MUTES

By Alek D. Talevic (alukdeviant@earthlink.net) (11 April 1996)

Description

Of all known clans and bloodlines, it is widely believed that the Mutes that have created the most disturbances in Vampire-related hysteria in the last millennia or so. As unfounded as the claims against the underground sect may seem, many clans still believe this bizarre line to have been stamped out of existence during the heinous and upheaved periods of the European inquisitions, but a few Methuselahs and Antediluvians remain tight-lipped about the actual fate of the line as a whole.

The nature of the members of the Mutes bloodlines makes tracking an elder or 4th-Generation Sire extremely difficult. Imagine the maddening self-righteous revelrie of a roomful of the kookiest Malkavians to ever sample derangement's bitter kiss, entwined with a Toreador's artistic obsession. Add in a bittersweet twist of lemonious ego, a la the Tremere and Ventrue clubs, and you'll have some idea what one is up against when trying to crack the ciphers of this line's histories.

In truth, the Mutes walk a thin and disturbed line between total unison, and self-destructive enmity. Many feel themselves to be unwanted outsiders of the Camarilla, the Sabbat triad, and the Inconnou, and their physical oddities make lower-generation childer blatant breakers of the Masquerade, subject to ostracization and instant bloodhunts. ( See Weaknesses and Appearances, below ) The history of the bloodline makes nothing easier on the members of the cult, as half strive to seize admittance by the Followers of Set, and the other half claim to be the heirs of the long-lost Children of Osiris, as well as its odd disciplines.

There are many stories enshrouded about the history of the Mutes, and those foolhardy members of the Wissengeist and other scholarly clans have met many a dead end in searching for answers. Although one widespread legend seems to pertain authority and belief above all others...

Following her banishment, the Queen of darkness, Lilith, as many Cainites call her, was believed to have gone into exile. Some say she was consumed within her rage and anguish, and was doomed to walk the dark paths of Nod until she was simply no more. But yet others, mostly those of the Followers of Set sect and its diobolical practices, believe quite another story to be true.

Many fanatical pariahs of the Sutekh clan believe and swear that they have proof that Lilith did not, in fact, die out as many childer of Caine claim. Instead, they speak of her assuming a new mantle, a new name, and a new surrounding for her evils.

Lilith became the Queen Isis of Egypt, under the guises of mystical majicks. It was there that she sired an heir to her evil machinations and did name him Osiris, the son of a powerful would-be god named Amon Ra. In seeking protection from Caine's Second Generation headhunters, Lilith, now Isis, convinced Osiris to take her as his bride... which he did, and together, they ruled Higher and Lower Egypt for many a generation.

Those familiar with the history of Set's Cult know that their dread lord made a vicious and rightful return, exacting a savage revenge on both Isis and Osiris. In the name of his merciless exile, Sutekh crushed the family of Amon Ra and its generations, save for his immortal nephew Horus. Indeed, Isis' hand in Kindred history would seem to end here, although the members of the Mute bloodline believe quite a different tale. They maintain that before she was consumed, Lilith's last gift to the world was to Sire four childer. Two of these began the Children of Osiris brood, while the other two were the founders of the Mute bloodline.

How much truth lies in these statements and legends remains to be seen...

Nicknames

Fang Kids or Delusionaries

Appearance

Mutes are odd spins on the universal Kindred design, having long-since lost the ability to withdraw their fangs from view, into their gum concealments. Indeed, quite the opposite seems true, as Licks in the know boldly contest that as an older Mute gains years, his fangs become sharper and more difficult to hide or maintain.

Certain Sutekh-worshipping fanatics call this blatant physical break of the Masquerade "The Mark of Him," while fewer still believe that this is the savage price Set extracted for Lilith's line. Generally, the few Mutes that have been identified in the last few centuries have been of obvious African or Egyptian heritage, usually garbed in ebon robes of rich silk, traditional Nigerian kinshashas, or loose-fitting homespun desert fare.

Havens

Those Mutes of the Sutekh faith are housed in the local sect temples, kept as either revered symbols of Set's inevitable return to Earth, or as freakish reminders of the corruption each member is sworn to uphold. Mutes are not a prominently-featured bloodline by any stretch of the imagination, and they seldom have any connections at all with Kine or Kindred alike. Those who are contacted by these forgotten childer often deny any involvement, direct or otherwise, as it is known that housing or abetting a breaker of the Masquerade is as guilty as the contemptible scum they assist.

Backgrounds

Candidates for becoming one of the Mute line are stalked and watched from a distance, a tedious and calculating process that precurses the actual siring. Indeed, Mutes claim to watch their chosen Kine for up to ten years, waiting patiently for "The strength of the tree to bear rich fruit." No human under the age of 25 has ever been Embraced by the Mutes and their stringent rules of passing the torch limit their numbers to less than 50 in the world at one time.

Character Creation

Mutes almost always have Fanatic or Psychotic demeanors, rightful product of a millenia of blood hunts and genetic evolution. Many were performers or speakers in their Kine lives, and less than a fistful have found their niche as enforcers for the Followers of Set. (The norm being Deviant, Bravo, Masochist, Hedonist demeanors.)

Disciplines

Chimerstry, Bardo or Serpentis (Depending on which side of the Set cultism the members favor themselves on.)

Weaknesses

First and foremost, appearance is the largest problem for the members of the Mute line. Their fangs are always extended, glittering and serpentine in their cruel arch, and while not all Mutes are evil or fanatical, first impressions are what lays a foundation for trust. Appearance is always at zero, and although many of the clan members are extremely good-looking, its obvious from first glance that they are of Kindred blood. Childer of African or Egyptian descent lose their rich, swarthy skin color, taking on a slatish shade of grey in its place. Eyes are usually more vibrant after the Embrace, looking somewhat disturbed to a naked kine eye. Amon Ra's curse extends to the Mutes, as a great many are just as susceptible to the agonizing burn of sunlight as their Setite cousins.

Organzation

The Mutes are most parasitic in their organization, usually opting to latch onto another clan for protection. A large percentage are banded together in the London-based Osiris Pheonix sect, a Setite-opposed organization that has worldwide ties to Caitiff and Anarch chapters all over the globe. Still others find a home in the temples and legions of Sutekh's fanatics, and will often deny that they are Mutes at all when confronted about their heritage.

Bloodline Prestige

Prestige comes from both ends of the spectrum in the cases of the Mutes, and while not particularly important, killing a member of an opposing Setite or Osiriphile (Depending on the case) is smiled upon broadly.

Quote

"You believe yourself to be without such sin that you can kill another of your type.. ? What foolish conception ! Immortality is but a game.. come closer, confused sheep, and hail a more righteous God, before I am forced to judge you myself in His name... " ( Running a dark pink tongue over her viciously glittering fangs )

Stereotypes

The Camarilla: They would see us all staked upon a lawn to see the sun, and we cannot blame them for it.. it is not the innocent deer's fault that it runs whenever it sees the vicious maw of the tiger bearing down on it. It is simply games of predator and prey... and they know who is playing which role far too well to accept us.

"These fools are antiquities of a forgotten era, when marching around like a cannibalistic bunny rabbit was acceptable. In these days of Kine paranoia, sects as the Samedi and Nosferatu are bad enough without these bestial abominations stumbling about. "

-- Meriala, Ventrue clan elder

The Sabbat: Mislead sheep, let out to pasture on stalks of grass that bear bitter poison. Their bloodthirstiness blinds them by default; such idiocy and prejudice has no right in mortal life, and it is disgustingly out of place past it.

"Freaks, weirdos, and blasphemy-spewing snakes, all of them. They claim to be something better than their Followers of Set forefathers...But I see no difference, except for their ridiculous orthodontia and even farther misplaced self-righteous blustering."

-- Kelrinne, Bishop of the Black Hand

The Inconnou: We do not claim to know much of these wise ancients, but the control-drunken swaggering of the Camarilla and it's bastardized clan power tug-of-war serves nothing but to make those who walk outside the lines seem all the wiser.

"They seem to know the tribulations of being Kindred better than any Vampire I have ever known. How could they not? Their very unlife is a breakage of time-honored rules and traditions... I wish I could give them more sympathy, but given the chance, they could undo us all."

-- Swiftwynd, Monitor of Provo