Assamites
You have two choices. You can close your eyes, and when they open, you will be with your loved ones in death. Or you can raise your weapon, and meet oblivion as a warrior. — Antonio Salerno
Nickname: Assassins
Assamites, also known as the Children of Haqim, originated in the ancient Middle East.
The Assamite clan has no sect allegiance. Although a few scattered individuals have joined either the Camarilla or the Sabbat, the clan as a whole refuses to bow to any vampiric hierarchy. To that end, its members never agree to long-term contracts, remaining staunchly independent in the great Jyhad. This causes the clan to be both feared and mistrusted, as vampires know that Assamite loyalty belongs to the highest bidder. Some Assamites follow a religious-themed Path of Enlightenment that codifies the clan’s fanatic devotion to the Mountain. Known as the Path of Blood, it venerates diablerie and insists on a fanatic reverence to the clan’s founder, Haqim.
In the past, the Assamites were rampant diablerists, forced to stop only because the Tremere levied a powerful curse upon them at the behest of the Camarilla’s Inner Circle. This curse caused vampiric vitae to become poisonous to Assamites, burning their veins. Because of this, Assamites (particularly ancient ones) hate the Tremere above all else. When the Eldest of their clan rose and took control, he broke the curse with his own sorcery, throwing off the shackles of the Tremere and swearing the clan to vengeance.
Older Assamites tend to come from Middle Eastern and North African cultures, though young Assamites are Embraced from a more global demographic. An Assamite’s skin grows darker with age, as opposed to other vampires, whose skin gets paler. Because of this, particularly ancient Assamites appear unnaturally onyx-skinned, as though carved from darkest ebony.
The majority of the Children of Haqim are warriors, trained as killers, spies, and covert operatives. They take contracts and return to Alamut with the spoils of victory when they are successful. The rest of the clan – a significant minority – are of the two other castes: the Sorcerers and the Viziers. The Sorcerers remain hidden in the mountain of Alamut, tending to the clan’s powerful leader, a vampire known as the Eldest. The Viziers, once trusted by their clan, defected from the Mountain over an ideological schism, refusing to bow to the will of the Eldest. For that crime, they are hunted by their fellows. The Mountain will not stop pursuing them until all of the treasonous Viziers are destroyed.
Organization: The Assamite clan has an insular, structured culture. All Assamites are expected to follow the dictates of the Eldest, whom they treat with a mix of reverence and fear. Small cells of two to three Assamites (known as falaqi) can reside outside the Mountain, so long as they adhere to the faith of Haqim and the dictates of the Eldest. Although the clan once had a strong reverence for the Muslim faith, the worship of Allah has been forbidden by the Eldest. All Assamites must revere only Haqim, or be destroyed for their disloyalty.
Clan Merits: Assamites may purchase any of the following Assamite-only merits.
- Surprise Attack (1 point merit): You are skilled at attacking from surprise.
- Awakening the Steel (3 point merit): You possess a melee weapon that has been named and enchanted by a member of the Sorcerer caste.
Bloodline: Vizier (Default for BAM)
“One breath. One action, on one day within the long span of your life, and in that moment, you are transformed forever. You are judged...and your fate is sealed.” — Ahmad Al-Shir
Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Quietus
Once, Assamite Viziers were responsible for compiling and documenting information on culture, government, the arts, and religion for the clan. However, after the clan’s religious schism, the primarily-Islamic Viziers defied the worship of Haqim and fled the Mountain. Assamite Viziers are driven to accumulate knowledge with a zeal that borders on the obsessive. Viziers are creatures of research and accumulation, desperate for rare knowledge and willing to do anything to uncover forbidden secrets. They are extremely focused, even to their own detriment, and most Viziers will act irrationally (and even self-destructively) in order to further their research.
Alternate Weakness: Viziers are obsessive about their studies, even to their own detriment. All Viziers have an Obsessive derangement, with the trigger of “Unknown Knowledge.” Viziers do not gain experience points for this derangement.
Bloodline: Warrior (2 point merit for BAM)
Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
Skilled assassins and swift warriors, the majority of the clan resides in a mountain fortress known as Alamut. These warriors will readily agree to dangerous missions, if paid a high enough blood-price. Their thirst for blood is legendary, as is their desire to judge vampires according to their founder’s laws. Those who are found wanting must be destroyed.
Clan Weakness: Since the Tremere curse was broken, Assamites have returned to their bloodthirsty ways. Assamites find the blood of vampires highly addictive. When an Assamite drinks vampiric blood she gains 2 Beast traits for the next 10 minutes. If the Assamite frenzies during this time, she will attempt to diablerize the last vampire whose blood she tasted. Unlike normal Beast traits, these traits do not count when determining if a vampire loses a point of Morality, and these Beast traits fade after 10 minutes.
Bloodline: Sorcerer (4 point merit)
Disciplines: Obfuscate, Quietus, and Thaumaturgy: Lure of Flames. Additionally, you may learn one other Thaumaturgy path of your choice.
Members of the Sorcerer caste of Clan Assamite were content to spend immortality pondering magical theory, religious philosophy, and intellectual knowledge, but since the clan’s curse was broken, they have dedicated themselves to two goals. The first is vengeance against the Tremere and against the treacherous Viziers. The second goal is to care for the Eldest, whose behavior has become more and more erratic. He sees shadows of the infernal in everything. The Sorcerers cannot disobey him, but they fear his madness will destroy the clan.
Alternate Weakness: Sorcerers have difficulty practicing the powers of Obfuscate, as their magic shines in their aura like a beacon to the powers of supernatural perception. Characters attempting to penetrate their Obfuscate receive a +1 wild card bonus on their Auspex test pools.
