Vampires are the killers in the night, and none moreso
than the Assamites, slayers of both Kindred and kine. Called in regularly by the world's Justicars as archons and by princes
as assassins, no clan is more feared by the Kindred. Secretive and taciturn, Assamites will travel anywhere in search of their
targets, accepting as payment the blood of their employer.
While Assamites spend much of their time in the same
solitary pursuits as other Kindred, they are best known for their skills as hired killers. In exchange for using their unique
talents against the enemies of princes and anarchs alike, Assamites demand a portion of their employers' vitæ. They do not
accept every petition for aid, but once they have accepted a "contract," they consider themselves honorbound to carry out
the exact word of the agreement.
The clan was founded more than a millennium ago in
the hinterlands of the Turkish mountains, and has always fiercely protected its privacy. Assamites are fundamentalists of
a bizarre brand, practicing a faith that is a mixture of many Middle Eastern religions and Kindred mythology. They believe
that the only way for vampires to reach heaven is to become closer to Caine -- and the only means of doing this is to lower
one's generation.
For much of the clan's early history the Assamites
engaged in diablerie, seeking always to bring themselves closer to "the One." They became the most feared killers among the
Kindred. Assamite legend claims the clan founder slew two of the second-generation Cainites by his own hand.
Unfortunately for the clan, it is no longer possible
for Assamites to engage in diablerie. During the late Middle Ages (during the period of the Sabbat uprising), the Assamites
found it easy to hunt their prey. So many elders were killed that the Camarilla declared a Blood Hunt against the entire Assamite
clan. After a period of seven years, Alamut, the clan's ancient fortress sanctuary, was close to being discovered. For the
first time in its history the clan sued for peace, and negotiated a complicated treaty.
The Assamites agreed never again to hunt other Kindred
for their blood and, in exchange, the Blood Hunt against them was called off. the clan was forced to allow the Tremere Council
of Seven to cast a great ritual upon all its members. This ritual made it impossible for Assamites to drink the blood of other
Kindred.
However, the Assamites managed to adapt some of the
most ancient rites of their clan into an approximation of diablerie. The blood they take as pay from those who hire them is
collected and then used in a ritual of creation. When the clan holds its five-year gatherings at Alamut, its members are able
to brew potions using the blood thus collected. These potions can reduce the effective generation of a clan member.
Any Assamite hoping to reduce her generation must gather
200 blood points from non-Assamite vampires of equal or lower generation for the potion to be effective -- it usually takes
decades to gather that much blood. Each Assamite gives her sire a tenth of the blood she gathers.
While not Blood Bound or Dominated into following clan
traditions, individual Assamites are usually fanatically loyal to the clan. Should anyone try to cheat an Assamite, or attack
her under circumstancest, the weight of the entire clan will crash upon the offender's head.
Should an assassin be killed by a target, however,
the clan will take no additional revenge. Its members will not accept any other contracts for the person's head, and will
even honor her when they are given a chance.
Once a contract has been accepted, the assassin will
not stop trying to fulfill it until the target is dead or the Assamite has proof that the employer violated her trust (told
her a vampire was ninth generation when he was sixth, or neglected to mention that the target was protected by a pack of Lupines).
Nickname: Assassins
Appearance: Because most Assamites are of Middle
Eastern heritage, they share the characteristics of people from that area -- swarthy skin, aquiline features and black hair.
Additionally, while most vampires become paler over time, the members of this clan become darker as the years pass by, until
their skins turn a dark ebony.
Generally, the clan watches a given human for a long
time before allowing the member to initiate the subject. If permission is granted, the mortal must serve the sire-to-be for
seven years, and only if she serves exceedingly well is she Embraced (otherwise she is killed). She is then called a fidais
and apprenticed for another seven years, during which time she is introduced tot he mysteries of the clan and taught the techniques
of assassination. During this entire period, she is expected to be fanatically loyal to the clan.
Gaining Clan Prestige: The most obvious route for gaining
Clan Prestige is through successful assassinations, but there are other ways. Members of the clan often trade each others
blood they have received as payment. For instance, a ninth-generation Assamite may trade two Blood Points of 10th-generation
vitæ to a 10th-generation sister in exchange for one Blood Point of ninth-generation blood. Assisting other clan members in
this manner gains one Prestige as well.
