By Ricky Marin (rickdog86@aol.com)
"Hey, Mitch!" Joe shouted, "I found something!"
From where Mitch could see, he saw Joe lift up a delicious-looking rat of a large size, ready to cook and consume. "That's great!"
"Yeah!" Joe responded. "Let me see if there's anything else in here worth taking."
"Okay!"
Mitch ran to check out the garbage bag with Joe, who was already lost inside looking for food.
"Hey, there's something down here and it's really big!" Joe shouted from the depths of the bag. "It's real fresh, too!"
"Pull it out!"
Joe nodded and with all the strength he could muster pulled out the large, meaty animal. But in a moment he stopped, frozen in terror. He tried to scream but could not, and just stared at the corpse which he had uncovered.
"What is it?"
Joe finally found a way out of his trance and pulled it up, skull and all. Mitch screamed, and darted off down the alley into the midnight streets of London. Joe was left alone, his mouth gaping wide, when in an instance he saw that the skeleton had feathered wings, and that it was not dead. It was clearly breathing, and the eye that it still had opened, a green swirling orb inside, staring at Joe. He screamed, and ran off as Mitch had done. He looked back and saw that it had lifted itself out of the bag and was soaring behind him, flesh dangling from its body.
"Help me, somebody please help me!" Joe cried, and at once lights began turning on in the houses above him. "Please, help me!"
At once a man darted out of his door with a shotgun in his hands and held Joe, asking him what was wrong. Joe pointed back, and the man saw what was persuing him.
"Dear Lord!" he shouted, aiming his shotgun and firing four rounds into its chest, wings, and head.
The thing screeched, and fell to the ground. Joe and the man ran towards it and looked down. It was completely inhuman; its flesh dangled off certain areas, but it was mostly a skeleton, black as night, with wings protruding from its shoulders. It twitched slightly, tossing around, and they could see that the flesh was entirely gone from its face except on the area around its eye with a little flesh dangling off the place where its ear should be. Its good eye was open, the green orb still inside, staring back. The socket of its left eye was similar, but a faint, blood-red light shone through this one.
"What in God's name is this thing?!?" the man shouted, looking down at Joe.
"I don't know."
They walked away and for a second all was quiet. It seemed suspicious, but they ignored it. Then came a smell, like blood on metal, and a flapping noise was behind them as well. They turned and saw that the thing was floating there, its wings flapping, grinning madly. Its palm opened wide and a swirling form could be seen, resembling a human.
"Oh my God, Mitch!" Joe shouted, recognizing its face as his friend.
It remained there for a second, Mitch moaning, and then disappeared inside the skeleton's hand. A pale-green light coursed through the skeleton's body and it grinned once more.
"Shoot it, shoot it!" Joe shouted, and the man obliged.
He emptied his shotgun with shell upon shell, striking it everywhere imaginable. He panted, gasping for breath, and at last the thing spoke.
"Unwise decision, Robert!" it whispered, mustering a red light in its palm and projected it towards the Robert, paralyzing him in mid-air. A swirling form resembling himself flew from his body and into the creature's waiting hand. It entered, and Robert was dead.
"What have you done, you monster!" Joe shouted, tears running down his face.
"That which is necessary to serve the Wyrm. It will undoubtedly reward me for these two strong spirits, and maybe more if I return with three!"
"No!" Joe shouted, as the same occurred to him, his soul taken into the hand of the skeleton. It began to leave then, entering through a portal to Malfeas, but was suddenly interrupted.
"Unhand their souls, vile Unaka!" Victor, a Bone Gnawer Lupine shouted at him. "My Sept is waiting for an attack!"
"Ah, another scuffle! But really, you expect a few dozen of Gaia's children to stop me? I am no Unaka, for they are only useful as soldiers to combat you. If I were to fight you -- which I will -- I would only be wasting my time as this could be done by Unakas, the lowest of the Wyrm's servants. However, a few dozen souls of Gaia's children would certainly rank me high so I must oblige, Bone Gnawer, to kill your pack and Sept for it is the only way that you will discover the true meaning of Eternal Life!"
"Eternal death, is more like, as a creature such as yourself is obviously dead and decaying rapidly," Victor said. "And another thing. If you are no Unaka, what are you then?"
"I have many names, but they mean nothing to me as all who have given me names are dead and are currently serving the Wyrm. Needless to say, you may call me as you wish, as you will die before you can mutter this to anyone!"
"If that is what you wish, ATTACK!" Victor shouted, and at once hundreds of Garou emerged from the sewers, shifted into Crinos, ready for battle. "If this is what you wish, then it is my pleasure to rid this world of another of the Wyrm's monsters!"
The Bone Gnawers fired then, leaping into the air and clawing at the creature. It merely laughed, and elevated itself to a rooftop.
"Coward, come down so you may fight and die in at least some honor!"
"Honor means nothing to me, only victory. You are the cowards, not I, for you are merely taunting me and not trying to end my wrath. Is this all that Gaia can provide in battle? If you, 236 as I have counted, can not defeat me, then how can you hope to eliminate the Wyrm who is infinitely superior?!? It now seems clear why the Wyrm is winning. If you cannot handle even a few small hordes of Black Spiral Dancers, then you will all perish horribly when the final battles commence! Come up here and finish me! It would do the Wyrm good to see that Gaia can achieve something for once! Otherwise the world will be A very boring place and the Apocalypse won't be any fun at all."
"Annihilation is your idea of fun? What horrid creation would allow that to be seen as entertainment?!?"
"Mankind."
"Your lies are polluting this world with horrors and I shall see that my work in ending your reign of terror will be finished before this day is done!"
"Then come at me, Lupine, for the night is fading and I must return."
At this, the Sept climbed the wall, leaped onto the roof, and escalated the stairs to reach the skeleton. When they first did so the creature rose up and knocked them off the rooftop, ending their lives as a splat upon the ground. The Gnawers unanimously decided to attack it all at once for it could be the only way to end it effectively. They did, and soon they were fighting in frenzies as well as they possibly could. The creature did not defend itself but merely laughed.
"Enough of this! I will destroy you all and leave but one of you alive for that way you may be prepared when I next come. You, elder, will be spared, for I have no intention of having the senile and nearly deceased serve the Wyrm."
At this, the elder dove back for he knew that a creature so close to the Wyrm's influence was at least honest in the midst of battle. In a grin the creature rose above them all, hundreds of yards high and spread its wings. At that moment, all of London grew silent and Gaia itself let tears fall as a beam of darkness swept downwards into the building, knocking away all that was material inside. Hundreds of screams were heard as the Lupines and denizens around the building alike were pierced with the beam and mutilated, or else buried and killed by the collapse of the buildings. However, the creature was far from done.
"As I said, you, elder, will be spared, but because of this attempt upon me all of London must suffer. A plague on all the Tribes of Gaia!"
The elder stood, floating above the city where he could see the shockwave of the beam leveling buildings in a radius of over a hundred miles, killing those in its path and leaving all of the remaining people injured and wounded, their homes brought down to nothingness.
"Monster! why is it that the innocent peoples of London must suffer?!?" the elder shouted.
"They must all perish. If this is a massacre to you then I am glad that you won't live to see the Apocalypse."
"But I have. The Prophecy of the Phoenix foretells it."
"Oh? You believe that? The one who saw the vision was far too shocked to explain the true devastation, or the centuries that followed. Another example of Gaia softening down everything so that her precious cubs wouldn't cry."
"You speak as if it occurred in the past! Why is this?!?"
"It is the past and so is this. It happened millennia ago. Gaia simply altered the fabric of time because she didn't find it fair and began civilizations anew, though darker and more corrupt as the Wyrm had placed its mark upon all the lands of the Earth."
"Are you saying that the 19th century already passed? How long into the future was it then until Gaia decided to begin the world anew?"
"I have been here since a few seconds after the Wyrm's entanglement in the Weaver's web. If you really want an answer then I will give it to you. The year that the Death ended was 9,634 years after the Apocalypse."
"And Gaia allowed the death to continue until then? When was the Apocalypse then?"
"A.D. 2064."
"Then you must give us longer if you want this Apocalypse to be fought with more resistance!"
"Incorrect. There was no resistance the previous time. Gaia did nothing to prevent it. Mankind tried to save itself but it could not. And besides, I think 217 years is enough time to prepare."
"Then will you let me go now, so that I may tell the Council of the Tribes?"
"The Council of the Tribes is non-existent as they were weak and when I told them they killed themselves. And no, I will not let you go until I am finished."
"But you are! During these few minutes of conversation you did nothing!"
"You think that the Wyrm's minions are so weak that they cannot perform multiple tasks at once?!? At this present time I am instructing a Sept of 200 Black Spiral Dancers to destroy four Caerns in London. And at this time they have finished. I am glad to say that these lowly minions of the Wyrm were successful. Is it not humorous that 200 Black Spiral Dancers were able to destroy 800 Lupines and all of the spirits and residents within that Caern? Ha! Gaia will lose once again, and this time she will die for there will be no third chances!"
"So what will you do now?"
"Disease London for eternity."
"Why?"
"Because I can. It is an example that Gaia will have to follow or else all of the Earth will succumb to Pestilence."
"No!"
At that moment the creatures wings spread once again and as its palms spread beams of a white light. Screams could be heard below and people ran out of their houses with Smallpox, Bubonic Plague, and others.
"Farewell, elder, and rest happily, knowing that London is dying. Ha ha ha!"
The creature then made a portal to the Shadowlands where it would travel to the Hell of the Far Shores and from there go to Malfeas. It left, but it was abruptly closed.
"What?"
"This is Gaia! Remove this Pestilence that you have taken upon the peoples of London!"
"Never! The Wyrm is my commander, not some lowly enemy! A child has more power than you!"
"The Wyrm accepts no interruptions, as was agreed to in the War Treaty, and I am the Wyrm!"
"Oh, Father, how Gaia has wronged me so! It is all legal to the contract!"
"Do not worry, my child, for this will be brought to Justice!"
"To what Justice is that? To a betrayal of the Contract?"
"You are the one who has betrayed it, not I, so leave this be or you will be chastised by the Spirits that you yourself created!"
"Yes!"
"You will perish now, Wyrm, for this is the first assault upon the agreement!"
"To what end? I am everlasting, and you know this, for as long as the Weaver weaves so I live!"
"As you wish! Your trusty servant will be the first to die!"
"No! Avoid this now, my child!"
"But how? Gaia is superior to my power, however much I wish it not to be!"
"True, but she cannot attack her children! Possess someone and she cannot hurt you! Ha ha ha! Such a hearty spirit you are, Gaia!"
At that moment, the creature possessed one that he felt was the best choice -- a sufferer at his hand of Pneumonic, Bubonic, and Septicemic plague.
"Ha ha! Until we meet again, Gaia!"
The Wyrm left then and Gaia stood in sadness at what the Weaver had made the Wyrm become. She, too, then left, back to her own Umbral Realm, forgetting the plague that the creature had beset upon London.
"Ha! So it is that I triumph! Now, the souls I will collect!"
This the creature did, and took the soul from everything in London.
"My wrath will continue so long as the Wyrm allows it!"
However, in its new form, the creature could not go directly to Malfeas as its body was not spiritually able. Instead it went to a nearby Wyrmhole where it decided it was best to keep a mortal form. It still could see the disadvantages of a human form and so found a Silver Fang Lupine, whom it favored a lot. It left its human host and slew it, thereafter possessing the Lupine and making it devour the human for then it could retain the deathly aura that its human form possessed. Afterward it ventured deeper into the Wyrmhole where it found a few neonates performing a Diablerie ceremony on an Antediluvian. It spoke suddenly, saying:
"If you sire me then you shall be rewarded with me saving you from these treacherous anarchs, as I seek more power in this form. Otherwise, you will die."
The Antediluvian nodded and immediately the creature slew them all.
"Now, proceed."
The Antediluvian took the creature through the process, but was surprised to see that the creature which he had just embraced had not screamed or pained throughout.
"How is it that you did not feel pain during the ceremony?" he asked, seriously baffled.
"I have lived since the seventh dawn of time when the Wyrm created me. Pain has no meaning unless in death, which I have suffered many times before. Because of that, I feel no pain even in death and such is why I did not cry out."
"But if you are such a highly-respected servant of the Wyrm, then why do you feel inclined to have the body of a Lupine?"
"It is simply because Gaia cannot harm one of her own kind."
"So all Kindred could die at any moment?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Now come. I thank you for the embrace so I will reward you even more by allowing you to see your true master."
They travelled then to Hell and through to Malfeas, where the Wyrm waited.
"Do you have the souls which I requested?"
"Yes. Where should I place them?"
"Within me."
The creature did so, and the Wyrm was pleased.
"Who is this that you bring to my lair?"
"An Antediluvian that granted me power through the embrace in this form."
"Good, my son. Of what gneration are you?"
"Third."
"Yes. No wonder those petty anarchs were after you. I thank you for this gift that you have granted my child and so you will be rewarded fully."
"How?"
"Of course you knew that you cannot be superior to my child so instead of third generation you will become fifth, after my child."
"But why?"
"By embracing him you have begun a new Clan, one of such immense power that you would be a fool not to give up your Tremere heritage and third generation as in this clan you are superior even to Caine!"
"I would be?"
"Oh yes."
"So let me embrace you now, so that you may be my successor."
"Gladly. Anything to serve the Wyrm."
A Clan then began, descended from the Wyrm itself and with none below fourth generation. Therefore, if a vampire of Clan Pestilencarian desired progeny, then a strange ceremony would be undertaken where the creature that was the first bestows its generation to the vampire so that it may sire progeny but then return it through embrace and re-embrace. Needless to say that the Pestilencarians are extremely powerful, even more so since any mortal that walks near them is inflicted with a fatal disease. Mua ha ha.
Nature/Demeanor: Ignorance/Cruel Tyrant
Tribe: Silver Fang/Black Spiral Dancer
Auspice: Unknown
Generation: Fourth
Haven: Unrequired
Concept: Eater-of-Souls
Physical: Strength 10, Dexterity 10, Stamina 10
Social: Charisma 0, Manipulation 5, Appearance (negative numbers)
Mental: Perception 10, Intelligence 10, Wits 10
Talents: Acting 5, Alertness 10, Athletics 10, Brawl 10, Dodge 10, Empathy (negative numbers), Intimidation 6, Leadership 5, Streetwise 10, Subterfuge 9
Skills: Animal Ken 5, Drive 1, Etiquette (negative numbers), Firearms 5, Melee 10, Music 0, Repair 2, Security 10, Stealth 10, Survival 10
Knowledge: Bureaucracy (negative numbers), Computer 1, Finance 0, Investigation 10, Law (negative numbers), Linguistics 5, Medicine 0, Occult 10, Politics 2, Science 4
Disciplines: Animalism 5, Auspex 5, Celerity 10, Dominate 5, Fortitude 10, Obfuscate 5, Potence 10, Presence 5, Protean 5, Thaumaturgy 5, All Paths
Gifts: (Garou)
(Level One) Persuasion, Smell of Man, Create Element, Heightened Senses, Blur of the Milky Eye, Beast Speech, Razor Claws, The Falling Touch
(Level Two) Staredown, Burrow, Curse of Hatred, Scent of Sight, Blissful Ignorance, Sense of the Prey, Command Spirit, Sight From Beyond, King of Beasts, Call of the Wyrm, Dreamspeak, True Fear
(Level Three) Disquiet, Reshape Object, Eyes of the Cat, Catfeet, Open Moon Bridge, Excorcism, Eyes of the Cobra, Song of Rage
(Level Four) Cocoon, Spirit Ward, Mental Speech, Gift of the Porcupine, Wither Limb, Beast Life, Gnaw, Whelp Body, Spirit Drain, Bridge Walker, Clenched Jaw, Mastery, Mindblock
(Level Five) Assimilation, Madness, Song of the Great Beast, thieving Talons of the Magpie, Feral Lobotomy, Wall of Granite, Fabric of the Mind, Head Games, Paws of the Newborn Cub
Gifts: (Black Spiral Dancers)
(Level Two) Ears of the Bat
(Level Three) Patagia, Foaming Fury
(Level Four) Crawling Poison
(Level Five) Balefire
Backgrounds: Contacts 5, Fame 1, Generation 9, Herd 5, Influence 1, Resources 5, Retainers 10
Virtues: Conscience (negative numbers), Self-Control 5, Courage 5
Humanity: (negative numbers)
Willpower: 10
Blood Pool: 40
Health Levels: OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -2 , -2, -2, -2, -2, -2, -5, -5, -5, Incapacitated, Materialize
Appearance: In its host form, the creature appears to be a grandiose Silver Fang Garou, capable of shape-shifting, but grandiose with one exception -- Fang-Dagger now suffers Bubonic Plague.
Nature/Demeanor: Ignorance/Cruel Tyrant
Concept: Eater-of-Souls
Physical: Strength 30, Dexterity 20, Stamina 50
Social: Charisma 0, Manipulation 5, Appearance (negative numbers)
Mental: Perception 10, Intelligence 20, Wits 30
Talents: Acting 5, Alertness 10, Athletics 10, Brawl 10, Dodge 20, Empathy (negative numbers), Intimidation 6, Leadership 5, Streetwise 10, Subterfuge 9
Skills: Animal Ken 5, Drive 1, Etiquette (negative numbers), Firearms 5, Melee 10, Music 0, Repair 2, Security 10, Stealth 15, Survival 50
Knowledge: Bureaucracy (negative numbers), Computer 1, Finance 0, Investigation 10, Law (negative numbers), Linguistics 5, Medicine 0, Occult 10, Politics 2, Science 4
Charms: (Regular) Blast Flame, Break Reality, Create Fires, Create Wind, Disorient, Flood, Freeze, Frozen Breath, Ice Shards, Lightning Bolts, Open Moon Bridge, Shapeshift, Shatter Glass, Tracking, Umbraquake, Updraft
(Bane Charms) Blighted Touch, Corruption, Incite Frenzy, Possession
(Nexus Crawler) Airt Sense, Materialize, Reform, Warp Reality
(Special - Rules Below) Resist Pain 5, Soul-Steal 5, Devastation 5, Pestilence 5
Health Levels: OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, -1,-1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -3, -3, -3, -4, -4, -4, -5, -5, -5, Incapacitated, Malfean Return*
Rage: 4
Willpower: 10
Power: 963
Special: The Special Charms are rather like disciplines except that they are possessed only by such close minions of the Wyrm. These may also be possessed by Methuselah or Antediluvian Kindred, replacing Power Points with Blood Points. The rules follow:
Resist Pain
| * | Character is able to soak ten levels of damge in exchange for three Power Points. |
| ** | Character is able to do the above with aggravated wounds as well in addition to any other move during that turn for a cost of five Power Points. |
| *** | Character is able to do all of the above whilst being able to perform two other moves during that turn for the cost of eight Power Points and a successful Willpower roll (Difficulty 5). |
| **** | Character is able not to take any damage for three turns in addition to all of the above for twelve Power Points. |
| ***** | Character is able to do all of the above for a whole scene for the cost of eighteen Power Points. |
Soul Steal
| * | Character is able to steal the soul of someone, killing that person off, for the price of ten Power Points, whilst gaining Power Points from it. A child/Small animal: 1 Power Point A teenager/Moderately-sized animal: 2 Power Points An adult/Large-Sized animal: 3 Power Points A neonate vampire: 7 Power Points Ancilla vampire: 13 Power Points A Lupine: 17 Power Points An Elder vampire: 23 Power Points An Elder Lupine: 27 Power Points A Methuselah vampire: 38 Power Points An Antediluvian vampire: Complete refill and remaining full for three scenes |
| ** | Character is able to steal the souls of two people, killing those people off, for the price of 15 Power Points, gaining Power Points from that soul (see chart above). |
| *** | Character is able to steal the soul of a person, gaining both Power Points and the Health Levels that that person had in his/her Health Levels, killing that person off, for 15 Power Points. |
| **** | Character is able to do the above with two people, for the cost of 20 Power Points. |
| ***** | Character is able to do all of the above with any number of people, keeping in mind that the cost increases by 5 Power Points with the amount (e.g., for one person, 15, for two people, 20). |
Devastation
| * | Minor damage. 1-3 for the cost of one Power Point, varying on a successful Dodge roll (difficulty 4). |
| ** | Serious damage. 3-7 for the cost of three Power Points, varying on a successful Dodge roll (difficulty 6). |
| *** | Very serious damage. 7-20 for the cost of five Power Points on two targets, varying on a successful Dodge roll (difficulty 8). |
| **** | Exceedingly serious damage. 40 damage on over ten targets, capable of knocking down buildings, for a cost of ten Power Points, varying on a successful Dodge roll (difficulty 10). |
| ***** | Spectacularly serious damage. Destroy a district or large area (e.g., Picadilly, London x4), for a cost of 30 Power Points and a succesful Willpower roll (difficulty 10). |
Pestilence
| * | Inflicts a minor, un-spreadable disease upon one subject, aggravated damage of one per turn for the remaining scene, for a cost of one Power Point. |
| ** | Inflicts a minor, un-spreadable disease upon a group of subjects (e.g., size a brood of vampires), aggravated damage of one per turn for the remaining scene, for the cost of two Power Points. |
| *** | Inflicts a minor, communicable disease upon a group of subjects, aggravated damage of one per turn for the remaining scene and automatically spread to anyone the target(s) come into contact with, for the cost of three Power Points. |
| **** | Inflicts a serious, communicatable disease (e.g., scurvy) upon any group of subjects, aggravated damage of three per turn for the remaining scene and automatically spreads permanently to anyone the target(s) come into contact with, for the cost of five Power Points Points. |
| ***** | Inflicts an extremely serious, biohazardous disease (e.g., bubonic plague) upon any-sized group of subjects, instant death over twelve scenes on mortals and aggravated damage of six per scene, spreading to anyone the target(s) come into contact with, for the cost of ten Power Points Points. |
*Malfean Return: Once this creature surpasses the Incapacitated level, it will then be resurrected in Malfeas by the Wyrm itself, and within seven turns it will find its way back to the place where it died.
Appearance: The creature appears as a large, male corpse, with various wounds on all parts of the body and pieces of flesh dangling off of certain places. The rest is a pitch-black skeleton, stained in blood, with tar-colored feathered wings coming out of its back. Also, in the place where its right eye should be is a swirling, green orb. If it is persuing mortals then it will carry a scythe, but if it encounters Lupines or Vampires then it will resort to brute strength or its various charms.
Generation: Fifth
Origin of Name: Pestilence, meaning disease
Nickname: Hell-bringers, Pests
Preferred Progeny: Thse high in society or those with some elegance and power. They are not desperate for Progeny and so will only stick to these kinds.
Haven: Anything old, elegant, and abandoned is a place for a Pestilencarian. No coffins, though, although some lurk within hollow statues of angels within the Vatican. . .
Suggested Attributes: Mental primary, Physical secondary, and Social tertiary, although there are some exceptions.
Suggested Abilities: Talents, Knowledge, Skills -- in that order and never otherwise.
Suggested Disciplines: Any/all, including the special charms above, but Thaumaturgy is a requirement as the Pestilencarians are actually a branch of the Tremere.
Suggested Backgrounds: Allies, Contacts, Resources, Retainers, Status
Suggested Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 5, Courage 5
Humanity: 0
Blood Pool: 18
Initial Willpower: 7
Health Levels: OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -3, -3, -4, -4, -5, Incapacitated
Stereotypes
Brujah: Weak and outcasts. They can never be our allies.
Far too much like the Camarilla, even though they are enemies.
Gangrel: Strong and loyal, but also outcasts. They could be our allies, if they don't kill us first.
Like us, they are powerful, and indeed have saved our lives many times as they share the same hatred we have for the Lupines. It is rumored that their founder is a close minion of the Wyrm and that he killed scores of Lupines with one blow. Ah, they are only rumors. . .
Malkavian: Truly insane. Absolutely not capable of being allies as they have no place in society.
Boring and untrustworthy. Their attacks upon the Camarilla make them complete idiots, regardless of any safety.
Nosferatu: Nice, and well-organized. Their appearance is the only thing keeping them from being part of us.
Like us they are outcasts because of their little Bubonic problem, but invaluable allies in the heat of battle and in peace-time.
Toreador: Extremely sociable, but very arguing. If they didn't pay so much attention to mortals, they would be invaluable allies.
Highly sociable and powerful. We could mess with them but their link to their founder prevents us from manipulating them as he is far too strong. However, they are invaluable allies, though they do not appreciate art. Tremere: What do you think?
Though they are descended from us (or we from them?), they still seem hostile to us. However, during battle they will endanger their own lives to save ours. How stupid of them.
Ventrue: Well-organized but far too picky. Like the ToreadOr they pay too much attention to humans, and thus would be distracted if they were our allies.
Though they are trusted by the clans but not by the Camarilla as a whle, we must stop them or else we will die as we are the heads of the Camarilla.
Views: The Pestilencarians hold the Camarilla in contempt above all of their enemies, hating them with every impulse they have. This is due to their idea that as the Camarilla is corrupted and so has corrupted the Tremere, causing all of the clans to despise it. Though this is not necessaraly true, no Pestilencarian has been known to sway away from his belief.
The Sabbat, however, is seen in a different light, for they respect elegance and darkness, like them. They ally with them frequently and have been rumored to be in the process of becoming a Sabbat clan. Although the Sabbat manipulate many clans, they respect the power of the Pestilencarians and so THEY WILL NOT HARM THEM AT ALL (forgive my enphasism). They are in too much fear of the Wyrm, and so will keep their sect from fighting them and will Blood Hunt those who do. Though it is strict, the Sabbat believe that it is the only way to prevent their demise. The Pestilencarians have also attempted to turn the Tremere into a Sabbat clan, but they have been unsuccessful so far in their Venician talks (that's Venice, Italy, not the planet).
They are quite ignorant of the Inconnu though, as they do not harm them and do not corrupt the Tremere. They even regard it as an "Old Folks Organization" for the Tremere, though they do not believe in the protection that the Inconnu could offer the older Pestilencarians as they all take part in clan actions and have many Antediluvians in their clan anyway.
Weaknesses: One of the Pestilencarians' weaknesses is their Tremere heritage, even though they are descended from the creature that began the clan as it assisted their creation. Regardless of this, during a battle where they are on the side of the Tremere, if a Tremere vampire is being attacked then they will automatically cease whatever they are doing and assist or even sacrifice their lives for them. But during peace-time, they couldn't care less.
Another of the Pestilencarians' weaknesses is the fact that they are all afflicted with Bubonic Plague. The later ones in this clan can change this manually or may not even have it at all, but as for the rest they will have it forever and so take one automatic point of damage per scene as a result. Also, all of the Pestilencarians are Blood Bound to their leader.
Advantages: The Pestilencarians have the distinct advantage of being able to rely on their leader at all times. Because of the clan's small number of Progeny (150 at most), there is no problem with the availability of their leader. To do this, assume it as the Ritual Communicate with Kindred Sire, but only taking five seconds to begin communication and the appearance of the leader within ten seconds of the time after the ritual is over.
Their closeness to the Wyrm is another advantage, as they can therefore summon the Wyrm's minions to their own command for a brief period of time (Three days at most). They cannot be counted as retainers for it is not assured that they will be trustworthy, but will do their master's bidding when they have the power to kill them. Use the chart below for specifics on types of minions that can be summoned.
Kalus: Five Blood Pointa
Psycomachie: Eight Blood Points
Scrag: 13 Blood Points
Nexus Crawler: 20 Blood Points
Clan's Future Plans: As a little wake-up call for the new millennium, the Pestilencarians plan to burn down the Vatican and kill the Pope as a reminder that the Apocalypse begins there. Though ignorant Lupines believe that the Apocalypse is imminent and is on its way out, the Wyrm merely leaves its Black Spiral Dancers and Banes to their own bidding until after the Pestilencarians take out the Vatican in the dawn of the year 2000, at which point there presence will be required to design and create new, almighty creatures and plot attacks. That is when the real battle begins. Little do the Lupines know, however, that history is like a river -- it will repeat itself. Keeping that in mind, the Wyrm has its sights set to perform what he did to cause the First Apocalypse, with a few alterations. Once the Lupines are out of the way, Pentex Inc. will diminish the Amazon and then the world, leaving it a barren plain which will be the final battlefield where Gaia will at last die; little does she know. . .