En
What was your name again, boy? Forget it. Where are the seven staked neonates I ordered you to bring me?
Members of the En bloodline seek power above all else, and will stop at nothing to obtain it. They hail from royal blood, and believe themselves worthy and entirely deserving of unquestioning loyalty from their lessers. Emperors are self-made and self-proclaimed leaders, and often seek positions of political, financial or even military power. En are not known for their patience, however, and many gain their power though corrupt means, rather than through work and hard-won support of others.
While many of the Damned have a thirst for power, the En bloodline is, perhaps, more capable than most to achieve greatness. Members of the bloodline are host to symbiotic demons, called alu, that grant the En potent abilities and assist them in their rise to power. An En must always remind himself of who he was before his union with the demon, however, lest he lose himself entirely on the path to greatness.
While many of the Damned have a thirst for power, the En bloodline is, perhaps, more capable than most to achieve greatness. Members of the bloodline are host to symbiotic demons, called alu, that grant the En potent abilities and assist them in their rise to power. An En must always remind himself of who he was before his union with the demon, however, lest he lose himself entirely on the path to greatness.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
History and Culture: The En bloodline takes its name from the Sumerian word meaning “lord” or “god” which was also the title given to the Kindred ruler of the shadow empire of ancient Babylonia. The En bloodline traces its roots back to a singularly puissant En, Isiratuu, who held regency over much of Babylonia for twelve thousand years. It is said that the founder of the bloodline gained a “great and terrible gift” from a dark stranger in a dream. It was this gift that gave him the strength and the right to rule over all. Kindred descending from the En are said to have similar experiences involving a shadowy being of some kind.
Members of the bloodline are born leaders, and, as most En would say, were obviously meant to reign due to their royal lineage. Many Emperors feel utterly justified in unceremoniously claiming positions of authority, and they expect nothing less than the utmost respect when they do so. Members of the En bloodline do not tolerate objection to their inherited supremacy, and, when it will not hinder his advancement, an En uses brutal means to make certain that contesting vampires are aware of that fact.
A Daeva is recognized as a member of the bloodline when he is chosen by a “Dark Stranger” — a symbiotic demon called an alu. Alu feed off of the corrupt power of their Kindred host, and, in return, they assist those of the bloodline in their rise to greatness by granting them certain abilities known as the Gifts of the Alu. An alu seeks out a Kindred host and offers a partnership. While any Daeva might be suitable, Alu tend to prefer Kindred descended from En Isiratuu, perhaps drawn to the lust for power passed on through the progenitor’s blood. If the vampire accepts the demon’s offer, he becomes a full-fledged member of the bloodline. The alu merges with the new Emperor, becoming one with his blood. As the demon feeds off of its host it increases in power, and the abilities it bestows upon the vampire become more formidable. The powers granted by an alu should be used carefully, however, as the En runs the risk of losing himself entirely by consorting with the demon (see Gifts of the Alu, below).
En Embrace often, but are relatively few in number because they typically do so purely to build up a support system of loyal followers. They are not fond of competition, and as such, En typically try to Embrace from mortals who others easily manipulated in life. However, because members of the bloodline are so focused upon their own advancement, they tend to frequently misjudge the strength and potential of their children. True En arise from these errors in judgment, as an alu can recognize innate potential for power even if an Emperor cannot.
New En surpass their sires to repeat the vicious cycle with each new generation.
Members of the bloodline are born leaders, and, as most En would say, were obviously meant to reign due to their royal lineage. Many Emperors feel utterly justified in unceremoniously claiming positions of authority, and they expect nothing less than the utmost respect when they do so. Members of the En bloodline do not tolerate objection to their inherited supremacy, and, when it will not hinder his advancement, an En uses brutal means to make certain that contesting vampires are aware of that fact.
A Daeva is recognized as a member of the bloodline when he is chosen by a “Dark Stranger” — a symbiotic demon called an alu. Alu feed off of the corrupt power of their Kindred host, and, in return, they assist those of the bloodline in their rise to greatness by granting them certain abilities known as the Gifts of the Alu. An alu seeks out a Kindred host and offers a partnership. While any Daeva might be suitable, Alu tend to prefer Kindred descended from En Isiratuu, perhaps drawn to the lust for power passed on through the progenitor’s blood. If the vampire accepts the demon’s offer, he becomes a full-fledged member of the bloodline. The alu merges with the new Emperor, becoming one with his blood. As the demon feeds off of its host it increases in power, and the abilities it bestows upon the vampire become more formidable. The powers granted by an alu should be used carefully, however, as the En runs the risk of losing himself entirely by consorting with the demon (see Gifts of the Alu, below).
En Embrace often, but are relatively few in number because they typically do so purely to build up a support system of loyal followers. They are not fond of competition, and as such, En typically try to Embrace from mortals who others easily manipulated in life. However, because members of the bloodline are so focused upon their own advancement, they tend to frequently misjudge the strength and potential of their children. True En arise from these errors in judgment, as an alu can recognize innate potential for power even if an Emperor cannot.
New En surpass their sires to repeat the vicious cycle with each new generation.
Average technological level
Gifts of the Alu
The abilities an En gains from his alu are devastating to those who hinder his advancement to power. A vampire in partnership with an alu must be careful, however. If an En’s Humanity should ever drop to zero, the alu takes over the body of its Kindred host entirely, destroying the soul of the vampire in the process. Even more frightening is that an alu who takes over its host can do so seamlessly, being intimately familiar with every detail of the unlife of the vampire whose body it shared — leaving those around the En none the wiser. An Emperor who wishes to reap the benefits his symbiotic demon provides must carefully balance his actions and forever remind himself what it was like to be human, lest he cross the point of no return and utterly lose himself to his demon.Activating Gifts of the Alu requires no roll or expenditure unless otherwise stated. A character always has the option of using a Gift available to him, though benefits of the Gift may be “turned off” at the Kindred’s discretion.
Gifts of the Alu are purchased with experience points at the same cost as in-clan Disciplines, with the number of Gifts available to the En serving as the current level, and the “new level” being the next Gift to be achieved. For example, a character with Addiction Immunity and Transcend Amaranth would need to spend 18 experience points to buy Build Brood. Gifts of the Alu do not necessarily need to be purchased in any order, but they each require a specific level of Blood Potency. A character who has purchased Build Brood can only use it if his Blood Potency remains at 4 or higher. If, for some reason, his Blood Potency drops below four, he still possesses the Gift, but he may not use Build Brood until his Blood Potency returns to the required level (although he can use Gifts that are at lower levels, with lower Blood Potency requirements). Required Blood Potency levels are noted for each Gift below.
Addiction Immunity
Required Blood Potency: 1If an En wishes to become truly powerful, he must be unhindered by the urges of Addiction. It is imperative that he be able to gain his power wisely and strategically, and preoccupation with an Addiction can obscure the path to greatness. An Emperor with Addiction Immunity is shielded from Addiction by his alu, and cannot become addicted to drugs, Vitae or the act of Diablerie. The En has complete control over whether or not he consumes substances or commits acts that would ordinarily be addictive to most Kindred. For example, if a character who has imbibed Vitae has the chance to do so again, the player need not roll Resolve + Composure for the En to resist the temptation (as he feels none). He may, however, choose to drink the blood again if doing so serves his purpose. Emperors with Addition Immunity are still able to be bound by Vinculum, however.
Transcend Amaranth
Required Blood Potency: 2The act of Diablerie is the single most efficient way to gain great power in a short period of time. While many Kindred fear the consequences of the tradition of Amaranth, an En’s alu shields his host from most negative effects of drinking the soul of another vampire. When an Emperor attempts to commit the act of Diablerie (as described on pp. 158-160 of Vampire: The Requiem), his alu assists him in the process. As such, he has a limit of rolls when attempting to commit Diablerie equal to the diablerist’s Willpower dots +3. If the act is successful, the En reaps all of the typical benefits from Diablerie. Additionally, the alu cleanses the En’s aura of the telltale black veins that would typically reveal his crime. The character’s Humanity automatically drops by one, but he does not need to roll to avoid a derangement.
Build Brood
Required Blood Potency: 4A leader is only as strong as his followers. To acquire greatness, an En must have a solid base of support. Inherently understanding the basic primal fact of power in numbers, an Emperor’s alu can assist the vampire when he Embraces a new childe. An En with Build Brood may Embrace with the expenditure of a point, rather than a dot, of Willpower. As such, he may build up his number of progeny quickly, Embracing many new Kindred at a time if he chooses to do so. Embracing brings the curse of undeath upon mortals, however, and doing so casually or in great numbers may cause an En to lose touch with his Humanity. When a character uses the Build Brood Gift he must make a degeneration roll (roll two dice). If the character fails the degeneration roll, he loses a dot of Humanity, but he does not take a derangement, as his alu shields him from madness.
Blood of the En
Required Blood Potency: 7An En never falls into Torpor from having a high Blood Potency. When an En’s blood becomes so potent that feeding becomes difficult, his alu can sustain him until suitable nourishment becomes available. During the time that an alu sustains its host, the En is perpetually hungry, but not to the point that hunger frenzy occurs. An alu is only able to sustain his host for so long, however. If an En is unable to find a suitable source of Vitae within a number of weeks equal to his Blood Potency, the alu reduces his host’s Blood Potency by one dot per week until it is at a more manageable level. The En’s Blood Potency does not drop below 6, however, as the required Blood Potency to use this Gift is 7. This ability allows the En to rule indefinitely, weathering the times when suitable nourishment is unavailable, and allowing him to build his strength back up when food is plentiful once more — without losing authority or position by falling into Torpor.
Loose Alu
Required Blood Potency: 8The En’s alu has become so powerful that the En no longer needs to commit Diablerie. With a single touch, the alu can reach from its host into the victim, pulling the target’s soul directly from her body and integrating it into the En. In combat, an Emperor must successfully grapple his foe in order to use Loose Alu. Once the character achieves contact with his victim, he may perform Loose Alu as an instant action. If the act is successful, the En drains the victim of her soul and the empty body immediately dissolves to dust. All of the usual effects of Diablerie apply, including the acquisition of a dot of a Skill or Discipline. The En’s Humanity automatically drops by one, but his alu shields him from having to take a derangement, and removes the black veins from his aura. Loose Alu is contested by the victim’s Resolve + Composure.
Action: Instant and contested; target rolls Resolve + Composure reflexively
Dice Pool: Resolve + Brawl + Blood Potency
Dramatic Failure: Part of the En’s own soul imbues his victim. The En’s adversary may take a dot in either a Skill or a Discipline that the En possessed at a higher level than the target does. The increase need not be paid for with experience points. The victim does not lose a dot in Humanity. The En’s Humanity still automatically drops by one, however, and the attempt fails.
Failure: Loose Alu fails entirely, but not dangerously. The En’s Humanity still automatically drops by one.
Success: Loose Alu takes place as described.
Exceptional Success: No effect for extra successes.
Reshape Soul
Required Blood Potency: 10At a Blood Potency of 10 an En’s alu has reached its full potential, and can reshape the very soul of its host to accommodate abilities he would never be able to contain otherwise. An En may use the gift Reshape Soul in tandem with Transcend Amaranth or Loose Alu. The gift Reshape Soul allows the En to take a dot in any bloodline’s unique Discipline, in addition to the benefits already reaped from Transcend Amaranth or Loose Alu. The Emperor may take a dot in any bloodline’s unique Discipline that the victim possessed at a higher level than the En. He can learn bloodline-specific Disciplines only by using this Gift. An En may not spend experience points to gain additional dots in another bloodline’s unique Discipline, for example.
Major organizations
Reputation: En have a reputation for using corrupt methods to quickly rise to power, making them unpopular to all but their most Devoted subjects. Diablerie is common among the En bloodline, and Emperors do not suffer the same detriments that other vampires would by committing such an act. Perhaps because of this, Kindred who know of the En greatly fear the bloodline.
Some vampires, however, are more than willing to follow an En, as power often trickles down to those beneath. An Emperor can be most generous to those who serve him devotedly and acknowledge his superiority, granting favors and portioning authority among his supporters.
Some vampires, however, are more than willing to follow an En, as power often trickles down to those beneath. An Emperor can be most generous to those who serve him devotedly and acknowledge his superiority, granting favors and portioning authority among his supporters.
Nickname: Emperors
Bloodline Disciplines: Celerity, Dominate, Majesty, Vigor
Weakness: Like all Daeva, En have difficulty resisting temptation (see p. 105 of Vampire: The Requiem).
Emperors also tend to be intensely focused upon their own power and advancement. As such, En frequently underestimate and misjudge others. While they can learn to fake social niceties, it doesn’t come easy for them. The untrained penalty on Social Skills is -3 rather than -1, and En characters do not benefit from 10 again on rolls involving Empathy, Persuasion or Socialize (not including rolls to use Disciplines).
Concepts: Corrupt politician, rising starlet, demanding father-figure, brash drug lord, deluded serial killer, condescending magistrate, cult leader, callous CEO, mob boss, arrogant aristocrat
What happens, then, when an En’s alu symbiote overtakes him? Such creatures do not enter the perpetual frenzy of other zero-Humanity Kindred. Alu-controlled vampires are capable of behaving exactly like their former hosts, using their Skills and Disciplines, and, of course, the Gifts of the Alu. Such beings are extremely dangerous to other Kindred, since they retain their taste for Diablerie.
Parent ethnicities
Weakness: Like all Daeva, En have difficulty resisting temptation (see p. 105 of Vampire: The Requiem).
Emperors also tend to be intensely focused upon their own power and advancement. As such, En frequently underestimate and misjudge others. While they can learn to fake social niceties, it doesn’t come easy for them. The untrained penalty on Social Skills is -3 rather than -1, and En characters do not benefit from 10 again on rolls involving Empathy, Persuasion or Socialize (not including rolls to use Disciplines).
Concepts: Corrupt politician, rising starlet, demanding father-figure, brash drug lord, deluded serial killer, condescending magistrate, cult leader, callous CEO, mob boss, arrogant aristocrat