JOTUNN

By Ian Turner (iturner@wpine.com)

Author's notes

And here is a Bloodline inspired by one of the magic items found in the Players Guide to the Sabbat. They are for munchkin power-gamers and we should all be happy that I, their creator, have already killed them off as a Bloodline!

Description

First appearing at the turn of the first millenium, the last of this Bloodline was destroyed in the time of the Inquisition. The 7th Generation Gangrel founder of the line, Bjorn Jarlson, was a legendary warrior, famous for seeking out only the most potent of adversaries to best in single combat. He was in the mountains of is native Scandinavia when he fought one of his greatest battles, against a Giant! They fought for some time, with Bjorn having to break combat to feed on two occasions! Finally, he managed to get a solid bite in and drained the last of the 12' titan's blood. Looking down at the bloodless giant, Bjorn impulsively dropped some of his own vitae in between the creatures lips, not knowing what to expect (he knew that the Embrace didn't work on Garou from experience). The Giant awoke and slammed Bjorn into the pines before lumbering off and killing a village full of mortals to feed its colossal hunger. Bjorn was horrified by the havoc he had inadvertantly wrought and tracked the blood-starved Giant over several miles before catching up to it, collapsed on a hillside crawling through the snow. The Blood was not enough and the Embrace had, in a sense, failed, requiring the Embraced Giant to feed at a vastly greater rate than a man, up to 100's of Blood Points a night! Bjorn leapt upon his monstrous Childe and drained the vitae back out of the creature, essentially Diablerizing his failed creation. With that act, he went into an unspeakable Frenzy, after which he fell into a snowy ravine and Melded into the earth until the next night. He awoke to find that he had nearly pushed out of the soil as his body had stretched and swollen throughout the day, making him well over 7' tall! He had also gained Potence, a Discipline which he had never bothered to develop on his own! From that point on, he was first in a new Bloodline called the Jotunn and while his Childer are said to have all perished in the Inquisition (and Bjorn himself is known to have died challenging a Dragon!), until that time the tiny Bloodline (he Sired only two Childer, although one of them was known to have Sired much more prodigously) developed a reputation as the most formidable warrior Kindred around, using their great strength and resilience, as well as their great size, to crush all who opposed them.

Sobriquet

Giants

Appearance

All of the known Giants were chosen warriors, mostly of Nordic descent and almost always male. They tend to carry Greatswords if they can afford them, or large clubs or spears in other cases. One was known to use Poleaxes as hand weapons... Shields and armour were hardly available to such creatures, but many opted for thick pelts of bear hide (or even Garou skins) for limited protection.

Haven

Giants tend to live in mountain caves, oversized hovels in deep forests or other out-of-the-way places, as they cannot function in mortal society for long after the Embrace.

Background

All were warriors, hunters and loners before the Embrace, few had any social skills beyond boasting of their exploits in a greathall. All must be independent and strong of will and powerfully built to attract the attention of their Sires, most of whom would never consider Embracing someone that they do not consider a threat.

Character Creation

All have Primary Physical Attributes and it is a toss up whether or not the individual simply impressed his Sire with drunken exaggerations (Social) or has the wits to survive in the wild (Mental). Knowledges are the least valued Abilities, with Talents and Skills being evenly preferred. Most have Loner or Survivor natures, although Bjorn himself was a Deviant and a Praise-Seeker at times, going up against impossible odds for thrills. The Road of the Beast is the most common, although a single Jotunn is said to have served a Ventrue lord as Thrall, owned giant-sized armor and weapons that she had crafted for him and followed the Road of Chivalry.

Clan Disciplines

Fortitude, Gigantus and Potence. (Several knew Animalism as well)

Weaknesses

All Jotunn immediately gained Potence and Gigantus at the first levels upon the Embrace, accounting for 2 of their 4 Discipline Dots. Each level of Gigantus after the first must be preceded by the purchase of Potence of an equal level, as the Kindreds frame will not stand up to the gain of Gigantus above his Potence (if he tries anyway, he will lose a previous level of Potence to support the increased weight and not gain the benefits of his new level of Gigantism or the use of the 'lost' Potence level until his Potence once again matches his Gigantism). This in itself is hardly a Weakness as those who play a Jotunn were planning on such expenditures in all likelihood anyway. However the Jotunn cannot just raise Gigantus, but must track down and drink the blood of a Giant each time he wished to increase his Gigantus yet again. He need not necessarily kill the brute, but the blood will not keep for more than a few days in cold storage (using medieval storage techniques that is, a Kindred Pouch would vastly simplify matters!), which fairly necessitates a separate Giant hunt for each raising of Gigantism. Any other Kindred learning Gigantus would also face such a requirement.

Organization

The Bloodline has almost no organization and they mostly avoid each other on principle. True glory-seekers may actually fight to the death upon meeting! They interact mostly with other Kindred as mercenaries, wandering thugs and wilderness hazards to be avoided.

Quote

Ah, Gargoyle Beasts! I may win, I may die, but either way, this will be a song for the skalds!

Stereotypes

Assamites: These moors are said to be skilled killers, but do not fight as warriors do. No songs will be song of their cowardly tactics. They must no doubt lie to their women about their great victories.

Brujah: Good warriors, strong and blindingly fast, but they have no real staying power. Still, they often find convenient 'excuses' for us to do what we do better than most.

Cappadocians: They have been given eternity to study whatever strikes their fancy. And yet they choose to study the deaths that they have cheated. Strange things, to give up life eternal to such pursuits.

Followers of Set: Jormungandr's Children are to be squashed on sight. They are foul things worthy of great songs for the one who destroys them. Do not allow them to speak to you, for they twist Wotan's gift of language with their snakes tongues!

Gangrel: They know the secrets of the wild and have shown us the night-Beast that lies within us all. We owe Bjorn's Sire and his kin for the gifts of blood.

Lasombra: These creatures never come to our forests; we do not fit well into their courts. Both of these things are good for them.

Malkavian: The mad antics of these fools is not even entertaining. Ignore them and they will depart for more interesting company.

Nosferatu: Bah! We are not Cursed by the maimed Christian God! We are stronger than ever before, and so are they. They should stop whining and recognize the powers they have gained.

Ravnos: These wanderers are rootless like our Gangrel kin, but they have lost their way in more than that. They have left their honor far behind in their travels.

Toreador: Like the Lasombra, these strange tale-spinners live in a world apart from ours. They are welcome to it. Their stories are full of flowers and fancy words, but there is no meat for the hungry.

Tremere: Avoid these ones. They seem to think that we are fodder for their experiments, and they know the secrets of the elements that can destroy even us.

Tzimisce: Never let one touch you, but their servant creatures are a delight to smash. No Jotunn yet speaks of beating a Vozhyd in single combat, but that is not because no Jotunn has tried . . .

Ventrue: These lords may be worthy to serve -- for those who wish to serve. I for one serve no King.