By Brian Connors (connorbd@bc.edu) Refer to World of Darkness: The Roman Empire
The ibn-Haqimi are spoken of only in fearful whispers by vampires everywhere, both within the Empire and outside of it. They seem entirely unlike all other vampires; where the Malcafii and Umbrati are seen as manipulators, the ibn-Haqimi are considered naked aggressors, greedy and brutal and willing to take down all of vampiredom to further their own power. They are killers in the night, willing to take money to hunt down mortals and any fee at all for other Cainites. Though there is a movement among them to build some kind of code of ethics and honor, it is far from developed.
The Western Cainites have misheard, misread, and misunderstood so much about them it is hard to separate fact from truth. What is said is that the Haqimin are immune to sunlight; this is not true, though the eldest grow very dark-skinned (Haqim himself, said by his clan to be older than Aricella, is said to possess skin darker than the night sky itself). It is also said that the Sons of Haqim are coldly mercenary, with no ethics at all; while some are that way, the truth is that they simply operate with a detachment similar to that of the growing Euthanatos cult in India. They operate on a principle similar to what later generations will call Social Darwinism: power is survival, and survival is everything. Those who cannot keep their power when there is an attempt to take it lack enough power to survive; therefore, let those who can survive continue and to hell with those who can't. It is a siege mentality, plain and simple, but they don't look at it that way.
The ibn-Haqim guard Alamut fiercely; mortals are wiped and sent on their way, while vampires are subdued and diablerized unless they can give a good reason for being there and/or earn the respect of the leaders of the clan. Haqim himself is said to live (perhaps in torpor, perhaps not) deep underground, in one of Alamut's most heavily guarded sanctuaries. He (as well as the other elders of the clan) generally live on the blood tithes of the younger, a tradition that has been required for many centuries. Some say that Haqim has actually become more powerful than all other Senices by this method, perhaps even gaining a generation on them; however, Haqim is so secretive even by his clan's standards that no one knows for certain if this is the case.
The ibn-Haqimi are even more feared for one reason: they put the Umbrati and the Nictuci to shame for stealth. This, more than anything else, is the primary reason they are so widely feared; it is said the most powerful of Haqim's Sons can drain a target without the target ever knowing it was the target. This capability, named Quietus in Latin for lack of a better name, is one of a few Disciplines that virtually nobody can claim legitimate reasons for wanting.
Oddly enough, it seems to be because of them that the name Cain is known throughout the Empire. It also seems that Cain is the name of a figure in one of the more common religions in Palestine; there may be some connection, but the Haqimin are not telling...
Brushah: They would only be worth the trouble if their knowledge could be drained with their vitae.
Cappadocii: They clean up our mistakes, but it tends to be unnecessary; our elders could easily do that for them.
Gangrilli: We don't need to be paid to go after them. They're annoying enough to kill on principle.
Malcafii: Petty little whiners. But there's something behind their manipulations, and I don't know if I like what I see...
Nictuci: At some point it will be up to us to decide what to do with them. The Nosferati will be useful to us. The hardliners just look like dinner.
Rafanuti: Laughable but dangerous. Final Death is what they deserve, but they are too clever to have it handed to them. Tread carefully and show no mercy.
Salubri: Interesting specimens. There is a good reason why they keep going, and I would love to know what it is.
Setites: The only good thing about them is the power they harbor. They are vessels to be consumed; never allies to be trusted.
Simistis: Mmmm... The oldest of them know of our domain and respect it. Tread carefully; there is great power among them but there are a few that are dangerously tainted...
Taureator: Respect their power now, but they are not survivors. They are barely even leaders. We will feast when they fall.
Umbrati: I was surprised to learn that their homeland was so far west. Their kind have been manipulating shadows and lives here for centuries.
Ventruta: They are now bound to the same wheel as the Taureatores. They are not fallen, no matter what they think.