SIMITIS

By Brian Connors (connorbd@bc.edu)

Description

A mysterious clan of vampires that live among the Slavs and other races to the north and east, the Simistis (the name seems to be a Latin corruption of a Greek form of an Armenian nickname meaning "short") are little-known to all but those in the vicinity. They are a very secretive group, and their reputation indicates they have much to hide.

The name of the Senex of the Simistis is unknown, though he is said to go by a nickname similar to the clan name (Brushah scribes have put it in forms such as Tsimises, Tsimiscis, and (in Greek) Tzimistis as well as the usual). The clan is a very hierarchical one, with an organization that might be called feudal. The leading Simistis are referred to as vojvodi, or (approximately) masters.

Life among the Simistis is rather different from anything else anywhere. Many worship the gods of the Slavs, and a few even claim to be those same gods. Their relationships with their mortal vassals are at best standoffish, and their relationships with each other demand absolute obedience to one's vojvode and respect only for the superior. Their ethics too tend to be alien by most standards; they vaguely resemble the kill-or-be-killed code of the ibn-Haqimi, but have their own differences that make the Simistis in general a much more manipulative and arrogant clan than the Haqimin.

The Simistis pick their neonates from among the chieftains and priests of the tribes and settlements they live near. Intelligence and a certain detachment are the most widely prized traits, and not a few Simistis have access to manuscripts of Aristotle, Euclid, and other natural philosophers. Literacy is common, though few bother to learn to transcribe the Slavic languages they speak, as the languages of learning are far more relevant.

All is not well among the Simistis, though. The best way to describe their attitude to begin with is creepy; they do not acknowledge themselves as even remotely human, and tend to take an attitude not unlike the attitude a human takes to a pack animal. What is worse is the rumors that not even all Simistis can confirm.

There are roughly seventeen divisions among the Simistis, some named and some not. Several of the divisions possess a most unusual Discipline called Vicissitus that allows them to perform some very bizarre transformations on living flesh. This bizarre capability makes the Simistis of those divisions suspect even among their own kind, as the habits they have developed go well beyond the standards of even the Setites. Few Simistis not of those groups ever talk about it, but one certain way to get a Simistis to cringe is to mention the words slactas and vosdi, said to be monstrous creations of these perverted Simistis.

The Simistis are fond of pointing out that their founder was an Awakened being in life. Some magical skills are known among them, but it is very weak.

Nickname

Barbarians

Appearance

They dress in the clothing of Slavic tribal chieftains, usually with black the predominant color. The possessors of Vicissitude will in addition look quite inhuman, perhaps with a number of odd but utilitarian anatomic deformities.

Background

Simistis are picked from among the leaders of Slavic, Finnic, Baltic, and Armenian settlements and tribes. A very few are of Saxon, German, or Gothic birth, but in those areas the Ventrutae dominate and therefore they hold little power.

Character Creation

Nature and Demeanor tend to indicate a dispassionate, even disassociated or sociopathic personality. Those with Vicissitude will have more bullyish natures.

Clan Disciplines

Auspex, Dominate are constants; various divisions will also posess Animalism, Protean, Chimerstry, or Vicissitude.

Weaknesses

The Simistis are tied to the soil from which they are descended and must sleep with at least two good-sized handfuls of that soil or suffer cumulative weakening of abilities until they can get that soil.

Quote

"Tell me why you find the idea that we are uncivilized so attractive. I assure you, you are simply too blind to know otherwise. But I expect as much from such as you."

Stereotypes

Baali: Introduce them to our weirder clanspeople and let them see what corruption truly is.

Brushah: The only thing we hold in common is a love of learning. Other than that we have no use for them.

Cappadocii: They need to live in the now. Asshur and his progeny focus too much on what they cannot change.

Gangrilli: We can do all they can, and we have far more to offer than they do. And they call us barbarians?

ibn-Haqimi: Never trust them. In fact, when in Asia Minor, just stay well armed.

Malcafii: Deceitful and inscrutable, just like us. But they sound a little too good to be true.

Nictuci: I like to think that our more freakish fellow-clan are responsible for this, but sadly the results of Vicissitude cannot be passed from sire to childe.

Rafanuti: We have had some dealings. They are annoying at best, and lethal at worst.

Salubri: I do not understand them. More importantly, I do not want to understand them. Let them be.

Taureatores: They call these leaders?! Rome is not my world, not as long as these maniacs remain in power at any rate.

Umbrati: Funny, I've never met one. I know how widespread they claim to be, but you can be damned sure they're not referring to the Slavic lands.

Ventrutae: We are not on the best of terms, as they mistreat those of us who live among them.