Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

Exceptions exist, of course. Every now and then, a vampire sets up shop in the wrong
part of town and irritates existing occupants, with predictably unpleasant results. Likewise,
a werewolf or mage might decide to dip his toe into a domain that a particular Kindred has
claimed as his own private sphere of infl uence. In these cases, confl ict is likely inevitable,
but more often than not, both sides know better than to let a true blood feud ensue. What
usually happens is that once the initial matter has been settled (whether by peaceable means
or by someone’s demise), the case is closed. Those most likely to violate this arrangement
are the Lupines, whose pack mentality demands restitution on occasion, but even they tend
to stop short of all-out war against the entire race to which the offender belonged. No, the
supernatural denizens of the World of Darkness are signifi cantly (and perhaps surprisingly)
more realistic about the nature of confl ict than are the mortals who surround them.
Learned Kindred also know that werewolves and wizards are not the only creatures with
whom the undead share the night. Certain Kindred are known for traffi cking with the spirits
of the restless dead, though they remain tight-lipped about the hows and wherefores of it.
These beings surely know of the Kindred, but only the mediums themselves can say with any
surety what feelings, if any, the dead have toward the undead. Upon learning of the existence
of the restless, some concerned Kindred grow obsessed with them, eager to discover just what
makes one soul pass on to its fi nal reward but forces another to stay behind. (Surely no earthly
crime deserves such punishment, so some Kindred say.) Alas, the curiosity of such individuals
is rarely if ever satisfi ed, as few necromancers are known for their open discourse.
And then come rumors of even stranger cohabitants amid the Kindred’s strange land.
Sorcerous vampires tell of eldritch beings from the hoary host of Hell itself — demons, with
whom no sane Kindred would ever knowingly interact. Most believe such tales to be nothing
more than the Order of the Dragon’s macabre sense of humor, an attempt on the part of
one damned race to terrify its kin by means of an even more damned race. If so, the irony is
lost on most Kindred, who would just as soon prefer the Dragons stopped talking about it.
All the same, stories surface with just enough regularity to be generally disconcerting about
entities to whom Kindred can go for assistance, if the conviction is strong enough. Creatures
who carry the promise of power, prestige and anything else one desires.
Although all of these entities (and more) are known to vampires, it is important to note
that the Kindred don’t truly understood any of them. Vampires are an insular, self-absorbed
lot, and most are too preoccupied with their own schemes, fears and apprehensions to even
be put in a position where they might glean some true understanding of these other creatures.
No, most undead are content to adhere to their ordained role as participants in the Danse
Macabre, moving to the somber sounds of their own private Requiems.
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chapter one: society of the damned