**************************************** The ATARGIA **************************************** History: This bloodline, which claims its own Methuselah, stretches its ancestry back into the Babylonian civilization. A Kindred of the time, named Atargatis, began the bloodline. Atargatis, whose current location remains a mystery, was of a clan whose identity has lost itself through the mists of time and the collapse of civilizations. Some scholars have associated the Atargia as a spin-off from the Assemites, due to the geographical similarities, the similar dark skin, and the similar clan disciplines. Re During the height of the Nile Empire, Atargatis allied himself with the Ananasi, and taught them how to burn blood, which gave them the edge they needed to survive after being almost destroyed by the Wars of Rage, in return for their providing their male kinfolk as herd and occasional childer. During this time, the Ananasi were being blackmailed into serving the Wyrm, so when another powerful Methuselah began to corrupt and seduce Atargatis, they stayed silent by orders of the Wyrm. The later betrayal of Atargatis by Set was to become the single defining incident for the clan. After the Betrayal of Set, the Atargia's alliance with the Were-Spiders grew stronger, yet they remained allies of the Wyrm. Together the two races slowly spread the power of the Wyrm through Africa and Europe during the rise of Rome and the Conquering of the Jews. And still these Kindred were unaware of Set's betrayal, aware only that a huge part of their line had been wiped out during a botched raid on a Mokole settlement that had become a nuisance to Set, but that Set's flank of the attack had been It took Osiris, another powerful Egyptian Kindred, showing the Atargia Set's betrayal, and the insanity inherent in serving the Wyrm, to turn the kindred from the Wyrm and against Set, his arch-rival. The Ananasi then turned to their Queen, held by the Wyrm in ransom, and learned that she, to had turned from the Wyrm. It was this act of kindness on Osiris' part that opened the door to his destruction at Set's hands, and the Atargia have never forgotten this. After they turned from the Wyrm and watched as Osiris' forces began to crumble at Set's machinations, the two races, rage-infected from the news of the betrayal of themselves and their benefactor Osiris, launched a massive, swarming assault on Set's stronghold in Egypt. This assault was anticipated, and soundly crushed with few survivors. When the slaughter en During the centuries that followed, the Atargia and Ananasi formed a deep and meaningful bond of friendship, an unique situation among the supernatural denizens of the world. Those Children of Osiris who remain have over time learned of the Atargia's survival, and some have managed to contact them. Through these contacts, the Atargia have learned of the current status of the Settites. They hope to use the almost universal distrust and hatred of the Settites and all they represent as a tool to sow the With this new knowledge, several of the Atargia have surfaced, in hopes that they can find a usefulness within the Camarilla, and eventually, wield enough power to order the destruction of all Settites across the globe. The Atargia have been moderately successful, though only the most learned of the Kindred even know they exist. With the power they hope to wield, the Atargia aim to war against the Wyrm, the Settites, and if all goes well, return the Children of Osiris to their rightful position of pr Nickname: Creepers Appearance: Almost universally young and attractive, the Atargia are almost entirely male, just as the Ananasi are female. An ethnically diverse clan, due to Atargatis' wandering around the world, members of the clan cover the spectrum of the genetic spectrum. As a member of the clan grows in age and power, however, their eyes begin to change, growing darker and more circular, until by the age of 100, or level 4 of the Arachnos discipline are reached, their eyes are emerald green or jet black, lidless, compound round eyes, though no bigger than human eyes. Additionally, their skin becomes darker as time passes, becoming midnight blue/black by the age of 200. Haven: The Atargia are a reclusive bunch, the instinct for survival is strong within their blood. As such, they prefer to stay in open, dark places, away from the crowds, light and noise of the center of the city. Favorite places include large basements, abandoned warehouses, Factory complexes, and garages. This also relates to their clan Weakness, discussed below. Background: Many members of the Clan are the male Kinfolk of the Ananasi, as only the females of the Were-race experience the First Change. Character Creation: Most have soldier or Survivor concepts. Physical stats are primary as are skills. Most natures are consistent with the shadow-war against the Wyrm and Set, normally survivor, Competitor, or Visionary. Demeanors vary widely. Clan Disciplines: Obfuscate, Celerity, and Arachnos. Weakness: Due to the centuries of dwelling underground, the Atagaria suffer a visual sensitivity to light. If exposed to bright lights without some sort of eye-protection, Atargia suffer a -2dice penalty on all rolls, as well as a +1 difficulty modifier. Once their eyes have changed, this penalty increases by 1, and the kindred acquires the "Colorblind" flaw. Organization: The Atargia are a rage breed, and as such, the organization of the line is a mystery. They are a solitary lot, but seem perfectly comfortable around each other, and there are reports of war parties composed of Atargia, called "Swarms", working together for assaults against the Settites. All Atargia instinctively understand the clicking, whistling language the race developed to communicate with the Ananasi in their vast underground lairs. Often, an Atargia will only stay in one city lon Gaining Clan Prestige: A simple matter, but not an easy one. The Atargia gain prestige among one another by, above all else, frustrating and if possible, killing Settites. As a secondary concern, though no less important, is spreading the knowledge of the clan among the powers that be, to further the acceptance of and thereby the goals of the clan. Stereotypes: The Camarilla- They have given us the opportunity to recover from the betrayal of Set, and avenge the destruction of our brothers, the Children of Osiris. Their acceptance of our line could be because of the abilities we possess, or simply because of our hatred for Sand-Snake scum. Whatever the case, they often turn a blind eye on our Swarms, when they occur. One must be cautious, however, for these surface-dwelling Cainites spin webs of their own, often invisible and impossible to escape. "These shadow- crawlers are useful pawns, easily duped with the lure of a tasty Settite snack. In the short term, they provide a valuable opportunity to crush one's enemies, for they make powerful spies, assassins, and thieves." -Marcus, Ventrue Elder of Cincinnati The Sabbat- Their senseless acts of brutality and slaughter of the cattle called Mortals furthers the power and domain of the Wyrm, our over-enemy. We fight them almost as vigorously as the Settites, though certain of their paths to Golconda interest our elders. It is always best to know thy enemy, even the most disgusting of them. For now, they remain too powerful for us to move against overtly, but the time will come, and until then, we will watch. "Who?" Christoff, LaSombra Elder of Memphis The Inconnu- Many of them know our heritage, and thus our checkered past. It is reasonable therefore, to assume that they do not yet trust us as a clan of equal standing and power. Our relationship with the Ananasi does no good for our reputation with them, but one does not turn on one's brothers for political gain. They will be difficult to convince, but they will see our worth, and they will accept us... eventually." "The Atagaria.... there's a name I've not heard in quite some time. An odd line, they were supposedly wiped out by the Garu. If they truly exist, they deserve a careful eye." -Francois Phillippe Bardot, 4th Gen Toreador Quote: "Well, well, well.... So far as I can tell, you have about ten seconds to live before my Toxins lock you up tighter than a fish's ass... perhaps crossing the prince was not such a wise Idea after all, eh Thopet? Let's count... one... ten." Arachnos * Wall Walker: For the expenditure of 1 Blood Point per scene, the Kindred can cling to any surface which is not oiled, loose pebbles, etc., as per the level three Thaumaturgical ritual "Clinging of the Insect". * * Talons of the Ancients: With this ability, the kindred in question can "pop his claws", just as in Protean 2, however, these 1" claws are hooked talons, suitable more for climbing and cutting web-strands than combat. However, if used in Combat, they inflict Str+1 dam, dif 6, and damage is aggravated. Extending and retracting the claws requires the expenditure of a blood point. * * * Spinnerets: At the third level of Arachnos, the Kindred capable of spinning tough, sheer, 1/2" thick strands of webbing from spinnerets in the forearms. These webs can be used to encapsulate objects, set snares, or lower the kindred from great heights safely. It has an extremely high tensile strength, (a single strand can support over 500 pounds) and is extremely sticky (equivalent to Str8, modified by the texture of the surface it is adhered to). If set as a snare, victims must roll Perceptio .Firing the webs as a climbing line or weapon requires a Dex+"Web Spinning" roll, difficulty calculated as per thrown weapons, and damage as per a bola. Maximum range of a web-shot is Strx10 yards. For each Blood Point spent, the Kindred can create enough webbing to fill 40 square feet, or lower one's self 300 feet. However, producing this amount of webbing takes an entire action. Atargia are immune to the adhesive aspect of the webbing, and can easily sever their own webbing with their claws if need be. * * * * Venomous Touch: Upon successfully wounding an opponent, the kindred may spend 1 blood point to inject a powerful paralytic venom into the subject. This venom is powerful enough to effect even Garu and Kindred, and is almost certainly fatal to Humans. Once the Blood Point is spent, the Kindred may roll Strength and Medicine (Potence counts as Automatic Successes), difficulty of 8. Each success on this roll reduces the number of dice the victim may roll on all subsequent actions. The venom ca body, inflicting health levels, soakable as per normal. These wounds are aggravated. The key to not perishing quickly when hit with this venom is to lie still. The more one acts, the quicker the poison works through the system. This venom can be introduced into the victim either by a bite attack or by using claws. * * * * * Skin of the Forefathers: With this level of proficiency, the Kindred creates a permanent chitinous carapace or exoskeleton, which covers the entire body. This carapace is rather obvious, being a shiny midnight blue/black full-body shell, accented with reds, purples and occasionally greens. As such, the Kindred's appearance is reduced to 0 while the carapace is active. This carapace is permanent, though it can be "suppressed" with a willpower roll (dif 8) and a Blood point. Each success on Dexterity is reduced by 2 while the armor is active. This armor is resistant to many attacks, and provides certain additional abilities. The following abilities are gained while the armor is active: 1) The kindred gains 4 soak dice to be used as Fortitude while the carapace is active. 2) fine, delicate hairs cover most of the body, providing a motion-detection ability. The kindred rolls Perception and Alertness, difficulty 8. Each success on this roll gives the Cainite one additional die to roll for initiative for the remainder of the scene. In addition, each success reduces the number of dice lost due to acting blinded by one. 3) The talons that the Kindred gained at L2 Arachnos increase in size and damage to Str+2, without modifying the difficulty. The claws remain retractable as per L2. 4) The Vampire grows four additional limbs in the form of two additional arms per side. Additional arms give the character the ability to make multiple attacks per turn without splitting dice pools, just like Fomor (see W:tA, first Ed, pg 246). Each additional pair of limbs may be equipped with claws and spinnerets, though each additional pair of talons and/or spinnerets must be purchased separately (i.e., 3 sets of spinnerets and 2 sets of claws would cost 5 Blood Points to enable). * * * * * * Weaver of the Fates: At this level of proficiency, the Kindred is capable of spinning webs so intricate that they effect the fates themselves. In order to weave the web effectively, the Kindred requires an item of significance to the person to be effected, and can only effect the person it was designed for. Several types of Web may be constructed, though a maximum of 2 webs may be applied to the same being. Spinning the Web of Fates requires a 10' by 10' area, and a Manipulation + Web S While the web is intact, the effects remain, and if the object linking the Web to the Target is removed, the effect is canceled. Spinning the Web requires (11-Successes on the Creation roll) in hours to create, and if interrupted, the web collapses into a worthless heap. Destroying a Web requires inflicting 10 wound levels to it, and each type of Web has a number of Soak Dice equal to the current willpower of the Kindred weaving it. Examples of Web of Fate types are as follows: 1) The Weaver's Bane: For each success on the creation roll, the target receives one additional botch on all rolls involving a particular Attribute. 2) The Weaver's Blessing: For each success on the creation roll, the target receives one additional success on any roll involving a particular Attribute, for the purposes of counteracting rolled or accumulated Botches. 3) Weakness of Will: For every two success (round down) on the creation roll, the victim of this Web of Fate is one lower difficulty for purposes of Presence, Dominate, or other mine-effecting disciplines or magic. 4) Strength of Will: As above, but successes increase the difficulty of said effects. 5) Web of Translocation: This Web must be made in pairs, and is the only type of Web of Fate that effects anyone in contact with it. By spending a willpower point while situated in the center of the Web, the individual using the web is instantly transported to the second web of the set. If one of the pair of Webs is damaged, the transportation will not be activated. Each success indicates the maximum distance between the webs according to the following table: 1 success: 5 miles 2 successes: 25 miles 3 successes: 100 miles 4 successes: 1000 miles 5 successes: anywhere on the planet 6 or more successes: Anywhere the Kindred has been. 6) Web of the Umbral Lords: Each success on the creation roll allows the user/target to roll one die against the Gauntlet of their current location for the purposes of sidestepping, as well as acting as a maximum number of dice they can roll while in the Umbra. If the Web is destroyed while the User is in the Umbra, they are immediately torn from the Umbra, and suffer a number of aggravated wounds equal to the Gauntlet of the area they emerge in. 7) Web of the Terror of the Disciple: The number of successes on the creation roll equals the difficulty modifier for all actions taken against the target of the Web while he remains in the center of the Web, similar in effect and scope as Majesty.