                           THE AVENGERS OF DIEDNE



   By Dark Whisper (whisper@io.org) (11 Nov 94)

   This offshoot of the Salubri are little known by most Kindred, which,
   for their sake, is a good thing; if they were to be discovered, there
   is no doubt that they would be quickly destroyed. It is these Kindred
   who lend truth to the Tremere propaganda about the Salubri, and even
   the peaceful Childer of Saulot seek to destroy these abberations when
   the opportunity presents itself. While their lineage resides with the
   Salubri, and certainly their powers are a corrupt version of the
   Salubri's own healing abilities, this is where the similarity ends.
   These Kindred are vengeance driven shells of their formers selves and
   they seek only one thing out of their unlife; the utter destruction of
   the House and Clan Tremere.

   Their history commences during the same period as that of the Tremere.
   In A.D. 767, the great Magus and philosopher Bonisagus founded the
   Order of Hermes by unifying many of the Magi of Europe. Bonisagus was
   joined by a few Magi of both Celtic and Classical backgrounds, of
   which Tremere was one, and these Magi formed the twelve Houses of the
   Order of Hermes. The Order continued this way for centuries, but in
   the ninth century A.D. a Magus of House Tytalus founded House Ex
   Miscellanea, which became the thirteenth Hermetic House. Thus, the
   Order of Hermes now contained thirteen houses, and remained as thus
   until the second millenia A.D.

   However, in 1003 A.D., the Order of Hermes was forever changed. House
   Tremere, with the aid of House Flambeau, warred upon the Hermetic
   House of Diedne, and by 1012 had suceeded in all but obliterating the
   House's existence. Rumours abounded about what reason the House
   Tremere had for performing such a heinous act against their brothers
   and sisters of the Order, but no proof or motive ever came to light.
   The few remaining members of House Diedne retreated into hiding, and
   the Order as a whole disbanded their House and denied that such a
   House had ever indeed existed, as the Schism War had been a messy
   affair, and not one that the majority of the Order were proud of, and
   the House was quickly forgotten.

   While members of the former Hermetic House did not officially exist
   any longer, there were still some who managed to endure and survive
   the horrors that the members of House Tremere had put them through in
   search of some 'secret knowledge' of which they would not speak. One
   such member was a powerful, young Magus by the name of Dalorese. After
   the fall of the House Diedne, she, along with a number of her loyal
   apprentices and fellow Magus of the Diedne, escaped and went into
   hiding. Dalorese was enraged at the treatment that their House had
   received at the hands of House Tremere, and she swore revenge against
   all the Magus of that Hermetic House; that they would know pain and
   suffering as the Diedne had known it.

   To this end, she rallied her followers, and organized them in a series
   of Guerilla-style strikes against the House Tremere. It was at the
   hands of these Magi that more than one Tremere Chantry fell, and it
   was during this 'war' that Dalorese discovered the true reason for the
   fall of House Diedne, and the dark secret of the Tremere; Tremere
   himself, along with his most loyal Magi, had used the knowledge that
   they had stolen from the Diedne during the Schism war, to become
   immortal. They were now Vampires.

   Dalorese's rage knew no bounds. She found it incredulous that the
   Tremere had used the knowledge of the Druidic House of Diedne for the
   purpose of making themselves an abberation of nature, and she
   re-doubled her efforts against the Tremere, and continued the war
   against them for over a century by using re-vitalizing magics on
   herself and her followers.

   While Dalorese and her 'guerilla-force' of Magi did become a rather
   annoying thorn in the side of the Tremere during the Eleventh century
   and into the Twelfth, they simply did not have the man-power or
   resouces to cause any substantial damage to the Tremere. In order to
   resolve this difficulty, Dalorese left her cabal in search of allies
   against the Tremere, and left her close friend and ally Telusia in
   charge of the cabal with explict instructions; they were to continue
   their war with the Tremere until her return.

   However, her enthusiasm against the Tremere did not match her success
   in finding allies against them. Many of the surviving members of the
   House Diedne were fearful of moving against the Tremere, as they were
   aware of the amount if mystical and temporal power the Tremere had
   gained since the Schism War. Also, many feared reprecussions from the
   entire Order of Hermes; House Diedne was now an embarressment to them
   and the surviving members were concerned that the Order would move to
   destroy them if they struck back at the Tremere.

   Dalorese continued her search for allies in the legions of the other
   Houses, and other supernatural beings, but received a similar
   response. It was during these journeys that she discovered the
   existence of the Salubri; a clan of Vampires whose founder had
   recently been destroyed by the and who were now being systematically
   wiped out by the Tremere. She saw many similarities between these
   Salubri and her own House Diedne, and she decided to find one of these
   Vampires and enlist their aid against the Tremere.

   Her search continued for over twenty years, with little success. As
   she discovered, the Salubri had become amazingly adept at hiding their
   presence away from people whom they did not wish to have contact with.
   But, as she was beginning to lose hope of ever finding one of these
   elusive Kindred, one found her. A Salubri by the name of Saucius had
   heard about her inquiries into the presence of his bloodline, and he
   had become intrigued by her. He had been secretly tracking her
   progress for over a year, and, when he had decided the time was right,
   presented himself to her.

   She immediately attempted to recruit his aid against the Tremere, but
   Saucius flat out refused, stating that the Salubri were beyond such
   petty conflicts, and that he had achieved a state which the Vampires
   called Golconda, and he was at peace with himself. However, he
   explained, it would soon be time for him to pass on from this immortal
   coil, and he required a person of good heart and quick mind to pass on
   what he had learned. He saw great promise in Dalorese, if she could
   manage to let go of all of the hatred and anger that she kept inside.
   He then offered to train Dalorese in the ways of the Salubri, and
   offered her an 'apprenticeship'. Dalorese, disappointed by Saucius's
   response to her petition for aid, agreed, hoping to at least learn
   some useful information about Vampires which she could apply to her
   battle against the Tremere.

   For the next several years, Saucius trained Dalorese in the ways of
   the Salubri, Golconda, and the mystic abilities of Vampires which they
   called disciplines. Saucius also taught Dalorese how to let go of her
   anger and embrace acceptance, which Dalorese eventually did. She
   forgot her war against the Tremere, and became content with her
   existance with Saucius, and fell deeply in love with him.

   However, the time for Saucius's passing on eventually arrived, and it
   was during this ritual of renewal that Saucius made a fatal error;
   instead of Embracing Dalorese, training her, and then forcing her to
   Diablerize him, he performed both actions at the same time. The shock
   of the Embrace was too much for Dalorese's mind, and the horror of
   draining her love's very lifeblood threw her over the edge. As she
   cradled her love's now lifeless body in her arms and watched it slowly
   crumble to dust, she snapped. All of the training and discipline that
   she had learned over the last few years retreated to the recesses of
   her mind as she succumbed to the beast and fled out into the night.

   Dalorese, or at least the creature that used to be Dalorese, remained
   this way for over six years, living in the forests of the country-side
   and ripping the throats out of un-wary travellers. It continued this
   way until a Setite, curious about the local rumours of a 'man-beast'
   which roamed the woods at night, investigated for himself. When he
   came upon Dalorese, he was almost overcome by her fury, but he managed
   to restrain her. Controlling his first impulse to destroy her
   outright, he saw uses for a Vampire such as this, and, as a secondary
   interest, under her mud-caked scalp he discovered that she bore a mark
   of Set (as Dalorese had red hair). He took her back to his haven, and
   brought her back from the sway of the Beast. He trained her in
   controlling the Beast with a series of strongly felt beliefs, and she
   learned quickly. However, little did the Setite Malius know that
   Dalorese had, during his trainings, managed to regain her memories,
   and she used her hatred for the Tremere and disgust for what she had
   become as the basis for her control, and not this 'Path of Typhon' of
   which Malius spoke.

   Malius was also fascinated by the powers which Dalorese had access to;
   he had never seen the effects of Obeah (which Dalorese now
   remembered), and was amazed by the potency of the discipline, as well
   as the third eye which Dalorese was now beginning to develope.
   However, Malius suggested new uses for the discipline, and he and
   Dalorese began to corrupt it for more offensive purposes. Dalorese's
   third eye turned from ice-blue (her natural eye colour) to red-black,
   and the whites of the eye transformed into a sickly grey-black. This
   signalled the true corruption of the former Salubri, and Malius
   suggested that Dalorese put her skills to use for the Followers of
   Set. Dalorese answered by paralyzing him with the very powers he had
   helped develop, and diabolizing him.

   Dalorese then left in search of her old followers of the House Diedne.
   After several months search, she discovered them, still waging
   guerilla war against the Tremere. She Embraced them, and named her new
   bloodline the Avengers of Diedne. Now they would be able to battle the
   Tremere throughout all eternity, and they have remained a substantial
   thorn in the side of the Tremere ever since. The only reason that the
   Tremere have not been able to wipe them out are the same reaons for
   their lack of success against the Salubri in recent years; it is
   difficult to destroy that which you cannot find. There are also dark
   rumours which suggest that the Tremere allow the Avengers of Diedne to
   survive as it gives them fuel for their fire against the Salubri. As
   the majority of Kindred can not distiguish between the Avengers and
   their original line, this serves the Tremere against both of these
   bloodlines.

   Nickname: Black Druids, Bullseyes (because if the reddish tint many of
   them possess in their third eye)

   Appearance: More often than not, this bloodline recruits it's members
   from Kindred who have been wronged by the Tremere in some way. Their
   Weakness of damaging their vessels while they are drinking from them
   makes it rather difficult to create progeny. As a result, members of
   this bloodline can have any appearance, but many appear rather scruffy
   as a result of their underground war against the Tremere.

   Haven: The Avengers of Diedne tend to make their havens in undeground
   dwellings. However, they do not co-exist well with the Nosferatu, and
   will remain separate from their systems of tunnels.

   Background: Members of this Bloodline can be from any background, as
   long as they have been wronged by the Tremere is some way. In fact,
   the vast majority of the Kindred of this Bloodline have been recruited
   by the Avengers from other Vampiric Clans and Bloodlines, so the
   backgrounds of these Kindred are highly varied.

   Character creation: The vast majority of the Avengers have
   drifter-style concepts. Many have Fanatical natures, but any demeanor
   is useable. Those who specialize in the Magic of the Diedne tend to
   have Mental attributes and Knowledges as Primaries, while those who
   lean towards personal combat usually have Physical Attributes and
   Talents as Primaries. The most common background of these Kindred is
   Generation, although any background is applicable.

   Disciplines: Fortitude, Nakyrae, Thaumaturgy

   Weaknesses: This Bloodline suffers from several weaknesses. Their
   primary weakness is that any creature from which they drink will take
   an aggravated wound level for each wound level they normally inflict.
   Thus, if an Avenger of Diedne drank one blood point from a Mortal,
   they would inflict one aggravated wound instead of a regular wound.
   There are some Kindred who have theorized that, because of this, the
   Bullseyes are related somehow to the Giovanni, but they real reason
   lies in their saliva, which is acidic. For this reason, the Black
   Druids tend to drink from victims that they have killed shortly
   beforehand, as their saliva can no longer heal the wounds which they
   inflict, and a few of them have been known to bloodbank.

   A secondary weakness which derives from their acidic saliva (which is
   developed at the first level of Nakyrae) is that these Kindred have
   great difficulty in producing progeny. The acid in the saliva of the
   vampire enters into the system of the Mortal, causing extensive damage
   to internal organs and the cardio- vascular system. Many of these
   wounds are so servere that more than half of the progeny that the
   members of this bloodline creates perish shortly after receiving the
   Embrace. Thusly, the Avengers of Diedne have taken to recruiting
   members of other Clans to their cause. Similarly to the discipline of
   Obeah, training in the discipline of Nakyrae causes the user to open
   up a third eye in their forehead as they learn the tenants of the
   discipline.

   Another weakness of this Bloodline is their third eye. Unlike the
   Salubri, who can easily disguise their additional eye, the third eye
   of the Avengers is quite prominent. While open, it is often a red,
   black, or sickly green colour. While closed, the eye is still
   prominent, and will form a large bump on the Kindred's forehead that
   appears to be infected. Thus, it is much more difficult for an Avenger
   to hide their true nature from Kindred and Mortals alike than it is
   for the Salubri.

   Finally, many members of this Bloodline possess the Vengeance and
   Driving Goal Flaws, the goal of course being the utter destruction of
   Clan Tremere. This severly hampers their dealings with other Kindred
   and any kind of involvement in mortal affairs.

   Organization: The Avengers of Diedne have no formal organization. They
   tend to exist in coeteries of small numbers. This allows them to wage
   guerilla-style strikes against the Tremere while not being noticible
   enough to draw attention to themselves. Once in a while, a few of
   these groups will band together for an assault upon a Tremere chantry,
   but these occasions are very rare.

   Gaining Bloodline Prestige: Not surprisingly, the best way for a
   Bulleye to gain prestige within the Bloodline is to wage successful
   attacks against the Tremere. The more daring the tactic, and the more
   successful the strike, the more prestige the Kindred will gain.

   Quote: " Although we are small in number, we are powerful. From the
   depths of destruction we grew. Even when no others would aid us in our
   quest, we perservered. And now, when they are more powerful then they
   have ever been, the Tremere shall come to fear the name... Diedne. "
   (Maniacal laughter)



  STEREOTYPES



   Salubri: Some of us have our doubts whether or not we actually were
   once part of this pathetic bloodline. They're useless search for the
   state known as Golconda is a waste if effort; Golconda doesn't exist,
   and any 'pire who believes that it does is just deluding themselves.
   They wouldn't help us against the Tremere, so they're against us.

   (It is a shame that members of our own have become so twisted and
   evil. Saucius's folly is a lesson to be learned by all Kindred, and we
   must take responsibility for our actions. We shall attempt to turn the
   Childer of Dalorese, and, failing that, we shall have no choice but to
   forcibly restrain them. Such a waste... -Naomi Conners, Salubri)

   Camarilla: These Kindred are a waste of space, and are the pawns of
   the Tremere. Anyone who takes a quick look at the Camarilla will
   quickly see that it's the Tremere who control this sect, and they
   simply let the Ventrue think they are in control. The Nosferatu aren't
   so bad; they seem to be the only clan of the bunch that have any idea
   of what the Tremere are really up to, though I wouldn't trust one. The
   rest of them are unwitting playthings of the Tremere, and if they get
   in our way, we'll have no qualms about wasting them.

   (These Kindred are a danger to the entire Camarilla. Though I am
   loathe to admit the underlying power that the Tremere has in the
   Camarilla, their influence is necessary for the effcient functioning
   of the sect. While several Nosferatu contacts of mine insist that the
   Black Druids keep the Tremere from becoming complacent by keeping them
   on their toes, and I myself and not abverse to having an enemy keeping
   the Tremere off my back and out of my affairs, I am concerned that the
   existence of the Avengers of Diedne threatens our entire sect.
   -Angelica Pablossa, Ventrue Archon of the Toreador Justicar)

   Sabbat: Now these Licks have the right idea! Unlike the Camarilla,
   they don't play at being human; Vampires are alot of things, but human
   ain't one of them. Problem with them is that they got Tremere too.
   While they may think that these Tremere are different from their
   Camarilla counterparts, we don't think so. We wouldn't put it past
   those Bloodsuckers to fake a Clan split to get an in in the Sabbat
   too. Tremere or Tremere Antitribu, they shall all pay for their crimes
   against House Diedne.

   (While these whelps may be a danger to the Camarilla, they pose no
   threat to us. It is a well known fact that we hate the Tremere at
   least as much as they do. However, if they happen to take a couple of
   Tremere Antitribu out in the fight, I don't have any problem with
   that. -Anton McDowell, Brujah Antitribu Bishop of Toronto)

   Anarchs: We draw our largest amount of members from the ranks of the
   Anarchs. Most of them got some kind of beef with the Cam, and that
   means a beef with the Tremere in some way or another. If these guys
   could get organized, they would make a kick-ass group of front-liners
   against the Tremere. If they could get organized...

   (The Avengers of what? Wasn't that a T.V. show in the sixties or
   something? -Case, Caitiff)

   Inconnu: If these withered up elders think they can avoid the
   machinizations of the Tremere by stayin' outta the way, they're
   fooling themselves. If they try and interfere with our destruction of
   the Tremere, they may find themselves in the same position as Malius
   did; at the business end of our fangs.

   (This Bloodline truly leads a tragic existance; to live out their
   entire unlives in pursuit of such a useless goal[A...what an empty
   existence they must have. However, tragedy aside, these Kindred are
   not to be trifled with. They fully intend to bring about the utter
   destruction of the Tremere, and they will show no mercy to any who
   come between them and their goal. My advice would be to give them a
   wide berth, and walk the other way if you ever come across one.
   -Julianna LaFeyette, Kiasyd Monitor)

   Thaumaturgical Notes: Unlike the Tremere, the Avengers of Diedne are
   not very strict with their apprentices as to which Path of Thaumaturgy
   they should learn and in which order that they learn them. While Blood
   Magic does have it's importance (as the House Diedne were Druidic
   Magi, and were tied to the Verbena), it is not necessary that they
   learn it first. They may select the Path they wish to study first,
   instead of being forced to learn Blood Magic. As being derived from a
   Druidic Tradition, the Avengers learn only paths which apply to Nature
   and Elemental Forces. The Paths which are available to them are:
   Elemental Mastery, Neptune's Might, the Lure of Flames, the Taste of
   Blood, Weather Control, and Naturae's Touch.

   They also have their own rituals which are known to them and only
   them. Although the Tremere gained access to many of their magics when
   the House was destroyed, Dalorese and her followers have since
   developed magics which have been quite useful in their battle against
   the Tremere.

   StoryTeller's Notes:: Speaking as a StoryTeller, I highly recommend
   that you DO NOT let a player play a member this bloodline in a
   chronicle. The purpose of the creation of this bloodline was to
   develop a resource for Non-Player Characters and Plotlines. While it
   would be interesting to have your player's come accross a member of
   this little known bloodline, it would probably be disasterous to let a
   player play one. This, of course, is at your discretion.

   View Nakyrae discipline.

   View Naturae's Touch Thaumaturgical path.

   View The Path of Liadere.
