TIEN'SLOJ

By Mario Majoni (proteus@promix.it)

Description

The Tien'sloj originated with a 5^th generation Tzimisce of Russian descent called Jaran. He was a voivode in his own country, but the machinations of his enemies revealed him as an ally of Assamite diabolists. The truth was that Jaran had found true love with a young slayer, Jalazia, and refused to kill her when two elders found her in the domain of the Fiend. The fight that followed saw Jaran victorious over one of the two elders (a Ventrue), while the other easily overcame the unskilled Ottoman, staked her and brought her away. When Jaran stormed in his enemy's stronghold, he was faced by the council of Primogen that acuused him of treachery, burned Jalazia in front of him and eventually exiled him. He then decided to wander the less hospitable, most dangerous and furthest recesses of Earth alone, seeking a way to re-unite with his beloved one. Then the story is rather obscure, with hints at Jaran dealing with Baali in the hope of bartering his soul for his lover's (legends tell that he developed Aracnean when consorting with spider-fiends). Only centuries later did the true Tien'sloj bloodline appear, during the First Crusade, when the Prince of Kamchackta (the Ventrue Jaran had fought and overcome in his own castle) and the Primogen of clan Ventrue were challenged, defeated and killed by "strange, spidery Tzimisce". Their history was linked to the Tzimisce ever after, including their help in founding the Sabbat.

Nickname

Spiders

Appearance

Tien'sloj are almost always of Russian descent, just like their founder; moreover a small number of them have useless spidery traits, like additional sets of eyes, unusable multiple limbs, vestigial mandibles, hairy bodies or drooling mouths (treat these as bloodline flaws, with a variable modifier of -1 to -5, with social repercussions being their main disadvantage).

Haven

They tend to live either in big cities near the wilds or in huge industrial communities. Few of them live in the deepest recesses of Europe's largest woods; those that choose these places are extremely careful in every movement in fear of destroying nature, or are skilled in the thaumaturgical "Path of Nature's Touch", which somehow softens their curse.

Background

Those who become Tien'sloj are picked among loners, drifters, hunters and forest dwellers; dabblers of occult knowledge, cultists and con men are sometimes chosen, too. Most of the people chosen to become "spiders" seem to have loved deeply something and then lost it; needless to say, most of them bear an eternal grudge against whoever or whatever took their love away from them.

Character creation

Tien'sloj usually have a Criminal or Drifter Concept, and tend to choose Loner, Survivor, Curmudgeon and similar Natures, while they don't bother choosing different Demeanours. Physical Attributes tend to be primary, just like Abilities. Common backgrounds include Contacts, Allies and Mentor.

Weaknesses

All Tien'sloj love nature, and all of them are unable to embrace it because of the Taint of Corruption possessed by the bloodline.

Disciplines

Aracnean, Dominate, Potence

Quote

"The Beast is howling inside you, whelp, I can hear its agony. Do yourself a favour, listen to your much flaunted humanity and get the hell out of here before you become one with the earth once and for all!"

Stereotypes

The Sabbat: We are the core of the Sabbat, together with Lasombra and Tzimisce; we are few in number, but our awesome rage will forever make up for anything we lack.

"As long as their hatred can be controlled and directed towards our own goals, I see nothing bad in their being Pack leaders or even, Bishops. The problem is that sooner or later one of these shadowy bastards will be willing to become a Priscus!"

--Lyzander, Lasombra Archbishop

The Camarilla: This Ventrue-driven machine is large and powerful, but you know, there's no machine that is able to work without an operator.

"I heard that the last pack that Archon Heinrich and the rest of Clan Gangrel fought in the mountains a few night ago was led by a 7 feet tall spider-like creature. Of course the Ancillae mistook it for a Tzimisce-crafted szlachta, but fortunately Heinrich recognised Pavel even in that form and managed to slay him before he could say anything . . . compromising. You know, Pavel was the child of S'rigt, the bishop of Lithuania. Well, yes, let's say he is a very old associate of mine that unfortunately has access to some private information...."

--Doria, 6^th generation Ventrue Prince of Genoa