Unlike most clans, which exalt their Antediluvian founders are mythic heroes and the source of all things good in the vampiric paradigm, the Nosferatu dread and despise their progenitor. Indeed, the Nosferatu go so far as to speak of a mystic pogrom carried out against them by their torpid father. The agents of this pogrom, creatures deemed even more monstrous than the Nosferatu themselves, have a variety of apellations: Nictuku, Nephilim and Echidnae, among others.

Obviously Nosferatu are severely handicapped with regard to obtaining positions of influence in the mortal world. Not only does their deformity render them incapable of directly commanding mortals, but Nosferatu often find it difficult even to convince a mortal to remain in their presence long enough to listen to a proposition of vassalage.

Nevertheless, there are more Nosferatu ghouls than one might imagine. The Dark Medieval world is a harsh place, and many worthies will traffic with the Devil - or a similarly grotesque proxy - in exchange for an edge in life. Even the subtle deformity induced by ingestion of Nosferatu vitae means little if the added physical vigor enables one to farm additional crops or survive the year's epidemic. Nosferatu have, through temperament and design, made inroads to the burgeoning Masonic movements, and no few Masonic orders have a Nosferatu in the upper echelons. Not only does Freemasonry's secretive structure allow a Nosferatu to cloak his deformity more readily (the Hidden Master in the Waxen Mask, etc.), but Masonic movements also allow the Nosferatu access to new construction and building techniques.. Masons who, on the orders of their superiors, build a construction with some "occult" significance may in fact simply be erecting a structure to the specifications of the Nosferatu.

Nosferatu rarely resort to open warfare, but are masters of ambush; their aptitude for Obfuscate makes them formidable skirmishers. They are adept at using their sheer hideousness to paralyze a victim with fright, and at using their superhuman strength to rip apart said paralyzed victim before she can recover. Nosferatu also use menageries of gigantic, grotesque animal ghouls as both spies and support troops.

Nosferatu are often solitary through force of circumstance; a village of 100 is hard pressed to conceal one mosnter, let alone a dozen. Still, given the choice, Nosferatu prefer the company of their own loathsome peers. Larger cities, particularly those boasting ancient catacombs from the days of Rome, may house entire broods of Nosferatu.

Nosferatu broods are surprisingly egalitarian. Elders are revered ( as examples of the discipline and cunning necessary to survive centuries of existence as monsters ), but are expected to treat the young fairly. Occasionally rumors surface of a Nosferatu tyrant, a "monster king" ruling its subterranean brood through terror and violence, but these rumors are few and far between.

The Nosferatu also display a surprising amount of interbrood unity. Broods in different baronies, duchies or even countries readily cooperate. Nosferatu have largely divorced themselves from the trivial squabbles over status and prestige that mar the cooperative ventures of the other clans.

The clan is presently concerned with the same thing it has always been: survival. Nosferatu strongly support the rise of cities and towns, particularly those erected on old Roman sites ( the accompanying ruins and catacombs provide excellent hidey-holes ). Nosferatu tend to support the rise of the bourgeoisie, seeing them as more meritoriousand less pretentious than the old feudal dynasties. Town councilmen have occasionally been able to wring concessions or even independence from their feudal lieges, using illicit information clandestinely given them by a skulking Nosferatu.

Things actually seem to be looking up for the Nosferatu - although perhaps this is because the clan has nowhere else to look. As people congregate into cities and towns, Nosferatu find more and more places to hide by day and hunt by night. The phenomenal number of taverns clustered within most settlements means that many Nosferatu attacks are written off as wine-induced delirium.

Nosferatu often gather on solstices and equinoxes to perform various elaborate rituals emulating (or mocking) human and vampire festivals. One such festival, the Dance of the Dead or Danse Macabre, is performed every 10 years in a secret location; this location changes every time. As many of the clan as can safely travel attend the Danse Macabre, which ( in contrast to most things Nosferatu ) is an orgy of pageantry and spectacle. Here, Nosferaty celebrate their own grotesquerie, and the catacombs run red with the blood of their human "guests". 

Back to main Nosferatu page

Back to main Dark Ages page