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

chapter one: the society mind of the a predator
damned 337
trying to force their will on an unsuitable moment. They choose their battles carefully, but
when they do fi nally make a move, their actions are so brutal, effi cient and all-encompassing
that enemies seldom know what hit them.
Indeed, the key to portraying an elder is often found in one word: observation. Since
elders tend to be cautious and abundantly prepared, it benefi ts the player to act accordingly.
Don’t always dive right into the thick of things, whether it’s a heated debate in Elysium or a
fi refi ght on the edge of town. Hang back, take in what you can and make the move that will
net you the most gain. Note the persistent use of the singular in that sentence. While elders
certainly won’t abandon their social groups needlessly, these Kindred understand better
than any others that the only way to play the games of the undead is to play for yourself fi rst.
Anything else is cruel self-deception or dangerous foolishness.
Of course, elder status has its own drawbacks as well. These older Kindred often have a
diffi cult time dealing with the nuances of modern culture, whereas those who have not yet
outlasted their own natural life span will be able to better understand the pulse of the mortal
world. That doesn’t mean that older vampires are easily taken advantage of, however. While
they might not fully understand the modern lingo and most technology just fi lls them with
dread, all but the dimmest elders have learned to recognize basic patterns over time. Mortals
are very fond of saying that some things never change, and being static creatures themselves,
the undead certainly agree. In any age there is greed to be exploited, lust to be slated and
hunger to be satisfi ed. This is true of vampires and mortals alike, from the dusty streets of
ancient Rome to the dirty alleys of modern Los Angeles. Elder undead understand and cling
to these simple themes that run through the mortal world, using them to make sense of what
is in front of them. This is why so many of them take mortal or ghoul assistants — not only
as protection but to help them translate what the world is saying to them. Many younger
vampires who seek to move against the “fossils” that hold rank over them fi nd themselves
surprised when they are outmaneuvered in the simplest manner possible.
Last but not least, all elders have a touch of desperation to their actions, because they
know that the long sleep of torpor draws closer all the time. The thought of awakening in
a new world, less powerful than they were before and with all they’ve carefully worked for
potentially lying in ruins around them, haunts the minds of elders around the world. Most
spend at least as much time developing strategies, alliances and contingency plans to cover
their impending torpor as they do on controlling events in the present, which is perhaps the
single largest reason that elder Kindred do not control undead society to the same degree
they might otherwise. Even if all goes as planned, they will be like unto neonates in many
ways upon their awakening. While they recognize on a simple level that their supernatural
potency will decrease, elders also recognize that emerging from torpor means re-learning a
whole new world and facing the new Kindred who are in control. That last thought alone is
enough to fi ll the hearts of elders with unease, and send them hurrying to cement the plans
necessary to ensure their existence eternally.
HUNGER
Some truths about being one of the Damned cannot be ignored. There is the hunger that
is ever present in the back of one’s mind, and that hunger can be satisfi ed only by taking
something vital from another person. Eventually it must be done, or the vampire risks losing
all semblance of control over himself. Even those vampires who have established feeding
methods know that they are slaves to their hunger. It’s only a matter of time before they must
strike again, and if any Kindred claims to have existed for centuries without committing some
atrocity in the name of feeding, one can be certain that he is lying. This need taints every social
interaction a Kindred has to one degree or another — no matter how innocent its intent.