Clan Nosferatu (Nose-fur-ah-two)
"They say one man's trash is another man's treasure. For the Nosferatu, that same trash is more than just a treasure: it's a deadly weapon. Honestly, the same can be said for the clan itself."The shadowed clan of secrecy, Clan Nosferatu is the hidden dagger in the pocket of the Camarilla. Loyal to themselves above all else, continuously shunned and pushed away from "proper" society, The Hidden have molded their lack of fortune into their personal niche, hiding just below the surface and in the corners where no one will suspect them, catching all the secret and shameful words people throw away. More than just their culture or their lifestyle, the gathering of secrets is their deepest Compulsion, as when the Beasts of the Nosferatu echo through their souls, it is out of hunger for Secrets. In their nightly need for shadowed movement and secret investigation, the Nosferatu are typical users of the following vampiric Disciplines:"So how do I prevent them from getting it?""Ohoho! My dear Childe, you don't! They'll only slip in where you aren't looking if you try. In fact, there could be two or three of them in this room as we speak."--A certain Prince's lesson to her childe
- Animalism - When you can't hide yourself to sneak into a building, the next best thing is to control an unsuspecting sewer rat or even a horde of innocuous flies for the more trained. Not only does this discipline allow them control over the movement and nature of animals, but it also gives them a chance to share their senses with the creatures as well.
- Obfuscate - The bread and butter of the Nosferatu clan, the ability not to magically disappear, but to force the minds of the weak-willed to simply not register your existence. Or, similarly, to trick those same minds into picturing you as an unsuspectingly plain, or unmistakably desirable, member of normal society. Nosferatu tend to train this ability enough to even avoid being seen on electronic devices, the usual weakness of this skill.
- Potence - Sometimes you really just need to bust a head to get the information within, and when subterfuge fails the malformed claws and muscles of The Hidden serve well enough. Similarly, the strength to stay perched in advantageous places or just to get into otherwise sealed-off areas also comes in handy, for the less brutish users of the discipline.
Structure
The Nosferatu do not have a rigid structure a la Clan Tremere. However, they often coalesce into communities in their ideal nesting places, the darkest, most unseen, interconnected parts of civilization, usually the sewers. These connected communities, known as Broods, are where most Nosferatu remain, among their own clan. The most amicable among them are usually the ones who appear on the surface, although good luck trying to see where they come out.
While there are no strict titles or ranks among the Nosferatu, they do often fall into following the eldest among them, as a Nosferatu who can survive the longest while being the lowest on the totem pole is no small feat. Clan loyalty comes before other sect-based allegiances, with defense and surveillance often being taken up by ghouled animals rather than other Kine or Kindred.
In Tacoma specifically, two inter-community groups have risen, calling themselves Rainfall or Storm Drain Nosferatu respectively. Rainfall Nosferatu tend to be the more physically active kind, the sometimes brutish intimidators and manipulators, while the Storm Drains are your typical sewer-roaming machiavellian schemers and secret keepers. This isn't a hard division, and really only serves within the community to detail one's skill set to each other, as the nicknames were received during the joint operations of the Cleansing Nights.
Conversely, in Seattle, Nosferatu enjoy quite a bit of clan spread, given the large amount of city beneath the standard streets, and the reclusive clan's focus on technology coming in handy for the region. This has forged many different groups, although a vast majority keep their existence hush-hush outside of the clan. One of the ones that are familiar to the wider Kindred society is those aforementioned tech-savvy members of the clan, called the Ama-Zombs by the wider community.
Also, with the more modern and socially liberal nature of Clan Tremere within the City, especially the more recent Western Chantry, a contingent of Tremere and Nosferatu allies have created a separate group all their own called the Collective for United Nosferatu and Tremere.
Culture
Secrets
If one word could be used to describe almost all aspects of Clan Nosferatu, it is Secrecy. No matter which sect they belong to, a proper Nosferatu is an invaluable information broker or spy. Their natural abilities in Obfuscation and Animalism aid in this, spreading where they can see and where they can't be seen. As such, mind games and the art of spoken diversion are often something ingrained in childer from their Sires. This aspect also makes them incredibly annoying to Kindred who really want to keep their information air-tight, but it also makes them just as valuable to Kindred society as a whole. Due to their secluded nature, many Nosferatu have come to adopt the various closed-away aspects of society. Cloistered scholars, reclusive artists, and in the modern night obsessive techies. This has aided their secrets and information network, especially with the latter, as the late 80s saw the invention of ShreckNet, an online forum, messaging network, and database for Kindred. Basically, if they're looked down upon, secluded, or tossed aside throughout the years, they're prime picking for the Nosferatu. That also leads to another aspect of the Nosferatu, which is their connections with human society. While they aren't visibly out in the society a la the Toreador or Ventrue, they often tend to the people on the bottom rung just like themselves. Homeless people, orphaned children, the mentally disabled, etc. Perhaps its the echo of humanity within them, maybe it's the solidarity of being tossed aside, or maybe it's the fact that they can manipulate these spheres without having to be in the limelight, but Nosferatu will often be on good or at least beneficial terms with these groups of Kine, with the more fortunate ones even giving monetary donations to shelters, orphanages, and the like.Appearances
As might be expected, a Clan that is horribly, unavoidably, monstrously deformed by their nature tend to have a bit of a complex about their appearances. While some members of the clan, especially older ones, have gotten used to it, many have polarized reactions. There are those who lean into their monstrosity, accentuating their terrible appearances and using them to intimidate and disturb, or just refusing to be ashamed outside of your typical masquerade-based hiding. Then there are those who are deeply ashamed and curate their abilities in Obfuscate to take a more normal appearance, no matter how ephemeral, and often hold a deep-seated hatred for any who are still beautiful. That latter option also leads to a type of Nosferatu referred to as Cleopatras by the Clan, those who were sired not because they were outcasts or even convenient, but out of sheer spite and revenge for their beauty. Often this is a karmic punishment of sorts. The haughty model, the gorgeous gentrifying realtor, the actress who screwed over the wrong person, the list goes on and on, but the result is the same: a terrible pain in transformation and the loss of their looks and ability to exist in any kind of high society. Of course, for those who embrace their new nature more, a curation of macabre art and off-the-wall depictions of beauty have been created as well, including music, horticulture, and sculpture. Due to the secluded and secretive nature of the clan, a cities sewers can be filled with unique and sprawling examples of such art that will never see the light of the sun or the moon, hidden away just like their sculptors against the prying eyes of the privileged who would take advantage of it.Public Agenda
Nothing about the Nosferatu is public, but their primary goals are to learn and keep as many secrets as they can, about Kindred or Kine society alike, and to not be dragged into anyone else's inane nonsense.
Assets
While there's no doubt plenty of wealth resides in the darkest corners of Nosferatu broods, and their secretive endeavors have certainly proved lucrative, the real wealth of a Nosferatu is in their knowledge, second only to the troves of lore kept by Clan Tremere.
History
Origins
The origins of Kindred are a messy and unknown tale lost to ages, with few concrete sources remaining. The most collected tales from the Book of Nod speak of the children of Cain, and the city of Enoch. According to the stories, their Antediluvian, Absimiliard, was a talented hunter and a beautiful man, and much like in many mythological tales was incredibly vain about both of those. His skills caught the attention of Zillah, one of the Childer of Caine himself, who stalked him and sired him, accidentally leaving him with a small scar on his face in the process. That scar enflamed his vanity and made him despise Zillah, leading him to eventually kill her as fellow Antediluvians and their Childer revolted against the 2nd Generation and those in the second city after the flood. This led to Caine cursing Absilimiard and his childer with the clan's twisted, monstrous visages as a curse against his vanity and his murder of Zillah, the most beautiful of Caine's childer. It is at this point that one of his Childer, later known as Medusa or the Matriarch, fled his gaze and supposedly went on to make the current lineage of Nosferatu, while Absimiliard's other childer created a different sect. This is hard to corroborate, of course, given the secrecy of the clan and all of the haze and uncertainty with the supposedly Abrahamic origins of Kindred in general. The key takeaway that is certain is that the Nosferatu have been around just as long as any other Kindred. However, unlike the other clans, the Nosferatu had no way to integrate into society. They couldn't use the social or political manipulations of their brethren, being one of the most visibly monstrous of their kind. This is what began the Nosferatu's habit of living in subterranean caves, or hidden caverns, as they could not rest and mingle with Kine society at any level at this time. When the time of Rome came with its catacombs, the Nosferatu were finally able to be a part of the interconnected Kindred societies, although highly derided by the "High Clans".Rising Years
In the pre-Camarilla years of society, the Nosferatu were a much-maligned part of the Low Clans, for their inability to play or even aid the game of social prestige and for their early adoption of the then-young religion of Christianity, although it shouldn't surprise that the mournfully disfigured would be all for a faith built around redemption. But, in these early years, they also gained their first leg up, as the Nosferatu found a link between improper waste management and the rise of plagues, using the connection to contaminate the human population of arrogant enemies holdings. In this era, they also began mingling among the destitute, often posing as beggars and passing off their clan curse as illnesses like Leprosy. Between their dual disguises among those the populace willingly ignored and their underground weavings, it should come as no surprise that the Nosferatu were not as victimized in the Crusades as others, although the burning pressure the Inquisition spread across the land was still a palpable threat. As such, Clan Nosferatu aligned themselves with their fellows in the formation of the Camarilla with the Convention of Thorns, officially being considered a part of proper Kindred society. While Clan Nosferatu had a nearly even split between Camarilla and newly Sabbat members, both sides remember how their clan is treated as a whole, and throughout all this turmoil the Nosferatu have more loyalty to each other as a Clan than they do to any sect. As time pressed onward, and mankind entered the Renaissance, the newly rising urban sprawl gave the Nosferatu one more area to hide: the tightly-packed and downtrodden tenements and slums of various larger cities. Not on the street with the urchin, but not underneath the streets with the dead either, and all the better to weave relations with the Kine in a way they weren't able to before. This era also marked the uptick in Nosferatu embraced in revenge, as the excess of the nobility and new ideals of art and philosophical beauty began to spread.Towards Modern Nights
As the Victorian age emerged, and physical beauty was even more on the rise, many Nosferatu saw themselves all but exiled from the more shining parts of Kindred society, where the beautiful Toreador and Ventrue would hold the most sway. That isn't to say they suffered, as many Nosferatu held great power in their sequestered lairs all across Europe, especially for the social masterpiece of London, whose shadowed back alleys and sprawling sewers made it perfect for the Clan during this time. In fact, in many dark districts of the city, the Nosferatu made sure constructions and cultures stayed right in their monstrous hands, molded like fine clay in the way that suited them just fine. As the push into and development of America occurred, many Nosferatu jumped at the chance to carve out their own spaces, instead of working through what the clans allowed, taking the constructive attitudes of their London cousins. Due to their early eagerness, many statements of Nosferatu who ruled over the natives in the night spread through Elysiums, but anyone smart enough to not take the statements seriously could easily peg them as racist jokes about the Native Americans, lumping them with one of, if not the, least respected clan, as many had stated the same about people of the sub-Saharan African continent in centuries prior. As time and conflicts marched on, the Nosferatu did what they did best, keeping their heads down and in the shadows, just how they liked it, as mankind marched into and through the 20th century. The Great Wars and the Cold Wars afterward did wonders for them, as many people built underground bunkers and shelters, a habit that the Nosferatu employed, and more than happily moved into abandoned ones as the decades went onward. The intense need for the passing of secrets and brokering of information also made for a very fruitful endeavor for the Clan, among both the Kindred and Kine alike, not that the Kine would ever know who they were truly dealing with. Perhaps the greatest development, however, was the rise of the internet. Not only did the burgeoning technology revolutionize the hosting, trading, and securing of information, but the deeply intensive nature of its programming created a brand new class of reclusive humans for the clan to prey upon: NERDS! While still not a majority of the clan, the reclusive programmers and technicians were a fine resource for the clan to manipulate and/or sire, and eventually, Clan Nosferatu would create their Magnum Opus: ShreckNET. This digital forum created a web hosting network made by and for Kindred that made communication, information gathering, and storing various different troves of knowledge and theory easier than ever, and the maintenance and moderation of it made the clan all the more necessary and powerful. Sadly, even the golden age of the Clan was not to last, as the 20th turned to the 21st Century. When the events of 2001 pushed America down a path of fervent government surveillance and Jingoism, many of the controlling bodies of the Camarilla were far too eager to throw the burning hate of the Kine onto their enemies, especially in the Sabbat. However, their negligence lead to the NSA catching the whiff of something nasty, and their invasive surveillance led to the worst-case scenario: the discovery of ShreckNET, an emboldened digital neon sign of Kindred's existance. Following the breach in 2004, ShreckNET servers were quickly scrubbed and taken offline, but too late to negate what had already been discovered. This was a vital piece for Project: FIRSTLIGHT and the Second Inquisition. As the Inquisition began to burn anew in 2007-2008, ShreckNET was entirely taken offline and retroactively dismantled, although rumors of spare corners of it still existing abound. While the event put a whole carton of egg on Clan Nosferatu's face, and many members had to be purged for this immense error, no one can get rid of the Nosferatu. As much as the Toreador, Ventrue, and Tremere are visible pillars of the Camarilla, the sheer breadth and depth of the Nosferatu information network, even in snail-mail formats, makes it the shadowy foundation that cannot be removed, and the Clan has nowhere to go but up in the Modern Nights.Nosferatu in Seattle
Like with many of the Camarilla, Nosferatu have been involved with Seattle since its founding. However, they often struggled against the other clans in the city, especially as Prince Lou Graham was a particularly vain Toreador, whose "day job" as the infamous madame and "Queen of the Lava Beds" made her stress on the aesthetically beautiful and socially useful all the more insufferable. While many Nosferatu would be spurned out the city, just as many dug their feet into the muck and did what they did best. While the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 was most likely a result of human error, as the greatest tragedies always are, it was an event that was certainly advantageous for the Nosferatu of the city. Not only did it burn down the main brothel of Lou Graham along with other notable buildings, but when reconstruction was occurring it was all required to be a solid 20 feet up from their former foundations. Originally serving as basement levels and underground sidewalks lit by new-ground-level lights, the usage was condemned in 1907 during the spread of the bubonic plague, and the Seattle Underground was left to rot and be filled with all sorts of secret endeavors, such as flophouses, gambling halls, speakeasies, opium dens, and new Havens for the eagerly waiting Nosferatu. While people in the modern day have opened up parts of the underground for tours, they are subtly guided away from the true key areas where the Nosferatu still flow, only emboldened as the development of the city goes wider and wider, and many claim that there is an entire blooming city of Nosferatu right underneath the hills of Seattle, which the few surfacing Nosferatu are far too cocky to deny or attest. Many Nosferatu also broke into various subcultures of music within recent decades, with the less twisted sometimes publically a part of it (to an extent), or funding it behind the scenes as an appreciation of against-the-grain stylings such as the various subcultures of Punk and especially Grunge. As counter-culture rose in prominence, Nosferatu found more rare spaces to open up into, with communities such as Body-Mod, horror enthusiasts, and even just the rise of metal artists embracing inhuman looks a la Rob Zombie. The rising tech scene in Seattle as well gave the Nosferatu another edge with the advent of the Internet, and especially after the invention of SchrekNET. Even after the server's deletion, many private areas of communication spread between Nosferatu in the city, and just as many keep honing their skills in the various corners of technology that rise in the increasingly chrome-ified city. While not an official sect within the Clan, people often refer to the specifically tech-savvy Nosferatu of the city as "Ama-zombs" due to the megacorp's headquarters in the city. Following the removal of the Sabbat and Camarilla in Tacoma, many Nosferatu have helped facilitate the refugees into the city, and just as many more make sure to pry for new information. With new foes right down the highway, the Camarilla is all the more interested in keeping tabs on them and their movements, and with the new Barons of the city keeping a sharp eye above ground, the Nosferatu are in even higher demand to get all the info they can below ground.Nosferatu in Tacoma
When the Nosferatu were ostracized and all but banned in Seattle, many threw in the towel and went to settle in the burgeoning Tacoma. With the public utilities of Tacoma requiring intense growth following a measure passed in 1893, the Nosferatu subtly funded and guided the development of the wider Tacoma sewers system, and many forged secret passageways and caverns throughout the city as a result. Of course, they did not stop there, and one can find many underground networks within the city and its shifting hills. While very few are known in the modern day, the sewers are given, and while not confirmed some Nosferatu prefer Wright Park in the evenings. As for history, the Nosferatu were as notable and had as much success as any other Kindred in the area, which is to say not much. They made do just fine, with the secrets and shadowed work of the various other also-rans that filled the city, and they experienced a lot of the same peaks as the Nosferatu in Seattle as the same trends and developments flowed south as well, but due to not being the epicenter of such things, there was much less of a benefit. Even with the rise of an official Prince of Tacoma, Vincent Gravenstein, the clan did not experience many benefits from his appointment. Gravenstein was an aggressive brute, not indicative of the secrecy and professionalism the clan typically represents. While those like him, violent misanthropes who wished to merely break heads and get respect, were all the more emboldened, which didn't help an already violence-filled Tacoma, this caused many standard Nosferatu to merely hide further away, even as they came to the aid of their clan mate when necessary. When the Sabbat invaded via the ports, the Nosferatu were not spared in their push, as the typical clan-over-sect loyalty had degraded with the desperation of this particular core of the Sabbat. For the invaded years, the caverns of Tacoma were filled with ravenous members of the clan and many flesh-crafted monsters, weaving into every crack. With Prince Gravenstein seemingly out of commission, the reclusive and aggressive Nosferatu realized the need for a renewed sense of clan syncretism. Luckily, the coterie of fools who gathered together the dispersed members of the Anarchs and Camarilla alike contained one such figurehead, Raul Bazzoli. While the mountain of a mobster was certainly a physical combatant above all else, he understood the necessity of planning, subterfuge, and reclaiming what was under Tacoma as well as what was above. This is when two other members of the clan, Sergei and Vanna Edison, decided to take the first step into joining the grand effort against the Sabbat. When the Cleansing Nights commenced, and the first flares of combat were ignited, the Nosferatu came out in numbers no one could have ever seen coming. Of course, this is to be expected with their clan. Two groups commenced pincer strategies, with the more physical and ruthless members using their abilities to hide in the shadows until the right moment for evisceration occurred taking to the streets and above-ground warehouses, and the sneakier and rational members using diplomacy where they could, and sabotage where they needed to. Calling themselves the Rainfall and the Storm Drains respectively, they aided in clearing out storehouses of information, plans, and flesh-crafted monsters as well as moving to clear out the underground caverns in the latter parts of the Cleansing Nights. With the combined forces of not only both the sects, but the various kin of the Nosferatu finding themselves surprisingly successful, the joint operation has continued into the current nights, with the more overt Nosferatu learning a small lesson in the need for subtly, and the subversive Nosferatu remembering the proper time and place for large action. With Raul Bazzoli taking the place of one of the surrounding territories, as Baron of Lakewood, many of the Rainfall Nosferatu have found their way into his territory, but just as many remain in the sewers underneath with their Storm Drain brethren.Territories
As an immensely looked-down upon Clan, Nosferatu are never really the kind of Kindred you give express political power in any sect. But, exceptions always exist! Here are a list of Nosferatu in positions of power, and their associated territories:
- Wid - Prince of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Nikolaus Vermeulen - Prince of Brussels, Belgium
- Belinde Buch - Prince of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Lawrence Meeks - Prince of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Vincent Gravenstein - Former Prince of Tacoma, Washington. Status Unknown.
Founding Date
~8000 BCE
Type
Geopolitical, Clan
Alternative Names
The Hidden, Sewer Rats
Demonym
Nosferatu
Ruling Organization
Related Species
Comments