Furies

by Daniel Maloy (2 Nov 94)

     "On Terra, long dead
     Old Gods, it is said
     Created the Furies to Fly.
     Grim justice to seek
     And revenge for the weak,
     And those whom the law has passed by."
     -Mercedes Lackey, Eumenides

Name: The Furies

Parent clan: Unknown (presumed by many to be Malkavian)

Organization: Independent

Status: Unknown, but due to the power of some individuals encountered
presumed to be a Clan.

Overview: The Furies of Greek myth were spirits of horrible vengence. They
were created by the gods to punish the transgressions, whatever they may be,
of the living. It is unknown, like much about this clan, whether the legend
evolved from the clan, or vice versa.

There is no clear consensus on whether the Furies are a true clan, or if
they are even children of Cain....their origin, like the clan itself, is
deeply shrouded in mystery. Indeed very few Kindred are even aware that the
clan exists, most believing them to be Brujah, Malkavians, or some of the
more violent Anarchs or Sabbat members.

Like the legends on which they are founded the Furies are the very
embodiment of anger, or violence...even more so than the Garou. The Furies
have intemate knowledge of the Beast within, and are one with it.

Appearance: Many of the Furies are very disheveled in appearance as they are
often so consumed by their desire for vengeance that they do not bother with
appearance. Others take immaculate care of themselves in order to inspire
the "proper" amount of fear in the object of their hatred. Physically the
Furies are always very pale and gaunt, even moreso than most Kindred,
whether this is a result of their physical neglect or simply a facet of
their existance is not known.

Haven: Furies often take Havens similar to places that were most important
to them in life, but they often avoid the actual places themselves because
their mastery of Mentem can bring unpleasant memories with everything they
touch.

Background: The Furies spring from all classes and all cultures. Wherever
anyone possesses enough anger at her death a Fury is born. In ancient times
the Furies were almost completely female as they bore the brunt of the
world's injustice, and were allowed no acceptable actions to release their
frustration. In recent years the clan has come closer to an even
distribution of the sexes as today's society demands that both men and women
repress their anger. The Furies may also choose single members of a
population for the Embrace after a great injustice has been played upon the
people.

One of the things that has confused the Kindred scholars the most is the
fact that they do not, as a rule, Embrace the living. Instead they choose
their Progeny from among the recently dead. The Furies, unlike most clans,
are able to Embrace those dead up to several days (one day plus one more day
for each point of Generation Background. So a 13th Generation Fury could
only Embrace someone dead a single day, while an 8th Generation Fury could
Embrace a person dead up to six days.)

Character creation: While the vast majority of Furies have a Vigilante
Concept, players should by no means feel limited to this. As the Furies can
come from any class in any society they, likewise, encompass nearly any
concept.

Their Demeanors can be nearly anything, but the most common Natures are
Bravo, Caregiver, Judge, Loner, Martyr, and Survivor. Physical Attributes
and Talents are almost always Primary, but a Fury with Mental Attributes or
Skills as Primary are not so uncommon as they once were.

Backgrounds, once again, can be nearly anything appropriate to the concept,
but Allies (from the Fury's mortal life) and Fame (as the public seems to
have a morbid fascination with Vigilantes and Serial Killers.) are two of
the more common backgrounds.

Several merits and flawas are also common among this clan: Berserker, Prey
Exclusion, Nightmares, Vengeance, Hatred, Driving Goal, Concentration, Iron
Will, Acute Senses, Ward, Monstrous, Disfigured, and Permanent Wound.

Clan disciplines: Obfuscate, Potence, Mentem.

Weaknesses: The Furies are possessed of an all-consuming anger. Whether this
manifests itself as a Hatred, a Driving Goal, or a Vengeance agains someone
varies, but the anger is there. In addition to one of the above flaws, a
Fury is also much more likely to Frenzy than most Kindred. The difficulty
for her Frenzy rolls is always 3 higher than the number listed.

Gaining clan prestige: The members of this clan seem to act completely
independant of each other. While they may grant respect to those they
believe have proved their merit there are no formal guidlines, and the
members of this clan seem content to allow each other pursue her own
particular goal.

Quote: "I have allies in Heaven and comrads in Hell."

Stereotypes

Brujah:
        o "They know well the ways of Rage, but it is unfocused in them and
          ineffective."
Gangrel:
        o "Worthy allies and opponents."
Malkavian:
        o "In their pranks they allow others to more fully experience the
          Beast, but they are still infuriating nuisances."
Nosferatu:
        o "As we embody the Rage of the Beast so do our brethren embody the
          physical aspect. Treat them well for they are a font of
          information and can often further your vengeance."
Toreador:
        o "The Hedonists are lost in a world of bliss. They are the cause of
          many of our kind with their elitism."
Tremere:
        o "Trust not the Warlocks, for they are truly traitors as their
          nickname suggests. Still they have much to offer if you are
          willing to pay their price."
Ventrue:
        o "They believe that they still lead all Kindred. Their vanity has
          made them blind to the changing world. As the Silver Fangs are to
          the Garou so are the Blue Bloods to our fellow Kindred."
Caitiff:
        o "Treat them as they ask to be treated, as individuals."
Assamites:
        o "They kill without reason, for profit. They are not worthy of our
          respect"
Giovanni:
        o "Had we the power we would Embrace all the spirits they rape with
          their foul Discipline so true vengeance could be taken."
Ravnos:
        o "Treat them as the Caitiff, but watch your belongings when they
          are near. In their travels they learn much that can be of aid."
Salubri:
        o "Beware of them, for they have the power to deafen you to the
          Rage. Their hearts are in the right place, but they do not
          understand that hate must exist to counterbalance the love they
          contain, else their love loses all value."
Followers of Set:
        o "These corrupters make valuable allies if you judge it worth the
          risk, however, unlike the Salubri their hearts are almost never in
          the right place, sometimes literally."
Lupines:
        o "Our brothers although they will not acknowledge us as such. We
          both follow the Path of Rage."
Mages:
        o "They often destroy much in their search for power. Some are good,
          but most destroy without discrimination. It is best to destroy
          them instead, and be done with it, if you can."