Hecata
Hecata sires favor mortals either from their own mortal families, or who provide links to outside families from whom the Hecata would benefit. They prefer kine of a morbid, black-humored, or pragmatic bent, due to the clan’s death-dealing nature. They have little need for the compassionate or empathetic, unless it serves to satisfy a gap the clan — which in many ways is structured like an expanding corporation as much as it is a family — requires filled.
The Hecata Embrace those who show a resolute willingness to do what needs to be done, for the good of the family, their block, their community, or their society, ahead of their own interests. The family must always come first, whether or not your surname is Giovanni. There are no other “independents” these nights, so it’s the Hecata versus everybody else. The Necromancers describe their Embrace tradition as “gifting the truly exceptional with membership in the most exclusive of households.” Spontaneous Embraces are very much frowned upon by the wider clan, the members of which favor the ritualistic approach of observing, grooming, and voting on which mortals deserve immortality.
Kingpins, self-starters, individuals who have faced or dealt death, and those with medical or occult knowledge all appeal to the Hecata. Anyone with a true, scientific interest in death, the afterlife, and religion stands a chance of being approached for the Embrace, though academic theologians are more likely recipients of the bite than the blindly faithful. Many become vampires dedicated to serving the family, expanding its interests, and researching new mysteries associated with the cycle of life and death. Different fledglings set to work handling the living, the dying, the dead, and the rotting, in the form of nurses and careers, morticians, and of course necromancers. Each adds something to the clan.
The Hecata look for many childer among miscreants of all kinds. Though they do not control any widespread mortal crime empires, the clan appreciates the practiced killer, the cold-blooded money launderer, and the charming con artist. Their roles continue on once they receive the Embrace, complementing the clan’s legitimate businesses — investment banks, trading conglomerates, and private hospitals and care facilities — with a steady flow of illicit cash and bodies.
Clan Disciplines:
1. Auspex: The power to receive visions of fate’s intentions and speak without moving one’s lips. The Hecata believe fate has grand plans for their clan, and they do so enjoy meddling in the fates of others. They might predict a mortal’s death and prevent it, or they might hasten someone’s departure. The Hecata use Auspex to plan their moves — for this clan is cautious, and rarely strikes on impulse — and to catch glimpses of the restless dead, enabling the dread arts for which the clan is known.
2. Fortitude: The ability to resist blows, bullets and fire. The Hecata believe they are closer to death than any other clan, and the way in which they manifest this Discipline may lend credence to that claim. They absorb injuries as a corpse might, without feeling or consideration. As fists and blades rain down on them, the Necromancers shrug off such harm, inexorably approaching their target. Their minds are likewise resistant to meddling, detached in a sense from mortal fragility.
3. Oblivion: The ability to commune with, manipulate, and control the energies of death and the dead. This power is among the most mysterious of Disciplines, as it reaches into the occult territory of the afterlife. Through its use, the Hecata might interrogate a spectre or set it to attack a rival. They might rot a mortal’s flesh with a touch or practice a foul ceremony designed to drive a meddling kine to their just reward. Oblivion stains the user’s soul, but the Hecata see it as a necessary evil for understanding the mysteries of life, death, and undeath.
Clan Bane:
Steeped in death, the fangs of the Hecata bring not bliss, but agony. Victims caught unawares will violently resist unless restrained, and few people submit willingly to the torture that is the Hecata Kiss.
When drinking directly from a victim, Hecata may only take harmful drinks, resulting in blood loss (Vampire: The Masquerade, p.212). Unwilling mortals not restrained will try to escape, and even those coerced or willing must succeed in a Stamina + Resolve test against Difficulty 2 + Bane Severity in order not to recoil. Coerced or willing vampire victims of the Hecata bite must make a frenzy test against Difficulty 3 to avoid falling into a terror frenzy.
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