Impundulu

The Impundulu are a bloodline of vampires bonded to a coven of mortal witches, and they are counted as one of Legacies of the Laibon.

Early History
Impundulu was a powerful necromancer in life, married to an equally powerful life-witch named Bomkazi. One day, Impundulu summoned a spirit that was too strong to contain and the creature killed him. Bomkazi mourned her husband and buried him, but Impundulu rose again the next night, for the spirit had left some of its power in him. Exhilarated by his new power, Impundulu begged Bomkazi to join him in not-death, but she refused, saying that they must be like sun and moon now. Even so, she did agree to stay with him; though she recognized that he had become a monster, Bomkazi still loved Impundulu, and the heart wants what it wants.

As the years passed, Bomkazi began to long for a child, which Impundulu could no longer give her. She considered leaving Impundulu for a mortal man, but her heart was with him. So she sought another way instead. Calling upon her powerful life magic, Bomkazi enacted a great ritual that allowed her and Impundulu to conceive. The result was a beautiful baby girl, but the ritual came with a price.

Immediately after Bomkazi’s conception, both Impundulu and she sensed that something was different about their child. As the product of life and death, the girl, whom they named Esona, was a revenant. Furthermore, the essence of Impundulu and Bomkazi had mingled to such an extent that Bomkazi and her descendants would forever be immune to the blood bond, whilst Impundulu’s lineage could no longer feed from anyone but them. When Esona was old enough, she willingly offered to sustain her father’s Laibon childe, whom she viewed as her own sibling. From this initial pairing, strong ties grew between Esona’s mortal line, which she named Bomkazi in respect of her mother, and Impundulu’s lineage.

Dark Ages
The Impundulu as a lineage claim the South-East African Cape as their domain, or more accurately, the Bomkazi do. This area is poor and sparsely populated compared to other regions of the continent and most people living here, were forced to migrate out of Central Africa due to overpopulation. The Bomkazi, however, prefer the relative isolation as it allows them to refine their craft without interference. The Impundulu traveled with them. The Impundulu and Bomkazi frequently leave their domain to travel along coastal lines and pastoral routes, seeking out other people with knowledge of magic or necromancy.

A recent problem in particular has forced them to travel far in search of knowledge. The Bomkazi line is approaching the point where the witches are either so inbred that they suffer for it, or their blood has become so diluted from the original Bomkazi that it no longer serves the Impundulu as sustenance. The Impundulu and Bomkazi have searched within their own ranks for the answer and came up blank, and are looking to trade information with Cainite sorcerers.

Culture
Each Impundulu lives with one or more Bomkazi witches in their residence of choice. The Bomkazi can use their life magic to heal, requiring only a small herd (sometimes just one) for every Impundulu. As an Impundulu can only feed from the Bomkazi and the witches are both unbondable and powerful in their own magic, this is a purely voluntary relationship. In fact, a fledgling Impundulu making the mistake of treating a Bomkazi like a servant or retainer will find himself going hungry until he makes amends and is forgiven.

An Impundulu and Bomkazi typically stay together for life, though sometimes a clash of personalities makes it best for both to move on. In such cases, unless the Impundulu was truly offensive, the Bomkazi will help him find another companion. The relationships between Impundulu and Bomkazi are wide and varied, and they might be like lovers, parents, siblings, or simply friends.

Embraces
An Impundulu sire might Embrace from two main sources: those who are too sick to live yet not ready to die, and those mortals who work necromantic magic. Hailing from either group, the childe contributes to the lineage’s necromantic prowess, as he has been close to death or is skilled in manipulating it. No Bomkazi, even dying, has ever asked to be Embraced.

Weaknesses
An Impundulu only gains sustenance from the Bomkazi. As the witches are independently powerful and their relationship with the Impundulu is voluntary, the Impundulu does well to treat any Bomkazi as an equal ally as opposed to a retainer, with all the complications this might entail.

Organization
Between the Impundulu and his Bomkazi companion, there is little that they are not prepared for. As such, they have no pressing need for a larger organization. Still, both Impundulu and Bomkazi like to get together with their peers to discuss magical workings. Impundulu also gather when a Bomkazi dies to make sure the witch’s soul makes it safely to the afterlife. The first Impundulu no longer guides his clan, for even witches with power over life must eventually die, and the Laibon refused to feed from Esona or her offspring after Bomkazi passed away.