Nakyrae

By Dark Whisper, for the Avengers of Diedne bloodline.

The Discipline of Pain and Injury

It is this awesome power that makes the Avengers of Diedne one of the most feared bloodlines (at least feared by the few who are aware of their existence). While it was originally a perverted version of the Salubri's discipline of Obeah, over the years it has transformed into something far more vile. It is the use of this power by the Black Druids that gives the Tremere a basis in fact from which to spread their propaganda regarding the Childer of Saulot.

Like Obeah of the Salubri, Nakyrae seems to be intrinsically connected to the third eye, and any who learn this discipline will develope the putrid third eye of the Avengers of Diedne. Unlike Obeah, the third eye opens after the first level of this discipline has been attained, so all members of this bloodline know this discipline to at least the first level.

* Liadere's Kiss: This fearsome power is the source of many of the weaknesses of the bloodline. The saliva of the user becomes transformed into a powerful acid, allowing her to cause great damage to those who come into contact with it. It is this transformation which causes the victims of the user's feedings to become so damaged during the process, and it makes the Avengers unable to create progeny and to lick their wounds.

System: A lick by the Avenger will cause one Heath Level of Damage. For every Blood Point they expend during the licking, they may cause a level of aggravated damage (as this increases the potency of the acid). The character may also use this power to spit at foes, at a range on 10 feet for every level of Strength and/or Potence that the character possess, and the attack causes one level of aggravated damage per blood point spent. Note: If Blood Points are not spent, the character may not use the spitting attack, as the acid loses it's potency when out of the mouth.

** The Touch of Torment: A Vampire utilizing this power can cause someone to become paralyzed with wracking pain with just a touch.

System: The character must touch the victim, and then make a Willpower roll, with the difficulty as the target's Willpower. The effect will give the target 7 levels of illusionary damage which can not be healed with Blood Points. If this attack puts the target beyond incapacitated, then they automatically enter torpor because of the intense agony. Once the illusionary levels have disappeared, the target will recover from Torpor. These illusionary 'pain' level of damage will last a length of time dependant on the number of successes rolled. Note that this power will work on any supernatural being, provided that it can be physically touched.

                  1 successes                one turn
                  2 successes                two turns
                  3 successes                five turns
                  4 successes                one hour
                  5 successes                one day

*** Demonic Guard: This power allows the user to put up a defensive barrier that will neutralize her enemies with fear while protecting her at the same time.

System: In order to activate this power, the character must spend two willpower points. This creates a barrier surrounding the Vampire, allowing none who were not within the barrier's protection when it was erected to approach. The barrier can encompass everything to a maximum of 10 feet from the caster, but it can be as close as 5 feet. Any who attempt to enter the barrier must engage the Vampire in an extended Willpower test, and she must exceed the user's successes by at least three. If the user scores three or more successes than the intruder, then the intruder will be overcome with fear for five turns. Powerful visions of the intruder's greatest phobias will spring to her mind, and she will immidiately have to roll her Courage/Morale against a difficulty of 8 not to enter the Rotschreck. If she succeeds on the role, she will still be paralyzed with crippiling fear for five turns. If she fails, she will flee as far and as fast from the Demonic Guard as possible, until she recovers. If she botches, she will immediatly receive a Phobia Derangement, although the details are left up to the Player and the StoryTeller.

**** Achilles' Heel: This power allows a Vampire to use her third eye against an unmoving target, and to sense character flaws within their personality. The Vampire can then use her power to enhance this character flaw, creating a full fledged insanity from it.

System: The character rolls Perception and Empathy against a difficulty of 8. Similar to the level 2 Auspex power, this allows the Vampire to sense the target's true nature and their character flaws; the more successes they receive, the more information they can sense from the target. Once they have found a character flaw (this may be an actual flaw, or simply a function of their Nature), the user must roll Manipulation and Medicine to enhance this flaw to a full fledged derangement, with all the penalties that a derangement incurs. The choice of the derangement should be left up to the Player of the Target and the User, as well as the StoryTeller, and a derangement which 'suits' the player should be selected. Not surprisingly, those of Clan Malkavian and the Malkavian Antitribu seem to be strangely immune to this power.

***** Diedne's Diablerie: This is perhaps one of the most feared powers of the Bloodline, and it has been a great source of propaganda for the Tremere. By staring into the eyes of the Target with her third eye, the Vampire slowly removes the soul from the target's body, turning it into a mindless slave. Once the soul has been removed, it is destroyed, and the knowledges of the soul become the possessions of the user. This perverted version of Diablerie has taken more than one Tremere, and it is perhaps the reason that the Avengers are privy to so many of the Tremere's rituals and secrets.

The former body of the soul remains a slave to the user, following every instruction that it is given. However, this 'zombie' can perform no voluntary actions, and it must be told to feed and to protect itself when in danger. Also, the 'zombie' is by no means indestructible, and it can easily be destroyed in the manner that any kindred can (or any of its kind can in the event that the target is not Kindred).

System: In order to take the victim's soul, the character must stare into the target's eyes and engage them in an extended Willpower vs. Willpower test. If the target succeeds, she may choose to break eye contact. If eye contact is broken, or this test is interfered with in any way, it must be started again. If the user succeeds, the character then removes the soul from the target, and incorporates elements of that soul into her own. For any Talent, Skill, Knowledge or Discipline that the target had a higher rating then the user in, the user gains one dot. In the event that this includes Thaumaturgy, the user may also gain a ritual of a level which they may perform. After this 'incorporation', the soul of the target is irrevocably destroyed, and the target's body becomes the slave of the user.

****** Death's Caress: The Vampire who utilizes this power can send another Kindred into Torpor with but a mere touch. The effects on others, however, is more grisly...

System: If the user of this power utilizes a Willpower point, they can send any Vampire whom they touch into instant Torpor. Unlike the 'false' Torpor of the Touch of Torment, this is true Torpor, and the Vampire will remain in this state for as long as their Humanity/Path Rating dictates. This power has been known to take Methuselah's out of the action for a few centuries.

The effect of this power on Non-Kindred is much more painful. It will instantly kill a Mortal, and it will cause seven Health Levels of non- aggravated damage to any other supernatural being.

******* Spiritual Disfigurement: This power allows the Kindred to rend the spirit of a victim, causing their spirit to become disfigured. This results in others avoiding the victim at all costs, as they seem to be impossibly rude and uncouth, as well as making all around them feel highly ill at ease.

System: By looking at the victim with her third eye, the user causes their spirit to become disfigured. The result of this is that others will feel very unsettled when in the presence on the target, and will attempt to avoid them if at all possible. Many victims of this power are shunned by their clans, and some have even become Caitiff. The result of this power is that the victim will automatically fail all social rolls (ie any rolls involving Charisma, Manipulation or Appearance) as all around them feel so uncomfortable, they will do all they can to get away from the victim. Also, anything they say seems to come out badly, and all victims of this power appear to be very rude and disrespectful. This power has been known to destroy Princes and Toreador alike, and may be one of the reasons that the Avengers get along relativly well with the Nosferatu.