitudes about the topic were wildly different, and by no means universal from place to place. So handled well, it’s a really interesting story element to play with; particularly so because of Vampire’s metaphoric strengths.
I have read on several Brujah stereotypes on these drafts mentions about the rage and even lack of knowledge.
This means that the Brujah are no longer warrior-philosophers and they’re more like the Masquerade’s rabble?
Not even slightly. Stereotypes from without are only flavored by the reality. They’re perceptions from afar. And with the opinions of the Brujah, a few bad apples have spoiled the bunch.
Much relieved to hear that.
really good work! congratulations!
however… I get that the emphasis on the feminine is being downplayed, but the lamia weakness was so interesting… it it really so problematic to imply that women are better than men when it comes to those who revere the dark mother and the effects of their supernatural curses? maybe lilith was just conceited or biased towards women, you know? its a game about vampires, some political incorrectness is acceptable, i guess…
on the other hand, very interesting to associate the elevation of women with the acceptance of sexual and gender dissidents!
Why not Lamiae (nominative plural) instead of Lamia?
That’s a good bit of input. I’ll ask my writers their thoughts.
And… Got it sourced.
It’s Lamiae.
the path of the four humors? Do you mean like “The Path of Farcical Humor” , “The Path of Droll Humor”, “The Path of Deadpan Humor” and “The Path of Satirical Humor”? 🙂
GOOD NOW I HAVE TO ABANDON MY PLANS FOR THE 2015 APRIL FOOL’S DAY PRODUCT.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The LAMIA sound like an awesome bloodline. I can’t wait to try them out.
I like the sense that these Lilin aren’t so strictly tied to the Graverobbers. I don’t know that it’s explicitly STATED in earlier versions, but the Lamia Bloodline come across as only the martial appendage of the Cappadocians, but I never understood why they needed to be so.
…One other thing that I just recently noticed: Lazarus is an oddity among the un-dead. He is said to be both the same Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead (most notably in Ashen Cults, but other sources, too) AND a childe of the Clan Founder. For my chronicles, the ambiguity is really nice, and I just choose to run with it. I wouldn’t be upset if V20 Dark Ages did the same (in general, not just for this one Cainite), but I would also be fine if such was ignored.
It was either Vampire the Dark Ages or the Dark Ages Storyteller’s Handbook that painted them as effectively worshipping the Cappadocians and that “No other clan was fit to rule” (or something akin to that). While some reverence is maybe to be expected, it always irked me that they were little more than, as you said, the martial appendage of the Cappadocians.
This was a big point for us. We wanted to make them as independent and playable as possible, without being beholden to the parent clan.
Glad it came through in the text.
I have the same issue here that I had with the Cappadocian Splat proper: too much talk about background. The Lazarus-Lamia thing could easily be a sidebar, or reduced, or just vaguely given. It takes up half the wordcount of the Lamia introduction. That could be wordcount used to give more information on how to BE a Lamia, instead of a reference to ancient history that won’t come up in most situations or games.
The rest of the splat is really great and avoids that focus on hoary old NPCs that so sadly dominated Salubri, Lamia and Cappadocians in all previous editions.
I’m developing a lamia character, so I am very interested to see the changes in the new version. One thing I have found frustrating is trying to find a date when the Lamia were made, or more lore. I know it’s only flavor, but I love the history. I really hope you can squeeze in a little more. It looks to be less than whats in DA:companion…