The Avengers of Diedne

by Dark Whispers (11 Nov 94)

The following is a Bloodline that I have been working on for the past few
months. This is the completed version, with their discipline, their path of
enlightenment, and a new thaumaturgical path. I would appreciate some
feedback, and I'd like to know what you guys think.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This offshoot of the Salubri are little known by most Kindred, which, for
their sake, is a good thing; if they were to be discovered, there is no
doubt that they would be quickly destroyed. It is these Kindred who lend
truth to the Tremere propaganda about the Salubri, and even the peaceful
Childer of Saulot seek to destroy these abberations when the opportunity
presents itself. While their lineage resides with the Salubri, and certainly
their powers are a corrupt version of the Salubri's own healing abilities,
this is where the similarity ends. These Kindred are vengeance driven shells
of their formers selves and they seek only one thing out of their unlife;
the utter destruction of the House and Clan Tremere.

Their history commences during the same period as that of the Tremere. In
A.D. 767, the great Magus and philosopher Bonisagus founded the Order of
Hermes by unifying many of the Magi of Europe. Bonisagus was joined by a few
Magi of both Celtic and Classical backgrounds, of which Tremere was one, and
these Magi formed the twelve Houses of the Order of Hermes. The Order
continued this way for centuries, but in the ninth century A.D. a Magus of
House Tytalus founded House Ex Miscellanea, which became the thirteenth
Hermetic House. Thus, the Order of Hermes now contained thirteen houses, and
remained as thus until the second millenia A.D.

However, in 1003 A.D., the Order of Hermes was forever changed. House
Tremere, with the aid of House Flambeau, warred upon the Hermetic House of
Diedne, and by 1012 had suceeded in all but obliterating the House's
existence. Rumours abounded about what reason the House Tremere had for
performing such a heinous act against their brothers and sisters of the
Order, but no proof or motive ever came to light. The few remaining members
of House Diedne retreated into hiding, and the Order as a whole disbanded
their House and denied that such a House had ever indeed existed, as the
Schism War had been a messy affair, and not one that the majority of the
Order were proud of, and the House was quickly forgotten.

While members of the former Hermetic House did not officially exist any
longer, there were still some who managed to endure and survive the horrors
that the members of House Tremere had put them through in search of some
'secret knowledge' of which they would not speak. One such member was a
powerful, young Magus by the name of Dalorese. After the fall of the House
Diedne, she, along with a number of her loyal apprentices and fellow Magus
of the Diedne, escaped and went into hiding. Dalorese was enraged at the
treatment that their House had received at the hands of House Tremere, and
she swore revenge against all the Magus of that Hermetic House; that they
would know pain and suffering as the Diedne had known it.

To this end, she rallied her followers, and organized them in a series of
Guerilla-style strikes against the House Tremere. It was at the hands of
these Magi that more than one Tremere Chantry fell, and it was during this
'war' that Dalorese discovered the true reason for the fall of House Diedne,
and the dark secret of the Tremere; Tremere himself, along with his most
loyal Magi, had used the knowledge that they had stolen from the Diedne
during the Schism war, to become immortal. They were now Vampires.

Dalorese's rage knew no bounds. She found it incredulous that the Tremere
had used the knowledge of the Druidic House of Diedne for the purpose of
making themselves an abberation of nature, and she re-doubled her efforts
against the Tremere, and continued the war against them for over a century
by using re-vitalizing magics on herself and her followers.

While Dalorese and her 'guerilla-force' of Magi did become a rather annoying
thorn in the side of the Tremere during the Eleventh century and into the
Twelfth, they simply did not have the man-power or resouces to cause any
substantial damage to the Tremere. In order to resolve this difficulty,
Dalorese left her cabal in search of allies against the Tremere, and left
her close friend and ally Telusia in charge of the cabal with explict
instructions; they were to continue their war with the Tremere until her
return.

However, her enthusiasm against the Tremere did not match her success in
finding allies against them. Many of the surviving members of the House
Diedne were fearful of moving against the Tremere, as they were aware of the
amount if mystical and temporal power the Tremere had gained since the
Schism War. Also, many feared reprecussions from the entire Order of Hermes;
House Diedne was now an embarressment to them and the surviving members were
concerned that the Order would move to destroy them if they struck back at
the Tremere.

Dalorese continued her search for allies in the legions of the other Houses,
and other supernatural beings, but received a similar response. It was
during these journeys that she discovered the existence of the Salubri; a
clan of Vampires whose founder had recently been destroyed by the and who
were now being systematically wiped out by the Tremere. She saw many
similarities between these Salubri and her own House Diedne, and she decided
to find one of these Vampires and enlist their aid against the Tremere.

Her search continued for over twenty years, with little success. As she
discovered, the Salubri had become amazingly adept at hiding their presence
away from people whom they did not wish to have contact with. But, as she
was beginning to lose hope of ever finding one of these elusive Kindred, one
found her. A Salubri by the name of Saucius had heard about her inquiries
into the presence of his bloodline, and he had become intrigued by her. He
had been secretly tracking her progress for over a year, and, when he had
decided the time was right, presented himself to her.

She immediately attempted to recruit his aid against the Tremere, but
Saucius flat out refused, stating that the Salubri were beyond such petty
conflicts, and that he had achieved a state which the Vampires called
Golconda, and he was at peace with himself. However, he explained, it would
soon be time for him to pass on from this immortal coil, and he required a
person of good heart and quick mind to pass on what he had learned. He saw
great promise in Dalorese, if she could manage to let go of all of the
hatred and anger that she kept inside. He then offered to train Dalorese in
the ways of the Salubri, and offered her an 'apprenticeship'. Dalorese,
disappointed by Saucius's response to her petition for aid, agreed, hoping
to at least learn some useful information about Vampires which she could
apply to her battle against the Tremere.

For the next several years, Saucius trained Dalorese in the ways of the
Salubri, Golconda, and the mystic abilities of Vampires which they called
disciplines. Saucius also taught Dalorese how to let go of her anger and
embrace acceptance, which Dalorese eventually did. She forgot her war
against the Tremere, and became content with her existance with Saucius, and
fell deeply in love with him.

However, the time for Saucius's passing on eventually arrived, and it was
during this ritual of renewal that Saucius made a fatal error; instead of
Embracing Dalorese, training her, and then forcing her to Diablerize him, he
performed both actions at the same time. The shock of the Embrace was too
much for Dalorese's mind, and the horror of draining her love's very
lifeblood threw her over the edge. As she cradled her love's now lifeless
body in her arms and watched it slowly crumble to dust, she snapped. All of
the training and discipline that she had learned over the last few years
retreated to the recesses of her mind as she succumbed to the beast and fled
out into the night.

Dalorese, or at least the creature that used to be Dalorese, remained this
way for over six years, living in the forests of the country-side and
ripping the throats out of un-wary travellers. It continued this way until a
Setite, curious about the local rumours of a 'man-beast' which roamed the
woods at night, investigated for himself. When he came upon Dalorese, he was
almost overcome by her fury, but he managed to restrain her. Controlling his
first impulse to destroy her outright, he saw uses for a Vampire such as
this, and, as a secondary interest, under her mud-caked scalp he discovered
that she bore a mark of Set (as Dalorese had red hair). He took her back to
his haven, and brought her back from the sway of the Beast. He trained her
in controlling the Beast with a series of strongly felt beliefs, and she
learned quickly. However, little did the Setite Malius know that Dalorese
had, during his trainings, managed to regain her memories, and she used her
hatred for the Tremere and disgust for what she had become as the basis for
her control, and not this 'Path of Typhon' of which Malius spoke.

Malius was also fascinated by the powers which Dalorese had access to; he
had never seen the effects of Obeah (which Dalorese now remembered), and was
amazed by the potency of the discipline, as well as the third eye which
Dalorese was now beginning to develope. However, Malius suggested new uses
for the discipline, and he and Dalorese began to corrupt it for more
offensive purposes. Dalorese's third eye turned from ice-blue (her natural
eye colour) to red-black, and the whites of the eye transformed into a
sickly grey-black. This signalled the true corruption of the former Salubri,
and Malius suggested that Dalorese put her skills to use for the Followers
of Set. Dalorese answered by paralyzing him with the very powers he had
helped develop, and diabolizing him.

Dalorese then left in search of her old followers of the House Diedne. After
several months search, she discovered them, still waging guerilla war
against the Tremere. She Embraced them, and named her new bloodline the
Avengers of Diedne. Now they would be able to battle the Tremere throughout
all eternity, and they have remained a substantial thorn in the side of the
Tremere ever since. The only reason that the Tremere have not been able to
wipe them out are the same reaons for their lack of success against the
Salubri in recent years; it is difficult to destroy that which you cannot
find. There are also dark rumours which suggest that the Tremere allow the
Avengers of Diedne to survive as it gives them fuel for their fire against
the Salubri. As the majority of Kindred can not distiguish between the
Avengers and their original line, this serves the Tremere against both of
these bloodlines.

                   --------------------------------------

Nickname: Black Druids, Bullseyes (because if the reddish tint many of them
possess in their third eye)

Appearance: More often than not, this bloodline recruits it's members from
Kindred who have been wronged by the Tremere in some way. Their Weakness of
damaging their vessels while they are drinking from them makes it rather
difficult to create progeny. As a result, members of this bloodline can have
any appearance, but many appear rather scruffy as a result of their
underground war against the Tremere.

Haven: The Avengers of Diedne tend to make their havens in undeground
dwellings. However, they do not co-exist well with the Nosferatu, and will
remain separate from their systems of tunnels.

Background: Members of this Bloodline can be from any background, as long as
they have been wronged by the Tremere is some way. In fact, the vast
majority of the Kindred of this Bloodline have been recruited by the
Avengers from other Vampiric Clans and Bloodlines, so the backgrounds of
these Kindred are highly varied.

Character creation: The vast majority of the Avengers have drifter-style
concepts. Many have Fanatical natures, but any demeanor is useable. Those
who specialize in the Magic of the Diedne tend to have Mental attributes and
Knowledges as Primaries, while those who lean towards personal combat
usually have Physical Attributes and Talents as Primaries. The most common
background of these Kindred is Generation, although any background is
applicable.

Disciplines: Fortitude, Nakyrae, Thaumaturgy

Weaknesses: This Bloodline suffers from several weaknesses. Their primary
weakness is that any creature from which they drink will take an aggravated
wound level for each wound level they normally inflict. Thus, if an Avenger
of Diedne drank one blood point from a Mortal, they would inflict one
aggravated wound instead of a regular wound. There are some Kindred who have
theorized that, because of this, the Bullseyes are related somehow to the
Giovanni, but they real reason lies in their saliva, which is acidic. For
this reason, the Black Druids tend to drink from victims that they have
killed shortly beforehand, as their saliva can no longer heal the wounds
which they inflict, and a few of them have been known to bloodbank.

A secondary weakness which derives from their acidic saliva (which is
developed at the first level of Nakyrae) is that these Kindred have great
difficulty in producing progeny. The acid in the saliva of the vampire
enters into the system of the Mortal, causing extensive damage to internal
organs and the cardio- vascular system. Many of these wounds are so servere
that more than half of the progeny that the members of this bloodline
creates perish shortly after receiving the Embrace. Thusly, the Avengers of
Diedne have taken to recruiting members of other Clans to their cause.
Similarly to the discipline of Obeah, training in the discipline of Nakyrae
causes the user to open up a third eye in their forehead as they learn the
tenants of the discipline.

Another weakness of this Bloodline is their third eye. Unlike the Salubri,
who can easily disguise their additional eye, the third eye of the Avengers
is quite prominent. While open, it is often a red, black, or sickly green
colour. While closed, the eye is still prominent, and will form a large bump
on the Kindred's forehead that appears to be infected. Thus, it is much more
difficult for an Avenger to hide their true nature from Kindred and Mortals
alike than it is for the Salubri.

Finally, many members of this Bloodline possess the Vengeance and Driving
Goal Flaws, the goal of course being the utter destruction of Clan Tremere.
This severly hampers their dealings with other Kindred and any kind of
involvement in mortal affairs.

Organization: The Avengers of Diedne have no formal organization. They tend
to exist in coeteries of small numbers. This allows them to wage
guerilla-style strikes against the Tremere while not being noticible enough
to draw attention to themselves. Once in a while, a few of these groups will
band together for an assault upon a Tremere chantry, but these occasions are
very rare.

Gaining Bloodline Prestige: Not surprisingly, the best way for a Bulleye to
gain prestige within the Bloodline is to wage successful attacks against the
Tremere. The more daring the tactic, and the more successful the strike, the
more prestige the Kindred will gain. Most follow the Path of Liadere.

Quote: " Although we are small in number, we are powerful. From the depths
of destruction we grew. Even when no others would aid us in our quest, we
perservered. And now, when they are more powerful then they have ever been,
the Tremere shall come to fear the name... Diedne. " (Maniacal laughter)

Stereotypes

Salubri:
        o Some of us have our doubts whether or not we actually were once
          part of this pathetic bloodline. They're useless search for the
          state known as Golconda is a waste if effort; Golconda doesn't
          exist, and any 'pire who believes that it does is just deluding
          themselves. They wouldn't help us against the Tremere, so they're
          against us.
        o It is a shame that members of our own have become so twisted and
          evil. Saucius's folly is a lesson to be learned by all Kindred,
          and we must take responsibility for our actions. We shall attempt
          to turn the Childer of Dalorese, and, failing that, we shall have
          no choice but to forcibly restrain them. Such a waste...
          -Naomi Conners, Salubri
Camarilla:
        o These Kindred are a waste of space, and are the pawns of the
          Tremere. Anyone who takes a quick look at the Camarilla will
          quickly see that it's the Tremere who control this sect, and they
          simply let the Ventrue think they are in control. The Nosferatu
          aren't so bad; they seem to be the only clan of the bunch that
          have any idea of what the Tremere are really up to, though I
          wouldn't trust one. The rest of them are unwitting playthings of
          the Tremere, and if they get in our way, we'll have no qualms
          about wasting them.
        o These Kindred are a danger to the entire Camarilla. Though I am
          loathe to admit the underlying power that the Tremere has in the
          Camarilla, their influence is necessary for the effcient
          functioning of the sect. While several Nosferatu contacts of mine
          insist that the Black Druids keep the Tremere from becoming
          complacent by keeping them on their toes, and I myself and not
          abverse to having an enemy keeping the Tremere off my back and out
          of my affairs, I am concerned that the existence of the Avengers
          of Diedne threatens our entire sect.
          - Angelica Pablossa, Ventrue Archon of the Toreador Justicar
Sabbat:
        o Now these Licks have the right idea! Unlike the Camarilla, they
          don't play at being human; Vampires are alot of things, but human
          ain't one of them. Problem with them is that they got Tremere too.
          While they may think that these Tremere are different from their
          Camarilla counterparts, we don't think so. We wouldn't put it past
          those Bloodsuckers to fake a Clan split to get an in in the Sabbat
          too. Tremere or Tremere Antitribu, they shall all pay for their
          crimes against House Diedne.
        o While these whelps may be a danger to the Camarilla, they pose no
          threat to us. It is a well known fact that we hate the Tremere at
          least as much as they do. However, if they happen to take a couple
          of Tremere Antitribu out in the fight, I don't have any problem
          with that.
          -Anton McDowell, Brujah Antitribu Bishop of Toronto
Anarchs:
        o We draw our largest amount of members from the ranks of the
          Anarchs. Most of them got some kind of beef with the Cam, and that
          means a beef with the Tremere in some way or another. If these
          guys could get organized, they would make a kick-ass group of
          front-liners against the Tremere. If they could get organized...
        o The Avengers of what? Wasn't that a T.V. show in the sixties or
          something? -Case, Caitiff
Inconnu:
        o If these withered up elders think they can avoid the
          machinizations of the Tremere by stayin' outta the way, they're
          fooling themselves. If they try and interfere with our destruction
          of the Tremere, they may find themselves in the same position as
          Malius did; at the business end of our fangs.
        o This Bloodline truly leads a tragic existance; to live out their
          entire unlives in pursuit of such a useless goal[A...what an empty
          existence they must have. However, tragedy aside, these Kindred
          are not to be trifled with. They fully intend to bring about the
          utter destruction of the Tremere, and they will show no mercy to
          any who come between them and their goal. My advice would be to
          give them a wide berth, and walk the other way if you ever come
          across one.
          -Julianna LaFeyette, Kiasyd Monitor

Thaumaturgical Notes: Unlike the Tremere, the Avengers of Diedne are not
very strict with their apprentices as to which Path of Thaumaturgy they
should learn and in which order that they learn them. While Blood Magic does
have it's importance (as the House Diedne were Druidic Magi, and were tied
to the Verbena), it is not necessary that they learn it first. They may
select the Path they wish to study first, instead of being forced to learn
Blood Magic. As being derived from a Druidic Tradition, the Avengers learn
only paths which apply to Nature and Elemental Forces. The Paths which are
available to them are: Elemental Mastery, Neptune's Might, the Lure of
Flames, the Taste of Blood, Weather Control, and Naturae's Touch.

They also have their own rituals which are known to them and only them.
Although the Tremere gained access to many of their magics when the House
was destroyed, Dalorese and her followers have since developed magics which
have been quite useful in their battle against the Tremere.

StoryTeller's Notes:: Speaking as a StoryTeller, I highly recommend that you
DO NOT let a player play a member this bloodline in a chronicle. The purpose
of the creation of this bloodline was to develop a resource for Non-Player
Characters and Plotlines. While it would be interesting to have your
player's come accross a member of this little known bloodline, it would
probably be disasterous to let a player play one. This, of course, is at
your discretion.