Pureblood Clans
Vampiric Pureblood Clans (also known interchangeably as Families) are powerful underground kinships that form the basis of known Vampire society. Age and ability is what runs each clan, with the Elders being the overall de facto rulers of each of the six major houses found in this society.
Structure
Each of the six clans have been ruled by the Elders, the ancient vampires of each that has survived for centuries to millennia, maybe even older. They make up a council in each that rules with an iron fist. Many of the eldest is truly ancient and barely able to feed let alone hunt, yet are honoured for surviving for so long. They are able to control their respective clans with absolute authority and force of will. Each command, order or statement is obeyed. They vote where necessary if there is disagreement with the majority winning.
The Family Lords govern the next ring of power withing the clan. Generally the eldest of specific family branches within each clan, they follow the dictates of the Elders, and when the Elders are indisposed, will govern the clan passing information up and down the line, holding court when need be to best implement what they see as needed to maintain their power and the power of their branch within the clan. Most do this on a daily basis, while others are more hands off letting others sort out the fine details of running the family members.
The Purebloods are the next level given to those who can trace their bloodlines to other Pureblood vampire lines and like any of these arrogant creatures, view any blood from outside one of the great houses as dirty. They do the daily work of working for both the clan and the family branch, though in many cases these are indistinguishable.
The Halfbloods are below the others and are those who has the blood of a Pureblood on one side of their ancestry and the blood of a mortal, or two mortal parents. Many vampire spawn fall into this category, along with those who maybe have a parent from one of the Pureblood line, and maybe a minor house (minor houses are always referred to as Halfblood Clans due to questionable ancestry). The do the bulk of the grunt work and dirtier jobs that the rest wouldn't sully their hands with.
Blood Slaves are the lowest of the low. These downtrodden creatures are usually human and similar sapient creatures kept by the clans the worst jobs as possible along with a source of nourishment for the others. They are deliberately fed upon at times or suffer from mass suggestion by the vampires to keep them in place. Effectively fodder in times of war, starvation, or if a job is needed (preferably one which the higher ups wouldn't sully themselves doing), then it is up to these wretches). Normally outnumbering their masters 10 to one and even 1000 to 1 is not uncommon, but living in squalor and the depravation of their superiors keep them from rising up. And that is even if they are truly aware of these horrid conditions.
Culture
The Clans are closely related with members marrying between the different branches in the same clan, and at other times between clans. Each generally has a specific specialty though certain traits are found throughout the Purebloods as a whole. Each Pureblood is taught since birth that they are demigods in flesh, descended of Samael & Lilith literally & figuratively. This gives them a certain arrogance and a sense of entitlement. The latter is especially true concerning their prey species & and the Halfbloods.
They believe that they are to rule the night in the name of their kind, and all shall bend their knee. Those found in the realms of Hell that Samael & Lilith reside follow the same pattern. The pureblood vampires stick rigidly to the clan system allowing little to none of the other vampire kinds into their ranks. Vampire spawn are the only kind that have any chance of gaining access but are usually seen as inferior Halfbloods in many cases, even when they are accepted.
Each clan has a group of Elders at the top who run the specific agenda of the clan, and will cling on to power at all costs. They will happily kill their kin to prevent clan secrets, specific structures, and specialities from being took over by another. Ever since the clans started they were designed by the original creators to hold onto power and each could only specialise in specific fields. The pureblood vampires themselves are generally born with some ability or traits leaning into the clan specialty. Nurtured over time , the vampire will develop this skill far beyond any mortal. In this way they differ from the Halfbloods who generally don't share this trait.
The other strains of vampirism are frowned upon, and generally are used as a mix of security, lab rats, general staff filling any number of low grade workforce. They are seen as expendable and the Purebloods are quite willing to both feed on them, if not have them killed in their hundreds to protect the Purebloods. The Halfbloods that show promise are accepted in only if they are supervised and their previous lives are completely forgotten about. Even then certain elements will never truly trust them. In certain circumstances, Halfbloods have turned traitor either fleeing to other clans, or selling out the Vampire Nation as a whole.
When it comes to mortals the Clans control a number of them throughout the known world, and will use & abuse them at will. Seen as a source of food and nothing else, these mortals are given simple tasks to do, and usually tempted with the thought of immortality. In every instance they find out too late that the clans will happily have all of them killed if it meant a single pureblood survived. Many are tempted in if they have knowledge or skills that the purebloods want to possess. This is done by offering any number of potential benefits, at least perceived to be beneficial.
They do have a longstanding feud with the Necrocult seeing the sterility of the latter making it at loggerheads with the Purebloods need for living blood. That and those who have left the clans or been exiled from them, have turned to the Necrocult. They do send the odd one of their kind, along with spells and magical items to the Necrocult, mainly as a form of keeping the latter off their backs. There is always a twist to this and usually use it as an excuse to spy on the cult, or to mess up their plans down the line.
Public Agenda
The Clans keep this system hidden from the world at large for it potentially be used to weaken them if a specific Clan is destroyed overall. This is true to the extent that there was once a Clan that governed the religious aspect of the Purebloods. Being fanatical zealots, they openly preached that only those of the Vampire Nation would rule the world in Samael & Lilith's name. Attracting the attention of an ancient human civilisation, it was hunted down and killed. Since that time millennia ago, the rest realised they needed to work in secret far from the light of others and the surface world to avoid being exposed.
Assets
Each Pureblood Clan controls vast estates in the Underdark, primarily deep in the old Persian Middle East. These run round the region where the ziggurat of the temple to Samael & Lilith are situated. They are closely tied to the Vampire Nation Council that exists in the same region.
The Council is made up of a number of Pureblood Elders drawn directly from the Elders of the separate clans. Usually an equal number they meet once a month and a session can last for days if not weeks. They are able to settle all disputes and arguments during this and will rule what they think is best for all vampires (at least in the Middle East. North Africa and Europe. Little is known if they have any contact with vampires beyond these regions. It is likely though like the rest of their society, secrecy is tantamount.
They control large formidable personal armies, with stockpiles of weaponry & armour of many types, along with spellcasters, libraries, laboratories & many specific types of specialists at their disposal. Each of the six main clans controls their own mini-empire within the Vampire Nation and have built up around a citadel in the middle of a major city hidden away from most of the Underdark.
History
The Pureblood Clans and the Vampire Nation was born at the same time and are intrinsically linked, since their birth millennia ago. The archangel Samael and Lilith met after the latter was thrown out of the Garden of Eden for refusing to submit to Adam, the first man. With this union, Lilith was taken in to Samael's domain straddling Heaven and Hell, given that Samael fulfils YHWH's will as an accuser, seducer & destroyer and his dark nature falls between acts of good and evil . Lilith eventually started to give birth to children. Unfortunately for her, being cursed by YHWH for her insolence, and Samael being such a powerful & dangerous archangel, led to her birthing fiendish entities that still affect the world today. Some of the children include the Succubae & Incubi, and another was the first vampires.
These vampires proved exceptionally powerful and seemed to take on elements of their mother's mortal human form. This allowed them easy access to the world of man, and they primarily settled there in the lands in and around the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and ancient Persia. Building up followers and birthing more of their kind along with the odd one that their mother would still birth. These latter vampires usually find themselves acting in Hell as there is little room for them in the Clans of Earth.
What happened was many of the original vampires showed different traits, specialties and expertise. Most of these banded to gather in their own unique groups producing more of their kind, and forming the first clans. To stop all out war between them the Elder Council was set up to settle disputes, and to help focus the Vampire Nation into a cohesive whole.
Now, on the whole, fewer Purebloods are actually born than Halfbloods created by the gift of vampirism. The difference is many of those original vampires that made it through to Earth still live, and have countless centuries of experience in the art of survival. Part of this stems from the rise of the First Men, and the Yuan-Ti, and a number of other sapient species the vampires fed on, and warred with. This caused the vampires to be more cautious and reliant on their natural stealth & scheming nature. This coupled with their naturally long lifespans if fed regularly helped them survive in the shadows and in myth & legend.
The Clans
The Clans Themselves are split into six surviving clans and one extinct clan. The extinct clan was called Nabuwat Khoon and were religious zealots acting as the priesthood of the Vampire Nation. The meaning of the name is long forgotten by most but thought to be Blood Prophecy. Their ill-conceived venture into trying to persuade non-vampires to the cause of worshipping Samael & Lilith led to many ancient peoples to the fact there were vampires and the clan being wiped out almost completely. This that remain belong to other Great Clans through marriage or by claiming sanctuary , where their skills as clerics can be put to good use.
Intermarriage between the Great Clans is not uncommon and can act as a peaceful means of strengthening each other while the vampire can spy & try to direct policies etc in favour of their original clan. This is expected and tolerated as each Pureblood is quite self-centred and ambitious in their own right. As long as it does not result in long-term harm or bloodshed, especially in a large scale, then it's not even tolerated, it's admired.
The remaining six Great Clans are as follows:
Arababaan Tarik. These 'Lords of Darkness' are the first trueborn Purebloods, and make up the ruling elite of all the soc clans. Rich, powerful, scheming and possessing an excellent knowledge of all vampire kind makes them natural leaders. They are known for their extreme arrogance, seeing themselves above all others of their kind, and the need to dominate all other vampires no matter what type the vampire is. Their need to dominate extends to all life and they view the world and all in it belonging to them and them only. Their parents, Samael & Lilith, are viewed as the only entities that can potentially rule in their stead. Since little contact exists between the parents and Vampire Nation the Arababaan Turik sees it as their duty to watch over and guide all other vampires to their manifest destiny of being the world's inly true apex predators. They have a regal air about themselves, dressed in exquisite clothing & jewellery and are the longest lived of all the vampires. They use a crest with a midnight blue background, gold trim, a gold crown emblem on top, and a gold chased teardrop style design in the centre with red bats wings.
Khoon Richten. The Blood Spillers are the most militaristic out of the Clans. An air of the noble warrior surrounds each of it's clan members, and all stand proud having mastered multiple fighting styles individually and army level. When fed any scars or injuries incurred from combat are usually healed leaving no trace, so to this end the warriors of the Khoon Richten learn from a early age to finish feeding just as the wound nears healing to leave a scar or bump, or similar make that they can then boast a later date. Each element in the clan has access to advanced weapons & armours made from the mundane materials of the world to the exotic from other regions. The Khoon Richten believe that through strength of arms will the Vampire Nation conquer all and dominate the world. The other clans are seen as weak and in need of the protection of the Khoon Richten. The clan uses a crest of a grey-iron background with a decorated golden spear at the centre. Around the edge is a gold trim with a pair of red bat wings at the top left & right, along with a golden sword handle & pommel at the top.
Ketabkhane Tariki. The Library of Darkness is the Clan known for their intelligence. They are bookish sorts, constantly collecting information and recording it. Having a burning need to collect information drives them to the outside world and one of the known clans. Generally only feeding when needed, they are more than likely to let a sapient creature be if the latter can supply the vampire with knowledge it doesn't own. In the same moment they will slaughter whole regions just to get what they want, even if it is only for a single parchment or an individual whose skilled needing documented. They have massive libraries filled with parchments, tablets, books, vellum, and even living bodies with writings carved into living flesh. Most other clans pay handsomely to examine these when needed to, Known to be one of the thinnest vampire clans, with sharp features and little hair, and a paler appearance than most vampire kind. The clan uses a crest of a red background, with a golden trim and winged head & spine in the centre. This is meant to show intelligence to their kind.
Sayeh Hai Shab. The Shadows of Night are probably the most secretive of the Clans. Also referred to as the Shadows Eyes, they are the masters of intrigue, spies, infiltration experts, saboteurs , and masters of misinformation. They are the most secretive of the Clans and have kept their Clan hidden behind darkness for millennia. Many an assassination, door "accidentally" left unlocked, or other nefarious act throughout the Vampire Nation can be traced back to these schemers. They also are used as a secret police, keeping an eye on all others, and even themselves some would say, to prevent revolt and any major hazard from within. All this caused by them being the most mistrustful of all Clans, even of each other. These attributes serve the other Clans well stopping one from completely dominating and subsuming the rest. Their skills also help to monitor sapient creatures. By keeping any foe from the door so to speak they can mislead a foe away from their doorstep, all the while infiltrating settlements & regions that could be of use to the Vampire Nation at some distant point. They are known to cover themselves in disguise at all times, and regularly use the shadows to avoid being fully seen, even by their peers. What is known is that they have a habit of using covert means to escape detection and are masters of disguise. Their crest is that of a grey background and gold trim with a gold dragon motif with wings, symbolising the strongest & deadliest of serpents.
Ustadan Rah Surkh. The Masters of the Red Path are the second ranking power in the Clans of the Vampire Nation. Using long forgotten Blood Magic, Black Magic, and arcane sciences, they are constantly developing these further discovering many secrets to life, death and other mysteries best left forgotten. Only answerable to the Lords of Darkness, and able to command help from any other Clan no matter what their ranking makes them hated throughout the Vampire Nation. Only through what they produce keeps the rest from turning on them. Many discoveries has helped the Vampire Nation succeed over the millennia since it formed. Armour & weapon designs, spells, understanding of vampire physiology & anatomy, the study of other species, are but a few of the skills found in this Clan. They also carry out unspeakable acts on others as well as themselves pushing the boundaries f what is acceptable and what is not in the Nation. Most have strange magical scars & body modifications placed throughout their bodies, of what they do no-one but the relevant Master can tell and even then half are entirely experimental. The Clan has one of the most notable members of the Vampire Nation, one that has been encountered above ground and in daylight, something driving him to explore far from his home. This individual is feared by the Elder Council as he is known as having a golden tongue of sorts too. His name is Dassem Luqman, one of the oldest vampires known, and one of the highest ranking in their society as a whole. Their crest is red with a flame style gold trim. The centre is that of a stylised gold lock, trident and sword hilt. This symbolises the nature of peering beyond that which is locked away and true power comes from this.
Khuishawand Peach Khurda. The Twisted Kin is the remaining Clan and the name suits them well. Know for the amount of twisted individuals that have been birthed in this Clan it is a wonder that the rest of the Vampire Nation hasn't turned on them. Each new generation it seems to be getting gradually worse. Mental instability is common, and bat-like traits are common throughout. They seem to enter a primal ferocity when angered and can easily rend another vampire limb from limb with ease. How they came about is relatively unknown and with others like the Masters of the Red Path & Library of Darkness speculate from what sources they have gleaned that this Clan was originally touched by the Powers of Hell itself making the Clan cursed with a strain of some type of other Fiend. This is open for discussion, and a rather moot point as no-one can be truly sure. What is sure is that the Masters of the Red Path are constantly meddling in this Clan's affairs, usually taking away those deemed too dangerous to remain, those the Masters find interesting (to study in some gruesome twisted way) or by tampering with the clan itself under the guise of helping them medically. The Chan is rumoured to be primogenitors of the Mind Drinker Vampires, Blood Drinker Vampires and the Nosferatu (the latter of which does have some physical similarities with many Twisted Kin). Their crest is red with a gold trim and small designs attached, and a vampiric bat-like creature displayed within it.
The Nameless needs mentioned too and are minor houses who just do not have the numbers or the relevant Pureblood ancestry to be able to claim to be one of the Great Clans. They are small enough they pose no great threat to the order of things but if they were able to organise themselves they would dwarf the others many times over. So far they haven't been able to due to the machinations of the Great Houses and the inability of themselves to agree upon anything except the most basic of plans. Besides, many Halfbloods belong to these clans and many are attached to one or more of the Great Clans and will do as the latter wants.
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