Vandal and Vampiric Archetypes (Awakening to Ascension part 13)

(in character blog, unreliable narrator.:)

Vampires and vampiric creatures, sustaining themselves on blood and life force, exist in the mythology and folklore of nearly every society worldwide.

How they get split up and divided into categories depends on who you ask. Like I said last time, the Cainites (Camarilla and Sabbat) have like 13 divisions or more, and all trace their blood back to Cain. For groups like the Invictus (and their hangers on, the Lancea Sanctum, the Circle of the Crone, the Ordo Dracul, the Carthians) they have five divisions, and frankly, at least their divisions make more sense. As long as you just think of them as representative archetypes and then the variations on the theme, right?

Basically, looking all over the world, vampires come in five basic flavors. I'm going to use general terms here, then define which groups in the Cam structure fit which archetypes,as opposed to the groups in the Invictus scheme.

The flavors are simple.

You got the Master, which is all about control. The Monster, which is all about fear. The Shadow, all about stealth. The Seducer, all about manipulation. Finally, you got the Beast, more animal than person.

The Invictus set up maps their 'clans' directly to the archetypes. And they don't even really claim that they are related, because each clan has a ton of different bloodlines, each one with a different back story, variations on the theme, like I said before.

For the Master, you've got the Ventrue. They Dominate their victims, control animals, and stand strong against opposition. All about control.

For the Monster, there's the Nosferatu. Not only do they have fear powers, but they make people uncomfortable just by being around, sometimes by their appearance, but more often just by vibe. Strong, terrifying, unseen until suddenly they have you.

The Shadows, in Invictus terms, are the Mekhet. They see more than others, move unseen themselves, and they are fast. Usually.

Seducer? That's the Daeva. Not only are they beholden to their own worst sins and urges, but they bring that out in their victims too. Beautiful, magnetic, powerful. They can seduce with words, with looks, or with sheer physical impressiveness.

The Beast, of course, is Gangrel. Talk to animals, turn to animals, think like animals, survive.

Each 'clan', like I said, has different bloodlines that shift the categories a little bit, but play on the same basic ideas. Types of fear. Methods of control. Styles of seduction.

And honestly, the 'clans' of the Camarilla version of things just feel like specific bloodlines that got full of themselves.

For Masters, you got Ventrue again. But you also have the Hekata, who control the dead. The Lasombra, masters of darkness and rulers by force. The Tremere, who control both minds and magic. The Tzimisce, masters of your mind and your flesh. You even have a rare group called the Salubri, who control themselves and help others do the same.

For Monsters, it's still the Nosferatu, but for some reason all the Cam Nos are actually physically horrible looking. But you also have the Malkavians, monsters who might look normal but have broken minds, and will break yours as well.

Shadows, there's folks like the Banu Hakim, a group of quick assassins. The Ravnos, who may be out in the open, but you will never see the truth behind their illusions.

Seducers include the Toreador, who sway with beauty, art, song, culture. The Brujah, who seduce you with a cause, with freedom, with something to believe in, and the Ministry (formerly 'Followers of Set', a Set who bears no resemblance to my god of storms and chaos), who seduce you with faith in a god who loves your sin and the sinner.

Beast? Still Gangrel.

You can argue some of 'em fit in different groups. Like Tzimisce could just as easily be Monster as Master, but I stand by my notion that its about control for them. Fear is just a means to an end.

Read my earlier rant 'Vandal and the Siren Song of Blood'.