Appolinaire

The Appolinaire are a Haitian Ventrue bloodline who had a special connection to Ghede, the Voudoun loa of the dead.

Before the Haitian Revolution, one of the most prominent Kindred on the island was a houngan known as Bokor Appolinaire. According to legend, he was Ghede's most devoted servant, and so Ghede made him a unique deal: one night every year, Appolinaire would take over Ghede's duties policing the boundary between the living and the dead, so that Ghede could relax. In return, Appolinaire would enjoy special powers from the loa all year round. While the original Appolinaire is thought by some to have died in the Revolution, the bloodline remains active in Haiti, where they still uphold their end of the bargain, though the date of Ghede's night off cannot be predicted in advance.

Modern Ghede are not required to practice Voudoun, and those who do practice need not take Ghede as their patron. The only requirement is to promise to uphold the bargain between the loa and the bloodline; failure to do so can have drastic consequences. During the initiation ritual, the initiate's left eye is removed, and the socket fills with a swirling white mist. The Appolinaire can see and interact with ghosts, even those in Twilight, and their signature Discipline Carrefour allows them to open and close Avernian Gates in order to drive restless ghosts back into the Underworld.