BATHORY

By Mark Kinney (alberich@iglou.com) (20 October, 1993)

History

Believed to be a line of the Ventrue clan, something happened to this line of Kindred to make them incapable of consuming vitae by the normal method. This makes creating progeny complicated, and anyone who knows how this line came about isn't telling. Theories include a curse on a Ventrue elder by either the Setites, the newly created Tremere, or maybe even a wandering Baali.

The Bathory, named for their most famous member and founder of the line, developed a discipline that allows them to absorb blood through their skin. The factor that links them with the Ventrue is their insistence on a certain type of blood to consume, ostensibly to maintain the appearance of their Embrace age. Then again, this could be a derangement held over by the general reign the Malkavians usually claimed on Elisabeth Bathory's mortal family.

Bathory are not much liked by the Camarilla, as the most common feeding method used especially by younger Bathory, bathing in vitae drained from a victim, tends to endanger the Masquerade. The Ventrue especially disown them, denying even a link with them. Because of this, and because some of those who Elisabeth Bathory Embraced early in her vampiric life were peasants, the line divulges quite a bit from the Ventrue stereotype. This would be another fact in favor of a link with the Malkavians except that for the most part the Bathory are sane.

Nickname

Sponges

Appearance

Some continue the Ventrue stereotype, but as often as not there are serious deviations from Ventrue standards. Dress will be appropriate to the individual concept.

Haven

As appropriate to the character concept, although most Elders follow the Ventrue lead.

Background

Elders are split between peasants who were among the founder's first victims and somehow struck her twisted fancy, and the noble girls whose disappearance led to her downfall. As they get younger, more and more tend to veer away from the Ventrue type. There is talk occasionally of a Bathory among the anarchs, although this has never been confirmed.

Character creation

This bloodline is as varied as one can possibly get, especially among the younger Kindred. Nonetheless, Social attributes and Talents are generally favored.

Clan Disciplines

Dominate, Osmosis, Presence

Weaknesses

The Bathory have blood requirements similar to but not as restrictive as those of the Ventrue. Bathory may feed from any vessel, but for each week that at least one full Blood Pool's worth of their particular type of blood is not consumed, they lose a point of Appearance. It can be gained back at the rate of one point per week the blood requirements are maintained. When Appearance reaches zero, the effects are permanent and the weakness changes to that of the Nosferatu, and some of these have been known to try to join Nosferatu coteries after being cast out even by their tiny bloodline. For the above reasons, at least one Discipline point in Character Creation must be spent on Osmosis.

Organization

Bathory are far more solitary than the Ventrue, but when numbers of them gather in an area they tend to form loose groups.

Gaining prestige

The older Bathory of noble blood enjoy the Ventrue's power games. Although most Bathory neonates also enjoy following these power plays, prestige means much less to them.

Stereotypes

The Camarilla: Our methods fall afoul of their Masquerade far too often. Nevertheless, we see why our Ventrue cousins established it. We generally trust these clans except for the Ventrue, who would love to eliminate our embarrassment to their line, and the Tremere, who I am sure only want to use us as tools.

"This line is a greater danger to the Masquerade than the anarchs or, dare I say it, the Sabbat. They should have been eliminated long ago."

-- Gracis, Ventrue elder, Milwaukee

The Sabbat: Too many of our Childer take either their path or that of the anarchs.

"Any of these that become True Sabbat should be submitted to the Black Hand. There is much we can learn from them."

-- Cardinal Greco, Tzimisce, Lexington

The Inconnu: These are the only sect we can fully trust. Some say that even our founder saw her errors and strove to join their ranks.

"Their hunger is more distasteful than most; Golconda would do them more good than it does others, should any of them seek it. In the meantime, those responsible for their existence should be sought out."

-- Dondinni, sixth-generation Monitor of Genoa