                                   DAKINI



   By Stacey Lawless


"O Mother mine, Daughter of the Mountain!

Why are you clad like this?
You have put your feet on the body of a god,
and you have no trace of shame,
you have placed your feet on Shiva,
you are naked and wear no covering,
your tongue is lolling out and flicking,
your long hair is flowing loose.

But, O terrible wife of Shiva, you are chewing the flesh
in your hand for the sake of saving this world..."
                                      (Hindu devotional)



   The Indian subcontinent is the borderland between the West and the
   East in many ways. It is a many-layered mixture of cultures,
   traditions, races, and religions, and it is the home of many strange
   and exotic creatures--including a group of Kindred who might be a
   clan, or might be one of the oldest bloodlines in the world.

   The Dakini are perhaps an offshoot of the Assamites, or of the
   Toreador. Then again, there are many Kindred who believe them to be
   one of the Eastern Clans. It cannot be denied that the Dakini have an
   ancient lineage, nor that the elders of the bloodline are incredibly
   powerful. Whatever the origins of these Kindred, they are honorable,
   passionate and proud, fierce warriors and skilled artists who love and
   hate with equal intensity. However, other vampires regard them with
   fear and disgust.

   The reason for this is that the Dakini are all murderers. They spend
   much of their time stalking and slaying both Kindred and kine. Murder
   is their religion, their preferred method of gaining vitae, and often,
   it seems, their main form of recreation. Though they aren't active
   diabolists in the manner of the Sabbat, many Dakini have the black
   traces of diablerie in their auras, and their predation upon the kine
   strains the Masquerade badly. To most Western Kindred the Dakini
   appear to be decadent monsters, who wantonly slay to satisfy their
   twisted desires, heedless of the danger they pose to the rest of
   vampire-kind.

   Yet there is more to the Dakini than meets the eye, and beneath their
   wicked facade lie some very good reasons for what they do. The Dakini
   kill to feed, because they must. It is the weakness of this bloodline
   that only the blood of the dead can sustain them. All living vitae, be
   it animal or human, is no more good to them than water is. Some of
   them will scavenge for their nightly meals, but too often the only way
   for a Dakini to feed is to stalk and kill someone.

   This weakness is also the reason for the almost religious emphasis the
   Dakini place upon murder. Forced as they are to kill for their very
   survival, many of them have embraced a philosophy which sanctifies
   their existences and justifies their bloody work. This philosophy is
   in fact a Path of Enlightenment, and is called the Path of Nataraja.
   The majority of the Dakini practice it.

   The Dakini claim that they were the first Kindred in India, and the
   Assamites have a few legends that seem to support this. It is definite
   that the Dakini, along with the early Ravnos, were intimately involved
   with the ancient Indus Valley Harappan culture, and that when other
   Kindred arrived along with the Aryan invaders they found the Dakini
   arrayed against them. The invaders won that struggle but the Dakini
   remained active and strong in the new order of things, sharing power
   with Gangrel, Toreador, Malkavians, and Nosferatu; and later Assamites
   (who entered India along with the first Muslims.). The Kindred of
   India evolved a vampiric culture that was distinct in many ways from
   that of Europe, and the Dakini played a major role in it.

   Sometime during the early years of the Moghul Empire, a Ravnos
   committed the Unforgivable Act against Sarasvati, Maharani of Benares.
   Nobody knows the true nature of the Act, as Sarasvati refused to speak
   of it ever after and the Ravnos are all liars, but it was said to be a
   heinous trick of truly legendary proportions, and many fanciful tales
   circulate still which purport to describe it. Whatever the
   Unforgivable Act was, the fury--and clout--of Sarasvati was so great
   that she rallied her bloodline to drive the Ravnos from India, along
   with their proto-Gypsy retainers. As a result, relations between the
   Ravnos and the Dakini are cool to this day. However, the bloodline had
   no real vampiric enemies until the British East India Company, with
   its Ventrue overlords and Tremere backers, came to India.

   India at that point was reeling from the collapse of the Moghul
   Empire, and various factions, mortal, mage, and vampiric, were
   battling each other for supremacy. The British and the Ventrue were
   able to exploit the disarray and seize economic control of the country
   with relative ease. The other Kindred of India were from clans that
   were familiar to the West, and thus the Ventrue were able to coexist
   with them fairly easily, but the Dakini were another story entirely.
   Virtually unknown to the West before then, to the Masquerade-conscious
   Ventrue they seemed exotic and cruel, callous brutes who were little
   better than the Sabbat. It didn't help that the proud Dakini fought
   tooth and nail to retain their ancestral power.

   The Ventrue began rooting out and destroying the Dakinis' sources of
   power and support. One of these was the Thuggee cult, a secret society
   of assassins which the Dakini had controlled for centuries. In
   addition to providing a fertile recruiting ground for Euthanatos mages
   (whom the Dakini had a loose alliance with, based on similar
   interests) and Assamite Kindred, the Thugs had long provided the
   Dakini with retainers, spies, soldiers, and a supply of easy blood
   (the Thugs strangled their victims). Working through a young British
   officer, and with the assistance of the Tremere, the Ventrue broke the
   back of the Thugs in a few short years. The Dakini retaliated by
   Embracing several hundred Thuggee prisoners, thus touching off a
   vicious shadow war that culminated with the Sepoy Rebellion. The
   British crushed the Dakini-backed uprising and the embattled bloodline
   reluctantly sued for peace, becoming grudging members of the
   Camarilla. Still, hatred for the Ventrue runs deep among the Dakini,
   while the Ventrue themselves regard the "savages" with cold disdain.

   Today, though mortal India has won independence from the British,
   English Kindred still control many areas. Things are tense between the
   Dakini, the other Indian Kindred, and these foreigners, which
   contributes to the nation's political unrest. Recently, the Dakini
   have made several bold moves to consolidate their power. At the same
   time, younger members of the bloodline have begun migrating to Western
   nations, particularly Great Britain and the United States. The elders
   of the Camarilla are worried about this, as they consider the fierce,
   independent Dakini to be one of the greatest internal threats to the
   Masquerade. Repeated requests to the elders of the bloodline that they
   bring their errant childer to heel have been met with polite
   indifference. The Camarilla suspects the Dakini of being up to
   something, and has appraised several Justicars and Princes of its
   concerns.

   Nickname: Doomstalkers or Thugs

   Appearance: Because most Dakini are of Indian heritage, they share the
   characteristics of people from that area: dusky or dark skin, dark
   eyes, and black hair. Like most vampires, their skin grows paler over
   time; however, their blood gradually darkens in color until it is
   black.

   Haven: Like most vampires, the Dakini generally dwell in the cities,
   both for ease of hunting and protection from shapeshifters. Many keep
   elegant homes and apartment suites, furnishing them with an almost
   Toreador-like taste for beautiful furniture and excellent art. Others,
   however, dwell among the urban poor. It is easier to hunt undetected
   in the slums, and these Dakini are well-positioned to take immediate
   advantage of urban unrest. Both styles of Dakini haven are generally
   well-fortified, and most Dakini keep at least one hideaway in the
   sewers or burial grounds.

   Background: The Dakini tend to Sire prolifically, as many of their
   childer go mad shortly after the Embrace and have to be extinguished.
   However, the bloodline is not casual about how it picks its Neonates.
   Generally a Sire-to-be will secretly observe a prospective childe for
   some time, to determine the human's suitability. Dakini frequently
   look for these qualities: strong will, a strong personality, a passion
   for life, and interests or aptitudes outside of killing that would
   benefit both the Neonate and the bloodline. Once the decision to
   Embrace has been made, the Sire spends a good deal of time training
   the childe in the arts of murder (if necessary) and in Dakini
   philosophy. This training period traditionally lasts for three years,
   after which the Neonate is presented, first to their grandsire and
   great-grandsire (wherever possible), then to the Prince or Maharaja of
   the city. After that the new Dakini is on her own.

   Character Creation: Almost all Dakini are of Indian descent, though
   Europeans and Americans have been Embraced in recent years. Many of
   them have soldier concepts, though artists, dilettantes, criminals,
   and politicians are fairly common among them. Their Natures and
   Demeanors are usually similar, but occasionally wildly different. Any
   Attributes may be primary, but Talents are the primary Abilities.
   Popular Backgrounds are Mentor (the sire, grandsire, or
   great-grandsire) and Generation. Note: Dakini may NOT take the Herd
   background, as their clan weakness makes it irrelevant.

   Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Rumali

   Weaknesses: Dakini cannot digest the blood of the living. The blood
   they imbibe must come from a deceased human or animal--or
   vampire!--for it to provide them with any sustenance. Each point of
   living blood that a Dakini drinks becomes inert in her body, taking up
   space in her Blood Pool but providing no benefits and doing nothing to
   ease the Hunger. This useless blood will remain in the Dakini's system
   until purged somehow.

   Note: Dakini can drink from other vampires without having to
   extinguish them first, as Kindred are by definition already dead. Some
   Dakini cultivate vampiric allies whom they are willing to risk being
   Blood-Bonded to, in case they need to feed in a hurry and the
   situation prevents them from hunting.

   Organization: In India the bloodline controls Benares, many smaller
   cities and towns, and Delhi, which has become the seat of its power.
   These cities are divided into several traditional fiefdoms composed of
   both physical territory and political interests, each ruled over by a
   Raja or Rani. These nobles answer to the Maharaja of the city, who is
   the final arbiter of all disputes and who makes executive decisions
   concerning the entire city. This structure is very much akin to the
   feudal system practiced in medieval Europe. While all vampires are
   expected to know their place in the political structure, they have a
   fair amount of leeway in how they go about their business provided
   they stay within the proper bounds. Outside these cities, the Dakini
   keep in loose contact with one another. Members will aid one another
   freely, but all debts are expected to be paid in full.

   Dakini in the West tend to be loners, ranging far from others of their
   kind. However, some of them have been Siring as they go, so this
   situation may change before long.

   Gaining Clan Prestige: Perhaps surprisingly, the Dakini award little
   to no prestige for skill in murder. In a bloodline where all are
   killers, they feel, such talents are far too commonplace to be worthy
   of extra attention. Instead they prize knowledge, especially of
   metaphysics, and art. Thus important discoveries and works of art that
   are beautiful and insightful can earn one recognition within the
   bloodline. The clan also respects power, and gaining political
   advantages is another way to win prestige. The Dakini also respect
   those who struggle toward Golconda, as they know the way is
   particularly difficult for their bloodline.

   Quote: "You say that we are evil, you call us 'monstrous' because we
   take pride in our work. Is it monstrous to be true to one's nature? We
   must kill; why not do it well? The tiger, too, must kill to survive,
   yet you do not call tigers evil... You think us depraved because we
   meddle with your well-laid plans, but we simply understand that the
   old must fall to make way for the new. And, like tigers, we test our
   prey, searching for weaknesses..."

  STEREOTYPES



   The Camarilla: "The sect of our allegiance is nothing but the puppet
   of the enslaving Ventrue and Tremere. One day we will break the chains
   that bind us to this cloying relic and show our fellow-slaves that the
   Dead have nothing to fear from the living."

   "The Inquisition never touched India, and so these brazen fools think
   that all humans are like the superstitious sheep they butcher at home.
   They don't realize the danger their bloody antics pose to all of us.
   Should any come to my city I will lead the hunters to their very
   doors--perhaps then these animals will begin to understand." --
   Friederich, Ventrue Prince of Bamberg

   The Sabbat: "These Kindred have come close to understanding the truth
   of our existence, but terror keeps them blind. The Gehenna they fear
   is a necessary phase in the world's evolution, nothing more. Even
   worlds must take a chance on dying."

   "These vampires waste too much time in philosophical pursuits, but
   their talents are highly desirable. Fortunately their ties to the
   Camarilla seem weak. We should do what we can to sever these ties,
   whenever possible. If they do not join us then, we can simply let the
   Camarilla pick them off." -- Illona, Tzimisce priscus

   The Inconnu: "We have a lot of respect for these ancient ones. They
   have attained true enlightenment, and their wisdom and power are very
   great. They seem to have some understanding of the work we do, and for
   this we honor them as much as possible when we hunt them."

   "'Tis said that these black-blooded beasts gave Saulot the crucial
   insight he needed to achieve Golconda. If so, I cannot imagine what it
   was. Were it not for the fact that some of my comrades are originally
   from this dark lineage, I would not believe the Dakini to be vampires
   at all, but something worse! We must watch them most carefully, and do
   what we can to curb their excesses." -- Weyland, fifth-generation
   Gangrel

  GLOSSARY



   Amrita: The Dakini equivalent of "vitae", they use it to refer to dead
   blood, which to them is the only kind worth drinking.

   Asura: The Dakini make ghouls for use as retainers, but they call them
   asuras instead. The word "ghoul" has a very different meaning for
   them.

   Ghul: Pronounced like "ghoul", this world refers to a cursed, devolved
   sub-bloodline of the Dakini.

   Maharaja: Basically, the "Prince" of a Dakini-controlled city. The
   feminine title is Maharani.

   Raja: Basically, a "Primogen" member in a Dakini-controlled city. The
   feminine title is Rani.

   Rakshasa: Ferocious man-eating, shapeshifting demons. The Dakini use
   this word as a catchall term for the Changing Breeds. The rakshasas
   they are most familiar with are the Cat (Khan and Bagheera Bastet) and
   Caiman (Mokole) varieties, though there are also Wolf rakshasas in the
   forests.

   Shambhala: An alternate name for Golconda. There is an old fortress in
   India called Golkonda, and many Dakini feel it is an affront to this
   exalted state of being to make it share a name with a mere place.

   Ustad: "Tutor", a title often given to those who Sire.

   View the Path of Nataraja.

   View Rumali discipline.

   View the Blood Scarf, a weapon of the Dakini (By "Sir William Amber
   Robert Chamberlaine III")

   View the Ghuls.
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