A blood moon casts a crimson light over the land

beyond the forest and something fearsome howls its agony

into the night. The Tzimisce call these lands their
ancestral home. Since time out of mind the Fiends
have been masters and lords of the domains of much of
Eastern Europe. But theirs is a proud, selfish Clan for
which tradition goes only so far despite their aristocratic
origins. In fact, the Clan claims to have destroyed
its Antediluvian, and in the wake of that momentous
event, helped establish the foundations of the Sabbat.
Tzimisce practice a strange Discipline known as Vicissitude
that allows them to twist the skin and
bone of their victims. In many cases, they
refine their fleshly arts by practicing upon
themselves, but they just as frequently use
it upon their lackeys and retainers, turning
their boyars and szlachta into monstrous
thralls. Vicissitude itself is a much misunderstood
Discipline, and debates over
its origins occasionally plunge the Clan
into vicious partisan rivalries.
Clan Tzimisce is a Clan of extremes, and
long, cold nights spent in remote castles have
turned the Fiends� perspectives both greatly
inward and outward. Mystics of the Clan study
a philosophy of metamorphosis, seeking to discover
what lies beyond the state of vampirism.
An alien attitude of spiritual secularism characterizes
many Tzimisce. Young members of the Clan
often find themselves detached from the historical
role of the Fiends as terrifying landed lords, and
throw themselves wholly into a cause of their own
choice, whether as Sabbat zealots, fleshcrafted
horrors, or transcendental koldun sorcerers.
Nickname: Fiends
Sect: The Tzimisce are longtime but largely
detached members of the Sabbat. They were instrumental
in the Sect�s nascence, and remain one
of its most numerous Clans.
Appearance: Given their ability to manipulate their
physical appearance with Vicissitude, Tzimisce look
however they want, and they often want to provoke or
frighten. Some prefer extreme modifications and experimentations
with their bodies that leave them looking
only vaguely humanoid. Others seek to redefine and even
transcend the limits of their forms, rebuilding themselves
in the images of
angels, monsters,
n i g h t m a r e s ,
and things
even less
r e c o g -
nizable.
Haven:
Y o u n g
Tzimisce
are often
S a b b a t
Priests or
Duct i ,
VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION 71
and prefer to maintain communal havens with their
packs. They encourage the pack to live in fearsome locations,
such as beneath a hospital or morgue, or in the dank
recesses of a mausoleum. Elders of the Clan sometimes
have ancestral holdings in the Old World, and the image
of the vampire on the craggy mountain in a crumbling
castle owes much to Tzimisce lords. Rarely are these ancient
holdings kept to any modern standards of comfort,
but their lords are strangely hospitable to invited guests
(and terribly intolerant of uninvited bores).
Background: Elder Tzimisce, particularly those of
the still-landed nobility in hoary old domains, may
have family lines from which they Embrace, or they
may restrict their occasional siring to the terrified villages
suffering in thrall beneath their estates. New
World and younger Tzimisce aren�t as discriminating
and are more practical. Indeed, many Tzimisce fledglings
are little more than shock troops, Embraced and
warped to the limits of their frames to cause revulsion
and revel in bloodshed until put down.
Character Creation: Few Tzimisce know moderation,
and thus often favor Physical or Mental Attributes,
usually with one extraordinarily high Trait.
Knowledges are usually favored, though Skills are valued
as well. Mentor, Allies, Domain, and Retainers are
all quite appropriate to Tzimisce, as are narrow � almost
overdeveloped � Disciplines. Their alien mindsets
often lead them to follow Paths of Enlightenment.
The ghastliness to which many Tzimisce are often exposed
during their fledgling years sometimes results in
complicated derangements.
Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude
Weaknesses: The Tzimisce are inextricably tied to
their domains of origin, and must rest in the proximity
of at least two handfuls of �native soil� � earth from a
place important to her as a mortal, such as the soil from
her birthplace or the graveyard where she underwent
her Embrace. Each night spent without this physical
connection to her land limits all of the Tzimisce�s dice
pools to one-half, cumulatively, until she has only a
single die in her pool. The penalty remains until she
rests for a full day amid her earth once more.
Organization: The Fiends are, on the whole, mistrustful
of other Kindred, especially others of their own Clan.
As such, Tzimisce organization, such as it is, has a high
regard for solitude. It is against their nature to be inclusive,
and thus they have to work at being Sabbat (though
this is less difficult for younger Tzimisce of at least somewhat
modern outlooks). This is also a key reason so many
of them undertake Paths of Enlightenment: to give their
xenophobia purpose, but also to provide some common
point of reference with others on the Path.
Quote: Why on earth would you think I wanted you to stop screaming?
I find the results so much more melodious when you indulge your fear.
Stereotypes
Assamite: The fox convinces the hens to let him
watch over their precious eggs � delightful!
Brujah: They plunged themselves into ruin millennia
ago and continue to blame other for their own failures.
Followers of Set: Why worship dead gods when
one can become a god herself?
Gangrel: They command fierce power, but wield it
with little more than a primitive will.
Giovanni: Muck out the stables, you slopebrowed
lummoxes.
Lasombra: Competent. Mostly.
Malkavian: Suitable for making lampshades from
their remains.
Nosferatu: Ah, what marvelous paradoxes, redolent
of the slime yet possessed of the wisdom to adapt!
Ravnos: I�ll take thirty, staked for the sun and
placed on the ramparts.
Toreador: Thou shalt not suffer a bitch to live.
Tremere: They are the gout of corruption that issues forth
from a lanced boil, only they have none of its charisma.
Ventrue: We have warred for so long that they are due
a grudging respect before you snuff their heart�s fire.
Caitiff: How droll! I always thought the term for
them was �spare parts.�
Camarilla: When the serfs don�t believe their
masters, the reich has lost the war.
Sabbat: We play the game with the pawns� er,
pieces we are given.
Anarchs: There is a misguided nobility in what they
do, though they are too childish to succeed fully.