The Six Knights were a coterie of Clan Malkavian created by Nathan Skarvan who were blood bound to Quentin King III, who they believed was their "New Arthur” or "Arthurian", as they see themselves as his Knights of the Round Table from Arthurian legend. They served as his elite bodyguards but were rarely taken seriously when away from his presence. Though they were no less dangerous than any other Kindred.
Overview[]
These vampires were King's most fervent support, which came in the form of these "questing knights." Originally created by Skarvan to serve as his protectors, Quentin took command of them after diablerizing their sire. Later on, some of the members were childer he embraced, whilst the others were his sire's progeny who flocked to Boston to kneel before him and offer their services and fealty. Blood scholars theorise a collective delusion imposed by an elder of Clan Malkavian for reasons unknown.
The Arthurian and his knights attempted to bring an air of pageantry and pomp to Boston, including tourneys in Elysium involving the blatant use of powers that frequently violated the Masquerade. Their presence kept morale high, in the sense that Boston was a novel domain with an eccentric rulership always worthy of gossip, which only avoided the attention of Camarilla Justicars due to the chaos in neighboring cities and states. Quentin King was, by most Camarilla standards, more a Keeper of Elysium than effective Prince. Without a rival offering something better, and with the support of his coterie and his more clandestine backers, he adhered to praxis.
Some of the Knights stayed in Boston after Prince Quentin disappeared and some were recently confirmed destroyed. For the Boston Camarilla vampires, encountering one of the fallen knights could be an opportunity, or it could be the equivalent of kicking a wasp nest. The Blood Bond warps the mind of the drinker, and these knights were addicted to Quentin King's vitae for a long time.
Decades later, Quentin is first introduced to William Biltmore, who revealed to him that the knights in his thrall, had long been mentally conditioned to stake the Prince if he did something stupid and chaotic, like trying to flee his responsibilities. King couldn't understand how Biltmore's conditioning somehow superseded his Blood Bond with the knights.
History[]
Institutionalized for various severe mental illnesses long before being Embraced, these five men and one woman found a precarious stability in each other. Until they met at Bridgewater State Asylum, each had suffered from some form of catatonia or solitary delusion. They soon became fast companions, sharing a delusory medieval world of dragons, kings and sorcerers which, by the mad workings of their unbalanced minds, they created together.
Although this group delusion was a deeper and more complex problem than had previously existed, it at least gave them a limited ability to interact with the real world. They saw their doctors as monks and Bridgewater as a monastery where they were knights recovering from a bloody quest.
One evening, a black knight came to the monastery and ensorcelled them―at least, that is how they viewed their Embrace. The knight, who called himself Skarvan, took them far from the monastery. They traveled on enchanted steeds to New York City. There, the knight showed them their new castle―an abandoned shack outside the city―which, as his squires, they were to defend at all costs.
Every night they would rise from their earthen beds and watch the black knight ride out to prepare the “Dragonfeast"―the kidnapping, murder and exsanguination of a mortal. The knight would return with a beast and its spawn (several mortals) that he had killed in “deadly combat,” and then feed the neonate squires their blood.
At first the Six were content with this way of life. Their lord provided for their needs and they in turn guarded his demesnes―with their unlives should the occasion arise. Gradually, however, they became disenchanted. No longer did they wish to remain squires, for the time had come to prove themselves in combat and become knights. Yet the black knight would permit no such thing. They were to remain at the castle and defend their sire.
Then came the fateful night when Sir Skarvan did not return from his customary beast hunt. The Six waited, but they were not to indulge in the Dragonfeast that evening, or the next. Three evenings later, one of the Six suggested that they quest for the missing knight, and that perhaps on the way they would find adventure.
Their search, which extended no further than a neighboring town, was fruitless, and they determined that while they awaited the knight’s return, they would practice the lordly skill of beast-killing. The Six survived in this manner until one evening, weeks later, Sir Skarvan, the black knight, returned on his magnificent black stallion. With him were a small child and a man of noble bearing and royal features, both bound and gagged.
The Six withdrew into the shadows of the castle as the black knight thundered into the dining hall, pushing the child and man off his horse. Leaving them bound on the cobblestones, the knight dismounted, strode to the back of the hall and, with great magic (a shovel), created a deep well that reached unto the core of the earth. Then he returned to the man. None of the Six had seen such a king before, and all were curious as to why the noble had been tied and gagged. The answer soon became clear: the black knight meant to ensorcell the noble and make him his squire.
None of the Six approved: this noble was obviously the knight’s better, and already Sir Skarvan had six squires, five more than all the other knights in the land. With the realization that the knight had little honor and much greed, part of the ensorcellment began to dissolve. Now the Six saw themselves as slaves of Sir Skarvan and, more importantly, knew that the noble lying on the cobblestones was a king, a lord of such might that he could dispel Sir Skarvan’s evil enchantments.
The black knight lifted the king high over his head and carried him to the lip of the well even as the Six looked on. Then, lowering him, he sank a set of long, sharp fangs deep into the king’sneck. The Six (themselves vampires, but not realizing it) were shocked that the Knight they had served was himself a beast. As if of one mind, they began to concentrate on destroying the bestial Sir Skarvan in order to save the king. The black knight did not suspect anything, for the Six’s powers were subtle and very gradual, and at first his self-confidence proved ample armor against their attack.
Though the Six concentrated, the black knight continued to drain the king of his blood until the man slipped, limp, to the very edge of the well. Skarvan, kneeling, opened his wrist and allowed the king to drink—one sip, perhaps two. With that, he pushed the king into the bottomless well and the Six heard a scream echoing up from its darkness. Their concentration broke.
The black knight stepped back from the lip, passing a hand across his forehead as if something had momentarily bothered him. By magic, the well was suddenly filled with all the bits of beast that the black knight had ever brought for the Dragonfeast. The Six, suddenly angered, again set themselves to concentrating. With an audible chuckle, the black knight carried the flaxen-haired child to the well, killed her, and sprinkled her blood across the remains at the top of the filled well. Then he sat at the edge of the pit as if awaiting something.
And, indeed, hours later, something did happen. The Six, sweating blood from the exertion of controlling the black knight, found a chink in his defenses. At the same time, the king, smiling and pale, miraculously clambered up through the remains that filled the magic well and began to feast on the child’s blood. The Six silently ordered the black knight to surrender to the king, and he did, laying his head in the king’s lap as meekly as a lamb.
When the king had feasted, the Six emerged from the shadows of the hall and celebrated the “New Arthur” by having him knight them beneath the druidic oak that grew just outside the castle. Ever since then, they have followed the king faithfully and have even become princes of the various cities in Massachusetts under his beneficent reign.
Recently, however, the New Arthur has required the knights to do as King Biltmore’s pawns (read: Redcoats) demand. Why their own king would have them make obeisance to the petty demands of an evil king’s pawns, they do not know, but they are beginning to fear that their once-glorious ruler is now under an ensorcellment of a most vile nature. While they staunchly refuse to disobey Quentin King, the knights strongly resent the presence of these courtiers and find their demands humiliating. Their current disposition is to find out who has cast the ensorcellment over their king and then to slay him or her.
Storytellers were enchouraged to individualize them in any way they liked, meaning they had no other personality than being LARPers...
Members[]
Collective Character Sheets[]
Dark Colony[]
Notes: The Six possess a special group Discipline through their common state of delusion. It allows each of them always to know what the other five are feeling and to get a general idea of the others’ wishes and fears. It also allows them to focus their wills and thereby control their enemies. As long as one of them can see the target, and all the knights are in agreement as to what they want the target to do, they can force anyone to their collective will. Each knight contributes as many points of Willpower as he wants, and each point equals one die in the Pool. The Six roll against the target’s Willpower, and must accumulate 10 successes. If successful, they can command anyone, even vampires of lower generation. If a botch occurs, all accumulated successes are lost and the Six must start again from scratch; the difficulty of such a repeated attempt is one higher.
Image: Two of the knights are males in their early 30s, two other females and one male are in their 20s, and one boy is 13.
Roleplaying Hints: While you are an individual, you share a delusion with the other five. In it, you are a noble lord and act in a way to match. Throw “thou” and “thy” around in your speech, act cordially but demand respect, and be chivalrous at all times.
Haven: Each of the six knights has an individual haven.
Regional Secrets: C+ (on average)
Influence: King keeps the honored knight, Sir Cum Laude, with him in Boston at all times to act as his advisor. On each of the other knights, he has bestowed rulership of one of five cities: Sir Praxis rules Worcester; Sir Sine Qua Non rules New Bedford; Sir Pro Bono, Gloucester; Sir Sine Die, Lowell; and Sir Probus, Quincy.
Giovanni Chronicles IV: Nuova Malattia[]
Roleplaying Hints: You believe yourself to be a noble lord in a medieval fantasy world. Sabbat are monsters rather than vampires; Quentin King is King Arthur himself. You are cordial, chivalrous and polite at all times, but you demand respect.
Notes: The Six possess a sort of innate magical ability. It allows them to mentally Dominate other creatures. They must concentrate; it takes a couple of minutes and is very hard on them. At least one of them must be able to see the target at all times, and all of the Knights must be in agreement as to what they want the target to do. Each Knight contributes as many points of temporary Willpower as he wants, and each point equals one die in the Pool. The Six roll against the target’s Willpower, and must accumulate 10 successes. If successful, they can command anyone, even vampires of lower generation. If a botch occurs, all accumulated successes are lost and the Six must start again from scratch; the difficulty of this repeated attempt is one higher. The Storyteller should keep in mind that the loss of so many points of Willpower at once is not a trivial thing.
Trivia[]
- The Group Discipline that's decribed upon their character sheet seems to be a unique form of Dementation.
References[]
- VTM: Dark Colony, p. 48-50
- VTM: Giovanni Chronicles IV: Nuova Malattia, p. 124-125
- VTM: Boston by Night