Cultivars

The members recruited for the Cultivar are shaped and trained with the purpose of eradicating the descendants of Cain, aiming to build something new upon their ruins. Within the cult, both immortal and mortal members share the vision of stability, representing an ancient power and a path to enlightenment. Like the Bahari, the Cultivars are part of the Cults of Lilith. The Cultivar was founded by Nerissa Blackwater, with Edith Beaubien among its first recruits.

Overview

In a time so remote that even her vast memory falters, the creature now known as Nerissa Blackwater arrived alone at the edge of the great waters that future inhabitants of the region would come to know as Michigami. It was the moment when the last rays of the sun, orange and furious, were swallowed by the dark land to the west.

Then arose the Ancestral, an immense and imposing figure, taller than any mortal, with a form only vaguely human. Its muscular limbs and sculpted body radiated raw strength, while its long, wild hair, drenched in mud, framed its fierce appearance. Its eyes glowed like flint in the twilight. Thus, the ritual began.

For an entire season, the Ancestral returned each night, whispering secrets into the recesses of Nerissa's mind. It painted visions of a lush world, with gardens brimming with life, under the care of the Mother of Seeds. This paradise was shielded from the merciless heat of the sun by a midnight shawl, a gift from the Father of Stars. But with the break of dawn, the Ancestral vanished into the lake, leaving Nerissa, naked and motionless on the shore, to endure the harshness of nature: sunburn, cutting rain, relentless winds, and the solitude of snow and hailstorms.

The Ancestral revealed to her the mysteries of the Mother: the arrival of the cannibal monster Eemamoowia, the fall of the Garden, and the terrible curse inflicted upon the victims of this devastating attack. Nerissa was chosen to serve as mediator between the mortal descendants of the Father of Stars and the Mother of Seeds, and the Ancestors—half-dead beings consumed by shame and terror over their abominable transformations, unable to bear the light of the sun. For this purpose, Nerissa would experience the agony of Eemamoowia’s attack, die, and be reborn into undeath, sustained by the Mother's blood—the same blood that had nurtured her transformation over the course of an entire season.

The thought horrified her. Why had her predecessors never warned her? How could they lead her to such a dreadful sacrifice? And yet, in exchange for this burden, her people would honor her as the guardian of the memory of Eemamoowia’s crimes. Because of her, they would offer their own blood, their own pain, to prevent her from succumbing to the cannibal curse and becoming a Beast.

Today, the descendants of Nerissa Blackwater act in silence, like intertwined roots and vines, battling the Cannibal Kindred and waiting, with reverence and anticipation, for the imminent return of the Mother.

Description

Horticultural science defines a cultivar as a plant selected intentionally and carefully shaped and maintained through cultivation. Such are those called who are singled out and shaped by Nerissa Blackwater to be agents of the Ancestor, working to uproot the Cannibals — descendants of Caine — and establish a New Garden upon the broken shells of the first.

Some vampires and some mortals dangle the tantalizing prospect of stability, of an ancient power, a pathway to enlightenment for Kindred who have lost faith in all factions.

Loresheet

• Dark Seedling: The legends of the Dark Mother always appealed to you, but perhaps you were too intimidated to openly approach one of the Bahari. Now, though, your new associates have put you onto something that makes sense, feels real. They are tapped into something powerful, and that’s worth getting to know. Once per story, you may use two dots in Allies: Cultivars, representing mortal cultists who come to your aid.

• Fresh Cutting: Under the sponsorship of a current Cultivar, you are tested, pushed to your limits, and forced beyond them. At this stage, it is expected that you regularly engage in some sort of mortification of the flesh — scarification, scourging, even passing a candle flame over your skin. You gain a free Skill Specialty in Occult, with that Specialty being Bahari, Lilith, or the Ancestor. You also receive a ritual scar to mark your membership in the cult, conveying one dot in Status: Cultivar.
• Suppressing the Beast: Hunting mortals brings you near-constant misery, but you are forbidden from feeding upon animals. Thankfully, your sponsor gives you access to feeding grounds where mortals in pursuit of the Mother’s wisdom spill their blood in service to her and, as a kindness, allow you, a curse-carrier, to consume it. This grants you a three-dot Herd. You also gain a one-dot Haven you can access once per story, in the form of a cultist’s home. You may never again feed from animals, however.
• Newly Made Initiate: One month spent on a private yacht, 150 miles out into the waters of Lake Michigan, enduring night after night of searing torment and delirium-induced visions earns you the title of Initiate. You enjoy elevated status and are now a guide for others on the path. As an Initiate, you enjoy Status: Cultivar (•••). Once per story, you may use an additional two dice on a Willpower roll when calling to mind the harsh fasting endured during your month on water.

• Jewel in the Garden: Three drops of a Methuselah’s blood now sing fiercely within your veins, granting you visions and leaving you in no doubt: The Mother will return. Whether this vitae came from the Ancestor, Nerissa, or some other source is a matter to interpret from your vision-addled daydreams. You are expected to maintain your own Garden — be that a physical space with growing things or a more figurative interpretation — and come when summoned by the Ancestor or the Blackwaters. As a Jewel, you receive an additional four dice on rolls to resist frenzy due to the harmony of your inner Eden.

Members

• Nerissa Blackwater (Founder)
• Edith Beaubien
• Elizabeth Forster

Gallery

References

• VTM: Chicago by Night 5th Edition, p. 272