CRISTAS

By Luke Green (thrythlind@aol.com)

Author's Notes

I took my ideas from the following movies and books: Vampire the Masquerade (White Wolf), Vampire: the Dark Ages (White Wolf), Nightstalkers (Marvel Comics), Sleeping Beauty (Disney), The Relic, The Saint, and Blood Ties

Nickname

Dragons

Background

Crista was Lasombra survivor of the Anarch overthrow of her clan, the event happening only shortly (a century or so) after her Embrace. For a time she was sheltered by a gangrel, but he fell to the same anarchs later. Seeking vengeance she made a deal with an entity she knew as the Hunter that had spoken to her for as long as she could remember. The exact nature of this Hunter is unknown, but it is probably some kind of umbral beastie that worked its way into the underworld somehow. In return for the power to hunt and slay her foes she and her progeny would be the material agents for those wraiths that allied themselves with the Hunter for whatever reason.

Crista started stalking her enemies, but soon discovered it was a more difficult task than she had originally envisioned. She recruited a small group of mortal vampire hunters and at some point Embraced one of them. When the new kindred retained his reflection in the glass, Crista first assumed that she had created a caitiff, but it soon became obvious that her deal had changed her bloodline into something new.

Cristas spread from that point, becoming a constant thorn in the side of first the Lasombra, then the Sabbat, then any vampire they felt was "breaking the rules." In general they are individuals that had lost all their human connections before their sire even encountered them. By the time they were selected by a Crista, they had dedicated their life to a hunt of some type. A Crista's choice for progeny always spends time as a ghoul, and no Crista will ever create a ghoul they don't one day intend to Embrace. They do not actually Embrace an individual until they are sure that the person can survive on his own as a Crista kindred. As far as the Cristas are concerned, Crista ghouls share their blood and are thus kindred and family.

There are two types of Crista: there are the Wyverns, solitary stalkers that have one ghoul at most, and then not very often, and there are the Drakes, who generally work in pairs with an accompanying pack of ghouls. All Crista enjoy putting there unlives at risk, as long as there is some kind of purpose to the act. This stems from the fact that Crista do not want to forget that they can be killed, but Wyverns and Drakes express this attitude in different manners.

Drake packs -- both the ghouls and the kindred are called Drakes -- tend to have a high casualty rate, which is why they have a pack. Drakes prefer to overwhelm their enemies with numbers and ferocity, taking as many enemies as they can in as little time as possible. If they find a single Sabbat they will track him until they encounter as many as they think they will find, then attack. Drakes are usually more skilled at open combat than most other kindred and even Crista. Gangrel and Tzimice are usually the only ones that can face them on equal terms.

In general a pack consists of two Cristas and somewhere between 5 and 10 ghouls. One Crista and two ghouls remain at the lair, or off on ordinary errands, at all times. This is to prevent the entire pack from being erased by a poorly planned attack. Usually the pair of Crista begin as "sibling" kindred that left another pack after being Embraced, but the high casulty rate of the pack tends to make it into a Sire and Childe set fairly soon.

In extreme cases, important attacks and such, the entire pack will be Embraced. Afterwards they will split off into smaller, more traditional, groups.

When there are too many ghouls they Embrace some of the older ones who go off to become Wyverns or start a Drake pack. When there are too few ghouls they simply recruit more. Usually the problem is that one of the Crista has died, in which case another ghoul must be Embraced. To avoid problems of split loyalty, the ghouls are usually blood bound to the pair.

The dangerous nature of the pack's preferred tactics makes both the ghouls and Cristas unusually loyal to each other. Since the pack is so small and both parts of it depend on the other, ghouls and Cristas protect each other fiercely. Also the pack ensures that the two Crista do not actually have to hunt for sustenance as often as Wyverns.

Drakes maintain communal havens, and generally rest within sight of each other. Those packs that are more touched by Scylla derangements tend to sleep in one large pile, like lizards and snakes of some species. Attacking a haven is a very dangerous proceeding, as there are always a number of traps and alarms even before reaching the haven itself. And not all the inhabitants will be as somnolent as they pretend to be.

Wyverns appear to be more cautious, but they have few if any allies to fall back on. Unless they are teaching a prospective Crista they travel alone and hunt alone. They tend to be more rounded than Drakes, and while they tend to be less powerful in face to face battle, they are more capable killers. Wyverns prefer that the prey not see them before they die, and they take what they can when they can. Other than these simple facts there is nothing to signify Wyverns as a whole.

Cristas don't hunt indiscriminately, but neither the ghouls nor the kindred have much concern for the bulk of humanity. They couldn't care much less about the kindred beyond the clan either, beyond their hunt against the Sabbat and a few occasions where a wyvern became or acquired a kindred paramour. A Crista will kill an innocent without guilt, if there is need, but they consider it weakness to hunt such individuals for food. After all, the preservation of good people encourages the propagation of the species which keeps the food supply constant. Diablerie is a common practice among the Crista, especially when hunting the Sabbat, so it is not uncommon to find young Cristas of unusually low generations.

Cristas don't use the metaphor of the Man and the Beast, they use the Hunter and the Prey.

The difference between the Prey and the Hunter is that the Hunter thinks about its actions, and the Prey just reacts blindly. The Prey will kill beyond the Hunt, and will retreat without thinking. The Prey will also strike at their own kind, like a rabid dog.

As for culture, Cristas live outside of the public eye usually, but they enjoy going to nightclubs, concerts, movies and other such things. They especially enjoy music and live plays. Gangrel sometimes find Cristas attending one of their Gathers to listen to the stories, though the discovery is usually after the Crista has left since they are capable of imitating Gangrel well enough for the informal Gathers. Likewise some Toreador musicians have Crista fans. Stories of people who kept a vampire enthralled through a night by singing or storytelling probably come from encounters with Cristas, though they could just as likely be Toreadors or Gangrel.

Appearance

Cristas come from a range of physical appearances. Most of the older Cristas are male, but as more women enter the lines of work that they recruit from more women are being Embraced.

Haven

While Cristas often have a fair amount of mortal influence and wealth the Cristas themselves prefer to avoid public view. They prefer large havens that no one pays much attention to. Underground caverns, old theatres and auditoriums, warehouses, etc. They mostly avoid sewers as Nosferatu generally dwell within those structures. Crista ghouls live with their domitors. There are some Crista, virtually all Drakes, who break this pattern, though and live in large houses with their ghoul servants.

Background

All Cristas were formerly Crista ghouls, and most of them had little or no human associations even before becoming ghouls. To be chosen by a Crista one must prove to be a hunter of some type. Throughout the five hundred years of the bloodline's existence the most common choices were vampire hunters, never the crusader type. Sometimes they break from tradition and choose from military, law enforcement and criminal backgrounds. Rumor has it that a hacker of fair potential has recently been Embraced by the traditionally physical bloodline.

Character Creation

Cristas tend to have primary physical attributes and primary skills. Generation, Retainers and Allies are common backgrounds.

Clan Disciplines

Scylla, Presence, Fortitude

Weakness

Crista's end of the bargain to create this bloodline was that her progeny would act as agents for the dead. They are almost constantly haunted by spirits wishing them to perform tasks. These spirits are not always part of the original bargain, but the Crista don't in general know this, and only those few with the medium merit have any chance to discover a fraud or spectre.

Organization

The Crista have no official organization, keeping in contact with Sires and Progeny, but rarely doing anything else.

As for individual units, Crista fall into two categories. First are the solitary stalkers who have no allies or retainers and only a few contacts. Then there are the pack hunters. A pair of Crista leading a ghoul pack, usually these packs begin with "sibling" Crista, but the high casulty rate usually makes them into Sire and Childe packs fairly quickly.

Preferred Paths

Path of the Hunt