chapter four

Sister Bloodlines and Houses

TwootherKindredlineagesassociate the Gorgon bloodline’s interpretation of

familial myth. These are not mystic bloodlines

— they incur no additional weakness unlock no unique Disciplines — but are Ventrue families that exalt the mythological gons. These two families draw their names immortal sisters of Medusa, Stheno and

The defining quality of each family is cation to mastering mystical physical Damned from other clans. The Stheno Vigor as a matter of custom, while the studies Celerity. Historically, Stheno is strong” and Euryale as “the wide-ranging

Kindred of other familial lines and Gorgon masters (be they Princes, Regents else) may associate themselves with the Euryale “houses,” provided they can proficiency with vampiric strength or thereby be of some use to their Gorgon In game terms, the Stheno and Euryale may grant some characters access to City Status through their mastery of Vigor or In this case, such characters can gain Status equaltotheirdotsinVigororCelerityminus provided they promise to serve their patron ily in time of need. Such service might

•Three nights of protection (or battle) elder per month.

•Two tastes of Vitae for an elder.

•300 miles of travel per year for errands, escorts and scouting.

•300 hours of manual labor without each year.

THE SISTER FAMILIES AS B

If it suits the chronicle, the Stheno Euryale could be made into mystic easily enough. Simply impose the bloodlineweaknessoneachandgrant celebratedDiscipline—VigororCelerity fourthDiscipline.Someindividualmembers SthenoorEuryalefamiliesmightevenbe ofthese“true”bloodlineswithoutKindred at large even knowing it.

Parent Clan: Ventrue

Nickname: Medusas

Covenant:ThoughtheGorgonbloodline is supposedly much older than the

gorgon

Circle of the Crone, it owes its modern incarnation to the covenant and its members do not forget it. Gorgons, in the few cities where they do reside, are nobility among the Acolytes. Their infamous, even grants them a great within the covenant. the Gorgons’ proand attention celebrity extends outside the covenant,

isn’t the same

. Gorgons may greatStatuswithin Circle of the Crone, they are not truly likely to do so any other VenWhat a Gorgon’s does afford her visibility, which to any covenant. typically, most with ties to other operate more as lobbyiststhanactual other covenants, avoidedsparkinga

against the disloyality Medusas. NoteGorgons exist in ev-

— especially and the Ordo

— from Moscow and AmsterCairo. Though she Gorgon most of kin can cite, one noteworthy Medusa even became Bishop of the Sanctum in Conthe18thcentury. if she ever truly

been in torpor since however.)

Americas, the Goris not only more strict in its

Common speculation distance of the Gorheyday in both years and miles hasgivenAmerican Gorgons a monumental

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chapter four

prestige among New-World Acolytes that is too fervent to risk betraying. In North America, especially, Gorgons are seen as too emblematic of the Circle of the Crone to be allowed into the service of other covenants. Naturally, a few Gorgons still manage to mix among the glitterati of the American Invictus, either by hiding their loyalty or their lineage.

Appearance: Gorgons draw their members from throughout the world. Despite what many Acolytes think, it seems that most of the world’s Gorgons come fromNorthAfricaandPersianlands,withtherestofthe Mediterraneantrailingbehind.Gorgonsthroughouthistory have been male and female, but tonight the echoes of academic feminism keep male membership low; few try to join the lineage, fewer still are accepted.

Many Gorgons present themselves with an odd mixtureofpeasantryandpageantry,wealthandfilth.Aclean white dress gets thrown on over skin caked with mud. Precious jewelry decorates dirty hair. Though some Gorgons consider themselves masterful enchantresses and benders of mortal will, few position themselves outside the reach of “earthly souls” or common folk. They hunt where there’s dirt and relax where there’s not.

No one thinks of the Gorgon line without thinking of snakes. In practice, however, Gorgons don’t dress themselves in cobras. Instead, a single viper coils around one arm, appearing almost like jewelry, or an asp bites its own tail around a Medusa’s neck. All this supposes the Gorgon is able to find a snake worth showing off to other Kindred, and risking mortal attention for.

Wearing a snake in the hair is a privilege for elder Gorgons or Medusas with some status in the Circle of theCrone.AyoungorunimportantGorgonwithasnake in her hair is liable to be labeled ignorant, an upstart or a poseur. This isn’t some familial policy, it’s custom. A Gorgon can get away with wearing a so-called serpentine crown when her peers and her betters let her do it without hassle or shame.

Haven: Most Gorgons nest less like their monstrous namesake snake-women and more like the Ventrue they are. Secure marble rooms in cold but richly appointed penthousesaremorecommonthancaves.Still,onecommon thread seems to run through the spaces beloved by many Gorgons: stone. Gorgons seem to prefer the security of solid rock, whether it’s marble, cement, flagstone orbrick.Theseamsofpolishedconcretecondosmayhide thesecretdoorsleadingtosunlesscrypts.Thelight-proof insides of renovated chimneys hide coffin-sized nests. Marble columns contain secret spiral staircases leading down to gloomy grottos.

Rumor has it that Gorgons let poisons snakes wander freely in their havens, and at least a few well-known account give credence to those tales. Whether the rumors are true because its an old Gorgon tradition or whether modern Gorgons have taken up the practice

since hearing the rumors seems impossible to verify. What’s known is that Gorgon havens in dank but elegant forgotten subway stations are likely to be prowled by asps, while the constrictor snakes coiled around the cold, raw metal girders in that Gorgon’s posh loft space are probably real.

Thus, for Gorgons, Haven Security often amounts to the raw strength of stone materials — though it might also represent the peril of encountering hidden vipers. Haven Size is important to Gorgons, who want the freedom to move about (and also hide) in their lairs. Haven Location may be important to some, but more for the prestige of residing within striking distance of coveted real estate (by Kindred reckoning). One well-known Gorgon,atleast,metherFinalDeathbytakingtoomuch pride in the haven she kept in a choice feeding ground in Paris — it burned with her inside in 1956.

Background: The majority of modern Gorgons are of Mediterranean descent, regardless of which continent they call home personally. The vast majority of Gorgons are women. These two characteristics are mistakenly thought by many to be inescapable facets of the bloodline, either because the Medusas are sexist elitists or because the mystic qualities of their blood simply won’t takeeffectamongmalesorthosenotdistantlydescended from the Olympian gods. Both notions are rubbish. Gorgons may be of any race and either gender. Reports from a series of Kindred nomads in the 1990s suggested that a mix of male and female Gorgons are largely in control of the Primogen in Accra, Ghana, for example.

Gorgons also share an insatiable desire for both attention and privacy. On the one hand, when they’re out in the night playing their part in the Danse Macabre, Gorgons starve for affection and attention. Some Gorgons are disgusting fame whores whose sole qualification for celebrity is wealth or shameless posturing. Others are elegant, dignified diplomats whose poise and measured behavior could make a bowling alley seem classy.

On the other hand, Gorgons are fiercely protective of their private spaces, where they lure their most precious vessels for fatal visits. Many Gorgons are, in fact, degenerate recluses, dwelling like asps in a pit rather than towering proudly like king cobras.

To want to join this bloodline, a person must have the desire to be a social ambassador or queen among orgiastic nobles, and yet the hidden capacity to be a filthy, monstrous hermit. Thus most modern Gorgons are indulgent, hedonistic and shallow party monsters who secretly despise those less beautiful or hip, just as they secretly despise themselves, who are so often hideous within.

Character Creation: Social traits are almost always primary for a Medusa, with Mental traits a close second. Social Merits are especially valuable here. Barfly and Contacts can be excellent descriptors of a Gorgon’s

widespread but shallow social relationships, while Herd describes the entourage of empty designer shirts that flit after a Gorgon’s cheap celebrity. Resources are essential to the Gorgons as well, though some Medusas weren’t born heiresses or royalty. Once accepted into the bloodline by a Gorgon Avus, however, every Medusa becomes wealthy to some extent, even if only by staying within theauraofthoughtlessexcessthatradiatesfromtheolder Gorgons. As all Gorgons are the heiresses of Medusa, all expect to be truly wealthy one night.

BloodlineDisciplines:Amphivena,Animalism,Dominate, Resilience

Weakness: Gorgons suffer the weakness of their parent clan, the Ventrue: a –2 penalty to Humanity rolls to avoidaquiringderangementsafterfailingadegeneration roll. In addition, all Gorgons are unable to escape the monstrous nature of their immortal ancestor, Medusa.

Unlike their Ventrue cousins, Gorgons also experience a dependence on — and an unbreakable link to

— the legendry from which they claim their power. All Gorgons suffer a unique form of the Power Fetish Obsession derangement (see p. 191 of Vampire: The Requiem). The Gorgon variant on this derangement is special in that it is mystically genuine — without a serpent in contact with her person, a Medusa suffers a –3 penalty on all Discipline dice pools and may not spend Vitae to augment Physical dice pools. This is a supernatural fact of the Gorgon Requiem and cannot be cured or bought off.

In addition, as the Vitae of a Gorgon grows closer to its ancestral state and further from its mortal origins, her physical body changes subtly. A Gorgon’s body adopts some oddly serpentine feature, usually no more than a stretch of scaly flesh, at Blood Potency 3. At this stage, the feature might be mistaken for scarification or masterful tattoo work. When her Blood Potency reaches 7, her whole body becomes dry and rough, like a snake’s, in a matter of nights. Her eyes catch the light like a cat’s, shining in the dark. Few Gorgons can bear to be seen after this transformation and retreat into hidden lairs or flee into torpor. Those who choose to remain active feel compelled to spend time in the alternate form afforded