MALCAFII

By Brian Connors (connorbd@bc.edu)

Nickname

Puppeteers

Description

The Malcafii are the junior partners in vampiric control of Rome; it is said that Malcafis (their clan founder) and Aricella (the founder of the Taureatores) were twin brother and sister, and though the Taureatores deny it, there are reasons to feel that way. It so happens that the Malcafii are among the least trusted of vampires. They are said to be manipulative and conniving, and they count ghouls amongst the most powerful politicians in Rome. Brutus, one of Julius Caesar's closest associates in the Senate, was said to be a Malcafian ghoul. In general, the Malcafii are considered manipulative, arbitrary, and completely in control of whatever they wish. Nothing could possibly be further from the truth.

For every Malcafian in the halls of power in Rome, there are a dozen out on the streets, begging after sundown, prowling the dark, or simply killing at random. To a vampire, the Malcafii are insane, each and every one. This is a secret because so few of the "sane" ones bother to acknowledge their "mad" brethren. It is this fact that seems to have prevented anyone from catching on to them. But it is surely true; political decisions that make no sense are rampant, and every so often a citizen who's being a pest will just disappear.

The stratification of the Malcafii doesn't necessarily mean anything. They have always had a fairly fluid sort of organization, and although the current one has lasted for about a century, it is every bit as arbitrary as any other plan that the clan has developed. For those who actually know the truth about the Malcafii, the veneer of a grand plan disappears to be replaced by a massive curtain of incomprehensible garbage. The saner among them have their own interpretation of the nerve-wracking illogic that categorizes everything Malcafic: this is life as it really is, and madness is liberation. Therefore, they take the opportunity to be its missionaries. It is a very disturbing fact of life that all Malcafii are capable of transmitting their madness; this talent, Dementatio, is quite secret nowadays but is used liberally on the outskirts of Malcafic society. The fringers often masquerade as hermits or wise men if they tend to be lucid, while the truly mad ones are occasionally mistaken for village idiots or (among some cultures) demon-posessed people.

The Malcafii are riding high and enjoying it royally. They don't care that they may not truly be the ones in charge. If the rug was yanked out from under them tomorrow, they would not care. Those lucid enough to actually live up to their reputation are among the maddest of them all; this sociopathic aspect that is so common among those who only appear to want to rule is perhaps the most deeply disturbing aspect of all.

Appearance

Widely variable. The only ones anyone knows for certain are Malcafii dress in the same manner as the upper class they walk among.

Haven

Anywhere, preferably something really weird or really isolated and decorated to be really weird.

Background

Malcafii generally go for the intelligent and the already-insane. The usual result ranges from anywhere to mildly depressive to raving mad to simply deeply disturbing.

Character Creation

Malcafii can come from anywhere. Nature and Demeanor generally don't coincide usefully.

Clan Disciplines

Auspex, Obfuscate, Dominate (upper class) or Dementation (lower class)

Weakness

All Malcafii take at least one Derangement. The typical upper class Malcafian will have something tending towards the manipulative or sociopathic; the rest will have just about any problem possible.

Organization

Unclear. The class distinctions seem to have no real meaning within the clan, and even private plans can shift rapidly. There is certainly some sort of ability to create a lot of interclass mobility.

Quote

"Me? Mad? No. You simply don't understand madness at all. You must learn to UnDErStaND..."

Stereotypes

Baali: Tainted power, but worthwile. Just make sure to corrupt them before they corrupt you. They're a lot more fun when they're two denarii short of a sestertium.

Brushah: If it's madness they want, they're going about it the wrong way. Too roundabout.

Cappadocii: Hey, more power to them. When their minds explode in a bloody mess all over the Shadowlands they explore, we will be more than happy to show them the way.

Gangrilli: Strange manifestations, those animal features. They will learn eventually or destroy themselves in the process, though.

ibn-Haqimi: They take things too damned seriously. And they may be on to us; do they want to spoil the fun?

Nictuci: Honesty is a virtue. They're still ugly as Cerberus.

Rafanuti: I like what I hear. Let's hunt together some time.

Salubri: Oh, yeah. Let's all grow an extra eye. Hey, upside: more info, more to deal with... if they don't collapse on their own we ought to help them. It's the least we can do.

Setites: ouch Ouch OuCh OUCH!!!!

Simistis: To the first one I meet: tete futue and the horse you rode in on. We don't need their type here. Twisting things is our job.

Taureatores: We're blood and they know it. I don't give a damn if they want to admit it to themselves or anyone else, they're as f***ed up as we are.

Ventrutae: Let them come back. We'll just mess with their heads until they leave again.