History Characters / VampireTheMasqueradeCharactersCamarilla

* PragmaticVillainy: At their worst they can be pretty heinous, reprehensible, and sociopathic... and yet, unlike [[CardCarryingVillain the Sabbat]], they never really KickTheDog just for the hell of it. Most everything about the Camarilla comes from someplace cold and unfeeling and logical, and Kindred with a tendency towards StupidEvil are usually offed for being indiscreet if nothing else. The Camarilla roll their eyes at StupidGood Kindred, seeing them as [[WideEyedIdealist wide eyed idealists]] who are naive in a cruel and unforgiving world, but are in comparison much more tolerant of them, so long as the Kindred in question keep the Masquerade in mind and don't become [[SpannerInTheWorks spanners in the works]] for the people in charge.

* TheRival: As a clan, the only people who can match the Ventrue for leadership are the Tremere (who are rigidly organized and determined), and the Toreador (who can influence just about anyone). Fortunately, the Tremere are not exactly trusted, and the Toreador would rather attend to their own personal projects.

** On the other hand, the clan generally discourages literal Infernalism. Not because they have any moral objection to consorting with demons, but because they see it as a lazy shortcut to power.

* FishPeople: The Mariner Bloodline have adapted to living almost exclusively in and on the ocean. Intially, their piscine nature is technically limited to fact that their use of the Protean discipline is modeled after various forms of sea creatures instead of the usual bats and wolves; however, they take on animalistic features like all Gangrel after frenzy. They just exslucively take the features of sea creatures.

As masters of the Dominate discipline, the Ventrue are natural examples of this. However, many of them consider reliance on it to be vulgar, preferring to rely on more traditional methods of persuasion before resorting to mind control.

* CharmPerson: As masters of the Dominate discipline, the Ventrue are natural examples of this. However, many of them consider reliance on it to be vulgar, preferring to rely on more traditional methods of persuasion before resorting to mind control.

* {{Nerd}}: Due to their status as outcasts and pariahs, the Nosferatu clan tends to embrace people disconnected from mortal society; however, they also tend to embrace those with skills that can benefit the clan as a whole -- leading several nerdy characters to end up getting inducted into the Nosferatu, from the Tunnel Crawler concept to Mitnick from ''VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines.''

** In ''VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines,'' many characters seem to be under the impression that Andrei the Tzimisce has trapped the Hollywood Nosferatu in their warren, and Andrei himself believes that his fleshcrafted warriors are about to "gouge out the eyes of the Camarilla." In reality, only one Nosferatu has been killed; the others are safely hidden in the depths of the warren; lastly, far from being trapped, the Nosferatu primogen has set up a tunnel leading directly to the surface.

** NotSoStoic: Still, when their plans crumble around them, it's not uncommon for them to experience a VillainousBreakdown of terrifying proportions. [[spoiler:Just look at [[VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines Sebastian LaCroix]]]].

* BadassBookworm: Most Tremere are embraced from scholars and mystics, and often devote themselves to learning. Of course, they fight hard if pressed.

* MagicVersusScience: Averted. While magic is more common among the Tremere, a significant number of them use scientific advancement, often in conjunction with magic.

* OurGargoylesRock: The Clan used to create and use Gargoyles as servants back in the middle ages, using the blood of Tzimisce, Gangrel and Nosferatu vampires. It did not end very well: quite apart from earning the lasting emnity of the Gangrel and the Nosferatu (with the Tzimisce already despising the Tremere over their method of achieving immortality), the Gargoyles actually staged a revolution and left the clan's service en masse.

* RuleOfSeven: A habit of their organization, particularly in the case of the Council of Seven.

* TheDreaded: A lot of other vampires do not like the Malkavians for their use of Dementation. As one pouts it "Domination might control the mind, but Dementation destroys the soul."

* HiveMind: The Malkavian Madness Network is an example of genuine shared consciousness, allowing members of the Clan to communicate and share information. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for Malkavian players, during the events of "The Crucible of God," he awakens and starts spreading his consciousness across the entire network, slowly taking over the minds of his children.]]

* InfectiousInsanity: One of the most common aspects f Dementation. [[spoiler: Taken to extremes during "The Crucible of God," when Malkav's lunacy actually starts infecting ordinary human beings, transforming them into unrestrained berserkers or cold-hearted sociopaths.]]

* PowerIncontinence: [[spoiler: In "Fair Is Foul," the clan loses all control of Dementation and starts unleashing it on almost everyone in range. Even worse, as Gehenna continues, Dementation doesn't weaken like most disciplines: it starts growing more powerful - to the point that it [[RealityWarper starts to alter the physical world]].]]

* ProudScholarRace: Because of their lateral way of thinking, Clan Malkavian has produced a significant minority of scholars. The clan as a whole is said to know [[GoMadFromTheRevelation 'all of the answers and none of the questions.']]

* DarkSecret: Perhaps the biggest one in the entire organization is that [[spoiler: Hardestadt The Elder was successfully diablerized by the Anarch Tyler in 1395. His childe, Hardestadt The Younger, impersonated him and took his place among the founders to prevent the whole thing from falling apart.]] Save for a select few members of Clan Ventrue, being aware of this will get you killed.

* DarkSecret: Perhaps the biggest one in the entire organization is that [[spoiler: Hardestadt The Elder was successfully diablerized by the Anarch Tyler in 1395. His childe, Hardestadt The Younger, impersonated him and took his place among the founders to prevent the whole thing from falling apart.]] Being aware of this will get you killed.

* JerkassHasAPoint: The Camarilla is based around this as a faction. Even some of the more reasonable Anarchs admit that it's hard to argue a lot of their points, such as the importance of the Masquerade or the pivotal functions the other Traditions serve. (Hospitality, that a prince knows the vampires that are residing in his/her territory, or The Accounting, which makes you responsible for your childe's actions) The Anarchs' as a whole just have a problem with it because most elders ''in'' The Camarilla are corrupt and manipulative and there seems to be little room for advancement for younger vampires other than as expendable tools.

* JerkassHasAPoint: The Camarilla is based around this as a faction. Even some of the more reasonable Anarchs admit that it's hard to argue a lot of their points, such as the importance of the Masquerade or the pivotal functions the other Traditions serve. (Hospitality, that a prince knows the vampires that are residing in his/her territory, or the accounting, which makes you responsible for your childe's actions) The Anarchs' as a whole just have a problem with it because most elders ''in'' The Camarilla are corrupt and manipulative and there seems to be little room for advancement for younger vampires other than as expendable tools.

* JerkassHasAPoint: The Camarilla is based around this as a faction. Even some of the more reasonable Anarchs admit that it's hard to argue a lot of their points, such as the importance of the Masquerade or the pivotal functions the other Traditions serve. (Domain, that a prince knows the vampires that are residing in his/her territory, or the accounting, which makes you responsible for your childe's actions) The Anarchs' as a whole just have a problem with it because most elders ''in'' The Camarilla are corrupt and manipulative and there seems to be little room for advancement for younger vampires other than as expendable tools.

* JerkassHasAPoint: The Camarilla is based around this as a faction. Even some of the more reasonable Anarchs admit that it's hard to argue a lot of their points, such as the importance of the Masquerade or the pivotal functions the other Traditions serve. (Domain, that a prince knows the vampires that are residing in his/her territory, or the accounting, which makes you responsible for your childe's actions) The Anarchs' a whole just have a problem with it because most elders ''in'' The Camarilla are corrupt and manipulative and there seems to be little room for advancement for younger vampires other than as expendable tools.

** Also, it's easy to forget that the Toreador were a part of the vampire coalition that eradicated Carthage.

* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: They, as a rule, refer to themselves as 'Kindred.' In some settings, just using the word ''vampire'' to refer to them at all is considered gauche at best and at worst, just flat out rude. The act of turning a mortal into a vampire is the 'embrace,' the rather incestuous favor currying and often times brutal politicking is referred to as 'prestation...'

* HiddenDepths: They were considered one of the high clans in The Middle Ages, and The Book Of Nod refers to them as 'The Learned Clan.' Even in the modern times, they're the clan with the strongest ties to mortal academia.

* Irony: They were a big part of the original Anarch Revolt, which was the primary catalyst for the ultimate creation of The Camarilla. So not only are they one of the most important clans in regards to the sect's foundational history, The Camarilla is essentially the 'egalitarian' organization they were fighting for at the time.

Dedicated to ensuring that mortals never learn that vampires exist, the Camarilla enforces strict order upon the Kindred it claims as its members through rigorously-enforced traditions and rules; as such, the Sabbat are their direct antithesis in almost every way- including their belief in the Antediluvians.

* The {{Masquerade}}: They enforce it by any means necessary, from falsifying records to executing witnesses- and perpetrators.

* SealedGoodInACan / SealedEvilInACan: In the ''Gehenna'' scenario [[spoiler:"Fair Is Foul," Ilyes, the original Brujah antediluvian, turns out to have survived the attempt on his life thanks to his mastery of Temporis; unfortunately, he ended up accidentally displacing himself in time for over a hundred thousand years until he finally emerges in the Final Nights. Depending on what side you take in this particular version of Gehenna, Ilyes can be either sealed good or sealed evil- in either case, he's escaped by the start of the game.]]

* ElementalShapeshifter: At higher levels of Protean, Gangrel can transform themselves into living fire; they can also meld with the earth, allowing them to travel unseen beneath the ground and avoid sunlight at a moment's notice. The clan founder, Ennoia, like many surviving Antediluvians, takes the clan disciplines further than any other- in this case, melding with the entire planet and allowing herself to be lulled to sleep by the earth's core. [[spoiler: In the Gehenna scenario "The Crucible of God," she takes this even further by only manifesting in the form of earthquakes and other natural disasters, swallowing anyone who tries to enter the Earth.]]

* GeniusBruiser: Much like the Brujah, some Gangrel have eschewed the traditional stereotype and become intellectuals- among them the famous scholar Beckett.

* RedRightHand: Every time a Gangrel character frenzies, he or she develops an animalistic feature- a tail, catlike eyes, tusks, scaly skin, and so-on.

* WingedHumanoid: Another possible result of frenzying. Unfortunately, the wings can't be used to fly- only glide.

The madmen. The Malkavians all share the curse of insanity- along with the power to project it onto others, making them a clan to be feared. On the other hand, their madness gives them a unique insight into things that the other clans don't have, and there's often some kind of method behind their madness. They all share a connection through the Malkavian Madness Network, a hive-mind rumored to be part of the consciousness of the clan founder itself, Malkav.

* FunnySchizophrenia: Unfortunately, some players choose to play Malkavians as wacky, gibberish-spouting comedians with no gauge on their behaviour- leading to them being dubbed "Fishmalks."

The most visibly cursed of all clans, the Nosferatu are hideously disfigured by their embrace; forced to hide in sewers to conceal their true nature from mortals and disparaged by the rest of the Camarilla, the clan has nonetheless thrived in their subterranean environment- mainly because their outcast nature forces them to bond together in a way that most clans rarely do. Serving the Camarilla primarily as information brokers, they tend to know pretty much anything that happens in any town they are present in.

* TheBeastmaster: Thanks to the discipline of Animalism, Nosferatu can tame the animals that dwell alongside them- rats, stray dogs and cats, even the occasional SewerGator. More impressively, they can also make these same animals grow to immense sizes by feeding them some of their blood. [[spoiler: The Clan's founder, Absimiliard, has an entire army of ghouled monsters at his command; during "The Crucible of God," he actually goes so far as to enter the field during the day, hidden inside the belly of the gigantic ghoul lizard at the head of his army.]]

* BerserkButton: Most Nosferatu develop a very deep and abiding hatred for arrogant, beautiful people- in particular, the Toreador.

** In a few rare cases, a childe will be deformed beyond all functionality by the embrace, resulting in feeble monstrosities that cannot survive without assistance- perhaps because their limbs have become too long and warped to support them, or their sensory organs have dropped off, or their skeletons have liquified. In any case, most of these are killed as soon as their embrace is concluded, but a few are kept alive by horribly misguided Sires.

* CursedWithAwesome: Initial reactions to the embrace may vary from horror to disgust to acceptance, but even most Cleopatras will eventually come to love their new situation- assuming they don't die first.

* GardenOfEvil: Some Nosferatu warrens sport large fungi gardens, often used as a secondary line of defence against intruders: because they have been exposded to Nosferatu blood, these mushrooms often grow and change in bizarre ways- some becoming deadly poisonous even to vampires, some [[FungusHumongous growing to the size of trees]] and forming a maze around the warrens... some even ''move.''

* MadArtist: One notable subculture among the Nosferatu is that of the "Leatherfaces"; essentially serial killers, they go out of their way to ensure that every murder they commit is a work of art in every way- to the point that one Leatherface stopped right in the middle of a killing because "the lighting wasn't right."
* MasterOfDisguise: Thanks to their mastery of Obfuscate- specifically the technique known as "Mask of a Thousand Faces," - Nosferatu are experts at changing their appearances if need be. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a subculture of Nosferatu vampires called "Skins," who use this technique as a way of coping with their deformities, crafting new identities in a vain attempt to recapture their mortal lives- often with unpleasant results when the "Skin" is finally discovered.

* {{Nerd}}: Due to their status as outcasts and pariahs, the Nosferatu clan tends to embrace people disconnected from mortal society; however, they also tend to embrace those with skills that can benefit the clan as a whole- leading several nerdy characters to end up getting inducted into the Nosferatu, from the Tunnel Crawler concept to Mitnick from ''VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines.''

* NightmareFetishist: Both mainstream Nosferatu and Antitribu have a thing for creating and collecting things designed to horrify and disgust those outside the clan- to the point that "Gross Childe" is actually a character concept.

* PaterFamilicide: It's believed that Absimiliard, the Antediluvian founder of the clan, is hell-bent on killing every last one of his children- apparently in the vain hope that Caine will forgive him and restore his appearance to normal - and has dispatched monstrous creatures called the Nictuku to exterminate the Nosferatu wherever they are found. It is for this reason that the clan has remained so unified: they need to be ready for when the Nictuku attack.

* PunishedWithUgly: The Cleopatras are a natural recipient of this; selected from the ranks of those too beautiful and vain for the local Nosferatu to tolerate, just about every aspect of their new lives- from the initial disfiguration to the new home in the depths of the sewers- is designed to demoralize and humiliate them. Some Nosferatu do this in order to teach the Cleopatra a lesson, while others do it [[ForTheEvulz for their own sick amusement.]] The Toreador see the Nosferatu as the living embodiment of the trope.

* SuperStrength: The Potence discipline; unlike other wielders of this particular discipline, the Nosferatu have found [[MundaneUtility many applications for it outside combat]]- punching through solid rock in order to build new tunnels, or bending steel for the creation of traps or subterranean artworks.

** One Tremere Elder made the mistake of writing a treatise on the Nosferatu that characterized them as "subhuman" and "instinctual," only capable of surviving with the generous assistance of the Camarilla. The manuscript was never finished; the author was found dead, having been dissected with his own surgical tools- and nobody was able to identify his murderer.

* WeAreEverywhere: And it's not restricted to their use of Obfuscation or Animalism, either. Like many clans, the Nosferatu have several ghouls placed in key positions across the cities they dwell in. However, unlike the Ventrue or the Toreador, they don't ghoul officials or leaders; instead, Nosferatu ghouls are usually janitors, bureaucrats and other lowly workers- ideally people considered BeneathSuspicion.

Vampire warlocks who originated from the now-extinct House Tremere of the [[TabletopGame/MageTheAscension Order of Hermes]] back during the medieval times, Clan Tremere did not attain immortality through traditional embraces, but through magical experiments on Kindred. Though it took some time for the Tremere to gain any kind of legitimacy as a clan, they eventually helped form the Camarilla and aid the Ventrue in keeping order in their society. Masters of blood magic and the arcane amongst the kindred, they follow a rigid power structure where each childe is blood bound to their elders, extending all the way to the Council of Seven that rules the clan- and the mysterious Tremere himself.

* TheChessmaster: Tremere elders are renowned for devious, scheming behaviour and long-running schemes; Tremere himself is master planner- when he's conscious, of course- [[spoiler: as "The Crucible of God" demonstrates.]]

* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler: In later supplements- ''Gehenna,'' for example- it's revealed that after diablerizing Saulot, Tremere ended up being possessed by the dead Antediluvian's spirit. Though Tremere spent most of his time in torpor in an attempt to regain control, he failed during the Final Nights and was forced out of his body- leading him to perform a GrandTheftMe of his own on Goratrix, one of his former lieutenants.]]

* ImmortalityImmorality: Tremere and his House had been immortal for much of their lives before becoming vampires, thanks to their proficiency in magic; however, as humanity [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve began to lose their belief in magic]], the House's immortality began to fail- resulting in the Clan ''stealing'' immortality from captured Tzimisce vampires. And it didn't stop there: in order to gain legitimacy and power, Tremere himself went so far as to diablerize the sleeping Salubri Antidiluvian, [[BigGood Saulot]]; for good measure, his underlings had the rest of the Salubri branded as demon-worshippers and hunted down.

** [[spoiler: To begin with, in "Fair is Foul," the entire clan develops Salubri third eyes- features from the very clan they tried to destroy.]]
** [[spoiler: In "Nightshade," Tremere- in Goratrix' body- manages to diablerize Tzimisce and regain his lost power... only to have it fail at a critical moment due to [[PowerIncontinence the Withering]], resulting in him getting minced to death by the player characters.]]