Kiasyd

During the reign of Julian the Apostate, more than a millennia before the Sabbat was formed, three Lasombra created the Kiasyd bloodline as a means to discover the nature of their own Obtenebration Discipline. They captured faeries of the UnSeelie court from the surrounding area and bartered with a powerful Teutonic sorcerer for a substance believed to be the "blood of Zeernebooch, a god of the underworld."
A curious and brave member of the group, a fifth-generation Lasombra named Marconius, volunteered for the experiment. Through transfusion and experi
mentation, he transformed into something only part vampire. The fey blood and the supposed blood of the Teutonic deity drastically altered him. He grew gaunt, even by vampiric standards; his skin took on a translucent whiteness. His eyes took an odd shape and turned solid black, without pupils. He even grew by more than a foot. His fingers grew longer; his ears, nose and cheek bones became much more angular and defined.

This unusual Kindred found little peace within the tightly knit and snobbish Lasombra clan and left one night. Little was heard of Marconius until the late Middle Ages, when he resurfaced in Strasbourg with a number of childer, all with the same strange physical characteristics as their sire. The Kiasyd, as Marconius called his bloodline, challenged the Ventrue of the area and defeated them, taking over the city and the surrounding area.

With the exception of this incident, Kiasyd are known to be very passive. They do not usually engage in combat and seem primarily to be scholars. They are usually found alone, and if two Kiasyd other than sire and childe inhabit the same city for an extended period of time, it is a breach of Kiasyd etiquette.

The Kiasyd undergo a dramatic physical alteration after the Embrace, growing six inches to two feet taller and becoming thin and gaunt. Their skin color blanches almost chalk white and gains an unusual luminescence under moon light. Their eyes take on a more oval shape and deepen in color until they are entirely black, with no color differentiation among sclera, pupil and iris. The cartilage in their ears, nose and cheeks seem to crystallize, becoming more angular and pronounced.

These changes occurs rapidly, usually during the first night or two after death. The Kiasyd must be locked away during this time, because they suffer uncontrollable frenzy during the entire period. They shift from one type of madness to another, going through no set pattern.

Even stranger than their appearance is their behavior after the change. They are invariably the calmest of all the undead. They are remarkably polite, congenial and honorable. They never get angry or agitated, though they are still quite emotional beings. They do not like to drink directly from vessels, considering it vulgar. They prefer to drain the victim's vitæ into a glass or other container before partaking of it.

Nicknames: Darklings, Shades and Weirdlings

Appearance: Kiasyd are usually six-to eight-feet tall. They are all extremely skinny. Their skin is completely white. They have very angular features. Their eyes are oval shaped and solid black. They usually wear dark clothing, and some even wear cloaks, outdated though they may be. Their skin takes on a slightly bluish tint after they drink their fill of vitæ.

Havens: All Kiasyd maintain permanent havens. They usually stay in the same haven until it begins to fall apart. Their home is always roomy enough for guests; though Kiasyd will not live in the same city, they often visit each other. They always construct vast underground galleries full of unusual stonework of their own design.

Backgrounds: Those who become Kiasyd are usually picked from the most polite and intelligent of humans. While most Kiasyd unusually, most were normal in life. The bizarre vitæ coursing through their veins is responsible for much of their weirdness.

Character Creation: Most Kiasyd have a Dilettante or Working Joe Concept. Their Demeanors should be something normal, but their Natures should be completely different. Mental Attributes are always primary, as are Knowledges. Common Background traits are Herd, Resources, and Retainers.

One unusual knowledge many Kiasyd possess is Faerie Mechanics. This knowledge allows the individual to construct illogical machinelike objects of any size and shape, capable of producing odd, preternatural effects.

Blood Disciplines: Mytherceria, Necromancy, Obtenebration

Weaknesses: The Kiasyds' strange physiques may be unsettling and inhuman, but it does not limit their appearance. In fact, many are considered quite beautiful. However, they do have a problem with pure iron. Being around it raises Frenzy difficulties by one, touching it causes an immediate Frenzy roll, and being damaged by it causes aggravated wounds.

Quote: "Be gone, vulgar one. I am best not trifled with. Return to your petty games."

Stereotypes: The Sabbat - The clan of our creation leads these beasts and sought our vitæ when they went to war with the Camarilla. We taught them better.