••••• Unholy Avatar

Vampire the Requiem - Covenant - Circle of the Crone

If there is a more odious, inhuman and self-serving Discipline studied by The Asnâm, no one outside the bloodline is talking about it. The depraved apex of Ralab answers the question, “Why would a vampire bargain for a living infant, anyway?”
Through the warping influence of her blood, a Sanam who acquires a child who is too young to walk or speak can so entangle the child’s life with her Requiem that upon the destruction of her Kindred frame, her spirit moves on to vanquish that of the child (even if the child is grown by the time this fateful night comes). The soul of the child passes on to whatever waits beyond death. The Sanam retains the memories and knowledge of her Requiem, only now in a new place, residing in a new body.
One of The Asnâm could infect a child with this curse, leave him somewhere to resume some normal life and then unexpectedly seize control when necessary.

Effect

The complete use of Unholy Avatar requires two rolls. The first is made when the victim is still an infant (less than one year old) and requires the expenditure of five Vitae and one Willpower dot. One of these Vitae must be fed to the child. If the role is successful, there are several effects.

• The child cannot be placed under a full Vinculum, and upon being fed any Vitae, makes a reflexive Stamina + Resolve roll to resist developing even a partial bond. A single success is sufficient to shake off the false adoration of the blood bond, no matter how potent the Vitae consumed. This protection persists until the Sanam takes over the child’s body, until the child is made another vampire’s ghoul or until death, whichever comes first. The supernatural bond of thralldom that binds a ghoul to his regnant supersedes this power’s protection. Thus The Asnâm is faced with the quandary of making his Unholy Avatar his ghoul or of maintaining his back-up corpse’s protective anonymity.
• The child develops an extreme sensitivity to daylight. He suffers a –2 penalty to all actions taken in direct sunlight. The subject sunburns easily, possibly even suffering one point of bashing damage per additional hour spent in full sunlight after the first four (at the Storyteller’s discretion).
• No Asnâm can gain nourishment from feeding off this child, though other Kindred can feed from it as normal. Vitae taken from the subject harms her but is not claimed by the feeding Kindred — it simply vanishes.
• An Asnâm instinctively knows if his Avatar suffers lethal or aggravated damage or is killed. This effect operates no matter how far the vampire is from her subject.
• If the Unholy Avatar is Embraced, he is released from this power’s effects (as his body has effectively died).
• The child can (if the Sanam wishes) be ghouled with most of the normal effects — Addiction, mental instability and access to Disciplines. However, one notable exception is that the child’s Vinculum resistance prevents him from becoming maniacally devoted to his Idol.
  The Asnâm often ghoul these children, once they reach the peak of their physical prowess and appearance — by keeping the Avatar eternally young, the Sanam ensures a fitting vessel when she decides (or is forced) to move on. Aura Sight reveals that there is something occulted about the Avatar, but unless the viewer is familiar with the effect, he’s unlikely to recognize the tell-tale signs for what they are.
  The Sanam cannot finish the transaction required by this power until her own demise, and even then it’s an uncertain thing. If she is slain (or kills herself because the Avatar’s body or circumstances are more desirable than her own), she makes the second roll to complete this power’s invocation, which costs no Vitae. If that roll garners even a single success, she takes over the Avatar’s body, which becomes, in that moment, that of a vampire. Any blood (Kindred or mortal) that was in the Avatar’s body remains there when the new tenant moves in.
  When an Asnâm’s consciousness moves into its new body, the following changes are made:
  • The Asnâm’s Mental Skills and Attributes replace those of the Unholy Avatar.
  • The child’s Physical Attributes replace those of The Asnâm.
  • The Asnâm’s Composure and Manipulation replace the child’s. The child’s Presence replaces The Asnâm’s.
  • All of The Asnâm’s Social and Physical Skills are reduced by two dots, as The Asnâm is not familiar with his new body. If the Unholy Avatar is not yet old enough to be a playable character (by the Storyteller’s standards), then these diminished Skills may be reduced even further until The Asnâm’s new body comes of age (see below). Some Skills (such as Expression, Intimidation or Athletics) may reflect The Asnâm’s former abilities faster than others, as the Storyteller sees fit.
  • Merits must be handled on a case-by-case basis. The Asnâm’s Mental Merits most likely survive the transfer, but Physical Merits may no longer be usable until The Asnâm once again fulfills their prerequisites. Social Merits might be lost if Contacts and Allies no longer recognize the character.
  • The vampire’s Humanity replaces that of the child. The vampire’s Blood Potency drops by one.
  • Once the vampire’s wicked will replaces the subject’s, the new body begins to age and grow. This process takes a number of nights equal to 10 minus the vampire’s Blood Potency.

Over this time, the avatar’s body alters to resemble the age that the vampire was at the time of his Embrace — unless the avatar was The Asnâm’s ghoul, in which case the ghoul’s apparent age at the time of the vampire’s destruction determines the body’s apparent age at the end of its transformation. These days of change are extremely awkward and painful for the vampire, who’s new body may be transformed from that of an infant to that of an old woman in a matter of hours.

• The Asnâm’s new body is effectively Embraced when the vampire’s will usurps it. It is considered to have Vitae equivalent to the body’s Health and be immediately subject to all the banes of vampiric existence — including the damage of sunlight.

Some Avatars are utterly ignorant of their fate. They are placed in orphanages, find good homes and often receive excellent health care and schooling, courtesy of some “mysterious benefactor.” Indeed, their lives seem charmed, coddled and protected by some anonymous Mentor, until the day their spouses wake up and find the Avatars radically different . . .
Other Avatars know full well their fate. Even without a Vinculum, the wiles, Majesty and Addiction of being Idols’ Ghouls can so warp the Avatars’ minds that they are willing, even honored, to give up their body for their mistresses — though most Avatars are attached enough to themselves to try and stave off that eventuality. An Unholy Avatar who fights against his mistress’ plans is rare. After all, one false move could prematurely end her existence.
If an Idol has multiple Unholy Avatars in waiting, he is transferred into the one subjected to this power the earliest.

Material Components

Cost: 1 Willpower dot plus 5 Vitae (see below)

Gestures & Ritual

Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Ralab versus the subject’s Resolve + Composure

Related Discipline

Ralab

Effect Casting Time

To anoint the subject: instant; resistance is reflexive. To transfer the vampire’s consciousness: reflexive; resistance is reflexive.

Level

5