ampires
are not easily frightened. They have already conquered death, and the weaknesses
of their mortal selves are long gone. But the Cainites of Clan Malkavian
worry even the boldest Brujah or the most jaded Tzimisce, for wherever
they walk, the stale stench of madness follows.
o the
medieval mind, insanity is one of the most frightening things imaginable.
Most consider madness to be some sort of curse from God (or mark of the
Devil), rather than an illness. In the case of the Malkavians, Cainite
lore hints that they might be right.
n the
old days, or so some of the mad ones claim, Malkav was one of the favored
childer of Caine. Caine sought wisdom in the dark corners of the world,
and his progeny mimicked him. But it was neither Saulot, nor Brujah, nor
even Cappadocius who eventually found the secrets that Caine sought. Malkav
brought wisdom to his sire, and Caine blessed the childe and his line with
the liberating gift of insanity.
lan
Malkavian seems to be the most incoherent bloodline of vampires. Gently
deluded souls and slavering psychotics are found in equal numbers, and
they are but a taste of the diversity characterizing Malkav's get. If not
for the common trait of insanity, they would scarcely seem a clan at all.
But the other clans have no choice but to acknowledge them. Malkavian oracles
have been part of vampiric courts for generations, and even the Lasombra
and Ventrue, if they seek information, will sup with the Malkavians - with
a long spoon.
o this
day, the Malkavians wander in and out of Cainite society. They play the
fools, the jesters, the seers and idiots, ever uncovering strange new secrets
buried in their madness. They play bizarre, often disturbing and sometimes
dangerous pranks on ally and enemy alike. They embrace causes with all
their souls, or flit among allegiances like drunken moths. In the end,
no other vampire can predict just how a Malkavian will change her environment.
Madmen
Malkavians could be anyone,
anywhere. For every tattered village idiot clutching at imaginary butterflies,
there is a normal-seeming person whose insanity visibly manifests only
at the most dangerous times.
Many Malkavians tend toward abandoned
or partially destroyed buildings. Often their havens are decorated in some
unsettling fashion, or with some obsessive object relating to their lunacy
(a sculpture made of teeth, or a room of immaculate cleanliness, for 
example).
The
Madmen tend to Embrace those who are close to death, the hopelessly insane
or the unusually enlightened. Typically, they choose neonates who would
be somehow "bettered" by induction into Clan Malkavian, or who show useful
and progressive insight.
Malkavians can have any concept whatsoever.
Their Natures and Demeanors rarely coincide. Mental Attributes tend to
be primary, as do Talents. Background Traits vary widely and depend more
on the individual's concept than clan tradition. Obviously, Malkavians
could zealously follow any Road.
Auspex, Dementation, Obfuscate.
All Malkavians are insane
and begin play with at least one Derangement of the player's choice. This
Derangement cannot be permanently overcome, no matter how much Willpower
is spent. Malkav's blood prevents his progeny from ever achieving sanity.
The Malkavians have the most
variable organization of any clan. Much of their intraclan structure is
regional, and small groups of Malkavians often gather in parodies of local
governments and institutions. They seem anarchic, but can cooperate with
eerie precision if they believe it is necessary.
Ha! You demand order,
expect hierarchy? Yes. It's there, milord. In the cracks, milord. But can
you look on it without tearing out your eyes?
tereotypesssamites:
Live by the sword, trip and fall
on your sword, die by the sword.
rujah:
Well, they have their perfection
of body and they have their perfection of mind, there's no denying. Temperate
and mild, every last one of them.
appadocians:
There's a reason that cadavers
don't speak, my friends. And trust me, you don't want to know what they're
keeping from you.
ollowers
of Set: I have but one thing
to say: Set was madder than Malkav. I swear it on my sire's bones.
angrel:
Look on these fools that dance
on the Lupines' hunting grounds. Then call us mad.
asombra:
Half puppeteer and and half puppet,
the Lasombra certainly keep the children entertained.
osferatu:
Poor devils. Ah, but they and we
have the virtue of honesty to keep us warm. We are all made in God's image.
avnos:
Ah, the prattling jackdaws who
think if you laugh hard enough, the abyss tiptoes away. Ho ho.
oreador:
Tch. It is truly thankless work,
defending a chunk of stone or splotch of dye against the centuries. But
they are wrong when they claim that nobody understands them. We do. They're
mad.
remere:
God's wounds! These ducklings certainly
livened up the Great Cainite Hierarchy, now didn't they? Oh, I think every
town square should have one of these, just to keep us all guessing.
zimisce:
The dear little ones, you can see
how they envy the Nosferatu in everything they do. Well, if they believe
disfigurement leads to enlightenment, I have always been happy to volunteer
my help. They have too many limbs, anyway...
entrue:
The glass throne is most comfortable
when the king believes he sits on stone.
aali:
Tcha! They want to see a pattern
in everything, even their evil. If they really knew what rules them,
their minds would break. Hmmm...
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