Vedma
Bring me a white fawn, alive and whole, and I’ll perform the hex you wanted. Fail, and in seven nights you’ll have the hex on yourself.
Not all of the secrets of vampirism kept by the Order of the Dragon lurk in their dusty stacks of books and hidden scholarly lairs. Some, like the Vedma, dwell at the edge of civilized society, in the weeds and woods of the world, where they have been hidden for centuries.
The Vedma are the witches, wise women and grandfathers of The Ordo Dracul. Indeed, the Vedma claim to carry noble, ancient blood older than the clans themselves. Theirs is a mysterious, primordial line of blood stained on Europe since the nights of the ancient world or, some say, trickling down from the hidden mountain of the Dacians, called Kogaion. They have watched the world change over centuries with a kind of patient wisdom the Dragons praise and strive for. But at the same time they resist change with the kind of stubborn arrogance the Dragons seek to overcome. So it is that The Ordo Dracul and the Vedma have much to teach and learn.
The formidable and strange magic of the Vedma is the stuff of legends in Slavic lands, both then and now. These are the witches and warlocks of the woods who prayed on the common folk of Transylvania, Wallachia and Russia when the world was lit only by fire. These are the hexworkers and deal-makers who traded magic potions in exchange for first-born children. These are the monsters who turned the forest birds against townspeople and flew screaming over the mountains in the dark.
The Vedma believe the power of their blood is an ancient remnant of tonight’s more “pedestrian” powers. Their wicked art, called Zagovny, is said to have been sipped from the earth and drunk from the fears of sleeping children. The Vedma believe their Damnation and their power seeps from the land itself. It was the Kindred of this line who kept the secrets of Spoiling — an mystic art of the Blood — when the vampires of old forgot its power. Tonight, Vedma remain the keepers of ancient secrets and fugitives from the modern world. With time and finesse, however, these witches may become stepmothers to Dragons.
The Vedma are the witches, wise women and grandfathers of The Ordo Dracul. Indeed, the Vedma claim to carry noble, ancient blood older than the clans themselves. Theirs is a mysterious, primordial line of blood stained on Europe since the nights of the ancient world or, some say, trickling down from the hidden mountain of the Dacians, called Kogaion. They have watched the world change over centuries with a kind of patient wisdom the Dragons praise and strive for. But at the same time they resist change with the kind of stubborn arrogance the Dragons seek to overcome. So it is that The Ordo Dracul and the Vedma have much to teach and learn.
The formidable and strange magic of the Vedma is the stuff of legends in Slavic lands, both then and now. These are the witches and warlocks of the woods who prayed on the common folk of Transylvania, Wallachia and Russia when the world was lit only by fire. These are the hexworkers and deal-makers who traded magic potions in exchange for first-born children. These are the monsters who turned the forest birds against townspeople and flew screaming over the mountains in the dark.
The Vedma believe the power of their blood is an ancient remnant of tonight’s more “pedestrian” powers. Their wicked art, called Zagovny, is said to have been sipped from the earth and drunk from the fears of sleeping children. The Vedma believe their Damnation and their power seeps from the land itself. It was the Kindred of this line who kept the secrets of Spoiling — an mystic art of the Blood — when the vampires of old forgot its power. Tonight, Vedma remain the keepers of ancient secrets and fugitives from the modern world. With time and finesse, however, these witches may become stepmothers to Dragons.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Background: The majority of Vedma are European women. Though no arcane factor limits the Vedma bloodline to any gender or ethnicity, the traditionalism and oldworld sensibilities of many Vedma lead them to Embrace as they were Embraced. For a long while, it was customary for Vedma to accept students and progeny only from the very old and experienced — even tonight many, if not most, Warlocks are vampires who were Embraced with gray hair and bony, trembling fingers. Damnation preserves their wisdom and experience, gives teeth to their antiquated biases and stagnant stubbornness and exchanges rattling bones and shaking hands with the fortitude of the Blood.
In North America, Vedma are drawn largely from immigrant populations for whom English is a second Language. Though the earliest Vedma were Slavs, modern Vedma of the New World (and even Europe, to a lesser extent) are as likely to be Polish, German, Croatian or Russian. Gender has become less of a factor for these American and Canadian vampires, however.
Vedma avoid cities that lay like concrete slabs on the landscape, like stones over crypts, in favor of sprawling cities with pockets of wild, weedy growth.
In North America, Vedma are drawn largely from immigrant populations for whom English is a second Language. Though the earliest Vedma were Slavs, modern Vedma of the New World (and even Europe, to a lesser extent) are as likely to be Polish, German, Croatian or Russian. Gender has become less of a factor for these American and Canadian vampires, however.
Vedma avoid cities that lay like concrete slabs on the landscape, like stones over crypts, in favor of sprawling cities with pockets of wild, weedy growth.
Common Dress code
Appearance: In ages past, Vedma dressed in the trappings of witches of other presumed sorcerers. Their garb often reflected the local peasant traditions of weaving and color schemes (and was typically stolen from peasant victims or accessible cottages) but was worn nearly to rags from nights of unclean work and travel through mud and woods. Most Vedma carried a large number of their possessions, and so looked like vagrants or travelers, thick with bags and dangling trinkets.
Tonight, the relative appearance of the Vedma is the same, but the styles are often new. Modern Vedma typically look homeless and crazy, with layers of salvaged clothing and huge, wild eyes behind a face of filth and grime. Some lug huge duffel bags or push shopping carts, while others have rows of plastic shopping bags tied around their belts, each full of stolen and rescued junk.
Unlike other vampires, Vedma do not revert to their mortal appearances when they rest. Instead, all Vedma weather and grow worn out like an old woman’s untended house. Their hair grows wild and tangled, their flesh becomes rough and sometimes hairy and their eyes take on unnatural or sickly appearances — some become strong and yellow like a bird of prey’s while others turn a jaundiced yellow. Vedma teeth inevitably become a black and yellow mess of jagged edges.
Tonight, the relative appearance of the Vedma is the same, but the styles are often new. Modern Vedma typically look homeless and crazy, with layers of salvaged clothing and huge, wild eyes behind a face of filth and grime. Some lug huge duffel bags or push shopping carts, while others have rows of plastic shopping bags tied around their belts, each full of stolen and rescued junk.
Unlike other vampires, Vedma do not revert to their mortal appearances when they rest. Instead, all Vedma weather and grow worn out like an old woman’s untended house. Their hair grows wild and tangled, their flesh becomes rough and sometimes hairy and their eyes take on unnatural or sickly appearances — some become strong and yellow like a bird of prey’s while others turn a jaundiced yellow. Vedma teeth inevitably become a black and yellow mess of jagged edges.
Art & Architecture
Haven: Vedma sleep apart from mortal and vampire society. How far apart varies, but something in their nature demands privacy and personal secrecy. Caves, cracks in the earth, and burrows beneath tangled roofs of roots are as good as abandoned bunkers, ancient barrows, and derelict automobiles. One rare American Vedma sleeps in the rusty hollow of a rural water tower.
Most Vedma teach their childer or students to sleep within the earth through the powers of Protean; this is one of the few lessons a Vedma is likely to pass on before leaving a childe to fend for itself. Vedma havens, therefore, are often little more than landmarks or shells protecting a patch of accessible earth, where the Vedma can nest like a snake beneath a rock.
Most Vedma teach their childer or students to sleep within the earth through the powers of Protean; this is one of the few lessons a Vedma is likely to pass on before leaving a childe to fend for itself. Vedma havens, therefore, are often little more than landmarks or shells protecting a patch of accessible earth, where the Vedma can nest like a snake beneath a rock.
Major organizations
Covenant: The Vedma line is strongly associated with The Ordo Dracul by those Kindred who have heard of it. In truth, however, the majority of Vedma are unbound to any covenant. These unaligned Vedma are loners, nomads or unusual rural predators, almost without exception. No headcount of these wilder Vedma has ever been seriously attempted and would likely be prohibitively difficult — Vedma rarely interact with one another, and few Kindred outside the line have much interest in plunging into dark mountain woodlands in search of these Warlocks.
The most visible Vedma, therefore, are those who do participate in the urban affairs of covenants and coteries. Of these, the Vedma of the Order are the de facto stereotype: old, riddling witches spying and whispering of the old nights. Dragon Vedma are the speakers for the past in some European chapters and traditional wise women in others. Though the supernatural powers of the Vedma are certainly respected and cherished in those Academies that house them, Vedma of the Order seldom learn The Coils of the Dragon. As a result, Warlocks exist on the verge of the covenant much as they once dwelled on the edges of medieval villages.
Vedma involved with The Circle of the Crone tend to play more central roles — as wise women, high priests and hexers — but most Vedma don’t enjoy the idea of being so prominent. Vedma value their protection too highly to be to be easily found when sought and, for a Warlock, protection requires distance from curious eyes. Even a Vedma who stands to gain no renown or prestige in an Acolyte cult might shy away from the covenant’s own visibility.
Like so many of the oldest vampiric traditions, the Vedma are often considered by Sanctified vampires to be antiquated heathens too far out of touch with modern philosophy to be meaningful in the modern night. Sanctified Priests may disregard or oppose a Warlock, but few are likely to entertain notions of conversion. The very blood of the Vedma is wild, pagan and heretical — with their bloody trickery, how could any parish leader confidently believe a Warlock in his domain had converted in her heart?
Secular covenants may find uses for the powers of the blood of Vedma in their various schemes, but most Vedma have little use for political organizations. A few Vedma, to be sure, have secured their relationships with The Invictus or the Carthians of Europe and America in exchange for safer feeding grounds or the promise of privacy, but such agreements hardly constitute membership and seldom lead to anything more formal or binding.
Organization: Whether the Vedma are recognized as the potent roots of the Gangrel tree or a branch of it, it cannot be argued that, culturally, the Vedma are an exaggeration of Gangrel ways. Vedma have virtually no organization to speak of — most seek to distance themselves from the majority of Kindred society, including those of their own line. What little hierarchy can be found among the Vedma might be seen as a hint of the mentor-student relationships of the Order Dracul, perhaps arising out of some shared cultural foundation common to the Slavic lands where both the Vedma and Dracula originate. To spread their tales and their mystic secrets, Vedma take on students (sometimes called “pets”) and instruct them in the ways of earthly survival and bloody power. A Vedma is likely to take on her own childer as a student, but there are no guarantees — some Vedma progeny are abandoned. Likewise, a vampire who seeks out an Avus among the Warlocks should expect to serve and study before being inducted into the bloodline.
In the last century or so, a handful of Vedma in Europe and North America have come into contactthrough the social mechanisms of The Ordo Dracul. These Vedma have extended the Vedma tutorial tradition to the Order as a whole, teaching individual Dragons for perhaps a year at a time and sharing the legends and tales of the Vedma with the archivists and Kogaions of The Ordo Dracul. More than a few unaligned Vedma have come forth to take advantage of the covenant’s generosity, but just as many have threatened their fellow Vedma to break away from the covenant and honor the old ways.
The most visible Vedma, therefore, are those who do participate in the urban affairs of covenants and coteries. Of these, the Vedma of the Order are the de facto stereotype: old, riddling witches spying and whispering of the old nights. Dragon Vedma are the speakers for the past in some European chapters and traditional wise women in others. Though the supernatural powers of the Vedma are certainly respected and cherished in those Academies that house them, Vedma of the Order seldom learn The Coils of the Dragon. As a result, Warlocks exist on the verge of the covenant much as they once dwelled on the edges of medieval villages.
Vedma involved with The Circle of the Crone tend to play more central roles — as wise women, high priests and hexers — but most Vedma don’t enjoy the idea of being so prominent. Vedma value their protection too highly to be to be easily found when sought and, for a Warlock, protection requires distance from curious eyes. Even a Vedma who stands to gain no renown or prestige in an Acolyte cult might shy away from the covenant’s own visibility.
Like so many of the oldest vampiric traditions, the Vedma are often considered by Sanctified vampires to be antiquated heathens too far out of touch with modern philosophy to be meaningful in the modern night. Sanctified Priests may disregard or oppose a Warlock, but few are likely to entertain notions of conversion. The very blood of the Vedma is wild, pagan and heretical — with their bloody trickery, how could any parish leader confidently believe a Warlock in his domain had converted in her heart?
Secular covenants may find uses for the powers of the blood of Vedma in their various schemes, but most Vedma have little use for political organizations. A few Vedma, to be sure, have secured their relationships with The Invictus or the Carthians of Europe and America in exchange for safer feeding grounds or the promise of privacy, but such agreements hardly constitute membership and seldom lead to anything more formal or binding.
Organization: Whether the Vedma are recognized as the potent roots of the Gangrel tree or a branch of it, it cannot be argued that, culturally, the Vedma are an exaggeration of Gangrel ways. Vedma have virtually no organization to speak of — most seek to distance themselves from the majority of Kindred society, including those of their own line. What little hierarchy can be found among the Vedma might be seen as a hint of the mentor-student relationships of the Order Dracul, perhaps arising out of some shared cultural foundation common to the Slavic lands where both the Vedma and Dracula originate. To spread their tales and their mystic secrets, Vedma take on students (sometimes called “pets”) and instruct them in the ways of earthly survival and bloody power. A Vedma is likely to take on her own childer as a student, but there are no guarantees — some Vedma progeny are abandoned. Likewise, a vampire who seeks out an Avus among the Warlocks should expect to serve and study before being inducted into the bloodline.
In the last century or so, a handful of Vedma in Europe and North America have come into contactthrough the social mechanisms of The Ordo Dracul. These Vedma have extended the Vedma tutorial tradition to the Order as a whole, teaching individual Dragons for perhaps a year at a time and sharing the legends and tales of the Vedma with the archivists and Kogaions of The Ordo Dracul. More than a few unaligned Vedma have come forth to take advantage of the covenant’s generosity, but just as many have threatened their fellow Vedma to break away from the covenant and honor the old ways.
Parent Clan: Gangrel. The eldest Vedma, however, maintain a legend that has been passed down through the Warlocks for centuries, which claims the Gangrel are an off-shoot of the Vedma, rather than the other way around. The Vedma claim they come from an earlier era of more potent and formidable vampires, before the spread of Kindred blood diluted the oldest lineages into the clans recognized tonight. Gangrel who become Vedma are therefore restoring their ancient and inherent power rather than refining their blood, at least in the eyes of the Vedma.
Nickname: Warlocks. In domains where other Kindred may be labeled “Warlocks,” the Vedma are sometimes called “Dracula’s Witches” or even “Yagas,” in reference to Baba Yaga. Though the majority of Vedma are women, the masculine nickname somehow caught on during the 14th or 15th century and has been used since.
Character Creation: The Vedma as a lineage are somewhat diverse, but individual Vedma are seldom broad of interests or training. Most Vedma focus on a single, particular category of Attributes and Skills — if Social Attributes are the character’s primary category, Social Skills are likely to be primary as well. Different Vedma prioritize different categories, but often focus on a small number of highly rated traits.
Most Vedma are old-fashioned, or even out of touch. Skills like Drive and Computer are seldom found among their kind. Despite the bloodline’s typical role as an odd outsider, many Vedma are stronger in Social Skills than the typical Gangrel. Vedma lure mortals (and other vampires) into tricks, traps and bargains. They negotiate deals for hunting grounds and barter for unwanted children. A Vedma may project an image of muscular ferocity or wildeyed insight, but often that’s all it is: a projected image.
Bloodline Disciplines: Animalism, Protean, Resilience, Zagovny
Weakness: The Vedma share in the blood of the Gangrel, and so share in their particular curse as well. A Vedma does not enjoy the benefits of the 10-again rule on dice pools based on Intelligence or Wits, and any 1’s that come up on a roll with such dice pools subtract from the successes achieved. (The latter part of this weakness does not affect dramatic failure rules.) This weakness does not apply to dice pools involving Perception or Reaction to Surprise, or to the Resolve Attribute.
Like Gangrel, Vedma seem more bestial over time, as the Man gives way to the Beast. Unlike other Gangrel, a Vedma’s appearance changes with her blood, as well. Vedma blood gnarls and weathers the body, so Vedma typically appear unkempt, unclean and bordering on wild. Creatures who knew a Vedma before she became a part of the bloodline must make a Wits + Empathy roll to recognize her. A Vedma suffers a –2 penalty to all Social actions with creatures who knew her before she became a Warlock. Warlocks are never comfortable when surrounded by the trappings of modern mortal existence and civilization, though neither are they comfortable alone in the wild. What a Vedma doesn’t like to feel is caged. A Vedma can never purchase more than two dots in Status or Resources. If a third dot of Covenant Status, for example, were to be awarded to a Vedma character for free, she would be unlikely to fulfill the responsibilities of the position. A Vedma’s total dots in any Status Merits serve as a penalty to interactions with other Warlocks.
Finally, the Vedma suffer from a peculiar deficiency in their blood. A Vedma’s own Vitae cannot retain the mystic qualities necessary to harness the bloodline’s power of Zagovny. On any night when a Vedma wishes to use the Zagovny Discipline, she must first consume an amount of animal Vitae equal to her dots in Zagovny, in one “sitting.” (In this case, a “sitting” consists of a single hunting roll or the total amount of Vitae consumed within a five- or six-minute span.) This is not an extended action; a subsequent feeding for the purpose of activating Zagovny replaces the previous attempt rather than adding to it. The character gains no actual Vitae from this consumption; instead, it is instantly used by the Vedma’s body to activate the latent powers of Zagovny. If the Vedma consumes less animal Vitae than she has dots in Zagovny, she can only use Zagovny powers rated with dots equal to or less than the animal Vitae consumed. The Vedma’s animal Vitae “charge” is expended when the character next spends Vitae to awaken. (Thus, Vedma who study The Coils of the Dragon can go longer between doses of animal Vitae.)
Example: Siwa, a Vedma Dragon, is soon to set out on a hunt for human blood. She expects that she’ll want to use her Zagovny Discipline during the night, so first she attempts a Wits + Survival roll to hunt for sufficient animal Vitae to activate her three dots of Zagovny. The roll nets two successes, so the Storyteller determines that Siwa gets two animal Vitae on her hunt. Therefore, she can use only her first- and second-level Zagovny powers. If she had gotten three animal Vitae — or tried again and got three animal on her second attempt — she’d be able to use all three of her dots in Zagovny.
Concepts: Baba Yaga wannabe, bag lady, crazy unclean artiste, hex master, Kindred boogeyman, nomadic serial killer, peasant-hunting woodland terror, satanic pagan, wise woman of the woods.
Nickname: Warlocks. In domains where other Kindred may be labeled “Warlocks,” the Vedma are sometimes called “Dracula’s Witches” or even “Yagas,” in reference to Baba Yaga. Though the majority of Vedma are women, the masculine nickname somehow caught on during the 14th or 15th century and has been used since.
Parent ethnicities
Most Vedma are old-fashioned, or even out of touch. Skills like Drive and Computer are seldom found among their kind. Despite the bloodline’s typical role as an odd outsider, many Vedma are stronger in Social Skills than the typical Gangrel. Vedma lure mortals (and other vampires) into tricks, traps and bargains. They negotiate deals for hunting grounds and barter for unwanted children. A Vedma may project an image of muscular ferocity or wildeyed insight, but often that’s all it is: a projected image.
Bloodline Disciplines: Animalism, Protean, Resilience, Zagovny
Weakness: The Vedma share in the blood of the Gangrel, and so share in their particular curse as well. A Vedma does not enjoy the benefits of the 10-again rule on dice pools based on Intelligence or Wits, and any 1’s that come up on a roll with such dice pools subtract from the successes achieved. (The latter part of this weakness does not affect dramatic failure rules.) This weakness does not apply to dice pools involving Perception or Reaction to Surprise, or to the Resolve Attribute.
Like Gangrel, Vedma seem more bestial over time, as the Man gives way to the Beast. Unlike other Gangrel, a Vedma’s appearance changes with her blood, as well. Vedma blood gnarls and weathers the body, so Vedma typically appear unkempt, unclean and bordering on wild. Creatures who knew a Vedma before she became a part of the bloodline must make a Wits + Empathy roll to recognize her. A Vedma suffers a –2 penalty to all Social actions with creatures who knew her before she became a Warlock. Warlocks are never comfortable when surrounded by the trappings of modern mortal existence and civilization, though neither are they comfortable alone in the wild. What a Vedma doesn’t like to feel is caged. A Vedma can never purchase more than two dots in Status or Resources. If a third dot of Covenant Status, for example, were to be awarded to a Vedma character for free, she would be unlikely to fulfill the responsibilities of the position. A Vedma’s total dots in any Status Merits serve as a penalty to interactions with other Warlocks.
Finally, the Vedma suffer from a peculiar deficiency in their blood. A Vedma’s own Vitae cannot retain the mystic qualities necessary to harness the bloodline’s power of Zagovny. On any night when a Vedma wishes to use the Zagovny Discipline, she must first consume an amount of animal Vitae equal to her dots in Zagovny, in one “sitting.” (In this case, a “sitting” consists of a single hunting roll or the total amount of Vitae consumed within a five- or six-minute span.) This is not an extended action; a subsequent feeding for the purpose of activating Zagovny replaces the previous attempt rather than adding to it. The character gains no actual Vitae from this consumption; instead, it is instantly used by the Vedma’s body to activate the latent powers of Zagovny. If the Vedma consumes less animal Vitae than she has dots in Zagovny, she can only use Zagovny powers rated with dots equal to or less than the animal Vitae consumed. The Vedma’s animal Vitae “charge” is expended when the character next spends Vitae to awaken. (Thus, Vedma who study The Coils of the Dragon can go longer between doses of animal Vitae.)
Example: Siwa, a Vedma Dragon, is soon to set out on a hunt for human blood. She expects that she’ll want to use her Zagovny Discipline during the night, so first she attempts a Wits + Survival roll to hunt for sufficient animal Vitae to activate her three dots of Zagovny. The roll nets two successes, so the Storyteller determines that Siwa gets two animal Vitae on her hunt. Therefore, she can use only her first- and second-level Zagovny powers. If she had gotten three animal Vitae — or tried again and got three animal on her second attempt — she’d be able to use all three of her dots in Zagovny.
Concepts: Baba Yaga wannabe, bag lady, crazy unclean artiste, hex master, Kindred boogeyman, nomadic serial killer, peasant-hunting woodland terror, satanic pagan, wise woman of the woods.
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