Salubri

Klaner [Masquerade] » Salubri

The Salubri bloodline is surrounded by a miasma of tragedy, loss and hostility. It is rumoured that only seven Salubri exist at any given time - after reaching Golconda, a Salubri Embraces a carefully selected childe, who then destroys her sire via diablerie. Few Salubri lead unlives longer than a few hundred years, as they consider the Curse of Caine to be almost unbearable, and most exist for only a few decades before selecting childer and destroying themselves. Exactly how this bloodline attains Golconda so quickly and often is unknown (if indeed they do), and many Kindred suspect deception or outside influence.

Most Kindred perceive the Salubri as diablerists and murderers, largely due to Clan Tremere's ceaseless propaganda campaign against them. The Tremere use their influence to have blood hunts called upon the Salubri at the slightest implication that one may be passing through Camarilla cities. The Salubri's reputation as "soulsuckers" precedes them wherever they go.

According to the tales presented by individual Salubri, they were once a true clan, founded by an enigmatic Kindred known as Saulot, the first vampire to achieve Golconda. This achievement came only after Saulot, who had grown disillusioned with the corruption of the Kindred, went into the lands of the East for an untold period of time. When he returned, he bore a mysterious third eye on his forehead and commanded powers no other Kindred had seen before. He also told of an escape from the hell of vampiric existence - Golconda. After his return, he sired few new childer. Some attribute the creation of the Inconnu and the Brujah's fabled Carthage to Saulot's aid.

Whatever the truth, the Salubri believe Saulot came back changed in more than mind rid body. They believe he sired his last childe during Caligula's rule and thereafter grew isolated, tending to his childer's pursuit of Golconda. This isolation proved his undoing, however. At some unknown point in time, he entered torpor, perhaps voluntarily. During the Middle Ages, a group of power-hungry magi unearthed Saulot's resting place. The most powerful of these magi slew the Ancient, slaking his own thirst on Saulot's blood. It is said that Saulot did not resist, knowing that it was his time to pass. To complete the deed, the cabal of magi hunted Saulot's childer to near extinction.

The modern Salubri are the lineage of those of Saulot's brood who managed to escape the purge led by the magi, at least according to what information they told others. The magi are believed to hunt them to this very night, and likely have some connection to the Tremere.

While the Salubri maintain that they are healers, other Kindred believe them to be despoilers and thieves of souls. They are persecuted and hunted, unable to use their healing powers without revealing who they are. Few Kindred would risk "healing" at the hands of the Salubri anyway, fearing that their souls - already in jeopardy due to the Curse of Caine - would be stolen in the process.

The greatest threat to an individual Salubri is, however ironically, herself, as all Salubri sacrifice themselves when they sire new childer by forcing those childer to diablerize them. The Salubri believe that all souls are damned, and only by attaining Golconda can one transcend the torment that awaits them after death. Kindred - and kine who fail to reach Golconda become ghosts trapped in between the worlds of the living and the dead. Of course, being Kindred is no easy task, and it is a trial that tests the strength of an individual's soul. As such, Salubri are dedicated proselytisers, and their "propaganda" is probably the source of much the antipathy other Kindred feel toward them. Thus, the Salubri eke out secret, desperate unlives, hounded by their fellow Kindred who refuse to see the truths put before them.

Nickname: Soulsuckers or Cyclops

Sect: The Salubri are shunned (at best) and actively hunted (at worst) by both Camarilla and Sabbat. Neither sect will have them, not that the Salubri would join either anyway.

Appearance: There is no uniform look among the Salubri - they are so few and choose progeny on such individual basis that no generalization exists. Children, elderly, the middle-aged and young adults have all populated the ranks of the Salubri at one time or another, and have hailed from all walks of life.

The Salubri do bear one physical trait in common, however. All Salubri develop a third eye in the middle of their foreheads around the time they learn the second level of Obeah. This third eye, which is the same colour as their normal eyes, opens any time an Obeah power of second level or greater is in use. When the eye is closed, it is barely noticeable; the eye slit appears as nothing more than a subtle scar. The purpose of this eye and its origins are unknown, but most Kindred who have any familiarity at all with the Salubri posit that it grants the Cyclops "sight beyond sight" or infernal visions. Salubri Kindred often hide their third eyes by wearing Gypsy-style headscarves or hats with shading brims, or behind long bangs.

Haven: When Salubri are able to establish permanent havens, they typically do so far from the domains of other Kindred. Salubri make their havens in desolate places, away from the vindictive eyes of others, and typically keep few physical possessions (the better to travel quickly).

Background: The Salubri prefer to Embrace individuals with high Humanity: healers, holy folk, philanthropists, environmentalists and the like. Supposedly, only seven Salubri exist at any one time, though some Kindred report that this number may be less in the modern nights - or more.

Character Creation: Salubri may have any concept, though it is unlikely that will be criminals or soldiers, Natures and Demeanours tend toward the altruistic, though the latter may be literally anything. Most Salubri favour Mental Attributes and Knowledge, though there have been exceptions in the past. All Salubri must take five dots worth of Generation to represent their sires' sacrifice; many Salubri also have a few points in the Herd Background.

Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Fortitude, Obeah

Weaknesses: Salubri may take blood only from those who give it willingly. If a Salubri's vessel resists her attempt to feed, the Salubri loses a point from her Willpower pool and may have to check for Humanity degeneration at the Storyteller's discretion.

Organisation: The Salubri are too few to have an actual "organization," though most of the bloodline follow a similar code. To the Salubri, the pursuit of Golconda is paramount, and they seem loath to refuse aid to each other. The Salubri are a loyal lot, and what they lack in organization they make up for with dedication. Only the most desperate Salubri would compromise another's safety - most would choose death before dishonour. Some elder Kindred claim to have observed a more cavalier attitude in the modern Salubri, however, and perhaps a bit of overt cruelty. Salubri communicate through cryptic words scribed in a forgotten language. In nights past, the Salubri would carve these messages on trees or other markers they would pass for other Salubri to see. In the modern nights, they may "tag" an area in the manner of graffiti or simply write a message and leave it for someone to deliver to a clanmate obliviously.

All recognized Salubri are of the Eighth Generation (conferred by the sires' sacrifice at a new childe's Embrace). Persistent rumours continue to surface, however, of powerful Kindred travelling from the East bearing the third eye of Saulot.

Quote: Your soul is sick, stained by the Curse of Caine. Offer it up to me and I shall cleanse it. You must trust me, for an eternity of damnation is more than you could bear. I know.

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Chandravathi Kallakuri — dàrathad salubri slp

blodslinje

page revision: 7, last edited: 20 Feb 2011 11:28

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