NIBELUNG

By Mark Kinney (alberich@iglou.com) (25 March 1995)

Duncan stumbled out of the bar and onto a sidewalk in the seedy part of Louisville. The wind was cold for this time of year, but that didn't bother him in the least; in his mind, the temperature and the dark added to his mood, and he smiled at the effect despite himself. That didn't last, however, and he staggered down the street, pulling his coat on around him. He wasn't sure where to go; the Belvedere, the waterfront, another bar? Hell, why not catch a bus home? He could sleep off his drunk, and maybe slip away from his pain for a few hours. Amanda had left. Just like all the others, he thought, or at least the ones who bothered with him in the first place. Was there a point to all this?

Someone was waiting at the stop when Duncan got there, dressed in a camouflage field jacket, jeans, and a large hat concealing his appearance, with scraggly hair descending from underneath it. Duncan took the seat next to him, and began to hum a song that had been playing when he left the bar.

"It's a waste of time you know."

Startled, Duncan glanced over at the figure next to him, the angle of its hat indicating that it had probably been speaking to him in the raspy voice he had heard. "'Scuse me?" Duncan managed to force out.

"The buses quit running an hour ago."

"Oh." Duncan didn't feel like moving just yet.

Several minutes passed, with the two of them just sitting there.

"We've been watching you, you know," the figure rasped.

"Hmh?"

"Yes, the Bishop's taken a great interest in your abilities. He figures we could use you."

"Excuse me, are you with some wacko religion or something?"

The figure began to laugh, and Duncan became more and more nervous. He started to get up to leave. The figure got up with him, putting its hand on his shoulder. "Not exactly," it said. "But I've seen your situation. We've actually had our eyes on you for a while."

"CIA?" Duncan said, joking to himself. He noticed that he was sober, a side effect of the adrenaline that was pouring into his system now. He reached for the hand as he said it, but was thrown to the ground before he could reach it.

"My bosses have use of you, but my clan can use you more. Are you prepared to forswear love?"

Duncan had gotten to his feet and was ready to launch a counterattack, when the last sentence registered in his mind. He stopped, not completely sure why. His hands, in fighting position, dropped to his sides. He went back over to the bench and slumped down onto it. He glanced over at the figure. "What is your deal, anyway?"

"You hurt, don't you? They do nothing but laugh at you as you stumble along, and you just take it, don't you. Ours is the new order, and we will rule... you have but to join us and discard the petty emotion that weakens you so."

"That's not as easy as it sounds, you know."

"Don't worry, you'll have many new siblings to help you..."


This bloodline, depending upon who you believe, came into existence thousands of years ago, at the same time as the Sabbat, or just in the past few years. All that can be verified is a connection with Clan Nosferatu, with more of a focus from the antitribu than the mainline clan. Many in the bloodline claim that they descend from Alberich, the mythical king of the sulfer-dwarves they get their name from, as featured in Wagner's Ring Cycle. In any event, they follow his example, causing this line to be one of the most beastial lines produced by the Sabbat. Their known leader, who has adopted the name Alberich, has his own agenda. They share a resemblance to the Nosferatu physically, and some would debate as to whether or not they are actually a bloodline. He has been gathering information about the Sabbat, hoping to turn them into a tool in his own plans for conquest; Alberich plans to bring the world under vampiric dominion, and specifically his. He recently came into possession of a ring that he claims is the actual Ring to his followers; no one outside the line has even seen Alberich, so this is unconfirmed.

Nickname: Hatemongers

Appearance: Coming from the Nosferatu line, they share the ugliness of their forbears. They might maintain part of their looks from their previous life, with regard to costuming or personal effects.

Haven: They will set apart a piece of the Nosferatu Kingdom to establish their havens, if they can't find someplace that even the Nosferatu can't find.

Background: The only common theme is that all members of the line are required to forswear love, as their mythical founder did. Thus they tend to take those who have recently suffered a breakup or divorce, or just unlucky at love, and take advantage of their bitterness to swell their ranks.

Character Creation: Social stats are never primary, and very rarely are physical stats, although this is prized by the line with their pretension toward being a "warrior" clan.

Disciplines: Celerity, Dominate, Obfuscate

Weaknesses: The Nibelungs share the Nosferatu weakness of having a zero Appearance. In addition to this, the attitudes required of membership tend toward a limitation of humanity to 6 (to which it will descend if it starts higher, at the rate of a level per day, if not faster ;-) and if following Paths of Enlightenment, can never follow the Path of Harmony. They also tend not to forge close associations with anyone, except maybe other Nibelung.

Preferred Paths: Cathari, Power and the Inner Voice, Evil Revelations.

Gaining Prestige: Prestige is gained through bringing others into the fold. It is lost by engaging in compassion (not necessarily kindness) and falling in love is a death sentence.

Quote: "The others pine for their lost humanity, and their lost loves. This is their undoing, and our strength, for we spurn the society that spurned us. We will sweep them away and rule."

Stereotypes

Nosferatu: Our spiritual parents, they will be exalted in the new order... but still below us.

Lasombra: The way or rulership is one we respect, but we will be the takers of the path, not they...

Tzimisce: They are truly a danger to our plans, and are marked for destruction when we have risen.

Assamite Antitribu: They are dangerous, but they have been wronged by the other Kindred. Use their abilities to your advantage.

Brujah Antitribu: They are the children of rebellion, and may be of use to us, but if they cannot become disciplined, they must fall to the side in the new order.

Gangrel Antitribu: They know independence, and are the most likely of all to help us. Of course, individualism breeds difference, so be careful nonetheless.

Malkavian Antitribu: Unreliable, even to themselves. They will be destroyed.

Panders: The Castoffs know the pain of rejection and can be brought to see our ways.

Serpents of the Light: Quislings, if not Setites. Another doomed clan.

Toreador Antitribu: These sniveling whiners... their passions make them weak, and we will destroy them because of it.

Tremere Antitribu: Our special allies... outcasts of their clan, and even among all Kindred because of their creation. They are to be watched carefully, though they aid us.

Ventrue Antitribu: Like the Lasombra, they must pass before our might.

Ravnos Antitribu: They should be brought to our cause. The fact that they stayed loyal to the Sabbat for so long is a good thing, just make sure their conversion is a fact.

Black Hand: When the time comes, they will be our true opponents. If we take the Sabbat's army, we take the Sabbat...

Camarilla: Moaning for their lost humanity, they will collapse before us almost without us noticing.

Those that know about them...

Tremere Antitribu: The Nibelungs, and the powers they can eventually put into motion, can be of great benefit to us. They will make excellent tools.

Nosferatu: We are aware of them.

Children of Osiris: If there were more of them, they would have a serious chance at their goals. We have run across several, and wonder how long before they track us down.

Secret Stuff about them

As you can tell, this group is rather nasty, and you may elect to not allow players to use this line. That's just as well. Alberich, through his Tremere Antitribu connections, was able to found his own bloodline. He ensured that it propogated quickly, and then ensured his legendary status by eliminating the seventh generation members of the line (Alberich himself is 6th Generation). In the twenty years since he founded the line, he has used his connections to try to find the Ring of the Nibelung. Whether he has found the actual ring or not is open to conjecture (and indeed, from game to game).

In other notes, Alberich himself has used the Tremere connection to learn Thaumaturgy up to level 5, but is holding back this knowledge for leverage against challengers in his own ranks.

The Nibelung know nothing of the actual origins of the Black Hand, and would find themselves quickly outmatched as it stands now. Also, at least in my game, Alberich is arranging an alliance with the Ratkin in a nearby city (Nashville).