Lamiae

by Allen B. Ruch (11 May 93)

The Lamiae are a new bloodline, a cross between demon and vampire, muse and
succubus. I am indebted to the great author Tim Powers for the idea. If you
haven't read his novel, The Stress of her Regard, I heartily recommend it to
you. It is a vampire story like no other...

The clan is not really intended to be a character clan, but is more for the
Storyteller or to create atmosphere.

Lamiae

     She was a gordian shape of dazzling hue,
     Vermilion-spotted, golden, green, and blue;
     Striped like a zebra, freckled like a pard,
     Eyed like a peacock, all crimson barred;
     And full of silver moons, that, as she breathed,
     Dissolved, or brighter shone, or interwreathed
     Their lustres with the gloomier tapestries -
     So rainbow sided, touched with miseries,
     She seemed, at once, some penanced lady elf,
     Some demon's mistress, or the demon's self.
     -John Keats

The Lamiae are a bloodline of vampires that exist outside all rules of the
Kindred; be it the Camarilla, the Sabbat or the Inconnu. In many ways more
demon than vampire, they have remained aloof from the ranks of the Kindred,
maintaining a secrecy and mystery that intrigues and mystifies the Kindred
much in the way they themselves are beheld by mortals.

The Lamiae are exclusively female, and it is believed that there are no more
than between three and nine of them in existence. No one knows how they
engender their race - for they do not feed on the mere blood of a mortal,
but upon his very life-essence, and these mortals invariably perish or
commit suicide. This has lead to speculation that they are truly immortal,
and either unable or unwilling to beget progeny. Simply put, a Lamia will
target a mortal and form a supernatural bond with this intended "lover."
Once the bond is sanctified by a marriage ritual, the mortal begins to die.
The Lamia begins the process of slowly draining the life-force from her
target - a process that may take up to decades. This unholy matrimony, while
obviously ultimately destructive, grants a tremendous boon to her lover, for
to be wed to a Lamia is to be in the permanent graces of a muse. From the
bond with the Lamia springs forth a font of divine inspiration, a creative
flow that floods the lover and causes him to produce poetry and prose that
far exceeds his previous work. Another benefit to the lover, of course, is
the rapturous act of feeding. Unlike other vampires, a Lamia loses only one
blood point a week, so she needs to drink less often than her vampiric
cousins. When she does feed, it is always with her mortal lover - and the
act of feeding is erotically charged far beyond the sphere of any mortal
sex. These twin addictions - the wellspring of inspiration and the dark
bliss of sexual fusion - are enough to ensure t hat her lover will cleave to
her scaled bosom . . . until death does him part.

When a Lamia initially targets a mortal, she'll make her first appearances
in his dreams. Series after series of erotic dreams, many containing serpent
imagery, continue to rise in intensity until the intended lover often feels
he's going mad. Soon after the dreams begin, exhausting periods of
inspiration will fill his waking hours, and he'll glimpse the potential of
unlimited creativity, his work hitting new heights of inventiveness, skill,
and lucidity. Soon after this, the Lamia chooses a night to visit the
mortal, and during a dream she manifests and feeds. It is in these throes of
passion that she reveals herself for what she really is, often taking on
half-serpent form. If she can get the (by now half-mad) mortal to pla ce a
gold ring upon her finger, the pact is sealed.

Soon after that, the full effects of the "marriage" begin to be felt. While
the spring of inspiration flows freely, her lover's body begins to
deteriorate. Depending on his normal state of health, it may take from a few
months to a few years for the first effects of ill health to be felt.
Commonly these debilitating effects are consumption, blindness, and/or
insanity. (The latter affliction leads some to speculate that the Lamiae and
the Wissengeist are related.) While her lover may be completely aware of the
reason for his decay, more than a few consider the combination of
inspiration and sexual passion to be worth their early death. What usually
causes a mortal the most pain is the Lamia's insufferable jealousy.

A Lamia will never have more than a single lover, and they are jealous to
the extreme, often to the point of willfully destroying her lover's mortal
relationships. While marriages to a mortal wife have been permitted, the
Lamia periodically attempts to stir things up as much as she can. Sometimes,
this is carried to the point of injury or death, and in rare cases the Lamia
will persecute her lover's family for several generations. It is usually
this jealous lashing out at his loved ones that causes a Lamia's lover to
regret the marriage. . . .

Upon death of her mortal lover, the Lamia is forced to assume serpent form
for seven years. This period - called the Widowing - is often spent grieving
her lost lover, but her astral body is free to roam the earth, seeking out a
new lover to court, or sometimes mercilessly haunting her dead lover's
family.

Breaking a marriage with a Lamia is possible, but very difficult. Legend has
it that there are only a precious few ways to sever the bond. The most
common story is that of a magic fountain or well, located high in the Alps
and kept well-hidden. Drinking from its waters will dissolve the marriage.
Another story tells of a spear of white gold deep in the Amazon which can
shatter the wedding ring. Other rumors exist on how to break the vow, most
of them involving near-impossible acts or arcane artifacts. One of the Dead
Sea Scrolls supposedly relates that a flower grows once every century, each
time in a different part of the world. Plucking this flower will break the
vow. Standing in the shadow of a virgin harlot cast against the Wailing Wall
will also free a mortal from the Lamia, as will finding the r ight letter
amongst all the books in the Library of Alexandria. Of course, there is
always suicide.

A Lamia who is divorced, whether through magic or suicide, is forced to
grieve as a spurned wife for seven times seven years, so one can see that
the Lamia wish to keep the secrets of divorce we ll hidden. . . .

Not all vampires are completely aware of the Lamia, but belief is
exceptionally strong among the Toreador, the Tzimisce and the Assamites. Of
all these, the Tzimisce seem to know the legends best. When a Lamia is
found, it is an unwritten rule to leave her and her mortal lover alone. The
consequences of breaking this sanction are unknown, but it says something
that the Tzimisce follow it without question.

Many believe that the myth of the Muses has its origin in the Lamiae, and
there are some which contend that the number of Lamia are nine: Euterpe,
Terpsichore, Thalia, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Urania, Clio, Erato, and
Calliope. Others feel that there are too many inconsistencies between the
Muse myths and the Lamiae; and still others conjecture that the Lamiae are
the twisted children of the Muses. There are of course the actually legends
of Lamia, Mormo, and Empusa - Greek demigods with shapechanging ability, and
it seems obvious that the Lamiae formed the basis for tales of Succubi as
well. Another theory, put forth by a Tzimisce priestess from the Fifteenth
Century, is that as Vampires are the children of Cain, Lamiae are the
children of Lilith - Adam's first wife before Eve. If this is true, it means
that the Lamiae actually predate the Kindred.

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

     O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
     The brightest heaven of invention!
     -William Shakespeare Henry V

Exactly what effect the Lamiae have had on the literary world throughout
history is hard to say. They invariably choose writers and poets, but no one
is sure of their criteria. It seems obvious that Keats, Shelly and Byron
were no stranger to their seductive lure, but many Toreador feel that Byron
was "divorced" in the Alps. Legend has it that Milton also fell prey to a
Lamia, creating Paradise Lost as he went blind; but afterwards he freed
himself using a fragment of the True Cross. And remember that Homer, too,
was blind.

Authors, too, are not immune to their charms. The Tzimisce claim to have a
series of letters written by Franz Kafka, letters he intended to destroy,
letters that deal with his seduction by a mysterious woman he calls die
Lorelei, a magical temptress which he several times refers to as das
Schlangeweib - or the "serpent-wife." The letters indicate that in 1913,
upon writing The Judgment, his abilities took a sharp rise . . . and in 1917
he was found consumptive. He ended his life, after a series of heart breaks
and affairs, in a sanitarium.

Kafka is certainly not the only recent victim of the Lamiae. James Joyce,
with his turbulent relationships, family misfortune and prolonged eye
problems is said to have had Lamiatic inspiration - also a good explanation
for the progress of his work from Dubliners through Ulysses and finally to
the mad genius of Finnegan's Wake, a work Carl Jung believed to be written
to stave off impending schizophrenia. And Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentinian
fantasist, found that his work entered new realms of creativity only after a
head injury brought him close to death and madness . . . and therein met the
Lamia? Given the labyrinthine nature of his later work, his eventual
blindness, and his death in Switzerland . . . could he have been seeking out
the fountain that Byron found?

Nickname: Muses, Succubae

Appearance: The Lamia have three forms: that of a normal woman, a glittering
serpent, and a woman with a serpent's body. In serpent form, she is scaled
in vermilion and patterned brightly, a lush snake that twines with sexual
promise and Freudian eroticism. In human form, she is a beautiful
enchantress, appearing as if she'd stepped from the innermost desires of her
intended lover. Her eyes burn like hot sparks, her hair borders on the
wildly animate, and her lips are full and heavy with ripe sensuality. Still,
it is said that the half-woman, half-serpent form is the most alluring guise
of the Lamia; a sensuous woman's body extends from a powerful serpent's
trunk, and often glowing wings sweep out from the Lamia's back. Her breasts
and torso are perfectly formed, and in sex she is as irresistib le as a
cyclone. In human form, a Lamia will dress on the bohemian edge of the
current style, always conscious of fashion, but willing to show a slight
contempt for it as well. In any age, she would hardly be called proper. . .
.

Haven: A solitary and reclusive bloodline, it is not known where the Lamiae
tend to lair, although the Toreador contend that they dwell in the shadow
lands between the Silver Realm and the Faerie.

Background: As mentioned, the Lamiae select a mortal intended and visit them
in dreams, slowly allowing their power to manifest. Upon their "engagement"
night, they manifest in an erotic incarnation, explaining their existence
and purpose as a muse; conveniently failing to mention the long-term
physical effects of their love. Once the intended realizes that his
new-found creativity will vanish with the Lamia, the placement of the gold
wedding ring is almost a certainty. If the mortal refuses, the Lamiae will
never visit him again.

Character Creation: It is not known how or even if the Lamia create progeny,
as they seem to eventually kill all their lovers.

Clan Disciplines: Protean, Vicissitude, Succubae.

Weaknesses: The Lamia are bound to their lovers with a supernatural
intensity. If that lover commits suicide or finds a way to break the
marriage, the Lamia will revert to serpent form and spend forty-nine years
in a painful limbo. They are also sensitive to cold iron and salt, both able
to cause aggravated wounds.

Organization: According to the Tzimisce, there are only a few Lamiae:
between three and nine is the usual number given. They have no known
organization.

Quote: "There is no eternity , my beloved, but what springs from the seeds
of your work. And I, I am your muse. I am your love, your wife, your
mistress; and, yes my love, in the dark hours when the wind whispers doubts
into your ears, I am your goddess and possessor."

What the Undead think of the Lamiae:

Nosferatu:
   o They are a myth, children. Like that of Cain and Abel, and like that of
     the muses themselves.
Ventrue:
   o The Lamia are probably legendary, and if not, they are more akin to
     demon than Kindred.
Toreador:
   o Splendid! Of course they exist; and we must be thankful that these
     muses do not lay claim more mortal artists than they do. It is such a
     shame that we lost those few, precious jewels to them, but it is not
     our place to mourn what could have been. . . . Most likely, they are a
     bloodline of our own clan.
Gangrel:
   o They are old; but not of our ilk. They are closer to demon than
     vampire, eh?
Brujah:
   o Foolish tales to be told by Sabbat elders. Daughters of Lilith, indeed!
     It is as ludicrous as the stories of Cain. If you ask me, it seems just
     another excuse to attribute all mortal creativity to the Toreador Clan.
Tremere:
   o Ahh. . . . the Muses. Well, Calliope and Erato were never accounted
     for, were they? Oh, I'm sorry. Ignore me, please...
Malkavian:
   o What? Am I being interviewed? Oh . . . well, of course I believe in
     them! I mean, it all makes perfect sense . . . doesn't it?
Ravnos:
   o There are old tales; and I do recall once a poet - a haggard, haunted
     man - begging us to reveal the location of some magical gypsy salt
     cellar. Claimed it was filled with a pinch of Lot's Wife, he did. At
     the time, I thought it was an odd thing to need for a divorce.
Assamite:
   o There are older things than the Muses.
Giovanni:
   o This is something best left alone. It does not concern us.
Lasombra:
   o The Tzimisce have declared them to be real, and what's more, to be off
     limits. I have never encountered one, of course, but if they are indeed
     the ancient daughters of Lilith, ultimately they are our enemies.
Tzimisce:
   o They are not Kindred; but older. Older than Cain are the children of
     Lilith, the ardat lili. Some say she was the true mother of Cain, and
     that she bore Adam one hundred children every day until her fall and
     the coming of Eve. I wonder, how is it like for them? To be so old, and
     so very few...

IMPORTANT NOTE:
I hope you enjoy this clan, and it is my intention to eventually submit it
to those great individuals over at White Wolf, so if you pass it along,
please leave it intact. I claim all rights, so please don't publish any of
it without my permission. Enjoy, and beware the Illuminati.

Allen B. Ruch
315 Second Street
Enola, PA 17025

ADDRESS: TheQuail@cthulhu.microserve.com