Yagnatia
“We are the sons of Czars, the daughters of Night. We are the iron fist behind the Iron Curtain, and we will ensure all who enter our domains learn their place.”
All social creatures have a pecking order — from a pride of lions to a flock of chickens, from which the phrase is derived. Vampires are no different. Beginning with clan and ending with coterie, every vampire has his place, or so they are taught to accept by their elders. This being said, Clan Ventrue are arguably (and sometimes obviously) the equivalent of vampiric royalty — the top of the undead social ladder, as it were. By the same token, very few would dismiss the notion of the Nosferatu being on the bottom of that very same ladder, if they were even allowed on the rungs at all. Very few except the Nosferatu themselves, of course.
So when a bloodline such as the Yagnatia steps out of the darkness of Eastern Europe and throws Nosferatu stereotypes on its ear, many elders become curious and suspicious. Proud, terrifying and iron-fisted and possessed of a keen understanding of politics and social graces, the Yagnatia have emerged to take their place as kings of the night, not peasants.
In the late 10th century, Russia became officially Christianized with the conversion of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev. With this mortal shift in religion, vampires of The Lancea Sanctum took it upon themselves to spread their doctrine to the Kindred of the Baltic region. The Lancea Sanctum met stiff, and usually violent, resistance from the pagan goddess-cults whose many followers were often Chorus members of The Circle of the Crone. The Acolytes had held power over the peoples of Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine for generations, but the Acolytes were unable to stop the inexorable advance of Christianity. Many of the Circle’s adherents met Final Death in great pyres when entire cults were exterminated or else were forced to flee their ancestral territories for more tolerant locales.
Leading this crusade into the Baltic lands was a Sanctified Ventrue by the name of Pasko Grechkovik. He had had a religious epiphany after claiming to see visions of Christ on the cross floating over the city of Kiev around the time of that city’s conversion. Grechkovik took this to mean that he was to be the instrument of God’s will in bringing His Word to the heathen masses of Russia. To this end, Grechkovik was able to appropriate a large amount of the covenant’s manpower and Resources to accomplish his vision of a Christianized Russia. This included siring several childer from among the newly converted Princedoms to aid him.
The Circle of the Crone, naturally, resisted this intrusion and brought to bear their own Resources, mortal and otherwise, in their efforts to retain control over their ancestral holdings. For almost 200 years, the Acolytes waged a war of attrition against the Sanctified. For every village the Circle managed to retain, two more were burned to the ground, their inhabitants slaughtered if they refused to kneel before Christ and His chosen messengers. With these tactics, it was no surprise that the mortal populace began converting by the thousands, and as paganism waned, so, too, did the Circle’s power.
By the 12th century, the majority of Russia and Eastern Europe had been forcibly Christianized, and the Acolytes’ power had diminished considerably. A large number of Nosferatu Acolytes in particular had been harshly persecuted, driven from their domains or dispatched to Final Death by Grechkovik’s fanatical followers, although Pasko himself had entered Torpor several decades before. The last stronghold of Acolyte power left in Russia was the state of Vladimir-Suzdal, a nation that succeeded Kievan Rus as the most powerful Eastern Slavic state, in the late 12th century.
The Lancea Sanctum, specifically the Ventrue members of Grechkovik’s line, backed a Christian ruler by the name of Yuri II, who took the throne of Vladimir-Suzdal in 1212 from his ailing father. However, a short four years later, in 1216, at the Battle of Lipitsa, Konstantin I soundly defeated his younger brother, and seized the throne for himself to become the 5th Grand Prince of Vladimir. This upset Grechkovik’s Sanctified Ventrue greatly, largely due to Konstantin’s stubborn refusal to accept Christianity, and they blamed the Nosferatu and the Acolytes, though neither had anything to do with the usurpation. Pasko Grechkovik was awakened from Torpor by his fellow Sanctified and brought up to date on all that his followers has accomplished while he lay in the grip of the Little Death. Grechkovik was furious at what he perceived to be the meddling of the Acolytes with his holy vision.
Konstantin’s actions were entirely his own, the result of his bitterness at having been disowned on his father’s deathbed in favor of his younger brother; no vampiric manipulation lay behind his grab for power. However, Konstantin’s actions did not go unnoticed among certain vampires of the time, namely a Nosferatu elder and Acolyte named Zapruda, who saw an opportunity to strike back at The Lancea Sanctum (and Grechkovik in particular) for their prior pogrom against the Haunts. During those intervening two years of Konstantin’s reign, Zapruda made her move to diminish the control Grechkovik’s Sanctified Ventrue held over Vladimir-Suzdal.
Some time during the winter of 1216, Konstantin received reports of a coven of witches conducting blasphemous rites on the outskirts of a small village. The church took harsh reprisal against those who continued to follow the Old Ways, since Russia was supposed to be thoroughly Christianized by this time. Despite his own pagan convictions, seeing Christianity as simply a retelling of much older myths and placing no real faith in its supposed savior, Konstantin did as he was required. He was forced to keep up the faÁade of a true, God-fearing lord in the eyes of the Church and his own subjects to cement his hold over his newly conquered lands. If he could use these followers of the Old Faith to further his goals, so be it, but if they all had to be burned at the stake, he wasn’t above that Christian duty, either.
Finding the coven easily, he and his men rode into the clearing, interrupting their ritual. Declaring himself, Konstantin asked what manner of worship was taking place. The high priestess, calling herself Afanasiia (meaning “immortal”), the Daughter of Baba Yaga, told him of their intention to welcome the spring back to the land and honor the goddess to give them new life and fertility. (Popular belief is that the coven was composed of a mortal Chorus of The Circle of the Crone, but if so, none of the Acolytes has come forward with a definitive answer. This rumor is also cited as the reason why many women of the Yagnatia elect to become Acolytes, however.)
Konstantin snickered to his men, claiming he was more than fertile enough already, having sired several children in his original domains of Rostov and Yaroslav. Growling that though he was not himself a Christian, he much desired to see if the old gods still possessed any real power now that the Christ had come to the lands of the Rus, power that he, as the land’s new ruler, was free to exploit. He then asked the witch to read his future, that he might discover what Yuri was plotting, since he had escaped during Konstantin’s coup.
After gathering her cloak about her, Afanasiia stared into Konstantin’s eyes and consulted the lines in his palms, then pronounced her prophecy: Konstantin would only rule until the seasons turned twice more, then Yuri would reclaim his throne. Enraged at this news, Konstantin drew his sword and struck Afanasiia’s head from her shoulders. So swift and clean was the cut that the priestess’ body remained standing. He ordered his men to kill the entire coven, but suddenly the right hand of the corpse rose, pointed at its murderer, and the severed head began to speak, pronouncing a curse upon Konstantin: that he should never sire another heir for as long as he should walk the Earth unless blessed by a follower of her goddess. His men, crossing themselves, weeping and screaming of the devil, fled, leaving a shaken Grand Prince to straggle back to his palace.
As was foretold, Yuri II reclaimed the throne of Vladimir-Suzdal in 1218, secretly backed by Grechkovik and The Lancea Sanctum. Pasko declared his “holy vision” had been realized; pagan power had been supplanted by Christianity, and The Lancea Sanctum had supplanted The Circle of the Crone as the dominant covenant in Russia.
Here, mortal and Kindred history diverge. It was the night of February 2, 1218, that Konstantin was approached by Zapruda, the Nosferatu elder. She admired his pagan convictions and vowed to show him that faith in the Old Ways, while currently diminished, still held great power. She explained that her clan, the Nosferatu, had long desired a way to directly challenge the Ventrue on their home ground. She also related the tale of the persecution of her clan at the hands of Grechkovik and his Sanctified cronies and that she intended Konstantin to be the instrument by which she and the Circle would exact their revenge. The elder Haunt had first taken an interest in him when he usurped his brother’s throne, and offered Konstantin a proposition — in exchange for his assistance in thwarting Grechkovik and The Lancea Sanctum who controlled Yuri behind the scenes and, by extension, the nation, he would become her childe, one of the living dead. He agreed, and human history records that Konstantin Vsevolodovich I died in his sleep at the age of 32. Kindred know that Konstantin became the childe of Zapruda, beginning his Requiem as a member of Clan Nosferatu that night.
When Zapruda Embraced Konstantin, she could not have foreseen how Afanasiia’s curse would affect him. The mystical interaction between her Vitae and the curse caused Konstantin to become Nosferatu, but different. The insidious effects of the curse revealed themselves years later, when Konstantin himself attempted to Embrace a childe of his own. The poor unfortunate merely died after being drained of blood. Konstantin made several more attempts before realizing that the witch’s curse was, in fact, real and fully in force. Seeking out the coven he had accosted those years before, he beseeched them for a blessing. After spending most of the night in ritual prayer and fasting, the new high priestess, Raina, came forward and declared that she would bless Konstantin with fertility, but only if he would then make her his childe, extracting an oath from him. He readily agreed; having tasted the true power of the Old Faith once already, he had no desire to cross its followers again, and the bloodline of the Yagnatia was born.
Until the time of the Bolshevik Revolution, the bloodline Embraced exclusively from several noble families (most notably Konstantin’s mortal descendents), as well as the pagan covens of Eastern Europe and Russia. The Yagnatia made a name for themselves in those same territories by driving out, or at least holding their own against, Grechkovik’s childer and his Allies within The Lancea Sanctum. After the rise of communism, the bloodline was forced to adapt to a changing environment. Many family lines of nobility still existed, but they did not hold the power and prestige they had once commanded. This loss of prestige did not prevent the Yagnatia (or the Ventrue, for that matter) from Embracing from those families, however.
Unfortunately, Konstantin himself met Final Death at the claws of a pack of vengeful Lupines in 1621.
The werewolves were given information by Grechkovik’s Ghouls on Konstantin’s whereabouts and made to believe he was the vampire responsible for the destruction of one of their sacred sites. Grechkovik’s followers had hoped that the loss of the founder would cripple the bloodline as a whole, but it only caused Raina, Konstantin’s first childe, to bring to bear the Boyar’s own Resources and oust several of the Lords from their warm winter estates, cementing the Yagnatia’s rule across several Russian cities.
The Industrial Revolution and the overthrow of the Russian czars by the Bolshevik party during the early 19th century brought major changes to more than just the mortal populace. The Yagnatia, mostly young ancillae but also a few elders, saw a time of change and were determined to capitalize on it. They determined to expand their bloodline’s horizons and took to exploring the world outside their ancestral homelands. To this end, small groups of Yagnatia, composed of at least two men and one woman, embarked on journeys that would find them founding outposts in London, Madrid, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Bogot, Buenos Aires and even Tokyo.
These groups petitioned the Princes of those cities for acceptance and territory to establish themselves. Where a cult of The Circle of the Crone already existed, the Yagnatia requested, and usually gained, admittance, adding their numbers to the Circle in exchange for secure havens and feeding rights. These goals were much easier to achieve in cities with Princes belonging to any covenant other than The Lancea Sanctum. Indeed, where the Yagnatia encountered a Prince of that covenant, the bloodline’s members politely moved on. Sometimes, they were hounded out of the city by Sanctified zealots when the Yagnatia’s own covenant affiliations were discovered, but most often they were allowed to pass through in relative peace. Where the Yagnatia encountered a strong Invictus presence, they were often able to negotiate certain concessions, offering their services as Acolytes in exchange. Despite their physical differences, this Nosferatu branch does not disdain their disfigured cousins; they honor their ancestry and take great pleasure in the reactions they receive when revealing their clan affiliation to others.
In the modern nights, the Yagnatia continue to slowly spread across the rest of the world, focusing their attentions on large, industrialized cities and emerging economies. This places several Yagnatia in the burgeoning cities of Asia that are just now starting to take their place among the movers-and-shakers of the world economy. These young Boyars are determined to make themselves and their bloodline a powerful force and with them, The Circle of the Crone stands to retake much of its lost glory, something the Sanctified shudder to imagine.
So when a bloodline such as the Yagnatia steps out of the darkness of Eastern Europe and throws Nosferatu stereotypes on its ear, many elders become curious and suspicious. Proud, terrifying and iron-fisted and possessed of a keen understanding of politics and social graces, the Yagnatia have emerged to take their place as kings of the night, not peasants.
In the late 10th century, Russia became officially Christianized with the conversion of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev. With this mortal shift in religion, vampires of The Lancea Sanctum took it upon themselves to spread their doctrine to the Kindred of the Baltic region. The Lancea Sanctum met stiff, and usually violent, resistance from the pagan goddess-cults whose many followers were often Chorus members of The Circle of the Crone. The Acolytes had held power over the peoples of Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine for generations, but the Acolytes were unable to stop the inexorable advance of Christianity. Many of the Circle’s adherents met Final Death in great pyres when entire cults were exterminated or else were forced to flee their ancestral territories for more tolerant locales.
Leading this crusade into the Baltic lands was a Sanctified Ventrue by the name of Pasko Grechkovik. He had had a religious epiphany after claiming to see visions of Christ on the cross floating over the city of Kiev around the time of that city’s conversion. Grechkovik took this to mean that he was to be the instrument of God’s will in bringing His Word to the heathen masses of Russia. To this end, Grechkovik was able to appropriate a large amount of the covenant’s manpower and Resources to accomplish his vision of a Christianized Russia. This included siring several childer from among the newly converted Princedoms to aid him.
The Circle of the Crone, naturally, resisted this intrusion and brought to bear their own Resources, mortal and otherwise, in their efforts to retain control over their ancestral holdings. For almost 200 years, the Acolytes waged a war of attrition against the Sanctified. For every village the Circle managed to retain, two more were burned to the ground, their inhabitants slaughtered if they refused to kneel before Christ and His chosen messengers. With these tactics, it was no surprise that the mortal populace began converting by the thousands, and as paganism waned, so, too, did the Circle’s power.
By the 12th century, the majority of Russia and Eastern Europe had been forcibly Christianized, and the Acolytes’ power had diminished considerably. A large number of Nosferatu Acolytes in particular had been harshly persecuted, driven from their domains or dispatched to Final Death by Grechkovik’s fanatical followers, although Pasko himself had entered Torpor several decades before. The last stronghold of Acolyte power left in Russia was the state of Vladimir-Suzdal, a nation that succeeded Kievan Rus as the most powerful Eastern Slavic state, in the late 12th century.
The Lancea Sanctum, specifically the Ventrue members of Grechkovik’s line, backed a Christian ruler by the name of Yuri II, who took the throne of Vladimir-Suzdal in 1212 from his ailing father. However, a short four years later, in 1216, at the Battle of Lipitsa, Konstantin I soundly defeated his younger brother, and seized the throne for himself to become the 5th Grand Prince of Vladimir. This upset Grechkovik’s Sanctified Ventrue greatly, largely due to Konstantin’s stubborn refusal to accept Christianity, and they blamed the Nosferatu and the Acolytes, though neither had anything to do with the usurpation. Pasko Grechkovik was awakened from Torpor by his fellow Sanctified and brought up to date on all that his followers has accomplished while he lay in the grip of the Little Death. Grechkovik was furious at what he perceived to be the meddling of the Acolytes with his holy vision.
Konstantin’s actions were entirely his own, the result of his bitterness at having been disowned on his father’s deathbed in favor of his younger brother; no vampiric manipulation lay behind his grab for power. However, Konstantin’s actions did not go unnoticed among certain vampires of the time, namely a Nosferatu elder and Acolyte named Zapruda, who saw an opportunity to strike back at The Lancea Sanctum (and Grechkovik in particular) for their prior pogrom against the Haunts. During those intervening two years of Konstantin’s reign, Zapruda made her move to diminish the control Grechkovik’s Sanctified Ventrue held over Vladimir-Suzdal.
Some time during the winter of 1216, Konstantin received reports of a coven of witches conducting blasphemous rites on the outskirts of a small village. The church took harsh reprisal against those who continued to follow the Old Ways, since Russia was supposed to be thoroughly Christianized by this time. Despite his own pagan convictions, seeing Christianity as simply a retelling of much older myths and placing no real faith in its supposed savior, Konstantin did as he was required. He was forced to keep up the faÁade of a true, God-fearing lord in the eyes of the Church and his own subjects to cement his hold over his newly conquered lands. If he could use these followers of the Old Faith to further his goals, so be it, but if they all had to be burned at the stake, he wasn’t above that Christian duty, either.
Finding the coven easily, he and his men rode into the clearing, interrupting their ritual. Declaring himself, Konstantin asked what manner of worship was taking place. The high priestess, calling herself Afanasiia (meaning “immortal”), the Daughter of Baba Yaga, told him of their intention to welcome the spring back to the land and honor the goddess to give them new life and fertility. (Popular belief is that the coven was composed of a mortal Chorus of The Circle of the Crone, but if so, none of the Acolytes has come forward with a definitive answer. This rumor is also cited as the reason why many women of the Yagnatia elect to become Acolytes, however.)
Konstantin snickered to his men, claiming he was more than fertile enough already, having sired several children in his original domains of Rostov and Yaroslav. Growling that though he was not himself a Christian, he much desired to see if the old gods still possessed any real power now that the Christ had come to the lands of the Rus, power that he, as the land’s new ruler, was free to exploit. He then asked the witch to read his future, that he might discover what Yuri was plotting, since he had escaped during Konstantin’s coup.
After gathering her cloak about her, Afanasiia stared into Konstantin’s eyes and consulted the lines in his palms, then pronounced her prophecy: Konstantin would only rule until the seasons turned twice more, then Yuri would reclaim his throne. Enraged at this news, Konstantin drew his sword and struck Afanasiia’s head from her shoulders. So swift and clean was the cut that the priestess’ body remained standing. He ordered his men to kill the entire coven, but suddenly the right hand of the corpse rose, pointed at its murderer, and the severed head began to speak, pronouncing a curse upon Konstantin: that he should never sire another heir for as long as he should walk the Earth unless blessed by a follower of her goddess. His men, crossing themselves, weeping and screaming of the devil, fled, leaving a shaken Grand Prince to straggle back to his palace.
As was foretold, Yuri II reclaimed the throne of Vladimir-Suzdal in 1218, secretly backed by Grechkovik and The Lancea Sanctum. Pasko declared his “holy vision” had been realized; pagan power had been supplanted by Christianity, and The Lancea Sanctum had supplanted The Circle of the Crone as the dominant covenant in Russia.
Here, mortal and Kindred history diverge. It was the night of February 2, 1218, that Konstantin was approached by Zapruda, the Nosferatu elder. She admired his pagan convictions and vowed to show him that faith in the Old Ways, while currently diminished, still held great power. She explained that her clan, the Nosferatu, had long desired a way to directly challenge the Ventrue on their home ground. She also related the tale of the persecution of her clan at the hands of Grechkovik and his Sanctified cronies and that she intended Konstantin to be the instrument by which she and the Circle would exact their revenge. The elder Haunt had first taken an interest in him when he usurped his brother’s throne, and offered Konstantin a proposition — in exchange for his assistance in thwarting Grechkovik and The Lancea Sanctum who controlled Yuri behind the scenes and, by extension, the nation, he would become her childe, one of the living dead. He agreed, and human history records that Konstantin Vsevolodovich I died in his sleep at the age of 32. Kindred know that Konstantin became the childe of Zapruda, beginning his Requiem as a member of Clan Nosferatu that night.
When Zapruda Embraced Konstantin, she could not have foreseen how Afanasiia’s curse would affect him. The mystical interaction between her Vitae and the curse caused Konstantin to become Nosferatu, but different. The insidious effects of the curse revealed themselves years later, when Konstantin himself attempted to Embrace a childe of his own. The poor unfortunate merely died after being drained of blood. Konstantin made several more attempts before realizing that the witch’s curse was, in fact, real and fully in force. Seeking out the coven he had accosted those years before, he beseeched them for a blessing. After spending most of the night in ritual prayer and fasting, the new high priestess, Raina, came forward and declared that she would bless Konstantin with fertility, but only if he would then make her his childe, extracting an oath from him. He readily agreed; having tasted the true power of the Old Faith once already, he had no desire to cross its followers again, and the bloodline of the Yagnatia was born.
Until the time of the Bolshevik Revolution, the bloodline Embraced exclusively from several noble families (most notably Konstantin’s mortal descendents), as well as the pagan covens of Eastern Europe and Russia. The Yagnatia made a name for themselves in those same territories by driving out, or at least holding their own against, Grechkovik’s childer and his Allies within The Lancea Sanctum. After the rise of communism, the bloodline was forced to adapt to a changing environment. Many family lines of nobility still existed, but they did not hold the power and prestige they had once commanded. This loss of prestige did not prevent the Yagnatia (or the Ventrue, for that matter) from Embracing from those families, however.
Unfortunately, Konstantin himself met Final Death at the claws of a pack of vengeful Lupines in 1621.
The werewolves were given information by Grechkovik’s Ghouls on Konstantin’s whereabouts and made to believe he was the vampire responsible for the destruction of one of their sacred sites. Grechkovik’s followers had hoped that the loss of the founder would cripple the bloodline as a whole, but it only caused Raina, Konstantin’s first childe, to bring to bear the Boyar’s own Resources and oust several of the Lords from their warm winter estates, cementing the Yagnatia’s rule across several Russian cities.
The Industrial Revolution and the overthrow of the Russian czars by the Bolshevik party during the early 19th century brought major changes to more than just the mortal populace. The Yagnatia, mostly young ancillae but also a few elders, saw a time of change and were determined to capitalize on it. They determined to expand their bloodline’s horizons and took to exploring the world outside their ancestral homelands. To this end, small groups of Yagnatia, composed of at least two men and one woman, embarked on journeys that would find them founding outposts in London, Madrid, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Bogot, Buenos Aires and even Tokyo.
These groups petitioned the Princes of those cities for acceptance and territory to establish themselves. Where a cult of The Circle of the Crone already existed, the Yagnatia requested, and usually gained, admittance, adding their numbers to the Circle in exchange for secure havens and feeding rights. These goals were much easier to achieve in cities with Princes belonging to any covenant other than The Lancea Sanctum. Indeed, where the Yagnatia encountered a Prince of that covenant, the bloodline’s members politely moved on. Sometimes, they were hounded out of the city by Sanctified zealots when the Yagnatia’s own covenant affiliations were discovered, but most often they were allowed to pass through in relative peace. Where the Yagnatia encountered a strong Invictus presence, they were often able to negotiate certain concessions, offering their services as Acolytes in exchange. Despite their physical differences, this Nosferatu branch does not disdain their disfigured cousins; they honor their ancestry and take great pleasure in the reactions they receive when revealing their clan affiliation to others.
In the modern nights, the Yagnatia continue to slowly spread across the rest of the world, focusing their attentions on large, industrialized cities and emerging economies. This places several Yagnatia in the burgeoning cities of Asia that are just now starting to take their place among the movers-and-shakers of the world economy. These young Boyars are determined to make themselves and their bloodline a powerful force and with them, The Circle of the Crone stands to retake much of its lost glory, something the Sanctified shudder to imagine.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Background: All Yagnatia must bring prospective childer before a tribunal of elders who determine if the candidate is acceptable to be inducted into the “family.” A lengthy Interrogation follows the presentation of prospective candidates to determine their mortal lineage, specific talents or skills and any mystical affiliation (such as having been a local midwife who was also a member of a goddess cult).= If the prospective neonate is deemed worthy, the soon-to-be sire then goes before his local high priestess to receive the blessing, allowing him to Embrace the childe. In nights prior, only those mortal members from among the noble houses or pagan cults of Eastern Europe and Russia were chosen for the Embrace—those sons who would have been targets of assassination by elder brothers or those daughters destined for the convent or the witch’s pyre. The elders of the bloodline retain this practice and have yet to show a more progressive attitude to the changing social conditions of the world. In fact, the mortal descendents of Konstantin continued to rule the towns of Rostov and Yaroslav until the late 15th century. Numerous princely families of Russia issue from this Prince, and consequently, so do many elder members of the bloodline.
In the modern nights, where money has replaced a noble title as a path to respect and prestige, younger members of the bloodline have begun petitioning the elder tribunals to allow them to include rich and influential families in Western Europe, North and South America and even Japan. They argue that families with ties to industries as varied as steel, cocaine, computers, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology would all be of great benefit to the bloodline as a whole. Denied formal approval to do so, these younger Boyars have nonetheless Embraced several new members from these backgrounds, producing several lines. The Lackenbys of England’s steel industry and the Shoups, investors in some of the United States’ largest pharmaceutical manufacturers add connections to Europe and the U.S. The Cardenas Lizardi brings a noted Colombian drug cartel into the fold, and the Murakami are up-and-comers in the field of Japanese biotech. Other individuals have also been inducted into the Boyars, being Embraced from Wall Street, Hollywood and even Dallas. All of these neonates share the ambition and outright ruthlessness the Yagnatia prize. Competition with the Ventrue in their ancestral domains, who have no qualms about Embracing outside of nobility, will force the elder Yagnatia to do likewise or fall by the wayside.
Nosferatu from outside the bloodline can petition a tribunal for acceptance into the Yagnatia, though the requirements are stringent. To begin, they must not bear any outward physical Deformity whatsoever. Passing that hurdle, the prospective Boyar must show a high degree of acumen in an area of interest to the bloodline, specifically business, politics, assassination and related talents. If the prospective Boyar proves successful, the Nosferatu is inducted into the bloodline, whereupon he assumes the strengths and weaknesses of the Yagnatia.
In the winter of 1238, Mongol warlord Batu Khan led 150,000 cavalry across the frozen Volga River to sack the Bulgar city of Ryazan, then moved on to Moscow. Once that city had fallen, Batu turned his attention to Vladimir- Suzdal and Grand Prince Yuri II. Yuri scrambled to present a secure defense, but only succeeded in slightly slowing the Mongol juggernaut. By February, the city had fallen to the invaders, though Yuri managed to escape the destruction until a month later, when his pitiful resistance was finally crushed by Batu’s superior forces. The Kindred of the region were slightly more well informed than their mortal counterparts, and most already knew of the impending horde and what would result after their passing. Wise vampires fled the region before Batu Khan arrived, or else laid very low until the devastation had passed, secure in deep crypts and sealed vaults. Konstantin, however, chose to observe these powerful warriors, and selected four for the Embrace, his own childe, Raina, bestowing upon him the blessing ritual with which to do so.
Strengthening his bloodline with the addition of several powerful and ambitious Mongols proved to be Konstantin’s biggest mistake, however. When the Asian vampires learned that they could not pass on the Embrace and thereby increase their numbers and personal power, they were furious. Not only had they been abducted from their own people and sentenced to a cursed existence, but they were then thwarted from easily amassing personal power in a foreign land. When Raina refused to give them the secrets of the blessing ritual, the four returned to Batu’s army and told him of demons lairing outside the city and the fabulous treasures they guarded. With the use of Dominate on several of the soldiers, it was an easy matter for the disgruntled Mongols to send a large force against the Acolyte women of the Yagnatia and massacre them to the last.
The bloodline could have ended there, only decades after its founding, but Raina had been wise enough not to be present at the witches’ Haven when the Mongols returned. After sending all four of his childer to Final Death for their crime, Konstantin then set about calling all the surviving Boyars, a mere 10 members, to a secret emergency meeting in Kiev, where the system of The Tribunal was established to safeguard against Embracing inadequate neonates into the bloodline. He also set down the edict that the bloodline was always to travel in threes, two men and one woman, whenever they went to establish a new domain in a foreign city. This was to help ensure adequate protection of each other and the Holy Mother who would be directly responsible for Embracing new members. These three would form the first tribunal of a given city once they arrived and became established.
This conclave also saw a meeting between powerful leaders of The Invictus and The Circle of the Crone, brokered by Konstantin. The exact details of that meeting were kept highly secret, and whatever concessions Konstantin offered or gained are known only to those in attendance. However, the amount of cooperation between Acolytes and the First Estate in regards to the Yagnatia cannot be overlooked as mere coincidence.
When Kiev was overrun by the Golden Horde two years later, every member of the Yagnatia had already fled further south and west, escaping the devastation. The Mongol Horde was forced to return to its homeland due to internal strife in 1240, making it a relatively easy matter for the Yagnatia to reclaim a portion of the power vacuum that resulted from the Horde’s sudden departure. Offering up Resources both monetary and otherwise, several Boyars assumed prominent roles among the Kindred Princes of Moscow, Kiev, Novgorod and other cities as the rebuilding took place. Of course, this did nothing to endear the Boyars to their rivals in The Lancea Sanctum, but by this time the Yagnatia had enough backing from both The Circle of the Crone and The Invictus that open hostility was not a feasible option for the Sanctified. The Yagnatia continued to build their power and spread slowly from their original holdings in Russia into the rest of Europe over the next several centuries.
Though the Italian Renaissance didn’t extend as far into Eastern Europe as it did into the west and north of the continent, the Yagnatia saw their own golden opportunity to expand their holdings as well as their learning during the 15th century. Several members of the bloodline traveled extensively, under the guise of artists, merchants, scholars and even pilgrims, establishing treaties and trade agreements in foreign ports and learning much of the world beyond their traditional Russian borders. Their regal bearing and imperious personalities allowed them to make headway against the Sanctified where other Nosferatu had failed.
This period saw the slow spread of the Yagnatia, backed by both The Circle of the Crone and The Invictus, into southern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Where the Acolytes held power, the Yagnatia established a foothold through their common practice of goddess worship and their aggressive recruiting tactics; where The Invictus held sway, the Boyars established enclaves of merchant-princes and caravanserais along the bustling overland and seafaring trade routes to and from the Holy Land. These actions secured more territory and members for the bloodline, and its steady rise in numbers continued for the next several hundred years.
The next Great Leap Outward for the Yagnatia occurred during the Industrial Revolution that swept through Europe during the early 19th century. The introduction of mechanical engines to replace roles that were once occupied by humans saw an increase in trade between all nations, as both people and technology flowed freely. With the aid of steam-driven ships, younger members of the bloodline began to travel abroad, always in threes of course, journeying as far as the Americas in the West and Japan in the East. The Princes of these new domains had never heard of the Yagnatia bloodline, or, perhaps, didn’t fully believed they were of Nosferatu stock. This made it easier for the Boyars to gain entry into these vampiric Courts and secure domain rights.
Many Boyars invested in early economic ventures in these new domains, especially in America, and became wealthy individuals in their own right.
The Yagnatia’s political savvy allows them to compete toe-to-toe with the likes of the Ventrue and Daeva, normally the unofficial masters of that arena. Even when Boyars aren’t members of The Invictus, wherever that covenant holds sway they manage to pull many more strings than would normally seem possible, at least it seems so in the eyes of their rivals. While the Boyars certainly don’t get along with The Lancea Sanctum, they can respect their convictions. Opponents who demonstrate good Oratory skills, political acumen and dedication to their beliefs win admiration among the Yagnatia as worthy adversaries. The Boyars delight in rhetorical debates on policy, religion and other topics that help to pass the long nights of their Requiems.
The Yagnatia maintain their own internal hierarchy within the bloodline. While not a separate Merit, Status within the bloodline can vary from that of Clan or Covenant Status. Women are automatically accorded a higher Status than men, and Holy Mothers (those who have learned the blessing ritual) are held in the highest regard by all Boyars. Conversely, those Nosferatu who petition a tribunal for entry into the bloodline, called neizvestni or Unknown, rather than being Embraced directly, are accorded a slightly lower Status. These variations are subtle and virtually undetectable to a vampire not of the bloodline, but they play an important role among the Boyars. It is possible to raise one’s Status among the bloodline, even for the Unknown. Playing to one’s individual strengths during the course of accomplishing a goal for bloodline or covenant is a sure way to increase Status among the Yagnatia.
Unlike some bloodlines, The Traditions established early on by Konstantin and Raina have held fast and only strengthened in the intervening centuries. This accounts for the higher level of cooperation among bloodline members, regardless of covenant affiliation. It is also the source of much rumor and speculation by those outside the bloodline, which helps to preserve the Yagnatia’s secrets well. Not that there aren’t occasional squabbles between neonates or friction between the dictates of elders and their childer, but by and large, the members of this Nosferatu bloodline maintain a cooperative veneer that some vampires find enviable and others frightening.
In the modern nights, where money has replaced a noble title as a path to respect and prestige, younger members of the bloodline have begun petitioning the elder tribunals to allow them to include rich and influential families in Western Europe, North and South America and even Japan. They argue that families with ties to industries as varied as steel, cocaine, computers, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology would all be of great benefit to the bloodline as a whole. Denied formal approval to do so, these younger Boyars have nonetheless Embraced several new members from these backgrounds, producing several lines. The Lackenbys of England’s steel industry and the Shoups, investors in some of the United States’ largest pharmaceutical manufacturers add connections to Europe and the U.S. The Cardenas Lizardi brings a noted Colombian drug cartel into the fold, and the Murakami are up-and-comers in the field of Japanese biotech. Other individuals have also been inducted into the Boyars, being Embraced from Wall Street, Hollywood and even Dallas. All of these neonates share the ambition and outright ruthlessness the Yagnatia prize. Competition with the Ventrue in their ancestral domains, who have no qualms about Embracing outside of nobility, will force the elder Yagnatia to do likewise or fall by the wayside.
Nosferatu from outside the bloodline can petition a tribunal for acceptance into the Yagnatia, though the requirements are stringent. To begin, they must not bear any outward physical Deformity whatsoever. Passing that hurdle, the prospective Boyar must show a high degree of acumen in an area of interest to the bloodline, specifically business, politics, assassination and related talents. If the prospective Boyar proves successful, the Nosferatu is inducted into the bloodline, whereupon he assumes the strengths and weaknesses of the Yagnatia.
History
Perhaps the single most influential moment in the history of the Yagnatia as a whole came in the mid-12th century, not long after their inception as a distinct bloodline. Prior to this, the Boyars maintained communal havens that were divided by gender. That is, several men might share a single residence while several women did the same, always in separate locations. At the time, it was customary for the women, many of whom could cast the blessing ritual that allowed the Embrace, to live apart from the men. Often times their havens were located away from city centers, hidden among the few pagan enclaves still in existence. It had only been 20 years since the bloodline’s founding, and despite occasional conflict with The Lancea Sanctum, there had been no serious threat to the Yagnatia’s existence. The coming of Batu Khan and the Golden Horde would change all that.In the winter of 1238, Mongol warlord Batu Khan led 150,000 cavalry across the frozen Volga River to sack the Bulgar city of Ryazan, then moved on to Moscow. Once that city had fallen, Batu turned his attention to Vladimir- Suzdal and Grand Prince Yuri II. Yuri scrambled to present a secure defense, but only succeeded in slightly slowing the Mongol juggernaut. By February, the city had fallen to the invaders, though Yuri managed to escape the destruction until a month later, when his pitiful resistance was finally crushed by Batu’s superior forces. The Kindred of the region were slightly more well informed than their mortal counterparts, and most already knew of the impending horde and what would result after their passing. Wise vampires fled the region before Batu Khan arrived, or else laid very low until the devastation had passed, secure in deep crypts and sealed vaults. Konstantin, however, chose to observe these powerful warriors, and selected four for the Embrace, his own childe, Raina, bestowing upon him the blessing ritual with which to do so.
Strengthening his bloodline with the addition of several powerful and ambitious Mongols proved to be Konstantin’s biggest mistake, however. When the Asian vampires learned that they could not pass on the Embrace and thereby increase their numbers and personal power, they were furious. Not only had they been abducted from their own people and sentenced to a cursed existence, but they were then thwarted from easily amassing personal power in a foreign land. When Raina refused to give them the secrets of the blessing ritual, the four returned to Batu’s army and told him of demons lairing outside the city and the fabulous treasures they guarded. With the use of Dominate on several of the soldiers, it was an easy matter for the disgruntled Mongols to send a large force against the Acolyte women of the Yagnatia and massacre them to the last.
The bloodline could have ended there, only decades after its founding, but Raina had been wise enough not to be present at the witches’ Haven when the Mongols returned. After sending all four of his childer to Final Death for their crime, Konstantin then set about calling all the surviving Boyars, a mere 10 members, to a secret emergency meeting in Kiev, where the system of The Tribunal was established to safeguard against Embracing inadequate neonates into the bloodline. He also set down the edict that the bloodline was always to travel in threes, two men and one woman, whenever they went to establish a new domain in a foreign city. This was to help ensure adequate protection of each other and the Holy Mother who would be directly responsible for Embracing new members. These three would form the first tribunal of a given city once they arrived and became established.
This conclave also saw a meeting between powerful leaders of The Invictus and The Circle of the Crone, brokered by Konstantin. The exact details of that meeting were kept highly secret, and whatever concessions Konstantin offered or gained are known only to those in attendance. However, the amount of cooperation between Acolytes and the First Estate in regards to the Yagnatia cannot be overlooked as mere coincidence.
When Kiev was overrun by the Golden Horde two years later, every member of the Yagnatia had already fled further south and west, escaping the devastation. The Mongol Horde was forced to return to its homeland due to internal strife in 1240, making it a relatively easy matter for the Yagnatia to reclaim a portion of the power vacuum that resulted from the Horde’s sudden departure. Offering up Resources both monetary and otherwise, several Boyars assumed prominent roles among the Kindred Princes of Moscow, Kiev, Novgorod and other cities as the rebuilding took place. Of course, this did nothing to endear the Boyars to their rivals in The Lancea Sanctum, but by this time the Yagnatia had enough backing from both The Circle of the Crone and The Invictus that open hostility was not a feasible option for the Sanctified. The Yagnatia continued to build their power and spread slowly from their original holdings in Russia into the rest of Europe over the next several centuries.
Though the Italian Renaissance didn’t extend as far into Eastern Europe as it did into the west and north of the continent, the Yagnatia saw their own golden opportunity to expand their holdings as well as their learning during the 15th century. Several members of the bloodline traveled extensively, under the guise of artists, merchants, scholars and even pilgrims, establishing treaties and trade agreements in foreign ports and learning much of the world beyond their traditional Russian borders. Their regal bearing and imperious personalities allowed them to make headway against the Sanctified where other Nosferatu had failed.
This period saw the slow spread of the Yagnatia, backed by both The Circle of the Crone and The Invictus, into southern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Where the Acolytes held power, the Yagnatia established a foothold through their common practice of goddess worship and their aggressive recruiting tactics; where The Invictus held sway, the Boyars established enclaves of merchant-princes and caravanserais along the bustling overland and seafaring trade routes to and from the Holy Land. These actions secured more territory and members for the bloodline, and its steady rise in numbers continued for the next several hundred years.
The next Great Leap Outward for the Yagnatia occurred during the Industrial Revolution that swept through Europe during the early 19th century. The introduction of mechanical engines to replace roles that were once occupied by humans saw an increase in trade between all nations, as both people and technology flowed freely. With the aid of steam-driven ships, younger members of the bloodline began to travel abroad, always in threes of course, journeying as far as the Americas in the West and Japan in the East. The Princes of these new domains had never heard of the Yagnatia bloodline, or, perhaps, didn’t fully believed they were of Nosferatu stock. This made it easier for the Boyars to gain entry into these vampiric Courts and secure domain rights.
Many Boyars invested in early economic ventures in these new domains, especially in America, and became wealthy individuals in their own right.
Society and Culture
In the current nights, the Boyars have taken up the role given them by The Circle of the Crone with a fervor: that of fighting to reclaim the covenant’s lost glory, and they do so through political and economic means. No longer content to simply accept the discrimination and persecution heaped upon them by The Lancea Sanctum, the Yagnatia have taken the fight to their enemies. To this end, the bloodline has seized the reins and is making a name for itself as an undead leader in local and global economies. They have a special hatred reserved for the members of Grechkovik’s line of Ventrue, though that tends to manifest itself mostly in their ancestral holdings in Russia. Some particularly rabid members of the bloodline let this hatred spill over onto any Ventrue who proves an obstacle to their goals, but these zealots are few and far between.The Yagnatia’s political savvy allows them to compete toe-to-toe with the likes of the Ventrue and Daeva, normally the unofficial masters of that arena. Even when Boyars aren’t members of The Invictus, wherever that covenant holds sway they manage to pull many more strings than would normally seem possible, at least it seems so in the eyes of their rivals. While the Boyars certainly don’t get along with The Lancea Sanctum, they can respect their convictions. Opponents who demonstrate good Oratory skills, political acumen and dedication to their beliefs win admiration among the Yagnatia as worthy adversaries. The Boyars delight in rhetorical debates on policy, religion and other topics that help to pass the long nights of their Requiems.
The Yagnatia maintain their own internal hierarchy within the bloodline. While not a separate Merit, Status within the bloodline can vary from that of Clan or Covenant Status. Women are automatically accorded a higher Status than men, and Holy Mothers (those who have learned the blessing ritual) are held in the highest regard by all Boyars. Conversely, those Nosferatu who petition a tribunal for entry into the bloodline, called neizvestni or Unknown, rather than being Embraced directly, are accorded a slightly lower Status. These variations are subtle and virtually undetectable to a vampire not of the bloodline, but they play an important role among the Boyars. It is possible to raise one’s Status among the bloodline, even for the Unknown. Playing to one’s individual strengths during the course of accomplishing a goal for bloodline or covenant is a sure way to increase Status among the Yagnatia.
Unlike some bloodlines, The Traditions established early on by Konstantin and Raina have held fast and only strengthened in the intervening centuries. This accounts for the higher level of cooperation among bloodline members, regardless of covenant affiliation. It is also the source of much rumor and speculation by those outside the bloodline, which helps to preserve the Yagnatia’s secrets well. Not that there aren’t occasional squabbles between neonates or friction between the dictates of elders and their childer, but by and large, the members of this Nosferatu bloodline maintain a cooperative veneer that some vampires find enviable and others frightening.
Common Dress code
Appearance: Those Yagnatia Embraced from the members of Konstantin’s mortal family are fair-haired and pale skinned, with blue or green eyes. Unlike the majority of their parent clan, these Nosferatu tend to be attractive and very regal in their bearing. The Nosferatu curse manifests in the aura of predatory dread that surrounds them at all times, despite their genteel seeming. They embody the epitome of the Machiavellian ideal: a ruler who prefers to be feared rather than loved.
Regardless of mortal heritage, all Boyars have the carriage of true nobility. They are arrogant, imperious and regal. Even without the powers of Majesty at their command, Yagnatia demand attention by virtue of their forceful presence. Elders sometimes retain the style of dress favored during their breathing days, somewhat antiquated but every bit as impeccable and intimidating as younger vampires’ Armani suits and Gucci shoes.
Regardless of mortal heritage, all Boyars have the carriage of true nobility. They are arrogant, imperious and regal. Even without the powers of Majesty at their command, Yagnatia demand attention by virtue of their forceful presence. Elders sometimes retain the style of dress favored during their breathing days, somewhat antiquated but every bit as impeccable and intimidating as younger vampires’ Armani suits and Gucci shoes.
Art & Architecture
Haven: Almost without exception, the Boyars prefer to keep havens that display wealth and clout within their respective regions. Since the majority of the bloodline dwells in the ancestral home of Russia and surrounding Slavic nations, their havens’ art and architecture reflect their mortal days. Many still hold court in ancient castles or walled estates surrounded by acres of woodland that have been passed down through the mortal generations of families from which they Embrace.
For those Yagnatia making there homes in the bustling metropolises of North and South America and the Pacific Rim nations, the desire to impress all visitors with their wealth and power remains just as strong as that of their Slavic cousins. Whether it be the prominent display of rare and priceless artwork, legions of servants at their beck and call, or vast compounds, estates or penthouses in traditional samurai, drug lord or stockbroker fashion, all are designed to flaunt the power of the Yagnatia in one way or another.
Whether the Yagnatia share a Haven or not, there is always a communal structure in every city where they reside that allows the bloodline members to come together to discuss personal business. These shared havens always have enough secure quarters in case individuals wish to spend the day sleeping here as well as a central location reserved for gatherings, allowing individuals to mingle and share gossip and general social niceties. Politics are often discussed, but surprisingly, everyone tends to keep a cool head. Even when members of different covenants share a Haven, there is an unspoken rule that covenant differences are set aside when meeting in the common areas. The level of cooperation between members of this bloodline is exceedingly high, considering the inherent nature of the vampiric condition and inter-covenant conflict. The fact that the majority of Yagnatia belong to either The Circle of the Crone or The Invictus and that these vampires still maintain a close cooperative relationship has lead to rumors of some unholy alliance between the Acolyte Boyars and those of the First Estate.
For those Yagnatia making there homes in the bustling metropolises of North and South America and the Pacific Rim nations, the desire to impress all visitors with their wealth and power remains just as strong as that of their Slavic cousins. Whether it be the prominent display of rare and priceless artwork, legions of servants at their beck and call, or vast compounds, estates or penthouses in traditional samurai, drug lord or stockbroker fashion, all are designed to flaunt the power of the Yagnatia in one way or another.
Whether the Yagnatia share a Haven or not, there is always a communal structure in every city where they reside that allows the bloodline members to come together to discuss personal business. These shared havens always have enough secure quarters in case individuals wish to spend the day sleeping here as well as a central location reserved for gatherings, allowing individuals to mingle and share gossip and general social niceties. Politics are often discussed, but surprisingly, everyone tends to keep a cool head. Even when members of different covenants share a Haven, there is an unspoken rule that covenant differences are set aside when meeting in the common areas. The level of cooperation between members of this bloodline is exceedingly high, considering the inherent nature of the vampiric condition and inter-covenant conflict. The fact that the majority of Yagnatia belong to either The Circle of the Crone or The Invictus and that these vampires still maintain a close cooperative relationship has lead to rumors of some unholy alliance between the Acolyte Boyars and those of the First Estate.
Major organizations
Covenant: Having played a major role in the creation of the bloodline, it’s no surprise that The Circle of the Crone contains the most number of Yagnatia. Almost all female members join the Acolytes in honor of their ancestress, Afanasiia and her successor, Raina. Only the members of this covenant are taught the blessing ritual and elevated to the title of Holy Mothers. Many of the pagan cults of the Baltic region were mortal Choruses of the Circle, and it is rumored that the creation of the Yagnatia was by design rather than happenstance.
Second only to the Acolytes, the tradition-bound Invictus with their iron-fisted rule and political acumen draws some of the Yagnatia like flies to carrion. Those elders who pine for the days of the czars enthusiastically embrace the philosophy of the First Estate and all it represents. Solitary male Yagnatia tend to find themselves attached to this covenant, though when they decide to sire a childe of their own, they must abide by all the protocols and customs of the bloodline. For this reason, they maintain close ties with their pagan cousins, despite differences in ideology, something almost unheard of among other covenants.
For those few Yagnatia seeking a means of escaping or transcending their cursed existence, The Ordo Dracul is a viable option. Unconcerned with lineages, the Dragons present the Yagnatia with a means of exploring their own limitations without the burden of larger politics, should they choose. As with their First Estate brethren, the members of The Ordo Dracul who wish to sire childer must follow the proper customs and so keep cordial relations with the Holy Mothers among the Acolytes.
Neither The Carthian Movement nor The Lancea Sanctum attracts any members of this bloodline. The former because the Yagnatia’s noble ancestry does not provoke respect among the Carthians and the latter because their pagan roots invite outright persecution from the Sanctified.
Organization: The Yagnatia appear, to those outside the bloodline, to be dominated by the male Boyars, while the women seem relatively unconcerned with vampiric politics and power plays. In reality, this branch of the Nosferatu is ruled by its female members, the aptly named “Holy Mothers.” The reason for this deception is due to the bloodline’s unique weakness. Women are a precious commodity to the Yagnatia, and they go to incredible lengths to protect them, and with them, the secret of their sterile Vitae.
Part of this protection is keeping up the faÁade of the men running the bloodline’s night-to-night activities and policies. At the same time, women are seen as devoted Acolytes in service to The Crone, unconcerned with anything other than their worship and the recruitment of new cultists. Continuing this deception isn’t as difficult as it sounds. The men truly believe their women to be holy, able to bestow a sacred blessing upon those of their choosing, and thus continuing the Yagnatia line. All Boyars, even those who belong to The Invictus or other covenants, maintain close ties to each other, and it is not unusual for these Boyars to attend Acolyte rituals. The Holy Mothers bind them to one another, regardless of covenant; without their blessing, there will be no more Yagnatia.
Should the loyalty of any member of the bloodline be called into serious question, he is forcibly blood bound to the high priestess herself in a special ritual that not only strips the unfortunate of his Status within the bloodline but brands him as a potential traitor to other Yagnatia. Should the marked vampire commit an act that again calls his loyalty into question, he can expect the remainder of his Requiem to be short indeed: he becomes the immediate target of exsanguination by any of his fellow Boyars he encounters.
Candidates for the Embrace, as well as disputes between Boyars, are brought before a tribunal in a specific city or region. The tribunals are formed of the three oldest vampires in the area not in Torpor, and they serve for a century before having the opportunity to appoint a successor or continue their post. Should a Yagnatia meet Final Death or enter Torpor before choosing a successor, the remaining tribunal members will select a replacement. Regions are defined geographically based on mortal cities and their surrounding areas, population density and distance. In some places, the bloodline has actually secured positions of prominence among the Courts of the Damned, and many large Eastern European cities have Yagnatia Prisci if not Primogen.
Second only to the Acolytes, the tradition-bound Invictus with their iron-fisted rule and political acumen draws some of the Yagnatia like flies to carrion. Those elders who pine for the days of the czars enthusiastically embrace the philosophy of the First Estate and all it represents. Solitary male Yagnatia tend to find themselves attached to this covenant, though when they decide to sire a childe of their own, they must abide by all the protocols and customs of the bloodline. For this reason, they maintain close ties with their pagan cousins, despite differences in ideology, something almost unheard of among other covenants.
For those few Yagnatia seeking a means of escaping or transcending their cursed existence, The Ordo Dracul is a viable option. Unconcerned with lineages, the Dragons present the Yagnatia with a means of exploring their own limitations without the burden of larger politics, should they choose. As with their First Estate brethren, the members of The Ordo Dracul who wish to sire childer must follow the proper customs and so keep cordial relations with the Holy Mothers among the Acolytes.
Neither The Carthian Movement nor The Lancea Sanctum attracts any members of this bloodline. The former because the Yagnatia’s noble ancestry does not provoke respect among the Carthians and the latter because their pagan roots invite outright persecution from the Sanctified.
Organization: The Yagnatia appear, to those outside the bloodline, to be dominated by the male Boyars, while the women seem relatively unconcerned with vampiric politics and power plays. In reality, this branch of the Nosferatu is ruled by its female members, the aptly named “Holy Mothers.” The reason for this deception is due to the bloodline’s unique weakness. Women are a precious commodity to the Yagnatia, and they go to incredible lengths to protect them, and with them, the secret of their sterile Vitae.
Part of this protection is keeping up the faÁade of the men running the bloodline’s night-to-night activities and policies. At the same time, women are seen as devoted Acolytes in service to The Crone, unconcerned with anything other than their worship and the recruitment of new cultists. Continuing this deception isn’t as difficult as it sounds. The men truly believe their women to be holy, able to bestow a sacred blessing upon those of their choosing, and thus continuing the Yagnatia line. All Boyars, even those who belong to The Invictus or other covenants, maintain close ties to each other, and it is not unusual for these Boyars to attend Acolyte rituals. The Holy Mothers bind them to one another, regardless of covenant; without their blessing, there will be no more Yagnatia.
Should the loyalty of any member of the bloodline be called into serious question, he is forcibly blood bound to the high priestess herself in a special ritual that not only strips the unfortunate of his Status within the bloodline but brands him as a potential traitor to other Yagnatia. Should the marked vampire commit an act that again calls his loyalty into question, he can expect the remainder of his Requiem to be short indeed: he becomes the immediate target of exsanguination by any of his fellow Boyars he encounters.
Candidates for the Embrace, as well as disputes between Boyars, are brought before a tribunal in a specific city or region. The tribunals are formed of the three oldest vampires in the area not in Torpor, and they serve for a century before having the opportunity to appoint a successor or continue their post. Should a Yagnatia meet Final Death or enter Torpor before choosing a successor, the remaining tribunal members will select a replacement. Regions are defined geographically based on mortal cities and their surrounding areas, population density and distance. In some places, the bloodline has actually secured positions of prominence among the Courts of the Damned, and many large Eastern European cities have Yagnatia Prisci if not Primogen.
Nickname: Boyars
Character Creation: It’s difficult to pin down a specific category of Attributes for any single Boyar. Most tend to favor power Attributes (Presence, Intelligence and Strength) over others, especially the first two. The average Boyar has higher scores in Mental Attributes rather than the Physical or Social, but only just so. Excellence in the social arena, quick wits and an intimidating demeanor, physical or otherwise, are all aspirations of the Yagnatia, despite the weakness of the Nosferatu. Favored Skills always include Intimidation and Politics as well as Academics, Persuasion and Socialize. Some familiarity with the Occult is relatively common, especially for those vampires wishing to become Holy Mothers. Social Merits with a high level of Contacts and Allies, although difficult for the Boyars to maintain, are almost universally prized, as well as certain Mental Merits such as Eidetic Memory.
Bloodline Disciplines: Dominate, Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor
Weakness: All Yagnatia suffer the weakness of Clan Nosferatu.
In addition, because of Afanasiia’s curse on Konstantin centuries ago, no member of the Yagnatia may create childer on a whim. Their Vitae is completely infertile in regard to the ability to create progeny. Creating and maintaining Ghouls remains unaffected, however. Should a Nosferatu from outside of the bloodline become a member, his Vitae immediately becomes sterile as well.
In order for a member of the Yagnatia to successfully Embrace a mortal, the Yagnatia must receive a blessing from the local high priestess of the bloodline. This takes the form of a mystic pagan ritual, refined by the blood magic of Crúac, wherein the prospective sire is anointed with special oils and the Blood of the priestess herself and prayers are offered to the mother goddess figure (venerated in one form or another depending on location). The vampire so “blessed” then has a full 24 hours to Embrace his prospective childe. Once the Yagnatia has performed the Embrace or the time has lapsed, the individual’s Blood returns to the normal infertile state.
The inability to sire childer without this special blessing is the most closely guarded secret of the Yagnatia; if their rivals learned of this, they could easily wipe out the bloodline by destroying all female members. It is also the reason that women of the bloodline are held in such high esteem; they are literally the “mothers” of the Yagnatia.
Concepts: Power Behind the Throne, follower of the Old Faith, separatist warlord, political advisor, Mafia boss, orphanage director, shrewd businessman, social worker, Old World aristocrat, patron of the arts, ex-KGB agent-for-hire.
Parent ethnicities
Bloodline Disciplines: Dominate, Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor
Weakness: All Yagnatia suffer the weakness of Clan Nosferatu.
In addition, because of Afanasiia’s curse on Konstantin centuries ago, no member of the Yagnatia may create childer on a whim. Their Vitae is completely infertile in regard to the ability to create progeny. Creating and maintaining Ghouls remains unaffected, however. Should a Nosferatu from outside of the bloodline become a member, his Vitae immediately becomes sterile as well.
In order for a member of the Yagnatia to successfully Embrace a mortal, the Yagnatia must receive a blessing from the local high priestess of the bloodline. This takes the form of a mystic pagan ritual, refined by the blood magic of Crúac, wherein the prospective sire is anointed with special oils and the Blood of the priestess herself and prayers are offered to the mother goddess figure (venerated in one form or another depending on location). The vampire so “blessed” then has a full 24 hours to Embrace his prospective childe. Once the Yagnatia has performed the Embrace or the time has lapsed, the individual’s Blood returns to the normal infertile state.
The inability to sire childer without this special blessing is the most closely guarded secret of the Yagnatia; if their rivals learned of this, they could easily wipe out the bloodline by destroying all female members. It is also the reason that women of the bloodline are held in such high esteem; they are literally the “mothers” of the Yagnatia.
Concepts: Power Behind the Throne, follower of the Old Faith, separatist warlord, political advisor, Mafia boss, orphanage director, shrewd businessman, social worker, Old World aristocrat, patron of the arts, ex-KGB agent-for-hire.