- See also Blood Curse (disambiguation)
The Blood Curse was a mysterious plague that plunged numerous Cainites into madness before destroying them between the years of 1997 and 1999. The disease especially ravaged the cities of Berlin and Atlanta. Its results can be compared only to the great plague epidemics of the Dark Ages. A possible vector was a virus artificially bred by the Sabbat. It was conquered in a way as yet unknown by Owain ap Ieuan.
Description[]
Vampires are immune to most diseases, but some plagues make their way into the vitae and transfer from vampire to vessel with ease, while others fester and mutate, becoming something threatening only to the vampire hosts.
A Blood plague, sometimes known as the Curse, swept through undead society in the late 20th century, decimating domains and striking down vampires no matter their clan or status. Gustav Breidenstein, former Prince of Berlin and powerful elder, was one of the highest-profile victims of the contagion that brought countless Damned to frenzy and forced vitae to escape from every orifice until the victim withered and died.
It is said the Blood plague died out or was cured through a great ritual sacrifice. Unfortunately, the plague may just be torpid, like so many of its victims. These infections rise again and again across the centuries.
Loresheet[]
Detection: The Blood plague manifests in vampires in a variety of ways, depending on the incarnation of the disease. As the curse evolves, so must the experts who seek to study and eradicate it. You are one such vampire, knowing all associated symptoms of the Blood plague. You can use this lore to easily determine if someone carries the infection, or more malignantly, sow rumors in a domain of the plague’s existence using facts about its course. Add two dice to any Medicine or Occult roll involving the plague.- The Science of the Blood: You believe the Blood plague to be largely medical in genesis, possibly even started among mortals before it infected Kindred. Your thorough study of the Blood plague enables you to detect its recent paths and patterns, analyzing where an infected host may have been, who they might have been infected by, and when. Such information is invaluable when attempting to quarantine infected subjects. Add two dice to all Investigation rolls and other tests to track active victims of the plague.
- Trace the Torpid Victims: You see the strains of the Blood plague winding through the earth. Your interest goes beyond quarantine and healing; you can follow the plague’s stench and unholy aura to its torpid victims. You already know where many bodies are buried. By making a Resolve + Occult roll (Difficulty 4, modified by the vampire population and plague history in the area), you can locate the body of an infected victim still in torpor. Who they are and whether they remain contagious is up to the Storyteller.
- Curative Vitae: You believe any disease is curable with the correct research and willingness to sacrifice. Your vitae is clean of the Blood plague, showing no symptoms despite proximity to many victims. You believe your Blood may hold the cure, but scientists of other clans require large amounts of your vitae to test this idea. By giving enough Blood to force a Rouse Check, you can add two dice to any attempt to manufacture a cure, temporary or permanent (Storyteller’s discretion).
- Vector: You have a secret: you carry the Blood plague and can infect others with it, but you display none of the symptoms. This dangerous lore allows you to spill your vitae in an Elysium or feed a mouthful of it to a popular vessel, watching the terrible effects as other Kindred succumb to the plague. If you feel altruistic, you may volunteer for thorough tests on your vitae, exploring its application as a weapon for your sect or as a cure. The specific effects of your strain of the plague are up to you and the Storyteller.
References[]
- VTM: Trilogy of the Blood Curse
- VTM: Encyclopaedia Vampirica, p. 36
- VTM: Anarch P.198