VEKN Nosferatu Clan Newsletter - November 1, 2000. Number 23 Section 1.0 INTRODUCTION Section 2.0 ECHOES IN THE TUNNEL: Sabbat War Outbreak. Section 3.0 CRYPT & LIBRARY: Burning Darkness - The Powers of Obfuscate Section 4.0 MINION PROFILES: The Creeps Section 5.0 CLAN RESOURCES: Comments on New Resources Section 6.0 POINTLESS POEM: By A. Normal 1.0 INTRODUCTION Greetings fellow Cursed Ones. In this issue we would have focussed on the power of Obfuscate. This is the most important discipline of our clan (at least to those of us that remain within the Camarilla) for without it we would be unable to maintain the Masquerade. However, the Sabbat war has broken out, and we also find ourselves distracted by other issues. Still, we present our deck below. 2.0 ECHOES IN THE TUNNEL First a caution ... this is a preliminary report. Some information may require revision, and there may be faces we have not yet seen. OK. The bad news is, the Sabbat War has broken loose. The good news is, they are still fighting amongst themselves. It may be another month before the Camarilla feels the full consequences of their attack. In the meantime, there has been a power struggle between the most powerful clans of the Sabbat for control of the sect ... the Lasombra, the Tzimisce, the Ventrue, and the Brujah. The general consensus of observers seems to be that a rough balance of power has been maintained, with the Lasombra and Tzimisce perhaps maintaining enough of an edge to retain leadership of the sect. The Ventrue Antitribu seem to have gotten the worst of the affair, having relied, perhaps on a strategy that required more political influence than they could ultimately muster. But these results are extremely preliminary. Of all the Sabbat clans, the Lasombra and Tzimisce are most active. It appears that these main players have been able to rally all members of their clan that were previously active in the Jyhad - none were left out --, as well as recruiting 4 new participants. Their active ranks have apparently now swelled to 15 apiece. New Lasombra faces include Talley the Hound, Cardinal Moncada, Lucita, and Archbishop Polonia of New York. For the Tzimisce we see Sascha Vykos, Terrence, Caliban, and the Butcher of Prague (don't call him that to his face - he prefers "Little Tailor"). The Lasombra, additionally, continue to receive reliable support from Mitchell "the Headhunter", who is evidently of too high generation to pass Lasombra elitist standards of clan acceptance. The !Ventrue and !Brujah are only marginally less active. Once again, all their old members are in active service. But they have been able to recruit only 3 new participants apiece. For the !Brujah we see Evangeline, Amelia, and Victor Tolliver. For the !Ventrue we see Archbishop Strathcona of Canada, Peter Blaine, and Vincent Day. Their ranks now stand at 14. Their marginally smaller ranks should not, however, hurt them strategically. They will have an easier time than Lasombra or Tzimisce in cooperating with other clans, due to a greater likelihood of shared disciplines. The !Gangrel remain handicapped by factionalism, but the City Gangrel, at least, seem to be pulling themselves together. Four new faces have joined the Jyhad. Of these, Wren, Darryl Boyce, and Ellen Fence are City Gangrel, whereas Omaya, is a Country Gangrel. The clan's total ranks (participating in the Jyhad) now stand at 15, but not all of these are currently active in the Sabbat war. In particular, there seems to be no tolerance for individualists who pursue their own path (such as Shane Grimald) and most Country Gangrel have been ignored in favor of their city cousins. Old faces you will see include Blaise, Samantha, Zachary, Caitlin, Sadie, and Luther. Caitlin, incidentally, turns out to be a generation older than was initially thought. Three other clans, the !Toreador, the !Malkavians, and the !Nosferatu receive similar treatment to the !Gangrel, except that to the best of our knowledge they receive only 3 new members per clan, with 4 of the original set left out. For the !Malkavians we see Kite, Idalia, Dolphin Black, and perhaps one more. The !Toreador have Mercy, Greta Kirscher, and Bishop Miller Delmardigen. The !Nosferatu will be discussed in more detail below. The Pander have been severely limited, with only the youngest and most controllable remaining active. They no longer appear in sufficient numbers to form a political force on their own, and limitations have been placed on the prerogatives won them by Joseph Pander. To our knowledge only 4 have reappeared, all of whom are 14th generation or younger, except for Mitchell the Headhunter, a 13th generation Pander who hangs out with his Lasombra protectors. No new faces have appeared. The !Tremere have failed to appear altogether, lending support to the rumors that they all got eaten by an Antidiluvian. 3.0 CRYPT & LIBRARY This month's "Crypt & Library" is a deep stealth bleed strategy using superior Obfuscate, and not much else. With only 6 Nosferatu in a 12-member crypt, it only barely meets the 50%-clan-member criteria for inclusion in this Newsletter. Nonetheless, as a deck which highlights the powers of Superior Obfuscate, it is a good demonstration, to Nosferatu players, of the potentials inherent in what is the premier Nosferatu discipline. So without further ado, we present.... BURNING DARKNESS Crypt (12 members) 2x Grendel-The Worm Eaten OBF ani; look at next card in your crypt 2x Agrippina OBF 1x Dimple obf 1x Tusk the Talebearer OBF ani 1x Normal obf 1x Basil obf 1x Panagos Levidis obf ani 1x Kalinda OBF 2x Tansu Bekir OBF Library 1x Secure Haven 1x Slum Hunting Ground 1x Market Square 1x KRCG News Radio 1x The Barrens 1x The Labyrinth 2x Blood Doll 2x Obfuscate 1x Police Department 1x Powerase: Chicago 1x Elesium 1x Sudden Reversal 1x Metro Underground 1x Memories of Mortality 2x Army of Rats 5x Computer Hacking 12x Spying Mission 9x Night Moves 5x Mask of 1000 Faces 3x Cloak the Gathering 1x Marked Path 4x Lost in Crowds 2x Swallowed by the Night 7x Behind You 4x Quick Exit 4x Zip Gun 1x Sport Bike 1x Soul Gem of Etrius 3x Hell Hound 1x The Embrace 2x Patagia 1x IR Goggles 1x Jackie Therman 1x Changeling Skin Mask We suspect this deck could use some improvement, but it is actually remarkably effective as here printed. Keep in mind that the primary idea behind this deck is that the stealth is burnable even if your opponent fails to block. In particular, the Masks of 1000 Faces are intended to serve this purpose, so don't forget to burn them if you don't need them. The weakness of this deck is bleed defense. It relies Hell Hounds an light intercept for blocking, but it might do better to dispense with such efforts and simply hope it can bleed faster than it gets bled. Still, an efficient dominate or presence bleeder is likely to be its downfall. 4.0 MINION PROFILES This month we are diverted into focussing our attention on the Sabbat, and particularly on those of the sect to whom we are most akin in terms of blood: the Nosferatu antitribu. Now, it is said among other Camarilla clans that we of the Nosferatu remain in close contact with our renegade cousins in the Sabbat. That is to some degree true, for we occupy similar habitats. They have spies among us, and we have spies among them. Many of their younger members secretly hold little sympathy towards hideous Sabbat philosophy. Some are very useful to us as contacts, and might, for instance, help us gain control of Shanty Town Hunting Grounds, which can benefit all our members. It is mainly the elders with which we prefer not to mix, for it is they that represent what is most repellant about the Sabbat philosophy. So without further ado, we will review those of the Creeps who have made an appearance, some for the first time, in the latest Sabbat offensive, starting with the youngest. SHANNON PRICE, is 12th generation neonate, who, after but a few decades of unlife, still retains much of her humanity. We believe her to hold little sympathy for the Sabbat philosophy, and consider her a valuable contact and information source. We expect her to be very useful in assisting us to wrest control of the Shanty Towns from the Sabbat. She knows enough obfuscate to maintain the masquerade, and prefers the company of animals to those of her Sabbat bretheren. She is called "The Whisperer," and sometimes it is us she whispers to. She is a new contact, making herself known for the first time during this latest Sabbat offensive. TOMMY has little sympathy for us, or us for him. Subscribing utterly to the Sabbat philosophy of brutality and bestiality, he is little more than a Sabbat thug, with no subtlety and cunning about him whatsoever. A 12th generation neonate, Tommy practices animalism and potence. He cares nothing for the Masquerade, and has thus far not bothered to learn obfuscate at all. Still, thugs can be useful, and Tommy is the type that can be easily manipulated. AGATHA is a 11th generation !Nosferatu. She is typical of the Sabbat mentality in that she is far more interested in thuggery than stealth. She is often seen hanging out with !Brujah, and others of like mentality. Still, her loyalties are by no means iron clad, and we believe she can be influenced to our ends. NIGEL is believed to be 10th generation. Called "The Shunned", Nigel's appearance is too normal for him to be fully accepted by his !Nosferatu bretheren, and too hideous for him to be accepted by anyone else. As such, he is a loner. Having less need of obfuscate than most Nosferatu, he has instead achieved complete mastery of other clan disciplines. We suspect his Sabbat loyalties are shaky, and it is possible he might make a useful ally in certain contexts. CICATRIZ is another face that has recently emerged from the Sewers, and assumed the title of Sabbat Bishop. She claims to be 10th generation, but we suspect she may be younger, as her mastery of in-clan disciplines is weak. Still, she has other skills to compensate, and is known to maintain a vast information network. She reveals few, if any, secrets, but a word or a nod from her can be invaluable in assisting to assessing and discarding inappropriate strategies. We suspect we may be able to make use of her. However, like most members of the Sabbat heirarchy, her loyalty is ultimately to them. OX is another name that has recently come to our attention. He is so-called because his large head has sunk so deep into his barrel-chest that he looks like a minotaur of myth. He calls himself "Viceroy of the Hollows" and is indeed dominant in his haunts, but apart from that is scarcely involved in Sabbat affairs. He is utterly corrupt and without conscience, but we doubt his Sabbat loyalties are iron-clad. He is 9th generation, and has complete mastery of all clan disciplines. There is little else about him that is remarkable. BEAST, the "Leatherface of Detroit" has been infamous for quite some. His name is entirely appropriate, for his soul now lies completely in the hands of the Beast - he has no humanity remaining. And what a monster he is. Standing over 7 teet tall, he would be able to inflict dangerous blows even if it were not for his total mastery of the Potence discipline. He is also a master of Obfuscate, and has reasonable skill in animalism and celerity as well. However his mind is completely gone, and he is able to use his considerable mastery of such powers for only one purpose ... stalking and killing. He is an excellent tracker and stalker, and it is unlikely that any will escape him once he is set on their trail. He is virtually useless for any other tasks. He is at least 8th generation, but may well be older, considering his powers and abilities. Despite his age, his predictable viciousness make him far easier for Methuselahs to control than might be true of others of the same generation. He is undoubtedly a useful tool for the Ancients, but it is that we of the Camarilla Nosferatu can manipulate him to our ends. Any strategies involving Beast are likely to revolve around him, not us. We think of him as a dangerous enemy, firmly in the other camp. CALEBOS, a 7th generation Sabbat Bishop, is a powerful fighter with complete mastery of all in-clan disciplines, and with knowledge of celerity as well. His skills are very similar to those of Beast, and it has been suggested that he may be Beast's sire. Perhaps it is Calebos's superior mastery of Animalism that has allowed him to retain some small vestige of his humanity, and keep the Beast at bay, longer than his younger associate. Certainly the two of them are likely to be found working in close cooperation. Neither are likely to be found working with us. CAILEAN, the Archbishop of Detroit is probably of 6th generation. (It has been suggested he is 5th, but would a Methuselah involve himself in the Jyhad so openly? No doubt part of his apparent capacity and resistance to influence is derived more from his position in the Sabbat heirarchy than from his actual age.) This corrupt manipulator boasts some truly obscene mystical powers. In combat situations, he appears to have a near-limitless power to foil any maneuvers attempted by others, such that the range of combat is always to his liking. He generally prefers to stay at a distance, and attack his foes with carrion crows an drawing out the beast. What the precise source or this obscene ability, we do not know. We suspect he is allied with some dark power. In addition to full mastery of clan disciplines, Cailean has also mastered Presence, and knows some dominate as well. While Cailean is a extremely valuable minion for whoever controls him, we do not expect to see him cooperating with the Camerilla Nosferatu in any Jyhad strategies. Any strategies involving Cailean will revolve around him, not us. Watch out for him, though ... we expect to see some fairly abusive strategies. We suspect there is at least one more !Nosferatu minion involved in the current Sabbat offensive, but we have not yet seen his face. We suspect it will be either Kendrick, the Priscus, or Dani the neonate (possibly both, though we consider that unlikely). We do not expect to see Josef, or Bishop Olivia, or Cardinal Yong Sun. There appears to be a trend in the Sabbat to neglect the ambitions of those who display too much individualism (like Olivia or Josef), whereas Yong Sun's mastery of Thaumaturgy provokes suspicions of infernalism, and fits poorly with current Sabbat strategies now that the !Tremere are gone. If anyone finds which of these is still in, please give us a whisper. 5.0 RESOURCES We had planned initially indended to devote this months resources section to discussion of the advantages of superior Obfuscate, particularly in the arena of burnable stealth. But with the outbreak of Sabbat War, we thought we might give some thought to the new resources that have become available, and whether or not they might turned to the advantage of our own clan and sect. STORAGE ANNEX (Non-Unique Location) - Don't ask us what the thematic connection is, but we believe such resources could be very helpful to the Camarilla in assisting us to enforce the Sixth Tradition forbidding diablerie. We may even hope to foil the dark conspiracies of the Gangrel Antitribu. PIER 13, PORT OF BALTIMORE (Unique "Locquipment") - Could be very useful to us, especially as we have the stealth to ensure that it gets into play in the first place. We would likely be using it for non-weapons, as we already have an excellent means of getting them into play. COURIER (Non-Unique Ally) These ghouled bicyclists are minions of the Creeps (Nosferatu Antitribu), but with the assistance of Ms. Price we could conceivably gain control of one ourselves. However, his primary advantage is resource sabotage, which is more the style of the Creeps than ourselves. On the whole, we suspect it is better to just catch and eat them. VAGABOND MYSTIC (Unique Ally) The great thing about this ally is that he is free. The bad thing about him is that he is not good for much. He cannot block vampires, he cannot bleed, he has no hand damage. However, we Nosferatu have never had much to choose from in the way of allies, and we are pleased by the prospect of a useless ally that at least will not cost us pool. Perhaps we can give him a .44 magnum and sent him to attack uncovered havens. Or perhaps he could be used to take equip actions in equipment decks. His special ability is, unfortunately, largely worthless to us, as we have few minions that he could be used to help keep alive. Hell Hounds can heal themselves. One could use him to keep an Arcanum Investigator alive, but it might be cheaper to just use him for whatever you wanted the Arcanum Investigator for. Perhaps some day we will find a way to create really some really nasty mutant alligators to guard our tunnels, and perhaps then his mystical powers can do us good service. In the meantime, however, we expect he will be used primarily by the Tzimisce to keep their War Ghouls alive. In order for Vagabond to be any help to allies, they must first be able to survive a single hit, and War Ghouls are among the few allies that meet this requirement. Of course, we are still hoping for that Mutant Crocodile to replace our Hell Hounds, or perhaps an army of Sewer Rats. 6.0 POINTLESS POEM This month's Pointless Poem was submitted by Mr. Normal, who agreed to appear in this issue's Obfuscate deck only on condition that we publish it. He claims it has great prophetic significance, but we make no endorsement of this claim. Inverted by the gods that held him high, The mighty will'o'wisp has lost the sky, And prattling of dooms he cannot dread He giggles as they part him from his head. Edited by John Whelan (jbwhelan@dorsai.org). Submissions welcome: decks, strategy, poetry, humor, ... anything with a Nosferatu theme. This issue's contributors: Abraham B. Normal