Salubri

WHO ARE THE SALUBRI?

The Lost Clan | Healers| Cyclopes | Soulsuckers | Furies | Unicorns

Salubri childer are few — it is whispered that only seven ever exist at one time, but whether or not that remains true in the modern nights cannot be confirmed. According to their custom, Salubri sires Embrace only when they reach Golconda, thereby passing on their curse anew each time, but again, the current state of Kindred affairs calls this into question. Thus the choice of childer is an even more intensely personal decision for the Salubri than for other Kindred. They seek those with inquisitive natures, nigh-pious will, and no small note of personal difficulty about them. To Salubri sires considering progeny, a potential childe must have a problem to solve; Salubri do not Embrace on whim. They may Embrace the terminally ill, those who have endured a family tragedy, or those with an unquenchable drive to right a worldly wrong.

It is believed that the progenitor of the clan, the enigmatic Saulot, was in fact the first Kindred to attain Golconda, and his lineage still attempts to walk that path centuries after his destruction. They often lead troubled unlives, weighed down by the Kindred condition but buoyed by the promise of redemption, however elusive it may seem. Undaunted, the Salubri pursue the answer to Caine’s damnation, and have even helped others find their own personal absolution.

Or have they? With the power to grant aid comes the power to harm, especially to hear the tales of soul-stealing and congress with unholy entities that swirl in the wake of Clan Salubri’s ruin. This, combined with details of the aggressive stance some Salubri take toward their fellow Kindred — hunting and destroying those they deem dangerously proximate to the Beast — have muddied the reputation of the clan to those few who know of them. But is this credible or hearsay?

The fate of the Salubri in these final nights is grim, but they face their lot with a perspective rare among the Kindred. Willing as they are to help others walk the difficult path of Golconda, many Salubri seem to actually want to “solve” the problem of being a vampire rather than indulging it. Some others vow to destroy the more blatant transgressors of the Kindred condition and enlist the aid of others to pursue them, redeeming or destroying Wights, low-Humanity vampires, and those who otherwise revel in their damnation.

DISCIPLINES

Auspex: Much of the storied wisdom of the Salubri comes from being able to perceive beyond the ken of less observant Kindred. Considered by a philosophical mind, the hidden truths of the world reveal themselves.

Dominate: The Salubri use Dominate to unburden others of the horrors of being a vampire — or from witnessing the atrocities Kindred may commit. Whether erasing troubling memories or bolstering individuals against the undesired consequences of their actions, the Salubri have developed the ability to on occasion apply this Discipline as a balm.

Fortitude: A clan so despised needs every advantage it can to survive the modern nights, and the Salubri have also learned to will forth their own hardiness as a boon to others’ well-being.

BANE

The Salubri are hunted: Kindred of other clans are especially... appreciative of Salubri vitae. When a non-Salubri partakes of the blood of a Cyclops, they often find it difficult to pull themselves away. Consuming enough to abate at least one Hunger level requires a Hunger Frenzy test (See Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 220) at a Difficulty 2 + the Salubri’s Bane Severity (difficulty 3 + the Salubri’s Bane Severity for Banu Haqim). If the test fails, they just keep consuming, to the point that they may have to be physically fought off.

Additionally, the third eye that Saulot opened while on one of his many journeys passes down through the bloodline every time a Salubri Embraces. This third eye is not always recognizably human in origin, and rumors persist of vertical, serpentine pupils, or even wormlike eyespots. While this third eye can be physically covered, such as with a headscarf or hood, it is always present, and no supernatural power can obscure it. Any time a Salubri activates a Discipline power, the third eye weeps vitae, its intensity correlating to the level of the Discipline being used, from welling up to a torrential flow. The blood flow from the third eye triggers a Hunger Frenzy test from nearby vampires with Hunger 4 or more.

COMPULSION

Empathy

When a Salubri suffers a Compulsion, the Kindred becomes overwhelmed with empathy for a personal problem that afflicts someone in the scene, seeking to further its resolution. The scale of the personal problem isn’t important; the Salubri understands that sometimes suffering is part of a cumulative situation and not an isolated stimulus. Any action not taken toward mitigating that personal tragedy incurs a two dice penalty. The Compulsion persists until the sufferer’s burden is eased or a more immediate crisis supersedes it, or the end of the scene.