Ravnos (Low Clan)

[Tami]

Ravnos



Tramps and thieves, the Ravnos are scattered throughout Europe like chaff on the wind. Every country hosts a few, but where they can be found varies from night to night and whim to whim. Many travel with bands of roving tinkers and other undesirables. It is rare for more than one or two to be found in the same place at the same time, for they are solitary Cainites and prefer audiences and marks to company.

All Ravnos are nomadic, as much out of necessity as taste. There is no where in the realms of civilized Cainites where Ravnos are welcomed, and even if one should try to settle, she would be harried forth as soon as she was discovered. The Ravnos’ reputation for trickery and theft precedes them everywhere they go, and even those clan members who did not originally have a taste for larceny find themselves forced into it quickly by circumstance and expectation.

There is a reason the Ravnos have a reputation for chicanery – it’s because so many of them are so very good at it. Reynard the fox, with all of his mythical cleverness could find himself talked out of his fur and fangs were he to deal with a Ravnos, and most humans and Cainties don’t do nearly so well as that. Ravnos live by their wits and they are constantly testing and sharpening those wits against all comers. Shell games, convoluted thefts, storytelling for coin, the selling of “holy relics” and a dozen other arts for separating fools from their possessions are all Ravnos calling cards. Most Ravnos will express professional admiration for any non-Ravnos who attempts to make a living in their field – and then rob the interloper blind.

There is nothing a Ravnos values so highly as his freedom. Wise Cainites do not seek to keep Ravnos from a place of their choosing, only to hurry them from that place once they have arrived. Once word travels that a certain location id barred to Ravnos, they will appear by the dozens to test the ban until it shatters. They then take vengeance by descending upon the newly opened city in forces and stripping it, by hook or crook, of anything that strikes their fancy. About the only way in which an infestation of Ravnos is preferable to a military conquest is that the Ravnos leave more of the town standing.

The one thing that Ravnos prize more highly than a good trick (and a Ravnos who manages an exceptional theft will be regarded highly indeed by his clan members) is their honor. However, it is Ravnos honor, and defined differently than most Cainite honor is. A Ravnos never breaks her word – provided she has spit into her palm and shaken hands on it. Otherwise, the oath, no matter how fearsome, simply does not count and can be broken with impunity. A Ravnos will go to the ends of the earth to avenge an insult to her “good name”, but it is up to each Ravnos to decide what constitutes an insult. Finally, a Ravnos will not cheat or steal from a fellow Ravnos or one she considers top be a friend or “brother”. The rest of the world, how ever, is fair game.

Sobriquet: Charlatans

Appearance: Ravnos enjoy dressing in gaily colored rags and tatters, showing their tatterdemalion status off with pride. Some who have wandered far from home show the distinctive features of the Far East. Most tend to be of outsider mongrel mortal stock.

Haven: Very few Ravnos have any sort of fixed haven. Many have wagons or carts which serve the purpose, but a good many find shelter from night to night.

Background: Wanderlust and a gift for trickery are all that’s required for Embrace into Clan Ravnos. Certain mortal bloodlines (such as those that will someday be called Rom or gypsies) are preferred, but runaways and buskers of all ethnicities have found their way into the clan.

Character Creation: Most Ravnos come from Tinker, thief or drifter types, though highway men and musicians are also logical choices for induction. Jester is the most common nature among Ravnos, and Social attributes are primary. Most Ravnos concentrate on Talents and have Contacts as their most common backgrounds. They tend to follow the Road of Paradox.

Clan Discipline: Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude

Weaknesses: Each Ravnos has a flair for one particular flavor of deception, such as lying, theft, gambling or cheating. This specialty must be chosen at the time of character creation, and the character must indulge it whenever possible. A willpower roll (difficulty 6) is required to resist the temptation to indulge at each opportunity.

Organization: The structure of Clan Ravnos is best summed up by an ancient Arab Proverb “Me against my brother, my brother and I against my uncle, my uncle and I against the stranger.”

Quote: Call me a vagabond, and I’ll smile. Call me a thief and I’ll laugh. Call me a liar, and I’ll feed you your liver.”

[Tami]

(Revised book)

Followers of vice and discord, misunderstood members of a society that cannot grasp the potency of the Beast that drives them, Clan Ravnos's compulsion toward sin breeds distrust wherever its members travel. They are known by many, welcome by few and trusted by almost no one. Travelers by necessity, they hurry from city to city, rarely taking the time to build permanent connections or settlements. This makes the Ravnos ideal traders. Goods, information, secrets--everything has a price, and these itinerant vampires know exactly what to ask in exchange.

The origins of the Ravnos are shrouded in mystery, even to the clan members themselves. Those who now reside in Europe trace their lineage to a series of waves of immigration from the eastern lands beyond Persia, dating as far as back as Alexander the Great. Before that history fades into legend. While those initial waves of Ravnos have broken into several distinct jati, or castes, lightly scattered across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, most agree that their founder still rests in those far-off eastern lands, perhaps in India, having been banished there after the Great Flood.

In the last century, a trickle of Ravnos has arrived from those same far-off lands, however, and they weave a wholly different tale about the clan's ancestry, spreading stories of a founder who was, at the very least, a great hero, and perhaps even a god. But these newer Ravnos have been exceedingly critical of their of their more established clan members, and little information is forthcoming. Just what part of this tale is truth and what part myth is unclear, as befits all tales of a clan condemned as Charlatans.

The weakness of the clan causes great discomfort to the high-blooded lords of Europe. Each Ravnos is addicted to sin, and the clan as a whole is accused of spreading chaos through the lands in which they wander. But foolish indeed are those who mistake the Ravnos tendency to indulge in the whispered urgings of their Beast as an inability to maintain self-control. An upstart prince might be tempted to banish the Ravnos from his lands, but the tales of the consequences for doing so are a matter of legend among the High Clans. Banishment only serves to bring the wraith of the victim's jati upon whoever was pretentious enough to attempt such a feat.

In the best of times, the Ravnos are a disjointed unit, and they distrust one another nearly as must as others distrust them. Easter and Western Ravnos oppose each other with equal vehemence, and the philosophies espoused by each frequently clash and cause tempers to flare. Wherever they go, their (not unwarranted) reputation for trickery proceeds them. Many Ravnos excel in chicanery, and those they deal with must consider whether what they are seeing is truly present, or some fantastic deception.

Bonds of family and caste, however, do provide a uniquely personal sense of security for members of the clan. Ravnos are quick to defend members of their own jati, and the closer the blood relation, the swifter the response. A common cautionary tale among the seneschals and scourges of Europe is that of a Ravnos who was banished or wrongly punished by a high-blooded prince (the details of who and where change with each telling). Soon after, the prince found himself overwhelmed by "requests" from the victim's family: her sire, her fellow childer, her progeny and so on. Open warfare is not the style of the Ravnos, but they can bring a city to ruin just as easily as corrupting it from the inside. Leaders must carefully weigh the risks of a Ravnos guest against the legends of retribution for expulsion.

Because of their reputation, Ravnos often adopt one of two distinct strategies for survival and success amid Cainite feudalism. Many choose to masquerade as a member of another clan. While existing in such a position can be fraught with dangers, the benefits are many. Few other clans are as openly distrusted as the Ravnos, and taking the guise of a Ventrue knight-errant or a wandering Toreador troubadour leaves the Charlatan free to pursue his vices discreetly. Because discovery means certain retribution, some vampires spend decades or even centuries building a network of people who support their false claims. Others spurn this approach, however, along with the very idea that any Ravnos should be forced to hide who they are. They act openly as traders, messengers, spies, and mercenaries.

The dangerous trickery of the clan is made most manifest in their Discipline of Chimerstry. This art--allows the Ravnos to conjure illusion big and small and twist perceptions as an artist would clay. The use of Chimerstry brings its own dangers however, and tales of Charlatans who have deceived themselves are passed around the jati.

Sobriquet:

Charlatans

Appearance:

Those Ravnos who are open about their clan often purposefully dress in a manner to underline their exotic nature. Their attire stems from Indian or Mediterranean origins, and their clothing includes rare materials and dyes from the East. Vibrant purples, blues and golds figure prominently in the garb of this clan, and the designs are loose and less restricting than those of the European nobility. Those masquerading as something other, either briefly or for a period of years, dress as suits their role.

Haven and Prey:

The Ravnos's reputation for sin and revelry is not wholly unwarranted, and they are often found in places where there are opportunities for corruption and pleasure. Because they are primarily travelers, many seek out cities where there is a large market to haven within during their stay. Port cities serve especially well for this purpose, though Ravnos can be found inland as well in small numbers. Large cities also allow them to disappear quickly should their presence become suddenly less than desired by a local prince. They may feed on mortal family members when they travel, but when a larger base of prey becomes available--within towns and cities--those of the lower classes serve just as well.

The Embrace:

While a good number of Ravnos are Embraced due to their successes in life, the choice varies from sire to sire as to what qualities would make a good childe. Many look for mortals with a distinct sense of trickery and a desire to travel, but others seek out those who are particularly virtuous in life, believing that a person can never know virtue until they have truly experienced sin. Some from the East desire to keep the bloodline pure, but mortals of all origins have been Embraced into the clan in Europe.

Character Creation:

Ravnos must be able to convince the locals of their sincerity or trick them into a false confidence, so Social Attributes are usually Primary. Drifters of all kinds are Embraced, and good concepts may vary from wandering musician to local guild masters seeking to expand their territory. Talents are often primary. Typical Backgrounds include Allies and Mentor (for members of the jati, as well as Contacts and Resources (for traders and their goods). According to most rumors, all Ravnos follow the Road of Sin, but there are, in fact, many on other paths, most especially the Road of Humanity. The most traditional and dangerous of the Charlatans are said to follow a secret faith of their own, called the Road of Paradox.

Clan Disciplines:

Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude

Weaknesses:

The Ravnos Beast is a seductive monster, not the mindless hunger of other vampires. While Ravnos are still subject to frenzy and Rotschreck, the Beast also pushes them toward more sophisticated indulgences. Every Ravnos is addicted to some sort of sin or vice, chosen at the time of character creation. Pride, avarice, lust, thievery or any other urges to use and exploit others are common. When the character is in a position to indulge her vice, she does so. If she manages to resist, the character feels the urge and may even hear her Beast whispering in her head.

Organization:

As wanderers, the Ravnos have little time to develop firmly grounded contacts or holds. Their structure, like their society, is fluid and unconventional. The only rule that is sacred among the Ravnos is "Protect the Family," a directive that is most commonly witnessed through the actions of the various jati. These jati function as a sort of extended family for the Ravnos. The members are usually tied by blood, however distantly, and they often espouse similar philosophies. In addition, they willingly offer one another protection and aid, helping other jati in matters such as travel or the exchange of information.

Quote: Come, My Lord, this exquisitely crafted dagger must be worth at least 20 drachmas to you... after all, I would hate for you to find it in your back should I sell it to your brother down teh street. What? You dind't know?