TEXT: AHRIMANES 
  1 
   
  A Net  Sourcebook for  
  Vampire: the Masquerade 
   by Mark  Antill  
  
  AHRIMANES 
  2 
  Credits and Thanks: 
  Jess Heinig - For suggesting having a Lhiannan connection 
  Sven Skoog - For suggesting having a Yaryan connection 
  Chris Tembreull - The Ahrimanes logo 
  Rebeca Lloyd - The terms Ritemother, Wildform and Third Birth 
  Kabael - For some ideas from his Ahrimanes stuff, most notably "Another Slant" 
  Krissy Knight - For helping with most of the rules stuff during our game, and being a 
  wonderful ST. 
  Mark Antill - Everything else 
  A big thank you to everyone who emailed me or posted to alt.games.whitewolf with 
  suggestions, comments and advice 
  The cover picture comes from an online image archive 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  3 
  Introduction 
  The Ahrimanes are a small Bloodline, 
  an  all  female  offshoot  of  the  Sabbat 
  Gangrel  first  introduced  in  the 
  Storytellers Handbook to the Sabbat, 
  and getting a very brief mention in the 
  Vampire Storyteller’s Handbook. You 
  do not need either book to use this  work 
  as all the information required here. The 
  purpose of this book is to expand on the 
  given information there, to give some 
  depth, purpose and hopefully interest to 
  the Bloodline by updating and expanding 
  on the original 2nd edition information. 
  In  the  end,  use  this  like  any 
  supplement, take the bits from it you like 
  and incorporate it into you game world in 
  the way that suits you best. If some people 
  find some things they like and use here, 
  I’ll consider this work a success. 
  Lexicon 
  As a rather culturally isolated group, its 
  not  unsurprising  the  Ahrimanes  have 
  developed some terms of their own. 
   
  Big Chief: Muricia, the Bloodline’s 
  founder. Used by younger Ahrimanes and 
  never in her presence. 
   
  Cat:  An  Ahrimane,  not  considered 
  derogatory. 
   
  Chief: Informal term for an Ahrimane 
  pack leader. 
   
  Den:  A  place  where  a  founded 
  Ahrimane pack dwells, rationally a remote 
  estate in southern  USA but that has been 
  changing recently.  
   
  First Birth: Being born a mortal 
   
  Indulging: Spending most of the time 
  in or around just one of the Three Worlds. 
  Some  Ahrimanes  do  this  to  better 
  understand a world, others believe it is a 
  loss of control and balance. 
   
  Kingdom: Another term for one of the 
  three worlds. So, for example, the World 
  of Beasts is sometimes referred to as the 
  Kingdom of Beasts. 
   
  Manitou: A spirit. 
   
  Medicine:  Magical  power  including 
  but not limited to Disciplines. Younger 
  Ahrimanes sometimes call it Mojo. 
   
  Mentor: An older Ahrimane who is 
  training  up  a  Gangrel  as  a  potential 
  member. Sometimes called a Mother as 
  well. 
   
  Ritemother:  A  Mentor  who  has 
  successfully lead their charge through the 
  Third  Birth  is  now  that  Ahrimane’s 
  Ritemother. 
   
  Second Birth: The Embrace. 
   
  Shaman, Shamaness: An Ahrimane 
  pack priest, both terms apply to females. 
   
  Third Birth: The ritual that transforms 
  a female Gangrel into an Ahrimane. 
   
  Wildform:  The  Cat-woman  form 
  granted by the fifth level of Spiritus. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  4 
   
  Witch: Someone who calls upon evil or 
  malevolent spirits. Doing such things is 
  considered witchcraft. 
   
  World of Beasts: The world of animals 
  and also the vampire’s Beast, also called 
  the Beastsworld. 
   
  World  of  Man:  The  world  of 
  humankind, of mortals, also sometimes 
  called Mansworld. Some Ahrimanes insist 
  on the term ‘humans’ rather than ‘man’. 
   
  World of Spirits: The place the spirits 
  dwell in, also called the Spiritworld, the 
  Otherworld and the Umbra. 
   
  It is also probably worth noting that 
  Ahrimanes do not go around using Lupine 
  and Mage terminology. No Cat talks about 
  the ‘Umbra’, ‘Gafflings’, ‘Preceptors’ and 
  other such terms. Very few of them would 
  have the slightest idea what such terms 
  mean, even if they are familiar with the 
  concepts. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  5 
  Chapter One: 
  History and Practices 
  History 
  Like the Gangrel from which they came 
  the Ahrimanes have a very strong tradition 
  of  oral  history,  and  storytelling  is 
  customary  at  any  of  their  gatherings. 
  Given the small size and relative youth of 
  the  bloodline  its  not  surprising  many 
  stories do not involve its members at all 
  but draw their sources from the native 
  myths and legends of the spirit world. One 
  story that is about an Ahrimane is story of 
  Muricia, the founder and mother of the 
  bloodline.  That  story  is  told  to  all 
  Ahrimanes  and  although,  as  with  any 
  culture with an oral history, the details 
  change with each telling the following is 
  something that all Ahrimanes can usually 
  agree upon. 
  The history of the Ahrimane bloodline 
  starts with the history of its founder, the 
  Gangrel  antitribu  Muricia.  Muricia 
  originally came to America with her sire 
  and his pack but before then they had been 
  roaming the dwindling wilds of Europe. 
  As befitted a Country Gangrel, Muricia 
  often travelled apart from her pack and it 
  was during one of these periods that the 
  seeds  of  the  Ahrimanes  creation  was 
  sown. 
  While journeying by herself, Muricia 
  came across an ancient, long neglected 
  burial mound surrounded by imposing, 
  carved standing stones and hidden in the 
  depths of a forest. Intrigued by this place 
  she decided to force her way inside to see 
  what it contained. The large stone over the 
  entrance would have kept out any mortal, 
  but  eventually  her  vampiric  strength 
  enabled her to move it and enter the 
  mound. 
  The darkness inside was no obstacle to 
  one as adept at Protean as she and with her 
  powers she could clearly see the inhabitant 
  of the mound. Lying on a stone slab was 
  the  form  of  a  torporus  vampire. 
  Completely naked, she was covered from 
  head to foot in pagan symbols which were  
  etched into her flesh with blood. Having 
  found what she believed to be the resting 
  placed of an Elder, Muricia did what any 
  Sabbat would do, she diablerised her. 
  It soon became apparent that this elder 
  had been a practitioner of some form of 
  blood magic. Muricia soon found herself 
  exhibiting some strange new powers under 
  stress, although she was unable to call 
  upon them at will. Fascinated by this she 
  started to study pagan history, beliefs and 
  magic as she was finding herself being 
  drawn  closer  to  natural  and  spiritual 
  world, and she was convinced that this 
  was the root of her new abilities. 
  However, her studies were soon cut 
  short by her sire, who was taking his pack 
  to America where the Sabbat were rapidly 
  expanding while fighting a bloody war 
  against the Camarilla for control of this 
  new land. Unable to resist the ties of the 
  Vinculum and her vestigial feelings of 
  loyalty towards him, Muricia went with 
  him to the new land. However,  the war 
  she found their was not the one she had 
  been  expecting.  Factions  within  the 
  Gangrel antitribu had gone to war with 
  each other, Country Gangrel against City 
  Gangrel  and  her  sire  had  joined  the 
  fighting against his own kind with a relish 
  that revolted her. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  6 
  Taking the first opportunity she could 
  to separate herself from her sire Muricia 
  journeyed south among the native peoples 
  and renewed her studies, this time into the 
  magic and powers of the Shamans. It took 
  her time to win over a few of the native 
  magic  workers,  but  her  closeness  to 
  animal world and her protection of their 
  tribe from its enemies eventually one them 
  over. One of the first applications of their 
  magic that Muricia used was a variation of 
  a native cleansing ritual which she used to 
  break the Vinculum with her sire. This, 
  and possibly the other rituals that she 
  practised, had wholly unexpected side-
  effects and the very nature of her blood 
  seemed to be altered by them. She found 
  her powers taking on a new direction, 
  what once had been a tie with the animals 
  and the land became a tie with the animal 
  spirits. Where before she spoke to the 
  animals, and they would answer her call, 
  now  she  could  speak  to  their  spirit 
  brethren as well, and they too, would 
  come when she asked. 
  Her joy at this new power soon turned 
  to frustration however as she found herself 
  unable to teach it other vampires and 
  indeed  incapable  of  even  siring  other 
  vampires. After several abortive attempts 
  at both she came up with a new solution. 
  She would adapt the ritual she had used 
  upon herself  and  perform it on  other 
  willing Gangrel who she though where 
  worthy. 
  Muricia found a few others that she 
  considered  worthy  and  together  they 
  formed the first pack of Ahrimanes. As 
  their numbers grew Muricia taught her 
  most trusted companions the rituals that 
  she had learned and they began travels of 
  their own, finding others who were worthy 
  and eventually founding packs and havens 
  of their own. Slowly they claimed several 
  territories for themselves, where possible 
  removed from too many mortals, and set 
  themselves up in control of them. 
  Organisation 
  As befits their origins the Ahrimanes’ 
  organisation is loose with no formal ranks 
  or titles. While many Sabbat use the terms 
  'Brother' and 'Sister', Ahrimanes tend to 
  reserve such things just for the members 
  of their own Bloodline. They own several 
  large estates in the deep south, some of 
  which are far from civilisation. All the 
  Ahrimanes  at  one  estate  make  up  a 
  founded  pack,  with  the  estate  as  a 
  communal haven and temple. A certain 
  area around the estate is considered by the 
  Ahrimanes  to  be  their  territory  and 
  members of the pack move around it 
  freely, often staying away from the estate 
  itself. 
  Members of the bloodline frequently 
  travel to other estates to maintain contact 
  or exchange news, and every member of 
  the bloodline knows every other member, 
  if not by sight then at least by name and 
  reputation. 
  Unusually for Sabbat the Ahrimanes 
  maintain a tight grip on any mortals of 
  influence within their territory. Although 
  they cannot use the Blood Bond, they 
  make heavy use of Presence and some of 
  the older ones also employ Dominate or 
  spirits. Their influence is often limited to 
  keeping  others  out  of  their  areas, 
  providing for their need and insuring they 
  are not disturbed, although in more recent 
  times their interference in mortal affairs 
  has increased. 
  In addition to their control of mortals, 
  the Ahrimanes have a strong knowledge 
  of, and influence over, both the animals 
  and the spirits within their territory. This 
  means that almost nothing happens of 
  which they are not aware, and the power 
  they  have  within  their  territory  is 
  immense. 
  Recently some of the younger and more 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  7 
  Another Slant 
   
  History is never a certain thing, and vampiric oral history even less so. Some 
  Ahrimanes tell a slightly different version of their history. Some tell both. As always in 
  the World of Darkness the truth of the matter is unknown. 
   
  "Near the end of the Anarch Revolt, a Gangrel Anarch by the name of Muricia found 
  herself with her small pack and their few allies in the northern reaches of Germany, 
  fleeing from the warriors of the newly-formed Camarilla. Unfortunately, they were out-
  manoeuvred and trapped between two Camarilla contingents. The forces smashed the 
  pack between them like an anvil and a hammer, destroying nearly all of the Anarchs. 
  Instead of fighting, Muricia fled, using her skill at Obfuscate to elude the Ventrue knights 
  and Brujah gangs that pursued. Desperate for a haven to hide in for the day, both from the 
  sun and from the Camarilla army, she scrambled through the forest, deeper and deeper. 
  Cursing her lack of training in Protean, she stumbled across an old pagan burial mound. 
  As the sky brightened, she forced herself in, clawing at the dirt and punching through the 
  stones to the chamber within. Tumbling inside, she was shocked to discover a torporous 
  vampire lying peacefully inside. Lying peacefully dressed in a simple robe with blood 
  runes carved all over her body, the Kindred was the only thing within the small mound. 
  Muricia, recovering from her initial shock, fell upon the vampire, needing to fill her belly 
  after the flight from the Camarilla. Muricia drank all she needed, and more. 
   
  Later, Muricia joined up with the newly formed Sabbat and continued the fight against 
  the Camarilla, not really wanting anything but peace. After the discovery of the New 
  World, she was among the first to call for an exodus of Europe, as she saw the futility of 
  the Sabbat-Camarilla War. Few supported her, however, and eventually, as the Sabbat 
  was pushed further and further north, she simply joined those few who agreed with her 
  (mainly some disorganised Gangrel antitribu) in the arduous travel across the Atlantic. 
  Once there, left empty after the long years of war, Muricia disappeared into the wilds of 
  North America, to live among nature.  
   
  Eventually she decided that she had to return to humanity again, and she approached a 
  few native settlements. Surprised at the warm welcome she got, she stayed and eventually 
  participated in some native rituals. The natives knew of her true nature, however, and the 
  shaman tried to perform a rite of destruction to kill her. Unfortunately for him, it did not 
  work out the way she had intended. 
   
  What happened then is obscure. Some say that Muricia frenzied and drank the entire 
  village dry, and so gained the knowledge of the shaman and his people. Some say that 
  she used powerful Presence abilities to sway the natives to her side, and she learned from 
  them how to make others like herself and then discarded them. Others claim that she 
  simply stood, walked over to the shaman, and beat the knowledge of the ritual out of him. 
  A few brave souls claim that something Awoke in Muricia, something far older than 
  herself. Either way, it is agreed that Muricia left the village changed, and she left in it 
  ruin. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  8 
  impulsive Ahrimanes have come together 
  to form nomadic packs. Rather than stay in 
  one estate they travel across America and 
  Mexico, taking a more active role in the 
  Sabbat's war than most of their sisters. 
  Despite their wandering ways they keep in 
  close touch with their fellows, often using 
  spirits to convey messengers that enable 
  them to keep in contact. They usually 
  make sure that they return to one of the 
  estates for the important Ahrimane Ritae. 
  A  few  of  the  most  recently  created 
  Ahrimanes  have  not  even  joined  all 
  Ahrimane  packs.  Rather  they  have 
  returned to their former nomadic packs, 
  although like all their sisters, they return 
  for the major rites. 
  Its thought that  Muricia  has  tacitly 
  encouraged this break with tradition to 
  answer some of the accusations of secrecy 
  that have been levelled at her bloodline. 
  However,  some  younger  Ahrimanes 
  suspect that their founder may also have 
  some  other  motivations.  Before  their 
  travels several have been invited to visit 
  her, or have had her arrive unexpectedly, 
  and she has asked them to look out for 
  information  regarding  certain  things. 
  Some have been asked to investigate a 
  large company called Pentex that many 
  Sabbat seem to have prominent positions 
  in. Of particular concern is the nature of 
  the spirits that seem to congregate around 
  Pentex facilities. Others have been told to 
  investigate stories, apparently brought to 
  Muricia by the spirits themselves, of a 
  male  Native  American  vampire  who 
  exhibits  powers  very  similar  to  the 
  Ahrimanes  own.  The  fact  that  he  is 
  supposed to dwell in the north of the USA 
  has lead to some Ahrimanes travelling 
  much farther afield than normal. None 
  have yet found the truth behind these 
  rumours, and none are sure what plans 
  Muricia has would any find him. 
  Until fairly recently Muricia herself had 
  remained very much in control of the 
  bloodline  that  she  created.  While  she 
  never  ordered  the  others  around,  her 
  advice  is  always  heeded  and  her 
  suggestions almost always acted upon. She 
  kept irregular contact with all the pack 
  leaders, either through spirits or animal 
  messengers  or  often  through  frequent 
  meetings.  She  also  regularly  travelled 
  around the Ahrimane’s territories and it 
  was not uncommon for her to simply turn 
  up at an estate unannounced. The younger 
  Ahrimanes regard her with something akin 
  to  awe.  After  all,  how  many  other 
   
  Returning to vampire society, Muricia joined with the Sabbat that had followed her in 
  the pan-Atlantic journey and began to push the sect westward. She also created others 
  like herself, choosing female Gangrel antitribu that she deemed worthy of becoming and 
  Ahrimane (so named by an Assamite who witnessed their ferocity and temper. He 
  likened their anger to that of "Ahrimane himself."). Using a variant of the ritual 
  performed on her, as well as a large volume of her own blood, she created other 
  Ahrimanes and grouped them into packs, much to the Lasombra's dislike. 
   
  As the Sabbat settled down and the power balance in the New World emerged, 
  Muricia took her get to the southeaster portion what would become the United States, and 
  there she slowly continued to build her bloodline of female warriors." 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  9 
  vampires get to meet the founder of their 
  line in person? 
  All this makes the fact that nobody has 
  recently heard from her recently all the 
  more disturbing to her Bloodline. 
  Recruitment 
  The choosing of a new member is a 
  long and careful process. The first step is 
  when an Ahrimane see a female Gangrel 
  who she  thinks  may be  suitable. The 
  potential recruit is usually quite young, so 
  that she will be open minded enough to 
  learn, she must also be a competent fighter 
  and above all a survivor. Attitude is also 
  important, respect must be shown for the 
  world around her and all living things.  
  The  Ahrimane  then  spends  time 
  observing the potential recruit, sometimes 
  through personal contact, other times by 
  using animals and spirits to observe her. If 
  after the observation the Ahrimane still 
  thinks she has found a worthy candidate 
  she will frequently go to a more senior 
  member of the bloodline, most often her 
  own  Ritemother.  This  elder  will  also 
  observe,  and  if  she  too  believes  the 
  candidate is worthy, they will approach 
  her with the offer to join the bloodline. 
  Not all candidates accept, for some the ties 
  with their pack are too strong for them to 
  wish to leave. 
  Historically  Ahrimanes  have  mostly 
  been  Hispanic  or  Amerind  in  origin, 
  although  that  has  started  to  change. 
  Recently a number of Ahrimanes have 
  been created who have not been members 
  of other Sabbat packs first. All of these 
  have been Mentored by older Ahrimanes 
  who  are  close  comrades  of  Muricia, 
  members of the original Ahrimanes pack. 
  The rumour among some of the younger 
  Cats is that Muricia has obtained a source 
  of potent Gangrel blood from somewhere 
  and is choosing people to embrace with 
  this blood, then transforming the worthy 
  ones into Ahrimanes. Rumour does not 
  say  what  happens  to  the  unworthy, 
  although  there  is  of  course  some 
  speculation. 
  Training 
  Training most often takes place at one 
  of the Ahrimanes' estates, as Mentors are 
  most  frequently  members  of  founded 
  packs.. Some of the training is physical, 
  but since any candidate must be a strong 
  fighter  and  survivor,  they are  already 
  assumed to be competent in this. Most of 
  the training is the teaching of spiritual 
  knowledge, on the nature of the spirit 
  world and the relationship the Ahrimanes 
  have with it. Instruction in the path of 
  Harmony is also commonly part of the 
  training  as  it  is  tied  closely  to  the 
  Ahrimane beliefs about balance, although 
  the Path is not forced on the new recruits. 
  During training the candidate's pack are 
  allowed to stay nearby should they wish 
  to,  although  the  candidate  herself  is 
  usually to busy to spend much time with 
  them.  Most  packs  choose  to  let  their 
  member go by herself for training, being 
  told that she will be free to return once the 
  training is over and the ritual performed. 
  The  training  is  carried  out  by the 
  Ahrimane who first found the candidate, 
  and is known as her Mentor. The Mentor 
  may call upon other Ahrimanes, spirits or 
  even Shamans of the local tribes to help in 
  the  training,  but  it  is  ultimately  her 
  responsibility.  During  the  training  the 
  student  takes  part  in  the  Vaulderie 
  between the Ahrimanes of the estate. This 
  helps  bring  her  closer  to  the  other 
  members and strengthens their ties. She 
  does not however take part in most of the 
  Ritae, although she is allowed to observe 
  some of them as her training progresses. 
  Sometimes the training takes the recruit  
  away from the estates. She may be sent 
  out  with  some  Ahrimanes  running  an 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  10 
  errand or spend some time with a nomadic 
  pack.  Even  in  these  circumstances 
  someone will always be keeping an eye on 
  her. 
  If at any stage in the Training the 
  student  proves  herself  incapable  or 
  unworthy, she will be taken before the 
  elder of the estate. Using Dominate, or 
  calling upon the spirits, her memories of 
  training  and  the  Ahrimanes  will  be 
  removed  or  altered  and  she  will  be 
  returned to her pack. While she will not 
  forget  the  Ahrimanes  existence,  many 
  details will be lost. 
  The Mentor and 
  Ritemother 
  The tie between the Mentor and her 
  student is a close one. During the training 
  they spend much of their time together and 
  although sometimes the student believes 
  she is on her own, the Mentor is almost 
  always watching her through some power 
  or intermediary. 
  During the Rite of the Third Birth the 
  Mentor becomes something more else, she 
  becomes the newly created Ahrimane's 
  Ritemother,  a  sort  of  adoptive  sire. 
  Although now the Ahrimane is responsible 
  for herself, the bond between her and her 
  Ritemother always remains strong and the 
  Ahrimanes  often  regard  it  as  almost 
  sacred. Even after years as an Ahrimane it 
  is not uncommon for one to go to her 
  Ritemother for help or advise. In many 
  ways the Ritemother is a sort of foster sire, 
  and the relationship reflects this. 
  Ahrimane Unlife 
  Ahrimanes prize freedom as much as 
  any Sabbat, and while the Bloodline has 
  no political views as whole, most lean to 
  the Moderate faction of the Sabbat. After 
  all, few want the more centralised control 
  that many of the other factions espouse. 
  The Bloodline also does not have quite the 
  same Elder/Neonate split that runs through 
  many  larger  groups.  Few,  if  any, 
  Ahrimanes are truly ancient, and their 
  small  numbers  and  mutual  familiarity 
  blurs the dividing lines. While elders are 
  treated with respect, they never attempt to 
  enforce obedience. 
   
  Unusually for vampires, its the younger 
  Ahrimanes who tend to be more politically 
  active.  Many  have  taken  a  hand  in 
  women's rights issues and movements, 
  animal protection and welfare and the 
  politics and concerns of the local Native 
  American population. Their success has 
  been mixed, but in the process they have 
  acquired a large amount of influence in the 
  areas around their estates. By contrast 
  many of the older Cats tend to be more 
  focused on the spirit world, spending more 
  times in visionquests and communing with 
  the spirits. Some of them seem positively 
  'spaced  out'  to  the  younger  members, 
  perpetually having conversations with the 
  creatures that surround them in the spirit 
  world and pay far more attention to it then 
  the material world around them. When 
  they  do  pay  attention  however,  they 
  frequently display an uncanny knowledge 
  of many of its secrets. 
  Not all Cats spend their time in spiritual 
  pursuits. Some of them choose to live in 
  the lap of luxury using mortal pawns to 
  acquire wealth and possessions and then 
  making damn sure they enjoy themselves. 
  While they may seem soft or lax compared 
  to their more wild or spiritual sisters, they 
  can be every bit as ferocious, especially if 
  something interferes with their pleasures.  
  For the younger members, training and 
  learning never really stops unless they 
  want it to. The World of Spirits is a vast 
  and complex place, and there is always 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  11 
  new things to learn about it, either from 
  older  Cats  or  the  spirits  themselves. 
  Ahrimane will learn from several older 
  members over time, frequently in return 
  for  doing  small  favours  and  running 
  errands for them. The wiser Ahrimanes do 
  not ask for much, indeed they often see it 
  as their duty to help their sister's spiritual 
  advancement. 
  Most Ahrimanes will join the pack of 
  their  Ritemother,  and  the  estate  will 
  become their communal haven. Despite 
  this it is rare for the whole pack to spend 
  all  its  time  together.  Many roam  the 
  surrounding areas, sometimes having other 
  havens or simply Earth Melding. Others 
  take  up  residence  in  nearby  human 
  communities, all the better to extend their 
  influence there. Every so often a few 
  Ahrimanes from one estate decide to visit 
  another estate, usually deciding to turn up 
  unannounced,  although  the  spirits 
  frequently carry word of their immanent 
  arrival to their sisters. Get togethers tend 
  to happen around the time of important 
  Ritae, but certainly are not restricted to it. 
   
  More recently younger Ahrimanes from 
  several founded packs have decided to get 
  together and form roaming packs of their 
  own. These packs are not located in an 
  estate and so are nomadic, frequently they 
  wander a long way from the Ahrimanes 
  traditional  territory.  Despite  this  they 
  always end up back at one of the estates 
  eventually, even if its just to visit some of 
  their sisters for a while before moving on. 
  Before embarking on their journey, and 
  sometimes when they return, such packs 
  have sometimes been visited by Muricia to 
  give  them  “her  blessing”,  although 
  sometimes they have trouble remembering 
  exactly  what  she  did  say  to  them 
  afterwards. 
  From time to time other Sabbat request 
  the Bloodline's help with some matter. 
  Usually this means they need their special 
  talents for something. Unless the request is 
  completely outrageous the Ahrimanes do 
  their best to comply, even if this means 
  joining  up  with a non-Ahrimane pack 
  temporarily. It keeps things smooth with 
  their parent Sect and means they get left 
  alone. 
  Leaders and Priests 
  On  the  estates  the  pack  leaders, 
  sometimes half-jokingly called Chiefs by 
  the younger Ahrimanes, are responsible 
  for the safety of the estate and the pack. 
  This often involves keeping an eye on the 
  local mortals, delegating pack members, 
  or using animals and spirits, to patrol the 
  bounds of their territory and making sure 
  they can contact the pack members should 
  they need to. 
  Leaders of roaming packs obviously do 
  not have a fixed territory, but have other 
  responsibilities.  Mostly  this  involves 
  coordinating the scouting of the area the 
  pack is moving to, and finding safe places 
  to  rest  during  the  day.  Unlike  some 
  nomadic packs, Ahrimanes do not just 
  wander around the wilderness, but pay 
  very close attention to the places they go, 
  seeing what information they can get from 
  the animal and spiritual residents. 
  While leadership tends to go to the 
  most  experienced  and  oldest  pack 
  member, its not always the case. Leaders 
  often step down after a while of their own 
  accord, although they frequently remain 
  close at hand to advise their successor. If 
  their is a real disagreement over with the 
  pack leader, the Ahrimane  may leave the 
  pack and join another, if it will have her. 
  She may also call a council of three pack 
  leaders  to  judge  over  the  dispute. 
  Monomancy is  unheard  of  among  the 
  Ahrimanes, there are just too few of them 
  to  waste  lives  on  petty  leadership 
  squabbles. 
  In addition too their normal duties the 
  pack priest, also called the Shaman or 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  12 
  Shamaness, is also responsible for keeping 
  the local spirit world on good terms with 
  the Ahrimanes. For a founded pack that 
  often means making binding agreements 
  with the local spirits. For nomadic packs 
  such things are often more temporary in 
  nature, and the priest does not have the 
  luxury of knowing exactly which spirits 
  she will have to deal with from night to 
  night. 
  Priests have the authority to get other 
  pack members, even the pack leader, to do 
  tasks that she deems necessary to please 
  the spirits or keep the Ahrimane’s part of a 
  spirit-pact.  These  tasks  can  be  quite 
  bizarre, and some priests seem to take a 
  perverse pleasure in not telling their sisters 
  exactly  why  they  involved  in  some 
  apparently senseless activity. 
  Final Nights 
  Things  have  been  stirring  in  the 
  Bloodline in these Final Nights. There has 
  been  something  of  an  influx  of  new 
  recruits, at least relative to the Bloodline’s 
  previous  numbers.  When  the  schism 
  occurred amongst the Harmonists some of 
  the  Gangrel  Harmonists  who  were 
  considering leaving the Sabbat were given 
  the offer of joining the Ahrimanes where 
  they would be free from persecution. 
  More Gangrel have  come from the 
  recent defectors that have come in from 
  the Camarilla. Some of them have barely 
  had  time  to  call  themselves  antitribu 
  before  becoming  Ahrimanes.  This  has 
  caused some resentment amongst some of 
  the more established Cats who feel their 
  new Sisters  are  there  to bulk  up the 
  numbers rather than for their personal 
  worth. Even those among the Sabbat that 
  know  of  the  Bloodline  are  generally 
  ignorant of these new recruits. 
  Another change is that until her recent 
  disappearance  from  view  Muricia  had 
  become increasingly active. As well as 
  encouraging more Ahrimanes to leave the 
  estates,  frequently in  pursuit  of  some 
  mystic  knowledge,  she  had  recently 
  organised a few War Parties. Such activity 
  has been completely unheard of in the 
  entire Bloodline’s history. The expeditions 
  were  nominally also  for  some  mystic 
  knowledge that supposedly could “aid the 
  entire Bloodline” but a few Elder’s vitae 
  has been claimed as well . Whatever the 
  motivation the intelligence was apparently 
  superb, as with careful planning and the 
  aid of the spirits the Parties’ casualties 
  were extremely light. 
  Vanishing Act 
  By  far  the  biggest  event  is  the 
  disappearance of those present at the one 
  of the estates in West Virginia, including 
  Muricia herself. The estate was one of the 
  oldest  and  largest  and  other  Sabbat 
  wishing to contact the Ahrimanes often 
  did so there. 
  As far as the remaining Ahrimanes can 
  tell Muricia turned up without warning at 
  the estate, with some companions. Some 
  were definitely Ahrimanes, both long time 
  companions of hers and newly created, but 
  as far as they can tell some of them might 
  not have been, at least one might have 
  been male.  
  She asked many of those who dwelt 
  there to depart, saying they could return 
  later but must not disturb them that night. 
  Her loyal daughters obeyed and when they 
  did return they found… nothing. No trace 
  of Muricia or her companions, none of 
  those who had stayed. Not even any of the 
  animals or spirits who dwelt in the vicinity 
  could be found. There was no sign of 
  violence, no trace of a disturbance, they 
  were just gone. Word spread quickly and 
  although many tried to find what had 
  happened so far all the Bloodline has is 
  speculation and rumour. 
  Fractured Line 
  Although  they  did  not  realise  it, 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  13 
  Muricia was largely the force holding the 
  Bloodline together. Although others know 
  the Rite of the Third Birth it was her 
  advice and suggestions that controlled the 
  actions of the line. Without her guidance 
  the Bloodline she founded has lost its 
  cohesion, and different groups have started 
  to go in different directions. 
  Either fearing an attack or looking for 
  answers  several  packs  have  simply 
  abandoned their own estates, while others 
  have upped and moved to new, secret 
  locations. The trust amongst the Cats has 
  greatly  diminished  and  although  still 
  nominally welcome at another’s estate, it 
  might not always be possible to find it. 
  Some members of an already reclusive 
  Bloodline have become totally withdrawn 
  and paranoid, while others have sought 
  safety or comfort in anonymity and have 
  simply taken to passing themselves off as 
  Gangrel, and not even always antitribu, 
  sometimes joining up with mixed packs or 
  coteries. Nobody seems keen to advertise 
  themselves to the Sabbat and the sect 
  seems  to  care  little  about  what  has 
  happened to the Ahrimanes, unsurprising 
  as most of it has never even head of them. 
  Several Elders who know the Rite of 
  the Third Birth have started to recruit 
  followers either from existing ranks or 
  through creating new ones. None have yet 
  started to make overt plays for power but 
  it is only a matter of time before one tries, 
  any many fear they might recruit some 
  help from outside. Fear of this or simply 
  not wishing to be involved has encouraged 
  many Ahrimanes to seek their own path. 
  For many Ahrimanes the insular way of 
  their own lives has been brought to an end 
  by these recent events and rather than a 
  life on an estate they find themselves in all 
  kinds of places and mixing with all kinds 
  of vampires that they would once never 
  have considered possible. 
  Ritae 
  Like all Sabbat, rituals are important to 
  the Ahrimanes as a means of providing 
  unity  and  strengthening  comradeship. 
  Always lead by the pack Priest they are 
  frequently regarded as sacred and treated 
  with the respect of a religious act. On their 
  estates, Ahrimanes perform many rituals 
  unique to the bloodline and closed to 
  outsiders. These rituals draw very heavily 
  on their shamanistic origins, and at most 
  major rituals both spirits and animals are 
  summoned to play a major role.  
  During the rituals the Ahrimane also 
  often  paint  their  bodies  with  sacred 
  symbols using their own blood, the blood 
  given by a summoned spirit and sacred 
  herbs and roots. They also burn the herbs 
  and roots to drive away the evil spirits. 
  The Ahrimanes do not regard vampirism 
  as an unnatural state and their rituals are 
  seen  as  a  means  of  increasing  their 
  connection with the Worlds of Man, Beast 
  and Spirit. Even the common Ritae of the 
  Sabbat are adapted and changed, and are 
  often rather different in both appearance 
  and function to the original. 
  Ritae are held each month, on the night 
  of the full moon. Major Ritae are also held 
  at the equinox, and at lunar eclipses. These 
  rituals are most often held a sacred sites, 
  where it is easier to reach the spirit world. 
  The greatest of their rituals, however, is 
  the creation of a new Ahrimane and her 
  introduction into the bloodline, and the 
  visionquest. 
  The Rite of the Third Birth 
  This is the greatest and most sacred of 
  the Ahrimanes rituals. It is through this 
  rite that a new Ahrimane is created and the 
  bloodline is perpetuated. The Ahrimanes 
  assemble at a sacred site where the Mentor 
  presents her student to her peers. The 
  student must state why she is worthy to 
  become Ahrimane and is often strongly 
  questioned  by  those  assembled.  The 
  formality  of  the  rite  varies  greatly 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  14 
  depending the Ahrimane performing the 
  rite. Some insist that it is done with the 
  utmost  solemnity,  accompanied  by 
  chanting and ritual drums. Others have 
  been known to play load modern music 
  and hold something closer to a party, 
  sometimes requiring the new recruit to 
  dance themselves into and ecstatic state 
  before  the  rite  begins.  Whatever  the 
  ritualist thinks will please the spirits best 
  and feels is most fitting. 
  The student is held down and her blood 
  drained from her and spilled onto the 
  ground in a spiral pattern. The assembled 
  Ahrimanes  contribute  their blood to a 
  bowl with the students Mentor giving the 
  most. Then a spirit, invariably feline in 
  nature,  is  summoned  and  is  asked  to 
  contribute ‘blood’, really a portion of it’s 
  spiritual  essence,  to  the  bowl.  Finally 
  certain sacred plants are added to the bowl 
  and mixed in, these plants are believed to 
  allow contact with the spirit world and 
  cleanse  the  vampire  and  include  the 
  yaryan root and peyote. Its not unknown 
  for  younger  Ahrimanes  to  add  some 
  modern hallucinogens to the mix, although 
  more traditional members frown on this 
  practise. 
  A fire is lit and the bowl is passed 
  through it several times, representing the 
  tempering  of  the  vampire  into  an 
  Ahrimane. Then the blood form the bowl 
  is used to paint the vampires flesh with 
  symbols sacred to the spirits that will 
  encourage them to accept her, as well as 
  protecting her. Finally the remainder of 
  the blood is poured into the vampires 
  mouth and she is reborn. 
  Like her first two births this one is not 
  easy. The Ahrimane is assailed by voices 
  and visions from the spirit world as well as 
  visions from her past and sometimes her 
  future. These visions can last several hours 
  and only if her will and spirit are strong 
  enough will she emerge with her sanity 
  intact, its not unknown for these visions to 
  drive the new recruit into frenzy, requiring 
  the others present to physically restrain 
  her.  During  this  period  the  other 
  Ahrimanes, lead by her Ritemother, join in 
  a chant or song to the spirits to guide and 
  protect her. 
  Sometimes  
  a  
  particular  
  spirit 
  approaches the Ahrimane during her Third 
  Birth, offering some help and guidance 
  although  also  posing  questions  and 
  challenges too which the Ahrimane must 
  cope with to earn that help. It is not 
  unknown for Ahrimanes to receive and 
  animal or lesser spirit as a companion who 
  mysteriously arrives the next night sent by 
  her  guide.  In  return  the  Ahrimane  is 
  frequently expected is revere and respect 
  this spirit above others.   
  When the ritual is over, any existing 
  blood bonds or Vinculi are severed, this 
  applies to the both to the new Ahrimane 
  and to anyone who has any ties to her. The 
  only exception is ties to anyone whose 
  blood has  been in the  mixture which 
  remain. It is because of this that few 
  Ahrimanes have much inclination to return 
  to their old packs, and few members of the 
  packs make much of a fuss about it. After 
  all, in a sect that promotes freedom a 
  vampire  is  free  to  leave  her  former 
  comrades. 
  Finally, they celebrate the arrival of 
  their new sister with a wild party, vampire 
  style. 
  Visionquests 
  Visionquests are another ritual that is of 
  vital  importance  to  the  Ahrimanes. 
  Although  other  Sabbat  are  known  to 
  practise them, the Cats feel they are they 
  only ones who truly understand how to 
  perform it. The used it to bring themselves 
  closer to the World of Spirit and enhance 
  their  understanding  of  both  it  and 
  themselves. Successful visionquests often 
  result in improved understanding of the 
  Spiritus discipline. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  15 
  For the visionquest the Ahrimane first 
  drinks her fill of blood, as she knows that 
  during the quest she will not be thinking of 
  such things. Then she journeys by her self 
  to  a  remote  location  with  a  special 
  preparation. This contains many special 
  herb and roots, including such potent ones 
  as peyote, mixed with the blood of animals 
  and a small quantity of blood taken from a 
  summoned spirit. Using this concoction 
  the Ahrimane first paints her body with 
  sacred  symbols,  then  consumes  the 
  remainder. The powerful mixture puts her 
  into a trance like state lasting several days, 
  where she see visions from the spirit 
  world. In this state the Ahrimane has just 
  enough awareness of the real world to 
  avoid getting herself killed and to find 
  cover come sunup, but little more. Some 
  Ahrimanes  take  the  ritual  further, 
  performing acts of self-mutilation upon 
  themselves believing the pain will help 
  send their consciousness into the spirit 
  world. 
  Touching the Beast 
  While  visionquests  aim  to  get  the 
  Ahrimane in touch with the World of 
  Spirits, this ritual aims to get them in 
  touch  with  the  World  of  Beasts, 
  specifically though their Beast. 
  A  wooden  frame  is  constructed 
  somewhere away from the sun and high 
  enough that a vampire may be suspended 
  from it without touching anything. Some 
  Ahrimane  estates  have  such  frames 
  purpose built, and a place set aside for 
  them.  
  The Ahrimane undergoing the ritual  is 
  drained of most of her blood and taken to 
  the place by some of her sisters. Sharp 
  wooden  spikes  are  attached  to  wires 
  hanging from the top of the frame. They 
  are then driven though the Ahrimane’s 
  body and she is raised up until she is 
  suspended in the air. 
  It is not long before pain and lack of 
  blood lead the Ahrimane to frenzy. Indeed, 
  during the course of the next several days 
  the Ahrimane will constantly drift in and 
  out of  both consciousness and frenzy. 
  After that, and during one of her more 
  quite periods, some of her companions 
  will come and let her down, making sure a 
  supply of blood is handy. 
  Many Ahrimanes claim that after this 
  experience they have better understanding 
  and  control  of  their own  Beasts,  and 
  sometimes those of others too. 
  The Sharing of Blood 
  Technically Ritae, this is really little 
  more than an excuse for a wild party. One 
  Ahrimane is chosen for the honour of 
  being the Sharer, normally as recognition 
  of  some  deed  or  action  although 
  occasionally this is little more than a 
  pretext.  A few others, usually those adept 
  in Presence, are chosen as Watchers. 
  Making sure they are all fairly well fed, 
  the Ahrimanes gather together somewhere 
  where they do not think they will be 
  disturbed. The Sharer is then fed a potent 
  mixture of blood and drugs. Sometime this 
  is mixed specially but at other times a 
  drugged mortal is found, or a mortal is 
  found and drugged, and their blood is 
  used. 
  Once the blood is coursing through 
  Sharer’s  body  each  of  the  other 
  Ahrimanes, except the Watchers, bite into 
  her. The ecstasy of the multiple Kisses has 
  been known to causes some vampires to 
  actually lose consciousness. The drugs 
  from the Sharer quickly spread into the 
  others systems and from here on things 
  frequently  degenerate  into  chaos  with 
  those present drinking from anyone. The 
  Watchers are on hand to stop anyone 
  going too far, but those present frequently 
  emerge with more than a few scratches.  
  Older  Ahrimanes  frequently  disdain 
  this ritus. Sacred drugs and plants should 
  be reserved contacting the spirits, not for 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  16 
  personal gratification. Those who take part 
  of claim that the ecstatic nature of the ritus 
  enables them to touch on the spirit world, 
  although  the  veracity  of  these  claims 
  remains uncertain. 
   
  
  AHRIMANES 
  17 
  Beliefs 
  Three Worlds, Three Births 
  The  core  of  the  Ahrimane’s  belief 
  revolves around the concept of the three 
  worlds. These are the World of Man, the 
  World of Beasts and the World of Spirits. 
  The journey to become an Ahrimane is a 
  journey  through  all  three,  as  woman, 
  Gangrel and finally Ahrimane. For each 
  stage there is a birth, none of them easy, 
  and with no guarantee of survival. Each 
  birth is in blood and pain. 
  The World of Man 
  The first birth is the birth into the 
  World of Man, it is the birth from the 
  womb into the  human species. Once the 
  World of Man was shared evenly between 
  men and women as equals, but that is now 
  no longer the case. From the beginning, 
  woman had a closer tie to the World of 
  Spirit, while men were closer to the World 
  of Beasts. In the beginning this difference 
  was honoured and respected by men. Man 
  and woman knew of the three world, and 
  lived their lives close to all of them, 
  interacting with them every day. 
  In  time  however,  this  respect 
  succumbed  to  jealousy.  Envious  of 
  woman's place closer to the spirits, men 
  upset the balance between them by trying 
  to take dominion over them. In doing so 
  they caused the World of Man to grow 
  more distant from the other worlds, and 
  now many humans fear the worlds of 
  Beast and Spirit because  they do  not 
  understand them. Due this, the World of 
  Man is the most imbalanced of the three 
  worlds. 
  The Ahrimanes have more to do with 
  the World of Man than many Sabbat. The 
  Harmonists amongst them, who are still in 
  the majority,  freely acknowledge their 
  former human nature and accept that it is 
  still  a  part  of  themselves.  Therefore 
  despite their isolationism they still make 
  more effort than many Sabbat to retain 
  some contact with the affairs of mortals. 
  They also maintain a tight control of the 
  little of the mortal world within their own 
  territories,  giving  them  a  surprising 
  amount  of  mortal  pawns,  although  of 
  limited influence. 
  It is the through their discipline of 
  Presence that the Cats influence the World 
  of Man. The Ahrimanes originally used 
  this influence just to protect themselves, 
  but over time they have started to use it to 
  follow their own agenda. They have used 
  their power to protect the native tribes 
  where possible, and younger Ahrimanes 
  have also got involved with animal and 
  women's rites movements, and have used 
  their influence to try to further its cause. 
  The  Ahrimanes  often  approach  this 
  with  an  attitude  similar  to  a 
  conservationists  or  a  gamekeepers. 
  Keeping the animals preserved and in 
  good order, frequently with the intent of 
  feeding on them later. They might see it as 
  good sense but it would be a mistake to 
  see it as caring for the humans and they 
  are not above culling the herd. 
  It should be stressed however that to 
  the Ahrimanes Man is no greater or lesser 
  than the other animals. Although they are 
  different  from  other  animals  they 
  generally feel it is no worse to feed of a 
  Chapter Two: 
  Beliefs and  
  
  AHRIMANES 
  18 
  human than to feed off of any other source 
  of blood. While they don’t revile humans 
  like some Sabbat, many don’t hold them in 
  much regard either, at least not from a 
  human perspective.  
  Getting in touch with the World of Man 
  is as important to them as getting in touch 
  with the other worlds. Some Ahrimanes 
  indulge in hedonistic pleasures that would 
  rival  a  Toreador’s,  collect  interesting 
  morals as pawns and living in a veritable 
  state of luxury. To them its not just self-
  indulgence but strengthening their ties to 
  one  of  the three worlds although not 
  everyone is  convinced.  Generally such 
  Ahrimanes are former City Gangrel. 
  Even in the modern world, women's 
  greater spiritual connection remains, even 
  though few of them realise this. It is 
  because  of  this  connection  that  only 
  women are chosen to become Ahrimanes. 
  The World of Beasts 
  The second birth is the embrace and the 
  Creation Rites. It brings the vampire away 
  from the World of Man and places the 
  vampire in balance between the Worlds of 
  Man and Beast, for a Gangrel is closer to 
  the beasts than any human. The embrace 
  awakens a Gangrel's own Beast and brings 
  them back in touch with their instincts and 
  animal side. 
  By  respecting  studying  beasts,  a 
  Gangrel can learn much about her own 
  Beast. By talking  to  animals,  and  by 
  becoming animals, they learn, understand 
  and be a part of this world. Ahrimane 
  havens are always open to animals, who 
  are free to come and go whenever they 
  wish.  Despite  this  they  rarely  make 
  Ghouls of animals, and rely on developing 
  a relationship with them and their powers 
  of  Animalism  rather  than  the  blood. 
  Ahrimanes often keep pets, and cats are 
  especially  common,  although  they  are 
  rarely of  the  domestic variety.  Indeed 
  many Ahrimane ‘pets’ are simply feral 
  creatures the Cat has a relationship with 
  and agrees to share it’s territory with her. 
  Although  many  Ahrimanes  see 
  themselves  as  strongly  in  touch  with 
  nature and the World of Beasts, their view 
  of nature is a bloody and violent one. For 
  them the nature of a predator  is to  take 
  life from the prey and defend its territory 
  and pack. Unlike most other predators, a 
  vampire does not have to kill its prey, but 
  that does not necessarily mean it is wrong 
  to do so. Ahrimanes who spend a lot of 
  time with the World of Beats in various 
  guises  can be shockingly violent. 
  Ahrimanes with sufficiently advance 
  Animalism  sometimes  spend  days 
  possessing an animal, almost invariably a 
  predator, to become closer to the World of 
  Beasts. Those with enough Protean often 
  spend days in animal form. 
  It  seems  that  there  is  somehow 
  something feline about the Ahrimane’s 
  Beast. Although this is not immediately 
  obvious, a Frenzied Ahrimane often shows 
  some rather cat-like mannerisms. Its not 
  that they meow or anything, but the way 
  they move and sound just seems o suggest 
  to observers a large feline predator. 
  Ahrimanes interact and influence the 
  World of Beasts with their Animalism 
  discipline. Through it they can commune 
  with the beasts and even with Beasts. All 
  vampires have a strong connection to this 
  world because of their Beast, but only the 
  Gangrel are close enough to be balanced 
  equally between the two worlds. That is 
  why  only  Gangrel  are  chosen  to  be 
  Ahrimane. 
  The World of Spirits 
  The third birth is the ritual of the same 
  name. Like the other births it is a birth in 
  blood and pain, but when it is over the 
  Ahrimane has now forged a connection to 
  the World of Spirits. 
  As with man and beast the spirits, 
  which the Ahrimanes often refer to as 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  19 
  manitous, must also be afforded respect. 
  They can have great powers and great 
  wisdom, and to deal with them without 
  understanding  is  both  foolish  and 
  dangerous. After her initiation and her 
  third birth, an Ahrimane will be instructed 
  on  the  ways  of  the  spirits  by  her 
  Ritemother. 
  The spirits do not dwell in isolation, 
  rather each spirit is tied to something in 
  the other worlds, be it a beast, a tree, a 
  place or even an idea. How someone treats 
  what they are connected to influences how 
  the spirit will react to them. This is why 
  the animal spirits respond to the call of the 
  Ahrimane, for they know the respect with 
  which they treat their corporeal cousins. 
  This tie can be used when calling upon 
  a spirit. By having something of what the 
  spirit represents present, it can make the 
  summoning easier and the spirit more 
  responsive. While sometimes the spirits 
  are summoned to perform tasks for the 
  Ahrimanes,  at  other  times  they  are 
  summoned for wisdom, advise or even 
  companionship. Some less powerful spirits 
  are unable to enter the physical world and 
  even ask the Ahrimanes to call on them, so 
  that they may carry out some desire of 
  their own.  
  In general many spirits, particularly 
  animal ones, tend to react very badly to  
  vampires. While Ahrimanes are something 
  of an exception to this they are still treated 
  rather warily by most spirits, and some are 
  occasionally downright hostile until the 
  Cat can prove herself. Consequently most 
  Ahrimanes learn quite quickly the best 
  ways to placate the spirits.  
  Despite  the  sometimes  less  than 
  friendly reactions,  they don‘t provoke 
  nearly the same level of violent response 
  from the spirits as other vampires do. The 
  Ahrimanes believe that the Third Births 
  roots  in  a  cleansing  ceremony  are 
  responsible  for  making  them  more 
  acceptable to the spirits. 
  Vampires and Spirits 
  As a rule the only spirits Vampires 
  generally interact with are the corrupted 
  spirits  the  Lupines  call  “Banes”  and 
  Demons. The Lupines and some Mages 
  believe no other possibility exists. The 
  Ahrimanes believe they are an exception 
  to this and the spirits they deal with are 
  neither corrupted nor forced into aiding 
  them. 
   
  The truth of this matter is best left up 
  to the Storyteller depending upon how 
  they see the spirit world in their World of 
  Darkness and  what is best for their game.  
  If you’re game is assuming Werewolf’s 
  cosmology to be correct then go with the 
  Garou’s beliefs, on the subject. If you are 
  using Vampire’s then Lupine prejudices 
  mean little. And if you are using Mage as 
  the source for how the spirit world works, 
  anything could be the case. 
   
  A caution though, it is pretty harsh to 
  decide  that  a  player’s  character  is 
  completely deluded about their powers 
  and  beliefs,  especially  as  Werewolf 
  cosmology  is  not  very  relevant  to 
  Vampire games, and it can be frustrating 
  for the player. 
   
  The best option is probably to leave the 
  real truth unknown anyway. The Lupines 
  believe one thing about the spirits and the 
  Ahrimanes another, pretty standard fare in 
  the World of Darkness, and the players 
  don‘t know who is really right.  This 
  works best for more crossover orientated 
  games  that  might  not  use  a  single 
  cosmology, or for Storytellers who simply 
  don’t want to try and work out one single 
  truth. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  20 
  Some  Ahrimanes  choose  to  strike 
  bargains with a particular spirit, often one 
  that appeared to her during her third birth. 
  Rather than needing to be summoned each 
  time, the spirit will stay close to the 
  Ahrimane, usually in the spirit world but 
  sometimes in the physical one. The spirit 
  is not a servant however and will want 
  something in return.  
  Bargaining with a spirit can be a long 
  and tricky process, as vampire and spirit 
  agree what they will provide one another. 
  Sometimes  what  the  spirits  want  is 
  straightforward,  protection  and  good 
  treatment of their animal counterparts is 
  common.  Sometimes  however,  their 
  demands are strange and irrational and an 
  Ahrimane must simply agree to it without 
  understanding why if she wants the spirit 
  to be her companion. 
  The Ahrimanes are very aware that not 
  all spirits are as harmonious as the animal 
  spirits that they call upon. They know 
  something of the darker spirit beings that 
  dwell in the World of Spirit, and some 
  make it their duty to combat them. While 
  they rarely can confront them directly, 
  they know that if they destroy what they 
  are connected to in the physical world, 
  they can break the power of the spirit and 
  force it from the area. 
  Spiritus  is  the  Ahrimane's  may  of 
  contacting and influencing the World of 
  Spiritus. It is the unique power that sets 
  them  apart  from  all  other  vampires. 
  Through it they may call the spirits into 
  the world, and into themselves. 
  Earth Mother and Sky Father 
  To the  Ahrimanes  the two greatest  
  spirits are the Earth Mother and the Sky 
  Father.  From  their  union  all  creation 
  springs and all existence comes. While 
  they have respect and even reverence for 
  them they never petition these great spirits 
  directly as they don’t believe that they 
  interfere with or care about individual 
  mortal, or immortal, affairs. 
  As an outgrowth of this while many 
  respect the natural world they have no 
  delusions at all about how harsh and brutal 
  it can be. Believing they are a part of that 
  natural world they know that they must be 
  like it. 
  Quite how Caine and his curse fit  into 
  this picture is anybody’s guess. In as much 
  as the Ahrimanes beliefs have a creation 
  Ahrimane Appearance 
  Upon undergoing the Rite of the Third 
  Birth successfully, Ahrimanes lose some 
  of their vampiric pallor and usually gain a 
  dark  or  dusky skin  tone.  Unlike  the 
  Assamites who grow darker though time, 
  the Cat’s skin colour remains stable after 
  this. Why the transformation has this side 
  effect is unknown. 
   
  It  is  commonly  thought  by  those 
  outside the Bloodline that the Ahrimanes 
  only have one way of dressing, leather 
  and denim with plenty of places to put 
  their weapons. This is simply because 
  most Sabbat that meet them do so when 
  they are performing some mission for the 
  sect.  In  such  circumstances  tough, 
  practical clothes are favoured. 
   
  Under other circumstances their dress 
  varies as much as any other vampires. 
  Some effect traditional Native American 
  or Mexican dress. Others eschew clothing 
  all together seeing it as coming purely 
  from the World of Man, and unnecessary 
  for a vampire. By contrast, some of those 
  that live amongst human civilisation wear 
  on  the  finest,  most  fashionable  and 
  sensuous clothing they can buy. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  21 
  myth, and it changes with each telling, 
  there is no Christian God around with 
  which to curse the first murderer. To many 
  Ahrimanes Caine just isn’t that important 
  anyway, since they Third Birth they do not 
  really  see  themselves  as  his  children 
  anyway. 
  Vampires and the Three 
  Worlds 
  Having  journeyed  through  all  three 
  worlds, and being a part of each, the 
  Ahrimanes can affect each. They have a 
  part that is of the World of Man, the 
  human part that thinks and reasons. They 
  have an animal part, a part of the World of 
  Beasts, that is the Beast the part that is 
  irrational, that is the source of instincts 
  and emotions. They also have a part that is 
  of the World of Spirits, the source of their 
  supernatural powers. 
  All  vampires  have  these  parts  and 
  connections,  indeed  all  beings  are 
  connected  to  all  the  worlds  to  some 
  degree. Of the vampires however, it is 
  only the Ahrimanes that can achieve the 
  understanding of all three worlds. That is 
  why their powers lie in all three worlds. 
  Moving Between Worlds 
  To become truly attuned to one of the 
  Worlds an  Ahrimane sometimes indulges 
  herself in one of them for a while. Not all 
  Ahrimanes follow this practice, many feel 
  that balance should be maintained at all 
  times and such things are just an excuse 
  for some bad behaviour. 
  City Gangrel frequently start with the 
  World of Man, acquiring mortal pawns, 
  riches  luxuries  and  treasuries  and 
  generally  enjoying  material  comforts. 
  They often become selfish, hedonistic and 
  pleasure  seeking.  Although  they  often 
  have a great deal of mortal influence they 
  rarely  use  it  for  anything  other  than 
  personal gain, much to the frustration of 
  their Sisters who are trying to accomplish 
  something in the mortal world. 
  Those indulging in the World of Beasts 
  frequently act in an almost totally feral 
  manner. They live apart from civilisation, 
  spending time in an animal form or the 
  Wildform if their Disciplines permit. Such 
  Cats can be dangerous  for  anyone  to 
  approach, even their packmates. Its not 
  unknown for those who spend a long time 
  behaving like this to almost completely 
  forget how to cope with some of the 
  trappings of civilisation. Unsurprisingly 
  former Country Gangrel are most prone to 
  this kind of behaviour. 
  Shamans are most prone to getting lost 
  in the Spiritworld. Although it can happen 
  to any Ahrimane who can converse with a 
  spirit, it tends to be the more experienced 
  ones  who  are  knowledgeable  enough 
  about the Spiritworld who indulge in it. 
  These  vampires  are  frequently lost  in 
  conversations with spirits or staring at 
  marvels most others cannot see. Losing 
  interest in the material world is common, 
  and some are known to forget to feed, 
  until the hunger takes them and the Beast 
  insists. 
  Many Ahrimanes consider indulging 
  oneself in one of the worlds to be a loss of 
  the balance that they had obtained. If 
  Ahrimanes are the only vampires who can 
  truly balance between the three worlds, 
  getting lost in one of them is wasteful, 
  some feel even sinful. 
  Proponents argue that an indulgence is 
  just temporary, that once the Ahrimane 
  has come to understand that World she 
  will return to balance. Indeed a proper 
  balance between the Three Worlds can 
  only be achieved this way, and given time 
  every Ahrimane  should  indulge  in  all 
  three. 
  Prestige 
  Amongst  the  Ahrimanes  prestige  is 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  22 
  gained in several ways. The single greatest 
  way  is  to  become  a  Ritemother  and 
  successfully  tutor  a  new  Ahrimane. 
  Although a Ritemother is not responsible 
  for her student after the Rite of the Third 
  Birth the behaviour and actions of an 
  Ahrimane  reflects  strongly  upon  her 
  mentor. Treatment of spirits and animals is 
  also very important. The respect that the 
  spirits have for an Ahrimane has a strong 
  influence on the respect that her sisters 
  will have  for  her.  All Ahrimanes are 
  expected  to  be  able  to  look  after 
  themselves and be self-sufficient, although 
  prestige is not lost for requiring help if a 
  task is genuinely difficult. 
  Paths 
  The path most widely practised among 
  the Ahrimanes is the path of Harmony, 
  despite it having fallen out of favour with 
  much of the Sabbat. Its balance between 
  man and beast and the respect for all living 
  creatures meshes well with the beliefs of 
  the bloodline.  
   
  While some younger members maintain 
  their Humanity, and a scattering follow 
  other Paths, most notably Feral Heart, 
  many  older  ones  are  Harmonists  and 
  moving to the Path is subtly encouraged 
  by the older Cats. Often instruction in the 
  Path of Harmony is provided to a new 
  recruit  by  her  Ritemother,  sometimes 
  starting before the recruit has undergone 
  her  third  birth  if  she  is  particularly 
  promising. 
  Despite this increasingly more of the 
  Ahrimanes newer recruits are followers of 
  the Feral Heart, and some of the longer 
  standing Harmonists have also had a shift 
  in their beliefs. 
  Some  rumours  among  the  younger 
  members speak of another morality called 
  the "Road of the Beast" practised by some 
  of their elders. Perhaps they are referring 
  to the Feral Heart, but that would be rather 
  strange considering these tales predate its 
  inception. 
  Opinions and Relations 
  The Sabbat 
  Generally the Ahrimanes  have little 
  involvement with the  workings  of  the 
  Sabbat. They are members, and serve the 
  sect when it is required, but beyond that 
  they  tend  to  keep  very  much  to 
  themselves. Visitors to Ahrimane estates 
  are welcomed and allowed to stay should 
  they wish, but though the treatment they 
  receive is hospitable the reception is rather 
  cool. 
  Ahrimanes most often deal with other 
  Sabbat when their skills are required to 
  serve the sect.  
  Lasombra 
  The  Ahrimanes  have  a  rather  poor 
  relationship with the sect’s leaders. Their 
  very strong sense of independence, their 
  secretive  nature  and  their  rather  large 
  mortal influence in the area around their 
  estates  all  make  the  Keepers  highly 
  distrustful  of  them.  This  distrust  is 
  returned by the Ahrimanes, who are less 
  than convinced of purity the Lasombra's 
  motivations.  However,  their  lack  of 
  involvement in sect politics and their loyal 
  and  valuable  service  to  the  Sabbat 
  prevents the Lasombra making any open 
  moves against them. 
  Tzimisce 
  The Fiends appear to have no interest in 
  the bloodline, and rarely interact with 
  them.  This  suits  the  often  Harmonist 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  23 
  Ahrimanes who find the practices of many 
  Tzimisce  quite  appalling.  The  only 
  exceptions are a few of the older Tzimisce 
  who still practices the Koldonic arts and 
  remember the ties that the clan once had 
  with the land and the spirits of the land. A 
  few of the older Ahrimanes maintain a 
  limited  contact  with  these  ancient 
  sorcerers, respecting the knowledge of the 
  spirit  world  they  have,  although  they 
  refuse to share any of their deeper secrets 
  with them. 
  Country Gangrel 
  More recruits come from the Country 
  Gangrel than from their city cousins. The 
  Ahrimanes see the Country Gangrel as 
  having a better balance between man and 
  beast, and so are more likely to be a 
  suitable  candidate  for  becoming  an 
  Ahrimane. The Cats have more respect for 
  the  Country  Gangrel  than  any  other 
  vampires, and when they do spend time 
  with non Ahrimanes, it is the Country 
  Gangrel they choose for companions. It is 
  not unknown for an Ahrimane to attend a 
  gathering  of  Country  Gangrel  and 
  participate  in  the  storytelling  and  the 
  Ordeal. 
  Many Country Gangrel are of Native 
  American stock and this can give them a 
  greater understand of the Ahrimanes and 
  their  ways.  When  an  intermediary  is 
  needed between the Cats and the rest of 
  the sect, it is the Country Gangrel who are 
  called upon. 
  City Gangrel 
  Most Ahrimanes, even those who came 
  from the City Gangrel, feel that the City 
  Gangrel are less connected to the World of 
  Beasts due in part to their lack of the 
  animalism discipline, and also their living 
  in the cities. Due to this fewer of their 
  recruits  come  from  the  City Gangrel, 
  although  recently  this  has  started  to 
  change. 
  Tremere antitribu 
  The Spellbinders would have loved to 
  increase their understanding of the spirit 
  world and increase their power there. The 
  Tremere's approach to spirits, controlling 
  and  binding  them,  is  contrary to  the 
  Ahrimane  approach  which  involves 
  bargaining  
  and  
  mutual  
  respect. 
  Consequently the Ahrimanes had refused 
  to share any of their knowledge or lore 
  with the Tremere, and some had even 
  refused to allow them into their territories. 
  Their departure will not be mourned by 
  the Ahrimanes.  
  Serpents of the Light 
  The Ahrimanes in Louisiana have had 
  clashes with the Setites in the region. They 
  have  learnt  something  of  the  undead 
  ongans  that  belong  to  the  Clan,  and 
  despise their attitudes to the spirit world 
  and the dark spirits they consort with. This 
  has carried over to the Setite antitribu and 
  has lead to a distrust of the Cobras and 
  their ways.  
  Other antitribu 
  Generally speaking the Cats have little 
  to do with any of the other antitribu, and 
  tend to treat each one on a case by case 
  basis. Usually an Ahrimane will be more 
  friendly towards a female Sabbat then a 
  male one, but not all Ahrimanes have this 
  attitude. Many of the city dwelling Sabbat 
  have never heard of the Bloodline, and 
  very few Sabbat in general have even met 
  an Ahrimane. 
  The Black Hand 
  Only a few members of the bloodline 
  have chosen to join the Hand, despite 
  several  being  offered.  Their  skills  in 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  24 
  fighting and survival combined with their 
  unique abilities make the few Black Hand 
  Ahrimanes highly prized. For themselves 
  the secretive Ahrimanes dislike serving 
  anyone other than themselves and many 
  distrust the Hand and its motivations.  
  Camarilla 
  The Ahrimanes hold the Camarilla in 
  contempt. They are the pawns of the elders 
  and must realise this or be destroyed. The 
  only clan they had any respect for is the 
  Gangrel. For their part the Camarilla know 
  nothing of the Ahrimanes, the nearest they 
  came  was  an  abortive  investigation 
  attempt by a Gangrel Archon, which died 
  when she did. 
  Mages 
  The Ahrimanes know the Shamans of 
  the native tribes and understand some of 
  their ways. In turn the Ahrimanes are 
  sometimes respected by them for their 
  closeness to the spirit world, although 
  equally often they are reviled as dead 
  things that offend the spiritually oriented 
  willworkers. The Ahrimanes have some 
  contact with both the Penumbra of the 
  Grey Squirrel and the Eyes of the Sun as 
  well as some other groups that are a part 
  of the Dreamspeaker Tradition.  
  Lupines 
  The Ahrimanes treat the Garou like 
  they would a dangerous animal. They have 
  great respect for their balance between the 
  three worlds and their formidable battle 
  prowess, and understand their spiritual ties 
  in  a  way  few  other  vampires  could. 
  Despite this they are hardly friends, and 
  while they would rather leave a Garou in 
  peace than fight with them, if their duty to 
  the Sabbat requires it they do so with all 
  the powers at their command. Frequently 
  encountered Garou leave them with no 
  other choice, being enraged at the idea of 
  any Leech dealing with the spirit world. 
  The two tribes that they have some 
  contact with are the Uktena and the Black 
  Furies. These contacts have arisen due to 
  the Ahrimanes interference with mortals 
  affairs.  Their  protection  of  the  native 
  peoples close to their estates has brought 
  them to the attention of the Uktena and the 
  involvement of some younger Ahrimanes 
  in women's rights issues in their territories 
  has lead to some contact with the Furies. 
  Generally the contact is reserved, with the 
  occasional  co-operation  and  trade  of 
  information, but mostly just an unspoken 
  agreement  to  leave  each  other  alone, 
  although even this sometimes breaks down 
  into violence. 
  The Ahrimanes refuse to have anything 
  to do with their sects Black Spiral allies. 
  They find the spirits that associate them to 
  be repellent and their own spirit allies 
  have warned that they will not assist them 
  in anything they do that aids the mad tribe.  
  Other Changing Breeds 
  The Ahrimanes attitude to the Garou 
  extends to others of the changing breed 
  when they meet them, which is in itself a 
  stunningly rare event. Those with ties to 
  the native tribes, the Corax, the Nuwisha 
  and the Pumonca are held in particular 
  respect.  Again  this  respect  does  not 
  translate  into  open  friendship  and  an 
  Ahrimane will fight one if she must, but 
  generally the  Cats  will  try to  find  a 
  peaceful solution to any encounter. While 
  the Cats sometimes know a little more of 
  the  shapeshifters  than  most  vampires 
  though their spirit ties, they are far from 
  being experts on them. 
  Special mention must be made of the 
  Bastet. The legends of cat shifters have 
  intrigued  some  Ahrimanes  and  several 
  have set out to uncover the truth behind 
  this. The Bastet are a secretive people, but 
  also  a  curious  one  and  rather  less 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  25 
  judgmental of vampires than the Garou, 
  and a few Ahrimanes have managed to 
  make tentative acquaintances. 
  Pentex 
  The  Ahrimanes  reclusiveness  has 
  meant that until recent times the bloodline 
  has  been  completely  unaware  of  the 
  wyrmcorp and the ties that it has with the 
  Sabbat.  As  younger  members  have 
  become active within the sect they have 
  started to  come  into  contact with the 
  Megacorp and the Sabbat who work for it. 
  Pentex presents them with a dilemma, it is 
  a powerful ally of the Sabbat and many 
  Sabbat hold positions in the company and 
  its subsidiaries. On the other hands the 
  Ahrimanes  ability to  interact with the 
  spirit  world  gives  them  some 
  understanding of what the company is 
  really doing, although they do not yet 
  know why. 
  Connections and Story 
  Ideas 
  Yaryan 
  Described in both editions of Chicago 
  by Night (now collected in the Chicago 
  Chronicles, volumes one and two) is a 
  former Brujah called Yaryan. Using a 
  Native American cleansing ritual Yaryan 
  severed the bond with his sire. After some 
  time he found that he was developing new 
  powers, a Discipline he dubbed Tellurian, 
  that allowed him to see and interact with 
  the Umbra. The similarities between this 
  and  Muricia's  history  should  be 
  immediately apparent, and brings up some 
  interesting questions. Did he use the same 
  ritual  as  Muricia?  Are  Tellurian  and 
  Spiritus variants of the same Discipline? If 
  the Rite of the Third Birth, or some 
  variant,  can be done on non-Gangrel, and 
  males  at  that,  this  could  have  huge 
  implications for the Bloodline. And just 
  what would Yaryan and Muricia make of 
  each other anyway? 
  The Lhiannan 
  The Lhiannan are an extinct Bloodline 
  that died out in the Dark Ages. They were 
  an  offshoot  of  the  Gangrel  who  had 
  Animalism, Presence and their own unique 
  Discipline  called  Ogham.  This  power 
  allowed them to tap the energies and 
  spirits of the land through symbols they 
  painted upon their bodies with their blood. 
  Could  the  elder  vampire  Muricia 
  diablarised have been a hidden member of 
  that Bloodline? Just how much of the 
  Ahrimane’s nature and powers could have 
  come this now extinct Bloodline. 
  Pentex and the Black Spiral 
  Dancers 
  The corrupt spirits that work with these 
  allies of the Sabbat are an anathema to the 
  Ahrimanes. While they have had little to 
  do with these allies in the past, its only a 
  matter time before an Ahrimane has to 
  choose between her personal convictions 
  and duty to the spirits, and acting with 
  allies for the benefit of the sect. As the 
  Cats knowledge to them increases they 
  may soon be forced to take some kind of 
  action which could put them at odds with 
  fellow Sabbat. 
  Separation 
  The Ahrimanes have always been very 
  independent from the Sabbat. Now that 
  Muricia has vanished and no force holds 
  the line together at least some are going to 
  leave in name as well as in practice, 
  although they will have to be careful as the 
  Sabbat has a brutal reputation for dealing 
  with  traitors.  Its  persecution  of  the 
  Harmonists  both  shows  this  and  has 
  encouraged several Ahrimanes to follow 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  26 
  their  example,  although  with  more 
  caution. 
  The departure of the Gangrel Clan from 
  the Camarilla has lead some Ahrimanes to 
  speculate about the possibility an alliance 
  of some kind could be made between the 
  Bloodline and the Clan it came from. 
  Perhaps such an agreement already exists 
  between Muricia and some of the Gangrel 
  Elders. 
  Mystic Lore 
  In recent times Muricia seems to have 
  developed something of a fixation with 
  acquiring magical knowledge. Certainly 
  she has encouraged Ahrimanes leaving the 
  estates to pursue rumour or stories about 
  such  things,  Whether  she  is  after 
  something specific is unknown, but some 
  of the Tremere antitrbu’s books found 
  their way into Ahrimane hands with a 
  great alacrity after their disappearances. 
  What,  if  anything,  the  shamanistic 
  Ahrimanes  can  make  out  of  the 
  Spellbinders Hermetic works remains to 
  be seen. 
  Disappearance 
  The biggest mystery is what happened 
  to Muricia and the others in the estate in 
  West  Virginia.  Did  Muricia  take  her 
  chosen few and depart to some promised 
  land,  perhaps  vanished  into  the 
  Spiritworld? Did she attempt some magic 
  restore the Bloodline’s fertility and did or 
  backlash and destroy her? Or many she 
  succeeded and is now founding a new and 
  self sustaining Bloodline and no longer 
  needs her former followers? Or was she 
  destroyed by her enemies, and if so who 
  were they? 
  Certainly some of the Ahrimanes are 
  determined to see if they can find out. 
   
  
  AHRIMANES 
  27 
  Character Creation 
  Character creation for the Ahrimanes is 
  handled in almost the same way as for any 
  other character. The difference is that all 
  Ahrimanes were embraced as Gangrel, and 
  so  many have  at  least  a  rudimentary 
  knowledge  of  their  disciplines.  When 
  creating an Ahrimane character, choose 
  starting  disciplines  from  Animalism, 
  Fortitude, Presence, Protean and Spiritus 
  for  former  Country  Gangrel  and 
  Animalism, Celerity, Obfuscate, Presence, 
  Protean and Spiritus for those of City 
  Gangrel descent. 
  Ahrimane Blood 
  While  the  Ahrimane  blood  cannot 
  create the Blood Bond, it can create a 
  Vinculum rating if used in the Vaulderie 
  (as  stated  in  the  live  action  rules). 
  However the effect will be slightly less 
  strong  than  normal,  other  participants 
  should subtract 1 from their dice rolls 
  when  determining  Vaulderie  ratings, 
  unless all the participants are Ahrimanes. 
  Few  Ahrimanes  are  in  packs  with 
  members of any other clan anyway. 
  Ahrimanes can create ghouls, but their 
  thinner blood means that the ghoul will 
  require more sustenance. An Ahrimane's 
  ghoul will require one blood point every 
  two weeks to remain a ghoul.  
  Disciplines 
  Spiritus  
  Spiritus is a discipline that is unique to 
  the Ahrimanes. Its powers stem from the 
  ritual that transforms them and without 
  undergoing this ritual, no vampire can 
  learn the discipline. 
  This is an attempt to bring the Spiritus 
  Discipline in line with the spirit world and 
  spirit rules as presented in Werewolf and 
  Mage, as well as Kindred of the East. 
  The  Werewolf  rulebook  is  highly 
  recommend  for  dealing  with  animal 
  spirits, as is the Werewolf and Mage 
  supplement, Axis Mundi. However, for 
  people  who do not want such details 
  complete rules for using it purely with 
  Vampire are provided. 
  �Speak with Spirits  
  The Ahrimane can speak to nearby 
  spirits for the duration of the scene. This 
  will not change the spirit's reaction to the 
  Ahrimane. The Ahrimane communicates 
  telepathically  with  the  spirit.  The 
  Ahrimane may also try to see spirits in the 
  area,  although  this  requires  intense 
  concentration. 
  System:  The  speaker  rolls  Wits  + 
  Linguistics  (difficulty  6).  One  success 
  allows the speaker to communicate with 
  whatever spirits are around. Of course, this 
  does  not  require  spirits  to  respond, 
  although  most  spirits  view  Ahrimanes 
  more  favourably  than  many  other 
  vampires.  Viewing  spirits  requires  a 
  Perception + Occult roll, difficulty of the 
  local Gauntlet.  
  Chapter Three: 
  Rules and Powers 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  28 
  ��Summon Spirit Beasts  
  The Ahrimane can call on the spirits of 
  dead animals, known to Garou and Magi 
  as animal Naturae, to aid them. They will 
  be predisposed to helping the caller, and 
  follow simple telepathic commends. The 
  spirits can take any actions they were 
  capable of in normal life.  
  System:  The  summoner  must  roll 
  Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). 
  The  difficulty  of  this  roll  may  be 
  decreased if the Ahrimane possess and 
  appropriate Material Correspondence for 
  the spirit (basically an item appropriate to 
  the spirits nature, or something like bones, 
  feathers  or  a  tooth  of  the  animal  in 
  question. See Axis Mundi for more details 
  on Material Correspondences).  
  The location also matters, if the animal 
  being called is local to the region it will be 
  easier to summon the spirits, if they come 
  from the other side of the world, or a very 
  different habitat it will be tougher. Use 
  common sense,  a rat will be easy to 
  summon it a city, but it will be difficult to 
  summon a polar bear in the desert.  
  Every success on the roll allows the 
  animal spirit to Materialize for a longer 
  period of time: 
  Spirits called by this ability do not have 
  to spend Power to Materialize, may do so 
  even if they do not possess the Charm, and 
  ignore  the  normal  restrictions  for 
  materialised spirits and the local Gauntlet 
  rating. In this is the case, the spirit will 
  have the attributes and health levels of a 
  normal animal of whatever type. Spirits 
  with the Charms Appear or Materialize 
  may be persuaded to remain after the 
  power's  duration,  although  this  will 
  require  some  bargaining  on  the 
  Ahrimane's part.  
  Rather than have them remain in the 
  physical world, the Ahrimane can ask 
  them to perform task in the spirit world or 
  Umbra. In spirit terms a "typical" Naturae 
  might be Rage 5, Gnosis 6, Willpower 6, 
  Power 30 with a number of appropriate 
  Charms. This should be modified as befits 
  to the animal, an Owl-spirit for example is 
  likely to have a high Gnosis score, where 
  as a Buffalo-spirit may have a high Rage. 
  Examples of animal spirits, and how to 
  deal with them, can be found in Werewolf 
  2nd edition and Axis Mundi.  
  It is possible to call upon the spirits of 
  extinct animals, but the longer the animal 
  has been extinct the harder it will become. 
  Calling upon a Sabre-Tooth tiger will be 
  harder than a modern tiger, calling upon a 
  Dinosaur  may  be  so  difficult  the 
  Storyteller can decide that it is effectively 
  impossible. 
  For those without access to the spirit 
  rules, assume summoned spirits have the 
  attributes of  a normal animal but are 
  somewhat smarter. They may stay for 
  longer than allowed by the power if a 
  bargain can be reached. Some also have 
  some additional powers, so a Falcon-spirit 
  may have the equivalent of Presence 1 or a 
  Snake-spirit Serpentis 1 for example. 
  While the spirits summoned may look 
  like animals, they are not. Powers that 
  work against animals will be ineffective 
  against them, although powers that effect 
  spirits will work. If another mystic tries to 
  command the spirits, they must beat the 
  successes  the  Ahrimane  scored  when 
  summoning them. Finally, as supernatural 
  creatures  attacks  from  their  teeth  and 
  claws do aggravated damage. 
  ���Aspect of the Beast  
  Successes 
  Duration 
  1 Success  
  One Turn  
  2 Successes  
  Five Turns  
  3 Successes  
  One Hour  
  4 Successes  
  One Night  
  5 Successes  
  One Week 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  29 
  Respect for the Spirits 
  Sprits, it must be stressed, are not just sources of information and powers. They are 
  beings, often complex and unfathomable ones, in their own right. Its important that an 
  Ahrimane interacts with the spirits rather than just using them. 
   
  Spirits exist in Broods. If you offend one Cat-spirit, the chances are all Cat-spirits are 
  going to react badly to you. Conversely if you honour your bargain well with a Raven-
  spirit, other Raven-sprits will more likely to assist you. 
   
  The animal spirits that the Ahrimanes mostly interact with are not identical in 
  behaviour to their material cousins. Rather they seem to be something of a fusion of the 
  animals themselves and the human beliefs about the animal. So Owl-spirits tend to be 
  wise, Coyote-spirits tricksters, Fox-spirits crafty and so on. Generally the more powerful 
  the spirit, the more individually personality it has, but it still always has the same 
  fundamental traits. 
   
  In game terms, having a good reputation with the spirits can be beneficial. If the 
  Ahrimane has a good relationship with a particular spirit Brood it can reduce the 
  difficulty or increase the duration of Summon Spirit Beasts and Aspect of the Beast. 
  By contrast a bad relationship with a particular type of spirit can make it harder to call 
  up, and less likely to stick around. Assume the quality of an Ahrimane’s relationship with 
  the spirits she is calling on can add or subtract up to 2 to the difficulty modifier of the 
  appropriate rolls. 
  The Beast and Animal Spirits 
  Another factor in the relationship between an Ahrimane and the Spiritworld is her 
  Beast. While the spirits they summon are not as hostile to them as they are to other 
  vampires, they are not always friendly. The stronger the Vampire’s beast, the lower their 
  Humanity or Path, then the more violent the animal spirits that respond to them. 
   
  This does not always mean they are hostile, if the Ahrimane is summoning the spirit 
  for a violent task it may be more inclined to help her. Nevertheless as the Ahrimane’s 
  Humanity or Path lowers it is harder for her to interact with the spirits of herbivores, as 
  well as talk to spirits of things like plants and rock. Those spirits of any kind that deal 
  with her will tend to either be frightened by her Beast or aggressive in nature themselves. 
   
  Although intended more as a role-playing tool, rules minded Storytellers can raise the 
  Rage and lower the Gnosis of spirits called by Summon Spirit Beasts if an Ahrimane’s 
  Humanity or Path is low. Also if a spirit is described as not dealing with shapeshifters 
  whose Rage exceeds a certain score, they will not deal with Ahrimanes whose Humanity 
  or Path is equal or less than that score. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  30 
  The Ahrimane can gain powers similar 
  to those possessed by animals by calling 
  on the spirit of that particular animal to 
  grant  her  the  power.  In  essence  the 
  Ahrimane is channelling the spirit she 
  calls on into herself, and the spirit is 
  employing the power. 
  If  another  vampire  views  the 
  Ahrimane’s aura while this power is being 
  employed, they will see a ghostly image of 
  the spirit being invoked overlaying it. 
  System: The Ahrimane must make a 
  Manipulation + Occult roll (difficulty of 7) 
  and spend a Blood Point to gain the 
  power. The power lasts for one turn per 
  success. Even if the spirit fails to grant the  
  power, the vampire must still expend the 
  Blood Point.  
  If the Ahrimane employs a sensory 
  power its possible to use that to try to 
  penetrate  another  vampire’s  Obfuscate. 
  Compare the Ahrimane’s Spiritus rating to 
  the opponents Obfuscate rating, just as if 
  she were employing Auspex. 
  Here are some of the possible spirit 
  powers, although this power is not limited 
  to these: 
  Armadillo’s Skin - The Ahrimane gains 
  an additional two dice for soak damage, 
  including aggravated damage. 
  Falcon's Eye - The Ahrimane can see 
  great distances as if she had the eyes of a 
  falcon.  
  Sounds of the Cricket - This grants the 
  power to produce an annoying, grating 
  sound loud enough to deafen those nearby 
  for a few hours.  
  Swiftness of the Stag - The Ahrimane 
  can move at twice her normal running 
  speed.  
  Strength of the Bear - This gives the 
  Ahrimane two extra levels of Strength.  
  Ferocity of the Cougar - All Courage 
  rolls are made at one less difficulty.  
  Beaver's  Bite  -  This  makes  the 
  Ahrimane's bite strong and sharp enough 
  to cut through almost any substance, add 
  +1 bite damage and biting though tough 
  substances can be done with a Strength 
  roll, difficulty set by the Storyteller. 
  Serpent's Venom - The Ahrimane's bite 
  transmits a venomous toxin that causes 
  two Health levels of Lethal Damage in 
  living  victims  per  turn.  The  damage 
  continues until the toxin is removed or 
  nullified or until the Ahrimane's spirit 
  power ends.  
  Chameleon's Colors - The Ahrimane 
  becomes  a  chameleon,  capable  of 
  changing color to suit the environment, 
  and  +5  stealth  dice,  but  only  if  the 
  Ahrimane move at half speed or less. 
  Leapfrog - This grants the Ahrimane 
  the ability to leap three times her normal 
  height and distance.  
  Ears of the Hare - The Ahrimane can 
  hear as well as a rabbit, reducing the 
  difficulty of  Perception rolls involving 
  hearing by two.  
  Nose of the Hound - The Ahrimane's 
  sense of smell is far greater than that of a 
  mortal. She can even track by scent with 
  on a Perception + Survival roll (difficulty 
  set  by  Storyteller),  smell  related 
  perception  rolls  have  their  difficulty 
  reduced by two. 
  Squirrel Balance - The Ahrimane can 
  move about in the branches and limbs of 
  trees or across tightropes with little fear of 
  falling. All such Dexterity rolls have their 
  difficulties decreased by two.  
  Skin of the Frog - the Ahrimane's skin 
  becomes slick and slippery. Attempts to 
  pin or grapple the Ahrimane suffer a +3 
  difficulty and it becomes easier to slip 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  31 
  through tight spaces.  
  Shock of the Eel - with a touch the 
  Ahrimane can deliver a potent electric 
  shock. This will do as many dice in 
  damage as the Ahrimane scores on her 
  Manipulation + Occult roll to activate the 
  power. 
  Charge of the Buffalo - this power can 
  only be used if the Ahrimane is running 
  towards an opponent or target. When used 
  the Ahrimane will slam into the target 
  with great force without being harmed 
  herself, doing Strength +2 damage. 
  Spit of the Cobra - The Ahrimane can 
  spit a blinding contact poison. The hit roll 
  is Stamina + Athletics, difficulty 6. 
  Mole's Tunnelling - Mole gives the 
  Ahrimane the power to tunnel through the 
  earth. The Ahrimane must roll Strength + 
  Athletics to determine how far she can go, 
  with the difficulty depending upon how 
  hard the earth is.  
  Stench of the Skunk - The Ahrimane 
  can generate a truly foul smell that will 
  distract anyone in the vicinity. A Self-
  Control roll is required to get close to the 
  Ahrimane or to stay close to her. She stops 
  generating  the  smell  when  the  power 
  wears off, but is likely to stink for some 
  time to come. 
  ����Engling Fury  
  This power allows an Ahrimane to use 
  an animal Engling, a spirit of mystical 
  energy, to replenish her Willpower. When 
  the  power  is  invoked  the  spirit  is 
  summoned although it does not appear 
  immediately in the physical world. The 
  Ahrimane then has a choice she can either 
  take the power from the spirit straight 
  away, or she can honour the spirit with a 
  hunt. 
  If  the Ahrimane  chooses  to  simply 
  force the energy from the spirit, then it 
  dissipates  immediately  before  even 
  materialising. If she chooses to hunt it then 
  it will materialise as an animal, and the 
  Ahrimane will have to pursue, catch and 
  kill it. At which point she must then say a 
  small prayer of thanks to the spirit. 
   
  System: To simply take the energy the 
  player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation 
  (difficulty 8). Every success allows her to 
  regain a point of Willpower, however each 
  use  of  this  power  destroys  the  spirit. 
  Obviously this can damage the Ahrimanes 
  reputation in the spirit world. 
  Summoning a spirit to hunt requires a 
  Charisma + Occult roll (difficulty 8) at 
  which point the spirit will materialise. The 
  player will then have to make whatever 
  rolls the Storyteller thinks are appropriate 
  to hunt and catch then animal, depending 
  upon terrain she must hunt it through. If 
  the hunt is successfully completed then the 
  Ahrimane must say the prayer of thanks. If 
  this  is  done  the  spirit  will  reform 
  elsewhere afterwards.  
  Note that knowledge of the Discipline 
  does not automatically grant knowledge of 
  how to perform the hunt and prayer. The 
  Storyteller may require this to be learnt as 
  a ritus, as so require the character to have 
  at least a point in Rituals. 
  �����The Wildform  
  The Ahrimane has the power to channel 
  spiritual  energies  to  fuel  a  physical 
  transformation, taking on a larger and 
  tougher  feral  state  and   granting  her 
  special physical powers. She also takes on 
  a more catlike appearance, and animals 
  react  poorly to  this  shape.  The  exact 
  appearance can vary, some Ahrimanes just 
  grow bulkier, acquire a thin layer of fur 
  and look rather  more  feline, while others 
  turn into a full blown Cat-woman. Unlike 
  Protean, the transformation does nor effect 
  the  Ahrimane’s  clothing  or  items  she 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  32 
  carries, clothes are simply shredded.  
  System:  The  change  is  automatic, 
  happening   whenever  the  Ahrimane 
  wishes it,  raising the vampire's Strength 
  by 3,  and Dexterity by 2. Stamina also 
  increases by 2, and can be used to soak 
  Aggravated damage from physical attacks. 
  Appearance goes to 0 and Manipulation is 
  reduced by 3, however Strength can be 
  used instead for Intimidation rolls. 
  The vampire's claws and fangs cause an 
  extra die of damage, she no longer needs 
  to hold, tackle or clinch before biting, and 
  her claws are retractable like a cat’s. Both 
  fangs and claws do Aggravated damage. 
  Smelling,  hearing,  and  night  vision 
  improve to roughly twice normal (double 
  Perception  dice  for  appropriate  rolls). 
  Finally  all  rolls  for  interacting  with 
  animals are at +2 difficulty. 
  ����� �Blessing of the 
  Beast 
  This power is a more potent version of 
  Aspect of the Beast. Through her greater 
  understanding the Ahrimane can hold the 
  spirit energies within herself for a longer 
  period of time. 
   
  System:  This  power  works  in  all 
  respect like Aspect of the Beast, except 
  the invoked powers last for one scene per 
  success  rather  than  one  turn.  The 
  Ahrimanes cannot employ more powers 
  through this level of Spiritus at any one 
  time than her Animal Ken rating. Also at 
  the Storytellers discretion powers from 
  animals that would conflict, such as dog 
  and cat, cannot be employed at the same 
  time. The spirits of such creatures refuse 
  to be in each other’s proximity for any 
  length of time. 
  Protean 
  Many Ahrimanes have Protean from 
  their  days  as  Gangrel.  While  this 
  Discipline works the same for them as for 
  any vampire there are a couple of minor 
  points. The Feral Claws they grow always 
  look  feline  in  shape  and  if  they are 
  advanced enough to turn into an animal 
  form it is always a cat of some kind rather 
  than a wolf. Generally this is a large North 
  American cat such as a puma and has 
  exactly the same benefits as the wolf form. 
  Ahrimanes who had mastered these levels 
  of Protean before their Rite of the Third 
  Birth find that the rite alters their Protean 
  powers to these new forms. 
  Thaumaturgy 
  Given that its Thaumaturgy that has 
  created the Bloodline, and that several 
  members have close contact with human 
  Shamans  its  unsurprising  that  several 
  Ahrimanes have an interest in the magic of 
  the blood. Unlike the Tremere with their 
  Hermetic based magic, or the Tzimice's 
  magic  with  its  Koldonic  roots  the 
  Ahrimane's magic comes from the Native 
  American practices. This is reflected in the 
  style of their magic, which bears little 
  resemblance  ordered  study  of  the 
  Warlocks.  Ahrimane  rituals  instead 
  include  much  chanting,  drumming, 
  dancing and painting themselves with their 
  blood.  Its  common  for  practitioner  to 
  purify themselves before performing any 
  but the most trivial of rituals. 
  There  are  not  enough  practising 
  Ahrimane  Thaumaturgists  to  make  it 
  worth having a separate system for them. 
  Consider the Path of Spirit Manipulation 
  to be their base Path rather than the Path 
  of  Blood.  Other  common  Paths  are 
  Elemental Mastery, Neptune's Might and 
  Weather Control. The Rituals they use 
  tend to be those that deal with spirits, 
  animals, plants and the land itself. They 
  have Rituals at most levels that allow them 
  to summon, and if necessary dismiss or 
  bind,  many  kinds  of  spirits.  Some 
  Ahrimanes are rumoured to even be able 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  33 
  to feed off of spirits. 
  Ahrimanes and the 
  Spiritworld 
  Although unlikely, its possible that an 
  Ahrimane could end up in the Spiritworld, 
  often called the Umbra. If such an event 
  should  occur  then  the  Ahrimane  will 
  appear  somehow  more  solid  than  a 
  vampire normally would. She can also 
  interact  physically  with  spirits  and 
  ephemera even when not in Frenzy. Rules 
  for vampires in the Umbra can be found in 
  the Book of Worlds, a supplement for 
  Mage. 
  Ahrimanes are also capable of using 
  Fetishes should they acquire them, and 
  some of the older ones are capable of 
  making them. This requires a Willpower 
  roll, difficulty equal to the Fetish's Gnosis 
  or Arete +1. Characters wishing to start off 
  with such an item can purchase them with 
  the Special Gift Merit like any vampire 
  character wishing a mystic item.  
  Combination Powers 
  These powers are rare, even amongst 
  the Ahrimanes it is hard for them to find a 
  teacher.  Its  rumoured  that  the  spirits 
  themselves  can  teach  these  powers  if 
  approached properly, but the truth of this 
  is unknown. 
   
  Sight of the Spirit  
  This power lets  the Ahrimane peer 
  through  the  Gauntlet,  the  barrier  that 
  separates  the  physical world  from the 
  spiritual one. 
  Required: Spiritus 1, Auspex 2 
  Cost: 10 experience 
  System: The Ahrimane rolls Perception 
  + Occult, difficulty the local Gauntlet. The 
  more  successes  she  scores,  the  more 
  clearly she may see, and hear and smell, 
  into the Umbra. While doing this, she 
  cannot see into the real world. 
   
  Sign of the Beast  
  By combining her limited shapeshifting 
  powers of Protean with her ability to call 
  on the powers of the animal spirits the 
  Ahrimane may ask the spirits to control 
  her  shapeshifting.  This  enables  the 
  Ahrimane  to  grow  a  fully  functional 
  animal feature such as a tail, fins or wings. 
  While this power only needs to be 
  learnt once, the ability to grow a particular 
  animal feature requires that the Ahrimane 
  makes a bargain with the animal spirits in 
  question. The spirits will want something 
  quite considerable in return, sometimes 
  wishing to take control of the Ahrimane’s 
  body for agreed periods of time so they 
  Auspex and the Vampire 
  Storyteller’s Handbook 
  The brief passage on the Ahrimanes in 
  the  Vampire  Storyteller’s  Handbook 
  refers to them having Auspex. I tend to 
  view  this  as  rather  like  Vampire 
  Revised’s description of Lupines having 
  Celerity, Potence and what have you, a 
  quick way of summarising something not 
  detailed in the book. 
  From the point of view of this work, 
  Auspex is encouraged because it can bring 
  a Vampire closer to the spirit world (for 
  example the Site of the Spirit combination 
  power). However it is not their main 
  Bloodline Discipline, after all who would 
  sacrifice the ability to make childer for a 
  power they could probably pick up of a 
  packmate? 
  Auspex, Animalism and Protean is fine 
  for “quick and dirty” Ahrimanes, but if 
  that’s all you wanted you probably would 
  not be reading this. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  34 
  can act in the mortal world. Once the 
  bargain is struck the Ahrimane can use 
  features from that animal whenever she 
  likes, as long as she has kept her end of 
  the deal. 
  Required: Spiritus 3, Protean 2 
  Cost: 15 experience 
  System: The Ahrimane must spend a 
  blood point and roll Stamina + Animal 
  Ken, difficulty 7. The transformation takes 
  one turn and will last for the rest of the 
  scene. The abilities  transferred  by the 
  power will depend on what feature the 
  Ahrimane grows. 
   
  Spirit Claws  
  All  vampire’s  Feral  Claws  are 
  dangerous weapons, but some Ahrimanes 
  have learnt to extend their reach. Using 
  their knowledge of how to effect spirits 
  and their energies they can manipulate the 
  energies of the Beast in their claws to 
  effect the spirit world. 
  Required: Spiritus 4, Protean 2 
  Cost: 20 experience 
  System: The Ahrimane must spend a 
  Blood Point and grow the Feral Claws as 
  normal.  To  attack  into  the  Penumbra 
  requires the expenditure of an additional 
  Blood Point and a Dexterity + Brawl roll, 
  difficulty  7,  or  the  local  Gauntlet, 
  whichever is higher. This attack can be 
  dodged  and  soaked  as  normal  and  is 
  considered Aggravated Damage. 
   
  Shape of Many Creatures  
  This power is a more advanced form of 
  the  Sign  of  the  Beast.  With  greater 
  knowledge of shapeshifting the Ahrimane 
  can now call upon an animal spirit and 
  assume its form. 
  Required: Spiritus 3, Protean 4 
  Cost: 25 experience 
  System:  The  Ahrimane  must  roll 
  Stamina + Animal Ken, difficulty 7. The 
  transformation costs 1 blood point and 
  takes three turns, or additional blood may 
  be spent to speed the this up, each extra 
  point reduces the number of turns by one, 
  to a minimum of one. The powers and 
  attribute  changes  will  depend  on  the 
  animal whose shape she assumes. The size 
  of the animal cannot be smaller than a rat 
  or larger than a buffalo. 
  As  with  Sign  of  the  Beast  an 
  appropriate  animal  spirit  must  be 
  bargained with for each different form the 
  Ahrimane  wishes. Bargains made with 
  spirits for growing animal features do not 
  carry over to full transformations. 
  Ritae Systems 
  None of the Ritae presented in Chapter 
  One  have  mechanics.  They  are  all 
  essentially roleplaying opportunities and 
  should be treated as such. Of course the 
  Rituals background is required to get them 
  to work properly. 
  Visionquests may be used as a reason 
  to  increase  Spiritus,   Spirit  Lore  or 
  Cosmology. Touching the Beast may be 
  used as a reason to increase Animalism, 
  Self-Control or Instincts. 
  Paths 
  Although it has fallen out of favour 
  amongst much of the Sabbat, the Path of 
  Harmony is still practised amongst some 
  of the Ahrimanes. The Path of Harmony 
  was printed in the Player’s Guide to the 
  Sabbat, since that book is now out of print 
  some details are given here. 
  Nickname: Harmonists 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  35 
  Basic Beliefs: The central tenant of the 
  Path is that human distinctions between 
  good and evil are not relevant to vampires. 
  What is important to all creatures is the 
  distinction between natural and unnatural. 
  Being  a  vampire  is  not  inherently 
  unnatural or sinful. Being a vampire yet 
  not acting according to your nature as an 
  undead predator is both. 
  The Harmonist view of nature is not a 
  view of cuddly animals living together 
  peacefully in the forest. Nature is about 
  survival, and that is frequently a violent 
  and bloody business for  animals, humans 
  and vampires. 
  Killing is not regarded as being an 
  inherently bad thing. Indeed killing to 
  survive is the right of every creature on the 
  planet, and to do and act otherwise is an 
  offence against the natural order of things. 
  Following the Path of Harmony is an 
  act of balance. A vampire is not a human, 
  so it is unnatural to behave like one. Nor 
  are they a beast, so succumbing to the 
  Beast,  however  tempting,  is  also  not 
  following their natural path. Rather the 
  vampire is seen as being a balance of both 
  these  aspects.  Both  of  them  bust  be 
  balanced, both must be served but neither 
  can be allowed to grow to dominate.  
  It is this aspect of balance that gives it 
  its appeal to the Ahrimanes. Those that 
  feel  they  must  balance  themselves 
  between the Three Worlds find Harmony 
  Path of Harmony 
  Score 
  Moral Guideline 
  Rational 
  10 
  Failing to spend at least two hours per night 
  communing alone with nature. 
  You are part of the natural order and must 
  contemplate and maintain your place in it. 
  9 
  Killing an animal for any reason other than 
  survival. 
  Predators kill for survival, for food or 
  protection. They do not kill for pleasure or 
  sport. 
  8 
  Failing to hunt and drink blood whenever 
  hungry and time permits. 
  You are a predator , and given the opportunity 
  you must hunt for that is now your nature. 
  7 
  Acting in an overly cruel manner. 
  Cruelty is the mark of a sadist, not a predator. 
  6 
  Refusing to ride the wave as long as it is not 
  detrimental to your own survival. 
  The Beast is part of your nature which you 
  must accept, although you cannot do that if you 
  are dead. 
  5 
  Killing a mortal for any reason other than 
  survival.  
  Predators kill for survival, for food or 
  protection. They do not kill for personal 
  reasons or hatred. 
  4 
  Failing to provide safety for your loved ones 
  and comrades. 
  As the wild predator must protect their pack 
  and family, so you must protect those close to 
  you. 
  3 
  Allowing yourself to act too human or too 
  bestial. 
  Your are both human and beast now, to go too 
  far into one is to loose touch with the other. 
  2 
  Feeling guilty about doing something you 
  needed to do. 
  To feel guilt over acting in your nature is to 
  reject what you are. 
  1 
  Refusing to kill when it is important for your 
  survival. 
  Killing to survive is the way of the natural 
  world. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  36 
  ideally suited for their purpose. Obviously 
  those who practice in indulging usually 
  find its ban against going too far into 
  human or bestial behaviour to be too 
  prohibitive. 
  The Ethics of the Path: 
   
  • Nothing acting according to its nature 
  is evil, the only sin is to act in a way 
  unnatural to your being. 
  • Life should be respected, animal or 
  human, but respecting a life should not 
  prevent  you  from  taking  it  when 
  necessary.  It  is  possible  to  feel 
  compassion for your prey, but you 
  must not feel remorse if the act was 
  necessary. 
  • Being a vampire is an act of balance 
  between the human side and the Beast. 
  Vampires are not humans and to try an 
  act human is both unnatural and to 
  invite disaster as human morals are not 
  designed to cope with the Beast. To 
  give  in  to  the  Beast  is  equally 
  unnatural, vampires are not animals 
  either. 
  • Vampires, humans and animals are 
  neither superior or inferior to each 
  other. Rather they all have different 
  roles and places in the order of things. 
  Although vampires are supernatural, 
  they are not unnatural. 
  • Every creature has the right to ensure 
  its own survival, even if that is at the 
  expense of others through feeding or 
  defence. 
   
         Virtues: Harmony uses the virtues of 
  Conscience and Instincts. 
   
  History: The Path developed in the 
  New World colonies in the late 1700s. 
  Initially very popular, is numbers have 
  dwindled in recent years. This is partly 
  because  its  members  tend to be  very 
  choosy about who they pick as recruits, 
  and also because it has been seen in some 
  quarters  of  the  Sabbat  as  weak  for 
  allowing  compassion  under  some 
  circumstances. 
  Some Harmonist were persecuted were 
  persecuted by their supposed comrades, 
  some adapted their beliefs to the Path of 
  the Feral Heart, and some left the Sabbat 
  all together.  Due to their comparative lack 
  of involvement in the sect, the Ahrimanes 
  have been left to pursue it in peace. 
   
  Current Practices: Very little, a few 
  gatherings still occur but they are growing 
  rarer  in  number.  The  Ahrimanes  still 
  largely follows the Path, but the Bloodline 
  simply is not big enough to start holding 
  meetings of Harmonist Ahrimanes. 
   
  Description of Followers: Outwardly 
  Harmonists often appear fairly humane the 
  uninitiated, although they certainly tend 
  towards  the  emotional  side.  However 
  when their survival is at stake they are 
  capable of  exploding in ferocious and 
  shocking violence. It is not this that others 
  can find most unnerving however but the 
  fact that afterwards they show absolutely 
  no remorse over the act they felt was 
  necessary. Harmonists often prefer to go 
  with their instincts and intuition than to 
  rely on cold logic. 
  Following the Path 
  The character should show a respect for 
  the  natural  order  of  things,  and  an 
  understanding of the place in that order 
  that the vampires has as a predator. They 
  should no more harm than they must, and 
  feel no remorse about doing what was 
  necessary. 
   
  Common Abilities: Abilities that allow 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  37 
  them  to  better  understand  themselves, 
  those around them and their environment 
  are  prised.  Examples  would  include 
  Alertness,  Empathy,  Animal  Ken  and 
  Survival. 
   
  Preferred Disciplines: Animalism is 
  prised  for  its  insight  into  the  Beast. 
  Auspex is valued for the understanding it 
  can give of the world around the vampire. 
  Merits & Flaws 
  Animal Features (1pt Flaw) 
  During your time as a Gangrel you 
  have  acquired  one  or  more  animal 
  features. The number of times you take 
  this  flaw  determines  the  number  of 
  features  that  you  possess.  Every  five 
  features you have removes a point in 
  Social Attribute.  
  Since  many  Ahrimanes  were  quite 
  young when they were transformed the 
  Storyteller may wish to place a limit on 
  the number of times the Flaw may be 
  taken, generally no more than five times. 
  Strangely enough although the features 
  were acquired before the transformation 
  ritual,  most  Ahrimanes  have  animal 
  features of a feline nature. This is partially 
  because having such features is considered 
  a good sign and such Gangrel are more 
  likely  to  be  considered  as  potential 
  recruits. However, it is not unknown for a 
  Gangrel's feature to actually change during 
  the Rite of the Third Birth, she may start 
  with a wolf's tail, only to awaken when it 
  is over with the tail of a cat. 
  Unknown Origin (1-2pt Merit) 
  Nobody but your sisters is aware that 
  you have undergone the Rite of the Third 
  Birth. For the one point version of this 
  merit people think you are a Gangrel 
  antitribu. For the two point version people 
  think you are a member of the newly 
  independent main Clan. This merit applies 
  to  actual  members  of  the  Clan  and 
  Bloodline  and  means  more  than  just 
  nobody knows you as an Ahrimane, you 
  can produce a few people to backup your 
  claim as Gangrel or antitribu, possibly 
  even your sire. 
   
  Discipline Affinity (3-7 pt Merit)  
  You have kept an affinity for your 
  former  Gangrel  disciplines.  For  three 
  points you may buy one discipline of your 
  former clan at clan rates, for five points 
  two and for seven points three. Former 
  Country  Gangrel  may  choose  from 
  Protean or Fortitude and City Gangrel 
  from  Celerity,  Obfuscate  and  Protean. 
  Obviously the 7 point version of this Merit 
  is  meaningless  for  a  former  Country 
  Gangrel. 
   
  Feline Affinity (1 pt Merit) 
  Felines of all description react well to 
  the  Ahrimanes  presence,  reduce  the 
  difficulty all rolls for interacting with them 
  by two. In addition, the Ahrimane reduces 
  by two the difficulty of any roll that 
  involves  felines spirits. 
   
  Feline Mannerisms (2 pt Flaw) 
  Every now and then something about 
  your actions is distinctly catlike in nature. 
  When you are happy you purr, when you 
  get blood on your hands you lick it off, 
  and so on. While other Ahrimanes don’t 
  mind its not good in polite society.  
  Whenever  a  situation  where  the 
  character will act in a feline manner comes 
  up,  and  these  are  at  the  Storyteller’s 
  discretion,  the  player  must  roll  Self-
  Control or Instincts, difficulty normally 7 
  although it can vary. A failure means the 
  character acts on impulse without even 
  realising it.  
   
  Spirit Magnet (3-7 pt Merit or 2-6 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  38 
  pt Flaw) 
    This  is described in  the Book of 
  Shadows. In essence it means that the 
  Ahrimane is surrounded by spirits in the 
  Umbra.  The  spirits  attracted  to  an 
  Ahrimane  are  always  animal  spirits, 
  although they may be benign ones (for a 
  Merit) or malevolent ones (for a Flaw). 
  The cost of the Merit or Flaw determines 
  how numerous and powerful the spirits 
  are. 
  Backgrounds 
  Mentor 
  Most  Ahrimanes  should  take  some 
  points  in  the  Mentor  background  to 
  represent their Ritemother. The exact cost 
  will vary depending upon both the power 
  of the Ritemother and how close at hand 
  she is. If the Ahrimane is in a roving pack 
  and her Ritemother is on an estate she will 
  not be able to offer the help and advice 
  were that she could if they were both at 
  the estate. No points in this background 
  implies that either the two no longer get 
  on, or the Ritemother is either dead or out 
  of contact for some reason. 
  Familiars 
  Several  Ahrimanes  have  animals  or 
  spirits for companions. Storytellers might 
  want to allow an Ahrimane character to  
  take the backgrounds of Familiar (lesser) 
  from  World  of  Darkness:  Sorcerer, 
  providing she takes an animal and has at 
  least  one  point  in  Animalism,  or  the 
  background  Familiar  Spirit  from  the 
  Werewolf Players Guide, providing that 
  they have at least a point in Spiritus and 
  has an animal spirit. Obviously familiar 
  spirits cannot hold Rage or Gnosis for an 
  Ahrimane,  but  the  can  hold  "blood" 
  instead of Gnosis. This is not true blood, 
  but spiritual energy that it can transfer to 
  the Ahrimane to nourish her. 
  A  familiar  is  a  very  demanding 
  background to have as they expect at least 
  as much out of the relationship as they 
  give. Otherwise they will leave at  best, 
  and cause real trouble at the worst. 
  Knowledges 
  Ahrimanes may have the Knowledges 
  of Spirit Lore and Cosmology at character 
  creation.  Spirit  Lore  quantifies  the 
  Ahrimane’s knowledge of the beings of 
  the spirit world, and may be used in place 
  of  Occult  when  employing  Spiritus. 
  Cosmology is described in the Werewolf 
  Players Guide and Mage: the Ascension 
  and represents a knowledge of the spirit 
  world  itself,  and  very few  Ahrimanes 
  possess  much  of  it.  Storytellers  are 
  encouraged to make sure characters have 
  good reason to posses these rare abilities. 
   
   
  
  AHRIMANES 
  39 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  40 
  Important Ahrimanes 
  It would be meaningless to talk about 
  famous Ahrimanes, hardly any vampires 
  in the World of Darkness have even heard 
  of the Bloodline. Amongst its members 
  though, there are some whose personality, 
  influence and ideas have had great impact. 
  Alicia 
  In the wake or Muricia’s vanishing 
  several  Ahrimanes  have  had  quite 
  different ideas about the direction the 
  Bloodline should go in, but none have 
  been more radical than Alicia. A relatively 
  new member, but seen as having much 
  potential and a prominent Ritemother in 
  Eileen Blackfeather she was thought to be 
  heading  for  important  things  perhaps 
  heading her own pack and ultimately den 
  some day.  However, after an apparently 
  spontaneous revelation she has become a 
  Bahari  and  set  upon  a  mission  of 
  conversion to the rest of the Bloodline and 
  anyone else in earshot with some limited 
  success. 
  She claims that the true roots of the 
  Bloodline are older than any realise, that 
  the  spirits  that  answer  the  Ahrimanes 
  powers are all creatures of Lillith and that 
  the Bloodline has a special destiny in the 
  Dark Mother’s plans for Gehenna. Older 
  Ahrimanes mostly dismiss her as a crank, 
  but she has won some converts and is said 
  to have recently acquired the knowledge 
  necessary for the Rite of the Third Birth 
  from a strange spirit. Others now fear that 
  she will create more Ahrimanes who share 
  her beliefs and that her ways may bring 
  the Bloodline undesirable attention. 
  Maria McKinnan-Fisher 
  Some people never fit in, from mortal 
  life  to  vampiric  existence.  Always 
  something of a loner, Maria has gone from 
  mortal misfit who tried to kill herself to a 
  Gangrel  misfit  in  a  pack  that  self-
  destructed  and  now  Ahrimane  who  is 
  causing trouble. 
  Always impatient by nature she quickly 
  grew tired with the speed at which she was 
  being taught the powers of the Bloodline 
  and the time it took to master dealing with 
  spirits, along with the whole lifestyle on 
  an Ahrimane Estate Maria left to find her 
  own path through the world, travelling 
  around America and to Australia. Now 
  several  years  later  she  is  back, 
  accompanied by rumours of diablerie, a 
  dhampir child and an incredible mastery of 
  Spiritus. 
  What is know is that she has taken a 
  Pander as a husband, the two were wed 
  through a ritus and she claims he has a 
  knowledge of the spirit world as great as 
  the Bloodline’s, and can teach them new 
  and better ways to deal with the spirits. 
  Some credit the two of them with the ritus 
  that enables an Ahrimane to draw power 
  from  an  Engling  without  it  being 
  destroyed. Her cause has not been helped 
  by  
  her  
  blunt  
  and  
  sometimes 
  confrontational  attitude  and  her  zero 
  tolerance for those who disagree. So far 
  her  formidable  personal  powers  and 
  combat prowess have kept her safe and her 
  detractors have fought only with words. 
  Helen Fairchild 
  While others argue over the future, 
  Appendix: 
  Daughters of the Blood 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  41 
  worry about the present and prepare for 
  the future, some just get down and part. 
  Helen Fairchild former City Gangrel and 
  now  the  most  notorious  socialite  and 
  celebrant of the Bloodline certainly knows 
  how  to  party.  The  spoilt  daughter  of 
  wealthy parents in life, the spoilt protégée 
  of her sire as a Gangrel and now  probably 
  the most well known Ahrimane outside the 
  Bloodline, although for nothing many of 
  her sisters would take pride in. Her own 
  events  are  legendary  for  their  acts 
  indulgence and extravagance and she is 
  never short of an invitation. People still 
  talk about the orphanage children served 
  on silver platters and her “Hollywood 
  Tour” where several minor celebrities met 
  an untimely demise. 
  Helen travels from city to city, both 
  Camarilla and Sabbat, apparently as the 
  mood  takes  her.  She  has  extensive 
  contacts, primarily amongst the Toreador 
  and Venture although few know her actual 
  pedigree, and has no trouble being invited 
  to both Elysiums and major Ritae. With 
  the recent upheavals in America Helen has 
  been planning  a visit to Europe.  
  Eileen Blackfeather 
  Nobody knows much about Eileen’s 
  history, she was one of Muricia’s first 
  recruits  and  has  long  been  her  loyal 
  follower and right hand vampire. It is 
  known that she in her mortal life she was a 
  half-caste, born to a Native American 
  woman raped by a white soldier.  
  However,  Eileen  is  thoroughly  a 
  vampire and has left mortal thought and 
  politics behind. Mortals are tools and food 
  and one type is no better or worse than 
  another. 
  Since Muricia’s disappearance Eileen 
  has worked hard to try and keep things in 
  the Bloodline as they always have been, 
  acting as a sort of caretaker leader and 
  waiting for Muricia to return. It has been 
  less successful than she might have hoped 
  however, as  many younger Ahrimanes 
  have gone in their own direction and even 
  most  of  the  older  ones  believe  that 
  everything is not alright. 
  Although she has formidable personal 
  power her, her influence has been slowly 
  slipping over the Bloodline and she has 
  become more desperate to try and reassert 
  it. Where as Muricia was always followed 
  out of respect Eileen has had to throw her 
  weight  around  more  and  more  to  be 
  followed and a  confrontation, possibly 
  violent, between her and the increasing 
  numbers of those who disagree with her 
  seem inevitable. 
  Muricia 
  Mother, founder, guider and mentor 
  Muricia is known to all of her daughters. 
  While her history is discussed in more 
  depth in Chapter One, it is her present that 
  concerns the Bloodline now. 
  Theories abound. Some say that she has 
  gone into the spirit world on a great vision 
  quest  to  bring  back  some  powerful 
  knowledge  or  medicine,  possibly  the 
  secrets of  creating a fertile Bloodline. 
  Others that she has taken the worthy to 
  some  safe  place  for  Gehenna.  Darker 
  stories are also whispered that she and 
  those with her have been destroyed, by 
  some  wrathful  manitou  or  ancient 
  vampire. Some even claim the Gangrel are 
  responsible, seeing the Ahrimanes as some 
  sort of blemish upon their blood, while 
  others  think  it  is  the  revenge  of  the 
  Lasombra for the Bloodline independence. 
  Character Concepts 
  It is a  common  misconception  that 
  Bloodlines must have a limited range of 
  character concepts. Like any vampire, an 
  Ahrimane  is  an  individual  first  and 
  foremost. 
  These concepts are only rough outlines, 
  their purpose is to provide some ideas 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  42 
  rather than completely formed characters. 
  Likewise the notable traits provided for 
  each concept are hardly an exclusive list, 
  just the important ones for the concept. 
  Southern Belle 
  Brought up in a good, although no 
  longer wealthy, family you were taught 
  early on the importance of behaving the 
  right way, especially after the ‘incident’ 
  with your sister who had ran away. Family 
  secrets have a bad habit of catching up 
  with people though, and one night your 
  sister returned, with a friend.  
  Although you did not want to go with 
  her and be “liberated” you did not have 
  much choice, especially after her friend 
  took  most  of  your  blood.  You  next 
  memory is waking up under packed earth 
  and clawing your way out. Dazed and 
  confused you travelled with the pair for a 
  while, but they soon fell out. The fight was 
  apparently  over  you,  and  who  you 
  belonged to, but it was really just an 
  excuse.  Your  sister  tore  her  erstwhile 
  friend apart then took you with her to meet 
  her “sisters”. You soon regained your 
  composure  and  they taught  you  some 
  quaint but effective native customs and 
  how  to  use  your  powers,  eventually 
  culminating  in  a  rather  touching 
  ceremony. 
  You still act very much the proper lady, 
  you talk and act politely and do not speak 
  out  of  place.  Just because you are  a 
  undead bloodsucking monster does not 
  mean you have to be a rude one, even to 
  mortals.  After  all  dinner  is  a  serious 
  business and you were always taught to 
  eat properly.  
  Notable  Traits:  Social  Attributes, 
  Presence,  Etiquette.  
  Party Animal 
    Always you were a bad girl, and you 
  loved it. After all bad girls get all the fun 
  and all the attention and that’s what you 
  wanted. One night though was a little bit 
  too wild, you woke up the next evening, 
  you were dead. It was a shock but you got 
  over it, and had a blast with your sire, who 
  called  himself  something  called  City 
  Gangrel, for a while. After all now you 
  really could get anyone to do anything for 
  you. 
  One night, after a few years your sire 
  introduced you to another vampire who 
  could beat you both hands down for shear 
  self-indulgence and pleasure. Your sire, 
  she told you, was  rather deadweight, but 
  you and she could have fun together if you 
  were willing to learn a few things. You 
  dropped him like a shot, and although 
  there were some tiresome things to be 
  studied you were eventually ready to join 
  your new Bloodline. 
  You  embody  all  the  feline  sleek 
  sensuality and selfishness and love to be 
  the  centre  of  attention.  Parties,  social 
  gatherings and wild orgies fill up your 
  nights. You like to pick a victim… er 
  playmate for a while and toy with them a 
  bit,  both  mentally  and  physically. 
  Afterwards you leave them as a wreck, if 
  you leave them alive. 
  Notable  Traits:  Social  Traits,  
  Presence, Carousing, Seduction. 
  Hippy Chick 
  Your parents were 60’s burn outs who 
  taught you to love everyone and to be in 
  touch with the natural world around you. 
  One night on a camping trip something 
  from the unnatural world took an interest 
  in you and your friends. A couple of City 
  Gangrel decide you would get a whole 
  new experience of the natural world, as 
  prey. They chased you and your friends 
  around the woods and prolonging their fun 
  and eventually killing the others. They 
  were going to kill you too but then one 
  found out you were a vegetarian from the 
  scattered food tins and they decided to 
  embrace you for a laugh. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  43 
  Much  to  everyone’s  surprise  you 
  adapted  quite  well.  Eating  meat  as  a 
  human is a matter of choice, drinking 
  blood as a vampire is a matter of survival. 
  Learning to talk to the animals gave you a 
  massive insight into the real nature of the 
  natural world, violent and brutal but full of 
  passion and a wild savage beauty. Also 
  you felt, a spirituality too. 
  You were proved right as well, a few 
  years after proving yourself True Sabbat 
  you met and interesting vampire, almost 
  instantly the two of you hit it off. She 
  offered you a chance at a new existence, to 
  become closer to the natural order of 
  things and get away from your brutish 
  packmates. She taught you the tenants of 
  the Path of Harmony and eventually was 
  your Ritemother through the Third Birth. 
  You still dress and act a lot like your 
  mortal days. You even preach love and 
  tolerance to those that will listen. After all 
  you love the humans and animals that give 
  you sustenance, especially those whose 
  lives it becomes necessary to take, its all 
  part of the cycle of life. 
  Notable  Traits:  Path  of  Harmony, 
  Social  Traits,  Spiritus,  Animalism, 
  Empathy. 
  Wild Child 
  You were and experiment by your sire, 
  an attempt to see if a human really could 
  be brought up among animals. Using her 
  powers of animalism to command her 
  ghouled animals you future sire had them 
  raise and care for you. When she thought 
  you were ready she embraced you. 
  Not much changed really except now 
  you could hunt for yourself. Even when 
  your sired failed to return one night you 
  were not too worried, for now you could 
  talk to the animals yourself, and feed them 
  your blood as your sire had done. You 
  continued almost unthinking with your life 
  until you found another like yourself in 
  your territory. You attacked her for daring 
  to intrude, but were soundly beaten for it 
  seemed she had the power so summon 
  animals form nowhere. She did not kill 
  you however, instead she spoke to you in 
  the language of the animals, telling you 
  that she though you had much potential 
  and she could teach you the secrets she 
  had used to defeat you.  
  Now you are an Ahrimane, although 
  you have learnt the human tongue you 
  rarely use it. Instead it is the language of 
  the spirits you wish to learn for human 
  affairs have little interest to you, as do 
  humans except for as a meal. 
  Notable  Traits:  Path  of  the  Feral 
  Heart,  Physical  Traits,  Animalism, 
  Protean, Animal Ken, Survival, Retainers 
  (Animal Ghouls) 
  Urban Shaman 
  The streets are a hard place to grow up, 
  harder if you a young girl by yourself. 
  You were a survivor though and knew 
  how to get by, at least until your first run 
  in with a vampire. You sire was a City 
  Gangrel recruiting for an attack on some 
  Camarilla and you were in the right place 
  at the right time. Surviving the attack you 
  ran with his pack for a while, although you 
  felt something was lacking, some world 
  existed just beyond your senses. 
  You did not know what it was however, 
  until you were approached one night by a 
  vampire who said that she could see in you 
  a greater potential. You eagerly learned all 
  she could teach you about the world of 
  spirits and your eyes were opened to this 
  marvellous new world. 
  Now you see the city as a vast living 
  organism with which you are a part. You 
  speak to the spirits of the urban animals, 
  of the buildings and streets and on rare 
  occasions even feel the presence of the 
  spirit of the City itself.  
  Notable  Traits:  Mental  Attributes, 
  Spiritus, Spirit Lore, Occult, Streetwise  
  
  AHRIMANES 
  44 
  Scout 
  Daddy was a survivalist who spent 
  most of his days in the woods and taught 
  you to handle and automatic soon after 
  you could walk. He taught you how to 
  survive in the woods, how to look after 
  yourself and  about the secret powers that 
  were controlling people. It was not the UN 
  or the Federal Government that came for 
  him that night though, but something even 
  his  paranoia  had  not  counted  on,  a 
  vampire. 
  Actually he  had  been pegged as a 
  recruit, but things got messy and he wound 
  up  dead.  Not  wanting  to  make  it  a 
  complete loss you were taken instead. 
  Soon you found yourself fighting the real 
  secret  powers,  the  ancient  vampires 
  manipulating Canite and mortal to their 
  own ends. Recently a former pack-mate 
  returned and offered you a chance to learn 
  more about the real nature of the world, 
  and you took it. Now you are no longer a 
  Gangrel but an Ahrimane. 
  Your skills make you and ideal scout. 
  Apart from your mundane talents you can 
  talk to the local animals and spirits to get a 
  really good  idea  of the  area  you are 
  moving into. Although you can handle 
  yourself well in a fight you know the real 
  trick is not to be noticed in the first place. 
  Notable  Traits:  Physical  Attributes, 
  Animalism, Spiritus, Fortitude, Survival, 
  Stealth. 
  Gamekeeper 
  Growing up on the reservation was 
  really tough. Keeping to the old ways like 
  Mom  taught  you  was  even  tougher, 
  particularly when even your brothers and 
  sisters could not. Then one night he came 
  to you, dressed like a traditional warrior 
  and surrounded by a aura of power, and 
  took you to be his immortal bride. He was 
  impressed  by  your  keeping  to  the 
  traditional ways, but you soon found he 
  made no attempt to try and preserve them 
  amongst your people.  
  After he was killed by a ravaging 
  Lupine you returned to the reservation. 
  You soon found that there was someone 
  else there who was watching the people, 
  and she offered to show you how to talk to 
  the spirits of your people and have the 
  power  to  truly practise  the  traditional 
  ways. You discovered that her ways were 
  only loosely based  on  your  own  and 
  decided after your transformation that you 
  would be the keeper your people needed. 
  Now you keep the reservation in order, 
  keep it the way it should be. Like a 
  Gamekeeper or warden preserving some 
  species you keep watch over your former 
  people and keep them pure both . Those 
  who bring the ways of the white man into 
  your  territory  you  punish,  sometimes 
  fatally. You dabble sometimes in mortal 
  politics too if it helps your people be left 
  alone. Despite all this you are no longer 
  close to your people, your attachment has 
  become more of an ideal as any emotional 
  closeness slowly fades away.  
  Notable  Traits:  Presence,  Politics, 
  Intimidation. 
  
  AHRIMANES 
  45 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Storyteller [multi]/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/Vampire/Clanbooks/Unofficial/Ahrimanes.pdf