Razor Children

by Spider (24 Feb 94)

Nickname: Rippers

Masters of stealth and wild bringers of confusion and destruction, many have
commented that the mere presence of a member of this small, tightly-knit
bloodline is an omen of trouble to come.

Much speculation abounds on the origin of the Children, but the most
popularly accepted assumption involves an elder arising from an experimental
embracing with combined Lasombra and Ravnos blood. Anyone with knowledge in
the workings of vitae knows that this belief is false, but no one has ever
come forth with a better story. Whether or not they know their own
derivation is moot though, because this bunch isn't telling. What is obvious
(infuriatingly so for the Sabbat Lasombra) is that they have full command of
the discipline of Obtenebration, so their roots are considered to be
intermingled with the Sabbat leaders.

As a defect passed along in the embrace, the Razor Children are unable to
heal wounds with their saliva. Because of this, their greatest curse, their
only recourse in the interest of secrecy and security is to inflict the
necessary wounds for feeding with mundane weaponry, usually knives (although
some have been known to utilise hypodermic needles). Since the curse is not
widely known, the image most Kindred have of the Razor Children is that of
merciless, inhuman sadists. Their habits are considered to be at best
disgusting and at worst a threat to all Kindred.

Many members of the bloodline, overcome by guilt, tend to lean one of two
ways. Either they become strict farmers and bankers, never feeding directly
on human blood, or they take on an "avenging angel" persona, feeding on and
slaying only those they believe are hurtful to others and deserve
punishment.

A rather treasured item for the Razor Children is a small vial of Kindred
saliva. They never say why they want it, but often times they can be found
performing small services for it. Seeing as many mysterious rumors exist
about the Children, though, most Kindred are far too paranoid to endorse
such activity. Any vampire who attempts to take advantage of this dealing
should be wary, though. The Razor Children have a distinct hatred for those
who would patronize or use them, and they will not hesitate to lash out if
they begin to believe this is the case.

In a way, the most prominent agenda of the Razor Children seems to be a
direct "clean-up" or "cover-up" crew in emergency masquerade situations.
They do the dirty work. Sometimes it entails hunting down and helping a
witch-hunter to "disappear", sometimes it may require slaughtering all the
inhabitants of a household. In the past, they have even been called upon to
issue a physical "warning" to Kindred who are not careful enough. They have
no qualms about being asked to kill, and their terror tactics are so well
executed, they rarely have to ask anyone to watch their step twice. Rare is
the individual who witnesses them swarming through an area, destroying all
who might jeopardize the masquerade, and still does not fear their force.
Note that the Children do seem to have a secondary agenda of their own, and
that seems to affect their decisions when asked to embark on such a
"clean-up" mission. Sometimes they seem to have no reason to refuse, and yet
still do. There are some who disagree violently with their methods, arguing
that the brutality of the Children can only be hidden with many times more
blood than was originally spilled. These individuals claim that the Children
are just violence addicts, and work to satisfy their own urges, nothing
more. More often than not, these opinions are never heard in anything but
whispers.

Appearance: The Razor Children are almost always relatively young when
embraced, rarely appearing to be over thirty years of age. They tend to
dress in dark clothing, most often wearing garments of leather, suede, or
denim. All of them have a ritualistic, elaborate tattoo somewhere on their
bodies, which contains a specific bloodline symbol and their name encoded in
it. All members of the bloodline are taught to read this code, and no one
outside the line is permitted to know of it. Impostors who are identified in
this manner are taught a swift lesson. Other ritual self-mutilation is
popular, such as body piercing and branding (!) .

Haven: The Razor Children live where they can. Individual preferences
determine individual choices.

Background: The Children generally select their progeny from young
individuals who have demonstrated their ability to survive on their own with
only wits and muscle to rely on. They only choose those that they believe
are mature enough and worthy of their trust, and often consult with others
of their kind before enacting the embrace. The punishment within the
bloodline for a "bad choice" is severe.

Character Creation: These vampires usually come from some sort of underclass
background, most often being runaways or criminals. They have highly diverse
natures, but their demeanors tend along the rebellious or survivalistic
lines. Physical attributes are primary, as are skills.

Disciplines: Obtenebration, Potence, Jumble

Weakness: As mentioned above, the Razor Children cannot heal the wounds they
inflict by licking them, so maintaining the secrecy of their existence is
that much more difficult.

Organization: Very loosely organized, they rely on a "buddy" system. They
always know how to contact at least two or three of their kindred, and each
of THEM always knows how to contact a couple more, etc. They are known to
converge on specific locations upon the request of a single member, but only
in very special cases. Most of their communication is informal. All members
of the bloodline are expected to treat each other with respect, as
"brothers" and "sisters". Betrayal of trust or consistently disrespectful
behaviour is usually punished by groups of three nearby members of the
bloodline, but individual "justice" is not uncommon. Note that "right" or
"wrong" in these cases depends on the bloodline's perception of the acts as
a whole, and the general feeling of the line is made obvious in their
individual communications.

Gaining Lineage Prestige: Anyone who helps promote their image of
fearlessness, imperviousness to pain, and efficiency is well appreciated.
There are no disticnt positions of prestige in the Line, though.

Quote: "You screwed up. Now we're here to make sure that no one finds out.
Get out of our way, unless you want to be packed away with the rest of the
bodies."

Stereotypes:

The Camarilla:
        o I wish they'd learn to relax. We don't bother them, they shouldn't
          bother us. We've saved their butts more than a few times, but
          still they try to rein us in. They'd just love it if we knuckled
          under to them and their laws. Well, everybody's allowed to dream.
        o "Trickier than the Ravnos, spookier than the Malkavians, and man,
          do they ever put a burr in the Ventrues' collective shorts. God, I
          love these guys!" -- Schack, Brujah individualist.
The Sabbat:
        o Lots of sick mothers in that bunch. They may seem like plenty of
          fun at first, but believe you me, when the joke gets old, it
          always ends in serious business.
        o "They have secret knowledge, knowledge that is by no right theirs.
          They dance uncontrolled through my city, MY CITY, causing
          unwarrented mayhem and attacking the most undeserving of targets.
          They have no concept of Gehenna. They have no concept of what they
          are. They must be dealt with." -- Tyren, Lasombra Bishop.
The Inconnu:
        o Forget them. Just forget all about them. I don't know what goes on
          in their heads, but I tell you, I really prefer it that way.
        o "Their quiet ways and sad curse are interesting, but only briefly.
          I trust their existence will prove to be equally fleeting." --
          Lycius, fourth generation Toreador.