The Fool
The male counterpart to the Maiden is the Fool, the bringer of chaos. Often known as the Trickster, his position is to stand outside the mainstream of Kindred society and critique it through action. This critique has a “foolish” flavor when it’s done ignorantly and a “tricky” tone when done on purpose, but often the end result is the same: disorder, contention, disagreement and, just possibly, progress at the end of it.
William Blake said fools who persist in their foolishness become wise, and as with the Maiden, the Fool is often valued because he comes to problems with fresh eyes and a perspective that lacks the cynicism that decades and murders engender. He can see hope in situations where it evades the more experienced, not because he has a clearer view of the world as it is, but because he has a brighter view of what the world might be. Granted, the cynical Scarlet Woman or long-suffering Hermit is probably right 80% of the time. But neither of them is going to perceive the surprising good outcome that a Fool may bumble across 20% of the time.
A different perspective comes from George Bernard Shaw. To paraphrase, he said, “Reasonable men conform themselves to the world, while unreasonable ones expect the world to change to suit them. That is why all progress is made by unreasonable men.” Some are Fools by default, and their boldness and unconventional approaches soon stagnate into the more typical Kindred caution and selfinterest. But those who attain experience without losing hope become something greater than just an agent of chaos who makes good luck possible. Those who insist that the depressing Kindred perspective (“We kill, they die”) is actually the narrow view and that those who dare to think wider can make a better Requiem — they become the Tricksters.
The role of the Fool is to enter a situation and agitate it, redirecting the course of events onto strange and unexpected courses. He is a big dose of randomness. By knocking things out of anyone’s control, he brings greater extremes of luck into play, and while this can mean that things turn out much worse, it has an equal possibility of unsought good fortune.
The Trickster is more potent and useful because he crafts his chaos consciously and has the experience to seize initiative when everyone else is stunned by upheaval. Being the only one with no expectations, he’s the only one responding to the disorder he’s wrought, while everyone else is still trying to reassemble the shards of their plots and schemes.
William Blake said fools who persist in their foolishness become wise, and as with the Maiden, the Fool is often valued because he comes to problems with fresh eyes and a perspective that lacks the cynicism that decades and murders engender. He can see hope in situations where it evades the more experienced, not because he has a clearer view of the world as it is, but because he has a brighter view of what the world might be. Granted, the cynical Scarlet Woman or long-suffering Hermit is probably right 80% of the time. But neither of them is going to perceive the surprising good outcome that a Fool may bumble across 20% of the time.
A different perspective comes from George Bernard Shaw. To paraphrase, he said, “Reasonable men conform themselves to the world, while unreasonable ones expect the world to change to suit them. That is why all progress is made by unreasonable men.” Some are Fools by default, and their boldness and unconventional approaches soon stagnate into the more typical Kindred caution and selfinterest. But those who attain experience without losing hope become something greater than just an agent of chaos who makes good luck possible. Those who insist that the depressing Kindred perspective (“We kill, they die”) is actually the narrow view and that those who dare to think wider can make a better Requiem — they become the Tricksters.
The role of the Fool is to enter a situation and agitate it, redirecting the course of events onto strange and unexpected courses. He is a big dose of randomness. By knocking things out of anyone’s control, he brings greater extremes of luck into play, and while this can mean that things turn out much worse, it has an equal possibility of unsought good fortune.
The Trickster is more potent and useful because he crafts his chaos consciously and has the experience to seize initiative when everyone else is stunned by upheaval. Being the only one with no expectations, he’s the only one responding to the disorder he’s wrought, while everyone else is still trying to reassemble the shards of their plots and schemes.
Perception
Purpose
Expectations
There are two situations in which the Circle deliberately deploys a Fool. If circumstances are such that the Circle can’t exert a lot of influence, the Acolytes may put a Fool in place simply to derail the control of others. This is particularly true when playing at kingmaker: for example, when tensions are high between The Ordo Dracul and the Carthians, the behavior of an experienced Acolyte would be seen as meddling or worse, sabotage. Sometimes a Fool goes forth and things fall apart. The bad outcome (for the two groups intruded upon) can’t really be traced back to machinations of the Circle because there were none. Instead of scheming and plotting, the Acolytes observed a situation with a low margin of error and sent in someone who is Error incarnate.Social Status
These sorts of missions, in which the Fool is a spoiler and an ignorant pawn, are most common for Fools of Status 0 to •. If they do well, their Status may rise within the Circle, but success or failure is very likely to earn them enemies outside the covenant.
On the other hand, Fools can also be used to advantage when circumstances are desperate, and the Circle has nowhere else to turn. The notion that Fools bring hope when there otherwise is none rarely pans out, but if VII has eliminated all the other covenants in your city, using a Fool only has to pan out once. These riskier involvements are best suited for more experienced or well-regarded Fools (say, Status •• to •••) because, while they’re still innocents, they at least know enough to survive a little longer.
Not that Fools are expected to survive either type of mission. If they weren’t disposable, they wouldn’t be called Fools. But whether they survive or get destroyed, they’re the last arrow in the quiver when the Circle has nothing else to lose.
Tricksters are held in higher regard, as experienced Maidens are. Being innocent of murder because you’ve never been in a tempting situation is one thing. Remaining pure because you’ve chosen it, at cost, again and again — that’s different. That demands respect (Status ••• to •••• is typical, or as much as ••••• with great age or accomplishment) and gives one a far more versatile role than “misrule’s hand grenade.”
Tricksters are sent in to negotiate, infiltrate and discombobulate, as the Fool is, but where a Fool works like a flamethrower, the Trickster is a scalpel. Both create chaos, but the Trickster immediately sets about bringing a new order, his order, out of it.
The most critical role for Tricksters is to interface with entities or situations in which the Circle is simply at a loss. When the Acolytes encounter something known to their lore and that has an obvious position in their spiritual structure (mages, werewolves, ghosts), the Circle sends Crones and Hermits to negotiate. If the Circle finds people stitched together into grotesque but physically powerful amalgams that function in defiance of biological law — then the Acolytes send the Trickster. After all, he’s the one most used to dealing with the unexpected. He’s the one who can weave positive results out of stark ignorance.
On the other hand, Fools can also be used to advantage when circumstances are desperate, and the Circle has nowhere else to turn. The notion that Fools bring hope when there otherwise is none rarely pans out, but if VII has eliminated all the other covenants in your city, using a Fool only has to pan out once. These riskier involvements are best suited for more experienced or well-regarded Fools (say, Status •• to •••) because, while they’re still innocents, they at least know enough to survive a little longer.
Not that Fools are expected to survive either type of mission. If they weren’t disposable, they wouldn’t be called Fools. But whether they survive or get destroyed, they’re the last arrow in the quiver when the Circle has nothing else to lose.
Tricksters are held in higher regard, as experienced Maidens are. Being innocent of murder because you’ve never been in a tempting situation is one thing. Remaining pure because you’ve chosen it, at cost, again and again — that’s different. That demands respect (Status ••• to •••• is typical, or as much as ••••• with great age or accomplishment) and gives one a far more versatile role than “misrule’s hand grenade.”
Tricksters are sent in to negotiate, infiltrate and discombobulate, as the Fool is, but where a Fool works like a flamethrower, the Trickster is a scalpel. Both create chaos, but the Trickster immediately sets about bringing a new order, his order, out of it.
The most critical role for Tricksters is to interface with entities or situations in which the Circle is simply at a loss. When the Acolytes encounter something known to their lore and that has an obvious position in their spiritual structure (mages, werewolves, ghosts), the Circle sends Crones and Hermits to negotiate. If the Circle finds people stitched together into grotesque but physically powerful amalgams that function in defiance of biological law — then the Acolytes send the Trickster. After all, he’s the one most used to dealing with the unexpected. He’s the one who can weave positive results out of stark ignorance.
History
Mythological Examples
The Norse god Loki overcomes through cunning and guile, triumphing over giants and gods alike. Loki is half-giant, and many Acolytes see this lineage as a symbol, rather than literal truth. Giants represent chaos and the unraveling of the world, so even when he’s on the side of the gods, Loki has a wild and unreliable edge. Ultimately, Loki eats the heart of Gullveig the dark sorceress, and this wickedness pushes him out of an ambiguous relationship with the gods into direct opposition. The parallels to Amaranth are not lost on the Circle, but the meaning is fiercely debated. Some hold that this demonstrates the evil of Diablerie, showing how inexorably corrupting it is. Others say that of course it’s corrupting, and that’s a good thing because vampires are meant to debase and sicken everything around them. Loki was right to give himself to chaos. That was his destiny.A more sympathetic trickster deity is the Coyote of the central North American plains. Often a slave to gluttony and lust, he is nonetheless a catalyst for change who frequently brings benefit with the right hand, along with tribulation in the left. Given the Circle’s appreciation for both change (particularly creative change, which generates something new) and suffering (which gives wisdom to those with the focus to recognize it), it’s easy to see why this role is more than tolerated — it’s celebrated.
Type
Public Relations
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