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

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Geographically, the Gangrel seem to hail from what is tonight Eastern Europe, where<br />

they came in contact with the nascent Camarilla and were reluctantly drawn into that society.<br />

As Rome’s holdings moved westward, so, too did the Camarilla and thus the Gangrel.<br />

Historians also theorize strong Gangrel roots in what is modern Scandinavia. Since those<br />

early nights of society, the Gangrel have chosen the outlying borders of domains for their<br />

own territories. As such, Gangrel are often seen as pioneers, eking out an existence where<br />

domains will later form, or as scavengers, clinging desperately to territories and refusing to<br />

yield once domains have fallen.<br />

MEKHET<br />

<strong>The</strong> Mekhet are quick, discreet and wise. Legends of vampires hiding in shadows, preying<br />

secretly on victims and even learning secrets no one else is supposed to know probably<br />

refer to Mekhet activities.<br />

Some of the oldest Kindred known to the vampiric world are members of Clan Mekhet,<br />

though most spend their time harrowed by the cold sleep known as torpor. While most are<br />

predisposed toward solitude, some have traveled with mortal armies and are even suspected<br />

of forming undead mercenary factions of their own. As with most other clans, nothing<br />

verifi able is known about the progenitor of the Mekhet line. Many stories depict reclusive<br />

Mekhet cult leaders or masters of schools of stealthy soldiers, so the clan might have origins<br />

that abut the Pharaohs or philosopher-kings of the Classical or Ancient worlds.<br />

<strong>The</strong> name Mekhet itself gives some clues as to the clan’s origin, as it is an Egyptian word<br />

for “amulet.” Some of the most venerable elders certainly bear features that might be described<br />

as Egyptian, while a few have classical Hellenic complexions, which isn’t surprising,<br />

considering Greece’s proximity to Egypt. <strong>The</strong> commerce between the Egyptians and Greeks,<br />

and later the Romans, corresponds with the legendary travels of members of this clan, as<br />

well as their formative role in the nascent Camarilla. Since that time, the Mekhet have<br />

traveled wherever shadows have fallen, wherever secrets lay hidden and wherever Kindred<br />

call upon others to give them counsel.<br />

NOSFERATU<br />

<strong>The</strong> Nosferatu are stealthy, strong and terrifying. <strong>The</strong>ir very presence unnerves people,<br />

whether by physical ugliness, foul stench or nebulous personal malignance.<br />

Studies of Nosferatu legend suggest that the clan is relatively young, possibly originating<br />

not too long before the rise of Rome, and possibly among the peoples it conquered.<br />

Certainly, the Nosferatu were active among the clans of the Camarilla, but proof of their<br />

presence before then is spotty at best. And yet, claims occasionally surface about very old<br />

Kindred who, if not Nosferatu, are strikingly like the Nosferatu. Whether these vampires<br />

are indeed members of the same clan, are Kindred of some “proto-clan” that became the<br />

Nosferatu or are entirely unrelated can only be guessed at.<br />

Legends of the nosferatu are historically heaviest in central Europe, particularly in Germany,<br />

northern Italy and eastern France. Early records describing what seem to be broods<br />

of Nosferatu also originate in modern Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria<br />

and Greece, with some indication of presence in north Africa as well. Like the Gangrel,<br />

Nosferatu tend to either seek out territories before or after most of Kindred culture bothers<br />

with them. Unlike the Gangrel, though, the Nosferatu adapt relatively quickly to the<br />

presence of other vampires, relying on their monstrous nature to make a place for them in<br />

the society of the Damned.<br />

14<br />

chapter one: society of the damned

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