Mekhet (MEK-et)
Sure, I can find that out for you, but you better make it worth my while. I'm sure he'd love to know you were asking about him...
The Mekhet are quick, discreet and wise. Legends of vampires hiding in shadows, preying secretly on victims, and even learning secrets no one else but the keeper is supposed to know probably refer to Mekhet activities.
Some of the oldest Kindred known to the vampiric world are members of Clan Mekhet, though most spend their time harrowed by the cold sleep known as Torpor. While most are predisposed toward solitude, some have traveled with mortal armies and are even suspected of forming undead mercenary factions of their own. As with most other clans, nothing verifiable is known about the progenitor of the Mekhet line. Many stories depict reclusive Mekhet cult-leaders or masters of schools of stealthy soldiers, so the clan might have origins that abut the Pharaohs or philosopher-kings of the Classical or Ancient worlds.
The name Mekhet itself gives some clues as to the clan’s origin, as it is an Egyptian word for “amulet.” Some of the most venerable elders certainly bear features that might be described as Egyptian, while a few have classical Hellenic complexions, which isn’t surprising, considering Greece’s proximity to Egypt. The commerce between the Egyptians and Greeks, and later the Romans, corresponds with the legendary travels of members of this clan, as well as their formative role in the nascent Camarilla. Since that time, the Mekhet have traveled wherever shadows have fallen, wherever secrets lay hidden, and wherever Kindred call upon others to give them counsel. Vampires have always been creatures of the night by design, but none more so than the dwellers in darkness who compose Clan Mekhet. Darkness is the hallmark of this lineage, and its members surround themselves with it like a corpse wears a shroud. The hallmarks of the clan are stealth and wisdom, so it is entirely fitting that they are associated with darkness — the better to hide them and the source of the knowledge they exhume.
Clan Mekhet comprises one of the most cosmopolitan memberships among the great families of the Kindred. Although they compose a clan born of darkness, these Shadows, as they are known, interpret that darkness in many ways. Some of the clan’s members are masters of the night, using their gifts and undead powers to make a place for themselves within the aristocracy of the Damned. Others are literal skulkers in the shadows, ready to plant a stake in a rival’s heart or steal the wealth from a rival’s Haven. Still others are poets or painters, heirs to darkness of a more personal nature. Yet more Mekhet are diviners of secrets, questing after information itself forgotten and thus relegated to the darkness of memory. Clan Mekhet runs the gamut from filth-streaked murderers to enlightened philosopher-Princes and everything in between.
While the clan certainly has coarse members, the Mekhet are, by and large, marked by a certain degree of finesse with whatever aspect of tenebrous unlife they choose to pursue. A Mekhet bodyguard, for example, is unlikely to be a brawling brute, but more likely to know an ornate fighting style. A Mekhet infiltrator is gracious or invisible, not a sloppy vandal. A sage or scholar might have such supernatural acumen that his abilities are downright oracular instead of merely archival. Mekhet Kindred very much consider themselves paragons of the vampiric state, so whatever they do, they devote themselves to it and refine their capacity almost to the point of second nature.
Some of the oldest Kindred known to the vampiric world are members of Clan Mekhet, though most spend their time harrowed by the cold sleep known as Torpor. While most are predisposed toward solitude, some have traveled with mortal armies and are even suspected of forming undead mercenary factions of their own. As with most other clans, nothing verifiable is known about the progenitor of the Mekhet line. Many stories depict reclusive Mekhet cult-leaders or masters of schools of stealthy soldiers, so the clan might have origins that abut the Pharaohs or philosopher-kings of the Classical or Ancient worlds.
The name Mekhet itself gives some clues as to the clan’s origin, as it is an Egyptian word for “amulet.” Some of the most venerable elders certainly bear features that might be described as Egyptian, while a few have classical Hellenic complexions, which isn’t surprising, considering Greece’s proximity to Egypt. The commerce between the Egyptians and Greeks, and later the Romans, corresponds with the legendary travels of members of this clan, as well as their formative role in the nascent Camarilla. Since that time, the Mekhet have traveled wherever shadows have fallen, wherever secrets lay hidden, and wherever Kindred call upon others to give them counsel. Vampires have always been creatures of the night by design, but none more so than the dwellers in darkness who compose Clan Mekhet. Darkness is the hallmark of this lineage, and its members surround themselves with it like a corpse wears a shroud. The hallmarks of the clan are stealth and wisdom, so it is entirely fitting that they are associated with darkness — the better to hide them and the source of the knowledge they exhume.
Clan Mekhet comprises one of the most cosmopolitan memberships among the great families of the Kindred. Although they compose a clan born of darkness, these Shadows, as they are known, interpret that darkness in many ways. Some of the clan’s members are masters of the night, using their gifts and undead powers to make a place for themselves within the aristocracy of the Damned. Others are literal skulkers in the shadows, ready to plant a stake in a rival’s heart or steal the wealth from a rival’s Haven. Still others are poets or painters, heirs to darkness of a more personal nature. Yet more Mekhet are diviners of secrets, questing after information itself forgotten and thus relegated to the darkness of memory. Clan Mekhet runs the gamut from filth-streaked murderers to enlightened philosopher-Princes and everything in between.
While the clan certainly has coarse members, the Mekhet are, by and large, marked by a certain degree of finesse with whatever aspect of tenebrous unlife they choose to pursue. A Mekhet bodyguard, for example, is unlikely to be a brawling brute, but more likely to know an ornate fighting style. A Mekhet infiltrator is gracious or invisible, not a sloppy vandal. A sage or scholar might have such supernatural acumen that his abilities are downright oracular instead of merely archival. Mekhet Kindred very much consider themselves paragons of the vampiric state, so whatever they do, they devote themselves to it and refine their capacity almost to the point of second nature.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Prospective Mekhet can come from just about any walk of mortal life. The only common thread linking potential candidates is an affinity for the night itself or some metaphorical darkness, such as a pained soul or a thirst for knowledge. Many Mekhet are tutored heavily by their sires post-Embrace, in order that they understand the nature of the clan and its duties. A Mekhet sire who leaves a new childe to the misinformation of other Kindred is a rarity indeed. Some prefer to let their progeny discover the Kindred world on their own, but not even these sires stray so far that they can’t watch a protégés’ progress.
Common Dress code
Appearance: Of all the clans, the Mekhet are perhaps the least uniform in the way they appear to others. Some play the clan archetype to the hilt, dressing in black clothing and adopting styles that allow them to blend into the scenery. Others choose from popular mortal styles and fashions, attempting to blend in with the crowd by evading individual notice. This practice is particularly common among Mekhet who associate with one particular subculture, thereby becoming an iconic, though rarely outstanding, example of that group’s tastes.
Art & Architecture
Havens: Of all the clans, the Mekhet are typically the most polarized by their preferences and proximity to the mortal world. Some Mekhet prefer to keep close to where the action is. In large cities, where their numbers are strong, many take flats in the downtown core, or at least within short distance of various urban hot spots or the Rack. Older or more withdrawn Shadows are often preoccupied with security, and many elect to dwell in large homes on the outskirts of populated areas. Such Kindred often keep dogs and other servitors, made strong by the cursed Vitae of their masters. A few paranoid Shadows even take havens underground, where they cohabitate (or compete) with Nosferatu for shelter from the sun.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Nomads
Travel is a fact of unlife for many Mekhet, whose trade in secrets and hidden knowledge frequently requires arduous trips to remote locales or fact-finding missions to distant Kindred domains. Indeed, a few Mekhet sires require a period of travel for their childer, sending them out to learn the ways of the world and building the beginnings of their own store of knowledge as a final rite of passage. As a result, some notable Mekhet take up a nomadic existence early in their Requiem. Indeed, some never settle down at all, traveling a far-flung circuit of cities and towns like a spider pacing its web.The search for knowledge in its many forms is the driving force behind most Mekhet nomads, whether they are seeking information for themselves or gaining it at the behest of others. Some Mekhet are dispatched by their sires to specifically search for certain long-lost relics or tomes of forgotten knowledge, a task that can often take years or decades to accomplish. Others travel in support of their covenants — every group, from the Carthians to The Ordo Dracul, places a high value on news from neighboring cities and even from the places between recognized domains. It is rumored that some canny Mekhet have even forged information-sharing relationships with other dangerous supernatural creatures, but if there is any truth to the tales, the Shadows aren’t telling. Some Mekhet maintain a web of Contacts in cities spanning an entire continent and constantly travel a lengthy circuit, collecting tidbits of information that can be bartered or relayed to their masters.
In addition to seeking information, some Mekhet nomads travel for the express purpose of delivering news from domain to domain. Both The Invictus and The Ordo Dracul in particular make occasional use of Shadow couriers, trusting their skills and their Disciplines to deal with any potential threats along the way. If the Shadows are ever tempted to take a peek at the missives they transport and make use of the knowledge themselves, none can say.
Conversely, some Mekhet travel because some secrets are best left unearthed. Some Mekhet childer are dispatched by their sires to stand guard over certain troves of hidden knowledge or sites of ancient power that must remain undisturbed by mortalor vampire. These nomads make their rounds, checking up on the various people, places and things in their charge, usually serving for a set period of time before moving on to other duties. The Ordo Dracul calls upon the Mekhet in their ranks to watch over the dragon nests in a given region, keeping them safe from predation by Lupines, mages or other interlopers.
Finally, some Shadows wander because they do not wish to be found. Sometimes the search for knowledge uncovers secrets that powerful Kindred wish to keep hidden — many are willing to go to great lengths to keep them that way. The times that a Shadow ventures where she shouldn’t are beyond number, finding herself on the run from a vampire eager to ensure that her secrets die with her.
Mekhet in Road Coteries
The Mekhet’s ability to uncover knowledge quietly and stealthily makes them an invaluable asset to any nomad coterie. With their command of Auspex, Celerity and Obfuscate, the Shadows are often a coterie’s eyes and ears, providing advance warning of danger and striking from a hidden quarter to buy time for the rest to escape.Of all the clans, the Shadows are the least likely to assume a leadership role in a nomad coterie. Simply put, they don’t need that kind of distraction. Self-reliant at heart, they are content to linger by the sidelines and pursue their own interests, contributing to the efforts of the whole when necessary.
Like the Gangrel, an all-Mekhet nomad coterie is extremely rare. As inveterate knowledge-seekers and keepers of secrets, nomadic Shadows oftenhave a hard time looking upon one another as anything but potential rivals, making mutual trust almost impossible to achieve for any considerable length of time. Mekhet typically prefer to avoid their fellow Shadows whenever possible, though from time to time small coteries of Shadows have formed to perform specific — and often highly dangerous — tasks. Although invariably short-lived, these Shadow coteries are often frighteningly effective in achieving their goals, frequently with no one the wiser.
The Shadows are well suited to a number of roles in a nomad coterie, ranging from reconnaissance to assassination.
Spy
Mekhet make the ultimate infiltrators, slipping silently into a Kindred domain and gathering information about everything from local laws to choice hunting grounds over the space of several nights. It’s not unknown for a Mekhet to travel as much as a night or two ahead of the rest of her coterie, working her way into a domain and discerning the lay of the land before the rest of the group arrives. This reduces the risks for all concerned, allowing the coterie to settle in with a much greater degree of safety and stealth.
Lookout
Obfuscate and Auspex make a Mekhet an ideal lookout. Place her in a commanding position and she can provide crucial early warning to a coterie in the process of poaching the local Rack or prying into a local Kindred’s Haven. Typically, a Shadow lookout will provide a warning to her mates and then buy time for their escape, staging a well-planned diversion or a swift hit-and-run attack designed to inflict maximum damage in a minimal amount of time.
Sage
Knowledge is the Mekhet’s byword. Wise nomads make use of a Shadow’s vast collection of news and information when traveling into unknown territory. If a Mekhet doesn’t know the answer to a fellow nomad’s question, she has the skill and experience to find out — though, as ever, information rarely comes without a price.
Assassin
Mekhet have the potential to excel at ambushes, striking their opponents down with a combination of Celerity and Obfuscate before they even know they’re in danger. Some coteries draw on the Shadows’ capabilities if they need Vitae in a hurry: The Mekhet lingers near a bar, a truck stop or a darkened alley, concealed by Obfuscate, and pounces on the first likely vessel to blunder by. If the Mekhet can incapacitate her victim with a single blow, she can then slip back into the shadows and bear him back to the coterie with no one the wiser.
Another use for the Mekhet’s lethal capabilities is as a form of insurance when dealing with unscrupulous Kindred. A thuggish Sheriff is less likely to do anything rash if he thinks that there could be a Mekhet lingering somewhere out of sight, bearing a stake or a shotgun aimed his way. (Some nomad coteries threaten locals with Mekhet killers they don’t actually have, sometimes to great effect. In some cities, the bluff has been played so many times that the threat invokes little more than a sneer from the powers that be.)
Truly vicious coteries use the Mekhet acumen for assassination for the express purpose of eliminating potential competition in small towns with a bare handful of local Kindred. These coteries single out the strongest Kindred in the area and make an example of him as a warning to the rest to keep their distance. Usually the message comes across loud and clear, but occasionally it backfires, forcing the rest of the local vampires to put aside their animosities and work together against the intruders.
Major organizations
While Mekhet is not the most tightly organized of clans, it does have some structure. The majority of it falls in line with the clan’s various bloodlines, which are generally more independent than those of other clans. Nonetheless, some clanwide structure does exist. In addition to the Primogen in any Mekhetheavy city, the Shadows often give more deference to a Priscus in clan affairs than do members of other clans, particularly if a Priscus has earned a reputation for wisdom.
Mekhet are unsurpassed spies, but they’re not particularly effective in combat. Their best bet when confronted by violence is retreat, stealth or attacking from a distance. A coterie that expects to run into trouble that it can’t run or hide from would do well to learn some fighting techniques, including the Firearms Skill. In tumultuous domains, younger Shadows might join Mekhet-only coteries as a means of defending themselves against the more overtly violent Kindred. The combined intellect and stealth of a coterie of Mekhet is enough to give pause to even the most ferocious Gangrel. Even if they’re not capable of besting her in combat, they’ll know how to disappear from the fight, how to track down their attacker later, and, most importantly, how to take a slow, satisfying revenge. Even a coterie of Mekhet neonates is clever enough to lay a trap — mental, physical or social — for their prey. And, of course, they would never get caught.
Mekhet coteries use any tools they are given to great effect, including Merits. Other coteries might see a Haven as a place to spend the day, safe from the sunlight; a coterie of Mekhet vampires sees it as a refuge, a library, a laboratory or the perfect killing ground. Other Kindred might engage the services of hit men or private investigators as retainers; Mekhet hire an array of instructors, inventors, mages and other purveyors of insight. Whatever other coteries do, an all-Mekhet coterie will find a way of doing it shrewder, better and more stealthily.
Covenant
A great many Mekhet fall in with the Carthians or The Lancea Sanctum, both of which have strong traditions of politics and secrecy to which the Shadows can lend their talents. The same can be said of The Circle of the Crone, which typically draws Mekhet by virtue of its underlying message of redemption and meaning in the unlives of the Damned. Less philosophical and more viscerally impassioned Shadows are often drawn to the ranks of The Unaligned, whose ideology of freedom (or anonymity…) is an easy fit for the wild at heart. This is not to say that the clan is weak within The Invictus, though. Invictus Shadows are simply quieter about their covenant affiliation than their boastful brothers, or are at least more reserved about the reasons for their affiliation, which typically coincide with those of the Carthians or Lancea Sanctum. More than a few Mekhet find themselves among The Ordo Dracul, as the study of its esoteric principles often coincides with artifact-finding expeditions or secrets to be gleaned from other Dragons.Coteries
The Mekhet glean more from one another’s company than many of the Damned. The clan’s thirst for knowledge is the stuff of legend, and the Shadows have found each other to be among the best sources of esoteric knowledge available. They might question one another about subjects they’re unfamiliar with to the point of Interrogation. Likewise, when the coterie turns its attentions on its fellow Kindred, there is little they cannot ascertain.Mekhet are unsurpassed spies, but they’re not particularly effective in combat. Their best bet when confronted by violence is retreat, stealth or attacking from a distance. A coterie that expects to run into trouble that it can’t run or hide from would do well to learn some fighting techniques, including the Firearms Skill. In tumultuous domains, younger Shadows might join Mekhet-only coteries as a means of defending themselves against the more overtly violent Kindred. The combined intellect and stealth of a coterie of Mekhet is enough to give pause to even the most ferocious Gangrel. Even if they’re not capable of besting her in combat, they’ll know how to disappear from the fight, how to track down their attacker later, and, most importantly, how to take a slow, satisfying revenge. Even a coterie of Mekhet neonates is clever enough to lay a trap — mental, physical or social — for their prey. And, of course, they would never get caught.
Mekhet coteries use any tools they are given to great effect, including Merits. Other coteries might see a Haven as a place to spend the day, safe from the sunlight; a coterie of Mekhet vampires sees it as a refuge, a library, a laboratory or the perfect killing ground. Other Kindred might engage the services of hit men or private investigators as retainers; Mekhet hire an array of instructors, inventors, mages and other purveyors of insight. Whatever other coteries do, an all-Mekhet coterie will find a way of doing it shrewder, better and more stealthily.
Spies
The Mekhet are the most accomplished spies among the Kindred thanks to their Disciplines of Obfuscate and Auspex, and they are even more effective working in concert. Many longstanding Mekhet coteries have made themselves indispensable to the power structure of their home cities by providing the Prince, Prisci, Primogen or Sheriff with information obtainable through no other means. Espionage coteries are aware that their particular abilities make them exceptionally skilled at what they do, and they rarely pander their services to random Kindred. More often they are discrete agents who work for only a single employer — usually one among the domain’s power structure. Not only does it lessen the likelihood of questionable assignments, it also makes them valuable to those with the power to reward them. That said, such coteries make enemies easily and often just by the nature of their work. Given their reputation for gathering information, Mekhet might even find that certain powerful individuals believe that the coterie spied on them even when it has not. Paranoia runs deep among the Kindred, and a coterie of spies had best get used to it or change vocations.Seers
The Mekhet know things. Not only do they know things they shouldn’t know, they know things they shouldn’t be able to know. Seers step in where spies give up. When Mekhet skilled in Auspex work together, there is very little they cannot find out about the target of their inquiry. The clan possesses a certain mystical bent to begin with, so those accomplished in Auspex are happy to make the most of their skills. seer coteries are considered extremely dangerous by their enemies. Their perceptions can sidestep any defense and catch glimpses of things that have happened long ago — and possibly things that have yet to happen. Because of their unpopularity, seer coteries often keep their heads down and make their true abilities known to only a select few Kindred.Sorcerers
Many coteries of Mekhet gather to study the various forms of blood sorcery. They bring with them their understanding of blood sorcery from their respective covenants and use them in service to the coterie’s goals. Some coteries seek out practitioners of as many forms of blood magic as possible, including such esoteric traditions as necromancy, divinations and other nigh-mythical lore. Given the clan’s intellectual hunger and its fascination with the occult, this kind of coterie isn’t as rare as one might expect. More than one such coterie has incorporated Shadows who are familiar with Crúac, Theban Sorcery and The Coils of the Dragon. Other Kindred often seek out such formidable coteries, hoping that magic can accomplish what nothing else can.Scholars
Coteries of Mekhet scholars channel their passionate intensity into learning. To their way of thinking, they are in the perfect position to discover anything they want to know, no matter how time consuming it is. Theirs is the luxury of acquiring knowledge for centuries on end. They may be collectors of Kindred history, seeking out the journals of elders who have succumbed to Torpor. They might be philologists seeking out, collecting and translating ancient manuscripts of The Testament of Longinus or some other key vampiric scripture. Their great stealth and perceptive abilities also help them acquire knowledge that others might not want them to have. While such characters are normally erudite and focused on their studies, getting between them and the knowledge they seek is typically an invitation to disaster given the driving intellectual hunger of Mekhet vampires.Ambassadors
At their best, Mekhet coteries have great respect for many different ways of unlife, and a well-deserved reputation for wisdom in dealing with difficult matters. A Mekhet coterie containing members from two or more covenants is perfectly suited to act as ambassadors between those covenants. The Shadows generally eschew dogmatism, largely because they possess the inherent capacity to view covenant politics through objective, intellectual lenses. Their facility with Auspex makes them excellent judges of intent, and their Celerity makes them quick envoys. In domains where the political climate is tense, it is frequently Mekhet coteries that are tapped to act as liaisons between the factions in conflict.
Nickname: Shadows
Character Creation: Most Shadows prize those traits that best assist them in furthering their passion or their cause. Violent or politically motivated Mekhet typically favor Physical and Social Attributes and Skills, to improve their dealings with others and to allow them to strike from their namesake. Scholarly or philosophical clan members tend to acquire as many dots worth of Mental traits as they can. For many Shadow players, the process of assigning new traits is like being a kid in a candy store — just about everything looks good, but you don’t have a whole lot to spend. The best solution is to keep your character’s personality in mind when deciding what to take.
Favored Attributes: Intelligence or Wits
Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate
Weakness: As creatures of darkness even more sensitive to light than most of the Damned, the Mekhet suffer certain banes of vampiric existence more acutely than do their fellow Kindred. Whenever Mekhet suffer damage from sunlight or fire, they take an additional point of aggravated damage from that source (see p. 172 for more on sunlight and fire damage). Just as shadow cannot exist without light, so too does light banish shadow.
Example: Loki catches the telltale smell of smoke and realizes that the hotel where he’s visiting the Mekhet Priscus is on fire. He dashes out the door into the burning hallway. Normally, this would cause three points of damage, but Loki’s Mekhet susceptibility to flame increases it to four. Loki sprints down the hall, hoping the whole building isn’t an inferno….
Concepts: Antiquities scholar, assassin, Casanova, diplomat, enforcer, fence, ghetto Harpy, pilgrim, policeman, power behind the praxis, seer
Favored Attributes: Intelligence or Wits
Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate
Weakness: As creatures of darkness even more sensitive to light than most of the Damned, the Mekhet suffer certain banes of vampiric existence more acutely than do their fellow Kindred. Whenever Mekhet suffer damage from sunlight or fire, they take an additional point of aggravated damage from that source (see p. 172 for more on sunlight and fire damage). Just as shadow cannot exist without light, so too does light banish shadow.
Example: Loki catches the telltale smell of smoke and realizes that the hotel where he’s visiting the Mekhet Priscus is on fire. He dashes out the door into the burning hallway. Normally, this would cause three points of damage, but Loki’s Mekhet susceptibility to flame increases it to four. Loki sprints down the hall, hoping the whole building isn’t an inferno….
Concepts: Antiquities scholar, assassin, Casanova, diplomat, enforcer, fence, ghetto Harpy, pilgrim, policeman, power behind the praxis, seer
Stereotypes
Daeva: They thoughtlessly despoil what they once were, and shamelessly mock what they've become.Gangrel: Noble in their own way, but sadly disconnected from their roots.
Nosferatu: Brothers in darkness - but beware sibling rivalries.
Ventrue: Great company until events conspire to put one of you in an elevated position, at which point they quickly grow intolerable.
***
Lupines: I suspect there is more to them than the savagery we witness from afar.Mages: Some secretss the Kindred should not know, yet the mages wield them with such grace.
Mortals: See them for what they are: the source of our sustenance and the bane of our existence.