By Jay Knioum (madafro@trip.net)
In any case, I must confess a lack of knowledge as far as Kindred history (especially around ancient times) is concerned. Please bear this in mind when reading of the Icarus' origins, and take any misconceptions of mine with a grain of salt.
Daedalus warned his son not to fly too high...but Icarus didn't listen. Icarus flew so high that the sun melted the wax of his wings, and he plummeted to his death.
In the World of Darkness, this legend has meaning far beyond simple myth. All that the legends say of Icarus was that he was Daedalus' son, and that he died when he would not listen to his father's warning.
What the legends do not tell is that the True Brujah of the time had extensive dealings with Daedalus, the brilliant inventor and his son, a beautiful young man with a zest for life and a keen mind. There are whispers among the oldest living Kindred that Minos was not only a king, but a vampire himself, possibly a Lasombra. Through a complex weave of intrigue that is now forever veiled by time, Minos, the Brujah, and Daedalus and his son became intertwined. Variations of the legends also have Minos as a renegade Tzimisce, and the minotaur was actually some sort of precursor to the vozhd.
Minos did imprison the architect and his son, and they did escape by way of a magical pair of wings. However, the legends do not mention how the wings were constructed. In the World of Darkness, the two somehow were contacted by a powerful spirit of Sun, who gave them the gift of flight if they could but construct a pair of wings. This the brilliant Daedalus did, and Sun gave them flight, and a warning: Seek Not To Touch Me, But Go Thy Way. Icarus, being the impetuous young man he was, could not resist a chance to touch the Sun, and ignored the warning. His end is known to any student of mythology.
The Brujah, along with Daedalus, were overcome with sorrow at Icarus' death, especially since one or two elders had even considered embracing the young man. Instead, Daedalus requested that the Brujah embrace him, but allow him to feed first upon the vitae of his son (the times were such that Daedalus was not horrified by such an idea), so as to carry on his essence throughout time. The Brujah granted their mortal friend his boon, and Daedalus was made immortal. However, once he drank from his son's body, he was changed. Huge, white pinions shot from his back. Sun had left a gift within the blood of Icarus, perhaps as a small act of mercy borne of sentiment for the young man's spirit. Forever after, the Icarus Clan, as Daedalus so named it, have been the vampire harbingers of freedom, passion, and the power of the individual.
As a clan, the Icarus value nothing so much as freedom. "Freedom" takes on many meanings, however, and this clan's members range from the passionate revolutionary to the zealous crusader, from the saint to the debauch. Wings, all too often, do not an angel make.
The Harpy Icarus, (usually referred to only as Harpies) who still believe in the ideals of freedom (albeit through their own biased interpretation) upon which the Clan was founded, follow the Sabbat doctrine and practices wholeheartedly. The Harpies believe that vampires should utterly enslave mankind, and have no love for the "simpletons" who seek to save the mortals from their wrath. As a matter of fact, the Harpies no longer see themselves as part of the Icarus Clan, believing the "prancing peacocks" of the Celestine to be little more than fools.
The Celestine Icarus value the freedom of the individual above all else. They are not part of the Camarilla, as they believe that it serves only to suppress the inherent freedom of the Kindred. However, they do have a great respect for individuals of many Clans, and do not believe that one's Clan dictates one's merit (or lack of it), although the neonates of the Clan are more given to stereotypes than the elders. Basically put, the Celestine Icarus are allies to any who wish to break free of oppression, whatever form it may come in. Icarus neonates seek out runaways and abused children and provide them with aid or advice. Ancillae are found leading their own crusades against oppressive governments or organizations, frequently siding with the Brujah, Gangrel or Ravnos clans in the process. The Icarus Elders believe themselves to be paragons of liberty, but many of them have gone into torpor, seeing the cause as hopeless after so many centuries of watching slavery and corruption abound in the world.
The Icarus have a long history that paints the clan as a diverse one, mostly with how the Icarus deal with the mortal world. Many factions of Icarus have evolved over the course of history, with purposes of all kinds. (See Factions, below)
Icarus can hide their wings with great effort underneath bulky clothing. Naturally, when the Icarus are found in public places, they are usually buried underneath trenchcoats. However, it must be noted that unless her wings are free and apparent, only the first two levels of the Icarus' Peregrine discipline can be used.
Hiding one's wings is accomplished by an Intelligence + Acting roll. The difficulty is assigned by the Storyteller, taking into account the clothes the Icarus wishes to wear, and the surroundings she wishes to go into while disguised. Crowds are easy to conceal things in, but a police interrogation does not lend itself to such subterfuge.
However, it is very uncomfortable to keep such large body parts restrained for too long, and eventually the Storyteller will have to call for Stamina + Acting rolls with increasing difficulties to keep the wings under wraps. Usually, an Icarus can hide her wings for an hour or two without a problem, but after several nights, her back muscles will be in agony.
Another weakness of the Icarus is their discomfort within closed spaces. The Icarus are very much creatures of the sky, and to enclose them in a small space for extended periods is the same as torturing them. Whenever an Icarus is kept within a small, enclosed space without windows for over an hour, he must begin making Willpower rolls every hour after that or fall into a frenzy. A "small space" is considered to be any room or chamber about the size of a jail cell, with nothing to occupy the vampire's attention. Thus, libraries are not as likely to produce this effect as a coffin would be.
At the same time, however, Celestine Icarus realize the paradox inherent in ghouling a mortal. What greater kind of slavery exists than to create one of these creatures, who must feed upon the vampire's blood to survive in her state? Thus, the Icarus do not take the subject lightly, and almost never ghoul a mortal that they do not intend to eventually Embrace.
Individuals who are prime candidates for ghouling by an Icarus include those individuals who want to do some good in the world, yet are often frustrated by reality, beauracracy, poverty, or other factors. Police officers, politicians, social workers, wrongly convicted prisoners, teachers, federal agents, revolutionaries, philosophers, artists, etc. can all fit this description.
Harpies: Protean*, Obfuscate, Peregrine
*Any Icarus, upon attaining the Form of the Beast power in Protean, always replace the Bat form with an avian shape. Eagles, hawks, vultures & other birds of prey or carrion birds are most common, but only one is possible per vampire.
Mortals: What are we without them? This is a mortals' world, under the mortals' control. We may live forever, but ultimately, we can but watch and listen. Guide the living well and never underestimate them.
The Camarilla: They are a prison unto themselves, and the passion for freedom that burns in all Kindred hearts will struggle with Camarilla bonds until they break. Then, only bloodshed can result.
The Brujah: We weep for the Brujah; they have lost so much. Sadder still, is that they don't even seem to realize it. We must be their teachers, lest they destroy themselves.
The Ravnos: Their carefree ways are an inspiration to us; would that all Kindred could live as they do! If only they weren't so enraptured with mischief, and so in love with themselves, they could teach other Kindred much.
The Gangrel: Possibly the best of us all, but perhaps they are too free. We must teach them to care about their cousins, for the Gangrel united could be a powerful force indeed.
The Ventrue: They must learn that, in order to lead the Kindred, it must be in a direction other than backward.
The Sabbat: They seek freedom, as do we, but they do it at a cost too great to be considered justified. They are different from the Camarilla, but no better, as their members are little more than mindless slaves to a false ideal. (but then, the same could be said for the Camarilla...)
The Harpies: They are a blot upon us, and if they cannot be turned, then they must be eradicated. This pains us, for they are of our blood.
Toreador: Empty. A pity; they could be so much more...
Tremere: We must judge all Kindred as individuals, yet this clan tries our wills to the core. Teach them much, but trust them not.
Malkavians: They have paid the ultimate price for their liberty. All Kindred must watch the children of Malkav, for they are a sure sign of the Beast's victory.
Nosferatu: Theirs is the freedom of the exiled, a dubious position to say the least. Judge them by their actions, not by their faces.
The Flame is most active in any part of the world where Sabbat activity is concentrated. In particular, the Flame has a large stronghold in the mountains of Mexico, and rumor has it that Hazar al-Zhereb himself is hidden somewhere in Brazil, possibly Rio de Janeiro.
At its worst, the Vigilant are a decaying artifact of simpler times. They share much in common with the Garou, as they fight a losing battle against increasingly overwhelming odds. Worse, the older Vigilant are seen by Icarus neonates less as bold leaders against tyranny, and more as doddering fossils who have lost touch with the world.
Finally, the Vigilant are being eaten away from within by increasing games of intrigue among the Flight's elders. As time wears on, these old Icarus are becoming more concerned with holding their power bases than combating oppression, and the ideologies are gathering dust.
Still, the Vigilant have many members yet fueled by the spirit of freedom, and these ones are still in the majority...for now.
In particular, the Order seeks out newly created Kindred who have been abandoned by their sires. The Order takes a special interest in Caitiff, and seeks to protect them from the brutality of Kindred society by educating them in matters vampiric, and otherwise.
The Order is said to have researched a strange discipline which seems to take on characteristics of Thaumaturgy and Obeah. Indeed, the Order has been known to fraternize with the Tremere and certain mages in their researches into the nature of vampirism and the Occult.
The Order maintains a vast library of knowledge within the mountains of Tibet, under the guise of a Buddhist temple. The Icarus claim that all knowledge is contained there. While that probably isn't true, it is a safe bet that there is no tome written that does not find its way there eventually. Rumor has it that the Library of the Order has in its collection the only full copy of the Book of Nod. The Order will not confirm or deny this, and only the Elders of the Clan know the answer for certain.
The Order of the Labyrinth has within it a small, monastic group of Icarus, called the Aesthetics, who maintain the library. In so doing, they have agreed to give up the skies for all time in sacrifice to their perceived greater duty. Thus, the Aesthetics have actually cut off their wings, in a long ritual that some say has driven the vampires mad.
In modern times, the Apostate Host can best be defined as Satanists. Yet, they are not really evil...merely arrogant and proud. They believe that the angel called Lucifer Morningstar was right in his rebellion against God, and they believe the Almighty was, and is, the universe's greatest tyrant.
During a Dark Ages Chronicle, the Apostate are a young Flight, but very active in mortal affairs. They particularly appeared to churchmen and the very faithful, enjoying very much the adoration and awe (enhanced in no small way by Presence) extended toward them by the mortals of the day. They have only begun to demonstrate the "qualities" of their modern-day descendants...of pride and perceived superiority over all sentient creatures. As "messengers from God," the Apostate are learning that the medieval mortals will practically fall upon their swords at their merest suggestion...a dangerous temptation to these willful vampires.
Yet, the Apostate has never aligned with the Baali. They have always seen that clan as unenlightened fools, groveling for scraps of power in the wrong places. Both clans have much to do with the forces of darkness...but for widely contrasting reasons. The Baali are largely selfish, malevolent sycophants who grab for power from demonic forces. The Apostate are more philosophic in approach. They care nothing for personal power, only complete freedom to enjoy their debauchery...which nowadays has become almost legendary even in the ranks of Toreador antitribu.
Roughly 5% of the Icarus population of the world are Harpies. Since they lack numbers, the make do with cunning and subtlety. They make excellent warriors, spies, assassins and just about any sort of black ops the Sabbat can come up with.
Even though the first Harpies were of the Seventh Generation, this offshoot line has absolutely no qualms about the Diablerie, and freely kill and drink of lower generations whenever possible. However, the Harpies never turn on each other. For whatever reason, an unspoken code of honor exists between each one of these vampires that prevents her from acting to another Harpy's detriment. Thus, even though the offshoot is small, their internal cohesion, determination, and lust for power makes them a formidable threat, indeed.
It is worth mentioning that in recent times, more and more Harpies have been appearing with skill in the Melpominee discipline. For reasons that can only be guessed at, certain Daughters of Cacophony have been allying themselves with female Harpies (there are male ones, of course). Some Camarilla elders speculate that this alliance is a first step by Tremere antitribu to create a cross-bloodline using Harpy and Daughter vitae.