Cleopatra is a derogatory term used by the Nosferatu to describe those of their clan that were Embraced because of their extraordinary beauty.
(For the resurgent Nosferatu blood cult, see Cleopatrans)
Overview[]
The Nosferatu's clan curse is known to physically deform mortals, and when it happens with the Cleopatras it frequently happens mentally as well (giving a perverse pleasure to their sires). While some Nosferatu create Cleopatras as punishment for those who are beautiful and cruel, their ranks are not limited to just the vain among the beautiful; even those with kind natures may be targeted by Nosferatu with an extreme hatred for beauty.
Many Cleopatras attempt to learn the Obfuscate ability Mask of a Thousand Faces as soon as possible in an attempt to resume their old ways. They are named for the trapeze artist from the movie Freaks, who scorned the freaks in her circus and was attacked and deformed by them for her vanity.
Description[]
Long-lived Nosferatu know the story of Yima, the beautiful and virtuous childe of Absimilliard. She either sacrificed herself to take the full brunt of Caine’s curse, or was rejected by her sire when the curse refused to take hold in her. In the modern nights, some Nosferatu are visited in daysleep dreams by a woman who removes their blemishes and guides them to rule the Kindred. These Vagrants defy the clan’s stigmas and stereotypes, dressing in fine clothes and adorning themselves in oils and perfumes. The confidence and charisma they project brings them into positions of high society often denied to the clan. Though no one is sure if the dream woman is the influence of a Methuselah, the machinations of their Antediluvian, or the spirit of Yima herself, few can deny the results.
You are a Cleopatra, one of the few Nosferatu that receives these communal dreams. The woman who visits you in your slumber shows you the person you could be, and when you see them, you know it’s attainable. She tells you about the secret ugliness in your superiors, the kind that aesthetics just paper over. You can exploit them. With the woman’s counsel, you can conquer anything, even a clan’s Bane.
Loresheet[]
Close Examination: You remember things the woman told you at just the right time. Once per story, you may select an SPC, and tell the Storyteller you want to discover their deepest flaw. You gain three bonus dice to a Wits + Insight roll against that individual, with a critical success conveying the desired information. Revealing this knowledge is a certain way to earn a long-term Adversary Background, however.- Clothed in Power: You know how to make the ideal self in your dreams a reality. Pick an outfit, perfume, hairstyle, makeup routine, or skincare routine. When you use this, you may reroll a Social roll failure or roll to resist fury frenzy once per story.
- Dream Appearance: Before entering your daysleep, you may roll your Composure + Resolve (Difficulty 3). If you’re successful, your sleeping form loses the effect of your clan Bane, rendering your appearance equal to that of your mortal form just prior to your Embrace (along with any scars from Aggravated Health damage). When you wake, your Bane re-affects you within minutes, inflicting two Superficial Willpower damage.
- Figure-in-Waiting: Following your dreams paid off. Name a titled position in the domain. The current titleholder considers you next in line should something happen to them, granting four dots to spread between Mawla (the present titleholder) and Status. However, being second-in-line also earns you a two or three dot Adversary, in the form of a vampire who also wants the position.
- The Beauty Within: You are destined to rule the Kindred, and not even Caine’s curse hinders you. Once per story, when you are dressed in your finest clothes, you may negate your clan’s Bane entirely for the duration of a chapter for the purposes of interaction with other vampires. Your appearance has not changed, but your intense confidence radiates and negates your blemishes. This Lore has no effect on kine.
References[]
- VTM: Clanbook: Nosferatu, p. 22
- VTM: Clanbook: Nosferatu Revised, p. 45