City of Shadows Mux City of Shadows Mux

THE BLOOD BROTHERS

Parent Clan: Daeva Sobriquet: Freaks Source: Bloodlines: the Legendary, p. 23; V:tM 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 396. Disciplines: Celerity, Majesty, Protean, Vigor Revised by: Ganymede

Background

The Kindred once known as part of the Carnival have adapted like no other to the new world. Drawing on popular culture’s fears and anxieties, they revel in the grotesque as never before. Dramatically flamboyant, the Freaks are no longer novelties; rather, the injured, the maimed, and the malformed have flocked to their banner, in search of community and belonging.

Mixing in marginalized, popular cultures, such as biker gangs and rabid white hip-hop artist fans, the Carnival renamed themselves to “Blood Brothers,” as a moniker to show the solidarity between its members. Whereas the Carnival was a hallowed, hidden institution, the Blood Brothers can strut out into the light in a world still reeling from the horrors of the Fall. In many places, the First Tradition has no meaning: in these places, the Blood Brothers often rule blocks of territory that mortals and non-mortals avoid, for one reason or another. Kindred that can still remember existence before the Fall might not even know of the Carnival, but all of them know of this mish-mash, degenerate bloodline.

In truth, the Freaks are as often insular predators in the darkness as they are compassionate to those with nowhere to go. The backgrounds of those who end up becoming part of this line are as diverse as can be imagined. Only one rule seems to exist among them: never turn your back on your line. Although a common thread holding together families and factions, to say that the Freaks are unkind to those who put others above Freaks is an understatement. Many of their familial stories involve the gruesome end of traitors.

That said, many bands of Blood Brothers serve as bodyguards and leg-breakers for the highest bidders. All Daeva are known for their martial prowess, but the Freaks’ physical anomalies and devotions take their Clan’s abilities to the next level. There is nothing subtle when the Blood Brothers go to war, and when they do it is an affair for everyone – something to be celebrated.

The Blood Brothers form bands by sharing blood with one another. This is done among mortals, ghouls, thralls, and Kindred. As a result, there are strong ties between the members, but no blood bonds, an effect that transcends the common understanding of Kindred and Kine alike. Many of the Academy have attempted to study the Freaks’ vitae in order to identify how they are able to do this without forming blood bonds, but, so far, there’s no cause.

Bloodline Gift

Freaks cannot be blood bound, nor can their ghouls, so long as there is vitae in them. In effect, anyone with the vitae of a Freak cannot be so bound. People who have drunk of a Freak’s vitae thrice – whether Kindred, ghoul, or mortal – are considered part of that Freak’s band. Freaks can sense harm coming to any within his or her band, provided that person is within a radius of miles equal to the Freak’s Blood Potency. Additionally, a Freak may heal any member of his band by spending vitae, as if healing himself.

Bloodline Bane

Although Freaks cannot be bound, they cannot bind others. A Freak can only form a two-step bond with anyone, which means that a ghoul with no Freak vitae in her or a thrall may be bound by another. This flaw is one of the reasons – beyond a band’s sense of honor – that Blood Brothers viciously punish any betrayal.

Bloodline Devotions

Contort (Protean **)

The Freak is able to dramatically alter his body’s shape by dislocating and separating joints through force of will. By doing so, the Freak may able to increase his reach or reduce his profile by stretching his limbs to uncomfortable-seeming proportions. This does not permit the Freak to break the laws of physics – bones will not bend – but it would allow him to squeeze through tight spaces that his body otherwise would not be able to. The Freak feels no pain in doing this, even if it requires a substantial amount of effort. The extent of this ability and its potential applications are left to the player’s imagination and the storyteller’s discretion.

The ability may also be used in combat, albeit quickly and vulgarly. If used in combat, the Kindred gains +4 dice to disengage from a grapple or defend against one.

Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: One Scene

This Devotion costs 1 Experience.

Merge (Majesty **, Protean **)

The Freak activates this by forming an unnatural, spiritual bond with another member of his band. After that, the Freak can expand the exploitive nature of his vitae, forming a more symbiotic relationship, even over distance.

Cost: 1 Willpower to activate Dice Pool: None Action: Instant

The Freak may only active this if there is another member of his band within eyeshot. He spends a Willpower point to do so, and his bandmate will sense the activation of this devotion. After activating the Devotion, the Freak may spend his bandmate’s Vitae as if it were his own. The Freak may also shift damage to his bandmate, at a rate of one level per turn.

This Devotion costs 2 Experiences.

Octopod (Celerity **, Protean **, Vigor **)

The Freak’s ability to exert control over his band allows him to effectively subsume the flesh of his compatriots. The result is not particularly pretty to look at: the flesh and skeleton come together unnaturally to form a ghastly figure.

Cost: 1 Vitae per turn Dice Pool: None Action: Instant

The Freak may only active this if there is another member of his band close enough to touch. When he does so, he merges into the other member, forming a creature with four arms, four legs, and two heads. The Freak with the highest Blood Potency is considered the dominant character, who can determine how and where the pair travels.

The target to be subsumed or merged into need not spend vitae to become a part of this amalgam; however, a point of vitae must be spent to maintain the form, and the target may spend that point to do so.

Each of the characters has their own health, blood pool, and otherwise act independent of one another. Each of the characters may attack independently, providing there are two targets close enough; generally, however, the two attack the same. If one grapples the target, the other may attack it on his turn as if it were prone. Both characters can grapple the same target for a single attack, with the subordinate adding half of his Strength + Brawl to the grapple of the dominant.

This Devotion costs 3 Experiences.

Power Up (Celerity **, Protean ****, Vigor **)

Sometimes called “Going Full Saiyan,” the Freak causes his Vitae to surge and infuse him with preternatural potency. The Freak is able to transform his body and essence into that of a more powerful vampire, although the effect is short-lived and difficult to maintain for long.

Cost: 1 Vitae per Potency dot / 1 Willpower per turn after the first Dice Pool: None Action: Reflex

For every vitae spent in activation, the Freak’s Blood Potency rises by 1 point. The effect lasts for that turn, and every turn thereafter in which the Freak spends a Willpower point to do so.

This Devotion costs 4 Experiences.