VII - RoseRed

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Chapter Three: The Ordo Dracul and the Danse Macabre tells you what to expect as you climb the ranks of the covenant hierarchy, known as the Dragon’s Tongue. Take the psycho-spiritual personality test the Order administers to many of its new members, then see what the covenant expects of vampires at different levels of responsibility and status. Chapter Four: Factions and Bloodlines looks at subcultures within the covenant, as well as vampire lineages with histories irrevocably bound to the Order. You’ll also get a glimpse of two secret sub-societies hid- The Ordo Dracul may have the most meaningful titles of any Kindred covenant, though the Invictus give them some competition for “most elaborate.” What few outsiders truly appreciate is how the titles of the Dragons form a sort of cipher. When you understand the real meaning of a Dragon’s title, you are able to discern quite a bit about the Dragon himself. Savvy Dragons can even convey secret messages to one another via their titles. An official title of the Ordo Dracul is made up of three grammatical components. The first component is the Dragon’s “rank,” the second is his “domain” and the optional third component is made up of “decorations.” A Dragon’s rank is an expression of how much he knows about the covenant’s mystic philosophy. His domain and decorations describe what he knows. The proper presentation of a Dragon’s title follows this formula: [The Dragon’s name], [the Dragon’s rank] of [one or more decorations] + [the Dragon’s domain] + [one or more decorations]. For example: “Alexander, Scholar of the Sanguine Terror.” In practice, a Dragon has a great deal of flexibility with the grammar, provided he gets the vocabulary right. So, “Alexander, Sanguine Scholar of Terror” conveys the same information as the previous example. First, find the proper vocabulary for your character. Then assemble it into a title that suits your taste (or his). ✹★✵✲ Determining rank is simple: it all comes down to how well a Dragon knows the philosophies of the Coils of the Dragon. The more dots your character has in Coils of the Dragon, the higher his rank within the covenant. Unlike some other covenants, rank and Covenant Status are not innately linked in the Order. It is possible for a Dragon to be well advanced in the Coils but have very little esteem among his peers and few responsibilities within the local covenant chapter. As far as most Dragons under the level of Initiate know, these are all the ranks there are to be had within the Order. ordo dracul ing within the covenant, and find out why those societies must stay secret. Chapter Five: Coils and Disciplines gives you new Coils of the Dragon to use in your Vampire chronicle, plus new Disciplines, Devotions and Merits. The Appendix: Allies and Antagonists is a catalog of characters for Storytellers to use in a pinch. If you’re a player, you might look here for new character ideas, or petition the Storyteller to cast one of these vampires as your character’s Mentor or Ally. ✹★✵✲✺✂★✵✫✂✻✰✻✳✬✺ Total Dots in Coils Rank 0 Slave 1 Supplicant 2 Scribe 3 Scholar 4 Initiate 5 Adept 6 Master 7 Philosopher 8 Illuminus 9 Architect ✫✶✴★✰✵ A Dragon’s “domain” indicates the Coil in which he is most advanced. The association of a Dragon’s knowledge with the traditional term for Kindred territory is intentional: this is the character’s area of authority. A Dragon with the same level of advancement in two or more Coils should pick the territory that best describes his ambitions, philosophies or area of focus. If all of a Dragon’s Coils are equally advanced, she may choose the domain “…of Equilibrium.” Coil Domain Blood …of Hunger Banes …of the Curse Beast …of Terror Flesh …of Pain Soul …of the Void All Equal …of Equilibrium ✺✻★✵✫★✹✫✂✫✬✪✶✹★✻✰✶✵ Decorations are optional, but many Dragons use them to convey more information, or appear more impressive, to their peers. The most common decorations indicate the Dragon’s second-strongest Coil, but other decora- 15 introduction 6
introduction 16 tions, and even ranks and titles, are sometimes used to convey hidden messages to other Dragons. Meaning Decoration Blood Coil is secondary. “Sanguine” or “Bloody” Bane Coil is secondary. “Burning” or “Fiery” Beast Coil is secondary. “Wild” or “Untamed” Flesh Coil is secondary. “Carnal” or “Vital” Soul Coil is secondary. “Rarefied” or “Elysian” ✯✶✵✶✹✂✻✰✻✳✬✺ Some titles, when used in the company of the covenant’s general membership, have meanings appreciated only by the most advanced and honored Dragons. These titles are used primarily to set covenant icons apart from common Dragons, but they are also used to intimidate less-impressive colleagues and rivals. Meaning Title (Type) Rank 10 Visionary (Rank) (“I know 10 tiers of Coils.”) Rank 11+ Immortal (Rank) (“I have 10+ ranks in Coils.”) (“I have studied a fourth Coil.”) Invisible (Decoration) ✪✰✷✯✬✹✎✻✰✻✳✬✺ The standard titles of the Ordo Dracul were set forth in Rites of the Dragon, and most members of the covenant learn to use and recognize them very quickly. Over the centuries, however, additional layers of meaning have been added to the titles in use in some domains. Secret titles serve as a kind of “house cipher,” conveying sensitive information or hidden messages through dummy decorations used only among the knowledgeable. In some cases, a Dragon is given a title by his tutor, mentor or superior without any explanation of its hidden meaning (or even if it has a hidden meaning). Thus, a Dragon who believes he is being rewarded or promoted may find he is being humiliated (or worse) in front of his betters. How a Dragon wears such a title is as much a test of his character as any of the covenant’s other social games. Some titles, on the other hand (“Scribe of the Dedicated Hunger and the Fourth Darkness”), are a test of much more than character. The following decorations represent just a sample of the many cipher-titles in operation throughout the covenant and across the globe. Some titles see use in a single Most fields of study and professional societies develop specialized phrases and jargon to facilitate the discus- ordo dracul domain, while others have become virtually ubiquitous. Players and Storytellers should devise new titles for use in the coterie and domain in your own chronicle. Meaning Decoration “I know only one Coil.” “Dedicated” “I know rituals of another covenant.” “Questing” or “Tested” “I’m showing off for the audience.” “Sublime” or “Transcendent” or “Dreadful” “I am here against my own will.” “Terrible” “I am lying or disguised.” “Forgotten” or “Withered” “Outsiders are listening.” “Subtle” “Enemies are listening.” “Invincible” “I need immediate aid.” “Esoteric” “We are in immediate danger.” “Sterling” or “Omnipotent” “I am favored.” or “Renewed” or “I am to be protected.” “Remarkable” “My master wants “…of the Fourth you to destroy me.” Darkness” ✻✰✻✳✬✺✂✰✵✂★✪✻✰✶✵ Here are some examples of assembled titles that you can use when devising your own. In these examples, Coils are extremely abbreviated, for simplicity. Blood •••, Banes •, Beast 0: “Initiate of the Burning Hunger” Blood 0, Banes 0, Beast •: “Supplicant of the Dedicated Curse” Blood •, Banes •, Beast •: “Scholar of Equilibrium” Blood •, Banes ••, Beast ••• and showing off in front of onlooking Invictus vampires: “Philosopher of the Sublime and Fiery Terror” Blood 0, Banes 0, Beast •••• plus “I need some immediate help, but stay calm because a traitor who doesn’t know the code is listening”: “Adept of the Invincible and Esoteric Terror” False Titles Because the titles of the Ordo Dracul are so rigidly structured, some titles are obviously impossible or nonsensical to an informed listener, such as “Supplicant of the Bloody Terror” or “Adept of Sanguine Hunger.” These sorts of titles may still see use, however, as a means of bluffing would-be infiltrators. (“I’m sorry, only Adepts of Sanguine Hunger are permitted in this area. You’re not one, are you?”) ✳✬✿✰✪✶✵ sion and summation of complex concepts. Criminal organizations, secret societies and abstruse sub-cultures 6
Page 2 and 3: y Will Hindmarch and Christopher Ko
Page 4 and 5: Ï Ï Ï The attorney was a second-
Page 6 and 7: Ï Ï Ï Scratch arrived at the cha
Page 8 and 9: Ï Ï Ï Scratch waggled the bottle
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Page 14 and 15: one else. Arcane rituals thought lo
Page 18 and 19: typically develop their own lingo t
Page 20 and 21: a history of the ordo dracul “STO
Page 22 and 23: a history of the ordo dracul in the
Page 24 and 25: than a dozen Kindred all told, desp
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Page 30 and 31: unlife in the ordo dracul “YOU’
Page 32 and 33: to this sort of arrogance by assign
Page 34 and 35: Because so many ways of measuring t
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Page 38 and 39: God is transformed into something w
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Page 46 and 47: lines slowly shifting like the beds
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Page 50 and 51: Coil of the Soul: Shunning contact
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Page 54 and 55: unlife in the ordo dracul PLOT DEVI
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Demonstrations showcasing a Dragon
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Oracle: The upper ranks of the Myst
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an ally — the Architect had more
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✷✯✰✳★✫✬✳✷✯✰
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advisor of sorts — enough status
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likely to have heard wild and impro
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unlife in the ordo dracul THE LANCE
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Dracul disputes (though their infor
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they are dead, while others have be
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ordo dracul and the danse macabre L
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The Paths of Fate are an exercise d
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If you lend her money, with little
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choices are for the character. By p
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good counterbalance to a Magician.)
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ambition well — and your ambition
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is the tide which raises all studen
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to be utterly unique) and while som
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and only if the court was convened
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too long to let rivalries ferment.
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✴✬✵✻✶✹✬✫✂✺✼
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✶✷✷✶✹✻✼✵✰✻✰
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✫✼✻✰✬✺✂★✵✫✂
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see to formalities like recognizing
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to necessarily be involved with dec
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eason) or if a Juris Draconis is co
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mystical prowess) but strangely, th
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loodlines and factions “Nicholas
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series about a hospital emergency r
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that mortals avoid her in a very ob
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will require tools that are highly
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them seem somewhat preoccupied at t
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loodlines and factions Part psychia
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easts, gems, swordsmithing and, of
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purge themselves of that corruption
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convinced of their destiny and find
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kin struggling to slide their bodie
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etched with tattoos and ritual scar
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create the Way of the Locust, a set
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and escape His curse of vampirism.
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one’s own choices requires extens
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Azerkatil This is the last night fo
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know what terrible forces the Drago
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Weakness: Azerkatil exude a similar
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the Invictus both researched his cl
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”Is it possible to return? Does a
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loodlines and libitinarius factions
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facts are unearthed. One night, if
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Moroi You didn’t say you needed h
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inscription on the wall, written in
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Background: As the bloodline encomp
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Though one Tismanu taught another,
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its secret cellar. By day, a Tisman
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Not all of the secrets of vampirism
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doesn’t like to feel is caged. A
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coils and disiplines “I don’t k
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✻✯✬✂✪✶✰✳✂✶✭
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and not some other mystic aspect of
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“activated” so much as they hav
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Ectoplasm amounts to roughly two ou
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For every success, the vampire gain
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than one Willpower point per turn,
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Academics + Theban Sorcery roll to
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the Morticians could lose the uniqu
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Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Stamin
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✂✺✬✹✬✵✬✂✭✬✹
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Success: The character starts a ter
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Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The
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covenant and its subcultures. Devot
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however, to spend additional Vitae
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••• A small warehouse, a chur
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its of potable power have created a
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the character is infusing a one-wor
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dots. A character who purchases thi
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such as grass, dirt or shavings of
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allies and antagonists “WE WERE H
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Disciplines: Animalism 3, Coil of B
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Blood Potency: 1 Disciplines: Anima
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a conspiracy to lie better and get
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Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2,
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ing for her. Because the damnable t
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Disciplines: Majesty 3, Celerity 3,
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aced and horrified by her sire, her
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impale a thousand mortals, given th
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allies and antagonists 231 appendix
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VII - RoseRed

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