Lothorian Clan Overview - Lothorians Based on concepts by Jack Dracula

Although it was originally speculated that the mysterious yet brutal Lothorian Bloodline had its origins with the enigmatic "Kindred of the East," it is now believed that they are actually some little-known offshoot of the Gangrel Clan. Despite its history, the Lothorians have carved a violent and strange reputation all their own.

The earliest recorded sighting of these Kindred appeared to be an unusual female Cainite by the name of Catania, who first entertained the European vampiric courts with her tales of violence and passion around the 8th Century. Little has been seen of them since, until the Modern Nights. The Bloodline’s apparent obliviousness to the Jyhad and their easily being confused with Brujah Anarchs or Sabbat Packs may be contributing factors to their relative invisibility; another may be the generally brief unlifespans of their Broods.

Unlike the Toreadors, who virtually worship the arts, the Lothorians believe that being a vampire, in and of itself, is an art form. Entire Broods are often Embraced according to a theme; aesthetics being as frequently cited criteria as any other reason. Lothorians firmly believe that if one is to be a creature of darkness, then one should look, act and feel the part, creating a dark, bloody narrative worthy of the folklore that has evolved around the species around the world. Some say that such dedication to the vampiric aesthetic may be a major reason that so many Lothorians seem to be more vulnerable to the various legendary weaknesses of Kindred. Others suggest that the Nightflyers simply affect many of those customs and frailties as part of the great game that they play on a nightly basis. Whatever their internal logic, the Lothorians never fail to appear as if they are enjoying their Cursed state, despite whatever handicaps and superstitions they constrain themselves with.

Lothorians not only tend to avoid Camarilla and other Sect politics; they seem to be genuinely ignorant of its very existence. I t has been speculated that the elders of the Bloodline deliberately keep their progeny in the dark about the affairs of other Kindred so as to maintain a specific kind of motif for their brood independent of "outside notions of the vampiric world." Those who are more cynical suggest that the elders do so out of a need for greater control over their (often exceptionally unruly and sophomoric) childer. There has been the occasional Lothorian who has mentioned something called a "Shadow Walk," a kind of lone quest to learn about the world before becoming the founder of one’s own Brood, but this has often been dismissed as a mere story to tell non-Lothorians in order to make the Bloodline look more structured and tradition-filled than it actually is. Most of the time, Nightflyers seem genuinely surprised when they encounter vampires that do not belong to their own lineage or worldview.

There have been one or two cases of Lothorians who’ve made their way into the ranks of the Camarilla or the Sabbat. They seem to have had greater success fitting into the latter than the former, and in both cases, these anomalies have gladly sacrificed their existence rather than be faced with revealing the secret of their unusual powers over air and wind . . . and flight.

Nickname: When they first came to the attention of other Kindred in the Modern Nights, there was a temptation to call them "Lost Boys;" consternation from the Anarchs resulted in the reclamation of the term "Nightflyers;" derived from ancient poems (apparently) about the Bloodline credited to Catania and transcribed by the Tzimsce scholar Ankelion.

Appearance: Lothorians are usually young and somewhat wild in both appearance and action; anything from ghetto street-punks to James Dean Wannabes to devilishly sinister man-boys have been used as themes for a given Brood. Lothorians are notorious for becoming "stuck" in whatever stylistic motif that they occupied during their Embrace, or “becoming” part of the motif that is reflected by the Brood that they are Embraced into; even if they change their mode of attire across time, this motif is still somehow reflected in its most modern incarnation. Whatever the mode of appearance, however, Lothorian aesthetics demand that they wear it with as much style and flair as they can get away with. Additionally, Lothorians tend to take on animalistic, predatory features whenever they activate their protean Discipline [Praetori], are in Frenzy, or asleep / /in torpor. This “game face" gives the Lothorian the Negative Traits of Bestial and Feral so long as they "wear" it. Some Lothorians deliberately use the "game face" in order to further make themselves seem more like "proper monsters" when hunting or hanging around other vampires. Lothorians revert to their normal features whenever the triggering conditions are arrested or deactivated.

Roleplaying Hints: Sleep all day, party all night, blah blah blah . . . you know the drill. You’re a *&^kinÕ creature of the night, and no matter what anyone says, this is the way to spend eternity. Sure, there are dangers, like the occasional Hunter or some such, but hell, when . . . make that if . . .you cash it in, youÕll be lookin’ sooooo cool that they’ll be writing movies and novels about you for years to come . . . . .

Disciplines: Icarus, Potence Protean [Praetori]

Advantages: Because of their affinity for practicing the aesthetic and artistry of just being a vampire, Lothorians start play with a free Ability Trait in one of the following: Performance, Subterfuge or Intimidation. Moreover, their dedication to the vampire as a mythic figure (as well as the Bloodline’s probable ignorance) has granted them a subconscious "inner strength" under certain circumstances: if invited into an abode by the rightful residents, Lothorians are one Trait up on challenges to resist Frenzy and Rotschreck, as well as being able to temporarily suspend the need to regurgitate food for as long as they do not use their vampiric powers in any way (healing, Disciplines use, etc).

Drawbacks: There is a very important downside to this "strength by dedication to the art vampiricus," one that no Lothorian would willingly divulge to another soul: a stake through the heart will kill a Nightflyer. Lothorians can suspend this horrid scenario by spending a Willpower Trait every ten minutes that the character is staked. If the character runs out of Willpower before the stake can be removed, then he suffers Final Death. Many Lothorians are also blithely unaware of the ins and outs (or even existence) of the larger Kindred society, which can create its own problems . . . . .

Overview - F.A.Q. - History - Disciplines - Being The Predator - Templates - Home