Vampire: the Masquerade lore: the bloodlines
I previously made a post intended as an introduction to Vampire: the Masquerade lore covering the history of vampires, the Clans, and the Sects. This post is a supplement introducing the bloodlines. Links to previous World of Darkness posts at the bottom.
The Kindred like to make over simplistic claims about the nature of vampirism. The 13 Clans each descended from one of the 13 Antediluvians and inherited their curses and Disciplines and that's just how it works. This is a drastic over-simplification of the reality. The blood of Caine is mutable and changes over time. Sometimes, whether it be through deliberate action or mutation, a new lineage of Kindred will appear, passing down their traits to their Childer just as the Clans do. These mini-clans are called bloodlines and their number has fluctuated through the millennia. There is some debate both in-universe and in real life over what constitutes a bloodline. Many time, a bloodline is an ofshoot of one of the clans, possessing a variation of the Disciplines or curse. However, sometimes bloodlines refer to moral or philosophical viewpoints. The biggest example of this are the Antitribu. An Antitribu is any any vampire who does not belong to the same Sect as their Clan. So for example, a Toreador in the Sabbat would be a Toreador Antitribu. The Antitribu are often considered bloodlines even though they have the same Disciplines and curses as the rest of the clan. Another example comes from the Mariner Gangrel. They only differ from the mainline Gangrel over a lifestyle choice: Mariner Gangrel choose to live underwater. Being a Mariner is a matter of choice rather than a trait a new Kindred gains upon becoming a vampire. And yet, the Mariners are considered a bloodline. There is also the case of the Laibon, the name African Kindred use for themselves. The Laibon use the term Legacy in place of CLan or bloodline and while many of the Legacies are just the 13 Clans under different names, others appear to be proper bloodlines. For the sake of this post, I will only cover bloodlines that have different Disciplines or curses than the 13 Clans, so no Antitribu, though I will at least shout out the Laibon Legacies. Also, many of the blooodlines have had their Disciplines change between editions. When in doubt, I will use the 20th anniversary edition Disciplines.
Most of the Bloodlines are clearly offshoots of one of the 13 Clans, possessing variations of that Clan's traits. I will cover those first, going clan by clan
The Banu Haqim are an interesting case, as they used to have three distinct castes, warriors, vizirs, and sorcerers, who all possessed slightly different Disciplines. The new lore, however, makes these groups a social division and instead gives all Banu Haqim the same Disciplines. Going by the newer lore, the only possible Banu Haqim bloodline are the Shango, a Laibon Legacy. The Shango share much in common with the Banu Haqim, including their curse and the Disciplines Celerity (super speed) and Obfuscate (the ability to go undetected). The only difference is their access to the Discipline Dur-An-Ki, a form of blood magic that allows the user to commune with spirits. It is very likely that Dur-An-Ki is the same Discipline as Banu Haqim blood sorcery, just used for different purposes, which would make the Shango not a bloodline by my definition.
The Brujah have a Laibon counterpart in the Osebo and one of the more interesting bloodlines in the form of the True Brujah. True to their name, the True Brujah claim they are the proper clan and the mainline Brujah should actually be considered a bloodline. According to most historians, the Brujah Antediluvian was a cold and dispassionate mane named Ilyes who was cursed to lose his emotions. Ilyes only Embraced one Childe, a youth of indeterminate gender named Troile who was so so passionate their emotions could warm even Ilyes's heart. Troile eventually diablerized Ilyes and ascended to the 3rd generation. This caused the clan curse to change from a lack of emotions to an overwhelming temper. The True Brujah claim that Ilyes did have other Childer who still had Ilyes's original curse of emotionlessness and is is those Childer who they are descended from. The True Brujah share the Brujah's Disciplines of Potence (superhuman strength) and Presence (alluring charisma), but instead of the Brujah Celerity (superhuman speed), they have Temporis (manipulation of time).
The Cappadocians are an interesting case when it comes to bloodlines. When Augustus Giovanni diablerized Cappadocius and ascended to the 3rd generation, his lineage effectively replaced the original Cappadocians as the clan of death. The Clan curse and Disciplines changed accordingly and Clan Giovanni replaced Clan Cappadocian. This was followed by an attempted genocide of the original Cappadocians. For a long time, it was thought that the Giovanni crusade was successful, but in the final nights, multiple bloodlines emerged that claimed to be descended from Cappadocius. These bloodlines were originally enemies of the Clan, but eventually, a mysterious figure called the Capuchin led a meeting of the Giovanni and Cappadocian bloodline. They agreed to merge back together and enacted a ritual called the Family Reunion to merge their blood together, leading to the brand new Clan Hecata. In addition to the Cappadocians, the Giovanni had several crime families that were adopted and Embraced into the Clan that some considered bloodlines. These include the Dunsirn of Ireland, Milliners of the USA, Rossellini and Puttanesca of Italy, and the Pisanob of Mexico. During the Family Reunion, the banes and Disciplines of the various bloodlines all changed to match the Giovanni.
The Harbingers of Skulls are the bloodline closest to the original Cappadocians. During the Giovanni's genocide, they were trapped in the underworld. While waiting for a change to return to the world of the living, they joined up with the Tal'mahe'Ra, a Sect of Kindred, mages, ghosts, and a mummy who protected the ruins of the First City within the underworld. It is believed that the massive storm in the underworld known as the Sixth Great Maelstrom was what let the Harbingers of Skulls escape the underworld. They promptly attacked the Giovanni, leading to a feud that continued until they agreed to participate in the Family Reunion. They now refer to themselves and the rest of the Cappadocian bloodlines as the Harbingers of Ashur. Prior to the Family Reunion, their Disciplines were Auspex (superhuman senses), Fortitude (incredible durability), and Necromancy (what it sounds like) and they retained the Cappadocian curse of looking like walking corpses.
The Lamia are a bloodline that split off of the Cappadocians prior to the Rise of the Giovanni. The Lamia worked for Clan Cappadocian as warriors devoted to defending the Clan (which was mostly composed of scholars with little skill in battle). According to their legends, their founder (who chose the name Lamia after her Embrace) was the daughter and high priestess of Lilith. The 4th generation Cappadocian Lazarus was impressed by her talents as a witch and Embraced her. As soon as she awoke as a vampire, she whispered a secret to Lazarus that made him flee in fear. Lamia found her way back to the Clan and offered her services as a bodyguard, though she and her Childer were ultimately loyal to Lilith over Cappadocius. When Augustus Giovanni diablerized Cappadocius, the Lamia cursed him and his lineage, which they claim to be the origin of the Giovanni curse of a painful bite. The Lamia were though to have been wiped out in the 1700s, but they resurfaced later to take part in the Family Reunion. Their original Disciplines were Fortitude (superhuman durability), Potence (superhuman strength), and Necromancy. They notably did not share the Cappadocian curse of a corpse-like appearance. Instead, their bites carried diseases that could affect even Kindred. Women were more resistant to this disease, leading to most of the bloodline being female.
The Samedi or Nation of Blood are a Cappadocian Bloodline that are outcasts even among Kindred. Most Kindred think they are the result of a failed Giovanni experiment or even an offshoot of the Nosferatu due to their horrifying appearances. The Samedi are mostly criminals heavily invested in the drug trade while forming death cults around themselves. They especially infiltrate and corrupt minority religions like Voodoo to gain devoted followers. Nobody likes the Samedi, but their skills at assassinations means many Princes would tolerate them. The Samedi originated in the Caribbean, but slowly spread outwards, though their numbers were always small. The Samedi participated in the Family Reunion. Their original Disciplines were Fortitude (incredible durability), Obfuscate (the ability to go undetected), and Thanatosis (a form of necromancy that focused on manipulating bodies). Their original curse was an even worse version of the Cappadocians' corpse-like appearances. Most Cappadocians looked like shriveled mummies, but the Samedi are actively rotting with a stench to match.
The Gangrel have more bloodlines than most Clans, which is perhaps fitting for the Clan most connected to the infinite diversity of nature. In addition to the above-mentioned Mariners, some treat Gangrel who live in the cities and those who live in the countryside as being different bloodline, but they all have the same Disciplines and curse.
Two bloodlies that were mainly cultural in nature, but did have variants on the Clan curse, are the Noaid and the Anda. The Noiad integrated themselves into the Sámi people of Scandanavia, who they ruled over as gods. The Noaid are now believed to be exticnt, as their rigid traditionalism left them vulnerable to viking attacks, aided by werewolves and other Gangrel. The Noaid had an additional curse that left them unable to feed on animals. The Anda similarly lived among the Mongols. They viewed themselves as divine, the chosen warriors and children of the goddess Itügen via their founder, Dobrul the Brave. At their height, the Anda managed to hold Mongolia despite repeated attempts by the Kuei-Jin of east Asia to take the territory. The bloodline began to weaken after the death of Kublai Khan and is now believed to be extinct, though there are rumors that some Anda may be awakening from torpor in modern nights. The Anda variant of the Gangrel curse caused them to develop animal features if they ever stayed in the same place too long and came with a compulsion to wander.
The Gangrel of the Laibon are known as the Akunase and they have a very different culture to the European Gangrel. While European Gangrel are bestial and often shun civilization, the Akunase are lorekeepers who seek wisdom and enlightenment through study and uncovering secrets. The Akunase practice a variation of the Protean (shapeshifting) Discipline called Abombwe which allows the vampire to draw in the Beast within for power. Like the Gangrel, the Akunase can get stuck with animal features as part of their curse, but they get them through learning too many things in the same area, forcing them to be nomadic.
The Ahrimanes are a bloodline that appeared two separate times. The creation myth of the Ahrimanes stated that their first member was a valkyrie named Ádísa who traveled to Persia, where the king Ahriman commanded her service. Ádísa refused, so the king sent his armies against her. She helf out for three days, but was eventually felled. When her mother, the goddess Freyja came to collect her soul, Ádísa refused to go as she sought revenge against Ahriman. Freyja allows Ádísa to remain as an undead for three days, which she used to track down and kill Ahriman. When Freyja returned, Ádísa still refused to go, deciding to be a protector of women. She would only Embrace women and any Ahrimanes who Embraced a man would be killed. They did, however, judge one by their spirit and those with a female spirit but a male body (so transgender women) would be welcomed into the bloodline. The Ahrimanes went extinct sometime after the fall of Rome. Modern Kindred historians believe Ádísa was already a Gangrel when she went to Persia and the valkyrie story was invented. The Gangrel were heavily embedded in Norse culture at the time. The Ahrimanes returned in more recent times during the colonization of the Americas. A Gangrel named Muricia was one of many Childer caught up in wars between Sabbat elders. She sought freedom and studied the shamanistic sorceries (sorceries in the WoD sense as in static magic rather than true Magick) of the local Native American tribes and performed a ritual that altered her blood, severing her Blood Bond to her Sire and altering her Disciplines and curse. Muricia declared her independence and tried to start her own bloodline, but found her blood was sterile, unable to Sire or create ghouls. Still, she managed to repeat the rituals on other Gangrel women (she rejected men) to convert them to her new Bloodline. She took up the name Ahrimanes and now the bloodline acts as a reborn version of the original, keeping their rule of only accepting women. The Ahrimanes disciplines are Animalism (control of animals), Potence (superhuman strength), and Spiritus (which allows them to commune with the spirits of animals).
The Lhiannan are claimed by most Kindred historians to be a Gangrel bloodline, but they have their own story. They claim a figure named the Crone performed a ritual that infused a woodland spirit into a vampire, changing her into the first of the Lhiannan. The spirit was a jealous being who looked into the future and saw coming destruction of its forest home and sought to join with vampires to gain a physical form and fight back. Notably, the Book of Nod, the main source of Kindred Mythology, also includes a figure called the Crone, who is hinted to be Lilith. Meanwhile, the Verbena Tradition of mages, who descend from the same region believe Lilith was one of the Wyck, a group of ancient mages (or fairies. Or both) who taught the people of Europe the ways of magic and nature. Whatever the truth is, the Lhiannan lived in northwestern Europe and practiced druidic magic. They lived in the wilderness and rejected civilization, preferring the world of nature and spirits. For unknown reasons, the Gangrel despised the Lhiannan and would attempt to kill them. The only reason they ever gave to outsiders was mentions of a great betrayal. The Lhiannan were never very populous and suffered both due to the Inquisition stamping out druidic beliefs and humanity moving to cities and away from the woods. Most believe the Lhiannan are extinct now, but there are stories of their return, indicating some may have risen from torpor or the original ritual may have been recreated. The Lhiannan Disciplines were Animalism (control of animals), Presence (incredible charisma) and Ogham (a form of blood magic that invoked the powers of spirits). They had several weaknesses. First, their spirit-based natures gave them an aura that made humans uncomfortable. Second, they could not stray from their woodland homes without their powers weakening. Third, because they all drew power from the same spirit, its power would be diluted. Each new Embrace weakened the Sire.
There are two counterparts to the Lasombra among the Laibon. The First are the Ramanga, who have a creation story separate from the Lasombra. They claim to descend from a woman named Ramanga, the wise and ambition princess of a kingdom on Madagascar. Despite clearly being smarter than her brother, he was chosen as their father's heir due to the patriarichal beliefs of her people. Ramanga was furious and reached out to spirits for help, eventually meeting one who taught her the truth of power in exchange for her never seeing the sun again. Ramanga agreed and was taught that true power lies not among the king, but his advisers. Thus, Ramanga became a vampire and acted as her brother's advisor, while manipulating him to her ends. She taught this technique to her Childer and to this day, the Ramanga excel at ruling from the shadows, never taking the throne but pulling all the strings. Their methods led to a conflict between them and the Guruhi (see the Nosferatu section), who started a war. The Ramanga of the Congo attempted a ritual to give them an advantage, but it failed, banishing them from the Congo and changing their blood. They became a new Legacy, the Xi Dundu, who are far closer to the Lasombra than the Ramanga. The Xi Dundu are listed as a Lasombra bloodline while the Ramanga are not, but given that the Xi Dundu started out as Ramanga, it only makes sense that both are Lasombra bloodlines. My headcanon is that Ramanga was embraced as a Lasombra, but the spirit altered her blood. The failed ritual that created the Xi Dundu returned them to their Lasombra ancestry. The Ramanga have the Disciplines Azina (their name for Obteneration), Obfuscate (stealth), and Presence (incredible charisma). Their curse weakens their uses of Obteneration and Presence against people unless the Ramanga possess a piece of that person's body. The Xi Dundu share the Lasombra Disciplines and have a double curse. The first is they cast no shadow. The second is that they cannot sleep on soil from their homeland.
The Kiasyd are a result of mixing Lasombra blood with fey magic. Their founder was Marconius a mage who was trying to merge multiple types of supernatural being together. His Embrace as a Lasombra ruined that as Embraced mages lose their Magick. Still, Marconius persisted and eventually had an "accident" involving fairies and the blood of something or someone called Zeernebooch melded fairy essence into him. Marconius emerged seven feet tall and unnaturally thin, with overly large eyes and silver skin. He was almost killed, but was kept around in a prison as a curiosity for a Lasombra Elder. Marconius later escaped and spread his bloodline to others. The Kiasyd are a scholarly group who live sedate lives in hidden lairs filled with accumulated knowledge. Typically, even a city's Prince or Bishop will not know a Kiasyd is in their city. Despite their odd appearances, they are unfailingly polite in the very rare instance they ever actually talk to someone. They have a natural understanding of riddles and an ability to see through fey magic. Their disciplines are Dominate (mind control), Obteneration (control of shadows), and Mytherceria (powers related to fairies, such as mystical senses and the ability to steal knowledge). They also tend to practice alchemy and can brew magic potions. Their curse is a weakness to the touch of cold iron.
Another Lasombra bloodline is the Angellis Ater, who are Lasombra who joined the Baali (described below). They are culturally Baali and so most of what I say about the Baali below applies to them.
The only notable Malkavian bloodline are the Ananke, a bloodline of seers among seers. All Malkavians have prophetic powers, but the Ananke are especially skilled in the practice of haruspexy. This is a form divination that involves seeing the future in spilled entrails. Human practitioners of haruspexy (real historical thing, btw) use animal entrails, but the Ananke use humans instead. They exclusively Embrace from serial killers and people who are obsessed with them. There are tumors that the Ananke descend from the Ankou, a creature feared by all Malkavians. The Ankou is a predator that stalks the Malkavians in their dreams and occasionally kills one, an act that sends ripples of fear through the psychic connection that is the Malkavian Madness network. The Ananke Disciplines are Auspex (enhanced senses), Dementation (the ability to impose madness on others), and Presence (incredible charisma). In addition to the standard Malkavian curse, the Ananke must keep gruesome trophies of their kills.
Clan Ministry or the Followers of Set have a few bloodlines that are mostly based around ideological and religious differences. Because the main culture of the Ministry revolves around embracing corruption and sin and worship of their Antediluvian, Set, the mainstream Setites typically view these offshoots as heretics to be destroyed. The two most notable offshoots are the Daitya and the Serpents of the Light. The Daitya are descended from Setites tat traveled to India. There, they merged Hindu beliefs with Setite ones, coming to view the destroyer god Shiva as the local analogue of Set. The Daitya Embraced from the Brahmin caste of priests and therefore hold a position of power amongst the Indian Kindred, who view one's caste in life as still important as a vampire. In fact, the Daitya claim authority over all Indian Kindred who worship Shiva. They see themselves as the priests of the damned, who work to hasten the end of the world so that it may be born anew. To do this, they work to increase the darkness and suffering of all who live so that Shiva will awaken and end the current cycle of the world, beginning a new and better world in its place. Instead of Serpentis they practice the Discipline Sadhana, a form of blood magic that allows for the creation of potions that let the drinker temporarily learn new Disciplines.
The Serpents of the Light are a heretical faction of the Ministry based out of the Caribbean. They decend from west African Setites who came to the new world during the transatlantic slave trade and mixed Setite beliefs with Voodoo and beliefs in Caine and the Antediluvians. While the mainstream Setites worship Set, the Serpents of the Light hate and seek to kill their Antediluvian. They have fully joined the Sabbat and therefore wish to slay the Antediluvians and their followers. The mainstream Setites thus despise the Serpents.
Another branch of the Ministry are the Tlacique, who elder Setites believe are a branch of the Clan that somehow ended up in Mesoamerica well before the European colonization and integrated themselves into Aztec culture. In particular, they viewed themselves as the chosen warriors of the god of darkness and sorcery Tezcatlipoca. Because they use Protean (shapeshifting) instead of Serpentis. some younger Setites believe they are actually a Gangrel bloodline. Another branch are the Warrior Setites, who are simply Clan members taught to use the Discipline Protean (superhuman strength) instead of Obfuscate (stealth). The Ministry does not have a Laibon counterpart as their main power base is already in Africa, specifically Egypt.
Among the Laibon, the Nosferatu are known as the Guruhi, and they have a very different culture to their counterparts. The Guruhi are the clan of kinds withing Africa, the rightful rulers who hold the most Pirncedoms (or equivalent positions). They are a proud and powerful Legacy who refuse to hide in shadows the way the Nosferatu do. They have a variation of the Clan curse that causes their appearances to match their moods and the balance of their humanity and Beast. A Guruhi can have the typical monstrous appearance of a Nosferatu, but they could also look human or even inhumanly beautiful at different times of their lives. The Guruhi don't use the Obfuscate Discipline, instead using Presence (incredible charisma).
The reason the Nosferatu are so unified as a Clan and the main reason they live underground is because of the Nictuku, their other main bloodline. According to Nosferatu legend, their Antediluvian was Absimiliard, a beautiful but vain and cruel man. Caine's curse on Absimiliard was to have his appearance match the ugliness of his soul, thus beginning the Clan curse. Absimiliard attempted to kill all of his Childer out of the delusional belief that this would earn him Caine's forgiveness. One of Absimiliard's Childer, Baba Yaga, fled from him and is it from her Childrer that all modern Nosferatu are descended. In response, Absimiliard created the Nictuku to hunt down and kill the Nosferatu while he retreated to torpor. An argument could be made that the Nictuku are the proper clan and that the Nosferatu are a bloodline. All Nictuku are low-generation and extremely powerful vampires that are blood-bound to Absimiliard's will. The reason the Nosferatu hide underground and stick together so much is for safety from the Nicktuku. There is safety in numbers and the Nictuku refuse to sleep underground. Much of the Nosferatu's culture of secrecy and information-gathering comes from their fear that the Nictuku could be lurking around any corner. Most other Clans, and even some young Nosferatu, think that the Nictuku are just a myth, but they are very real. In fact, Baba Yaga herself, a vampire powerful enough to personally isolate Russia from the rest of the supernatural world, was recently killed by a Nictuku named Vasilisa, a fact that had sent the Nosferatu into a panic. The Nictuku Disciplines are Auspex (superhuman senses), Celerity (superhuman speed), and Potence (superhuman strength). They have two weaknesses. The first is that they gain very little sustinance from human blood, forcing them to feed on other vampires instead. The second is a variation of the Nosferatu curse. Nictuku start out beautiful, but they gradually become uglier and stronger. Some of the oldest Nictuku aren't even humanoid anymore. It isn't stated how the Nictuku feel about the Guruhi.
The Ravnos are an interesting case in that they used to have bloodlines, but since the Week of Nightmares, their numbers have dropped so low that some bloodlines are more populous than them. In particular, the Ravnos of India followed the Hindu caste system and threated the different castes as bloodlines. The western Ravnos, or Phuri Dae, were claimed by Indian Ravnos to be a splinter group of their Brahmin caste. In Africa, the Ravnos are known as the Kinyonyi, and are primarily nomads, storytellers, and tricksters. The events of the Week of Nightmares completely destroyed the Indian Ravnos, leaving only scattered Phuri Dae and Kinyonyi struggling against extinction.
The Salubri used to be counted as a Clan with the Tremere being considered a minor bloodline of theirs (due to Tremere turning himself and his followers into Kindred using a potion made of Salubri blood), but after Tremere Diablerized Saulot in 1133, this changed, with the Tremere becoming a full Clan while the Salubri, who the Tremere enacted genocide against, being reclassified as a bloodline. There are very few members of the mainline Salubri left, the majority having turnes to the Sabbat for protection or hiding in the Middle East, where they are protected by a pact a Salubri elder made with the Antediluvian Haqim, granting them protection as long as their numbers never exceeded seven. Another small group survives among the Laibon, where they are named Nkulu Zao and are so secretive that even they do now know how many still exist.
During their heyday, the Salubri had a caste system made up of the warriors and healers. The healers were the original Salubri, commanded to be pacifists by Saulot. During the Baali Wars, Saulot's Childe Samiel defied orders and underwent a ritual called the Blooding to alter the form of Veleren (the signature Discipline of the Salubri, which is called Obeah in modern times) to a more combat-oriented focus, allowing him to join in the fight against the Baali. Any Salubri who goes through the Blooding ritual would become a warrior caste. Another bloodline or caste of the Salubri are the Wu Zao or watcher caste. They were formed when Saulot traveled to China to study philoshophy under the Kuei-Jin Bodhisattva Xue (I'll do a separate post about the Kuei-Jin as they are vampires unconnected to Caine). While there, he Embraced two Childer, a thief named Zao-zei and a scholar named Zao-xue. They would work together, with Zao-zei stealing secrets from the thousand hells of Yomi Wan and Zao-xue interpreting and recording them. There are technically two castes of the Wu Zao, thieves and scholars, but members can switch between them at will. The Wu Zao did well for themselves, surviving in east Asia while surrounded by Kuei-Jin who typically despise Kindred. It isn't clear how the Tremere genocide affected them. The Wu Zao had a different curse than the rest of the Clan. Each Wu Zao had a specific subject they they were obsessed with and it took an act of willpower for them to pass up opportunities to indulge their curiosity.
The Toreador have few bloodlines, but among the Laibon, they are known as Ishtarri, for they claim descent form the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. While the Ishtarri are not native to Africa, their expertise at social manipulation has allowed them to integrate themselves into the Laibon. For the most part, they are pretty similar to the mainline Toreador, though they have a variant of the curse that makes them fixated on a certain form of vice. They also have the Discipline Fortitude (incredible durability) instead of Auspex (superhuman senses). Anothe group that is a mixture of bloodline and religious sect are the Nephilim. They descent from the hugely influential Toreador elder Michael, one of the founders of Constantinople who believed he was the archangel of the same name. The Nephilim worship Michael even after his death and belive in perfecting the world through making it beautiful. Induction requires blood bonding oneself to a member of Michael's lineage up to the 7th generation in a process that makes them more beautiful. While the Nephilim equate ugliness with evil, there are a lot of Nosferatu who want to join because of rumors that the blood of Michael can reduce their curse, making them look more human, though it cannot remove their curse entirely.
The Tremere used to be so tighly controlled that no errant bloodlines coulf form, except for one: the Telyavelic Tremere. This was a splinter group of the Tremere that broke their blood bonds to their elders and traveled to Lithuania. There, they converted to the worship of the god Telyavel and created a unique branch of Thaumaturgy called Sielanic Thaumaturgy, which allowed them to manipulate the land around them. When Christians came to wipe out the Lithuanian pagans, the Telyavelic Tremere were hit so hard that they developed a greater weakness to true faith and an instinctual revulsion to symbols of Christianity. They are thought to have been wiped out by the mainline Tremere, but a few survived and joined the Sabbat for safety. In the wake of the Tremere hierarchy and blood bonds collapsing following the Second Inquisition bombing their headquarters, it is possible that more bloodlines will form as the now free Tremere fracture and experiment with their blood.
The Tzimisce are all fairly unique beings as they tend to use their Discipline of Vicissitude to reshape themselves into inhuman forms, each with their won particular flair. However, even these monsters are considered mainline Tzmisce. There are two notable bloodlines among them. The older of the two is Old Clan Tzmisce, or the Dracul as they call themselves. They truly are old, with 500 being considered youthful among the Dracul. Unlike the other Tzmisce, they are not part of the Sabbat. According to Tzmisce history, their Antediluvian, the Eldest, came to the land that would one day be called Transylvania and allied with a powerful demon named Kupala, who taught him powerful secrets. The Dracul claim that they are descended from Tzmisce sired before the Eldest met Kupala and they are the original incarnation of the Clan. They claim Kupala tricked the Eldest and infected new Tzmisce like a disease, granting them the Discipline of Vicissitude. In fact, many Dracul do not view mainline Tzmisce as people at all, instead considering them meat puppets for Kupala to control. They mostly live in isolated areas, ruling small kingdoms hidden in the wilderness of eastern Europe. Instead of Vicissitude, they practice Koldunic Sorcery, which allows them to reshape the land in their domains at will.
A more recent bloodline are the Naglopers. They actually started out as variants of the Laibon Legacy known as the Bonsam, who I will cover later in this post. As the Bonsam's numbers dropped, the survivors attempted to fuse Tzimisce blood into themselves to survive. This instead resulted in a new Legacy, one of the most feared among the Laibon. They allows their Beasts to control them and indulge in all manner of torture and horrors. A favorite practice among the Naglopers is to kidnap humans and use Vicissitude to turn them into monsters of folklore, promising (falsely) to reverse the changes if the victim kidnaps more people to bring to their new master. The Naglopers have a variant of the Tzmisce curse that requires them to burrow into the ground to sleep.
Like some other bloodlines, the Davana claim to be the original clan, with the Ventrue instead being a bloodline of theirs. They claim that their Antediluvian was a Hindu god named Veddartha and that they are therefore of divine providence that gives them to right to rule over the Kindred of India. Like most Indian Kindred, the Davana still follow the Hindu caste system and they only Embrace from the higher tiers. They believe their role is to overthrow the gods and rule the world in their own name. The Davana are the most politically powerful Kindred in India (especially now that the Indian Ravnos are dead) and are trying to hold the subcontinent against both the Keui-Jin and western Kindred who seek the resources of the land and its people. Instead of Presence, they share the Discipline Sadhana with the Daitya.
Not all Bloodlines clearly descend from one of 13 Clans. Some have clear origins as the result of blood magic or other supernatural phenomena, while others are a mystery.
Undoubtedly the most historically significant of the bloodlines are the Baali. The Baali were retconned in 5e to be Kindred possessed by hungry spirits, but I think that's dumb and will be presenting the older lore. The Baali are dark infernalists who seek corruption and sin and work with the darkest of demons to plunge the world into hell. There are many origin stories of the Baali that may represent multiple separate origins for the bloodline. The most common story says that three demon-worshiping humans were thrown into a pit they had used to sacrifice countless innocents. That night, an Antediluvian came to them and asked what happened. When the three explained they were evil, the vampire laughed and said it would show them what true evil was. He then threw some of his blood into the pit and the humans lapped it up, causing them to rise the next night as Kindred. A variant of this story says that the Antediluvian was responsible for throwing them in the pit in disgust for their activities and gave them his blood so they may live to learn a lesson. The Identity of the Antediluvian in the story is contested. Most place him as being Saulot returning the the Second City after his trip to Asia, though other stories name Cappadocius or the Eldest instead. The name Ashur is often used, which is usually thought to be a pseudonym of one of those three, but it could be a different vampire of the 3rd generation who otherwise never had a Clan. The three founders are known as Moloch, Nergal, and the Unnamed. An alternate story credits a slave boy from the First City who was Embrace by Ashur for the beauty of his voice. The slave boy grew jealous of the more powerful Kindred around him and attempted to Diablerize Caine himself. He failed and was cursed by Caine. In desparation, he called out for help and was answered by demons, who remade him into the first of the Baali.
Whatever their origin, the Baali have been a blight on the world and waged a series of wars against the Second City known as the Baali Wars. They were beaten back, but did incredible damage in the process. After that, they worked in a more subtle manner, often raising cults of mortals in their names and offering copious human sacrifices to their demon masters. One notable Baali activity is ruining the paradise of Carthage. Built by the Brujah to be a utopia where Kindred and humans lived together in harmony, Carthage was reduced to a hellhole by the influence of Moloch, leading to the Ventrue and Toreador teaming up to destroy it. What few outsiders know is that there are two opposing groups of Baali based on their relation to beings called the Sleepers. The Sleepers are claimed by the Baali to be things that lived in the darkness before God said "let there be light" and they now slumber beneath the ground, waiting for the day they can destroy creation and bring the darkness back. One sect of Baali, the Nergalim, follow Nergal and wish to awaken the Sleepers and destroy the world. The other group, the Molachim follow Moloch and wish to feed the Sleepers with atrocities to keep them sated and asleep. The Unnamed's opinion on the matter is unknown. The two groups do not get along at all. Modern Kindred largely believe the Baali are extinct, but they just went underground, infiltrating the Sects and making the world a worse place. What makes them more dangerous is their ability to use rituals to turn other Kindred into Baali. Their Disciplines are Obfuscate (the ability to go undetected), Presence (incredible charisma), and Daimonion (which allowed them to channel demonic powers). Their curse caused them to take damage from symbols of faith and setting foot on holy ground.
The Blood Brothers are an artificial bloodline created by the cooperation of Tzmisce fleshcrafters and Tremere Antitribu to be warriors for the Sabbat. They are groups of Kindred mystically and physically altered to operate in a hive mind, allowing them to work together perfectly. It was common practice to alter their appearances to make ever member of a pack look identical. Their creators also removed their ability to Embrace as a measure to keep them under control. The Blood Brothers had little in the way of culture, just following the order of their superiors and enacting tremendous violence on enemies of the Sabbat. Fortunately for everyone else, the Blood Brothers are not considered obsolete by the Sabbat and no new packs are being created. They have the Disciplines Fortitude (superhuman durability) and Potence (superhuman Strength) and the signature Discipline Sanguinus. This allowed them to share body parts with each other. For example, one Blood Brother could retract their arms, which would then grow onto the body of another member of their Pack. Their curse is their inability to Embrace and reliance on each other.
The Bonsam are a monstrous Legacy of the Laibon that may be descended from the Nosferatu, but nobody really knows for sure. They claim not to be desceded from Caine, but from somebody who was revived from the dead by the darkness that predated Creation, which might be the cosmic force of Oblivion or the same thing as the Sleepers that the Baali revere. The Bonsam embrace their inhumanity, not even trying to join in with societies or pretend to be human. They lurk in the wilderness and are highly territorial, killing any other vampire that stays in their domain for too long. While the Bonsam can take on a human form, their true forms are hideous, bat-like monsters. Eventually, the first Bonsam turned on his descendants, devouring most of them. To survive, some of the survivors experimented with Tzmisce blood, creating the Naglopers. Only a very small number of Bonsam still exist. Their Disciplines are Obfuscate, Potence, and Abombwe, which they share with the Akunase. Their weakness is that their presence instills an instinctive fear in humans.
The Children of Osiris are an extinct bloodline sired by Osiris, the brother of the Antediluvian Set. According to Setite legend, Set attempted a coup during his mortal life, trying to sieve Osiris's throne. He failed and was exiled from Egypt, eventually coming to the First City and being Embraced. Millennia later, Set returned to Egypt to find Osiris has also become a vampire and still ruled. Osiris's sire is said to be Typhon, who is speculated to be an unknown member of the 2nd or 3rd generations. Set ripped Osiris apart, but his sister-wives performed a ritual to revive him. This led to a Millennie-long war between Set and the Osirian League, an alliance of vampires, mages, sorcerers, and shapeshifters who sought to protect Egypt from Set. This on-and-off war lasted until the 2nd millennium BCE, where in a final battle, Set was sent into Torpor and Osiris descended into the Underworld. The Children of Osiris were vampires with high humanity who Osiris chose to be his followers. Osiris could not Embrace Childer, and so used a spell to change members of other Clans into his Children. They viewed themselves as champions of light, opposing Set and his god, Apophis (who is likely the Wyrm from Werewolf: the Apocalypse). After the events of the Week of Nightmares and the Sixth Great Maelstrom in the Underworld, Osiris returned and rewarded his faithful followers by turning them human again, with those Children of Osiris who had strayed from the path being destroyed instead. Thus, the Children of Osiris are now extinct. New Children of Osiris would inherit two Disciplines from their parent Clan and replace one iwth the Discipline bardo, wich allowed for greater control over the Beast. Their curse pervented them from Embracing, forcing them to rely on magic to create new Children of Osiris.
The Daughters of Cacophony (or Sons of Discord for the rare male members) are a Bloodline with debated origins. One story says that the first member was a Toreador who heard a beautiful song coming from the hills and tried to track down the singer, initially to destroy a better singer than herself, but then in a desparate attemot to learn how to emulate such beauty. The singer turned out to be a fairy who accpted the Tpreador as an apprentice, leading to her beccoming the first Daughter of Cacophany. Another story says that a Malkavian magiclly combined his own blood with that of the Toreador and Embraced three children, who became the first members of the bloodline. Still another origin story suggests they were created when a Malkavian scientist trying to find rational explantions for the supernatureal experimented on some captured Toreador. Whatever the truth is, the Daughters of Cacophony are now a small bloodline heavily associated with music. They are singers with the ability to use magic with their voices. The Toreador will pay handsomely for a performance, as the voice of a Daughter of Cacophony is one of the few things that can make an elder Toreador's heart feel truly alive again. Their Disciplines are Fortitude, Presence, and the unique Melpominee, which allows them to perform magic by singing. The reason they mostly Embrace women is that Melpominee requires a higher vocal range than most men can manage. Their curse is that they constantly hear music in their heads, getting ever louder. The ultimate fate of a Daughter of Cacophony is to be completely overtaken by the song and go mad.
The Gargoyles are an artificial bloodline created by the Tremere acter they first became vampires. Needing protection against the Kindred who generally did not respect them, the Tremere captureed members of Clans Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Tzmisce and melded them together to create the Gargoyles as slave soldiers. While the Nosferatu were to pragmatic to hold grudges and the Gangrel didn't care that their weakest had been captured, the Tzmisce never forgave the Tremere for this insult. The Gargoyles were held in slavery via the blood bond for ceturies, but in the 1500s, large numbers of them managed to revolt with the help of one of their original creators. As part of their admittance to the Camarilla, the Tremere agreed to stop making new Gargoyles, though they still sought to recapture the escaped ones. It is only in recent nights that the Gargoyles are starting to come out into the open and most of them have begun joining the Camarilla. Gargoyles look like theri namesakes, inhuman creatures with stony skin and bat-like wings. This means they must remain hidden to not break the Masquerade. Back when they were enslaved, the Gargoyles came in three castes: scouts, warriors, and sentinals. Nowadays, they have all blended together and gained the ability to Embrace, something the Tremere deliberately created them without. Their Disciplines are Fortitude (incredible durability), Potence (superhuman strength), and Visceratika (which allows them to manipulate stone and earth. They can also fly. Their curse is both their inhuman appearances and a greater suceptibility to mind control.
The Impundulu are a strange Legacy of the Laibon who must exist in partnership with a family of mortal sorcerers. While some speculate the Impundulu to be a Cappadocian bloodline, they tell a different story. According to them, a powerful necromancer named Impundulu was married to a witch named Bomkazi. One day, Impundulu tried to summon a spirit that was far more powerful than he, and was killed. Bomkazi buried her husband, but he rose again the next night as a vampire due to still carrying some of the spirit's essence. He asked her to join him in undeath, but she refused, though they remained lovers. Eventually, Bomkazi wanted a child and cast a spell that would allow Impundule to get her pregnant. The cost of this ritual soon became apparent. Impundulu was now bound to Bomkazi, only able to gain sustenance from her blood. Their child, a daughter named Esona, was born as a ghoul. When she grew up, she bonded herself to her father's vampire Childe. Thus began the lineage of the Impundule Kindred and the Bomkazi witches. The Imundulu can only feed from the Bomkazi, who are all born as ghouls and are immune to the blood bond. Eventually, a group of Impundulu sought to free themselves of their bond to the Bomkazi and performed a blood ritual that severed the connection. They became a new bloodline called the Mla Watu. The Mla Watu are perhaps the most shunned of the Laibon, for they have no respect for the spirits of the dead. They seek to plunge into the underworld and control ghosts, which most Laibon consider an abomination. The Impundulu's curse was their inability to feed on anyone but the Bomkazi witches. The Mla Watu have the Cappadocian curse, which supports the idea that they and the Impundulu are Cappadocian bloodlines. If they are, they seem to have not attended the Family Reunion and therefore did not become part of Clan Hecata.
The Maeghar are not really a bloodline, but rather a collective name for Kindred with fairy blood. This occurs when a changeling or Kinain is Embraced. Normally, the magic of the Wyrd rejects the Embrace and the new Childe will simply die, but occasionally a Maeghar will rise. They are essentially a subset of Caitiff, loners with no connection to their Sire's Clan. The fairy blood within them gives the Maeghar a connection to fey magic that gives them the ability to see through illusions but also a wandering mind that leaves them as nomads. The Childe of a Maeghar will not inherit their Sire's fae nature and will simply be a Caitiff. The Kiasyd bloodline are believed to be the result of a Maeghar who learned how to pass on his nature through the Embrace. The Maeghar share the Mytherceria Discipline with the Kiasyd, whicle their other two Disciplines will come from their parent Clan. They have three weaknesses. First is a vulnerability to the touch of cold iron. Second is that it is easier to identify them as supernatural. Third is that they cannot drink from mortals directly. They need to first drain the blood into some kind of container, then drink from that.
The Nagaraja are a bloodline that, like the Tremere, obtained their vampiric condition through magic rather than the Embrace. Millennia ago, a group of mages of the Chakravanti (see my Mage; the Ascension post for info about them) agreed to work with a mummy in exchange for knowledge of the Spell of Life which created the mummies. They were assigned to protect the First City, which had been relocated to the underworld following its destruction, from Followers of Set, who sought to let Set access it. The mages were unable to fully recreate the Spell of Life, leaving them with an imcomplete form of immortality that left them vulnerable to the Setites. To fight back, the mages collected Setite blood, magically purified it, then cut their throats and drank. They rose again as the new Nagaraja bloodline. After beating back the Setites, the Nagaraja helped found the Sect of Kindred and mages known as the Tal'Mahe'Ra, dedicated to protecting the First City. In 1999, the Smiling Lord of the Stygian Hierarchy (see my Wraith: the Oblivion post) dropped the ghosts of the nuclear bombs Fat Man and Little Boy on the First City, destroying it, the Tal'Mahe'Ra, and most of the Nagaraja. The survivors fled the resulting Sixth Great Maelstrom into the world of the living, where they struggled to find a place in death. Despite not being a Cappadocian bloodline, the Nagaraja's talent at necromancy got them an invitation to the Family Reunion, where they became part of Clan Hecata. The Nagaraja's original curse required them to feed on both flesh and blood of humans. This had the side-effect of requiring them to kill to feed. They also had sharp, serrated teeth like those of a shark. Their original Disciplines were Auspex (superhuman senses), Dominate (Mind Control), and Nihilistics (a form of necromancy that allows them to channel the power of Obilivion.
The Caitiff are not properly a bloodline, but the collective name for clanless vampires. This can include those who are ignorant of their Clan due to being abandoned by their Sires, but more commonly refers to the rare Kindred who do not manifest Clan weaknesses or Disciplines. Caitiff are hated by most Kindred, who consider their existance to be a sign of Gehenna. Thus, the Caitiff are often hunted down and killed. The population of Caitiff has exploded since the 1950s and they are especially common among high generations. Multiple attempts have been made by Caitiff to gain acceptance, but few have suceeded. The only notable success was the efforts of Joseph Pander, a member of the Sabbat who proved ruthless and skilled enough to gain acceptance and found a group called the Panders made of Caitiff. After the Week of Nightmares, the Camarilla began hunting Caitiff in force, forcing more and more of them to turn to the Sabbat and Anarchs to survive. Some Caitiff speculate that Caine and the Antediluvians were all Caitiff, with the clans only manifesting as the result of Caine's surce on the 3rd generation. The Caitiff have no clan weaknesses and do not have any inherent Disciplines. They can learn any Discipline with equal difficulty, but only grow in strength half as fast as regular Kindred.
Previous World of Darkness lore overviews: Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Wraith, Werewolf the other shapeshifters.
