Revenant (VTM)

Ghoul Families
In Vampire: The Masquerade it is possible for ghoul attributes to breed true. A ghoul can theoretically be "bred up" from ghouls or "bred down" from Vampires, resulting in revenants.

Because revenants do breed, because they are ghouls, with the associated emotional problems, and because the Tzimisce were heavily involved in discovering this, ghoul families are more than a little bit bent. Cannibalism, incest, necrophilia, zoophilia, and general insanity is all part of family life. The families are also insanely wealthy, however, and generally hide their more depraved members from too much public view.

In modern nights, the ghoul families are largely relics. The Tzimisce originally used them as breeding stock, but have since largely moved along from them - the only thing keeping the families from being exterminated know is certain useful services they provide for the Sabbat an Tzimisce traditionalism.

The major ghoul families are:


 * Bratovitch: The historical hound-keepers and visible lords for the Tzimisce; the Bratovitches are noted for savage violence and a barely controlled rage.
 * Grimaldi: The most important of the ghoul families, the Grimaldis serve as diplomats, but have a more critical role as the enforcers of the Sabbat Masquerade. In this capacity, they are the most humane (and ironicly, useful) of revenants.
 * Zantosa: The Zantosa are too far gone in their appetites to serve much use for the Sabbat; these nights, they primarily subsist by providing obscene amounts of cash whenever their undead masters demand it. Beyond that, the Zantosa party, drink, snort, smoke, dance and fuck themselves into the void.
 * Obertus: Possibly the oldest ghoul family, the Obertus can trace their history to ancient Constantinople. The Obertus are scholars and obsessive researchers, focusing on occult issues and questions of vampiric lore.

In addition to these families are several lines who are not affiliated with the Tzimisce (in some cases, they never were). These include:


 * Enrathi: A bloodline associated with the True Black Hand, the Enrathi captured children to be raised as chatterlings.
 * Rafastio: Also associated with the True Black Hand, the Rafastio were witches and seers.

Culture
A particularly interesting phenomenom which is practically exclusive to the Tzimisce is the existence of Revenants. Revenants are families of ghouls constantly maintained by the Tzimisce, who serve as mortal pawns and possible candidates for the Embrace. Centuries of vampiric contact, infusions of vampiric blood and inbreeding have transformed the Revenants into a distinct type of supernatural creature. They produce a weak vampiric-like vitae, which sustains their bodies way beyond normal human lifespans(although not immortal, Revenants can live to be hundreds of years old), and also gives them the ability to use Disciplines.

Revenants are fanatically loyal to their vampiric masters, and consider themselves superior to the average human, as well as "regular" ghouls. This, added to their treatment by the Tzimisce and their inbred, unsavory lifestyles, have shaped their mindsets into completely alien directions. Most Revenants could never function as normal human beings. The four Revenant families also provide the Tzimisce with a very diverse "breeding stock", giving the clan a lot of flexibility in its membership. Warriors, scholars, aristocrats and freaks are all found in equal measure amongst the Revenants, and this translates to them being found amongst the Tzimisce as well, once they Embrace the Revenants in question.

Although there are other Revenant families in the World Of Darkness, the four Tzimisce families (the Bratovitches, the Obertus, the Grimaldi and the Zantosas) are the biggest and most well established. What follows is a description of the four families:


 * The Bratovitches are the muscle of the four families. Violent and animalistic, they are quick to anger, rough and savage. They are also the kennel masters for their lords, raising dogs, wolves and other wild animals so that their masters may shape them into fearsome creatures they may hurl at their foes.


 * The Grimaldi are the Tzimisce's main liaison with human society. They are the most "human" of the Revenant families, and are usually in charge of maintaining Tzimisce estates and handling mortal endeavors like finance and politics. They are also the most independent of the Revenant families, some of them even secretly plotting to free themselves from their masters' yoke. Other Revenant families see the Grimaldi as soft, and hold them in contempt. The Grimaldi return the favor, seeing the other families as mindless slaves and freaks.


 * The Obertus are scholars and occultists, and are held in high esteem by the Tzimisce, as many of their greatest scientists, spiritualists, leaders and sorcerers have been Embraced from their ranks. Sascha Vykos, the most famous(and notorious) Priscus of the Sabbat, was formerly Myka Vykos of the Obertus family.


 * While the Grimaldi are the Tzimisce's pawns in mortal society, the Zantosas are their main link to culture. Zantosas are hedonistic social butterflies, on par with any Toreador in their dealings with human culture. They stimulate their senses and play with humans with reckless abandon. They are probably the Revenants in least control of themselves (even moreso than the Bratovitches), and many believe the only reason the Tzimisce haven't wiped them out is because they value their tradition and history. The Fiends' anachronistic mindset may be the only thing saving the Zantosas from annihilation.

Description
Revenant familes were bred over many generations to serve the Sabbat. They are not quite human, somewhere between human and vampire, they exist outside of society's norms. Some worship vampires as Gods, some aspire to achieve that state themselves.

Revenants are divided into families, and like Vampire clans, each family has particular roles to play, specific disciplines and weaknesses. These humans were bred over many generations, and genetically they are quite different from the average human. The aging process is slowed (but not halted as in traditional ghouls). A hundred year old revenant may appear to be in their twenties. Also many of the family's philosophies are indoctrinated into them from an early age, some revenant families even follow Paths of Enlightenment (or Roads). The personality of the average revenant is often freakish and alien by society's standards, and inbreeding is not uncommon.

Revenants produce their own blood pools at the rate of 1 pt per day. They cannot use this blood to form bonds, created ghouls, or make vampires.

Bratovitch
Brutish monsters that usually serve the Tzimisce, they are fighters and trackers, and rarely engage in finer social events. Most Bratovitch know little about humanity and follow Paths or Roads

Disciplines: Animalism, Potence, Vicissitude

Weakness: +2 diff to resist frenzy

Grimaldi
These revanants spend their time in society and social atmospheres, they maintain a facade of normalcy and often act as go betweens between the sabbat and areas of mortal influence.

Disciplines: Celerity, Dominate, Fortitude

Weakness: Bonded to bishops or archbishops

Obertus
Scholars of the sabbat, they spend much of their time researching the occult.

Disciplines: Auspex, Obfuscate, Vicissitude

Weakness: Derangement (Obsessive)

Zantosa
Decadent and wealthy, these revenants pursue their own pleasures, most of them Follow the Path of Cathari.

Disciplines: Auspex, Presence, Vicissitude

Weakness: May become obsessed to pleasure and sensation, easily addicted

Ducheski
Though they once served the Tzimisce, this family now serves the Tremere. They are very talented with mechanical devices, and many tremere have the Ducheski maintain their libraries and laboratories.

Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy

Weakness: Inbreeding has caused some birth and personality defects. No Ducheski can have a social trait above 2.

Rafastio
Witches and practitioners of magic, they once served the Black Hand. With the Black Hand's destruction the family remained independent, preferring to carve their own destinies.

Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Thaumaturgy

Weakness: Rafastio cannot be embraced, attempted embrace will result in death. Furthermore, they are cursed with a type of Lunacy which causes discipline difficulties to vary with the moon's cycles.