House Goratrix

House Goratrix
Nicknames	Conspirator Tremere
Founder	Goratrix
Allegiance	Sabbat (formerly) Camarilla (currently)
Leader	Tremere (incognito, in Goratrix's body)

House Goratrix is an organization within the Tremere clan that was developed by Goratrix himself. Originally founded as a cultish conspiracy under Goratrix during the Dark Ages, House Goratrix later became the backbone of the Tremere antitribu when Goratrix and his followers defected to the Sabbat.

Members of House Goratrix are referred to as Goratricines. In South America, they are instead referred to as Goratreros (or Goratajos, more pejoratively).

Overview

House Goratrix is believed to be a mockery of the Pyramid of the Tremere clan that Goratrix had co-founded. Like all Tremere antitribu, they are regarded with suspicion and sometimes hatred, and share the curse of the Tremere clan. In addition to regular Thaumaturgy, the Tremere antitribu of House Goratrix often study Dark Thaumaturgy, though one antitribu in Lore of the Clans suggests this is a rumor to explain how the Tremere antitribu survive all the forces arrayed against them.

Medieval Times

At the origin it was created when Goratrix was exiled to France, encompassing fidels of him, who practiced a blood magic darker with time, some of them even making pact with demons to collect forbidden knowledges.

Within Ceoris, Malgorzata engaged in a more elaborate conspiracy against the Pyramid. Goratrix was eager to embrace more Tremere, and she did much of his dirty work. She and members of her faction believe in turning as many promising mortal servants of Ceoris as possible. Moreover, the lesser members of her personal pyramid don't shy away from abusing their power over mortals. They repeatedly raid far-flung villages for fresh blood and encourage the construction of hidden chantries in the wilderness.

When Goratrix was removed from the French Tremere, they sought to release Goratrix before his captors brought him to Ceoris and to Tremere himself.

The Sabbat

The Sabbat makes no distinction between Tremere antitribu, but similar to the division between the Country Gangrel and City Gangrel, there is a division of sorts between the Tremere of the Sabbat. The difference is not particularly profound compared to the Gangrel division, though.

While the antitribu of the Americas were a product of the 18th century wars that rocked the continent for half a century, the House of Goratrix developed somewhat earlier in Europe when Goratrix, one of the original Council of Seven, turned traitor on the Tremere. Their habits are somewhat different; in Europe they maintain their own chantries outside of Sabbat temples, whereas the Americans cordon off chunks of temples for labs.

Also, in Europe the Lasombra are far more prominent than in America (most Sabbat Tzimisce being located in the New World), so that the Tremere in general are more powerful. The primary competition is first with the mainline clan, and second with the Old Clan Tzimisce, who make no distinction between mainline and antitribu.

Modern Nights

When Goratrix became possessed by Tremere and most Tremere antitribu were destroyed in Mexico City in 1998, the House was effectively disbanded.

The enigmatic being referred to as Sphinx, who began appearing around the same time the Tremere houses of old were revived, appears to have a link to (or vendetta against) House Goratrix, as the only common factor among the cities she visits is a strong Goratricine presence.

Fall of Vienna

Surviving antitribu or more recent renegades appear to have reclaimed the name Goratrix, as by 2018, a revived House sat as one of the three primary factions in Clan Tremere in the Camarilla, alongside House Carna and the remnants of the Pyramid. It is implied that the head of the House is Tremere himself in Goratrix's body.

Organization

The organization of House Goratrix is a bit more formal than that of the American antitribu, somewhat reminiscent of the Hermetic structure of the original clan. Goratrix sits at the top, ostensibly over all Tremere antitribu (though the Americans are too autonomous to really recognize his authority). There is a Council of Six, a number chosen to parody the beliefs of those who swear by numerology. Below that, there is a Jesuit-like rule of obedience to sire and pack.

Modern Nights

The goal of House Goratrix is to restore the old structure of the Pyramid, but where the traditionalist plurality under Karl Schrekt simply maintain the status quo wherever they can, the ex-Sabbat Goratricines seek a militant rebirth featuring stricter control than ever - and preferably themselves on top rather than the Councilors of old. They want to once more be an international, top-down, highly leveraged community. If they can’t run it on Blood Bonds any more, well, Dominate is the carob to that chocolate, especially with some Presence to sweeten it up.

Backing up occult obedience training is good, old-fashioned dependence. The Goratricine overlords of Taichung City and Buenos Aires control how their underlings feed, selling it to newcomers as a safe, consistent way to get vitae without scrambling. Other chantries oversee their followers’ cash, again presenting it as a convenience so you can concentrate on your studies. Anything essential to Kindred existence, you can bet there’s a Goratricine chantry somewhere trying to monopolize it for "the common good".

However, this sort of revanchist palingenesis doesn't sit right with many other Tremere, especially after the Pyramid's fall gave them all a taste of freedom. This poses a conundrum to the Goratricines seeking to become the consensus ideology among the Camarilla Tremere. No great leader rebuilds the Tower by going to war against every Tremere enclave that doesn’t immediately bend knee and lick boot. But on the other hand, letting people just say no is not the way to look like an implacable strongman. So the central organization takes a few brutal, memorable, and deliberately cruel steps against "rebels" when it can or when it must. More often, local Goratricines steadily influence the local scene, buying favor with a ritual or access to a furcus, pull old strings with the local Prince and Primogen, and recruit promising newcomers on seemingly very attractive terms.

Members

• Goratrix (4th Generation)
• Orlando Oriundus (5th Generation)
• Malgorzata (6th Generation)
• Jervais (7th Generation)
• Virstania (8th Generation)
• Johannnes of Worringen in Cologne's chantry.
• Elena Mendoza Vasquez
• The French Tremere in Paris

Gallery

A Goratricine redworker

References

• VTM: Clanbook: Tremere, p. 20
• VTDA: House of Tremere
• VTM: Transylvania Chronicles I: Dark Tides Rising, p. 19-20,32,51,85
• VTM: Nights of Prophecy
• VTM: Lore of the Clans
• VTM: Beckett's Jyhad Diary
• DAV: France by Night, p. 226