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

chapter one: diablerie society • the of the vinculum
damned 225
determined to complete the deed in spite of this tough old Haunt’s tenacity. The Storyteller yields two
more successes in the third turn, signifying that the diablerie is complete.
Danny’s Humanity automatically drops from 5 to 4 to pay for his base treachery, so his player draws
four times to determine whether Danny gains a derangement. Sure enough, he fails, and the Storyteller
decides that Danny acquires the derangement of narcissism. Flush with his new power (but secretly afraid
someone will expose his scheme), Danny feels on top of the world and has trouble hiding his supremely
confi dent demeanor from others around him. On the other hand, the Ventrue feels a rush of power.
The Nosferatu had a Blood Potency of 3 and Danny’s was only 2, so it now rises to 3. In addition, he
chooses to acquire a dot of Obfuscate, which he didn’t know at all before.
Now all Danny has to do is hope that no one studies his aura for the next , as the black veins therein will
remain for that long. With any luck and his new knowledge of Obfuscate, he’ll be able to lie low long enough
to allay any undue attention. Helping him in that aim will be Kindred suspicion of the Daeva contact.
THE VINCULUM
The addictive power of Vitae takes a special twist if a mortal or Kindred repeatedly tastes
the blood of a single Kindred. In this case, an emotional dependence on that specifi c vampire
adds to the general thirst for Vitae. The Kindred call this dependence the Vinculum, the
blood bond or the blood oath. The vampire who created the bond is called the regnant; the
bound Kindred or mortal is the thrall.
Some Kindred say that the Vinculum is the closest the Damned come to true love. If such
is accurate, it is a terrible letdown, as the Vinculum is artifi cial and empty. It is not true love;
it is simply a supernatural approximation. For many Kindred, it is a painful reminder of
what they once had available to them as mortals, while the emotions they experience in the
Requiem are little more than echoes of those lost feelings. The victim of a blood bond feels
utterly devoted to his regnant and does nearly anything she asks. Dominate cannot overpower
the thrall’s feelings for his regnant. Majesty imposes feelings for other Kindred, but it cannot
negate the Vinculum’s hold.
The Kindred most often apply the Vinculum to mortals. A ghoul is, necessarily, blood bound
after a period of days, weeks or even months. Kindred can also bond other Kindred. No one,
however, can be thrall to more than one regnant. A Vinculum to one Kindred precludes the
character becoming bound to another vampire, as long as the regnant still exists.
ATTITUDES TOWARD THE VINCULUM
Most Kindred feel a healthy fear of the Vinculum. They know how their kind treats its
slaves, and they shudder at the thought of becoming the pawns of one of their fellow monsters.
In most cities, the Prince or other dignitaries threaten to apply the Vinculum only as
a punishment for misbehavior. A Prince who too often orders other Kindred to submit to
his regnancy might provoke a rebellion. Kindred who believe that love can be eternal (if not
entirely natural) might drink each other’s blood to form a mutual bond. They also recognize
that their mutual bond protects them from ever becoming bound to anyone else.
The Invictus tolerates the Vinculum more than any other covenant does. Its elders see the
blood oath as another tool by which they can rule over their juniors. In some cities, elders
routinely blood bond their childer and all of their line. In most cities, however, a sire may not
subject her childe to the Vinculum without special permission from the Prince. Princes do
not like Kindred who love their sires more than they fear their rulers. Invictus elders accept
such prohibitions because opposing them would turn too many Kindred against the covenant
and would too blatantly contradict the covenant’s pretense of meritocracy.
The other covenants generally disapprove of Vinculums, or at least their members say they
do. The Ordo Dracul sees Vinculums as distractions, emotional baggage that diverts atten