Revenant (VTM)

For other uses of the term Ghoul Family, see Ghoul Family (disambiguation).

A "Tzimisce Revenant Ghoul" courtesy of VTM: Ghouls: Fatal Addiction .

In Vampire: The Masquerade, it is possible for ghoul attributes to breed true. Ghoul characteristics can, with effort, be inherited through several generations of ghouls through the breeding efforts of their vampire masters, resulting in a family of revenants: ghouls whose bodies naturally produce Vitae. These twisted creatures are primarily found in the service of the Sabbat, as they were originally created by the Tzimisce. Revenant families were bred over many generations to serve the Tzimisce and, later, the Sabbat. They are not quite human; somewhere between human and vampire, they exist outside of society's norms. Some worship vampires as gods, while others aspire to achieve that state themselves.

History and Culture

A particularly interesting phenomenon which is practically exclusive to the Tzimisce is the existence of revenants. Revenants are families of ghouls constantly maintained by the Tzimisce, who serve as mortal pawns and possible candidates for the Embrace. Centuries of vampiric contact, infusions of vampiric blood and inbreeding have transformed the revenants into a distinct type of supernatural creature.

In modern nights, the ghoul families are largely relics. The Tzimisce originally used them as breeding stock, but have since largely moved along from them - the only things keeping most of the families from being exterminated in the Final Nights are certain useful services they provide for the Sabbat, and the traditionalist tendencies of their Tzimisce patrons.

Physiology

A Revenant is a creature like and unlike mortals, ghouls and Kindred. Some would say a revenant is halfway between a Mortal and a Vampire, others would call it a corruption of God's creatures with the curse of Caine, mingling the two until they become inseparable. Nonetheless, a revenant has many qualities of both vampires and mortals, and has many characteristics of normal ghouls. Revenants can drink the blood of a vampire, but unlike a ghoul they do not need to do so, as they can produce their own vitae, which also retards their aging.

Revenants are living creatures. Like a mortal, they need to eat, sleep, and breathe. They are capable of sexual reproduction. Unlike a mortal they are tougher and have access to supernatural powers from the Mark of Caine allong with the curses the mark brings.

Unlike normal ghouls, revenants are born, not created by drinking Kindred blood. Revenants produce a weak vampire-like vitae, which sustains their bodies way beyond normal human lifespans (although not immortal, revenants can live to be hundreds of years old; they age at approximately ¼ the rate humans do), and also gives them the ability to use Disciplines.

Revenants are divided into families, and like vampire clans, each family has particular roles to play, specific Disciplines and weaknesses. These humans were bred over many generations, and genetically they are quite different from the average human. The aging process is slowed (but not halted as in traditional ghouls). A hundred-year-old revenant may appear to be in his or her twenties.

Revenants produce their own blood pools at the rate of one point per day. They cannot use this blood to form blood bonds, create other ghouls (except by breeding more revenants), or Embrace vampires. Like normal ghouls, revenants store vitae in their body to be used for healing, Disciplines, and temporarily increasing physical attributes. Like a ghoul, their flesh is preternaturally tough and they can soak lethal damage. They are not born with superhuman strength.

They can use and learn disciplines, and have unique disciplines and weaknesses related to their specific bloodline. Unlike Vampires they are not affected by sunlight, and can sleep in, or stay awake, whenever they choose to. They also have a heartbeat, salivate and need to use human lavatories.

Psychology

Revenants suffer a lesser form of the Mark of Caine that affects vampires, including susceptibility to frenzy and Rotschreck as a result of having their own Beast. This Beast is much weaker than that of a vampire, but its potential triggers are more numerous.

Because revenants do breed, because they are ghouls, with the associated emotional problems, and because the Tzimisce were heavily involved in discovering this, ghoul families are more than a little bit bent. Cannibalism, incest, necrophilia, zoophilia, and general insanity is all part of family life. The families are also insanely wealthy, however, and generally hide their more depraved members from too much public view.

Revenants are fanatically loyal to their vampiric masters, and consider themselves superior to the average human, as well as "regular" ghouls. This, added to their treatment by the Tzimisce and their inbred, unsavory lifestyles, have shaped their mindsets into completely alien directions. Most revenants could never function as normal human beings. The four primary revenant families also provide the Tzimisce with a very diverse "breeding stock", giving the clan a lot of flexibility in its membership. Warriors, scholars, aristocrats and freaks are all found in equal measure amongst the revenants, and this translates to them being found amongst the Tzimisce as well, once they Embrace the revenants in question.

Many of the family's philosophies are indoctrinated into them from an early age; some revenant families even follow Paths of Enlightenment (or Roads, in the case of exceptionally old revenants). The personality of the average revenant is often freakish and alien by society's standards, and inbreeding is not uncommon (in some families, it is all but certain).

Revenant Families

Each revenant family (or "ghoul family") has been made by interbreeding a special type of ghoul, generally each with a similar set of features, outlooks and even disciplines until — generations later — something more stable and defined emerged from the mixture. At this stage, a ghoul family has developed its own characteristics, including a set of 'clan' disciplines that are easier to learn as well as an often unique manifestation of the Curse of Caine. A revenant family will often retain many of the traits of the vampiric clan that bred and sustained it.

The Tzimisce are well known for breeding their ghouls, and over hundreds of generations produced the first revenants. In the modern nights of the Classic World of Darkness, they are still the clan with the highest number of such beings in their service, although there are other revenant families in the service of the Tzimisce and other vampires. The four main Tzimisce families (the Bratovitches, the Obertus, the Grimaldi and the Zantosas) are the biggest and most well-established ghoul families.

Major Tzimisce Families

The major ghoul families are:

• Bratovitch: The Bratovitches are the muscle of the four families. The historical hound-keepers and visible lords for the Tzimisce, the Bratovitches are noted for savage, animalistic violence and a barely-controlled rage. Brutish monsters that usually serve the Tzimisce, they are fighters and trackers, and rarely engage in finer social events. They are also the kennel masters for their lords, raising dogs, wolves and other wild animals so that their masters may shape them into fearsome creatures they may hurl at their foes. Most Bratovitches know little about humanity and follow Paths or Roads.
  • Disciplines: Animalism, Potence, Vicissitude
  • Weakness: +2 difficulty to resist frenzy

• Grimaldi: The most important of the ghoul families, the Grimaldis are the Tzimisce's main liaison with human society. These revenants spend their time in society and social atmospheres, maintaining a facade of normalcy. They are the most "human" of the revenant families, and are usually in charge of maintaining Tzimisce estates and serving as go-betweens for the Sabbat in mortal endeavors like finance and politics. They are also the most independent of the revenant families, some of them even secretly plotting to free themselves from their masters' yoke. Other revenant families see the Grimaldi as soft, and hold them in contempt. The Grimaldi return the favor, seeing the other families as mindless slaves and freaks. Although the Grimaldis serve as diplomats, they have a more critical role as the enforcers of the Sabbat's internal "Masquerade". In this capacity, they are the most humane (and ironicly, useful) of revenants.
  • Disciplines: Celerity, Dominate, Fortitude
  • Weakness: Blood bound to bishops or archbishops

• Obertus: Possibly the oldest ghoul family, the Obertus can trace their history to ancient Constantinople. The Obertus are scholars, occultists, and obsessive researchers, focusing on occult issues and questions of vampiric or Noddist lore. They are held in high esteem by the Tzimisce, as many of the clan's greatest scientists, spiritualists, leaders and sorcerers have been Embraced from their ranks. Sascha Vykos, possibly the most famous (and notorious) priscus of the Sabbat, was formerly Myca Vykos, an Obertus monk.
  • Disciplines: Auspex, Obfuscate, Vicissitude
  • Weakness: Derangement (Obsessive)

• Zantosa: While the Grimaldi are the Tzimisce's pawns in mortal society, the Zantosas are their main link to culture. Zantosas are decadent, wealthy, hedonistic social butterflies, on par with any Toreador in their dealings with human culture. They stimulate their senses in pursuit of pleasure, and play with humans with reckless abandon. The Zantosas are probably the revenants in least control of themselves (even less than the Bratovitches). Most of them follow the Path of Cathari. The Zantosa are too far gone in their appetites to serve much use for the Sabbat; these nights, they primarily subsist by providing obscene amounts of cash whenever their undead masters demand it. Beyond that, the Zantosa party, drink, snort, smoke, dance and fuck themselves into the void. Many believe the only reason the Tzimisce haven't wiped them out is because they value their tradition and history. The Fiends' anachronistic mindset may be the only thing saving the Zantosas from annihilation.
  • Disciplines: Auspex, Presence, Vicissitude
  • Weakness: May become obsessed with pleasure and sensation, and are easily addicted.

• Oprichniki: A ghoul family which originated with the secret police of Ivan the Terrible, 'rescued' by the Tzimisce. They primarily serve independent Russian Tzimisce and are generally not known to the entire clan as a whole.

Non-Tzimisce Families

In addition to these families are several lines who are not affiliated with the Tzimisce (in some cases, they never were). These include:

• Enrathi: A bloodline associated with the True Black Hand, the Enrathi captured children to be raised as chatterlings.

• Rafastio: Also associated with the True Black Hand, the Rafastio were witches, sorcerers, and seers. With the Black Hand's destruction, the family remained independent, preferring to carve their own destinies.
  • Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Thaumaturgy
  • Weakness: Rafastio cannot be Embraced; an attempted Embrace will result in death. Furthermore, they are cursed with a type of Lunacy that causes discipline difficulties to vary with the moon's cycles.

• ¨': A ghoul family owned by Baali clan.

• Khavi : A Revenant line of pale albinos that exclusively served the Methusaleh Byelobog.
  • Disciplines:Vicissitude, Obfuscate, Animalism
  • Weakness:The Khavi are regular nocturnal, as their skin peels away in direct sunlight.

• Ducheski: A family formerly owned by the Tzimisce that now serves the Tremere, they are known for their skill at magic and at making mechanical devices, particularly implements of torture. Many Tremere have the Ducheski maintain their libraries and laboratories.
  • Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy
  • Weakness: Inbreeding has caused some birth and personality defects. No Ducheski can have a social trait above 2.

Sources

• Guide to the Sabbat p.216-219
• Vampire Storytellers Handbook p.193-195

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