Mortalis

By David Youngberg (teferi@hotmail.com)

Description

During the 1920's, as wealth and prosperity expanded across America, businesses quickly expanded into empires. This put the Ventrue who owned these businesses under a lot of public pressure to come out in the daylight for certain promotional events. Although most Ventrue simply declined these fatal appearances, a small group of them began development of a discipline that allowed them to go out into the sunlight. This later grew to other abilities related to this power, such as eating food, developing a pinkish hue to their skin and even making love, allowing these Kindred to blend in more with the crowd thus winning them a certain edge with the other mortals.

This discipline remained widely unknown beyond those who had it until the 1960's, and 70's. This time of "Make love, not war" was implanted in the heads of some Kindred, urging them to try these "love making" rituals humans seem to enjoy so much. Occasionally, vampires from different clans would walk by a room only to see a fellow Kindred, usually the local Prince, banging the house maid, then grab a bite to eat. As the word spread, the majority of the Kindred rejected it, calling it "a step down" or even "unworthy of Caine, dropping down to their level!" A few Kindred, however, saw the great advantage to this discipline. The Toreador saw it as a way to get that must closer to humanity: see the Mona Lisa in the daylight with other mortals or read poetry in the park under an afternoon sky or by sunset or sunrise, instead of under a crude street lamp. Other Toreador thought of it as a way to physically please their mortal loves they had fallen in love with. Whatever their cause, many Toreador began adopting this discipline.

Finally, a few Kindred saw it as a means of escape. They saw it as a road to being mortal again: to abandon their thirst for blood and isolation from humanity. Although these levels to becoming human were not developed yet, these Kindred began to develop them and had only unlocked their secrets during the early 1980's. Such Kindred, who belong to all different clans across the world, now spend most of their days perfecting their abilities in order to return to their human state. Those who are no longer trying are already there.

So far, no ex-Kindred has exposed the Masquerade to their fellow mortals. Most of them just wish to live the rest of their lives in peace. Most of them.

* Pinkish Flesh

At this level, your skin has a pinkish hue, allowing you to blend in better with the mortals.

* Eat Food

At this level you have the ability to eat food and savor its taste. You must heave it up again later, because you cannot digest it.

** Touch of Humanity

Spend a blood point to regain a point of Humanity.

** Make Love

You now have the ability to make love with someone, although you must spend a blood point each time you do it. This also grants you the ability to experience the pleasure mortals experience during this act. Of course, no children will result in these encounters.

*** Avoid the Beast

Roll Wits + Mortalis, difficulty 6. If successful, you overcome the urge to frenzy which are caused by low blood levels.

**** Hearth of Humans

At this level, fire does not deal aggravated damage to you.

**** Red Stand

When faced with Rotschreck, roll Wits + Mortalis, difficulty 6. If you're successful, you overcome it.

***** Human's Fortitude

At this level, sunlight does not deal aggravated damage to you.

****** Path of the Daywalkers

Sunlight causes no damage to you at all.

******* Human Will

Nothing can cause you to frenzy.

******** Path of the Mortals

Roll Humanity + Mortalis, difficulty 6, and spend a blood point. For each success, you are considered completely human for one scene. All of your dead flesh becomes living once again, all organs become intact and all body functions operate as they did before you were Embraced. You are completely human meaning, you cannot use any disciplines, you can be Embraced or fed upon and you are treated as a human both in combat and death. All healing is treated exactly the same as human healing. The aging process will pick up where it left off: after you were Embraced. All attribute and ability ratings remain the same except the highest rating for both is five. All of your blood becomes human blood, so you cannot have Diablerie committed on you. If you are made into a ghoul, you are treated as such until the end of the scene(s) that was rolled. If you are Embraced, you become a vampire in the same amount of time a normal mortal would turn. All of your character traits, abilities, virtues, etc. remain the same except for your sire (your old sire is forgotten or dismissed, depending one his/her impact of your un-life), generation (it becomes one less than that of your new sire) and clan (which is the same as your new sire). You are no longer part of your old clan, but you retain all knowledge of it. When you gain your new generation, your character traits must reflect that new generation. (For example if you were Fourth Generation, but then were Embraced from a Seventh Generation vampire, thus making you Eighth Generation, your new maximum trait rating would be five instead of nine. Therefore, you could not perform this ability again until you gained more generation.)

********* Touch of Mortals

You must make physical contact with a vampire for at least three seconds before using this ability. Once you do, and wish to use this ability, roll Humanity + Mortalis, difficulty 7, and spend two blood points. For each success, that vampire is considered completely human for one scene. Treat this converted mortal the same as you would if you were changed (special rules above).

********** Merge with Mortals

Roll Humanity + Mortalis, difficulty 7, and spend a blood point. If you make five success, you are considered completely human, permanently. All of your dead flesh becomes living once again, all organs become intact and all body functions operate as they did before you were Embraced. All ability and attribute ratings have a maximum of five. All blood in your body in excess of ten is secreted out into your stomach, where you will hack it up over the next few days. The aging process will pick up where it left off: before you were Embraced. Your Humanity is increased to seven. If it was higher or equal to seven, it remains that number. Your Humanity will never change after you turn human. All recollection of when you were a vampire remain intact. All supernatural flaws and merits you once had are now erased completely.