Sta-Au

The Sta-Au are a bloodline of North American vampires who dwell in badlands and other isolated, inhospitable places, which they collectively call the "Land of Worms." They believe that, if they isolate themselves and renounce their Humanity, they will be transformed into "the gracious and wicked dead" and their hideaways will be transformed into the "Sand Hills"--a perfect hunting ground for the perfect predator.

The origins of the Sta-Au are unknown, but the founder was probably a Gangrel or Mekhet. Vampires of any clan can join the bloodline, and typically they renounce any prior clan affiliations in the process, though they retain their original clan weakness. Sta-Au cannot regain Humanity, ever--they no longer want it. Those who join, or are recruited, undergo an initiation similar to a Blackfoot funeral, and may indicate their allegiance to the bloodline through body modification--filing all teeth into points, scarification, tattoos, etc.

Some see the Sta-Au as a particularly perverse Golconda cult, while others regard them as insane savages. As a collective, they are moderately friendly with the Ordo Dracul, even though they disagree fundamentally on how to achieve transcendence of the vampire condition. As the Sta-Au keep themselves isolated, they don't have to worry about the politics of Kindred society; however, the modern world makes it increasingly difficult to maintain that isolation, as even the most inhospitable territory is now accessible with the right vehicle and a GPS.