Hecata

Clan Hecata

Hecata
Plural	Hecata
Pronounce	heh-CAH-tah
Nicknames	The Clan of Death, Necromancers, Graverobbers, The Family, Stiffs, Corpses, Devil-Kindred, Lazarenes
Founder	Clan Giovanni, Harbingers of Ashur, Samedi
Faction	Independent
Disciplines	Auspex, Fortitude, Oblivion
Bane	Painful Kiss or Decay
Compulsion	Morbidity
Leader	Anziani Council (de jure) The Capuchin (de facto)

The Hecata are the newest vampire clan in the World of Darkness. They are vampires specialized in necromancy.

See this article on the PDX V5 Wiki: Hecata

Overview

They are not a fully organic clan deriving from a single Antediluvian and an uninterrupted bloodline, but are made up of the Giovanni and the remnants of the old Clan Cappadocian, and their respective bloodlines—as well as the Nagaraja, despite their lack of connection with Cappadocius' lineagehey represent a new, (mostly) unified Clan of Death comprising Kindred bloodlines who practice necromancy through the use of Oblivion. Much like the Giovanni that it almost entirely subsumes, it is also a family, albeit a mu— more extended one.

With the Banu Haqim joining the Camarilla, the Ministry joining the Anarchs, and the Ravnos greatly diminished. the Hecata are the last independent clan of significance in contemporary nights.

History

“	We will weather the fires of the Second Inquisition. We come together as the last truly independent clan, because we must. The Feast, The Promise, The Reunion. Death, Rot, Rebirth. The Three Faces. We survived and now we become what we always were. The Hecata. The Clan of Death.”	”
	— Amr Salib, Hecata childe of an unknown Cappadocian

The brief history of Clan Hecata is one of necessity as first principle. The Second Inquisition was one factor, as it took a heavy toll on Clan Giovanni in North America and forced much of the clan organization there to regroup in Italy. Another factor was that the Promise of 1528 was rumored to be coming to an end after a previously undisclosed 500-year time limit.

Two other significant events occurred at or around this time: first, the death or disappearance of Augustus Giovanni, founder and patriarch of the Giovanni; and a devastating assault by the Harbingers of Skulls on the clan's holdings in Venice, undertaken with the assistance of some younger members of the Giovanni.

Between the damage of the Harbingers' attack and the maelstrom of wraiths unleashed by Augustus's undoing, the Giovanni—perhaps at the behest of the Capuchin—called for negotiations in a conference that came to be known as the Family Reunion. The Harbingers agreed, and not only did they show up, but so did the Samedi, any remaining Cappadocians, the Lamia, and even a handful of Nagaraja seeking refuge from a "catastrophe" in the Shadowlands. The parties negotiated an end to the hostilities, and the clan known as the Hecata came into existence.

After the formation of the Hecata, many sects are concerned about the newly established Clan of Death—most notably the Camarilla and its Inner Circle, who worry they will have little chance of controlling the Hecata once the Promise expires in 2028.

Weaknesses

Banes

• Painful Kiss: Due to mysterious changes in the Blood, many Hecata no longer have their old curses—most Samedi are no longer rotting corpses, Nagaraja rarely require the sustenance of flesh, and the Cappadocians and Harbingers of Skulls have shed their deathly countenances. Instead, most share the same clan bane: the excruciatingly painful Kiss, inherited from the Giovanni.
• Variant — Decay: These Hecata are, in a sense, radioactive—not with gamma radiation, but with pure entropy. Everything around them seems to suffer decay at a gradual but noticeable pace, including their Havens, their personal Resources, and even their Retainers. These Hecata suffer additional Flaw dots equal to their Bane Severity, divided among Haven, Resources, and Retainer Flaws. This can be substituted with a penalty of buying Background dots at twice the cost at character creation. Further Advantage dot purchases are also penalized by a tax of experience points equal to their Bane Severity.

Compulsion

Morbidity: A sense of morbid curiosity overtakes the Hecata gripped by their Beast. The Hecata's Blood urges them to study the individuals around them for signs of illness, frailty, or impending death. Until they have either predicted a death or solved the cause of a local one, the vampire suffers a three-dice penalty to other rolls. Their conclusions do not need to be absolutely correct, but should stay within the boundaries of the possible.

Variant Compulsion: The vampire experiences an immediate need to move something from life to death or vice-versa. Any action not dedicated to ending or resurrecting something is taken at a two-dice penalty. This subject doesn't have to be a person, or even a living thing, but can include objects or even more abstract things such as an idea or a conversation. The Compulsion lasts until the vampire manages to kill or return something to life (figuratively or literally).

Bloodlines

The Hecata are composed of ten main bloodlines:

• La Famiglia Giovanni, or Clan Giovanni as it has been known until recent nights, still largely occupies the leadership role in the Hecata, even without Augustus Giovanni as an anchoring influence. They do not normally identify themselves to clan outsiders as Hecata. La Famiglia also includes other satellite families, such as the Della Passaglias and Ghibertis, who have not earned their own individual bloodline status to date.
  Optional Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion
• The Harbingers of Ashur are the aggregate remnants of Clan Cappadocian—both the mainline clan and the Harbingers of Skulls. Optional Discipline spread: Auspex, Fortitude, Oblivion
• Nasyon san an (Nation of Blood) is the new face of the Samedi bloodline. While most joined the Hecata, some joined the Ministry instead.
  Optional Discipline spread: Fortitude, Obfuscate, Oblivion
• The Gorgons are the reborn Lamia—a once-extinct Cappadocian bloodline of devout Bahari faith from whom the curse of the painful Kiss originates.
  Optional Discipline spread: Fortitude, Potence, Oblivion
• The Flesh-Eaters are a group of Nagaraja who showed up to the Family Reunion, seeking refuge from a catastrophe.
  Optional Discipline spread: Auspex, Dominate, Oblivion
• The Bankers of Dunsirn are a cannibalistic banking family from Scotland—once a branch of Clan Giovanni, and now considered a bloodline in their own right.
  Optional Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion
• The Children of Tenochtitlan are the Giovanni allies formerly known as the Pisanob (now without the leadership of Pochtli)—once driven to the brink of extinction by the Harbingers of Skulls.
  Optional Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion
• The Criminal Puttanesca is a Sicilian crime family formerly attached to the Giovanni.
  Optional Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion
• The Little Siblings, also known as the Rossellini, were once a rival necromantic family (now attached) to the Giovanni. They are known for their cruel treatment and exploitation of wraiths.
  Optional Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion
• The Grudge Masters are the Milliners: a minor Giovanni family with many connections in organized crime.
  Optional Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion

Others who are members of the Hecata, or who are thought to be related to them, include the lesser Giovanni families (such as the Rothsteins and Li Weng), the Impundulu and the Mla Watu of the Laibon, and the Unhudo of the Drowned Legacies.

Trivia

• "Hecata", "Hecate" and "Hekate" are alternative forms of the Latin "Hecatae" and Greek "Hekátē"—a goddess who was associated with crossroads, entrance-ways, magic, necromancy, night, light, the Moon, witchcraft, the protection from said witchcraft, graves, ghosts, herbs, and poisonous plants in ancient Greek mythology. Later, she would be syncretized in early forms of Greek Christianity as a Savior (Soteira) and Mother of Angels.
• Hecate is also a goddess with three faces: one which sees the present, one which sees the future, and one which sees the past. These faces also represent death, decay, and rebirth. For the Hecata, the so-called "three faces of death" have multiple meanings, depending on who you ask. The three faces may represent:
  • the self-designated "big three" lineages of the Hecata: the Giovanni ("the heart"), the Harbingers of Ashur ("the skeleton"), and the Samedi ("the spirit");
  • the three stages of the Clan of Death: the Cappadocians (death), the Giovanni (decay), and now the Hecata (rebirth);
  • the three periods of great change in the Clan of Death's history: the Feast of Folly (Cappadocian), the Promise of 1528 (Giovanni), and the Family Reunion (Hecata);
  • the three "faces" of the Capuchin—said to be Byzar, Japheth, and Lazarus—who influences the clan from the shadows.

Gallery

Hecata Bloodlines

La Famiglia Giovanni

Bankers of Dunsirn

The Criminal Puttanesca

The Children of Tenochtitlan

Descendants of the Baron

The Harbingers of Ashur

The Flesh-Eaters

The Gorgons

The Little Siblings

The Grudge Masters

References

• Fifth Edition
  • VTM: Cults of the Blood Gods, p. 198-203

• VTM: Trails of Ash and Bone
• VTM: Children of the Blood
• VTM: Chicago by Night 5th Edition, p. 50, 54, 71, 77, 89, 145, 146, 215, 292, 295, 342
• VTM: 5th Edition Corebook, p. 363
• VTM: Camarilla, p. 120