Hounds of Blood
The old traditions of hunting hounds and guard dogs are hereby blended with the powers of the Damned to serve the needs of aging Kindred. With this rare, and much protected, power cultivated by English Lords, Ventrue of the moors have been able to feed on human blood without exposing themselves to their human prey. This power traps the mystic qualities of human Vitae within the veins of the Lord’s hounds for a short, vital time, so that human Vitae can be delivered back to the master to drink.
(Rumors circulate throughout Europe that some Trojan in Amsterdam has found a way to advance this power, so that kine can fetch Kindred Vitae for delivery to their ancient master, but the existence of such a power has never been proven.)
(Rumors circulate throughout Europe that some Trojan in Amsterdam has found a way to advance this power, so that kine can fetch Kindred Vitae for delivery to their ancient master, but the existence of such a power has never been proven.)
Effect
Success on the extended action prepares the target – which must be a wolf or large dog (Size 4) – for the forthcoming hunt. Through a remarkable blend of the commanding power of Dominate and the preserving powers of Resilience, the target becomes a formidable, if short-lived, hunter. The so-called Hound of Blood attacks living men and women and drinks their blood, storing their human Vitae in its bones and flesh through a bizarre alteration of the mystical preservative properties of Resilience. The creature then hurries back to its master.
Vitae retrieved by the hound retains its human properties, which are sufficient to slake the thirst of a vampire no longer able to sustain himself on animal Vitae, until sunrise. A hound can only retrieve and bear an amount of human Vitae equal to or less than the user’s dots of Resilience. (Thus, the target number of successes on the extended action to activate this power cannot exceed the user’s Resilience dots.)
Only the Kindred who activated this power can make use of the human Vitae stored within the hound’s body; it grows instantly stale in the mouth of any other vampire. The act of preparing the target hound for the hunt infuses its flesh with a preservative power that keeps the consumed human blood vital and potable for the Kindred user. The user must destroy the hound’s body to get at the human Vitae stored in its bones and tissues. This kills the hound.
Unless the Storyteller has a dramatic reason to resolve a use of this power through actual play (perhaps the hound is unexpectedly captured by a rival Lord or vampire-hunter?), the Hound of Blood is presumed to deliver its bounty to the user’s haven, where it may be consumed before the vampire sleeps for the day.
Vitae retrieved by the hound retains its human properties, which are sufficient to slake the thirst of a vampire no longer able to sustain himself on animal Vitae, until sunrise. A hound can only retrieve and bear an amount of human Vitae equal to or less than the user’s dots of Resilience. (Thus, the target number of successes on the extended action to activate this power cannot exceed the user’s Resilience dots.)
Only the Kindred who activated this power can make use of the human Vitae stored within the hound’s body; it grows instantly stale in the mouth of any other vampire. The act of preparing the target hound for the hunt infuses its flesh with a preservative power that keeps the consumed human blood vital and potable for the Kindred user. The user must destroy the hound’s body to get at the human Vitae stored in its bones and tissues. This kills the hound.
Unless the Storyteller has a dramatic reason to resolve a use of this power through actual play (perhaps the hound is unexpectedly captured by a rival Lord or vampire-hunter?), the Hound of Blood is presumed to deliver its bounty to the user’s haven, where it may be consumed before the vampire sleeps for the day.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Willpower
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Presence + Animal Ken + Animalism
Related Discipline
Animalism •••, Resilience •
Effect Casting Time
Extended; each roll represents ten minutes; target number of successes equals the amount of Vitae to be retrieved (maximum 5).