WARDERS

By John Oldham (memnow@gdi.net)

Description

In the early 16th century, a young Tremere by the name of Gregoth became painfully aware of the physical shortcomings of himself and most of his Tremere brethren. When the wars with the Gangrel and Tzimisce turned bad, these shortcomings were driven home with force. Gregoth pondered possible solutions to this dilemma and proposed the one he thought most feasible to a few of his more powerful friends within the Pyramid. Ten of the magi to whom he made his proposal agreed that this was a viable solution that could be implemented in addition to the gargoyles already in position. The Warders, as the new bloodline to be created was to be called, would not be frontline fighters as the gargoyles were but would stand by individual Tremere as personal guardians and companions. With the help of his more influential comrades, Gregoth created and performed the ritual that brought about the creation of the Warders. The warders were highly trained in the arts of war, being embraced from the ranks of knights and men-at-arms. The clan wars saw a serious depletion of their numbers and, with the downfall of feudalism and the orders of knighthood, fewer and fewer were chosen for the Embrace. Today, the bloodline is virtually unknown, even among the majority of the Tremere.

Disciplines

Potence, Fortitude, Celerity

Advantages and Weaknesses

A bound Warder (not a blood bond - see below) can draw vast reserves of power from the bond with the Tremere to whom he is linked. At the cost of one Willpower point to both the Warder and the Tremere, the Warder gains the equivalent of three blood points (not actual blood points) that can be used in any way a normal blood point can be used, except for thaumaturgic rituals and sustenance, even exceeding the maximum number of blood points normally usuable per round determined by the Warder's generation. The Warder and Tremere gain a crude form of empathy with each other. Each will know the current physical state of the other and the basic mental condition. Should the Tremere die, the Warder will suffer three aggravated points of damage. Few Tremere bound to Warders die before their bound Warders do for this very reason.

The Warders are given the Tremere Oath upon their Embrace and are also brought one step toward a blood bond to the Inner Council as a normal Tremere is. They are subject to the authority of the Pyramid and can gain status and their own version of rank within the House and Clan Tremere according to the rank of the Tremere to which they are bound in addition to a general sense of position within the ranks of the Warders determined by their martial prowess.

The ritual to required create the bond between a Tremere and a Warder is known as "Bond of the Warder's Might." It is a level five ritual. The Tremere performs the ritual alone except for the prospective Warder. The ritual lasts eight hours and bestows upon the pair the abilities described above. The ritual may be performed with a non-Warder but the non-Warder gains only the empathy and the potential damage should the Tremere die.