Credits

Authors: Kelly J Clark, Jesse Charles Cowell, Astra Crompton,

Chris Handforth, Roman Lanzarotta, Raziel MacPhereson, Michele
Masala, Mike Massiah, Sam Young
Appendix Three: Rose Bailey
Interludes: Kelly J Clark
Developer and Editor: Sam Young
Consulting Editor: Megan Robinson
Interior Artists: Sophie “Fish” Coogan, Astra Crompton, Geraldine
Jules, Alexander Meza, Scott Paisley, Paul Schultz, Gerald Spades
Cover Artist: Gerald Spades
Necropolis Map: Paul Schultz
Book Design: Geraldine Jules
Art Direction and Layout: Sam Young
Latin Consultant: Neil Barney
Proofreaders: Roman Lanzarotta, Mike Massiah
Fiction Beta Readers: Robin Holford, Jen Peters, Christine Rattray
Character Sheet: Chris “Mr. Gone” Leland
Executive Producer: Jacob Waskow
“De Mortuo Remo” reprinted from Requiem for Rome First Edition

Special Thanks
Ember “The Phoenix” May, for blithely confirming Astra’s
Creep Factor
Danisha Punja, for putting up with Chris’s polycephalic,
Centimani nonsense
Maddy “Sounding Board” Smith, for patient 1 AM conversations
Charlie, for being the best boy. Yes you are! Now if you could
only read…
Every single member of The Six Degrees server, for being as cool
as they are
Jesse “Bryson” Cowell, Megan “Felicia” Robinson, Nick “Titus”
Stinchcombe, Jacob “Serapis” Waskow, and Ariel “Vesna” Young,
for helping the Camarilla receive its just desserts

Dedication
Rose Bailey, David Chart, Kenneth Hite, Ray Fawkes, Will
Hindmarch, Wood Ingham, and Chuck Wendig, for placing the
whole world under the sovereignty of the Kindred

© 2023 Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf:
The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Promethean: The Created, Changeling: The
Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, Geist: The Sin-Eaters, Mummy: The Curse, Demon: The
Descent, Beast: The Primordial, Deviant: The Renegades, Chronicles of Darkness,
Storytelling System™, Storytellers Vault™, and their respective logos, icons, and symbols
are trademarks or registered trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved.
This work contains material that is the copyright of Paradox Interactive AB. Such material is used with permission under
the Community Content Agreement for the Storytellers Vault.
Check out NMD at facebook.com/nonedarker. Visit www.storytellersvault.com for more Chronicles of Darkness.

2 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Table of Contents
Introduction 6
Themes 6
Excess & Duty 6
Progress & Imperialism 7
Endings & Beginnings 7
How to Use This Book 7
Chapters 7
Through the Ages 8
Caveat Lector 8
Inspirational Media 9
General Media 9
Requiem Books 9
Lexicon 9
Interlude I 12
Chapter One:
The Pale and Hungry Ones 15
Julii 16
Clan Origins 17
In the Camarilla 18
Daeva 19
Clan Origins 20
In the Camarilla 20
Gangrel 22
Clan Origins 23
In the Camarilla 23
Mekhet 25
Clan Origins 26
In the Camarilla 26
Nosferatu 28
Clan Origins 29
In the Camarilla 30
The Camarilla 31
The Wings 31
The Cult of Augurs 33
The Legion of the Dead 36
The Peregrine Collegium 39
The Senex 42
The Lancea et Sanctum 45
Interlude II 48
Chapter Two:
Sodalitas Pernox 51
Annals of Death 51
Blood of Mars 51
We Call Him Old Man 53
The Lie 54
The Others 55
The Unnamable 55
Chambers Great and Small 56
De Mortuo Remo 57
Rome by Night 58
The Propinqui 58
Nightly Tributes 60
Immortal Pillars 62
Edges of the Empire 65
Ritus Mortuorum 67
The City of the Dead 68
Ex Terra 68
Beneath the Surface 68
Deeper Mysteries 74
Pactio Sanguinaria 79
Interlude III 80
Chapter Three:
Blood and Circuses 83
Character Creation 83
Step One: Character Concept 83
Step Two: Select Attributes 83
Step Three: Select Skills 83
Step Four: Skill Specialties 85
Step Five: Add Kindred Template 85
Step Six: Merits 86
Step Seven: Advantages 86
Anchors 86
Mask and Dirge Archetypes 86
Touchstones 87
Banes 87
Humanity 87
Frenzy 88
Common Banes 89
Clan Banes 89
Merits 90
General Propinquus Merits 90
Deific Boons 93
Necropolis Merits 94
Jura 95
Legislatio 97
Modern Covenant Merits 99
Mundane Merits 100
Fighting Merits 101
Fenestrae 103
Common Fenestrae 104
Blood Sorcery 105
Systems 105
Theban Sorcery 106
Miracles 106
The Veneficium 109
Procedures 110
War 112
Archaic Weapons and Armor 112
Battles 113
Beasts of Burden 116
Debate 117
The Audience 117
Action 118
Interval 118
Impression 118
Forcing Doors and Leverage 118
Errata 118

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
 Storytelling System Errata 118
Requiem Errata 119
Interlude IV 122
Chapter Four:
Ages of the Empire 125
For Vengeance,
Triumph, and Blood 126
What Has Come Before 126
The Eagle: Scipio’s Rome 127
The Bull: Hannibal’s Carthage 127
What Is to Come 127
The Mediterranean at War 128
The Dead at War 128
Battles to the Final Death 129
Locations 130
Cannae 130
Syracuse 130
Zama 130
The Bleeding Pantheon 131
The Others 131
To Moloch: Baali Blood Sorcery 131
Fate of the Baali 132
Storytelling the Era 132
Across the Mediterranean 132
Warring Vampires 133
Inspirational Media 133
Baali 134
Clan Origins 135
In the Camarilla 135
Favor the Bold 137
What Has Come Before 137
What Is to Come 138
The Story of the Dead 138
Locations 139
Alesia 139
Bibracte 139
Mutina 139
Life in Gaul 140
Death in Gaul 140
The Clans 140
The Gobannes 141
New Merit 141
Storytelling the Era 142
Story Seeds 143
Inspirational Media 145
Sic Semper Tyrannis 146
What Has Come Before 146
The Great Fire 146
The Pisonian Conspiracy 147
The Fall of Nero 147
What Is to Come 148
Galba 148
Otho 149
Vitellius 149
4 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Vespasian 150
Locations 150
Alexandria 150
Cremona 151
Germania Inferior 151
Storytelling the Era 151
Story Seeds 152
Inspirational Media 153
Cult of Divus Flavius 154
Bloodline Origins 154
In the Camarilla 155
The Flavianist Party 155
The Emperor’s Blessings 155
The Sea of Fire 156
What Has Come Before 156
The Sleeping Giant: Vesuvius 157
What Is to Come 158
Locations 158
Pompeii 158
Herculaneum 158
Misenum 159
The Eruption 160
Before the Eruption 160
Beginning of the End 160
Hell Above 160
Through the Ashes 160
Harbingers of Death 160
Climax 161
Storytelling the Era 161
Running the Game 161
Stopping the Eruption 161
Story Seeds 162
Inspirational Media 162
The Anarchy 163
What Has Come Before 163
Plague 163
Invasion 164
Succession 164
What Is to Come 164
The Persecution 164
A Divine Plague 164
An Empire Fractured 165
The Unconquered Sun 165
The Dominate 166
Locations 166
Colonia Agrippina 166
Antioch 167
The Nymphaeum 167
Storytelling the Era 167
The Heralds of Oblivion 168
Story Seeds 169
Inspirational Media 171
City of Miracles 172
What Has Come Before 172
What Is to Come 173
The New Capital 173
Necropolis Nova 173
Stricter Rule 173
Things Fall Apart 174
The End 174
Locations 174
The Quaestor’s Domus 174
The Porphyry 175
Classe 175
The Dead of Ravenna 175
The Wings 175
Notable Kindred 176
Playing the Game 177
New Merits 177
New Miracle 177
Storytelling the Era 178
Senex vs. Sanctified 178
Duty vs. Faith 179
Story Seeds 179
Inspirational Media 181
Interlude V 182
Chapter Five:
Mortui Impii 185
Bourkolakes 186
Background 186
Rumors 187
Phillipos 188
Systems 188
Story Seeds 189
Striges 190
The Story of Dis 190
Bargain and Betrayal 190
The Enemy Is Us 190
Triadic Archetypes 191
Rumors 191
Three Striges 192
Strigid Systems 195
Anchors 195
Triadic Archetype 195
Attributes and Skills 195
Shadow Potency 195
Advantages 195
Banes 196
Inherent Powers 197
Dread Powers 199
Traditores 203
The Legend 203
The Truth 203
They Were the Akhud 204
They Were the Clan of Romulus 204
They Were Remus’s Other Childer 205
They Are the Enemy Within 205
They Were the Julii 206
They Were Belial’s Brood 206
They Were a Sacrifice 207
Horrid Legions 208
Aventine Harpies 208
Three Sibyls 208
Systems 208
Story Seeds 209
Cineres 209
Three Whispering Ashes 209
Systems 210
Story Seeds 210
Colossi 210
Three Ichor Giants 211
Systems 211
Story Seeds 211
The Cult of Faces 212
Three Waxen 212
Systems 212
Story Seeds 213
Lamiae 213
Three Child-Eaters 213
Systems 214
New Adaptations 215
New Merit 215
Story Seeds 215
Plani 215
Three Lures 215
Systems 216
Story Seeds 216
Reflections 216
Systems 217
Dread Powers 218
Story Seeds 219
The Sabine Order 219
Three Quaestors 220
Systems 220
Story Seeds 220
Tullians 220
Three Fire-Marked 221
Systems 221
Story Seeds 222
Vitae Angels 222
Three Caelestes 222
Systems 222
Story Seeds 223
Interlude VI 224
Chapter Six: Cognati 227
Cassii 228
Bloodline Origins 228
In the Camarilla 229
Three Rejects 230
Bloodline Gift: Inside Man 230 The Haunting 259
New Merits 230
Ferrati 231
Appendix Two:
Bloodline Origins 231 Latin and Roman Names 260
In the Camarilla 232 Latin 260
Three Unfinished 233 Pronunciations 260
Bloodline Gift: Punching Up 233 Declensions 261
New Devotions 233 Registers 261
Galli 234 Greek to Us 261
Bloodline Origins 234 Roman Names 261
In the Camarilla 235 Tria Nomina 261
Three Eunuchs 236 Women 263
Bloodline Gift: Slaves, Christians, and Foreigners 263
Beauty of Attis, Sight of Cybele 236 Germanic Names 263
New Veneficium Procedures 236 Appendix Three:
Phersui 237
Bloodline Origins 237
Cults of Rome 266
In the Camarilla 238 Cities on the Cross 266
Three Personae 239 The Chapel 266
Bloodline Gift: The Toll 239 The Spear 267
New Merits 239 Covenant 268
Blood and Bulls 268
Rotulae 240
The Great Foreign Gods 268
Bloodline Origins 240
Empty Houses 269
In the Camarilla 241
Cults of One 270
Three Reds 241
Ancestor Worship 270
New Merit 242
New Devotions 242 Appendix Four:
Appendix One: Conditions and Tilts 272
The Pretenders 244 Conditions 272
Adored 272
Setting 244
Adrift 272
Choose Your Own Era 244
Anagnorisis 272
On Monarchy 245
Cowed 272
Affairs of the Dead 245
Demoralized 272
The Cult of Augurs 245
Doomed 272
The Legion of the Dead 245
Exposed 273
The Peregrine Collegium 245
Fixation 273
The Senex 245
Humbled Blood 273
The Lancea et Sanctum 245
Indebted 273
Flashpoints 246
Mission 273
I. The Stolen Throne 246
Plague of Blood 273
II. The Warrior Queen 248
Taxpayer 273
III. The Tunnel Riots 250
Tilts 274
IV. The Pig and the Fool 252
Avalanche 274
V. The Collapse 253
Collapsing Ceiling 274
VI. The Revolution 255
Dust Storm 274
VII. The Regicide 256
Earthquake 274
Resolutions 257
Heavy Winds 274
Print the Legend 257
Inferno 274
The Good Soldier 258
Riot 274
TABLE OF CONTENTS 5
 INTRODUCTION
Death twitches my ear. “Live,” he says. “I am coming.”
— Virgil
Rome never fell.
Imperialism is too like a parasite to be defeated by armies or
political will. It clings to the conquered, sapping away the vital
fluids of culture and society. No, we don’t speak Latin anymore,
but we do speak French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish — and
English, that mongrel tongue of Rome and the barbarians who
ravaged her. Even Christianity filtered through the Eternal City,
a state religion that launched pogroms for two thousand years
after Jesus died in one.
The Camarilla never fell.
Like its twin in the light above, it changed the world. It
changed the dead. The Camarilla gave vampires a culture and
Traditions. It taught them faith and ideology. Most of all, it
made them family. Without the Camarilla, the clans are just
different brands of greedy corpses without schemes to lay or
Themes
Glory reigns above.
The light of the seven hills drinks the night as you rise from the earth,
all the people of the world caught up in the thirst. You can get a taste
of anything in this Eternal City — anyone. Will it be the patrician or
the pleb? The conquered or the conqueror? Or maybe you’ll demand
tribute for those who came before, a greedy ghost in the lararium light.
The life of the dead is in the memory of the living, and by the gods,
you’ll make them remember. Rome will eat you alive, and you’re here
to help her along. All that blood’s got to go somewhere.
Death rules below.
Requiem for Rome is a game of dark fantasy and epic horror.
Requiem for Rome is about swords and sandals and adven-
tures. It’s about corpse gods striding the earth and the terrible
things that rise in their wake. It’s about glorious deaths and
ignominious lives. It’s about looking fantastic in a toga.
Requiem for Rome is about politics and violence, about
secret assassinations and barefaced coups. It’s about the greatest
city in the world and the rot curling through its majesty. It’s
about how you live and die with that decay, and all the ways
you’ll come up short.
Requiem for Rome is about where we came from and who
we are tonight.
6 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
politics to play or rivals to slay. The Camarilla made the Kindred
kindred. That’s its legacy, not Latin words for stolen blood.
The whole world over you will find them, each Embrace
another conquest of an undead nation. Even where the
Emperor’s legions never marched, even where Europe never
pillaged across land and sea, your Kindred await.
If a Roman vampire woke tonight in America, transported
across oceans of time, how surprised she would be to find the
foreign dead are just like her. Exactly like her.
Were there others? Yes. They are Kindred now.
A wise Lick once said the blood of the Kindred is not the
blood of the living, channeled in tidy little arteries and veins.
It’s spilled blood, the kind that flows from a torn-open throat.
And when the Necropolis burned and the Julii met their
fate? Well. How could anyone hope to staunch the bleeding?
Requiem for Rome is about playing on though the curtain
draws near. Bodies and civilizations both come to the same
dust, and though vampires can pretend the games go on forever,
the Reaper has no time for eternity. But memento mori isn’t a
warning. It’s the only way to live.
Excess & Duty
The romance of imperial purple and the triumph of march-
ing armies. Cheers for bloodsport and prayers to tyrants
masked as earthly gods. Moderation has no place in Rome,
and death’s twisted you into the embodiment of that uncaged
spirit. Vampires embody all the Empire’s avarice, and the Beast
devours what little restraint that’s left.
Yet Rome values pietas above all. The Pantheon demands
respect at every turn of the calendar, its petty grudges the stuff
of legend. Even the state is sacred — and so are the dead. You’re
a bloodsucking monster clawing up from the underworld, but
you’re also an honored ancestor. How will you serve your family
and paint the Eternal City blood red? Will you become the
beloved lar, guiding your gens through an age of prosperity, or will
you take your place among the lemures, tormenting descendants
who fail to meet your holy standards? Why not both?
 Progress &
Imperialism
Rome is a beacon. It’s a multiethnic state that’s known
centuries of peace. It produces some of the finest art and liter-
ature in the world, leaving an indelible mark on global culture.
Advanced in technology, philosophy, and law, it builds a legacy
that will transcend its collapse.
But that's not the whole story.
Rome is a nightmare. It takes slaves and treats women little
better. It treats genocide as a public virtue, stripping cultures for
parts and spitting out the rest for the vultures. Its Pax Romana
is a protection racket writ on a global scale, a contented veneer
over a depthless hunger. Rome is an empire, and we’re still
picking up the pieces of its conquests.
And yet, we can’t let it go. Just like the Kindred. Vampires
are sexy and thrilling; vampires are dangerous and frightening.
These are not contradictions.
How to Use This Book
In 2007, White Wolf Publishing released Requiem for
Rome, the first in a duology exploring the backstory of
Vampire: The Requiem. Rome was a soft reboot of the game,
a way to solidify lore hinted at in various previous supplements
and a jumping-off point for the future clan book series, which
dug even deeper into the All Night Society’s murky history.
That book and its companion, Fall of the Camarilla, contin-
ued to influence the game as it entered its Second Edition,
with the malignant Strix and other elements becoming core
parts of the Requiem experience. However, apart from a short
adventure released in 2010 and a semi-related Dark Era in
2017, the Chronicles of Darkness hasn’t had many chances
to revisit this setting.
But all roads lead to Rome in the end.
Welcome to Requiem for Rome Second Edition. Inside, you’ll
find a complete guide to portraying the Kindred of Ancient Rome
in Vampire: The Requiem, from their Camarilla covenant and
its wings to the dirges they sing from the depths of Necropolis,
the unholy City of the Dead. You’ll also meet the Julii, the first
clan of Rome and undisputed masters of the All Night Society.
Like the Ventrue, the Founders favor the Dominate Discipline,
but the Lords seemingly have no presence in the Empire. The
Dead Julii ruled the dark for a thousand years, and their destruc-
tion at the Owls’ talons still fascinates the Kindred. They are an
aspiration and a warning, but tonight, they’re more propaganda
than fact. Read on and see past the myth.
You’ll need the Vampire: The Requiem rulebook to use this
supplement, but we’ve also taken the opportunity to rethink a
handful of its systems. Ten years on, Requiem continues to be
the definitive game of visceral drama and personal horror, but
it’s never a bad idea to look under the coffin and make sure
the stake’s still secure.
Endings &
Beginnings
The most storied Kindred covenant in history will fall expo-
nentially faster than it rose, and the dead will spend two mil-
lennia wondering where it all went wrong. Of course, you don’t
know that. You think this thing will last forever. Just like you.
Fate looms over the Propinqui, whether that’s the inevitable
end of the Camarilla or just the cheapness of life and Final
Death. The Necropolis is a place of scant mercies and sundry
monsters, and you don’t need to look far to find ones willing
to reduce you to ash under Sol Invictus.
Yet death is also opportunity. You have enemies too, and each
one is another barrier in the halls of power. The Propinqui laud
selfishness and reward ambition, qualities that mark the All
Night Society for centuries to come. That ruthlessness will serve
the Kindred well long after the Camarilla crumbles. When the
end comes, you can be the one to build a new world, shaping
it in whatever way you see fit. You just have to survive it first.
Chapters
Chapter One: The Pale and Hungry Ones introduces the
dead gentes, the five castes of Kindred who dwell beneath
Rome. We also examine the Camarilla and its quincunx of
wings, breaking down how each serves the Empire of Night.
Chapter Two: Sodalitas Pernox explores the history of the
Julii and their Camarilla, followed by a deep dive into ways
the Propinqui make their Requiems in Rome. We then take a
guided tour of the Necropolis, home to all Kindred who nest
in the Eternal City.
Chapter Three: Blood and Circuses provides systems
for creating and portraying Roman vampires, with new
Archetypes, common banes, clan banes, Merits, and other
special systems, along with era-appropriate Skills and a
reworking of blood sorcery. We also detail the ins and outs
of warfare and the finer points of debate, concluding with
selected errata for the core rules of Vampire: The Requiem.
Chapter Four: Ages of the Empire is a historical excursion
through Ancient Rome via six Dark Eras. Starting in the early
Republic and ending as the Western Empire teeters at a preci-
pice, we reveal the most notorious periods of Camarilla history,
including legends of the vampire societies the Kindred conquered
along the way: Join in on the bloody rites of the Baali, Lords of
Carthage, and take up a hammer with the Gobannes of Gaul.
Chapter Five: Mortui Impii is a catalog of horrors. Within,
we’ll divulge all the secrets and lies of the Striges, the bane
of the Julii, and show you how they differ from their modern
incarnation. And if you dare, you can delve into the multi-
ple-choice truths of the Traditores, the clan that must not be
named, and the endangered Bourkolakes of Greece. You’ll also
find numerous other, stranger monsters.
INTRODUCTION 7
 Veritas et Falsitates
THE CAMARILLA WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL VAMPIRE SOCIETY IN HISTORY
True. You’d still be nesting in grave dirt and draining babes in their bassinets if it weren’t for the Small Chamber.
They also fucked it all up, but I suppose progress can’t come without a little suffering. Or a great deal.

THE INVICTUS IS THE CAMARILLA’S RIGHTFUL SUCCESSOR

In the same way the Holy Roman Empire was holy, Roman, and an empire. The First Estate thinks a Latin
name means it’s next in line for the throne, but it’s just picking up the pieces smarter dead men left behind.

THE CAMARILLA NEARLY DESTROYED THE LANCEA ET SANCTUM

Didn’t finish the job. The Sanctified were getting thrown to lions right along with the Christians, though they
were a lot more fun back then. All apocalypse and abandon.

THE STRIX DESTROYED THE CAMARILLA

And don’t you forget it.

THE VENTRUE DESCEND FROM THE JULII

Heh.

Chapter Six: Cognati is a selection of bloodlines common
to the nights of Rome.
Appendix One: The Pretenders is a ready-made chronicle
about ambitious Kindred seeking to rule the Camarilla.
Appendix Two: Latin and Roman Names discusses the
Latin language and offers tips on applying it to your chroni-
cles. You’ll also find an explanation of the tria nomina, with
all the tools you’ll need to make a name for yourself in the
Roman Empire.
Appendix Three: Cults of Rome is a brief overview of the
pagan faiths the Kindred practice in the dark and the Christian
Rome to come.
Appendix Four: Conditions and Tilts provides a reference
to the lingering effects of supernatural powers and other rules.
Through the Ages
Requiem for Rome First Edition was set during the dying
days of Western Rome under the Constantinian dynasty. We’re
taking a slightly different perspective. This book doesn’t have a
specific period beyond the Empire: not the Republic, but also
not the Christian Rome of later years. If you want a ballpark,
we pin things to the Lancea et Sanctum’s appearance in the
Necropolis in the 3rd century, before it became a legal wing of
the Camarilla. This is mostly for consistency; your chronicles
can take place whenever you like, and to that end, Chapter Four
provides several specific settings, with multiple opportunities
for characters to take part in Roman history.
For this reason, we don’t spend a lot of time talking about
mortal Rome. The Empire changes a lot in a thousand years,
and while we do touch on human society where it coincides with
the All Night Society, most of this book is dedicated to telling
stories about vampires. Partly, we’ve done this to give you more
of the Camarilla, but this choice also has a lot to do with the
nature of research in 2023 compared with 2007. History has
never been more accessible on the Internet, from Wikipedia
wormholes to niche blogs about classical-age cuisine. We felt it
wouldn’t be the best use of our page count to get too deep into
real life when many scholars have done so far more effectively.
Readers will also no doubt be interested in different aspects
of Roman history and culture, and we didn’t want to tie this
setting too closely to any one thing in particular.
Note that the setting of this book also differs slightly from its
presentation in the first Requiem for Rome. This is partly due
to general changes to the Vampire setting in Second Edition,
but we’ve tweaked aspects of the Camarilla and the Propinqui
as well, particularly in our vision of the clans and when exactly
they showed up in the Necropolis, as well as the advantages
each Camarilla wing enjoys. That doesn’t mean you have to do
away with what came before. If you prefer the setting material
in the original Requiem for Rome and Fall of the Camarilla,
all the systems here are compatible.
Caveat Lector
We’ve tried to take care with our presentation, but this book
doesn’t sugarcoat the Rome. The ancient world was a hard place,
and it was hardest on those who didn’t fit into its rigid power
structures and traditions. Women and slaves in particular led
difficult lives, and unbridled imperialism was a lauded feature
of Roman society.
These elements of the setting should be handled with care.
Many of the horrors described herein were all too real, so keep
that in mind as you continue. Be respectful of your fellow players
— and yourself — as you explore Sodalitas Pernox.

8 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Inspirational Media
Chapter Four cites numerous inspirations relating to Rome
and the themes of this book, and the original Requiem
for Rome covers a lot of the basics (Gladiator, Julius Caesar,
Spartacus, etc.) As such, we offer the following as a brief sample
of media that inspired this book’s creation.
General Media
Cleopatra, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz: It’s a
mess, but hey, so is Rome. However, its sumptuous style is
unmatched, and even now, this sword-and-sandals block-
buster is the first thing people picture when they think of the
genre. It’s also Liz & Dick nearing the height of their powers,
embodying all the lust for power and romance that drives the
best vampire stories.
Hades, created by Supergiant Games: Though more Greek-
inspired, endlessly dying only to resurrect from an ever-flowing
pool of blood seems rather appropriate for vampires. Moreover,
the shifting, labyrinthine halls of Tartarus (as well as its back-
biting residents) evoke the grim spectacle of the City of the
Dead. Throw in Furies trying to destroy you for a taste of the
Striges, and there’s plenty here to inspire the dark fantasy of
Requiem for Rome.
Titus, directed by Julie Taymor: With an aesthetic some-
where between Fascist Italy and a half-remembered dream of a
Roman daytrip, this Shakespeare adaptation isn’t historically
accurate in any way, shape, or form. However, Taymor nails the
feel of Rome in her surrealist nightmare, capturing all its glory
and debauchery in Anthony Hopkins’ scene-chewing, Grand-
Guignol performance. And Harry Lennix is not to be missed
as Aaron, a mortal villain who’d put any Propinquus to shame.
Traveller’s Guide to the Ancient World: Rome, by Ray
Laurence: This excellent little book is written as if it were a
Lexicon
This lexicon supplements the definitions starting on p. 74 of
Vampire: The Requiem. The pronunciations below are derived
from Classical Latin, except for Julii, where we’ve retained the
typical English form. For a short overview of Latin phonology,
see Appendix Two.
Many of the typical Vampire setting terms we use in this
book are anachronistic. Requiem and Masquerade, for instance,
don’t have Latin equivalents despite being Latinate words, and
Roman Gangrel almost certainly weren’t called that, as gangrel
is an English word not attested until the 1300s.
However, we’ve chosen not to bog down our readers with a lot
of new vocabulary for concepts they already know. You can find
a few more “authentic” Latin words for certain concepts in the
following list, but these are provided as optional set dressing.
Assume the Propinqui have their own specialized Latin terms
where any anachronisms come up.
real guidebook to Ancient Rome, exploring the Empire as it
existed in 300 CE, right around the same period we default
to. Not only is the prose accessible and charming, it includes
detailed maps and illustrations, making it a great resource for
anyone interested in Roman culture and history. If you want
a straightforward treatise on mortal Rome, look no further.
Requiem Books
We wouldn’t be here without the original Requiem for
Rome. In addition to establishing the world you’re about to
explore, it offers a fascinating perspective on Roman civilization
as history’s ultimate vampire. You don’t need that book to use
this one, but, in the authors’ opinion, it’s some of the sharpest
writing White Wolf ever put out.
On the same note, Fall of the Camarilla is a classic full-length
adventure — one of the few for the Chronicles of Darkness —
providing an inside view of the ways Sodalitas Pernox finally
cracked under social and supernatural pressures.
Paterfamilias is a ready-to-play chronicle by one of the
original Requiem for Rome authors and includes the Birds of
Minerva, an early conspiracy of hunters.
The original clan books elaborate many of the plot points
introduced in Requiem for Rome First Edition, and they’re
great reads in their own right. You can also find updated and
expanded systems in their Second Edition counterparts:
• Better Feared: Nosferatu
• False Gods: Ventrue
• Sin Again: Daeva
• Strange Shades: Mekhet
• Wild Hunt: Gangrel
Camarilla (cam • uh • RIL • uh; Latin, Camarula): “Small
Chamber” 1. Metonymy for the only legitimate vampire cove-
nant of Ancient Rome. Variously called the Midnight Republic
(Res Publica Media Nox), the Empire of Night (Imperium Noctis),
or both depending on the era. Unlike modern Kindred, the
Roman dead consider their covenant a legal, albeit hidden,
organ of the state. 2. The room where the Senex originally met,
carved into the Tarpeian Rock of the Capitoline Hill.
Cult of Augurs (Latin, Cultus Augurum): The Wing of
Prophets (Ala Vaticinia). Blood sorcerers and religious bureau-
crats who lend the Camarilla spiritual legitimacy.
gentes (GEN • tess; sg. gens): The five Kindred clans.
Sometimes called the dead gentes.
Fenestrae (feh • NES • try; sg. Fenestra): “Opportunities;
loopholes.” The strange abilities the Peregrine Collegium uses
to cheat the laws of death.
INTRODUCTION 9

Camarilla Timeline
The following is an overview of important events
in Propinquus history, collected from Requiem
for Rome First Edition and Fall of the Camarilla.
Several are elaborated on in later parts of this book.
Year Event
Rome founded. Remus revived
761 BCE
by the Striges.
Abduction of the Sabine Women.
752 BCE
Embrace of Julius Senex.
609 BCE Remus disappears.
Roman monarchy abolished.
509 BCE Striges betrayed and Traditores
purged. Camarilla founded.
300 BCE Julius Senex disappears.
218– Second Punic War. Camarilla
202 BCE victory over Baali of Carthage.
Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.
c. 30 CE
Embrace of Longinus.
Longinus visited by a vision of the
57 CE
angel Vahishtael.
The Great Fire of Rome. The
Necropolis is devastated, and
64 CE
most Julian elders meet Final
Death in the blaze.
First Black Mass. Lancea et
232 CE
Sanctum founded.
Thascius Hostilinus sires the
262 CE
Morbus bloodline.
Edict of Milan. Religious tol-
erance becomes Roman state
313 CE
policy. The Lancea et Sanctum
is recognized as Ala Apostolica.
335 CE Consecration of the Black Abbey.
Rome bans pagan sacrifice. The
341 CE Camarilla follows suit, proscrib-
ing the Veneficium.
Edict of Thessalonica. Sanctified
380 CE Legislators use this as a pretext
to disband the Cult of Augurs.
A Mekhet elder seizes Alexandria,
407 CE
seceding from the Camarilla.
Last contact with the Propinqui
409 CE
of Britannia.
Sack of Rome. Final Death of
410 CE
Julius Senex. Fall of the Camarilla.
10 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Invictus: The Inner Circle of the Senex, comprising various
elders and what’s left of Julius Senex’s childer.
Julii (JOO • lee • eye): The first clan of Rome and the
Founders of the Camarilla. Known for being imperious,
depraved, and vicious.
Jura (YOO • rah; sg. Jus): “The laws.” The Legion of the
Dead’s ability to enforce the Traditions.
Lancea et Sanctum: “The Spear and Chapel.” A Peregrine
Collegium cult or a Camarilla faction in its own right, depend-
ing on the era. Believers in the Christ but forever denied his
love, the future Wing of Apostles (Ala Apostolica) believes the
end times are imminent, and it has been called by God to test
His mortal flock before Judgment Day.
Legion of the Dead (Old Latin, Legio Mortuum — “The
Dead’s Legion”): The Wing of Soldiers (Ala Militaris). The
Camarilla’s official law enforcement and standing army.
Without the Legion, the Camarilla could not enforce its laws,
and the Kindred could not travel between domains.
Legislatio (leh • gees • LAH • tee • oh): “The giving of the
law.” The Senex’s ability to mystically legislate the Camarilla
and resolve disputes between Kindred.
Mendacium (men • DAH • kee • oom): “The lie; the fic-
tion.” The Propinquus term for what modern Kindred call the
Masquerade. Sometimes, Mendaciolum nostrum: “Our little lie.”
Necropolis: The sprawling Undercity hidden beneath the
catacombs of Rome. All Kindred exist within this secret
metropolis in one way or another.
Nefastus (neh • FAHS • toos; pl. Nefasti): “Impious one;
wicked person.” A derogatory term for a vampire.
Peregrine Collegium (PER • ih • grin kuh • LEE • jee •
um; Latin, Collegium Peregrinum): The Wing of Strangers (Ala
Peregrina). Made up of lowborn, disgraced, or foreign dead, or
those who prefer less structure in the Requiem, the Advenae’s
semisecret ability to circumvent supernatural law makes them a
valuable asset even as the Camarilla denounces them.
Propinquus (proh • PEEN • kwoos; pl. Propinqui): One
of the Kindred. This term was originally a nickname for
the Julii, but as the other clans appeared, it came to refer to
all vampires of Roman stock, and then all vampires of the
Camarilla. Many elder Julii do not consider the other clans
their Kindred.
Requies (reh • KWEE • es): “The repose.” The Propinquus
term for what modern Kindred call the Requiem.
Remus (REH • moos): One of the Eternal City’s legendary
founders, along with his twin brother, Romulus. According to
the Julii, the first Kindred vampire in Rome. Often called the
Inauspicious Twin.
Senex (SEN • eks): “Old man.” 1. The Wing of Ancients
(Ala Senecta). Primus inter pares of the wings, the so-called
Night Senate is a legislative body that handles the night-to-
night business of the Midnight Republic, with its lower-ranking
members acting as advocates and arbiters in disputes. 2. The
cognomen of Aulus Julius, only known childe of Remus and
founder of the Camarilla.
 Sodalitas Pernox (soh • DAH • leet • as PER • nawks): “The
All Night Society.” A faintly ironic nickname for the Camarilla.
Striges (STREE • ges) (sg. Strix): 1. The Nemeses. The creators
and bane of the Julii. 2. What the living call vampires.
Traditiones (tra • dee • tee • OH • nes): The Three
Traditions of Dominion, Destruction, and Amaranth. All law in
the Camarilla is subordinate to this triad.
Traditores (trad • dee • TOR • es): The clan that must not
be named. Traitors who served the Striges in the early nights of
the Necropolis, before the Camarilla. Purged in a single night
by Aulus Julius Senex and subjected to damnatio memoriae,
their true name is legally proscribed, though it’s unlikely anyone
remembers it.
Veneficium (wen • ay • FEE • kee • oom): The bureau-
cratic-yet-prophetic Ritual Discipline of the Cult of Augurs.
viriles (wee • REE • less; sg. virilis): “Mature ones.”
Propinquus term for an ancilla vampire. In Ancient Rome,
the Latin word ancilla refers to slave-maids, lacking its modern
“ancillary” connotation.
Vitae (WEE • ty): The stolen blood that animates the dead.
A unique plurale tantum derived from the Latin word for “life,”
used only by the Kindred.
wing (Latin: ala): One of four (later five) factions of the
Camarilla, from a term for military units among the living.
These are not covenants in and of themselves, but rather sub-
divisions of an enormous one.
INTRODUCTION 11
 Interlude I
cannot see his face, yet I must kneel.
I The darkness is incomplete, but still so dim
I strain to make shapes from shadow, and a
lone oil lamp hangs like a star above me.
I haven’t eaten in days, but it’s not weakness that
forces me to my knees; some unknown gravity
bears down on me. Defiant, I dare crawl forward
in a march measured in inches, my numb fingers
scrabbling over cold rock like millipedes.
I can feel his presence. He sits. He watches. He
doesn’t move. As the moments pass, my breath
echoes off the chamber’s stone walls, but I realize I
can’t hear his. Perhaps he’s not a man, but a statue.
I push further, and after a century of agony, the
shadows surrender his face to me. I gasp and press
my head to the floor, for I have seen its profile my
entire life, cast in marble if not in flesh. His features
are handsome and young, face still round with the
hale vigor of youth, body barely contained by the
briefness of a tunic. Seated in a rough-hewn throne
of rock, it’s clear he’s not tall, but built sturdy and
strong. A builder. A king.
“Domine mi,”
mi,” I whisper, ashamed of my quavering
voice, “thank you for rescuing me.”
“You know me?” His voice is ice beneath a veneer
of mirth. I amuse him. I will continue to do so.
“You are my king. Our king—”
“No.” His interruption is a thunderclap. “I’m the
other one.”  respect him, but you do anyway. A divine mandate
Fear threatens to pull me back into the dark. I
cannot cry before this creature, but my eyes sting
from the refusal. My voice is not as strong as I wish
it were as I beseech him: “Please, sire. Am I dead?”
“Not yet.” His proclamation is stony and certain,
and I have no response but to smooth the goose-
flesh on my arms. “Ah, but you must be freezing.
See how you shiver.” He sweeps his hand across
the room. “Light.”
Things sway in the dark, and a dozen bodies
previously invisible to me converge on the lamp.
12
They light twigs that trail through the room like
fireflies to other, smaller lamps. The figures step
back beyond the reach of light, once again breath-
less, soundless specters. The room sputters to a dull
glow, but while the air warms, I still feel cold.
The light finally reaches his face, and I risk a look.
It’s still the King’s face, but different from the busts
and coins. This one is more solid, more severe, pale
as marble. But most unsettling are the scars: a web
of broken flesh ruining the corner of his left eye all
the way to his ear. Like a cracked egg.
I remember the story and, in doing so, my pride.
I will not be cowed by any man, demon, or god.
I raise my gaze to his and feel his spell lessen. “It
pleases me then, Domine
Domine,, to be in your presence.”
“And I in yours, honored guest.”
“May I ask how the living might serve the dead?”
“The dead find many uses for the living. I require
your special services, vestal.”
“Alas, I am a vestal no more, Domine
Domine.. I was sullied
by pleasurable pursuits and left to enjoy my life in…
the hospitable chamber where you found me.”
He leans forward, and the lamplight catches his
eyes. They glow a brilliant yellow. He waves in
casual dismissal to the shadowy things. “Begone.
I wish to speak to my virgin in peace.” 
Awe spreads over my f lesh as the shadows
instantly obey. I realize you need not love him to
rolls from his troubled visage like mist clinging to
the seven hills. But now we are alone, and in an
instant, the feeling fades.
His gaze meets mine, and he raises an eyebrow.
“For all the superstition, I’ve never found a woman’s
power to be tied to her virtue. Tell me your name.”
“Septima.”
“And you were a vestal?”
“I was.”
“Then we shall see if you’re still what I need, sul-
lied or not.” His eyes are earnest, but beneath that
lies a fathomless hunger. I am a goat led to slaughter
if I please him not. This is a test, or perhaps a game,
and I must play it to the fullest.
“Of course, Domine
Domine.. But vestals require payment.”
“Then let it be such: You shall provide me with
three services, and I shall provide you with two, as I
already rescued you from the tomb they left you in.”
“I would prefer three…”
“Would you also prefer I return you to your pre-
vious accommodations?”
“That is within your power, Domine
Domine.. But where
would you find another vestal at this late hour?”
He clucks his tongue. “My, they breed women with
fire these days. Three and three then.” I nod, and he
continues. “Then let us begin. My… son has made
himself scarce. I wish to find him. They say your order
knows the secret prayers that can halt a slave’s retreat.”
“Your son is a slave?”
“In a way.” His voice chills. “All children are slaves
to their parents.”
“They say you were raised by a wolf.”
“That’s what the stories say.” He savors the thought.
“I suppose my foster mother was a wolf. Sometimes.”
“How is someone a wolf sometimes?”
“My next request: They say you can see the future.”
“Sometimes.”
He laughs, like a drowning man’s cough. “Even
more audacious!” But the delight quickly drains
from his voice. “Can you do it or not?”
I nod, and he tells me his son’s name. I narrow
my eyes and whisper it along with the secret prayer
taught to all vestals. A sudden tug pulls at my chest
as if a fishing line were being set taut, and I look to
the south. “He rests upon the Aventine Hill, by the
main crossroads. He will not leave that spot until
the moon sets.”
“What a disappointing boy. Still, fine work. I will
send for him. Do you need rest for your vision?”
“I do not need to sleep — only to untether my
mind. My hunger should suffice.”
I look at the oil lamp, staring into the dancing
flame, and I sway with the light. A bolt of panic strikes
my heart, and it’s all I need. Images flood my vision
as the black reaches for me:
I see an eagle rise and fall as it flies above dark
water and a black mirror that shows its bones. Greek
letters rise from the water and then a thousand echoes
of it rise, then a hundred thousand. Between the
symbols, black smoke boils like a fog that ignites.
All burns. All is blood.
I reel backward, tripping over my own feet in my
panic. I fall, striking my head on the uneven stone
floor as I land. My vision swims and a fever rushes
over me like wildfire, burning my flesh to cinders. 
“My last request…”
I hear him shift behind me, and I look up. I’m
once again on my hands and knees, but even my
exhaustion, hunger, and pain can’t dull the fear,
fear as I’ve never felt for any evil in this world. He
stands from his seat and advances, and a look I’ve
seen from men before comes over his face: the look
of wolves. I do not know his exact intention, but my
soul does, and though I can feel my blood scream
in my veins, my body has set roots in the cave floor.
“I have not made my requests!”
He takes a step. “Then make them.”
“I want to eat,” I whimper. He takes another step,
but I cannot move. “I want to be freed.” Another
step. As he grows closer, the flames begin to snuff
out at his presence, one by one. “And…” My voice
trembles, and my ribs shudder in my breast.
“I do not want to die.”
All lights save the hanging lamp submit to his
darkness, but even it begins to flicker. He looms
over me now, so close I can smell him, the sweetness
of blood and the staleness of rancid oil. 
“Do not worry, Septima, sullied vestal virgin —
all three of your requests align with my last.” His
fingers touch my throat. I want to shrink away,
but I can’t. I can only look into that ruined eye.
His cold, rough hands encircle my neck, and he
lifts me from the floor as if I were a child. “You
will not die.”
His lips part, revealing the fangs of a viper.
“Not in any way that matters.”
13
 CHAPTER ONE
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
Dying once is enough.
— Virgil, Aeneid
Five clans and wings comprise the blood covenant known as Camarilla: the first and last unified nation of the dead.

THE CLANS OF ROME

Once we were five. Now we are one.
But unity has many facets. Each of us bears a
purpose in our Necropolis, a caste mark bequeathed
by the hand of Dis Pater:
Leader, idol, warrior, zealot, toiler.
From shadows near and far, we came with songs
of battles, blood, and rage, and thus do the
revenants of Rome call out in harmony, each in a
note the Blood commands.
Lend us your ears as our dirges rise from the
mausoleums. Spare a prayer for those who could
not find the happiness of death.
For we are your ancestors.
We are your Kindred.

CHAPTER ONE: 15
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 JULII
THE SOVEREIGN DEAD
Founders, Nobles, Tyranni
She stands above the crowd because nowhere else will
do. “Ave! Ave!” they cry, the rhythm of their chant the
heartbeat of her triumph. And when she casts her gaze
on you, their eyes turn with her. And when she smiles,
their knives gleam like her teeth. “Et tu?” she asks,
and there can only be one answer.
Aliquid mortuum appropinquat. It balances
the world upon a fasces, imperium made man-
ifest in pale flesh. “Veni, vidi… edi!” it laughs,
blood-spittle staining its dress a deeper purple. It
is the maw of more, gorging on the sweetest vines,
the thickest veins, the comeliest vestals. But this is no
mere carouser. There’s a bureaucracy to debauchery, a wrong
way to live and a right way to die. It is the swollen corpse of
tradition, Magna Mater, heavy with honored rite and petty
procedure alike. When the feasting’s done and the bodies cool,
it awaits tribute in its candlelit lair (pardon, lararium), just as it
did your father and his father before him, the tallow smelling
so like the night they laid your grandmother on the pyre. “The
dead teach the living,” it says in her voice, and the first lesson
shall be sacrifice.
The Julii are Rome. Rome the mother. Rome conqueror.
Rome the defiler. Rome the vampire. They are the Eternal
City in all her contradictions: demanding virtue yet violating
greater bounds; preaching family yet bleeding generations for
their orgies; weeping for the ancestors yet digging up corpses
to lay at their enemies’ doors, MEMENTO MORI carved in
ragged remains. They call the state sacrosanct then remake it
with a word or a fist or a drop of blood, and that is the true
genius of the Julii.
For this, the other clans call them Founders, sons and daugh-
ters of the Inauspicious Twin, who lost one legacy but forged
another beneath the earth. He chose well for heirs. From the
line of Caesar and Augustus his childer came, and like their
infamous cousins, they became architects of a new order. Before
the Founders, vampires were unthinking things with no drives
beyond spilled blood. The Julii changed that. Now to be one of
the dead is to be Propinquus. To be Kindred. This is what they
claim, and they’ll never let you forget it.
You have the blood of a Roman! Good.
Now you’ll bleed like one.
16 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
How? The details aren’t important. A Roman reigns
from the horse. What other explanation could there
be? The truth is needless to those with the power
to make it.
But they do know, don’t they? Watch close
and see past the artifice of power and piety and
puerility. When the braziers blow black smoke
and their faces turn a paler shade. When the
hearth light catches in their servants’ eyes and
they start like frighted beasts. When they pay
their blood-stained coin to the haruspex and find
black feathers in the bowel.
Hail the statesman! He walks the colonnades carrying
the burden of office like a curse, lamenting the bromides
of bureaucrats barely in their togas. How welcome his hard-
earned wisdom. How graciously he accepts their praise. When
the assembly stands, they always stand with him — and sit,
and kneel, and all the other things coming to a man of stat-
ure among youths. As the hall empties and he stands before
the bust of his ancestor, he wonders when he shall sit for a
portrait once again.
Hail the general! War is a ladder, and each victory is a rung.
Can she fight? Sure, why not. But winning is less important
than networking, and the more fallen heroes she recruits from
the legions, the more respect becomes an aegis. How grateful
they are to serve again. How deafening their cheers. Loyalty is
all, and she bleeds it. Her officers slaughter innocents as gladly
as they fall on their swords, and they compete to see who’ll let
the blade slip deepest.
Hail the genius loci! But do not look upon it! Don’t disrespect
it with your sight! It has protected this place since before the
Emperors, before the Republic, before the Kings, before the
Etruscans, existing wherever troubles plague the people — a
blighted harvest, a crumbling roof, an anemic child — taking
gold and sweetmeats to mend calamities. It holds the cornuco-
pia in one hand and a viper in the other, both mouths smelling
of rust. If you seek its favor, feed both. How prosperous it makes
them. How clever it is to always know when it’s needed.
Let the other clans submit. The Julii will take nothing less.
 Why you want to be us
You want to be lord over the damned? Trivial. Never settle for king when emperor’s on the
table. The blood of Remus and Caesar lifts us above every pedestal and each tradition. All
laws may bend; all taboos are relative. We do as we want because we wish it, and that’s all
the justification you’ll ever need.

Why you should fear us

Civilization or ruin. The only choice that matters. The issue isn’t whether you’ll be enlight-
ened by our leadership. That’s written. Already history. The issue is whether we raise a cross
and wait for Apollo. So — civilization or ruin? Easy.

Why we should fear ourselves

A thousand wings through a thousand years of darkness! They watch. They
wait. They know. Please, have mercy. No, it wasn’t me! By the gods, it wasn’t me!

Clan Origins
• Lying in the ditch where his brother left him, a dying man stares at
the Moon, one eye matching Luna’s gaze as twelve vultures plan their
meal. A shadow breaks the light, and an owl of living smoke frights the
buzzards, filling the warm night air with cool ash. “Son of Mars, I come
to bargain.” It promises the world. Not the one of his birthright, no, but the
night needs masters too. The owl tells the dying man he shall rule the dark a
thousand years if he only pays homage to its kin, and so he blinks assent. The
man is true to his word — at first — offering his brother’s get to the parliament,
but he keeps the best of the harvest for himself, forging pacts with the words
the owl whispered. And one night, the sacrifices stop altogether…
• Rome is a death cult. To sit the throne or the head of the house, one must
show pietas before the departed. In little alcoves, the people make oblations to
domestic demigods of death, and for nine days in February, the state halts so
the living might supplicate the ancestors, begging their favor with wine-soaked
bread and amaranths. But worshiping death only breeds it. The offerings prove
too sweet to resist, and corpses rise from their charnel houses to collect. Too
heavy with life to return to Dis Pater, they remain to guide the people. Yet
the Father of Riches never miscounts. Even tonight, his ashen agents hunt
lost assets to return to his vault.
• Olim, Aeneas of Troy fled Ilium pursued by spiteful Juno, who hated
his people for rejecting her at the Judgment of Paris. Eventually, Aeneas
and his followers found refuge in the alabaster hills of Latium, where
he asked a bride of its ruler so they might unite their peoples. Though
the princess was betrothed to Turnus of the Rutuli, she favored Aeneas,
foreseeing the mighty nation they would sire together. But Turnus swore
revenge, murdering Aeneas’ friend Pallas and declaring war on Trojan and
Latin alike. This war raged for many years until the two princes met on
the battlefield, the Trojan striking the Rutulian down with a stroke of
his spear. But as he considered his rival’s plea for mercy, Aeneas spied
his beloved friend’s belt upon his enemy’s shoulder, a gift bestowed by
Juno. The prince murdered his enemy in a rage, lapping up the blood in
hate. Thus was Juno’s trap sprung. Though she could not strike Aeneas
down, for he was too beloved by all the other gods, she could curse the
ground where he blasphemed. His people would share his thirst, one that
would one day bring about its fall. And if his people should ever deny their
nature, their ancestors shall rise to remind them of who they really are
— rapaciter in aeternum.

CHAPTER ONE: 17
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 In the Camarilla
The Cult of Augurs: Most Julian Fates treat their holy offices
as steps in the cursus honorum they call a Requiem. Not cynically
— no more than any other Vaticinators — but they cast their lots
and gut their hens knowing the gods have bigger plans for them.
Still, Julian true believers do walk among the Prophets, untan-
gling webs of fate because they know it’s their birthright. Who
else bears the blood of Mars and Divus Julius? Quis sicut deus?
The Legion of the Dead: Many Founders aspire to lord over
armies as praetors, but a few prefer the lower ranks, traveling the
Empire in search of adventure and new subjects. The Midnight
Republic is an eternal project, and like their own deaths, it must
never be constrained. Who better to conquer the night? Who
else could lead the Camarilla by the blade?
The Peregrine Collegium: It’s not an easy death, but it’s fulfill-
ing: to be free of the Julian Requiem’s constraints, to do as thou
wilt without some purple-clad prick judging your nomen. Most
Founders among the Untouchables are second sons and daugh-
ters, mistakes, accidents, and impulses left to their own devices.
But from the bottom, a Founder always rises to the top. Who
better to run the pit? Who else could cheat death so brazenly?
The Senex: Some serve as senators, voting however the Inner
Circle needs them to tonight; others serve as advocates and
judges, using the weight of their Words to adjudicate disputes
and advance their careers. But all serve. Service to the Old Man
is the one thing the Founders can’t shirk or besmirch, and this
is their burden and their boon. The Julii aren’t the majority
anymore, but they still play the game best. They built it, rigged
it, and convinced everyone else it was fair. Who else could hold
this thing together? That remains to be seen.
The Lancea et Sanctum: Julian Sanctified are traitors all, a
label they relish like sinful blood. The clan considers it a matter
of honor to destroy Founders who truck with these Atheists,
but that just eggs them on. These are the iconoclasts of the
family, rebels who’ll usher in a better future for the Propinqui.
God wills it, and they speak so forcefully with His voice. Who
better to lead the dead into Hell? Who else has seen the rot at
the heart of the Camarilla?
18 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Stereotypes
DAEVA: Drunk on the cheers of the mayflies they
wish they were.
GANGREL: I’ll take a dozen in formation.
MEKHET: Your gods were weak, so we killed them.
NOSFERATU: Serviles are useful, true, but never
let them know they’re necessary.
Clan Bane: The Strigid Curse
The Julii have no bane. The other clans are foreign and
depraved, and only the Founders, true children of Rome, are
unburdened by the corruptions of death. As such, the ancestors
expect more of them. Perhaps they’re harsh with their repri-
mands, but so be it. This is obligation, not punishment. No,
the Julii know obedience. Nothing more.
Favored Attributes
Composure or Presence
Disciplines
Dominate: Who’s more commanding than a Roman? To the
Julii, Dominate is the essence of imperium. There’s nothing
supernatural about the weak obeying the strong. That’s the
way the world works, as is good and right. The Tyranni wield
their birthright with little reserve, compelling their servants to
complete even trivial tasks, and sometimes just the fear of losing
one’s mind to a Founder is enough reason for some to comply.
Resilience: Who’s tougher than a Roman? The Founders
shrug off assassinations like summer showers then debauch
till morning, abusing themselves and each other in ways that
would devastate human bodies.
Vigor: Who’s stronger than a Roman? To rule the night, the
Julii had to take it by force, and they use their strength both as
warriors and lords, wielding the threat of pain against those
who don’t yet know to submit.
 Daeva
The captivating dead
Courtesans, Players, Cinaedi
He strides the stage before the multitude, each member in
perfect rapture as he rakes the blade across his breast.
Every drop dribbling down his faultless nudity is an
offer: “You could be like me.” To be the object of all
desire, one ship upon a sea of adoration. He beckons;
you come. The antiphon thunders as you drink
deep of his light — you and all the other marks
sucking at the wound.
Aliquid mortuum appropinquat. It makes it look
so easy. It’s the tears as the audience weeps for
Oedipus. It’s the spatter of equine blood upon
the track. It’s the boast as the gladiator dares the
lord to turn his thumb. On the stage with a song or the dais
with a speech, it puts on a show. It’s always performing, tuned
in and turned on to its public’s every desire. Like comedy and
tragedy, ego and bloodlust are just two teeth in the same maw,
and it has such appetites. We are so desperate to feed it. Give
it your veins or your cheers; give it your praise or your throat.
Doesn’t matter. Either way, you’ll give it up.
The Daeva were waiting for Rome. The Eternal City is the
promised land of sin, and they were among the first to answer
its wicked clarion call. In the streets or the sheets or the crypts,
the Daeva know the heart of Rome is her libido. Sex, theater,
violence — same difference. Consummate artists, they’ll fill any
role that comes with a crowd, whether at the Colosseum or a
private command performance. As long as you can afford them.
For this, the other clans call them Courtesans, highest yet
lowest of the dead. The Daeva’s rivals deride them as sluts
and cocksuckers and other, cruder terms (actors), but they’ve
never cared about reviews. They didn’t care when the rabbis
condemned them as tempters, screech owls of the desert taking
pleasant forms to dirty the faithful. They didn’t care that the
dasturs called them gods to be rejected — hell, they even kept
the name. And they really don’t care when dead pigs in purple
squeal about depravity. Not with numbers like these.
Hail the gladiatrix! A woman in the arena is rare indeed,
and those who jeer are quick to meet her might. But the point
of the ring isn’t who hacks and slashes the best: It’s who holds
the crowd. How exquisite her form. How bright her blade in
You call these games?
Let’s play a real game.
the torchlight. The show is everything, and if you help her
put on a good one, she’ll let you in on her trade
secrets. The posca has an iron tang as she pours
it down their throats, but it makes them strong
and beautiful like her, the muscles gleaming and
their smiles crowd-ready. Now wave to the
people; she’ll make you a star.
Hail the debater! Is the logic a tad spu-
rious? Is he just begging the question? Who
cares? How piercing his rejoinders. How brutal
his ad hominems. He scores like a harpastum
player, brutalizing his foes with such force they
shed tears in agony (“And Caesar wept!”) His wit is a brand
burning through real arguments, marking his opponents with
humiliations that never heal. His fan club grows by the night,
and even a few senators are taking notes. He has much to teach
them about rhetoric, but he only really has one lesson: No one
watches debates to be convinced. It’s all about the bloodbath.
Hail the temple whore! Sacred virgins are so passé. She knows
the divine has never valued chastity, and so she fucks in its name
all night long. Which god does she serve? Wouldn’t you like to
know. That’s half the fun, a mystery her followers can solve as she
takes them behind the veil. How soft her caress. How sacred her
embrace. When the time comes to make oblations, they always
pay up. And when she makes her own sacrifices, the things she
serves pay her with far more carnal pleasures.
Let the other clans judge. The Daeva tread the boards and
bedrooms with the same swagger, lighting up the night so the
other dead can pretend to flush in the afterglow. That’s what
the others will never admit: They need their Courtesans, need
to be reminded of all the sick and sacred things of life lest the
Beast takes center stage. Oh, how they deny it! Oh, the polemics
and reproofs! The resentment and the jealousy.
But they all come in the end.
Why you want to be us
You want to stand above all and proclaim the song of you,
the only one worth singing. Few know what it’s like to be wor-
shiped as a god, and Daeva stand higher than the Pantheon.
CHAPTER ONE: 19
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 What Roman doesn’t want glory? With the Courtesans, you’ll
be triumph in the flesh.
Why you should fear us
A broken bone mends, but reputations never really heal. A
rumor moves through the Forum so fast when ears can’t
help but listen. None of it’s true, sure, but here’s the
Daeva’s secret: It doesn’t matter if you mean what you
say if you say it well. They do everything well.
Why we should
fear ourselves
Fail to top the last hit and the cheers grow dull,
quieting till the only crowd left is your own
pretty voice echoing up the amphitheater.
What’s a sculptor without a patron? A poet
without a muse? Nothing at all.
Clan Origins
• Buried in a garden grave, a corpse waits
for the worms to have their way. For lying
with the queen’s husband, death was the
only proper punishment, and so she
took the knife with duty in her heart.
Yet her mistress regrets this thought-
less vengeance. She yearns for her
handmaid’s comfort more than her
fickle husband’s, and as she mourns
before the grave, a nightbird calls
from the wild: “Daughter of Ningal, I
come to bargain.” It offers to raise her
confidante from the land of death
in exchange for her royal soul, and
the queen accepts with a crescent
smile. Yet when the nightbird
demands recompense, it
cannot find the queen.
Now she rules only in
the light of Utu, where
creatures of the dark
may never go. Her new
consort rules beneath
Sin in the night, bring-
ing ever more followers
to her silver throne with
all the glory the nightbird
gifted her…
• The Persians don’t touch
death. A corpse is just a
skinsuit for devils, and
burial in earth, fire, or water taints
the sacred elements of God. Instead,
they leave their dead in towers open
to the elements, where scavenger
beasts deal with things as nature
20 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
intended. It’s a lonely end to be left to the curs and buzzards.
It’s too much for some. The isolation drives them from their
rest, and when they return, they’ve got a lot of living to
make up for, lapping up all the attention and
adulation denied by death. To be seen. To be
known. To be wanted.
• Olim, Lavinia was the most-desired bride
in all the land. When she was small, her
hair caught alight from the braziers on
Lupercalia, and the soothsayers saw visions
in the flame, foretelling a husband of great
character and the war he’d wage for her hand.
And lo, when Aeneas came to Latium and
wooed her, the princess was well-pleased,
for she wanted the handsome prince
all for her own. However, if she
was to be a trophy, she wished
to be earned. It was not
Juno who whispered
poison in Turnus’s ear.
It was not the spiteful
goddess who slipped
Pallas’ belt around the
king’s waist. When
the war was won and
scores lay in the fields,
Lavinia knew who had
really won. Even now,
those who died in her
name still yearn for
her affections — mem-
orabiliter in aeternum.
In the
Camarilla
The Cult of Augurs: Religion
is no stranger to pageantry, but the
Courtesans pull out all the stops to see
beyond the here and now. Blood and
entrails, sacred bacchanals, human sac-
rifice — amateur hour. More baroquely
bureaucratic than their fellow Vaticinators,
the Daeva know gods have tastes mortal
men can’t satisfy, and so they stand at the
dais accepting sacrifices as appealingly as
possible. And if they amuse the divine well
enough? Sometimes, it applauds.
The Legion of the Dead: War is the
great stage of empires, where generals
compete for triumphs and soldiers want
to win badly enough to die. The Daeva
strike as hard as any Worm or Founder, but they
also look fantastic doing it. They appreciate the finer
things in death, and what better way to earn them
than a pretty uniform and a prettier rank? Who else could put
the fair in warfare?
The Peregrine Collegium: So many vices to peddle, so much
eternity to do it. Daeva Strangers will play any part you like if
you’re paying, and in brothels, bathhouses, and rigged chariot
races, the people flock to take in their sights. The Daeva earned
their Courtesan nickname among the Untouchables, and it’s
a laurel wreath of vice. Who better to fence hot goods? Who
else could properly fuck the upper classes?
The Senex: Politics is just entertainment for the patricians,
theater by any other name. That’s the kind of act the Daeva can
get behind. The titles, the speeches, the backbiting — all of it
nonsense; all of it delicious. Power is about who the masses like
best, and the Courtesans have never had a likability problem.
Who better to make the rhetoric soar to new heights? Who else
could put so much style over so little substance?
The Lancea et Sanctum: Longinus spent time among the
Daeva cults to Lilith in the Levant, and it was they who taught
him how best to tempt the sinful (some Courtesans even claim
the Dark Father as their kin). Though they spurn Lilith now,
Daeva Witnesses haven’t forgotten her lessons. However, it’s the
Church’s revolutionary spirit that attracts the clan, an ideology
that views temptation as the surest way to serve His will. Who
better to dance on the Camarilla’s grave? Who else loves the
sin but hates the sinner?
Clan Bane: The Wanton Curse
The more they fill the seats, the more a performer craves that
personal touch. He goes looking for plaudits offstage, collecting
groupies like masks for his parts. A captive audience.
Stereotypes
JULII: And they call us whores.
GANGREL: Conquer me.
MEKHET: So busy searching for divinity they left
their hearts behind. Not to speak of their minds.
NOSFERATU: Work’s all well and good, but when
you forget to play, you become… that.
Favored Attributes
Dexterity or Manipulation
Disciplines
Celerity: Celerity is the embodiment of movement, the
essence of form. Maybe no one’s seen a perfect circle, says
Plato, but — briefly — the Daeva will show you a perfect body
in motion.
Majesty: It’s more than lust or charm, or even talent: It’s
showmanship. To be everything the people crave but never lifting
a finger to earn it, to embody divinity without a divine bone
in your body. Maybe they can get some blood out of it, but a
true Courtesan does it for the art.
Vigor: That Courtesan nickname can be deceptive. Many
take the arena as celebrated gladiators or the field as legendary
soldiers, and it’s Vigor that gives them the edge to not only
draw eyes but crack skulls. Death is beautiful, and the Daeva
will show you how.
CHAPTER ONE: 21
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 Gangrel
The bellicose dead
Wanderers, Champions, Jumenta
“Draw a drop of my blood and I’ll let you go,” she says,
a slight thing in rags, her rust-caked knife gripped in a
puny fist. You’d laugh, but she’s on you faster than
your mind can register the absurdity, and she splits
you like an ax cleaving oak. “Last chance…”
Aliquid mortuum appropinquat. It does not
come in peace. It rides the tide of war, a red
tide come to conquer. It spurns death because
death hasn’t proved a worthy foe. It goes where
it likes because borders are fables for those who’ve
never known the march, who’ve never brought a boot
down on mud or blood or skull. Now it’s here to destroy
you. Isn’t personal; you aren’t that important. Its duty is
patriotism and conquest, victory and revenge, and you have
so little to do with those. A real warrior sees the big picture
and the bigger kills, and if you’re lucky enough to be one of its
statistics, make thanks you’re not its enemy.
The Gangrel fight for Rome. In bar brawls and riots and
Senate scrums, they’re the conflict roiling the Eternal City’s
soul. They are the contagion of empire, a pox infesting peace
and brotherhood with good old brutal violence, spreading over
Mother Night in search of new vectors. They call neither man
nor corpse master, serving because it pleases them to make
carnage a credo. If that happens to align with the state’s will, so
be it. A wild heart burns in the Gangrel breast, and it doesn’t
always lead them back to Rome.
For this, the other clans call them Wanderers, wardens of
the Midnight Republic. The Old Man could never have purged
the Striges and their pawns without Gangrel claws and Gangrel
blood, and in gratitude, he offered them an eternal place in his
grand experiment. Long did the Wanderers yearn for a place
like Rome, where viciousness might yield glory rather than
meals alone. When the Celts conquered Gaul they spoke of
walkers, those who fell with no honor and rose to hunt the
pure. When the Phoenicians carved up North Africa, camps
would disappear before the dawn, as if battles had come and
gone, leaving nothing but crimson trails between the dunes.
But for now, the Wanderers have hunkered down. The
Camarilla provides the targets, and the Gangrel are her citizen
Triumph or death?
Both.
22 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
soldiers, vanquishing enemies with all the self-as-
surance of a battering ram. For now.
Hail the recruit! So eager to learn. He picks
up all the tricks with ease, holding a sword as
though battle were in his blood. Maybe it is.
Like his father before him, he joins because
his love of the motherland surpasses all. How
dutiful his word and deed. How selfless his
sacrifice. When he falls, his comrades carry on
in grief and rage, winning the war for their little
martyr. They’ll die for him too, just like they did for
his father. Just like they will for his son.
Hail the advocate! She fights for you, Eternal City! She never
loses a case, and that’s both a promise and a threat, a sword
her clients can wield against accusers before the trial even
starts. How steep her fee. How cunning her stratagems. She
dispatches evidence like lions devour gladiators, each victory
building her repute and topping off her coffers. Does she go
too far? Oh yes. But that’s what you paid for, kid. She burns
bridges with such glee barbarians would call her savage, and
if her worthy opponents should choose to lose their politesse,
well, that’s when she works pro bono.
Hail the philosopher! Civilization has robbed us of our nat-
ural state, and it’s high time we took it back. He wanders the
streets barefoot and ragged, preaching to bastards the Empire
discards as it marches toward a new tomorrow. How unadorned
his ethics. How dangerous his notions. He takes them to secret
places beyond the walls, barrows and crypts even the dead call
profane. He teaches them the laws of nature, and all the secrets
of flesh once the animal mind’s set free.
Let the other clans cling to some imagined peace. The
Gangrel will prepare for war.
Why you want to be us
Death’s a generous patron. You want blood and treasure? It’s
yours. You want glory and power and riches? They’re waiting at
the end of your fangs. But more than that, you want to stride
the Earth and slay it, walk where other corpse men dare not
tread. Just because you can.
 Why you should fear us wolves and lions she oft slew, but as the conflict’s years grew
We’ll raze your crops and topple your gods. We’ll cut out your long and the cause more desperate, she realized she must
mother tongue with hot shears. We’ll rip your children from also become a beast in mind and body. At the final battle,
your arms and give them our names. We’ll end everything you no longer the shape of any mortal woman, she stalked the
were and could’ve been. And if we’re merciful, we’ll kill you too. field taking blood as she once sought glory, a wild thing
made for death. And though the Latins struck her down,
Why we should fear ourselves so impressed was Diana with such a perfect predator that
A weapon knows only division. With no rivals left to slay, she returned her from Dis Pater to make more of her kind
when all the worlds are conquered, it turns on whatever gave — vehementer in aeternum.
it meaning beyond slaughter. Once it’s done, no one will even
be left to bury it. In the Camarilla
Clan Origins The Cult of Augurs: The Gangrel brought rites to the
Fates to earn their place before the gods of Rome. Some came
• Sprawled before a mourning mass, an immortal paragon lies from wild divinities dwelling in Italia, Gaul, and Germania,
dead. Pierced through the heart with a mistletoe bolt — his taught to their ancestors in the dark times before the Eternal
only bane — a trickster placed the spear in his blind brother’s City, and some they cut from the hides of heathen witches.
hand to test the bold one’s mettle, a cruel jest and a crueler Faith has always been about blood, and the Gangrel know
punchline. His mother prays before the body even as the that alone placates the ones above, not spectacle or proce-
multitude drifts away, and two ravens emerge from behind dure. Prophecy must bleed, and the only sacrament is the
the placid eye of Maní in the night: “Daughter of Fjörgynn, cut. Who better to make sacrifice? Who else can call on the
we come to bargain.” They offer to restore her son if only wrath of gods?
she’ll offer up his strength when the time comes for the gods
to die and fire to remake the world. She agrees, but she is as
clever as she is devoted, wise in the wyrd. She splits her son
in half, one side lacking all compassion, the other taking
all his nerve. She sends the first to the ravens, a hollow
thing to master men as the old gods fall, and the second
to walk the wilds, an undying warrior stalking shadows in
the dark. The ravens have not yet realized the deception,
but if they ever do…
• In Gaul, warriors demand tribute in death.
Gold, thralls, and even beloveds join the
fallen, all his conquests tossed on the pyre with
his corpse. It’s simple economics, a guarantee
to join the ancestors with the same standing he
had among the living. It doesn’t always work. The
offerings might be picked off by covetous kin, or
maybe the poor bastard just dies like a dog, his
body sinking through a random bog without any
hope of recovery. If you spent your life fighting for
what was yours, wouldn’t you also fight to
get it back? You’d kill Death for the dis-
honor. And you’d keep on going once
you wiped the blade clean, because
who’s going to stop you now?
• Olim, Camilla was the greatest of
Turnus’s allies. Her father, King of the
Vosci, fled usurpers while she was but a
babe, and when he came to a river too wide
to ford, he bound her to a spear and swore her
to Diana, hurling her safely across. The goddess bestowed
Camilla with divine ferocity, and by the time she came
of age, she was the mightiest hunter in all of Italy. When
the war against the Trojans came, Camilla fought like the

CHAPTER ONE: 23
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 The Legion of the Dead: The Kindred say the Legion
belongs to the Gangrel, and they’re right. It’s more cosmo-
politan than the nights of Julius Senex, but the Wanderers
treat the lower ranks like a bat’s nest. It’s not for nothing that
the stereotypical Virgator is a Gangrel thug with copper on
her breath. This is the wing where the clan earned its name,
wandering the Empire of Night to keep the roads safe for their
Kindred, living off the land without oversight or restraint.
Who better to keep the barbarians at bay than more barbar-
ians? Who else is made for war?
The Peregrine Collegium: Despite a reputation for
leg-breaking, protection rackets, and unspeakable circus
feats, Collegium Wanderers possess a certain subtly. They
collect Fenestrae like some Kindred build herds, all the better
to stick it to those who deem them beasts. They aren’t just
criminal enforcers: They’re freedom enforcers, protecting it
from Nefasti who think noble names are the only things that
grant imperium. Who better to tear the law to shreds? Who
else values liberty over death?
The Senex: Politics is the highest form of violence. Sure,
bloodshed is off the table (officially), but the Senex provides
all the opportunities a Gangrel could ever want to hunt prey
and humiliate her enemies. That’s what democracy’s all about.
Most Wanderers don’t possess the subtle arms the other clans
wield, but finesse is nothing against bloody-mindedness. They’ll
filibuster their ideological foes into torpor if they have to, and
what’s attrition but another name for victory? Who better to
bully at the bully pulpit?
The Lancea et Sanctum: God declared war on Rome, and
the Gangrel are His frontline. He gave them hard bodies to
break the sinner’s sword. He gave them shifting skin to slip the
Adversary’s grip. He gave them clever tongues to speak with
beasts, to sic all the crawling, hungry things on tyrants. And
if they serve Him well, the hunting ground He’ll grant shall
be fat with prey. Who better to butcher the goats and tend the
sheep? Who else could knock false kings from their thrones?
24 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Stereotypes
JULII: Keep your city. The rest is ours.
DAEVA: Harlots are the same the world over. We
should know.
MEKHET: If the gods want praise, they can earn
it on the field.
NOSFERATU: Watch these ones. Too busy by half.
Clan Bane: The Bestial Curse
War is hell. It chips at the soul till nothing’s left but conflict.
Who’s next for the sword? The Beast knows, and its orders
are always final.
Favored Attributes
Resolve or Stamina
Disciplines
Animalism: Unique among the dead gentes, only the
Wanderers have inherent dominion over beasts. Gangrel use
this edge against “civilized” Romans who grow too content in
their finery, plaguing them with scuttling infestations or siccing
blood-hungry predators on those who cross them.
Protean: The Wanderers mastered so many tools of death
their flesh became a weapon, an eternal and infinite arsenal.
Gangrel refine their forms as it suits the battle, switching
between them in daysleep to wield the perfect weapon for
whatever conflict awaits.
Resilience: A Champion’s form is just a vessel for her warrior
will. Whatever arms her enemies stab, impale, or gut her with
have no bearing on her ability to keep on fighting. Some say
they no longer feel pain, but that’s a lie: They feel every agony,
and that just drives them harder.
 MEKHET
THE FAITHFUL DEAD
Seers, Emissaries, Tenebrae
She moves to the altar with a step so light you’re not sure
it reaches the ground. A voice in your mind hisses the
rites you must perform, the words a sacred fire licking
through your skull. Now she’s before you — beside you!
And where your hand was empty, a dagger grins across
the palm. “The gods have their own laws,” the voice
concludes, and the congregation cries, “Amen!”
Aliquid mortuum appropinquat. It’s a funeral
dirge in cold keys, an unhallowed hymn too
dreadful to place upon the tongue. It’s a thief
in the night, counting every obol and setting its
thumb upon the scale. It’s the blessedness of death
and the horror of what comes next. It haunts the sacred
groves and temple gates, the places where gods slip their griev-
ances through the cracks. Wherever divinity cuts a wound
in the Earth, it flies from its liminal nest to pick at the scar.
Lapping up prophecies in the pus.
The Mekhet are watching Rome. From shrines to deities only
they recall, they spy upon the Kindred and the kine, glutting
on secrets and sins. The more wisdom they gather, the more
depravities they hoard, the more the gods lift the veil before their
eyes, revealing the world for the library of blood and blackmail it
is. And as holy prurience fills what once occupied their hearts,
they shrug off the burden of life to bask in the lightness of death.
For this, the other clans call them Seers, diviners of truth
and servants to all things esoteric, or just arbiters of anything
they deem dogma. Religion binds the Mekhet like a spiderweb,
though who’s spinning the thread matters less as the centuries
pass. In the Empire of Kemet, they surfaced from the Nile to
preach the providence of Osiris, wielding miracles to balance
the sacred and profane. In Delphi, they stepped from Gaia’s
holy vapors, ghosts of prophecies past and futures yet to come.
And in the Kingdom of Rome, they appeared on the Tiber’s
shores as the royal family fell under Phoebus’s farsighted sway,
his shrine seeming to erect in a night. As if it had always stood.
Beyond sight, beyond flesh, the Mekhet are so close to god-
liness, and each violating gaze is another sacrament.
Hail the bookseller! Take a left as the Argiletum passes the
Temple of Janus and you’ll find her store, though it’s never in
Give me your sins.
I need them more than you.
quite the same alley or behind the same door. The
gods deem who finds her, and tonight’s your lucky
night. How tall the shelves! How strange the con-
tents. The tales don’t end the way the pedagogues
taught — the gods seem crueler in the cracked
pages of her volumes, quicker to rage and ruin.
Yet the illustrations are so familiar, like echoes
of a dream. Odd, the reprobate in this one shares
your name… and now you see her. A look that
could cut paper. And then, there is no bookstore.
Hail the oracle! The gods tell him what must
be done, though the priests and politicians call him
mad. He should be so lucky. How incomprehensible
his babbling. How wretched his truths. An absence spreads
across the world that only he can see, a not-thing where the
gods can’t bear to look. Each prophecy shows him who’ll next
step through its maw. Few listen. Few come back. Those who
heed his words must sacrifice, so the voices tell him. But each
time he partakes of their oblations, the void grows darker still.
Hail the pastor! Nearer to God than thee, yet she gathers her
people in the low places of the city, the ones the pagans could
never find. Deeper than the catacombs, she preaches, close
to Hell to keep Lucifer on his toes. How great her piety. How
wondrous her miracles. She lifts the dead from perdition with
a sip of sacramental wine, the blood of the Savior compelling
them to spread His love. She whispers a secret gospel in their
pale ears as they turn their paler eyes upon the flock, hungry
for the Lord’s grace. Now they shall take communion.
Let the other clans sin and sin again. The Mekhet will still
be watching.
Why you want to be us
Want to know everything in heaven and hell? That’s just
for starters. It’s simple: Feed the gods and they’ll feed you.
Don’t like the gods? Screw ’em. Tell yourself the Christ blessed
you, or damned you, or whatever comforts you in death. The
details are irrelevant. Few are touched by the divine, and fewer
still are lucky enough to survive the encounter. Somebody up
there likes us.
CHAPTER ONE: 25
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 Why you should fear us
It’s not us you should worry about. What the ones above
decree can’t be unwritten, and if they call upon us to weigh
your heart, we must obey. They made your secrets smell of sweet
ambrosia, and it would be a great sin not to partake.
Why we should fear ourselves
The truth and lies flow like a deluge, hollowing out what
was already empty. Eventually, all that remains are riddles in
the night, with no one — not even the gods — to answer them.
Clan Origins
• Scattered to the four corners of the world, the pieces of
a corpse wait for the jackals to finish the job, all as
his murderous brother claims his throne. His sister
gathers the fragments hoping he might be whole
again, but she cannot find the final piece, and her
tears wet the sand. Answering her lament, an ibis
glides from the sky, a blight on Khonsu in the sky:
“Daughter of Geb, I come to bargain.” It tells her
it came upon the missing piece floating down the
river, the key to taking vengeance on the usurper.
In return, all she must do is reward the ibis for its
kindness. She agrees. Tying the piece to her brother
with linen in the way of her people, she
does what she must upon the banks of
the fertile Nile. Her child destroys his
uncle, his sight so keen he sees the old
man’s moves before he makes them.
And when the time comes for the
ibis and its flock to collect their gift,
he knows all the places it will never
find him…
• In Egypt, funerary rites follow the
proper procedures. The stomach,
the bowel, the lungs, the liver, each
in a jar marked by a son of Horus.
Servants to attend, wealth to
spend. Ah, but that’s a rich man’s
death. For the peasants? A pit
and a pittance. Maybe that’s why
their bodies sometimes crawl up
from the mass graves, the insult of
a pauper’s death a greater pull than
the Duat. The cadavers covet the
respect denied them, collecting sins
on behalf of those that lie below.
But never mind what becomes
of their souls.
• Olim, Juturna of the
Rutuli sought to save
her brother Turnus
from the terrible destiny the gods wove
for him, to be slaughtered by a foreign
26 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
prince for the crime of loving a woman. Juturna was blessed
and cursed with a terrible vision, the future moving like
a river before her eyes, but she was also clever and swift,
wise in the ways of deception. She hid among her people’s
army when the war came, taking different guises to aid her
beloved brother in his fight, his constant shadow. Though
each mask robbed her of another memory, her will to
challenge fate never dimmed. But when great Jupiter sent
a fury in the form of an owl to strike fear into Turnus as
the Trojan threw his spear, Juturna finally knew the gods
cannot be denied as Latin arrows cut her down. No longer
anyone at all, she rose to make amends with the divine —
sagaciter in aeternum.
In the Camarilla
The Cult of Augurs: Emissaries are the most
devout Prophets, and it’s here they earned that
nickname. That doesn’t make them any less mer-
cenary, of course. They’ll tailor their predictions
like any Augurs, but their justifications are far more
self-righteous. If the gods didn’t want them to lie, they
wouldn’t talk to the Mekhet. No, the gods expect the
Seers to get creative. Who better to perform divine
reverse psychology? Who else could keep the
mysteries a mystery?
The Legion of the Dead: Seer
Legionaries form cults in the name
of Mercury, god of travel, assuring
Kindred have safe passage between
the Camarilla’s various domains.
However, Mercury is also a master of
deception, and many Mekhet Soldiers
serve him as assassins and spies, using
their travels to embed themselves
among unknowing Kindred, wearing
faces not their own. Tenebrae are
warriors of the holy persuasion,
annihilating all who def y the
Camarilla’s gods… or God, in later
nights. Who better to cut out sin
with a knife?
The Peregrine Collegium: It’s
not a crime if the gods tell you
to do it. Seers are the soul of the
Collegium, not just as discount
astrologers and fortunetellers,
but as the wing’s primary
field operators. T he
Collegium would
collapse without
the Mekhet: They
see falsehood with a glance, scram
faster than a bolting horse, and make
the dark their eternal accomplice. Who
better than a clairvoyant to know when
the heat dies down? Who else can go so fast when the going
gets tough?
The Senex: The Old Man lacks perspective. Too often his
deliberations ignore spiritual matters in favor of the material,
and Seers assure their colleagues enjoy a broader viewpoint.
Whether they want it or not. Despite a reputation for casting
votes based on star signs (true), Mekhet Senecti are shrewd
operators, and one would be well advised to never speak a lie
in their presence (truer). Who better to cut through all the red
tape? Who else can see through all the bullshit?
The Lancea et Sanctum: Many of their clan come from
pagan lands, but Sanctified Mekhet burn with a fire for the
Lord. God is always speaking, always telling the faithful where
they must go and what they must do. Though He’s Damned
them, the Tenebrae know they can still listen in. Who better
to expose false gods? Who else can look the Devil in the eye
and not blink?
Clan Bane: The Tenebrous Curse
Reaping sin gets under your skin. The divine marks the
Mekhet with signs and wonders, infesting them with little
personal canons to keep them humble. To keep the faith.
Clan Bane: The Haunted Curse
But Seers who keep the old ways differ from their Romanized
Kindred. They know the Embrace exacts a price, the vital spark
of life, but they also know it’s worth losing to experience the
gods’ dark miracles.
Stereotypes
JULII: Don’t look up.
DAEVA: Diversions. But we do like to watch.
GANGREL: A dog has no fear of Fortune’s whim.
One must both envy and pity him.
NOSFERATU: If you need to dig to find the gods,
you’re doing it wrong.
Favored Attributes
Intelligence or Wits
Disciplines
Auspex: Called Sedjem-ib (“the listening heart”) among the
Seers of Aegyptus, Mekhet use their clan gift to track holy
secrets threaded through the night. Some believe it’s the gods
themselves who whisper in their ears, leading them to the things
they should see and touch and consume.
Celerity: Hermes’ blessing is more than speed. It’s existing in
many places at once, and the Mekhet use this gift to experience
something akin to divinity… and outrun the sinful.
Obfuscate: The gift of Erebus is the Seers’ trump card. To
feast upon the world’s secrets, the Mekhet must walk among
the kine like the gods, unseen and unheard, answering prayers
with nightmares and stealing sins from unguarded souls.
CHAPTER ONE: 27
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 NOSFERATU
THE LABORIOUS DEAD
Worms, Artificers, Infames
He tosses you a shovel. “This is what you are now,” he
says, and no one’s ever been more honest in your charmed
life. Your finery, your nomen, your honored blood —
washed away as dirt cakes cuts and sweat mates
with offal. The hole grows wide like a serpent’s grin,
and all around, the maggots cackle as you fall.
Aliquae mortua appropinquant. They do the
hard work. Their blistered hands, their weep-
ing wounds, their faces cracked from wear:
These are the fruits of their labors, mushroom
caps from blood-wet soil. Brick by brick, street by
street, body by body, a city can’t rise without pain,
and they’re the hammer and the lash. Terrible things make
the marble shine so bright in moonlight — but that’s not why we
fear them. The world is a pyramid on its point, and they hold the
keystone in their grasp. Like Atlas with a shrug, they could bring
it all down, and you, poor you, wouldn’t know till brick met bone.
The Nosferatu know fear built Rome. They speak with
authority. In tunnels, alleys, and gutters, they helped pile the
bricks and wash away the viscera, and more awful work is always
waiting past the dusk. No one else will do it, and that’s the edge
we dread. Smart people aren’t afraid of monsters. They fear the
ache of hunger when the grain dole dries. They fear miasmas
twisting the air when no one’s left to haul the dead. They fear
their comforts torn away when servants say enough. The low must
serve the high, but the high must never forget who turns the
wheel. And so, the Nosferatu labor. Then, they name their price.
For this, the other clans call them Worms. But they don’t
care. A worm is brother and sister to all the other worms, and
it devours all that sinks beneath the earth. This fraternity is
beyond political power or theology, or whatever else Kindred
are pretending to care about tonight. The Nosferatu remember
when vampires weren’t concerned with preening, when nothing
could stop them from their appointed tasks. They climbed from
the plague pits of Athens to remind the people where all journeys
end. They kept on marching when the Scythians dipped their
spears in snake spit and dead men’s blood. They rose from pot-
ter’s fields to answer prayers when Rome was young and winters
harsh, ending sorrows the idle gods could not.
Move or don’t. No matter.
We’ll pave with your ashes.
28 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Thus do the Worms dig on. Through sunsets and
revolts and debauches, they’ve neither the time
nor patience for anything else. They’re content
to leave the Kindred to their games — and if
they want to keep on playing, they’ll stay out
of the Nosferatu’s business. Stand in their
way if you like, but remember what happens
when you split a worm in half.
Hail the lanista! Brutality isn’t an attitude
so much as an ethos, but clemency is for those
who don’t want long careers. How fearsome her
methods. How great her turnover. Her teachings
make the other gladiator schools look like symposia, but
don’t mistake harshness for cruelty. Hers is a family of blood
and sand, and no one calls himself slave in her barracks. Her
politics are as populist as her workouts. The proconsul is
attending the next fight, and she wants everyone to show him
a riot of a good time.
Hail the undertaker! Shun him if you like; mock him with
your curses and strike him with your clubs. No law will stop
you. But know that he is faithful even to the faithless. How
dutifully he toils. How dedicated to the craft. Be glad of that.
As much as you may loathe him, you shall require his services
in the long run, and in your black dreams upon his slab, his
voice will echo through the dark: “I am owed.”
Hail the official! The law must bind all, and so she dedicates
herself to finding those who slip its coils. How little a thing a
rule is. How easy it is to discard. But what about a sea of them?
Like Neptune, she rules the waves of bureaucracy, deluging
scofflaws and the ignorant alike, bringing them to her offices
for… reprimand. All are equal. All must fear.
Let the other clans fuck around. The Nosferatu have much
to do. Labor vincit omnia.
Why you want to be us
The Worms are one. The other cadavers call themselves kin,
but only the Nosferatu understand that word. To be a Worm is to
hold the Eternal City in the palm of your calloused hand, to move
its lifeblood between your fetid fingers — or choke it with your fist.
 Why you should fear us
Power resides with the people, even dead people, and that’s what keeps the highborn up at
night in their purple sheets clutching at their painted whores. Call it a riot. Call it secessio
plebis. Call it what you like: The mass always wins.

Why we should fear ourselves

They’ll never love you. Haunt them and they’ll fetch a flamen. Return
in flesh and they’ll grab a torch. They know what you are: a dead thing,
just like all the other dead things. And should you forget, your loving
siblings will drag you back to the mass grave where you belong.

Clan Origins
• Five they were! Five they are! The Brothers Worm! The Lord of Death did
name his need, and so the host began to toil. A city in the earth to spawn their
brood, a hive for all the swarming things: Necropolis! From stone and blood, her
children rise, her burden and her pride! Across her length we make our nest! Upon
her breast, we steal her strength! Necropolis! O sacred void, O vile progenitor, to
you we dedicate our labor! Glory to the Magna Mater! Glory to the Hidden One!
• Knelt before the massacre where his sons lie dead, a hero wails. Driven to passing
madness by a vengeful goddess, the crime of their death falls on his mighty shoul-
ders, and as any paragon should, he prepares to fall on his sword. But as the clouds
clear to make Selene above his only witness, an eagle blots the light and stays his
hand: “Son of Zeus, I come to bargain.” It promises to deliver his sons’ souls
from Hades if only he will serve, performing just thirteen labors in exchange.
The hero agrees, and the wounds rent through his children’s flesh fade like
evening light. The hero and his boys travel far and wide to do the eagle’s
will, but when the bird and all its kin return for the thirteenth labor, they
cannot find their prizes, for they dig so deep beneath the earth that even
Death can’t reach them…
• The people fell where they stood in the Plague of Athens, shitting and
puking themselves to death as the world’s seams split. The poor became
rich as the wealthy tumbled like coins over pavement, and the
citizens no longer feared that vaunted Periclean rule of law
(because that old bastard was dead too). Someone had to keep
order. Someone had to set things right, democracy be damned. So,
the diseased dead got right back up to scare the living straight, to put
everyone in their place with all the horrors they’d seen in Tartarus. They
felt it best to stick around, too, because no one else was fit to do
the job, for a dead man never tires.
• Olim, Achates was the most loyal of all the Trojans in Aeneas’s
company. Through war and peace and ruin, sweet and
faithful Achates followed. Never flagging in his devotion,
never giving a thought to resentment when his people’s needs
outpaced his capability. Eventually, it seemed that wherever
the Trojans went, Achates would already be there, finishing
work scores of men could not accomplish. And when Aeneas
stood triumphant, a hero for all ages, Achates was more than
he began as well, his ceaseless labors rending his body and soul
to better serve his master, his name a title of rote virtue rather
than a man’s. And thus, with too many Achates for Death to
reap them all, they remained among the living to carry on their
self-appointed tasks — laboriose in aeternum.

CHAPTER ONE: 29
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 In the Camarilla
The Cult of Augurs: If the Worms know one thing, it’s that
the gods are cruel bastards. Honesty is a nebulous concept in
Ala Vaticinia, but its Nosferatu don’t gild their prophecies.
They’ll tell a man the date of his demise and charge extra for
noting the hour. Who better to speak the gods’ unvarnished
truth than those they refuse to flatter? Who else could under-
stand divine ruin so well?
The Legion of the Dead: Just as good craftsmen know
patience, Legionary Worms prefer wars of attrition. Their favorite
tactic is the siege, spreading horrific auras at the gates and stealing
soldiers and citizens into the shadows. Few Nosferatu make it to
the top ranks, but the praetors know those who don’t hold the
Worms’ loyalty won’t be praetors for long. Who else could seed
terror in the hearts of their enemies and their comrades?
The Peregrine Collegium: The collective strength of the plebs
is nowhere more evident than among the Strangers, and their
ranks are some of the few places in Sodalitas Pernox where the
Nosferatu hold unambiguous positions of power. They are pit
bosses at Kindred gambling dens and leg-breakers for hire or in
their own employ. Where else does a Worm belong but the dirt?
The Senex: It’s not all shovels and soil. Administration is
a necessary evil in an organization as vast (and evil) as the
Camarilla, and Senex Worms bring the papyri, taking minutes,
making ledgers, and counting votes. Yes, they’re more than
happy to occupy the backbenches. To watch and wait. To note
who breaks ranks. Who better to grease the gears of govern-
ment? Who could think anything else is going on?
The Lancea et Sanctum: The Worms know God hates them,
and they’re here to make it everyone else’s problem. Nosferatu
are tunnel firebrands, preaching hate and martyring themselves
for the master who’ll never grant His grace to them. It’s said
the first Sanctified converts in Rome were Nosferatu, creatures
broken through years of service to sin, and perhaps it’s here
most of all that they live up to that Worm moniker. Who better
to rejoice in damnation? Who else but the lowest of the dead
could truly take up the spear?
30 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Stereotypes
JULII: All that rises may fall. That’s the worm’s
law, and it’s the only guarantee.
DAEVA: Soft hands.
GANGREL: Bloody hands.
MEKHET: The spirit is willing, but the flesh is
so malleable…
Clan Bane: The Lonely Curse
The Camarilla needs the Nosferatu, needs them so much it
makes sure they could never go anywhere else. Their labors file
away what once was human, and the scars forever mark them
as cadaverous servants of the All Night Society.
Favored Attributes
Composure or Strength
Disciplines
Nightmare: Fear is the most useful tool of all. It herds kine
for slaughters and keeps them out of the Nosferatu’s affairs. But
more than anything, it makes the patricians think twice about
pressing the boot down any harder than necessary. Nightmare
shows the rich and idle what they would lose if they didn’t have
their Worms to push around.
Obfuscate: You’ll never know when the Nosferatu are work-
ing. They can erect whole cities without anyone the wiser; no
one needs to see how the sausage gets made. Of course, they
can rip it all down just as secretly. By the time you think to
stop them, they’ll be on to the next project.
Vigor: Hard work requires a sturdy back and a firm grip, but
the Nosferatu aren’t content to just be strong: They’re efficient.
Leaping up scaffolding with no need for ladders; carving marble
with fists alone. And if anyone interferes, they have all the gear
they need to “deal” with work stoppages.
 THE CAMARILLA
Sodalitas Pernox, The Midnight Republic, The Empire of Night
We’ve done to politics what we did to so many
things: stripped them down to the bone and dis-
carded the fat of higher ideals.
The Camarilla wasn’t built on some noble
delusion of equality, or some puerile notion
of a better society. No, this grand experiment
works because Aulus Julius — through force
of personality and arms — convinced a mass
of selfish monsters it was in their best interest
to participate.
It does work, too, no matter what scribbles the
rabble deface our walls with. Since its inception, the
Camarilla has seen its numbers grow, and its hold
over its thralls tightens ever more, blood flowing
like the Tiber.
But now, centuries later, fear of the Old Man’s wrath has
faded. In its place, anger rises, rage from those who’ve never
contributed to our All Night Society but nonetheless feel
entitled to its many fruits. Only time will tell if fear or anger
will prevail.
And isn’t that the oldest political question of all?
The Wings
The Camarilla did not, like most governments, form organ-
ically over successive generations. It was the vision of one
vampire, Aulus Julius Senex, who used methods both subtle
and brutal to force order onto a mass of backbiting predators.
This is reflected in the Camarilla’s viciously practical wing
structure and the rigid hierarchies within.
While its factions may make it seem like several different
organizations on the surface, the Empire of Night is a single
covenant that lays claim to all Kindred who fall under its
shadow. In theory, each of the wings serves a specialized role,
and they work together to produce a harmonious society of the
dead. In practice, vampires are vain, paranoid beasts, and in
the centuries since the Camarilla’s founding, whatever ide-
alism that once walked the halls of the Necropolis has long
since withered. That said, vampires love nothing more than
Keep your emperor.
We are the state.
power and blood, and the Camarilla is the surest
road to both.
The Cult of Augurs
That the gods are watching isn’t a matter of
faith but an unquestioned fact. Even Roman
vampires, power-hungry though they are, dare
not offend the deities governing every aspect
of creation.
Thus, the Wing of Prophets practices its rites
to ensure everything from the passing of laws to
the burning of traitors happens in accordance with
divine providence. The Vaticinators seamlessly
merge ritual and bureaucracy to create a system
of purchased prophecy and bought blessings the
Camarilla would swiftly grind to a confused halt without.
The Legion of the Dead
Borders and laws are meaningless without the ability to
enforce them, and so the Legion acts as the Camarilla’s iron
fist of civilization both domestically and abroad. Between the
small bastions of blood and light the Camarilla has carved
into the night, the forests are deep and dark, with shadows
concealing terrible things that would prey on the Kindred as
happily as they feed on the kine.
The Wing of Soldiers protects the Camarilla from these
outside threats, but perhaps their most important task is
guarding its lawmakers against its citizens by way of pitiless
law enforcement. Without their black-armored lines, the All
Night Society would swiftly fall from either external assault
or rebellion from within.
The Peregrine Collegium
Artisans, gladiators, merchants, killers, and thieves, the Wing of
Strangers serves almost as many functions as it has members, and
its ranks are deep indeed. They’ll be the first to tell you they do
the real work in the Camarilla, ensuring its citizens have shelter
from the sun and access to all the little joys that make eternity
worth dying for. While they’re often looked down upon by the
other wings as not being committed enough to Propinquus ideals,
CHAPTER ONE: 31
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 the Camarilla would swiftly become unsustainable if not for the
constant upkeep provided by the Untouchables.
The Senex
The Wing of Ancients is made up of leaders, advocates,
scholars, and lawmakers. Its Assembly passes and interprets
legislation for the Camarilla’s citizens, and only it possesses
the vision to properly guide the Midnight Republic. Not just
administrators, the Legislators manifest the law in mystical
obligations all citizens must obey — or suffer the consequences.
While often accused of being self-serving (it is), without the
Senex to shape the night, the Camarilla would swiftly disinte-
grate back into a collection of warring domains.
32 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Lancea et Sanctum
The Sanctified are a force of change in an empire that
thrives on stasis. Given free rein, they would burn the Augur’s
temples, shatter the Soldier’s swords, tear down the Assembly,
and demolish the Strangers’ dens of sin.
Too few for revolution, but too many to be stamped out,
the Spear and Chapel exists on the fringes of the Camarilla,
whispering in the ears of those dissatisfied with the status quo.
Unwillingly, even the so-called Wing of Apostles plays a role
in the Empire of Night, for without its adherents to serve as
scapegoats, the citizens would swiftly see their real problems
are the fault of those who rule them.
 THE CULT OF AUGURS
THE FATES
Ala Vaticinia
I learned to ignore the screams after my first decade
of service. It’s a minor nuisance these nights.
Nevertheless, the offering’s voice is muffled with
a rag for now. It’s not necessary, but it does make
concentrating on the gods’ needs easier. And no
one would care to hear the last words of a criminal
anyway. How generous of the centurion to offer
up one of his prisoners.
It’s all second nature now. Give the attendants
time to bow in reverence. Take the knife. Walk
to the marble altar. Make sure the bindings are
tight. Drape him in the goatskin cloak. Draw
first blood down the wrists. Light the incense.
Dab the ashes on his skin. Hear the cry of pain.
Draw second blood across the stomach. Recite the god
of war’s name thrice, a different epithet each time — Mars
the Father, the Marching God, Mars the Avenger. One final
cut across the throat. Take in the death throes. Wait until
the Beast that lurks in the heart of every Augur hears the
whispers of the gods.
The mortal world unravels around me. The visions come
in bursts — static images and scents. I stand in a dark forest
surrounded by dead men in armor. The smell of viscera is all
too clear. What’s left of the Legionaries stand, triumphant for
the moment.
Three remain. One holds a stake in his hand. He’s holding
down the centurion who demanded a prophecy of us. The stake
shatters his ribs and enters his heart. The second Legionary
lies gutted on the ground.
One last glimpse of the assassin. His eyes are a sickly yellow.
He’s gone in a moment, his former comrades left behind.
The sun rises. Ash remains.
The silence hangs heavy until one of the younger Vaticinators
breaks it. “Eupolones? What are we to tell the centurion?”
Loyal soldier he may be, but he’s abandoned his duty to the
gods too many times. When was the last time he paid his tithe?
A meager sacrifice given in a moment of personal need shows
a lack of respect.
Yes, Senator, the gods favor your election
above all. Now, about your donation...
I turn with a smile. “The battle against the Atheists
shall be a trivial matter! Their cult will see the sun.
I’m sure he’ll be pleased with such good news.”
We can resolve the matter of why his under-
ling turned on him later, of course. There’s no
shortage of offerings certain to please the gods.
I have nothing but faith they will reveal the
assassin’s secrets to me.
You want to join the Cult of Augurs because:
You want power without being in the line of fire
when things go wrong. You want to be the one
with all the answers. You spent your life fearing
the power of the gods. You’re a good liar.
The big picture: You know there are other things
out there, don’t you? Things bigger, stranger, and crueler
than any Propinquus could ever hope to be. Even the most
ignorant kine know it, somewhere in the back of their fragile
little skulls. Even you’re afraid of them. You should be.
But that doesn’t mean you should avoid them. They can give
so much, and all they demand is your servitude. Call them gods
or monsters, but it’s all a matter of perspective. Either way, the
wheel of fate turns at their whims.
The Cult of Augurs serves things that lurk in the shadows or
the heavens. On paper, we are the priesthood of the Camarilla,
and in fairness, we do spend a lot of time talking to the gods,
but calling us that is a simplification. We’re the ones who keep
things in order. The Legion comes to us for blessings as they
march off to Final Death; the Senex listens to our divinations
first and their “elder” second; and the Strangers make sure
their necessary evils go unnoticed.
The upside is that our skills are always in demand, even
if some contrarians claim the prices we ask are suspiciously
high, or complain how unfair it is that we just so happen
to have the market cornered. But the gods demand much
of their servants, and only some are willing to accept that
burden. A pity. They’ll never know the joy of being one step
closer to the divine, of channeling powers greater than they
could ever comprehend.
CHAPTER ONE: 33
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 First and foremost, we know rules keep the world in check.
Everything has a place, and everyone and everything has a role
in a greater whole, so vast our small minds can’t comprehend
it. As time marches on and the boundaries of empire expand,
we’re proven right. The world is vaster and more uncaring than
any man dead or living ever thought, but through it all, some
things remain the same. People organize themselves into greater
and lesser. The greater supposedly have an obligation to the
lesser, and the lesser serve the greater. It’s all webs of influence.
We are the center of that web, weaving away, the force that
keeps the Necropolis from falling into tattered strands of spider
silk. The wicked dead might sneer at how hidebound we are.
But let’s be frank — it’s tradition that separates us from the
base animals the Beast pushes us to be, and the traditions we
follow give us a level of control the other Propinqui can’t hope
to achieve. Our position may not command respect, but we are
feared for what we know. That matters more than anything.
Where we came from: We began as mystery cults to individ-
ual gods. Some are names you would recognize. Others, less so.
The Daughters of Diana held bloody hunts under the full moon,
accompanied by ghoul hounds they bred as an offering to her.
The Rabisu dedicated themselves to some ancient god of death
and treated the act of hastening a mortal’s end as a sacrament,
freeing them from the pain of their failing mortal shells.
We spent time working adjacent to one other, but never
together... well, bar the times we stole secrets from each other.
Don’t bring that up around elder Prophets. Kindred do hold
grudges. But for those willing to forgive, it means we’ve uncov-
ered all sorts of fascinating tricks to read the loom of fate, and
even pick a few threads.
Once the Julii seized the throat of Rome’s dead and forced
everyone in line, we knew which way the wind was blowing.
It certainly helped when Senex swept in to convince us that
unity would benefit both ourselves and our gods. Especially
when cult leaders who objected to this new regime were tried
and executed.
So, we too fell in line and played out the Masquerade
along with the other Propinqui. Elder Fates quietly dedicate
themselves to the gods they remember; the younger are happy
to dedicate themselves to many. Our faithful service to the
immortal and divine alike has paid off with dividends, some
of which we’ve had to forcefully extract from the fleshier half
of the equation.
But that’s the price of doing business.
Our practices: There is a god for every hearth, every beast
of the field and sky, every city. Call them whatever you want,
but it’s an indisputable fact. This is the world they made and
can bend to their whims. They pull the strings of Kindred
and kine alike, and we dance for their amusement. But dances
always hide a pattern, and so long as you’re paying attention,
you can understand it. It’s not hard if you’re willing to do the
work to learn what the gods require. Remember: Ritual is
faith, not belief.
Drape the house of the Senecti in gilded finery, burn the
right incense in its fire pit, and Vesta is appeased. You can
even call her Hestia. She doesn’t really mind. Or care. Either
way, she’ll make sure all their household affairs stay in order
and their ghouls stay in line. Thus does the Wing of Ancients
remain content. But the goddess of the hearth will never
forget you were the one who brought the offerings and who
called to her so kindly. She’ll whisper back all the secrets of
the household she hears.
Tell the Legion of the Dead just the right marching orders,
make sure the oil they pair with their whetstones is blessed,
and they’re sure to meet with victory. But if Mars chooses one
or two to face Dis Pater in the process of the battle, well, ain’t
that a shame? And if it comes out that the slain might have
been poaching from your herd, that’s just a coincidence. The
whims of the gods are inscrutable to mere immortals.
For those of us who perform especially well, we’re even
allowed to pull the strings, though it doesn’t come for free. The
gods, while predictable, aren’t kind. All the better to make sure
you get your chance to be one, if only for a moment. It’s best
you also make sure you’re good with the gods. We might ask
for a little extra on the side of your usual tithe. Just in case. Do
you really want to risk offending them? They have a right to
enjoy the finest the world has to offer, so pony up or suffer the
consequences. They have long memories. So do we.
Nicknames: The Wing of Prophets, the Vaticinators (for-
mally), the Fates (informally), Intrigants (derogatory)
Concepts: Exacting cultist, mouthpiece of a forgotten god,
manipulative advisor, philosophical fatalist, greedy oracle,
proud con artist, devout scholar
How we serve: Life is unpredictable. Death more so. A turn
in the weather spreads a famine that will impact generations
to come. Plagues tear through the kine. Barbarians lurk at our
gates. And we know when each disaster will strike. So, pay
your dues and we’ll give you a heads-up. Just enough to set your
affairs in order. The gods aren’t kind, and you haven’t put in
the effort to dedicate yourself to them. Oh, you wanted to live?
That can be arranged. If you want us to go above and beyond,
we might just be able to find some loopholes to get you out of
it. Just sign, make your oaths, and bring a fattened bull-calf…
and your favorite ghoul. Everything has a price.
How we rebel: Well, we’re certainly not stupid enough to
make it obvious. We always perform our rituals as well as pos-
sible, but interpretations can be a little loose. You’d be amazed
at how much you can get away with if you use some creative
wording. Irony is our best friend, and we pick and choose our
favorites in a way the Senex wishes it could. After all, when you
spend your time plying gods, the whims of dead men are easy
to twist to your needs.
CHAPTER ONE: 35
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 THE LEGION OF THE DEAD
THE GRIM BATTALION
Ala Militaris
I’m expecting it, but I still flinch when the door
bursts into kindling. Just as well. Makes it easier
to ape the others’ fear and confusion as black-ar-
mored thugs storm the new opening. Fewer than
I’d have thought: a grizzled centurion flanked by
a pair of grim-faced munifices.
The small number must provide some courage to
my “comrades,” because Appius and Hosta decide
to charge them, the former swinging a chipped ax
and the latter sprouting claws. Idiots.
The centurion doesn’t even react to the assault;
she just scans the room until her eyes find me. A
step in front of her, and the munifices meet the
charge together with mirrored disdain. The left
takes Appius’ ax arm off at the elbow with a swing of his gladius,
then stabs through the big man’s neck, the point of his blade
bursting out the back of his head. The right impales Hosta low
in her stomach with a spear and keeps pushing, shoving her
till she’s pinned to the far wall, pale guts uncoiling between
her knees. Hosta’s claws scrabble at the blade to no avail, her
arms too short to reach its wielder.
Pathetic, both of them. You can’t fight the Legion — better
to cut a deal.
“Vibius! Help us!” Hosta has somehow managed to reign in her
Beast for a moment and looks at me imploringly past the dark
bulk of her captor. I ignore her, taking a step forward and inclin-
ing my head toward the only person in the room who matters.
“Good evening, Drusa. I trust my information proved satisfac-
tory?” I put as much Courtesan charm into my smile as I dare.
The centurion’s expression doesn’t change as her eyes flick
from me to the two Kindred impaled on weapons behind her.
As I watch, the left munifex pushes Appius off his sword with
a boot to the stomach, and he collapses to the floor.
“Are these the only ones?” Drusa says.
“Three more out back. A chamber under a rug.”
“Traitor!” Hosta screams before she’s silenced with yet
another spear thrust, this one through her throat. I roll my
eyes as she gurgles her way into torpor.
Accept the boot on your neck
lest it’s replaced with a sword.
36 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
“If you have everything in hand, I’ll take my
leave. I hope we can continue this working rela-
tionship in—”
I don’t even see the blow, just an explosion of
pain in my skull.
Now I’m looking up at Drusa from the floor.
Before I can scramble away, her boot comes down
on my knee, and my scream almost covers the
sound of shattering bone.
“N— no! Please!” I manage to fight down my
Beast, knowing my only chance is to talk my way
out. “I can tell you more! I know things—”
“Silence.” Drusa hisses and my mouth snaps shut.
She grinds her heel into my destroyed knee. I can feel shards
of bone squeezing through the meat, but I can’t make a sound.
“You are a parasite. A disease blighting my Necropolis,” she
says as she draws her gladius with exaggerated care. She looks
at the munifices and makes a sharp gesture toward the back-
room. They walk in. Splintering wood is followed by growls,
then screams. She returns her gaze to me.
“We are the cure.”
You want to join the Legion of the Dead because: You believe
in the rule of law. You want to punish anyone who threatens the
Camarilla. You enjoy hurting people. You desire the spoils of war
and conquest. You have something you want to protect at any
cost. You know there’s safety in numbers. You want to be feared.
The big picture: See the border on the map? That’s us. We
are at once the sword cutting down resistance to our expan-
sion and the shield blocking all attempts to retake what’s been
rightfully conquered. We are the ones who squash defiance,
casting dissenters into the dirt and burning their havens as an
example to others who reject the protection of the Camarilla.
Edicts and laws mean nothing without blood and steel to
enforce them. We provide both.
Join us for glory, for respect, and — rarest of all — trust. We
tolerate no schemers in the Legion. Leave the petty squabbles
to those soft-handed Ancient. Do your duty and be rewarded;
fail and be forgotten. That is our way. Any Soldier who
 would climb over the backs of his fellows to enrich himself
isn’t worthy of the name. We are the thin black line between
order and rebellion, and we won’t waste time watching our
backs for each other.
Be prepared for ingratitude, to have your honor and methods
questioned by weak-hearted fools who’ve never raised a blade.
Camarilla law applies to all, but everyone has some excuse about
why it shouldn’t apply to them. They’ll lie. They’ll offer gold,
blood, and flesh to turn your gaze. Ignore them. The law will
cut through their twisted words, and what need do you have
for bribes? Everything you need: comrades, purpose, justice — it
can all be found in the Legion of the Dead.
We hold the Empire or Night together, our steel and sacrifice
allowing civilization to prevail against the relentless pull of
savagery. You must stand between the most dangerous threats
and the lowest of Camarilla citizens, for our honor demands
nothing less. You must be prepared to silence the braying of
dissenters and rebels who would bring the Empire of Night
crashing down to line their own pockets. It’s by our will that
a nation of monsters can hold itself accountable, and so our
methods must match our means. Justice must be brutal so the
Beast remembers, and we must teach it to fear the law as it does
fire and the touch of the sun.
Where we came from: Without the threat of force behind
them, laws are meaningless. Julius Senex knew this, and so when
he began to form his All Night Society, he brought those willing
to enforce his will with blood into the fold. We began humbly,
Kindred who saw the potential in what Senex was building and
wanted to defend it. More militia than army, as the Camarilla
expanded, it quickly outpaced our ability to defend it. We needed
more recruits, and so the first of us stalked the battlefields of the
age and offered dying soldiers a choice: allow the gods to embrace
them, or take our Embrace instead. Our ranks swelled, and we
became a ring of steel against the lawless wilds.
In those early nights, many defied Senex’s vision, and some
were thick-blooded and terrible. However, they were lone mon-
sters in the dark and could not stand against the discipline
and might of an entire regiment. They fell, one by one, and
we put their withered skulls on display as a warning to the
rest. The more we struck down, the more Kindred warriors
joined our ranks, deciding they’d rather stand by our side than
in the path of our swords. Others came because they lacked
purpose, fearing what the Beast would do with the strength
of their blood when it consumed them. We gave them focus
and drive, gifts the young take for granted but elders know
the true value of.
As the Necropolis grew, so did our duties. While more
Kindred flocked to Senex’s banner every night, not all who
joined the nascent Camarilla did so in good faith. Saboteurs
hoping to kill our Midnight Republic in its infancy, greedy
leeches out to suckle blood but contribute nothing. And, of
course, the Nemeses. These threats had to be eliminated, and
we were the obvious ones to do so. No longer just conquerors,
we also became protectors.
38 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
As our authority grew, we found we were able to bring justice
not just at the end of a sword, but with our own will. Fresh
recruits often ask where the power of the Jura comes from, and
the answer is nothing less than our hearts and minds bent toward
one task, marching to the same beat. That unity, more than any
other weapon, is our true strength. The Camarilla would’ve been
stillborn without us, and it still needs us each and every night.
It’s a constant struggle to maintain Senex’s vision of a unified
nation of the dead, and we’ll always be on the front lines.
Our practices: We keep order, and we’re damn good at it.
Conscripts guard their posts and munifices patrol the tunnels,
keeping watch on citizens. Centurions train our troops and take
command in battle. Immunes handle the most difficult and
dangerous tasks that fall to us, whether far from the Necropolis
or in its very heart. Finally, Praetors command whole domains,
setting down policy, dispensing justice to the convicted, and
communicating with local Senex leadership to ensure we are all
working in harmony — just as Aulus Julius intended.
Outside the Necropolis, we’re the ones keeping the night safe.
Plenty of dead are jealous of what we’ve accomplished, and they
want nothing more than to sabotage our success. Out of pity
for their ignorance, we offer them a chance to submit and join
Sodalitas Pernox before we put them down. Worse things than
vampires stalk the dark forests and the lonely roads. The Nemeses
are but one, and we make sure citizens never have to meet them.
Unlike the other wings, we have no petty squabbling. Follow
orders and do your duty. Merit is recognized; incompetence is
punished. Simple. The Senex and Augurs are out of touch with
what it takes to keep the Camarilla going, and the Collegium
is an ungrateful mob looking for an excuse to riot. And those
Spear lunatics would like nothing better than to tear everything
down around them. It falls to us to keep the Empire of Night
stable and secure, with fist and blade. Just like it always has.
Nicknames: The Wing of Soldiers, Legio Mortuum (an
archaic name, but favored by most members), the Grim
Battalion (informally), the Virgatores (Floggers; derogatory)
Concepts: Black-sandaled thug, seen-it-all veteran, Strix
hunter, paranoid investigator, ruthless enforcer, eager recruit,
sharp-eyed tactician, idealistic defender, reckless front-liner
How we serve: An empire is only as strong as its borders,
and we keep those very strong indeed. Our continued service is
why the other wings can indulge in their petty political games,
inventing problems for themselves because we deal with the
real ones. Inside the city walls, it’s the same story: We give the
Traditions teeth, and we keep the rabble from getting out of
control. We are the truest servants of the Camarilla, and the
other wings could stand to recognize that more often.
How we rebel: What’s the difference between enforcing
authority and actually having it? Nothing. We’re the real power
in Sodalitas Pernox, and everyone knows it. Let the priests and
politicians play their games and think themselves relevant. If
we ever decide we don’t like their laws, they’ll change them, or
they’ll discover how well a stylus really does against a sword.
 THE PEREGRINE COLLEGIUM
THE UNTOUCHABLES
Ala Peregrina
“Step here, step here! Just two bronze to play! Guess right,
win silver! Two bronze for silver — who wants it?”
The busker’s patter somehow penetrates the
buzz and murmur of the crowd that fills the
torch-lit street as evening settles. He’s sitting
on a goatskin, moving a trio of clamshells
in front of him in a series of deft patterns,
occasionally lifting one to expose a bit of
sea glass. A silver denarius rests in a small clay
bowl like a promise just behind the shells, as if
they were little armored soldiers guarding it.
“You there, soldier boy! Come gamble some
of your meager pay; maybe win more than what they give
you, hm?” To my surprise, the busker’s looking right at me,
beckoning me forward.
I cross the street to crouch in front of him, and he continues
to slide his shells about. Even close up, all I can see of the man’s
face is a smile like a knife slash beneath the drawn hood of his
ragged robe. “Hoping to fleece me of my salary, eh?” I ask, keeping
my tone light so he doesn’t think I’m going to shut him down.
The shrouded figure shakes his head. “No, you’re going to
deliver a message.”
Too late, the warning jolt moves down my spine. Even as
I try to turn, many sets of strong, cold arms grab me from
behind and force me back down. The amused curiosity I felt
earlier vanishes like mist, and my Beast shrieks in panic. I’ve
seen what happens when one of our enemies uses a Legionary
to “send a message,” and visions of meat hooks and hot knives
flash through my mind.
“How dare you!” I bellow and thrash, but the stream of
evening strollers ignores me. The kine pass by just a hand-
span away without so much of a flick of their eyes toward
my struggle.
Poor Soldier. No one hears him. No one cares. How’s it feel?
Mocking whispers float up from behind me, the sibilant
voices curling around each other, thick with cruel amusement.
“Drusa needs to back off,” the busker continues, the shells in
front of him still for a moment as he runs one dirty finger over
Laws? Laws are scratches in stone marked by
blind old men. They have no power here.
the ridges of the central one. “She trapped a rat for us, but
now she needs to give it a rest. Enjoy her victory.
Spend her bonus on soft company.” The shells
start whirling again.
“I am a soldier of the Camarilla! I order
you to release me!” My words, infused with
ancient authority, have stopped frenzies in
their tracks. They flow around the hooded
man in front of me with as much impact as
blown smoke. I take a breath in to try again,
and instead, get a fist to my jaw that cracks bone.
Arrogant. No laws here. Shut your mouth.
The busker clucks his tongue like he just caught a child
scratching himself in front of guests. “None of that nonsense,
Naevius.” As the Blood knits my jaw back together, I try to con-
ceal my surprise, but his smile widens fractionally. “We know
all about you, Naevius Falto Minor. Munifex of the Legion — all
around good, obedient citizen of the Camarilla.” The shells
whirl in more complex patterns than before. “New to death.
Still plenty of living family. Two children, grown now. Your
daughter is happily married and pregnant. Soon to give birth.
You must be so proud.”
Family man. Living blood. Wonder what they taste like?
I stop struggling.
“Good. Sharper than you look. You’ll go far with the
Virgatores once you understand a few things.” He lifts a shell
to reveal nothing underneath. “Such as where power really lies
in this city,” He turns over a second shell: still nothing. “Trust
me, your boss will appreciate the warning.”
“How do I—” But he cuts my question off with a gesture.
“We’ll know. Don’t try and find us, Naevius. You won’t be
able to. Or worse…” He flips over the last shell, but there’s still
no sea glass beneath it. “You will.”
You want to join the Peregrine Collegium because: You don’t
belong anywhere else. You don’t trust the system. You know the
only real rule is “don’t get caught.” You hate being told what to do.
You want to hone your craft to a razor’s edge. You enjoy making
trouble. You would rather be needed than wanted.
CHAPTER ONE: 39
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 The big picture: Everyone knows a functional society requires
more than just politicians, soldiers, and priests to run the show,
even one populated by blood-drinking corpses. You need crafts-
men, merchants, and entertainers, sure… but you also need folks
to do the jobs that aren’t so polite.
We provide gladiators to spill blood for cheering masses,
whores to slake lusts and soothe weary minds, thieves and
assassins to steal coin and lives. The higher-ups like to look
down their noses at the huddled masses, but the fact is, we’re
thriving in all the places they ignore: The alleys, bathhouses,
arenas, and gambling dens are where we rule. Let the Senex have
their “small room” — we’ll have the rest of the night, thanks.
The other wings call us failures and has-beens. They kick us
and sneer at us because they know Sodalitas Pernox depends
on us in a thousand different ways. And they hate it.
Forget what you’ve heard, that those who can’t hack it in the
Cult, Legion, or Senex wind up in the Peregrine Collegium by
default. That we’re all foreigners and fuck-ups. Sure, we’ve got
plenty of foreigners, and lots of fuck-ups, but most of us choose
to be Strangers. You think there’d be so many of us if all we got
were the other wings’ castoffs? We’d rather have independence
and privacy than empty prestige and hollow authority. Hey,
we all agree the Camarilla’s a good idea — beats scavenging for
rats in the wild — but that doesn’t mean we think status should
define our Requiems.
Law and order have their place, but more often than not, they
get in the way of what vampires really want out of death. We
might not care much about this regulation or that policy, but
enough Kindred and kine do that it’s useful to keep our ears
to the ground and our hands in certain pockets. More votes
in the Assembly are bought through bribery and extortion
than anyone likes to admit, but the trick is to figure out which
Legislators respond better to denarii or daggers. We make sure
there are enough loopholes to exploit so our businesses keep
running, the lawmakers get to keep condemning them in public,
and the people get their blood and circuses. Everyone’s happy,
and the Camarilla endures another night.
Where we came from: History’s funny. It does fine looking at
the big moments, but it glosses over little things. Little people.
They say after Senex got done beating anyone who didn’t agree
with him into greasy ash, everyone left grabbed a quill, a sword,
or an athame, and then — bam! The Camarilla was born, whole
and perfect, like Minerva popping naked from Jove’s skull.
They don’t have much to say about the Kindred who ran
through the woods between cities to deliver the message writ-
ten by the quill, or the ones who forged the swords. Definitely
nothing to say about the Nefasti who snatched the poor bastards
— sorry — sacrifices off the streets to die under those athames.
You think anyone spared a line of chiseled text for the wretch
whose job it was to get rid of Senex’s drained blood dolls? Fuck,
no. Everything else just fell into place, like a miracle.
Except there was no miracle. There were just dead like us
doing the work: laying bricks, slitting throats, and swapping coin.
We’ve always been here. Just because we didn’t trip over
ourselves racing to be the first dead men to kiss Aulus’s ass
didn’t mean we didn’t agree with him — or, at least, we didn’t
think it was worth eating a dirt nap by disagreeing too loudly.
The Old Man knew his covenant with the dead needed us, or
he wouldn’t have put up with us in the first place. Wish his
namesakes would understand that. Point is, our history is the
history of the Camarilla, and vice versa. There’s no All Night
Society without us. Don’t forget that.
Our practices: What don’t we do? Untouchables are always
working for the Camarilla, even if the other wings don’t like to
admit it. Who do you think keeps the Necropolis expanding?
You want someplace roomier than a hole in a rock to spend
your days in? We can do that for you. Want some company of the
lithesome, warm-blooded variety? We have a stable so vast you
can choose everything from eye color to cock size. Want some
entertainment with your snack? One thing that never gets old
is watching two people try to carve each other into steak, and
that’s why we provide the arenas to house the viewing public.
Make a bet, have a drink, and enjoy the show! Why should
these pleasures be just for the living?
We specialize in jobs that are either so specific as to defy
categorization or so dirty that no one else wants to sully their
precious dead hands with them. Look, some people just need to
get knifed in an alley for things to keep running smoothly. Or
maybe you’ve got to take a couple jugs of virgin’s teeth out into
the woods to appease something old and awful that’s got nothing
to do with the gods. If it’s a job none of the “proper” wings will
even acknowledge, I promise you a Stranger earns his blood
with it. It’s not exactly a secret — everyone knows. However, the
Camarilla is a proper civilization, one that requires proof (or at
least certainty) of crimes, and we have a knack for dodging both
with our little loopholes. No witnesses? No evidence? No crime.
And no one needs to see the awful, shameful, vital jobs we do
behind closed doors. Ultimately, that is what we do: We’re the
ones who keep everything running, whether you notice us or not.
Nicknames: The Wing of Strangers, Untouchables (among
themselves), Advenae (Outsiders; derogatory)
Concepts: Ageless artisan, cheerful cutthroat, ambassador
to the dark places, flesh-peddler, disgraced senator, faceless spy,
everyone’s snitch, legionary-turned-gladiator, resurrection man
How we serve: We might not be the ones expanding the
Empire, but we are the ones who make it habitable. After they
plant the flags and the bodies of the fallen are cleared away (by
us), we’re building sun shelters, gambling houses, and brothels.
We’re the ones keeping new citizens entertained, their Beasts
sated and bellies full of blood. The Legislators and Soldiers might
be why you have to join the Camarilla, but we’re why you want to.
How we rebel: We’re only part of the Camarilla because it
continues to benefit us. If someone offered us a better deal
tomorrow night, half of us would jump at it with few questions
asked, and the other half would only delay long enough to
haggle. We subvert the laws at every opportunity, twisting the
system as much as we can get away with, giving just enough lip
service to keep the Legion from our doors. There are no throngs
of devoted citizens, no pride in this grand alliance we’re a part
of. It’s all about convenience, not loyalty.
CHAPTER ONE: 41
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 THE SENEX
THE NIGHT SENATE
Ala Senecta
“But how will you compensate those citizens whose
residences are disrupted by your proposed territo-
rial redistribution?”
The question is expected, and Rutilus needs
me to answer quickly and smoothly.
“If the Assembly will turn its attention to the
maps I’ve prepared, it will see that few citizens
will need to be relocated, and those who do,
of course, will be granted new feeding rights,
as well as a stipend for the inconvenience.” My
voice is measured, controlled, and pitched just
between respectful and confident. There is no
Senex, of course. That’s tomorrow night. Now, it’s
just Rutilus and me, alone in his chambers, as he helps
me prepare for the most important night of my Requiem.
Rutilus gets up from his modest desk and paces a few steps
to my right before asking his next question, representing how
voices can come from any direction during Assembly. “What
value is this stipend? Can a fledgling Worm understand the
expense of relocating a decades- or centuries-old residence?”
I swallow my irritation, keeping my face a neutral mask.
Rutilus knows someone will try and fluster me this way, and
he’s preparing me for attacks on both my youth and my gens.
I’m fortunate to have such an experienced consul willing to
mentor me, and he agrees that my proposal will greatly reduce
territorial conflict in the domain. “The stipend will be equal
to expenses accrued during relocation, as well as compensation
for resources lost. If the Assembly wishes further details—”
“That’s enough.” I can’t quite stop from wincing as Rutilus
cuts me off, already anticipating another lecture on proper
stance, or tone, or whatever minute protocol I’ve violated. He
steps back into view, much closer than I thought he’d been,
and gives me a rare smile. “Corinna, I think we’ve done it.”
I can’t help it: I grin, even as my over-crowded fangs press
painfully against my lips. “You think I’m ready for the Assembly?”
“Oh, by the gods, no!” he chuckles, but there’s no humor in it.
My elation dissolves into confusion. “But we’ve rehearsed
every counter-argument — every possible attack!”
Your sentence has already been chosen.
Now we must decide which laws you’ve broken.
42 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Rutilus nods. “True, true. And I can’t thank you
enough for the practice.”
I don’t see the length of sharpened ash until
it’s between my ribs, the pain exploding from
my chest. I’m too shocked to even scream.
“Apologies, Corinna. Your proposal is too
important to be dismissed because of who’s
making it.” He shakes his head, giving the
stake another twist, and I shudder as it pierces
my heart. My vision starts to fade, but I can
still hear Rutilus carrying on. Sounding oh-so
very reasonable.
“This proposal would simply be wasted on you.
Consider this my last lesson — I’m sure you’ll thank me
for it. Eventually.”
You want to join the Senex because: Your ideas are the best
ideas. You deserve the same prestige in death you had in life. The
status quo serves you well. You crave power. You deserve power.
The big picture: Simply put, we are the Camarilla. It’s from
our Assembly that new laws are introduced, debated, decided,
and then disseminated to the rest of Sodalitas Pernox. We
represent the voices of every status-bearing member of the
Empire, and the laws we introduce exist to serve the interests
of those members. All citizens are encouraged to seek audiences
with us to share their concerns and ideas, no matter their wing,
clan, or station. The Night Senate hears all voices, and while
we may create the laws, that doesn’t mean we’re above them.
And that’s what we say to placate the rabble.
Every citizen is indeed a servant of the Camarilla, but we’re
the only ones that matter. Without us, the whole thing falls
apart. The Ancients are the core of the Empire of Night, and
our supremacy must be preserved at all costs, lest we regress into
isolated savagery. Your average Propinquus hasn’t the slightest
comprehension of the complexities involved in running this
All Night Society, and they don’t want it. All they want is blood
spoon-fed into their needy little mouths and to complain it
wasn’t done fast enough — like newly hatched birds. That we’ve
used our position to enrich ourselves is only just compensation
for enduring the endless, greedy chirping.
 This is why our numbers must remain conservative. While Julii
are (almost) always welcome, others must prove themselves worthy
of the power we wield. Authority diluted is authority weakened,
and that’s unacceptable. Never forget the laws of the Camarilla
exist to keep us in power and the rest in line. Appearances must
be maintained, of course — mobs are so tedious — but as long
as we maintain that veneer of accountability, most citizens will
never bother to look past the next blood dole.
What about those who do look closer? Well, that’s why we
have magistrates. It’s a truism that the masses care more about
symbols than reality, and so the appearance of other wings
among the Assembly helps them believe the fiction that their
voices matter. Quaint. Magistrates are only a handful of seats
among many, and we can elevate or silence them as we like, but
the illusion of choice is important for control.
Suffer no dissent; harbor no doubts. You’re here because
you deserve power, and you deserve power because you’re here.
Our voice is the voice of Senex, and those who can’t abide are
welcome to leave.
Where we came from: Aulus Julius Senex. He understood
that ruling the dead is too great a task for any one being, no
matter how ancient or powerful. Having spent years convincing
Rome’s Kindred his philosophy was the only way forward, the
Old Man was the unquestioned authority among their number.
However, as his territory expanded, Senex realized he couldn’t
be everywhere at once, couldn’t see to every issue personally. So,
he appointed his most trusted advisors to be his representatives.
Originating an ideal that holds to this day, he chose not based
on age or clan, but competence and loyalty. Well, mostly.
These Propinqui, more than mere mouthpieces, were exten-
sions of Senex himself. Their words were his, and to defy them
was unthinkable rebellion. As the Camarilla grew, by necessity,
so did we. From a few handpicked advisors, we became an
empire-spanning organization. No city in the Empire lacks a
Night Senate, from Bedriacum to Londinium.
While none have seen Aulus Julius in many years, the fact
that he allows us to rule in his stead is proof of his faith in our
wise and just leadership. We proudly bear his cognomen, both
as a symbol of our origins and as a reminder to all the Camarilla
of the authority we’ve been entrusted with.
Our practices: We have so many! It takes a lot of coin,
bureaucracy, and blood to keep the Camarilla moving in the
right direction, so our duties are innumerable. However, of all
our practices, it is the monthly Assembly that’s the most vital.
This is when we decide which laws will apply to the rest of the
Republic’s citizens, as well as punishments for criminals whose
crimes are great enough to warrant our attention.
Creativity is encouraged for the latter; there are only so many
times you can flay or crucify a lawbreaker before it starts to lose
its impact. Only Legislators may participate directly by opening
debates or casting votes, but the proceedings are, of course,
open for anyone to witness. Indeed, we encourage outside
attendance so that citizens might better understand how our
laws benefit them. Violence is banned during these proceedings,
not that any right-thinking citizen would dare sully Assembly
44 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
with something as crass as bloodshed. Nevertheless, there are
always a few members of the Legion on hand to dispense swift
justice if anyone does anything foolish.
Any Senex member — even magistrates — may raise an issue
for discussion during Assembly. Any opposition is handled with
debate, and the matter is settled via Division of the House:
members move to sit or stand behind whichever representa-
tive they support. The majority decides the ruling, ensuring
the Camarilla’s voice is always heard. Of course, many votes
are already decided well before an issue is formally raised in
Assembly, but outsiders appreciate the show! Once a matter is
settled or a law passed, it’s considered most fair and just. While
it’s acceptable to reopen formal debate at a later time, those who
dissent after the fact had best be prepared for the consequences.
We’re also happy to get our hands dirty when the need arises.
One has to do something between votes, and so we act as our
Kindred’s trusted advocates, adjudicating disputes where they
come up and making sure everyone comes away happy. And
some of them even believe that.
To say the word of the Senex is law is neither metaphor nor
hyperbole. Our will is the will of Aulus Julius, childe of Remus,
he who defeated all who stood to oppose him. Thus, to defy
us is to defy him — a heinous act! This equivalence is vital to
the Camarilla’s stability, as those who might not respect us still
fear him. Before the Night Senate, offenses were repaid in kind,
endless blood feuds carried out over centuries that did nothing
but weaken and divide us. The Legion may keep the common
rabble in line but it is we who convince millennia-old monsters
to cleave to the trappings of civil obedience each night. Our
legislation is proof that the will of Senex flows through us, and
that empowers our negotiations like nothing else.
Our duties are many, our reach vast, and our hand firm, but
everything we do, we do for the Empire. A strong Senex is a
strong Camarilla. And a strong Camarilla is a strong Rome.
Nicknames: The Wing of Ancients, the Night Senate
(informally), the Assembly (for their primary meeting place),
Legislators, Senecti, First Among Equals (ironically)
Concepts: For-sale politico, crooked advocate, power on the
throne, entrenched middle-management, ambitious social-
climber, hungry idealist, favor-sharking elitist, cynical deal-
maker, wealthy patron, faithless plutocrat
How we serve: We are the Camarilla’s most tireless servants.
From us, the law flows. By our will, the chaos of petty, individ-
ual agendas is forged into order. We see to diplomacy and ensure
the other wings’ squabbling never goes beyond that. Safety
and stability all originate from us and are distributed to every
citizen, no matter how ungrateful or… heretical some might be.
How we rebel: What, against ourselves? The Camarilla
functions because we lead it; therefore, what keeps us in power
must be good for the Camarilla. We seem a united Assembly
to those without a seat, but the truth is, we spend more time
usurping each other than we do crafting laws. This is only
right. How else might we determine who’s fit enough to serve
the people? As long as the other wings know their place, the
Camarilla will rule forever — with us at its head.
 THE LANCEA ET SANCTUM
THE WITNESSES
Ala Apostolica
The night is beautiful. Without a cloud in the sky, the
firmament glitters above, casting light on chalices of
wine we never did quite finish before getting to
the festivities. The moonlight plays over his bare
skin. His dark hair stains the sheets, a black stain
against pure white. A sight any man or woman of
Rome would pay a small fortune for.
I wish I could enjoy it. Instead, with his attention
away from me, I take the bedsheets and wipe as
much of him off me as I can.
He turns over, his eyes half-lidded, a contented
sigh on his lips. “You’re welcome to stay the night.”
I twist the edges of the silks between my fingers. “And
what about your wife? How quickly will I need to leave?”
His body locks up for a few seconds, and his eyes snap open.
Yet, he still can’t take his eyes off me, this time despite himself.
“I know about her. And all the others. The serving girl, the
senator’s wife. All the whores.” I push a knife toward him,
pulled from shadow. He’s the rat pinned under the serpent’s
gaze, his body locked up in fear. I can see the sweat beading
on his skin. “If thine eye offend thee...”
He stares, gaping not at the knife, but me. Typical. I pick
it up and put it in his hands. “It’s not too late to repent. But
accounts must be balanced. I’m worried for you, Marcellus.
God is too. We both want what’s best for you. To make sure
you don’t do this again.”
And like a switch of green wood bent too far, his mind finally
snaps beneath the force of my power. He pulls out the blade
and turns the tip toward his face.
Oh, how rich the spray smells. My hand twitches at it,
and a twinge of hunger jolts me forward. I hold myself still
with a whispered prayer. A shame I must fast. His penance
is useless to me.
His blood is the only worthwhile thing he can offer.
You want to join the Lancea et Sanctum because: You’re
down and out and the idea of watching everything burn appeals
to you. You were a devout Christian in life and you can’t let go
of God. You see the end of the Camarilla on the horizon and
Bless me, Dark Father,
for the violence I am about to commit.
you want to be on the winning side. You want to punish the
bad guys and are fine with overkill.
The big picture: The man from Galilee died,
and the world will soon follow him. The suffer-
ing at Golgotha will be nothing compared with
what’s to come. His Kingdom is nigh. The rest of the
world — and those unworthy to enter the Kingdom —
he will leave to us. We are the left hand of God, the
wolves whose teeth tear into the goats among
the Good Shepherd’s pious flock. So says the
prophet Longinus.
We do not know when that blessed night will come
when we can throw away the sheep’s skin we hide beneath,
only that this will be the last generation. We know the dead
who mock the Word will face the Last Sunrise, six full days
of sunlight that none can hide from but those who chose to
walk in the Dark Father’s footsteps. We do not know where the
Kingdom will be, only that it will be a place on Earth. More
importantly, we know that we won’t be allowed in it. How could
we be, when we must hunt God’s children to survive?
That’s not to say the Lord doesn’t have a plan for us. We
won’t be condemned to the cruel light of the Last Sunrise other
immortal sinners might, and the kine who fall short of God’s
grace will wish they were. For now, we can give the wicked a taste
of what’s to come, to test those who think themselves pious and
ensure the world God shall walk is truly worthy of Him. Only
the best of the kine should be permitted to stand in His sight.
After all, wouldn’t God want those who refused His message
to be punished? Who would be more suited for it than us?
Some even say we are a sign of the End Times, that we are the
destroying angels who would bring this vile Empire to its knees
before cutting off its head. Still, most of us believe that even
though we will not be permitted within the Kingdom’s walls,
we will wander outside the safety of its homes and hearth. In
the Kingdom of Night, the wolf shall rule, and the goats cast
out of the shepherd’s care will be our prey.
Where we came from: Humans weren’t the only ones to
hear the good news. It has less pull with those who fear not the
shadow of death, but a few latched on. The first Witnesses any-
CHAPTER ONE: 45
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
one will talk about were Judean slaves who heard the Messiah
preach, but the most famous is the preacher Longinus, who
claims it was his spear that drew the blood of Christ. Where
he goes, dark miracles follow. The skies turn dark for days,
letting us walk the day without fear of the sun. Elders crumble
to dust in the face of his terrible, predatory purity. The blood
of mortals dries in their veins, even as they still walk, starving
the heretics among the Nefasti.
Or that’s what his followers say. It’s convincing enough, and
as his cult swells in numbers as other dead prophets find the
faith of their flocks falter.
Still, much as they might struggle to retain believers, there
are other prophets. Yohanan of Syria claims an angel took him
to whatever dark realm lies after death for those who were
sinful, and God brought him back to steer others away from
eternal torment. Most of us think an afterlife of gray-tinged
misery is so very Roman, but he does have his believers. Naomi
of Bethlehem says she was at the Last Supper, a beggar picking
at its scraps, and that drinking the blood of Christ struck her
dead. He revived her in exchange for her faithful service to
punishing the wicked. Then, of course, there’s the Monachus.
Childe of Longinus. Paul to his Christ. He did not witness the
Dark Father’s damnation, but he recorded all he was told, and
he gathers more followers by the night in his abbey. It’s he who
gave us our name: Spear and Chapel.
Who’s right? Who’s got the ear of God? Depends on who
you ask. These Kindred and many others form their own little
schisms, unified only in the knowledge that God sanctions
their depredation.
At first, we kept with the Strangers. Where better than among
our fellow outcasts? But even they couldn’t handle our associ-
ation’s stigma for long. So, we scattered to the winds, forming
cells with minimal communication between them. However,
as the Last Sunrise approaches, we’ve finally started banding
together again. We don’t like it, but we know home churches
with a dozen members aren’t going to last if the Virgatores come
kicking down our doors. Now we always have another bolt-hole
waiting, even if we do think the others are heretics God won’t
let see the Endless Night. But one must pick one’s battles.
Our practices: We hide. We aren’t safe even after sunset,
though over time the rest of the Kindred have decided it’s better
to leave us be, just so long as we don’t stick our necks out too far.
We argue. Only when nobody’s listening, of course. The oth-
ers see us as a single-minded mass, a unified body threatening
their cozy little Necropolis. We aren’t. Preachers gather their
personal flocks, teaching their own truths. The lucky ones who
can read and write compile manuscripts of their beliefs. The rest
just preach and trust that their words might spread far enough.
We worship. Our churches are wherever sin and suffering
fester, from the bathhouses to the battlefields of petty wars to
the backrooms where senators broker alliances. All the better
to find ideal victims. We can’t help but pity the Camarilla; it
seems so hard for them to find joy in depredation. So serious,
so dour. So grave. Our services are wild and ecstatic because we
know how lucky we are. God is great, His wisdom beyond mea-
sure, for we have been granted mercy through our monstrosity.
We get a head start separating the sheep from the goats.
Sometimes, we tempt those we think might fall to sin, just
to make sure they’re worthy of God’s grace. More often, we
hunt down those who’ve already proven themselves unworthy.
Blasphemers, adulterers, murderers — as long it’s close enough to
mortal sin, we’ll make sure they have a taste of what’s to come.
We claim unholy relics from those who fall to temptation,
whether ours or someone else’s. The eyes of the lustful, the
hand of a thief, the stomach lining of a glutton. There’s power
in these, and they invite dark miracles just as the bones of
martyrs might for mortals.
We leave the wicked ones alive, if barely. A dead man can’t
repent, and it doesn’t hurt to have someone to spread the word
of the dark angels who herald the End Times. And if they don’t
have enough time left to make right with God, at least their
corpses can serve as reminders of the wages of sin.
Nicknames: The Wing of Apostles (mockingly, but offi-
cially toward the end of the Camarilla), Witnesses, Sanctified,
Monachals, the Church of the Dark Father, Atheists (derogatory)
Concepts: Former temple sacrifice, doomsday preacher,
born-again legionary, escaped slave, shepherd of the damned,
desperate fugitive, false prophet, author of a lost gospel
How we serve: Nothing brings together the Necropolis like
a common enemy. You can always cast a judgmental eye on the
metaphorical leper who just walked into Elysium or decides the
sanctity of hunting grounds is just a suggestion. For those who
might otherwise be the lowest of the low, we act as scapegoats.
We even welcome Final Death. The hopeless and lost flock to
us, where they won’t openly argue or riot, and we give them
the promise of a darker tomorrow where they’ll all be free.
The others can keep telling themselves tomorrow won’t come.
How we rebel: The End Times are here, and we spread
the Word. Some are wise enough to listen, but the rest have
declared their souls forfeit. We take our enemies’ ghouls, flay
them, and torment them with visions of the Hell that awaits
them, letting the stolen life in their veins ensure they last a few
nights. We profane their temples with the grave dust and ashes
of our dark saints, ensuring whatever heathen gods they follow
withdraw their guidance. We tempt the rabble and conscripts of
the Camarilla with the promise of a better death if they would
only light a fire in their hearts and their superiors’ havens. Just
don’t get caught, for God’s sake. Your brethren can only do so
much. The Lord might favor His sacred predators, but He won’t
protect a foolish one.
CHAPTER ONE: 47
THE PALE AND HUNGRY ONES
 Interlude II
ife contains no sweeter sound than the cries
L of the vanquished.
Under other circumstances, the halls of
this old estate would echo with different kinds of
moans and screams. They would be full of bodies
writhing in pleasure, swollen with meat and wine.
Now they’re full of crawling, weeping wretches. It
was so much better when it was mine.
One of my men — Quintus, I think — approaches
and whispers in my ear. “The atrium. Alive, as
requested.”
I haven’t smiled like this in twenty years.
A few sconces burn in the atrium as I enter, but
unlike my guardians, I no longer need light to see.
I look around the room and am instantly enraged.
The skylight shines pregnant moonlight upon a
statue of Mercury, and a statue of Diana sits awk-
wardly in the corner of the room, her outstretched
arms fitted with a serving tray. I had this room built
to venerate her visage in the moonshine. Mercury
was constructed for the courtyard fountain. The
marble doesn’t even match!
I shouldn’t let it rile me as much as it does.
I inspect Diana’s features, and then my own
in the tray’s reflection. Fluids, both strange and
obscene — wine, blood, and more — cling to her
divine form. I will have those cleaned. Myself?
I am young and handsome — the envy of those
who thought themselves my peers and those who
thought themselves my betters. Both were wrong:
I am a flawless Roman specimen, above all of them.
I suck a bit of gore from between my teeth and
smile. Perfection.
The musk of sex is thick in the air. There was a
party here before my arrival. The atrium is deco-
rated with the corpses of slaves and guests alike,
struck down by my mercenaries — hired men from
the vigilante fire brigade. The mosaics are splashed
with blood, wine swirls with blood on the tiles, and
busts are shattered on the ground.
I paid my men handsomely to kill everyone except
the four who now huddle into each other like a ball
of snakes. Three women and a man who also once
thought he was better than me. He too was wrong.
48
Now his face is slick with tears and snot, dis-
graced and undignified. Curls of white hair puff
from his torn tunic. His greasy hair is pasted to his
scalp with sweat, his wrinkled cock exposed from
the orgy that came before. Pathetic debauchery.
And in my house!
I step forward, grinding a broken amphora to
dust beneath my foot. The ceramic shards slash the
soft places beneath my toes, but I pay no heed. A
splash of blood stains the hem of my robe, turning
the bright white a brackish red.
As I near, he raises his hands. “Please! Anything
you want! All I have! Spare our lives!”
“Tempting offer, Marcus,” I say. “But all you
have was stolen from me.” I step into the moonlight
and watch his resolve shrivel. Among other things.
“Lucius?” He laughs, shrill like a gull. “No! My
cousin is dead!”
He’s right. Yet Lucius will be the last sight he sees.
“True, you saw to that. But the gods have seen me
return to repay a debt to a kinslayer.”
“That’s not true! I didn’t mean to —”
“Shut up. Of course you did. Look at all this
wealth. My wealth.” He sputters, tries to deny it,
but I continue. I’ve wanted this for two decades.
I’ve rehearsed this so often, the moment’s like
a dream I’ve had a thousand times. “My dear
cousin, you slit my throat in an alley like a bull for
Jupiter and left me to die in my own filth. Then,
you adopted my son and threw him from the cliffs.
You didn’t even have a mask cast from his face. Or
mine. I checked.”
His eyes widen as he realizes I’ve been in this
house. Yes, I’ve been to our hall of ancestors. Yes,
I stood over him while he slept. Yes, I watched
him grow fat and happy and wither and age as he
squandered his years.
“You know the worst part? You murdered kin to
steal his riches, and this is the best you could do.”
“Please, Lucius! It’s been twenty years. I was a
different man then. I’ve changed! My daughters —
my wife — they’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Pity.” I turn to my men. “The wife.”
 They don’t hesitate, peeling her clawing fingers
from him and throwing her to the tiles. The axes flash
twice in the dark: chop, chop. Blood sprays Marcus
and his daughters. The wife was too surprised to
make a sound, so her daughters inherit her screams.
I let him crawl to her, but the daughters are too
terrified to go to their mother.
“Now him.” My men turn in a delicious bit of the-
ater. As expected, he screams, and I stay them with a
hand. “Fine
“Fine.. I’m not without mercy, cousin. Choose.
Give me one of your daughters and I swear neither
you nor the other will be harmed by my men or me.”
What a delight. No father could—
“Arvina.” He points at his younger daughter.
I’m not sure who’s more surprised: me or Arvina.
I motion for the girl, and my men push her toward
me; her sister’s eyes run with tears, but she doesn’t
even so much as protest.
Arvina stumbles over the tile floor, exposing her-
self as her dress snags on her own feet. She’s plump
and weak-chinned, but her nose is proud and Roman
like her mother’s. The homelier of the two — no
doubt the source of the nickname — but her eyes
are wide and white with fury while her sister’s weep.
“Marcella and I will never forget you,” Marcus
whispers, a bit too eagerly.
I step forward and the girl looks up at me. Hate
has swallowed any fear upon her features.
“Fear not, little bird. You shall have the last laugh.”
I plunge my fangs into her throat and drink. All
the while, Marcus and his other daughter shriek.
Soon, she’s dry, and I drop her corpse to the
floor, pressing my bleeding foot to her face. A few
moments later, her cold, dead tongue cleans away
the shards of pottery from my toes.
I turn to him and grin. “I stand corrected, Marcus!
Seems you made a decent table vintage, at least.”
“Your eyes!” He sucks in a shaking breath. “By
the gods! What are you?”
I laugh, long and hard.
“Better,” I reply, and turn to my men. “Lock
the doors. Raise the curtains. If she survives until
tomorrow, bring my daughter to me.”
“And if they do?” says Quintus.
I look back and watch my cousin. Arvina’s corpse
twitches and begins to rise.
“They won’t.”
49
 CHAPTER TWO
SODALITAS PERNOX
A liar ought to have a good memory.
— Quintilian, De Institutione Oratoria
Rome was built with blood. The blood of patriots, soldiers, and the conquered. Every brick, every stone, every mile of road
has tasted the blood of centuries.
Look around you and witness the splendor that lies at the heart of the Empire, its vast and peerless glory. Like us, this city
is eternal. It has been a millennium since Romulus and Remus laid the foundations of its first wall, and now Rome holds the
world by the throat.
Turn your gaze downward, beneath the seven hills and through the soil and rock below. Follow the rivers of blood into the
hungry earth and you will find us. Open your eyes to the night and bask in the grandeur of Necropolis.
We are the Camarilla, the secret empire, and our history stretches back like shade fleeing Sol Invictus. In every brothel tak-
ing Roman coin, we are there. In every port where Roman ships dock, we are there. In every Roman legion taming barbarous
wilds, we are there.
Wherever Rome goes, we follow in her shadow.
Come and join us in the dark.

Annals of Death
The Camarilla is ancient, but we Founders are older still.
Our history is that of Rome itself, and I have been tasked with
sharing it for your betterment.
And, as with all stories, we must start at the beginning.
Read on and be glad these lessons come from me. There are far worse —
and more tedious! — purveyors of history you could’ve been stuck with.
Blood of Mars
Since even before its conception, Rome has pitted brother
against brother. Long ago in Alba Longa, there ruled a king by
the name of Procas. He was of Aeneas’s line, but the ravages
of time made him weak. On his deathbed, he bequeathed his
throne to his son, Numitor, but his other son Amulius had other
plans. Amulius slew Numitor’s sons and seized the throne. He
feared a prophecy that Numitor’s daughter, Rhea Silvia, would
bear children who would avenge his kinslaying, so he forced
her to become a vestal virgin so she would never lie with a man.
Instead, she was impregnated by a god: Mars. In a way, Amulius
succeeded, but this brought about his downfall. The children
of gods are much more dangerous than the children of men.
I presume that you know the rest of the story, as any trueborn
Roman should. A sacred she-wolf came upon the twins, taking
them as her own, and they grew strong on their foster mother’s
milk in the cave of Lupercal. After a time, her nightly hunts
alerted a kind shepherd named Faustulus to her presence. The
man discovered the twins in the wolf’s care and took them to
his home as she looked on with the wisdom of beasts.
Ah, the clean version. I prefer the one where the farmer slaughters
the she-wolf and the twins bathe in their mother’s blood. How much
more Kindred can you get than that? To be sure, there are kinder
tellings, but why should I condescend or, perish the thought, bore you?
The twins grew into men, and men seek adventure.
Companions flocked to their divine blood and their growing
renown echoed behind their deeds. Romulus was brave and
bold; Remus was cunning and swift. Before long, fate returned
them to the still-simmering conflict between Numitor and
Amulius. Remus was taken captive by the king, who told him
the truth of their heritage and threw him in his dungeons.
There, he was kept lashed to a wall without food or drink.
But he was not alone: Some of Numitor’s loyal subjects had
overheard the king’s words and nursed Remus on their blood
so he would not starve.
Perhaps this is where he got his taste for the stuff. And with all
the chains and torment… what an erotic start!
On the seventh night, Romulus led a heroic rescue to reclaim
his brother, and armed with the knowledge of their birthright the
twins slew Amulius and restored their grandfather to the throne.
And what is the lesson this history teaches us? It’s a reminder that
Rome was born in blood, and that our rise to power was ordained by the
gods. Triumph was inevitable.

CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 51

 To the Vultures
With a freshly murdered tyrant behind them, the twins set
out to build a city of their own on the seven Latin hills where
they had been raised. But after Remus’ rescue, bitterness and
contempt had grown between the pair. Without a common
enemy, they soon discovered they could agree on little, from
the location of the walls to the name of their new city. And so,
the twins did what was only natural: they took their quarrels
to the gods and prayed to their father for a sign.
Remus went first and spied six vultures, Mars’ sacred bird.
He was elated and celebrated his victory by drinking more
than his share of wine and bragging to his brother until sleep
took him. But while he slumbered, Romulus watched the sky.
Hours later, he roused his brother. Romulus had seen twelve
vultures. Romulus is the victor.
Did Romulus actually see the vultures, or did he take advantage
of his brother’s drunken state? Ask any Roman and he’ll tell you it
doesn’t matter. By allowing himself to lose his wits, Remus forfeited.
After all, there’s a time and place to lose oneself in indulgence, but it’s
not in the company of one’s enemies. Especially family.
Romulus’ victory only deepened tensions. Though Remus
never accused his brother of deceit, his actions revealed a
growing spite, mirrored in Romulus’ growing pride. A quiet
war began between the twins. Remus obstructed his brother’s
work: He hid spades, collapsed trenches, and confused the
workers. And yet, Romulus continued. When the spade was
hidden, he dug with bare hands; when the tunnel collapsed,
he redoubled his efforts; when the workers were sent away, he
called them back. And when the work was complete, Romulus
admired the foundations of his new city’s wall.
But envy had flowered in Remus’ heart, and rather than
celebrate his brother’s success, he instead leaped back and
forth across the foundations of the city walls in mockery of his
accomplishment. Romulus warned his brother that his actions
were a bad omen and a transgression against their new home.
Remus replied that perhaps Romulus should have built walls
that were more difficult to breach. Enraged, Romulus seized a
nearby shovel and caved in his brother’s skull. As Remus’ body
lay cooling in the mud, Romulus swore it would be the last time
an enemy would cross his walls.
I haven’t asked the Augurs about this directly, but Remus’s murder
is reminiscent of the ancient ritual of shipbuilders offering libations
to their vessels. Rome was anointed in the blood of its founder’s kin.
The living believe Romulus buried his brother, be it in a
vaunted tomb or the foundation of the walls, but we know
the truth. Romulus left his brother’s corpse as a feast for the
vultures. And that is where our story truly begins.
There’s an old piece of poetry I found that gives dialog to this
exchange. I’ve always found it quite delectable:
“I curse your walls, brother. I will never live in the city you
stole from me.”
Romulus’s reply:
“If you will not live in it, then you shall sleep beneath it.”
Fitting, no?
52 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Pact of Dis
The tale of the Julii is the tale of Rome. We were patricians in
life and are twice as grand in death. We owe everything to the
first of us, Remus, the Inauspicious Twin. The truth of how he
became the first Propinquus is more a case of competing legends
than a matter of debate. The most commonly held version of
the story follows, though whether it is the most accurate, only
Remus himself can say.
Romulus left his brother’s body as carrion for Mars’ vultures,
but as the twin lay in the mud, head cracked open, neck broken,
birds circling overhead in the moonlight, he was not yet dead.
Though his brother’s blow was mighty, Remus had survived
the injury — at least for a time. He still breathed, but he could
not stand or move. He tried to scream for help, but his crushed
throat stifled the sound to a whisper. And so, Remus wept and
waited to die.
But then something strange happened. As vultures plucked
out his eye and feasted on his genitals, a different sort of bird
arrived. It was an owl: black as smoke with eyes that glowed
like yellow embers. Remus laughed a raspy rattle and with the
last burning coal of defiance in his belly, he whispered for it
to take its gloomy meal. To his surprise, the bird replied in a
man’s voice:
“I have not come, get of Aeneas, for your blood. I am here,
son of Mars, with an offer. I am here, brother of Romulus,
with a pact.”
Kindred scholars often wonder what it was that caught the
attention of the Birds of Dis. Was it the fratricide? Or was it
perhaps the spilled blood of a demigod that called them forth?
No matter the lure, the Striges arrived with an offer: An eter-
nity of conquest for a pittance. Remus would rule the night,
and all it would cost him in return was the regular sacrifice of
his twin’s issue. And couldn’t such a mighty king spare a few
heirs and bastards?
Remus considered the pact and thought to refuse, but the
shadow of his brother’s shovel fell across him, and he felt Dis
Pater’s cold hands claw at his wounds. He knew he was at his
end. And so, with his heart full of envy and rage, he accepted
the owl’s terms, and as the pact was sealed, its eyes flashed like
lightning. Once more returned to formless smoke, and with his
last mortal gasp, Remus breathed them in, the Strix flowing
like tar in his veins. And thus, Remus became the first of us.
If you have to take anything from Remus’s tale, let it be this:
The Embrace is not a gift, but a pact. It is a promise of service to
those who have come before you, and the mortal descendants who
follow afterward.
We are incomplete, creatures without substance.
We do not breathe or breed or feast.
We drink and breed only through blood.
We do not walk in the sunlight but hide in the shadows.
We do not live, and thus we are beneath life, consigned to the
darkness and worms, burrowing in lost crypts beneath Rome.
This is the correct way of things, for we are at once eternal and lesser.
 But we are still Romans.
And when the children of Romulus conquer, the children of
Remus will enjoy the spoils.
Always remember that you are a blood oath that walks, and
talks, and drinks, and fucks, but you are no longer one of them.
Yet while Sol Invictus shines upon the glory of Rome, and
every corner of the earth shudders at her majesty, by night, this
empire is the domain of Nox and her Kindred.
But we will get to that story soon enough.

We Call Him
Old Man
Though Remus is our progenitor, he is not the first
Founder. That title falls to Julius Senex, from whom we
draw both the name of the august clan and the political
wing of the Camarilla. He is the Old Man for there are
none elder, save Dead Remus himself.
Remus watched his brother’s city grow, at least in terms
of walls and buildings, and soon it became a teeming mass
of hard, brutal men. They flooded in from all corners of
the world, seeking new lives and opportunities away from
their homelands. But they are only men. A city cannot
survive on men alone.
Rome needed women, and yet as Romulus called out
to the neighboring tribes for wives, they refused him. He
is an upstart. A fratricide. They would have nothing of
him. Romulus was defeated, and his crown weighed heavy
on his brow — a crown he feared would become a noose.
But cunning Remus was watching and waiting. He visited
his brother in his restless sleep and whispered a plan in
his slumbering brother’s ear: Rome takes what it wants.
Romulus announced he would hold sacred games,
inviting the Sabine tribes to attend, and they flocked
in droves. At the height of the games, the King gave a
signal, and Roman men, armed and ready, surged into
the crowd and stole off with as many women as they
could. After the games, the tribes went to war, but Rome
offered a generous apology: reparations in gold and silver
for each woman taken. A reverse dowry at spearpoint.
The Sabines could not help but accept. And thus began
the grand Roman tradition of defining civilized behavior
as whatever a Roman does. Only Rome is high enough
above decorum to decide what falls within its bounds.
In victory, our deeds are exonerated.
Such cunning avarice. Were we discussing another people,
such acts would be barbaric, yet we revere the tale as cunning.
Is this merely bias, or something more? That’s a trick question.
Every Roman knows the difference, even if he can’t express it
in words. Simply put, it is different because we are Romans.
Years passed since the disagreement at the wall, and
the Inauspicious Twin learned much and sought to abate
his loneliness. For years, he watched the city swell with
men, but on the night of the Sabine Games, where so

CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 53


Who Is a Julian?
When Aulus sired his clan, the first Founders only
Embraced from their mortal families among the gens
Julia. When that proved too limited a pool, they only
drew from “trueborn” Romans. This restricted the
Embrace to those of Latin descent, but eventually,
it included Sabines, Volsci, and other related tribes,
and even Etruscans. Then, it was any Italian at all.
Tonight, the Julii take all imperial citizens, and talk
of restrictions is dismissed as hopelessly archaic. The
Founders are innovators, and new blood must flow
for their— pardon, the Kindred’s empire to function.
Early on, many Founders adopted the nomen
Julius/Julia if they weren’t members of the living
family, though some just added Julianus/Juliana and
other variations as cognomina. However, this tradition
faded along with the blood restrictions above. By the
mid-Republic, only the most conservative Julii insisted
their childer take the family name. The practice briefly
revived when Caesar and Augustus came to power,
but it more or less faded into history when the Julio-
Claudians did.
many seeds would be sown for Rome’s future, Remus decided
his own family must grow as well. He watched and waited
from the shadows, sometimes listening at the debauchery and
crimes within the windows, the sobs of the conquered and
the pleasures of the willing until he found the one he sought.
Aulus Julius was one of the bachelors at the games, but when
he tried to steal himself a wife, her brothers threatened him
with castration. When the festivities concluded, Aulus found
himself emptyhanded and alone, and so he lamented his lot
with wine and Rome’s few and exhausted brothels. Aulus was
a distant descendant of Romulus, and as Remus stalked him
through the night, he saw himself in both the man’s nobility
and his indignation. In Aulus, he saw the future.
Aulus, however, saw a robber and vagrant, and when Remus
presented himself, the man plunged a dagger into the twin’s
throat. When Remus returned the blood-soaked blade to the
drunk’s hand, Aulus pissed himself and asked in his stupor
if he’d been visited by a god. Projecting his voice through the
gaping hole, Remus claimed to be Orcus, and offered the boons
of Pluto: riches and power should the young man follow him
down into the earth. And so he did. Remus led him to a cave
whose entrance is hidden at the base of the Tarpeian Rock.
Tonight, the cave is blocked with heavy stone, but back then it
led into what we know as the Small Chamber.
Why Julii? Why not Remi? Wouldn’t it make more sense to
chronicle our gens from the moment of inception? Perhaps. But how far
back do we go? Should we trace ourselves through his divine parentage
and call ourselves the Martes? After a while, such philosophizing is
little more than mental masturbation, which — while more sanitary
— is significantly less fun than the real thing.
All Julii trace their lineage to Aulus Julius, and so all descended
from him look to him as our paterfamilias. Remus, after all, is closer to
god than Kindred, and he never Embraced again. As far as we know.
54 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Within that cave, Remus drained Aulus’s blood and made
him the first of the Julii. When he awoke, sober and enraged
at the trick, Remus calmed his childe and explained his new
existence. When the man seemed unconvinced, Remus offered
him a way out: dig down to the realm of Dis Pater, and perhaps
the dark god would be merciful in ways the twin would not.
Aulus did not believe the lie, but when his sire handed him a
bloodstained spade, he took it and began the work, for Remus
hinted at desires of dark masters of his own. In a single look,
Aulus learned to fear his sire, just as his childer would soon
fear him. And thus, the Julii were born.
Do you think Remus gave him the same shovel that ended his own
life? Would he be so ironic? Or would it be an omen of what was to come?
The Lie
As Rome grew, so too did our clan. Remus would send Julius
to find suitable childer and have him petition for the right of
Embrace. Sometimes, he would force them to fight or forni-
cate to the death for the honor, often with their bare hands.
Sometimes, exotic animals would be brought in. Before long,
the Julii numbered in the dozens. Then, hundreds.
Though they knew the depths of their power, Remus and
Aulus agreed their nature should remain secret from mortals.
No Roman alive believes the dead are truly gone, but nightly
reminders of this truth are counterproductive. Across the
Empire, pious citizens worship their ancestors, but the constant
presence of these vaunted dead would be — pardon the pun — a
drain on their resources and morale.
There are myriad rituals and observances personal to each
house, and we dead are no different. In the Necropolis, we each
hold our own sacred rites and prayers, our chosen gods and silent
offerings. Those of us with descendants sometimes act as lares,
offering guidance or aid in exchange for the brief and fleeting
experience of connection. They remember us, our faces cast in
wax and bronze, and we do our duty to those who go on ahead.
But though we guide, we must not control. Our elders
understand our living kin may turn their worship to us if they
understand our true nature. For that matter, if they knew our…
flaws, it would be a simple matter to bring the torch and lamp
oil. Thus, the Julii created and enforced an elaborate falsehood:
Mendacium. The Kindred should seem as human as the living lest
they influence the mortal world beyond an acceptable amount.
However, much like Rome’s flexible civility, this Masquerade is
a fluid concept, and its interpretation favors the bold.
It’s easier to be nuanced with these concepts when your plea-
sures don’t risk leaving behind bastards. However, if you think
for a moment Kindred avoid contact with the upper realm or
don’t flaunt their power or fuck and drink their way through
half the population, you’re dangerously naïve. It’s not about
refusing the orgy: It’s about not leaving stains. At least not too
many. Aulus Julius himself is the greatest example of this. It’s well
documented that Senex, as he’s known tonight, took a personal
stake in shepherding his mortal descendants. For centuries, he
watched over their affairs and tinkered with their destinies as a
horse breeder might. He sought to perfect his bloodline. And
when members of his family did not meet his expectations, he
rained upon them cruelty the likes unseen since Troy fell. Fathers
forced to eat their children; children sold into slavery; daughters
whored for small coin; sons castrated on hounds’ teeth.
To anger Senex was to suffer the most creative indignities —
something he would teach Propinqui in short order.
In fact, some might argue he did so at the expense of his descendants.
Not me, of course.
The Others
Were there others before Remus? Certainly not in Rome.
Remus was the first of the Kindred to walk the Latin hills. Oh,
there were vampires in Rome before even the foundations were
laid, but these pale and hollow wretches were no more than
hungry corpses that drank goats in the night and hid in caves
from the sun. Remus was different.
Once he granted the Embrace to Aulus, and he, in turn,
perpetuated our gens, strange new dead things poured in from
all the edges of the world. These strangers swarmed like rats in
search of the glory and privilege bestowed upon those who live
beneath the Eternal City: the Mekhat of Egypt, the Nosophoroi
of Greece, the Daeuuas of Persia, the Gangiloz of Germania.
As good hosts, the Julii allowed them to stay.
Or that’s what the incurious say. It’s not untrue. But, a very loud
(non-Julii) minority of my colleagues believe at least a few members of
the gentes must have risen from Italian stock along with us Founders.
Different in purpose, but Romans nonetheless. Our Sodalitas Pernox
couldn’t function without castes, goes the reasoning, so the Blood found
new niches to fill. If this is true, the Julii were merely first, nothing
more — phrasing I’d quibble with, but you get the idea.
At any rate, few remember the truth, and those who do are liars.
Why these alleged “native” members of the other clans can claim
their foreign cousins as kin is an open question, and if there was ever
an answer, someone no doubt went to great lengths to conceal it.
Perhaps we Julii have counterparts too… but that’s a supposition
I wouldn’t be too loud about.
To house these newcomers, we dug into the old Etruscan
tombs beneath Rome and expanded them into chambers fit for
the dead. To make them useful, they were given blood to sup
and put to work. To feed them, we encouraged the patricians
above to conquer and enslave. In time, these visitors became
Propinqui too, though some of our elders deny them this title.
The laborious Worms are suited to the darkness and the
tasks it holds, and they thrive in the deep tunnels.
The hedonist Courtesans are given latitude to pursue and
cultivate earthly delights.
The zealous Seers are priests and informants spreading word
of our new society across the world.
The ferocious Wanderers are glorious warriors and brutal
enforcers of our will.
And we to lead them all.
Five clans, united as one, like the fingers of a fist.
But there was another.
The Unnamable
And here we come to the festering black heart of it all. We all know
of the clan I must not name and their cruelties and righteous demise,
and yet we feign ignorance. Their legacy is a whisper campaign among
the careless. That said, no chronicler worth reading is fool enough to
record their true history, so I suppose this shall suffice.
We Julii have always been gracious hosts for our foreign
cousins, but before the Camarilla, there was one clan we could
not abide. Tonight, we call them Traditores, and by law, we do
not speak about them or write of their felonious nature — and
yet we must never forget, lest we forget their crimes against
the Kindred.
Though the Julii were the first clan of Rome, the traitor gens
held a special place in the black hearts of the Striges. Through
their craven worship of the Birds, they were granted special
favors and privileges above all other dead. While the Propinqui
toiled in the tunnels, the clan I must not name leisured and
played their strange games. Where the Kindred of Rome spilled
the very Vitae from our veins in offering to the Birds, the clan
I must not name glutted themselves on patrician blood. When
the Striges called for a sacrifice of mortal or Kindred, the clan I
must not name were always the ones wielding the knife, never
laying upon Dis Pater’s black altar.
Never forget this truth: The Julii faithfully upheld the pact of
Remus. In our own way, we all served the Striges, every single
Propinquus haunting the Necropolis. But while the five gentes
played the role of dutiful servants, the clan I must not name
sought to be the Birds’ equals. For centuries, the Propinqui
served in the Inauspicious Twin’s stead, and we would have
continued to do so for a thousand years more had the Striges
not changed their terms — had the clan I must not name not
hungered for more.
On the same night that Lucius Junius Brutus and his allies
conspired against Tarquin the Proud, the last King of Rome,
the clan I must not name they came to our councils and pri-
vate chambers with new edicts from the Striges. Despite their
privileges, these Traditores had been part of a tense unity with
the rest of the clans for hundreds of years. But, in an instant,
that peace was shattered.
The offerings of Vitae and occasional sacrifices would no lon-
ger be sufficient to satisfy the Birds of Dis. Henceforth, the Owls
were to have access to the bodies and souls of any human, regard-
less of rank, connections, or family ties. They would claim all of
Rome as their own, and wield its might through their puppets,
with the clan I must not name their lackeys as their right hand.
In siding with their dark masters, these traitors earned their
name by betraying both the living and the dead.
There are few stories from that night, but one I’m allowed to share
with you goes like this:
One of the Traditores — a high-ranking speaker of some kind,
no doubt — entered Senex’s chambers without invitation. Aulus
greeted him as an honored guest, then watched as he tracked mud
across his fine carpets like a barbarian. The Old Man offered the
herald a draft of blood, only to have the wretch spit it out in disgust
CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 55
 at its vintage. The audacious creature then recited the Birds’
demands and dared to grin in triumph.
But what fool condescends to a god? And be certain, Julius is as close
to a god as his sire. He did not take this well.
With bare hands and fangs, he tore the traitor’s head from his
shoulders and wrapped his own fine toga with the dead man’s entrails.
As he led the Founders through the city that night, he wore his gruesome
accessory as a delightful statement piece.
The statement? Don’t fuck with the Julii.
The clan I must not name The clan I must not name
The Traditores had long plotted and maneuvered their way
into special privileges with the Birds of Dis, but the Julii had
suffered enough. As Brutus ousted tyranny above, so too did
the Founders eliminate corruption from the Necropolis. A
century had passed since Remus was last sighted, so the duty of
action fell to his childe. Senex rose to the occasion. In a single
night, he rallied the Propinqui, and before dawn, he and five
of his most trusted confidantes from each clan had personally
overseen the Final Death of each and every last member of the
clan I must not name the Traditores, ensuring their ashes were
scattered over the Tiber.
Not one drop of traitorous Vitae was drunk in the slaughter,
and tonight, not a dram of it remains in the entire world. Senex
ordered their name stripped from records and histories; scrolls
were burned and tablets ground to dust. By the next night, all
traces of the clan I must not name the clan I must not name
the clan I must not name the clan I must not name were wiped
from the face of the earth, and Remus’s pact with them.
We shall speak of them no further.
Is any of this true? Few — perhaps none but Senex himself — still
remember these events, so it’s impossible to say. If nothing else, take it
as yet another lesson: In Rome, if you intend to overreach, be sure to
have more friends than your enemies.
Chambers
Great and Small
As the betrayers’ ashes still hung in the air above the
Tarpeian Rock, Senex called the Propinqui to council in the
room where he had been Embraced. He called for an end
to the oath forced upon his sire and the beginning of a new
era of self-rule and justice. Julius understood that Kindred
require safety and crave power, but he also knew that for
living and dead to coexist, the latter must remain in Rome’s
shadow. More than that, he proclaimed, they must become
Rome’s shadow.
He called for the establishment of a Midnight Republic where
all the dead could claim membership, and all deemed Kindred
would pay a tithe in work or blood that was far more reasonable
56 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Who Are the Kindred?
The Julii say the dead are Kindred because they
were all once men, but this is a platitude. When
other vampires arrived from foreign lands, they
weren’t quite like the Founders, with other bans
and banes cursing their blood. Some could walk in
the sun, or lacked addictive blood, while others were
barely more than animals, not the sophisticated
corpses of Remus’ brood. However, as these dead
came under the auspices of the Camarilla, whether
through force, migration, or legislation, they became
so like the Julii that they were Propinqui in all but
their personal banes and supernatural affinities.
Such is the greatness of the Midnight Republic. Or
so the Julii say.
Whatever the catalyst, the Camarilla made all
vampires in its bounds alike, and that could be part
of the grudge the Striges bear. Maybe the Owls
don’t just hate the Founders because Senex broke
faith, but rather because the Julii made the other
dead like them: all too human. Or is it the other way
around? Perhaps with so much outside influence,
what the Julii call Kindred aren’t as monstrous as
they once were.
than the Striges’ demands. The anarchy of the Necropolis would
be ended and tempered by the reasoned law of Aulus Julius
Senex, and all Kindred would benefit from his wisdom. The
assembled Propinqui agreed — unanimously. They offered to
let him lead this new republic, but Senex declined, saying he
would rather be first among his equals. And though he took
no special role, any rogue brash enough to attempt legislation
without his approval was not long for this world. In time, it
soon became clear that Senex was not only a greater man than
his sire ever was, but a greater monster as well.
Thus, the Camarilla came into being. And though the
Republic is gone and the Empire now grips the world’s throat
in its talons, the Camarilla remains. Kindred travel freely
from Italia to Hispania, Britannia, or Asia without fear. All
four wings of the Camarilla are strong, and save for the minor
aggravations of upstart religions, our nights are full of eternal
leisure and bliss.
We are ageless creatures, and our history is long and storied.
It would be impossible to share it all with you, but I hope this
lesson was useful. However, if you took nothing from these
lessons, at least know this: We are the Camarilla. And like
Rome above, we will reign forever.
I hope you found this instructive. If not, I’m sure there are others
who would tell you their own versions of things. But take it from
me. I insist.
— S. Julius Macellarius Corbulo
 DE MORTUO REMO
None dare defy the elder twin:
and see, the younger lies,
skull cracked open,
his face half-destroyed,
his lifeblood spilled in a soaking stain
half-within and half-without these
yet-to-be-built walls.
No brute beast comes to feed on Remus.
The moon rises, and he stirs a little,
dying unknown
and not yet without breath,
He cannot cry out;
all for ill-fated Remus is to open
one eye and see the moon,
and he sighs, for an inauspicious
shadow descends.
It has the shape of an owl, a man’s voice.
“Son of Mars,
I have come to bargain,” it says,
“for the issue of Romulus are
fated to rule over all
and to endure for a thousand
years, this I know.
I offer your line equal
posterity, and more,
if only you will agree to pay
due respect to
my own family, when the
right time comes.”
Remus blinks assent, and the owl seems to
grow and obscure the skull-pale moon.
He rises to his feet.
Come sunrise,
none remark on
the absent remains, and great-hearted
Romulus’s sleep is
vexed that night with visions of the
inauspicious twin.

CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 57

 Rome by Night
“Rome is eternal.” That’s what Mother said, voice flat, as you
watched Father march away with the legions.
“What if Pater dies?” you asked. And he did.
Mother couldn’t have known the depth of that ruthless truth. Or
that it would become, in turn, the answer to your own death.
Now you wake each night in your mausoleum, the scent of blood
filling your nostrils. Pungent. Seductive. You grew so accustomed to
that iron tang from years of attending the chariot races, the gladiator
matches, and Mother’s surreptitious offerings to Hecate.
The scent is overwhelming, clouding your vision, blotting out all
other perceptions. You hunger. With the strength of Hercules, you shove
aside the sarcophagus lid only to step into a world of endless night.
Your sire is waiting. Not Pluto or his ferryman — some chthonic
demi-deity that sloughs off names as the ages crumble. Before you, an
empire spreads as cold and vast as the living’s: Camarilla.
“And you are part of it now,” your sire says, promise and threat,
answering the question you dared not ask. “Always.”
Ut in vita, sic in morte. Rome is eternal.
The Propinqui
Blood runs downhill. It seeps through the Colosseum sands,
drenches the Terminus stones, spatters ten thousand altars.
Rome can’t shed enough blood to sate its gods, and countless
souls have crossed the Styx to craft and covenant the Eternal
City. Lucky bastards.
Romans treat cheaply with death; always have. Call it the birth-
right of a fratricidal founder. But death brings glory and honor.
Death is to be faced bravely, defiantly, for only cowards reach old
age. Death is inevitable, by your own or another’s hand. Call it
population control: With new slaves brought to market and new
territories acquired, one has to deal with the chaff somehow.
But then again, the living bear certain troublesome expec-
tations about death. That it’s final, for one. Corpses must be
treated with the appropriate rites to prevent a restless ghost
from haunting the streets. Those who fail to pay the funerary
guilds might be tossed outside the walls for the wolves and
vultures. Pray they don’t wander back. Widows and orphans
might expect a stipend to compensate them for the loss of a
legionary father — but how can they collect if he rises from his
grave? And with countless assassinated so others might rise in
rank and power, lingering shades wreaking vengeance are sure
to cause a panic.
So, when you find the god you’ve been worshiping is an idol
fed with blood, or realize the champion of the Amphitheater
is an animate corpse, or notice the eerie likeness between the
senator upon the Palatine Hill and the colossus on the western
road built four hundred years ago… you’ve stumbled, woe betide,
upon the Kindred.
If you’re lucky (or damned, according to the Christians), you
may just become one of them. Or maybe you’ll just be one more
among the countless ground into Rome’s mortar.
58 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Mendacium
The living outnumber the dead. They could drag each and
every corpse into the day, doing the Nemeses’ work without
so much as a talon for help. The Emperor’s armies could clear
the Necropolis in a fortnight with enough men and torches.
So, we don’t give them a reason.
While not law, the Masquerade is so widely practiced that
to discard it is unheard of. But this is not pretending we aren’t
real. Other dead in other lands hide their existence, crafting
fragile falsehoods that crumble like sand at the slightest touch.
We know the best lies are the simple ones. There’s no point
pretending something isn’t real if everyone knows it. Rome
knows death too well, and she knows her ghosts still walk. This
is the way of things; to deny it is to deny the tides.
Thus, we make our masks. Those who discard them are
soon for Apollo, but they weren’t worth the Vitae that ran in
their veins. Some of us walk among the living as their own,
finding reasons to be out in the night or by the hearth. A
Nefastus with brawn might take up with the vigiles, walking
the streets at night and “dealing” with criminals as he sees
fit. Or perhaps a new hire appears among the brothel girls,
unfamiliar yet never questioned. She entertains all the pow-
erful men, all the senators who’ll say anything for a glorious,
anonymous smile.
Others become one of the ancestors — the lares. Each Roman
household sustains an altar to familial and domestic ancestors.
By making offerings and giving prayers to their lares, they might
come to them in dreams or visions, there to advise, counsel, or
direct. Likewise, to neglect their altars is to court disaster and
render them into lemures, the vengeful, hungry ghosts that
roam in search of succor. Even the greatest house can fall if its
dead are disrespected.
Kindred lares accept coin, blood, or whatever else they insin-
uate will please them, in exchange for lending their guiding
hands. Each gens plays a different role:
• Julii pose as great patricians of their lineage, sacred women
of the shrines, or even past senators and emperors. Some
bold few pose as gods, offering boons to favored relatives or
smiting those who disgrace the family.
• Daeva thrive as muses or by impersonating their petitioners’
geniuses. Or, they embody forbidden desires: Your cousin,
brother, or even mother. They employ the tricks of dreams
and visions better than most, slipping into thoughts and beds
with equal skill.
• Gangrel take the form of animals: hunting falcons, hounds,
or household cats. In this guise, they stoke nostalgia. Animals
are often less complicated than human relations, and easier
to forgive for clumsy demands or failed proclamations.
• Mekhet shroud themselves in mystery, relying on unspoken
secrets to cajole, tempt, or sway. They may orchestrate omens
 significant to augury or cultic beliefs, preferring oblique
symbolism over personal appearances. Some sustain myths
that grow as subsequent generations add to their familial lore.
• Nosferatu come as whispered voices in the darkness. They
haunt as relatives wronged: primal and wretched, on the
verge of twisting into manes unless the right offerings are
made and the family turns to honest work. But only in dire
circumstances do they employ the full horror of their visages.
Melt away into the shadows as needed, rise up to silence
naysaying tongues, bend a stubborn descendant with your
overmastering will, and any Propinquus can become a spectral
vision from beyond the grave.
But remember, the living have their own needs. What hap-
pens when a young descendant grows suspicious of demands
more suited to the flesh than the spirit? What happens when
your guidance leads the family into disaster and ruin? If you
would play a god, never prove yourself false.
De Bestia
They call the Striges our Nemeses, but the Owls are external.
Distant shadows and paranoia. The true enemy of all Propinqui
resides in each of our skulls, the voice of wrath and ruin that
drives us to be more than corpses and less than men.
Yes, the Beast brings power. Its bloody gifts make the
Camarilla strong, and each gentes’ talent is necessary for the
proper functioning of Sodalitas Pernox. The Julii assure order is
maintained; the Daeva warm dead hearts with their charms; the
Gangrel rend our enemies’ flesh; the Mekhet keep the Kindred
righteous; and the Nosferatu make the Necropolis fearsome to
those who would impede upon her.
But these are blasphemous rites by mortal reckoning. Black
magic is not the province of a Roman. Kindred come up with
all manner of excuses to use their witchery, some even calling
their powers “natural,” but all know the truth. We are blighted
beings, shunned from the sunlit world for our inherent deprav-
ity. Though we feed on mortals, vampires are second in all
things. We are denied the blessing of life and true death, and for
that, we are lesser. Never forget that we are Nefasti: No mortal
judgment may be laid upon us, for we are already condemned.
Never is this clearer than when the Beast takes its price. Some
will say it’s another voice of the gods, Bacchus spurring us to
partake of pleasures or Diana demanding a hunt. Others call
it the Owls’ revenge, their hatred left to fester in our hearts —
though this doesn’t account for the other clans (perhaps we’re
more Kindred than we think). But the provenance doesn’t
matter. All that should concern you is acting like a Roman,
even if you can’t really be one. The Beast deprives us of will,
and that’s why we should fear it. Whether you be a coward
or a villain, an aggressor or a hero, the choice must be yours.
Cursus Dishonorum
Blood is inviolable. It may take on new qualities among the
dead gentes, but a patrician is always a patrician, and a plebeian
is ever a plebeian. Many Kindred ride their lineage into the
Flashpoint:
The Third Servile War
73–71 BCE
Spartacus comes within an inch of Rome. He
might’ve taken her if he wanted, though perhaps he
never intended to unleash his force of freed slaves
on the Republic’s heart. Even historians who live
through his rebellion can’t agree, but his motives
are unimportant. Crassus crucifies him anyway. Six
thousand men are left to die along the Appian Way.
Some of the bodies go missing. Lost to the vultures.
The Kindred say new faces haunt the Necropolis
these nights. They speak Thracian and other
tongues, and no sires claim them. The Strangers’
ranks swell, and some say these fledglings bring
ways to undermine the laws of death. Most are
Wanderers and Worms — but some are Julii, a
fact the Senex is quick to repress. The Vaticinators
perform a cleansing rite at the Templum Remi,
though none will say why. The Legion is told to
watch the eyes of any newcomers.
Camarilla with rank, wealth, or deed to establish their position
after death, and even centuries on, the eternal question is never
Who are you? but Who are your people?
However, like the living, workarounds are abundant.
Blood and territory define the Requiem more than coin or
nomina, but a lowborn Propinqua can attain all the wealth
and prestige she needs if she’s willing to work for it, whether
with a blade in the Legion or a silver tongue in the Assembly.
Even the Collegium, the wing with the greatest number of
plebeians, can eke out a great deal of material power. A pleb
can be Princeps, after all, and the dead have eternity to build
their personal empires in the dark. Strategy, courage, fortune,
timing. With these virtues, any Propinquus can stake out his
place in the Camarilla or distance himself from the limita-
tions of an unhappy birth. But only with luck and discipline
may he keep it.
• An ambitious but lowborn Founder might look beyond
Rome’s borders, where countless kings rise and fall. Out
there, a prudent Julius can claim any throne he desires.
• A Courtesan might rise through the echelons by providing
entertainment to the powerful and well-favored. Actors,
prostitutes, and other performers are untouchables, true,
but the dead aren’t bound by living bans.
• A Wanderer might earn fame and fealty as a fearless warrior,
earning the loyalty of an entire legion. War is how emperors
are made.
• A Seer might gather knowledge and skill beyond the possible
scope of mortal reckoning; with centuries unfolding, what
mysteries might hide in the stars, the sciences, or the Blood?
And who might be willing to pay for them?
• A Worm might build her own domain, a fiefdom deep in
the Necropolis where Camarilla law is what she says it is.
CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 59
 Nightly Tributes
Torches burn between columns, casting writhing shadows that
leap and dance down marble steps. Most of the living are home and
abed, except the whores, beckoning softly from the narrow alleyways
to drunks leaving the warmth of the inns in search of other comforts.
A pair of soldiers patrol, shining swords cleaving the darkness,
pulses steady but senses alert to trouble. Before them upon a plinth
stands a statue of Diana, a bow in her fist and about to draw an
arrow, eyes flashing like onyx.
“If the flamens don’t want to incur the Huntress’s wrath, they’re
due to apply fresh paint,” one remarks as they pass beneath her
gaze. “Marble’s looking paler than it ought.”
His companion nods, gazing up at the life-sized statue—
He freezes. His hand tightens on the haft of his weapon.
“Marcellus! It moved.”
Marcellus laughs. “Come off it, Flavius. The lanternlight plays
tricks on your eyes. The old bastards who run this temple have
carried out the same statue every night since you were a boy.”
Flavius relaxes his grip. He’s chafed by Marcellus’s chiding
tone, but more so by the insinuation that he, a son and soldier of
Rome, was afraid. Shoulder to shoulder, they pass the plinth and
turn into the deeper shadow of Diana’s temple. Still uneasy, he
briefly glances over his shoulder.
The plinth stands empty.
Flavius is not a superstitious man. Nor is he inspired by an excess
of faith. People make tributes to the gods because it’s proper… but
the gods will do as they will. No matter what a man might wish.
Tonight, it seems, Diana wishes to hunt.
He forces himself to face forward, to keep his stride steady lest
Marcellus mocks him again. But try as he might to steady his
breath, the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, some animal
voice inside him urging him to run.
“Wait,” Marcellus says, half-turning toward the unassailable
black of the inner temple, like a doorway into Pluto’s kingdom.
“I thought I heard something.”
“If you’re trying to frighten me —” Flavius begins, but gets no
further. A blur streaks from the dark, and in his terror, Flavius
registers only the beautiful face distorted into a wolf-like snarl, jaws
wide and full of sharp teeth. Both of the goddess’s hands end in
vicious talons, and she tears through Marcellus as if he were papyrus.
But papyrus doesn’t bleed. Blood sprays across Flavius’s face, into
his eyes. He staggers, thrusting his sword blindly. A son and soldier
of Rome, he tells himself desperately, lives and dies with honor!
Marcellus, to his credit, doesn’t scream. He gurgles from the
marble steps, his sword knocked beyond his reach. Flavius clears
his vision in time to see the goddess stamp one pale foot down
upon his chest, pinning him with divine strength. She stoops over
him, holding him fast, as if to seal his fate with a kiss.
Flavius can’t see clearly past her mass of dark curls, but when
she rises, his comrade lies ashen and still.
Diana turns, rolling her beautiful shoulders back, moonlight
gleaming off her coiled hair, off her naked arms, off the blood
dripping from her hands.

60 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 “Will you not run?” Her voice is as soft as it is terrible.
Flavius’s hands are shaking, so he tightens his grip. He swallows
hard, tries to keep his voice from quaking. “Have we displeased you,
Goddess of the Hunt?”
She considers the question, looking down at Marcellus. “Hunting
pleases me,” she says.
Flavius thinks. Dare he strike a goddess? He hesitates.
Her onyx eyes slide back to him, sly and watchful as an owl. “Will
you please me, soldier? Give me something to chase. Go on. Run.”
He thrusts at her, blade aimed at her heart — or where her heart
was just a moment before. She lunges fast as an arrow, and the sword
point bends against her blocking arm. Unscathed, she knocks it aside.
The next heartbeat, her bloody hand is closed around his throat.
She lifts him without the slightest hint of effort. Her jaws are those
of a she-wolf, snapping shut on her prey.
When the next patrol begins, bloody traces run down the temple
steps and into the gutter. Down in the sewer, things already feast on
the soldiers’ remains, stripping the bodies for salvage to trade. Above,
the night is deeper. Quieter.
One of the men gazes at the statue of Diana, standing proudly atop
her plinth. The torchlight gleams off the red of her lips, the onyx of her
eyes, the ebony of her hair, the glow in her marble cheeks. The hem
of her tunic is stained red, her bare legs catching the light. The soldier
gestures with his spear. “Look how vibrant she is tonight.”
His companion grunts.
“Must’ve repainted her.”
Blood in the Streets
The living possess capacious appetites, but vampires have
limitless cravings. Why would we leave behind our beautiful
orgies, our lavish feasts, our bathhouse trysts? Every opportu-
nity is at our fingertips. The vintage overflowing our goblets
may have changed, but we can still infuse our cold flesh with
warmth to perform a full array of sensuous acts. We’re more
alive now than we ever were before, and if that doesn’t scare
you, you haven’t been listening.
First, however, you’ve got to eat.
In times of stability, there’s no shortage of blood. Reside in
a well-appointed palace — complete with columns, mosaics,
and baths — run by living descendants still faithful to your
memory, ready to provide you with both a stable larder and all
the comforts your cold heart could want. Draw guests in with
raucous parties overflowing with vinum, sweet music of the sis-
trum and lyre filling the air, cornucopic feasts, and orgies that
last all night long. Among so much reverie, no one will notice
a little nick or bruise, or a bit of weariness in the morning sun.
Or maybe you prefer a little religion with your meals. There
are a thousand gods whose forms we can borrow. Steal in
among the ranks of the priests, diverting their rituals to your
own ends, accepting sacrifices of beast and blood. Slink into
bed chambers and make love as Somnus, leaving your lover in
a death-like slumber. Burst out onto a field of battle as Mars,
ready to take your tributes of the worthy dead. Drift across the
territories with the seasons, cutting down the sickly with Ceres’
When in Rome…
First, orient yourself. The city of Rome is symbolic
of the Empire’s successes and supremacy — so too
is the Necropolis. Toe the line. Or, at least ensure
you’ve got the power to draw new lines for others
to toe.
Places of the High: Palaces, villas, and insulae
can house wealthy Propinqui, most likely in altar
rooms or cellars.
Places of the Low: Corridors run like streets
beneath the seven hills. So, too, do the Kindred
make use of the sewers and aquifers threaded
throughout their domain.
Places of Delight: Brothels, baths, colosseums,
amphitheaters, and cauponae are all excellent
hunting grounds for food and fun.
Places of Torment: Crucifixion hills, dungeons,
and lion-baiting at the Colosseum provide
punishment for the living and easy prey for the
dead.
Places of Worship: Temples, cult alcoves, and
Terminus Stones. Where mysticism and faith dwell,
Kindred gifts are easy to explain away.
pragmatic scythe, only to rise in the dead of winter as merciful
Proserpina, come to offer release to the starving and half-frozen.
Some Kindred look to the state for guidance, after a fashion.
When Caligula, Nero, and Commodus wear the laurels, does
their wickedness trickle down? Do you eat the flesh of your
kine as well as their blood? Do you, drunk on your own power,
have others bound so you can murder them in a farce of fair
play? Do you, in paranoid fits, cut down your retainers lest they
conspire against you?
But the good times never last forever. When the plagues
sweep through the mortal population, decimating millions,
what then? When fire ravages the city, burning dead and living
without care, where will you turn for a meal?
Quick Bites
• Serve one of Rome’s many gods. Animal sacrifices provide
blood for the less picky (or more pious).
• Join a cult. Countless living and dead religions lurk in Rome,
and if the mysteries involve a little bloodletting, who’s going
to complain?
• Become an assassin, slaying dignitaries, outlaws, or anyone
else who crosses those who’ve got the coin to buy death. So
long as the target bleeds their last, no one asks questions
about what you did with the body.
• March to the front. There are a hundred wars to wage against
any number of antagonists: Gauls, Persians, Carthaginians.
Blood waters the Empire; don’t let it go to waste.
• Face off against gladiators, wild beasts, or the occasional
monster. You’ll drink your fill beneath the cheering crowds
— as long as you survive.
CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 61
 THE FIRST TRADITION: DOMINION
All of the territory of the civilized world is also the territory of the Camarilla.
The Camarilla determines the divisions of domain.
A vampire who denies tribute to the Camarilla forfeits claim to the Blood.

THE SECOND TRADITION: DESTRUCTION

No vampire shall be put to Final Death without the express legal sentence of the Senex.
All citizens of the Camarilla are entitled to defense of dispute in the Necropolis Forum.

THE THIRD TRADITION: AMARANTH

All Kindred of the Camarilla are forbidden from devouring the heartsblood of another vampire.
Cannibalism is the tool of the Nemeses.
Those who violate this commandment risk empowering our great enemy.

Immortal Pillars
The Midnight Republic comes first and last. Be you the
wealthiest Julian or the most debauched Daeva, the most mar-
tial Gangrel or the most perceptive Mekhet, or even the most
ill-used Nosferatu, you are all Camarilla. Belonging is what
makes you Kindred. If sharp-fanged things exist beyond the All
Night Society’s reach, they are not Kindred.
Our protections do not extend to them.
The Three Traditions
Know that our Traditions are fair, just, and inviolable.
Dominion. Would you have us return to the days of sons
slaughtering fathers to claim their inheritance? Tales of the
Titans reveal how untenable such a world is. Only by the power
of the gods did the heavens achieve order. Likewise, only by
the power of the Camarilla does our world gain shape. We
cannot progress if we must resist the corrosive tides of schism
and insurrection. Kindred must be united. The First Tradition
provides the stability to further our civilization.
Destruction. Would you have our precious peace snatched
away without a fair trial? In eternity, there must be ways to
punish those who prove themselves unworthy of it. Final Death
is aptly named, a door through which one may never return.
If one of our number must pass through that portal, let it be
proven that their actions have no other recourse. The Second
Tradition ensures what we build is civilized.
Amaranth. Would you have Dis destroy us from within? To
devour another of our kind is to taint the purity of the Blood.
It is to invite madness. It is to do our enemies’ work for them. If
we hunt each other, the first two Traditions crumble, and thus,
the final and Third Tradition ensures our civilization endures.
The Traditions keep us safe, stable, and in power. Enemies
would destroy us, our Nemeses first among them. You might
say “Let them try!” but such hubris will cut us all down in short
order. In the grand scheme of things, it hasn’t been long since
that fated Owl whispered poison in Remus’s dying ear. For all
the Julii (and, yes, the other clans) have built since, the Birds of
Dis still swirl around the edges, through the catacombs, slipping
through the dead like a miasma. Without our Traditions, they
would destroy everything we’ve built.
The Hierarchy of Death
As with all things Roman, structure is vital. It’s by our laws
we die and live again in Sodalitas Pernox. The Senex has its
Legislatio, the Legion has its Jura, and the Augurs have their
Veneficium (the law of the gods).
Through them, our rule is absolute. A Senecta protected
by the spirit of Aulus Julius is impervious to harm; she knows
all your sins at a glance; she can even suppress the gifts of
the Blood until debts are repaid. A Soldier can ferret out any
criminal regardless of haven; enforcing the laws enhances his
already considerable strength and focus; he can even hold you
in place until judgment comes — or, if need be, until Final
Death. And a Vaticinator can learn however the pantheon
wishes us to hunt, or build, or vote.
Each wing serves in its own way:
• The Cult of Augurs listens to the will of the gods, translates
this for Propinquus ears, and performs rites to ensure favor-
able outcomes.
• The Legion of the Dead defends us at home and abroad,
clearing the paths between domains, but it also fights for
riches, victory, and glory.
• The Peregrine Collegium labors, organizes, and Embraces
those who make up the body of our culture, bringing new-
comers into the fold and ensuring all the dead are Kindred.
• The Senex governs, hears disputes, and passes judgment. It is
foremost of the wings and has the sole legal right to pass out
death sentences. It is the ultimate authority in all matters.
What? Ah, yes, the Spear and Chapel. They belong to the
Strangers, whatever they both might say. They’re a passing
fashion, and while fashions may rise, they most assuredly fall,
like last season’s stola. And even the Spearman’s Apostles, for
all their doomsaying, dare not forfeit the Blood.

62 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Each wing has a general purpose, but within these factions,
more specialized roles are available. These positions vary
between cities, but all Camarilla domains have at least rough
equivalents, usually following the trends of Rome herself.
The Cult of Augurs
The Augurs have innumerable vocations and positions, with
different chief priests and subordinates dedicated to each god
in the pantheon.
• Vaticinator: Technically speaking, all Fates are vaticinators
(prophets), such that this position is more a nickname than
a role. As vaticinators, the Fates are required to carry a
small iron dagger for rituals and wear a distinct black or
gray cloak with a raised hood when conducting official
business; different roles modify this cloak with a stripe of
varying colors.
• Scholar: A specialist vaticinator who studies the Veneficium
and preserves the history of the Camarilla. They serve as
instructors for new blood sorcerers, and some leverage
access to their private libraries to gain power among those
who seek mystic knowledge. These Augurs bear a white
stripe on their cloaks.
• Epulo: Among the living, epulones arrange public feasts
during religious festivals and games; for the dead, they are reli-
gious bureaucrats of the highest caliber. An epulo beseeches
the gods for blessings and approval in all state affairs, includ-
ing Assembly meetings and warfare. They also command a
high price to bless Kindred undertakings in general, whether
they employ the Veneficium or not. Their mandatory role in
consecrating state actions often puts them at odds with the
Senex’s aediles, who bear an overlapping function but care
less about the proper moon sign when a new tunnel needs
to be dug up. These Augurs bear a red stripe on their cloaks
and often carry a sacrificial bowl.
• Regina/Rex Sacrorum: The Queen/King of the Sacred. The
Rex/Regina is the leader of the Cult of Augurs, appointed
by the Senex, though in practice, the Cult “recommends”
the candidate. This position is similar to the living office,
but it carries more political power, and it’s not restricted to
patricians or men. The Rex/Regina is always a gifted student
of the Veneficium, and they’re paid well for their advice and
blessings. This Augur wears a toga, regardless of gender, and
carries a special sacrificial ax.
The Legion of the Dead
Unlike other wings, where influence is a tangled web of
deception, favors, and blood, hierarchy in the Legion of the
Dead is clear-cut.
• Conscript: The Grim Battalion uses ghouls to perform the
necessary military drudgery Kindred don’t have the time for,
like guarding various tunnels in the Necropolis and keep-
ing watch during the day. These grunts are usually drawn
from existing military servicemen, slaves, and gladiators.
A conscript can be “promoted” to munifex by earning the
Embrace through loyalty and service.
The Three Bans
Apart from the Traditions, three unwritten rules
are enforced among the dead, more out of cultural
reverence than as a matter of law.
The Cadaver Ban: This is likely the most violated of
the three bans: A vampire must respect her victim’s
corpse if she kills, provided that doing so doesn’t
violate Mendacium. For this reason, revenants are
more common in Rome than in the modern nights.
Many vampires mistakenly believe that if a victim is
given proper funerary rites, he will not rise, though
some Propinqui have surmised the truth. However,
they must be careful destroying their victims’ bodies
away from prying eyes.
The Infamia Ban: Propinqui consider feeding from
one’s own childer akin to the mortal Roman “sin”
of taking a passive role in homosexual relations.
Perhaps this began as practical advice to not be
bound to one’s lessers, but the proscription has
since taken on a cultural taboo. An annoying one, at
that, as it makes it difficult for elders to feed if they
haven’t developed special herds. The reverse isn’t
controversial at all; sires bond their childer under
Vincula all the time.
The Contaminant Ban: Contaminating blood is a
grave crime against one’s Kindred, but this is the most
ambiguous of the three bans. According to the Julii,
it prevents the creation of “perverted” bloodlines,
but no one really knows what that means, including
the Founders, if pressed. Some Kindred believe it has
something to do with the Traditores, while others
say it refers to an obscure power of the Nemeses. A
few vampires even gossip that the Julii are perverted
themselves, but they do so quietly. Feeding from the
diseased treads the line of this custom, though it’s
considered acceptable if clean Vitae isn’t available.
That said, the Morbus bloodline finds its Kindred
oddly unforgiving in that respect…
• Munifex: The majority of the Legion are these rank-and-file
enforcers, and their black armor and helmet crests form the
stereotypical image associated with the wing. Munifices are
rarely alone, encouraged by their superiors to associate with
each other even off-duty, and it’s well known that to challenge
a single munifex is to pick a fight with all of them. Often
called Virgatores (“floggers”) after one of the most common
punishments they inflict upon lawbreakers, though this has
become a general derogatory term for all Soldiers.
• Centurion: The officers of the Legion, centurions command
units of munifices in battle, easily identified by their side-
ways helmet-crest, and they expect their orders to be obeyed
without question. When possible, centurions also oversee
the training of new recruits, but this duty sometimes falls to
senior munifices. Centurions also act as ad hoc judiciaries,
hearing testimony and handing down minor punishments
to criminals. Much like their orders in battle, a centurion’s
verdict is not up for appeal, and once they have spoken on
it, the matter is considered closed.
CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 63
 • Immunis: Experts in their field, immunes are specialists who,
in some cases, have been practicing their particular craft for
centuries. This rank shows the most variety in the Legion, as
immunes can be anything from interrogators to tacticians,
but all wear a unique silver ring to signify their position.
• Praetor: The commanders and generals of the Legion, prae-
tors set defense policy for entire domains, and all Soldiers
therein are under their command. They are the highest
authority in the wing, responsible for promoting rising stars
and punishing those who disgrace their rank. There are no
armchair generals among praetors: Each is expected to take
the field should a threat to their domains prove dire enough.
The Peregrine Collegium
The Untouchables aren’t very formal, but two positions are
legally mandated. Neither is linked to status, though it’s rare
for low-ranking Untouchables to earn either role.
• Tribune: The Collegium organizes itself into “bands” (cater-
vae), loose associations of Kindred with common purposes
or origins (Gallic Gangrel, freedmen, etc.) These bands
determine their own internal structures, but each must elect a
tribune, whose job is to keep the wing’s magistrates informed
of their band’s activities and current membership. If a mem-
ber commits a crime, it’s the tribune’s responsibility to aid
the state in bringing them to justice. In theory. In practice,
the tribune is just as often the point man in covering up
crimes. No one votes for a snitch.
• Governor: If the Strangers have a shit job, it’s the governor.
A governor is elected once a year by the other tribunes to be
the whole wing’s representative within a domain. However,
she has little formal power, and she’s often the designated
scapegoat when the Senex or Legion need to blame the
Collegium for some social ill. The governor is typically a
magistrate, though she’s not required to be. While some
have cultivated a bit of soft influence over the centuries, few
could be called leaders.
The Senex
Unlike the living, the Old Man’s cursus honorum is rather loose,
but the following roles (with the exception of magistrate) form
the rough path Ancients aspire to as they rise through the ranks.
• Advocate: The lowest-ranking Senecti are “lawyers” and
dispute-resolution specialists, acting as neutral (or not-so-
neutral) third parties. This is the grunt work of the wing,
but even the highborn are expected to spend at least a few
years serving the public.
• Quaestor: Among the living, these officials are treasurers,
but Senex quaestors fill roles closer to the word’s literal
definition: prosecutors and investigators. These Senecti
are the Camarilla’s proxies in criminal cases, acting as
factfinders and/or arguing on the state’s behalf before the
Assembly. A formal quaestor isn’t always required for minor
offenses, but one must be appointed in any trials involving
the Second Tradition.
64 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Embrace
No law constrains the Embrace. The dead have
never needed such a regulation, and it would
run counter to the goal of expanding the Empire
of Night. At any rate, the Beast provides all the
restrictions the authorities will ever need. Still,
some Kindred perceive an implied threat in the
First Tradition: Your domain must support your
brood, and their deeds are your responsibility. Rule
your house well, or the Old Man might find ways
to prosecute any carelessness.
• Aedile: The middle management of Ala Senecta, aediles
oversee everything from religious holidays to public works
to defense contracting, as well as the distribution of funds
and administration of the First Tradition. They work closely
with the other wings to assure they serve the Camarilla as
intended, frequently liaising with magistrates and tribunes.
• Consul: Official witnesses acting on behalf of the state,
consuls preside over the Assembly. Without a consul to
acknowledge them, debates may not occur and laws may
not be passed. Once a consul witnesses a potential law, it’s
entered into the roster and can be voted on. Though they
can’t veto laws once acknowledged, this role gives consuls
a great deal of indirect power, as they can choose to ignore
proposed legislation when it suits them. The position is
typically reserved for those of high status or patrician
heritage. Typically, it’s a Requiem-long appointment, but
many Kindred will kill for this position if they think they
can get away with it.
• Invictus: Invicti are the most powerful Kindred in Rome,
and though they don’t have official roles, no legislation
may pass the Senex without at least their nominal support.
Sometimes they’re referred to as the Inner Circle, so called
because seating at the Assembly and Camarilla is arranged
by status, with the highest closest to the center. A few Invicti
may be Aulus Julius’s remaining childer, but most were wiped
out in the Great Fire of Rome, and it’s considered politically
expedient not to advertise this connection. A handful of
magistrates with high status in their wings have forced their
way into the Inner Circle over the centuries, but, oddly, they
don’t tend to live very long.
• Magistrate: A member of another wing with the right to vote
at the Assembly. Each wing is granted a number of magiste-
rial roles in proportion to its population in the Necropolis,
or whatever domain the Kindred happen to be occupying.
Vampires in other wings sometimes use this position as a
stepping stone in establishing Senex careers.
The Lancea et Sanctum
The Witnesses have not yet gained any official purpose in
the Camarilla beyond annoyance, and their various cults are
too scattered to have consistent titles. However, two informal
roles are common these nights.
• Martyr: A vampire who swears to meet Final Death in the
name of the Spear and Chapel. This is not holy suicide, but
rather an oath to accept the consequences of faith. While
they’re often warriors, martyrs can also just be preachers who
refuse to back down when the authorities would silence the
Dark Father’s word.
• Missionary: Most Churches of Longinus are built around
guru-like missionaries, teachers of the faith who work to
bring more dead into righteous Damnation. Missionaries
live up to their title in all ways, whether as tacticians or cell
leaders when the pogroms begin.
The Liberation of Death
Vampires cannot be slaves. Slavery is a quality of life, and
death is a freedom that can’t be revoked. Even when they
encounter foreign vampires and conquer them, the Camarilla
doesn’t make slaves of them: It makes them Kindred. It does
take them prisoner of course. It subjects them to punishments
and perversions and plays awful games with their minds. But it
never enslaves them. Kindred do keep mortal slaves; the living
may be higher than the dead, but there are exceptions. Vampires
bring slaves into their Requiems like Egyptian kings clutch at
grave goods. However, they rarely keep them long, as the needs
of the Masquerade make it difficult to maintain households
the way mortals do. Indeed, many Kindred consider slavery
pointless: The Blood is far more direct.
Most living women are little better than slaves, subject to their
fathers and husbands and rarely allowed legal independence.
They don’t even get their own names. But a dead woman is no
different from a dead man. This isn’t out of any enlightenment
among the Propinqui that the living lack; it’s practicality. Few
would bother Embracing a woman if the Requiem had noth-
ing to offer, and fewer women would accept the Blood if they
could never use it. Some vampires rankle at female generals and
senators, but as time passes, their prejudices wither. The dead
can’t violate taboos that only apply to the living.
Edges of the Empire
Look to the far corners of our territories: Pannonia,
Macedonia, Cappadocia, Mesopotamia, Judea, Aegyptus,
Africa, Aquitania, Hispania, Britannia, and all the rest. As
far as the might of Rome stretches, so too does the Camarilla.
With each new territory claimed, new blood filters along
the arterial network of Roman roads. These newcomers bring
skilled fighters, fresh hands for labor, exotic mores, and even
new practices of worship. And, of course, wealth enough to
fund those triumphal marches home, and elaborate games to
win over the people, above and below.
Many of the conquered come from lands of bestial kings or
motley bands of nomads; they’re unaccustomed to the grandeur
and organization of Rome (and, likewise, our Necropolis). They
must learn to embrace Roman customs and Roman laws. But,
Flashpoint:
Death of the Republic
27 BCE
Augustus is a great man. He finds Rome in clay
and leaves her in marble. He sweeps away malignant
bureaucracy. He is the redeemer, the son of a god.
He saves Rome from herself.
Augustus is a tyrant. He murders. He conquers.
His hunger for power isn’t sated till the day he dies,
and anyone who takes him at his word is worse than
a fool. He rapes the Republic because he believes
it’s his birthright, and the rough beast he spawns
shares all his bloodlust.
Augustus is both these things. Selflessness and
selfishness are the same in an emperor, and he’s not
troubled by the contradiction. Not usually. Once a
year, he sits upon the steps of the Forum and begs
for alms, with no bodyguard or blade on his person.
Few dare ask why, but a brave handful do. He replies
that he must placate Nemesis.
The Emperor of the Living is also the Emperor of
the Dead. The Propiniqui welcome a strong hand,
wielded by a man who shares all their awful virtues
and beautiful vices. As Rome’s twilight reflection,
the Camarilla suffered the same unrest that
plagued the Republic, and thus does Pax Romana
bring Pax Nocturna.
The Emperor inspires the Senex in a way even the
Old Man couldn’t, emboldening them to rule the
dead as Augustus the living. The Augurs bless his
reign, and the Soldiers swear their loyalty. Even the
Strangers raise salutes, for contented kine make fat
and easy prey. The Empire of Night expands with
Rome, its Legion a conquering army as it follows
in the tracks of Augustus’s forces. And as their
territory expands, they find other dead. And they
become Kindred too.
once the Blood flows through you, the Camarilla ensures you
heed the Traditions.
Beyond the Eternal City
A vast empire awaits, and untold opportunities abound,
war-bought wealth and the prestige of valor. But the challenge
comes in how to get there.
The Legion of the Dead is charged with protecting trade
routes and guarding caravans moving between domains, but
they can’t be everywhere. Hadrian’s walls mark out Roman
territory, many of which bear Kindred sigils showing the way
to outposts of the Necropolis. Learn to read them; put that
literacy to good use. These smaller underworld cities make up
domains assigned by the Camarilla, tribute states feeding the
power of Rome. Still, while reports arrive by efficient couriers,
you may still be weeks away from civilization. If you need aid or
reinforcements, seek the local magistrate. Bring blood.
The slowest and most vulnerable method is to travel on foot,
even with the powers of the Blood. Riding a horse, camel, or
elephant — or having a mule pull a cart — can enable you to
CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 65
 carry more supplies at a steadier clip, but this also presents a
bigger target for brigands. The main roads are well maintained
and safe to travel at high speeds, but beware of smaller roadways
suffering damage from earthquakes, sandstorms, or neglect,
where broken paving and loose cobbles can break an axle or
leave your beasts lame. Bandits are watching for just such a
helpless fool.
Making a ghoul of your steed, of course, ensures they’re
resilient and tireless. Yet, ghouls are harder to maintain on
journeys through desolate regions where your own ability
to hunt may be hampered. Whatever your conveyance, aim
for the crossroads. Crossroads often maintain outposts or
roadside memorials that offer temporary shelter from the
ruthless sun. Legionary troops may even be posted there,
whose honor may be prevailed upon for protection. Assuming
you’re honorable.
There is safety in numbers, though. Worm your way into a
caravan or march out with the Legion, but be careful, lest you
arouse suspicion and find yourself crucified by the side of the
road as a warning to other would-be blood thieves. In a pinch,
you can always play dead. Get mortal mourners to carry your
sarcophagus to your intended destination. If needed, you can
even haunt their nighttime camps as a restless ghost to speed
them on their way.
66 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The wealthiest travel with their entire households, carried
aloft in a litter borne on the shoulders of servants and slaves,
with ghoul retainers and attendants standing between them
and any danger. Such herds provide protection during day-
time rests, especially across arid wastes where travel is best
done by night, even by the kine. Beware arrogance, though;
bringing that many dead with you provides that many more
eyes that might gleam yellow when you’re miles from help in
any direction.
Many of Rome’s holdings are best reached by ship, using sail
and oarsmen to propel you to Africa, Asia, Cyprus, and beyond.
Take care feeding or else the captain may think there’s a plague
aboard… and pin its source on you. The sun rises swiftly when
there’s no land on the horizon to shield you.
The contested regions along the borders are crawling with
dangers. A Propinquus is always at risk of attack from raiders,
roaming Germani, lamiae, werewolves, or — worst of all — the
Nemeses. On the frontiers, those cast out by the Camarilla
scratch desperately for survival. Eventually, inevitably, they
lose themselves to the Beast, and the Birds of Dis fill those
skies with smoke.
If you must press past the edges of the Roman Empire, do
not go alone.
 RITUS MORTUORUM
By inspiration of divinity and in accordance with the Laws
of the Republic, ludi funebres shall be held on the Ides of
Quintilis in celebration of and veneration to the long
service of Aulus Julius Senex.
During this night, none of the Blood in Necropolis shall
hunt but shall drink of vitae provided by Ala Senecta.
During this night, none of the Blood shall quarrel, be they
in conflict of clan or wing. Those showing disrespect or
violence shall be brought before the Assembly.
During this night, none of the Blood shall Embrace, except
as chosen by Ala Senecta, and in tribute to the historic
power of Lord Senex, a youth of good lineage and beauty,
and proven to be beloved of the gods, shall be welcomed
into the Requiem. This youth shall serve for the following
year as cupbearer in the Senex chambers.
During this night, all wings shall attend Elysium as
befits their station to present demonstrations providing
entertainment to the Camarilla.
Ala Vaticinia shall sacrifice seven criminals to the gods,
representative of the seven hills of Rome, which shall be
attended by the mystic rites of their order.
Ala Militaris shall arrange a gladiatorial presentation of
their best essedarii, whose chariot horses must be ghouls of
the highest quality.
Ala Peregrina shall present chosen magistrates to stand
before the whole of the Assembly, where they shall give
speeches. He the Assembly deems best-spoken will be admitted
to Ala Senecta, replacing one member who is deemed by vote
to have failed in his duties in the year prior.
Thus the mighty fall and the low rise. All acts in service to
the Camarilla shall by virtue be rewarded.
Thus by these rites shall the Camarilla prosper.
Thus do we uphold them for the good of all Kindred and
by the eternal favor of the gods.
Camarula invicta.

CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 67

 The City of the Dead
Nestled beneath Rome is a dark reflection of its majesty,
carved from the cold rock by dead hands that expand its shad-
owed depths to this very night.
This is Necropolis, the unbeating heart of the Camarilla,
the epicenter of Kindred culture. In the Necropolis, Propinqui
are made and struggle through their Requiems, many meeting
Final Death having never strayed far from its winding corridors.
The blood and ash of Rome’s vampires have sunk deep into
the stone, as have the screams of the many mortals whose last
sights were black marble columns lit by flickering candles. More
than rock and shadow, the Necropolis is a place of ambition, of
intricate schemes unfolding over centuries. It is a place of deep
faith, of blood-slick altars and prayers whispered into darkness.
It is a place of haunting beauty and horrific savagery, where
atrocities play out beneath breathtaking works of art — all of
it unseen by the living.
And rarely, the Necropolis is a place of hope. Freed from the
fear of the sun and the need to scrabble nightly for the next
mouthful of blood, some vampires dare to be more than the
self-serving monsters they are.
Through it all, the Undercity bears mute witness to the
struggles, triumphs, and despair of the dead who call it home.
Ex Terra
Julius Senex knew the Kindred would need to overcome many
challenges if his vision were to become reality, not the least of
which was labor. To literally build a new society required an
immense amount of work that only one group of dead had the
ability and temperament for: the Brothers Worm.
Lairing beneath the earth in their lightless caves, the Brothers
watched Senex unify the dead gentes for many years with little
interest. It was made clear to them long ago that affairs on the
surface were not their concern, and so they were surprised to
be sought out by the soon-to-be dictator.
The Old Man was as humble as he could make himself when
he came before the five Brothers Worm in their dark havens
and asked — not demanded — their help. Though they talked
for many nights, the bargain they struck was a simple one: The
Worms would build Senex’s city for him, and in exchange, they
would always have a place within it. To many, this seemed a small
price to pay, but for the outcast and maligned Worms, having a
place where they could actually belong was everything. They knew,
too, that their blood would expand along with the Necropolis,
and they would grow too numerous to be contained ever again.
And so, the Brothers Worm began to dig.
They started in the catacombs, where the Etruscans once lay
their dead to rest. They cracked rock, moved earth, and carved
stone over countless nights, some not ceasing to work when the
sun rose, so complete was the darkness in which they labored.
They never really stopped digging. Tonight, the Necropolis
is a warren of tunnels, chambers, markets, and corridors that
68 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
stretches out beneath Rome like its shadow, mirroring the city
above in glory and mystery.
Beneath the Surface
The Necropolis is ever-changing: Old tunnels collapse,
flood, or simply disappear in the shifting darkness — vanish-
ing for decades or more only to reappear as if they never left.
Meanwhile, the scrabble of dirt-caked fingers can always be
heard just around the next bend as Nosferatu and other workers
ceaselessly claw new chambers from the cold earth. Absolutely
no one has a complete map of its labyrinthine corridors, and
thus, for all its ubiquity, the Necropolis remains mysterious to
even the Kindred who walk its tunnels nightly. Below are some
of the most well-tread chambers in the Undercity, but even
their relative infamy doesn’t prevent them from concealing a
surprise or two.
The Assembly
As the Camarilla expanded, its governing body outgrew its
namesake, and it became impractical and dangerous to hold
important gatherings in a chamber that could only hold per-
haps fifty Kindred squashed together. After yet another chain
of frenzies left the walls of the Small Chamber smeared with
ash and blood, a more robust meeting space was necessary.
Located in the heart of Elysium (p. 69), the Assembly is one
of the largest “buildings” in the Necropolis, modeled after no
less than the Roman Senate, and it can accommodate a hundred
Kindred comfortably while still sitting out of reach of each
other’s fangs. The ceiling is covered in a mosaic depicting the
night sky over Rome, with major constellations picked out in
quartz that glimmers in the torchlight. This is where the Senex
meets once a month to discuss the every-night business of the
Camarilla, reserving the actual Small Chamber for only the
most vital discussions and important trials.
Though mostly Wing of Ancients’ domain, technically,
any Camarilla citizen is welcome to attend Assembly and
speak without fear of reprisal. That said, anyone wishing to
be inflammatory better have a good exit strategy, as nothing
protects them from the Old Man’s daggers after they’ve left the
Elysium district.
Aula Nigra
The Aula Nigra is something between a community center
and a bordello. A relatively late addition to the Necropolis, the
Black Court is modeled after stories of Emperor Domitian’s
personal feasting hall, a (likely) apocryphal tale of the tyrant’s
taste for terror and depravity. After Domitian’s death, it
became fashionable for Kindred to hold their own Aula Nigra
parties, and many such courts once littered the Necropolis.
In these places, Kindred wined and dined, making informal
deals and plans as they fed on mortals. It even became an
informal tradition in the early second century to make
ghouls of “dinner guests” who survived the experience. Still,
trends tend to fade, and eventually, the various Black Courts
were repurposed or fell into disrepair, like so many other
Propinquus fancies.
All except one. The Aula Nigra is run by one Marcus Julius
Nigellus, a Founder known for both a shrewd business sense
and a flair for storytelling. Sometimes he claims he was one of
Domitian’s boy servants at his feasts, while at others he hints
at having been a practitioner of dark magic, cursed to remain
in a youth’s body until he pays off some obscure debt. In truth,
he was just a late bloomer at 17, unfortunate enough to get the
bite before he grew those last few inches. He wouldn’t know
black magic if it bit him in the ass. However, he’s leveraged
these tales to make himself the most successful “barkeep”
in the Undercity, though the cognomen he’s earned for his
trouble (The Slightly Black), is a nickname he both loathes
and can’t afford to drop. That’s branding for you.
Blood is always on tap at the Aula Nigra, and you can get
any vessel that’s your fancy if you have the coin. The Black
Court’s blood dolls come from all across the Empire and
beyond, and some speak languages unknown to even the
most knowledgeable Kindred. By vampire standards, Nigellus
treats his herd surprisingly well, and his vengeance is swift if
a careless Nefastus harms part of his collection. Nigellus also
employs a small force of Kindred and ghouls to keep order
and the rabble out.
Kindred come here to hold parties or do business, often
bringing mortals and turning them into ghouls as per the
old tradition. Most ghouls in Rome aren’t actually created
here, but patrician Kindred will pay well to hold private cer-
emonies for servants they wish to impress with the glories of
death. However, just as many bring mortal rivals they want
to intimidate, showing them the hell that awaits if they defy
the ancestors.
The structure itself is a large hall, the walls painted a shin-
ing black, with numerous bare couches for Kindred and their
company. At the center, a mock cemetery stands, with small
placards where Kindred may place the names of their victims
for the night, whether as a memento mori or just plain psycho-
logical torment.
Columbaria
Common features of the Necropolis are Columbaria, large
chambers with many niches carved into their walls, modeled
after the catacombs where living Romans inter their dead.
Indeed, these are also places where the dead reside, though these
particular corpses still walk, talk, and kill. The Columbaria
are the “living” quarters of the Camarilla, where its citizens
go to sleep away the day before rising for the night’s business.
The individual niches are simple in construction: a per-
son-sized hole carved into the rock, large and deep enough for
a single Propinquus to rest comfortably, with, perhaps, some
additional room for personal effects. A panel of hinged bronze
covers each niche, with sturdy latches on the inside allowing
whoever rests within to lock it tight against intrusion – mur-
The Worms Crawl In
Senex kept faith with the Brothers Worm, and
their descendants have since made themselves
indispensable to the ongoing construction and
maintenance of the Necropolis.
It’s common knowledge that Nosferatu know
the tunnels better than anyone, and if you need to
find any place or person in the Undercity, you hire a
Worm to guide you. The most respected architects
and builders in the Camarilla are Nosferatu, and
they’re an inescapable part of a Requiem spent in
the Necropolis.
Indeed, it’s said you’re rarely more than a few
meters from a Nosferatu in the Undercity, even if
you might not know it. The clan considers the place
more “theirs” than anyone else, and it’s known
to alter, misinterpret, or flat-out ignore decrees it
feels would be damaging to its hallowed, twisting
halls. The Senex tolerates these minor rebellions
because, well, it’s not a good idea to spark conflict
with vampires who can open your haven to the sun,
or see it buried beneath tons of anonymous rock,
never to be found again.
derous rivals being most vampires second most prominent
concern when considering a resting place, just after the sun.
These niches are spartan, effective, and numerous, and exactly
the sort of practical solution you’d expect from Worms when
given the problem of housing an ever-growing population of
dead things.
Wealthy and powerful Kindred have private havens within
the Necropolis: lavish underground manses commissioned to
their specifications. For the rest of the citizenry, there’s always
space in one of the many Columbaria when dawn threatens.
Some Kindred lay down a claim on a specific niche, or groups
of them in the case of close coteries or broods. Others feel more
secure sleeping in a different niche each day, the better to keep
their enemies guessing. While each niche is theoretically free
for any citizen to use, over the centuries, the wings have laid
down claims on various Columbaria for their exclusive use.
The Legion of the Dead maintains several “black barracks”
to house Soldiers who aren’t on active duty, and they enforce
their claim by brutally beating any outsider who dares use them.
The torpid bodies of trespassers are often chained just outside
such Columbaria, as a way of letting any other passersby know
the area is claimed.
Regardless of the presence of these exclusive Columbaria,
any citizen looking for shelter from the sun can expect to find
it within the Necropolis.
Elysium
When Senex rose to power, he declared the heart of the
Necropolis Elysium, named (with deliberate irony) for the idyl-
lic afterlife the dead gentes have lost. In this area, violence is
not permitted, and all Kindred may speak freely to debate the
matters of the night.
CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 69
 Also called the Forum Propinquum, this district
roughly encompasses the uppermost tunnels around the
Assembly, Templum Remi, and Camarilla, and it includes
several large chambers that can act as meeting places and
markets, often filled with hawkers and mystics offering
services. The Underway (p. 73) has several paths leading
to Elysium.
This area is the Necropolis Forum referred to by the
Second Tradition (p. 62), and the Senex once held trials
and other legal disputes anywhere they could fit. These
nights, the Assembly is the likeliest venue, or the Small
Chamber if the crime or criminal is especially notable.
However, anywhere within Elysium may serve as an ad
hoc courtroom as circumstances dictate.

Porticus Sanguineus
Just as the poorest mortals are sustained by the
Emperor’s bread dole, the poorest Kindred find suste-
nance in the blood dole below. Heralded as one of the
great triumphs of the All Night Society, the Porticus
Sanguineus is an example of how the Camarilla has
elevated Kindred above their selfish, feral nature — what
could be more civilized than charity? Unlike the bread
dole, the blood dole isn’t a daily affair, and it’s not as vital
to the Necropolis as its twin is to the citizens of Rome.
There are fewer Kindred than mortals, and fewer still who
have difficulty finding food in the most populous city in
the world — blood flows almost as commonly as wine in
the streets above.
Rather than regular allotments, blood doles are the
product of groups or individuals that wish to display their
commitment to the citizens of the Camarilla (read: they want
to show off their wealth and status). Whoever wishes to put
up a blood dole announces when it shall be, usually at the
Assembly, and they are responsible for providing the goods.
Methods of acquiring the vast number of victims needed
to put on a proper blood dole vary. Wealthy patrons buy
large lots of slaves; others scour the streets for the poor and
unwanted, dragging them back to the Necropolis to their
fate. The only consistency is the location: The Porticus
Sanguineus itself is less a room and more a long, wide
tunnel near the heart of the Necropolis. Cut into the sides
of the tunnel are many manacle-adorned alcoves where
mortals are restrained. During the dole, Kindred flow from
one end of the tunnel to the other, feeding as they go. It’s
polite to leave vessels alive, but it’s not uncommon for the
only thing left of the kine to be drained corpses, discarded
like bones whose meat has been stripped away by gluttonous
teeth. No one above will miss them, after all.
While no one is obligated to provide a blood dole, it’s
a common enough inclusion in the status games of the
Camarilla elite to occur regularly. However, woe betide
anyone who promises a blood dole and doesn’t deliver.
Riots over lack of food are rare, but when they happen,
the Necropolis can descend into nights-long waves of

72 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Flashpoint: Rise of the Lancea et Sanctum
232–335 CE
A monk and his followers hide in a cave in Jerusalem, celebrating mass for the first time. They are not Christians.
They are not alive.
The monk says he was sired by the Spearman who pierced the Christ’s side, and that God made the soldier one of
the hungry dead for this vile act. But an angel told the soldier the Damned still have a part to play in the Lord’s designs,
to be wolves to the sheep and holy devils, and he taught the monk this too. The monk believed him.
The Kindred of Jerusalem despise these rank atheists, and they decide to rid themselves of the meddlesome
priest and his fanatical disciples. The Kindred lie in wait for the congregation, but mass lasts the whole night, and
the would-be assassins fall to the sun, somehow caught by surprise. A miracle. This is as the monk says, and his
people believe him.
The congregation is ejected from the city, so they wander, preaching joyous Damnation wherever they find the
dead. Some come to Rome, coopting and reviving old cults to the Jewish Messiah among the Propinqui. They bring
miracles of the One God, liberated from pagan hands in Egypt, and thus they call themselves Sanctified. Some of the
Kindred believe them.
The monk is not the only follower of the Spearman. Perhaps he’s not his only childe, or even his childe at all. But he
is the most eloquent. The most brilliant. The most ruthless. More than a century after that first mass, he founds the
Black Abbey, where the Sanctified learn at his feet away from pagan debauchers. The Camarilla mocks and spurns
them, but the Abbey and its Witnesses will outlast it, standing even as the Nemeses exact their vengeance. And they
will not just watch.

violence as starving Beasts run rampant in the tunnels. Those
responsible for a disappointing dole are considered fortunate
if all they suffer is a loss of face. Members of the Peregrine
Collegium often take it upon themselves to deliver brutal and
public punishments to those responsible for a failed dole, some
of which, such as the Priest with the Squirming Belly, are still
whispered about tonight.
Templum Remi
Deep beneath the Capitoline Hill of Rome lies the holiest
place in the Necropolis: The Temple of Remus honors the leg-
endary first Founder, connecting all the Camarilla with its gods.
The temple consists of three primary chambers, all carved
straight into the rock, and each is appointed in gilded marble
and semiprecious stones. The first chamber forms an atrium
with carved reliefs standing in for actual plant and animal
life. Similar to many of the more important chambers in
the Necropolis, a ceiling mosaic above depicts the night sky.
However, this mosaic is unique, as it recreates one night in par-
ticular: May 15, 761 BCE (by modern reckoning), which many
Kindred scholars consider the date of Remus’s “Embrace.” An
altar, its stone stained permanently crimson, sits in this cham-
ber, attended at all times by a member of the Cult of Augurs
so that anyone wishing to make a sacrifice to the Inauspicious
Twin may do so with the proper blessings.
The second chamber is the cella, the chamber of the gods,
home to exquisitely crafted statues of all the deities in the
pantheon. Most are easily recognizable, but one in the center
of the room, crafted of sandstone, is so old its features have
worn away, leaving only a vague male figure posed triumphantly.
Many Kindred believe this statue honors Remus himself, still
watching over the city he helped create. There is another altar
in this room, but this one is exclusive to the Augurs, and when
in use, entry to the cella is by invitation only.
The third room is behind a door tucked behind the statues
of Mercury and Proserpina. Only the Regina Sacrorum and
her highest-ranking Vaticinators are permitted entry into this
chamber, and only then to perform the most powerful and
significant rituals of the Veneficium. The scent of blood drifts
out from within, and many imaginative Kindred claim any
Vitae spilled within the cella inevitably flows toward this door.
Speculation about what this chamber contains runs rampant
through the other wings, with one of the most popular rumors
being that the Old Man lies torpid within, waiting to rise one
night and lead the Camarilla once more.
The Underway
There are hundreds of tunnels within the Necropolis,
forming a twisting honeycomb of dark passages and cramped
arteries that someone could spend nights wandering and never
encounter another soul. However, Julius Senex demanded a
measure of order in traversing the Camarilla’s home, and the
Brothers Worm responded with the Underway.
Built using similar construction techniques as human engi-
neers, the Underway is a marked series of tunnels that runs
the entire length of the Necropolis. Its avenues have enough
space that four Kindred can walk it abreast, and it maintains
a comfortable ceiling height throughout, making it unique
among passages in the Undercity. It connects to the Assembly,
Camarilla, Porticus Sanguineus, Temple Remi, and several of
the largest Columbarium blocks, providing swift and (relatively)
safe access to these locations.
Small, square chambers are carved out at semiregular inter-
vals along the Underway’s length, used for both meetings and
as places of commerce for Kindred merchants and craftspeople.
While these chambers have no official names, their individual
features have led to a variety of different designations: Dripping
Ceiling, Cracked Tile, Old Bloodstains, and Always Cold are

CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 73

 Surface Tension
Not every location important to the Kindred lies buried in the earth. Some rest upon the surface like oily blemishes,
leaving the mortals of Rome to wonder where they came from.
Lapis Niger: This slab of black marble lies conspicuously in front of the Roman Senate, and mortals suppose it to be a
tomb marker for a long-forgotten king. The Kindred, however, know it denotes the place where Remus formalized the
Pact of Dis. It’s said any vampire who touches the stone draws the yellow-eyed gaze of the Nemeses, so rightminded
Kindred avoid even looking at it too long.
Lacus Curtius: A small basin near the Forum Romanum is marked off by marble railing and surrounded by alters.
This area marks the site where, according to mortal legend, a chasm opened and swallowed up many lives. Kindred
say it was a Sabine Nosferatu with the nomen Curtius who tunneled beneath the Forum and caused the collapse,
though his motives vary wildly depending on who’s doing the telling. Rumors persist to this night of great wealth
still hidden within Curtius’ tunnels, and every so often a group of young Kindred will attempt to locate and exploit
them — some never to return.

just a few of the best known. Kindred use these monikers to
provide instructions or directions (“Leave the message with
the Seer who will appear to you at Old Bloodstains, then take
the tunnel next to Cracked Tile to exit safely”), as there are no
street signs in the Necropolis.
The Underway is also frequently the sight of small gather-
ings of Kindred who have business of the less-than-official
kind. It’s the only place in the Necropolis where groups
can move easily. Evangelists of the Lancea et Sanctum have
also taken to setting up along anonymous stretches of the
Underway and preaching at anyone unfortunate enough to
pass by. Such displays don’t last long before the Legion arrives
to clear them out, which always leads to either a frantic chase
or a brutal tunnel fight, depending on the numbers and tem-
perament of the Atheists.
Tales of the Undercity
• A Mekhet of unknown affiliation takes up residence in the
Assembly and refuses to leave, claiming it’s the only place he’s
safe. He’s not hostile, but sometimes chants uncontrollably
and loudly in a strange language, disrupting any ongoing
proceedings. The Seer is very skilled in his clan’s shadow
magic and has resisted all attempts to remove him. An exas-
perated member of the Senex promises a reward if anyone
will evict this squatter, but how will his evictors react when
they recognize their names in his strange chants?
• An entire Columbarium vanishes one day, taking its sleeping
population with it. The tunnel that used to connect it to
the Necropolis now ends in a scree, and breaking through
it only leads to an empty cavern. Worse, this particular
Columbarium was a black barrack, and now the Legion is
storming through the entire Necropolis demanding answers
about their missing comrades.
• A blood dole put on by a popular and well-connected
member of the Peregrine Collegium has had a strange effect
on Necropolis residents: all who drank from the offered
humans have begun to rise during the day and wander
the tunnels of the Necropolis until the next night, causing
many to go missing. When the Stranger who provided the
dole is questioned, she claims to have no memory of ever
holding a dole at all.
• The sandstone statue in the center of the cella within the
Templum Remi has gone missing. Its plinth stands empty,
and the Augurs on duty at the time have been beaten into
torpor. The Prophets predict dire consequences for all the
Camarilla if this blasphemy is not corrected. Where do you
hide an enormous stone sculpture, even in the Necropolis?
It’s not like it walked off on its own… right?
• A rumor runs wild in the Necropolis of a new chamber that
can be found along the Underway. This “Bright Room” never
appears in the same location twice, but any Kindred who
enter apparently experience the sensation of warm sunlight
upon their skin without any injury. Several Nefasti claim to
have experienced the Bright Room’s effects, but how does the
Necropolis react when one of them turns up dead, burned
to blackened bones?
Deeper Mysteries
The Necropolis is vast, with countless tunnels branching
off the Underway and squirming over and through each other
like the Worms who dig them out. These twisting catacombs
contain a multitude of rooms of all shapes, sizes, and functions,
some used every night, and some that haven’t been entered
in centuries. No complete map of the Necropolis exists, and
even if one did, it would be quickly rendered obsolete by the
Nosferatu’s constant industriousness.
As a result, despite it being an every-night part of their society,
there are some places in the Necropolis that even the Kindred
tread with caution. Many are difficult to find, while others
are almost too easy to get to, seeming to call out to those who
may have need of them. Kindred who stumble across these
locations would be well advised to be cautious of gifts that rise
unbidden from the darkness. One never knows what sort of
price may be attached.
With all the Necropolis provides the Kindred, some worship
it as a goddess unto itself. Comprising mostly Nosferatu, the
Cultus Terrae Atrae is a Kindred mystery religion that focuses

74 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

on the expansion and preservation of the Necropolis, believing
that there should be Kindred who specifically serve and protect
her, just as she serves and protects them. For more, see p. 94.
The Camarilla
The Small Chamber from whence the Empire of Night
grew from the soil of Rome, the Camarilla is the most storied
space in the Necropolis. Some say Remus found the chamber
fully formed beneath the earth, as if it were waiting for him
all along. Others claim he carved it out of the rock with
his own hands. The more practical say it was built at Julius
Senex’s direction when the Brothers Worm came to expand
the Necropolis.
Despite its history, the Small Chamber doesn’t actually see
much use, having been supplanted by the larger and more prac-
tical Assembly. Indeed, the name is descriptive: It’s not very big.
Situated in the Tarpeian Rock, the Camarilla is a rectangular
chamber, eight meters on the long sides and six meters on the
short; it can fit perhaps two dozen vampires comfortably. There
are stone seats carved out of the same rock as the rest of the cham-
ber in four rows: two rows of eight on the long sides, and two rows
of three on the short. Behind each seat is a niche nearly identical
to those found in the Columbaria, except the panels covering
them are made of beaten iron. Once, Inner Council members
havened here, but they long ago abandoned the practice.
The middle seat of the northern short wall is a dais with a
large stone throne, carved out of darker rock than the rest. This
is the seat of Julius Senex, and even the earliest descriptions
of the chamber note its presence. It’s known that anyone who
dares sit in it will be cursed, and while few have tested that
superstition, those who have were quickly struck down by the
Vaticinators before the curse had time to get them.
On the southern wall is a small altar that once bore an
inscription that’s since been hacked away. Elders do not men-
tion this altar, nor do they look at it when they’re in the room.
It is not used for anything, and Julii go out of the way to avoid
touching it.
Exploring the Necropolis
This section lists strange and significant locations
within the Necropolis that characters might seek
out or discover while traversing the catacombs.
Finding any of the locations described below (except
the Camarilla, which is well known) may require a
successful Wits + Survival roll at the Storyteller’s
discretion. The need for this roll can be bypassed
by hiring someone with the Worm Guide Merit (p.
95) if none of the seeking characters possess that
trait themselves.
There are eight entrances to the Camarilla, two per wall
of the chamber. One of these connects to a thin tunnel that
attaches to the Underway, and the rest spiral out into various
catacombs throughout the Necropolis. Lost Kindred often
claim they’ve stumbled upon the Camarilla while trying to
find their way out of the labyrinthine passages of the deeper
Necropolis, even though they should be nowhere near the
Capitoline Hill.
Dead young and old feel a natural reverence for the
Camarilla, and violence between Kindred is not only for-
bidden within its walls but deeply taboo, more than in any
other place in Elysium. Thus, vampires fleeing violent pursuit
often claim sanctuary in the Camarilla, and many desperate
Kindred have found one of the Small Chamber’s entrances to
be much closer than they realized in dire moments. Rumors
sometimes make the rounds that necropoles in domains far
from Rome connect to the Camarilla chamber, but none have
ever proved it.
Some citizens come to the Camarilla to meditate, finding
that contemplating the sheer weight of history contained within
its walls to be a centering exercise. The Senex still uses the
Camarilla to meet when discussing vital matters, such as major
legislation, or to give proclamations that will affect the entire
All Night Society. During these times, Kindred cram inside

Flashpoint: Betrayal of the Cult of Augurs

341–380 CE
In 341, Constans I bans pagan sacrifice in Rome, and a Sanctified magistrate of the Senex immediately puts forth
a proposal calling for the Camarilla to outlaw the Veneficium. This leads to weeks of acrimonious debate. The
measure is defeated, but the arguments continue, with even devoutly pagan Kindred questioning whether they
have the right to defy their Emperor.
Months later, a similar measure passes, effectively crippling the Cult of Augurs. While they can still practice their
religion and serve the state, they may not perform their rites, at least publicly. Enforcement is spotty at first, but as
the Witnesses gain more power, being caught practicing the Veneficium becomes a death sentence.
In 380, Theodosius I issues the Edict of Thessalonica, establishing Nicene Christianity as Rome’s state religion in
all but name. The act has nothing to do with paganism (which the Emperor tolerates better than his predecessors)
but is instead a proscription against Arianism and other heresies. However, the Sanctified have learned many lessons
about politics since they became a wing, and one of the most important being pretexts.
Philemon the Damascene, Archbishop of Rome and one of the most influential vampires in the city, stands before
the Assembly and calls for the Vaticinators’ dissolution, as well as renewed hunts for any remaining Veneficium
sorcerers. None oppose him. The Fates are proscribed and purged, most fleeing the city or taking up with the
Strangers as the Legio Mortuum begins a pogrom against pagan Kindred.

CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 75

 the small room, pressed shoulder to shoulder and spilling out
into the connecting hallways as they strain to hear whoever
speaks within.
Fons Ater
Deep beneath the Esquiline Hill, the “Dark Spring” is a
pitch-dark cavern where light of any kind is forbidden. It’s a
favored site for enacting the Veneficium, especially rituals that
aren’t authorized by the Cult of Augurs. A double set of bronze
doors guard the entrance to this otherwise natural cavern, their
surface covered in carvings depicting an impressive assortment
of sins and obscenities, making clear exactly what sort of place
lies beyond them. Each set of doors is connected by chains,
with a small antechamber between them so that when one
pair opens, the other closes. Within the cavern proper is total
darkness, though the sound of dripping liquid occasionally
echoes through the room.
It’s said that anyone bringing light into the Fons Ater will
be consumed by lemures, and while that might not be literally
true, it’s still unwise. The liquid that fills the many small pools
within the chamber is not water, but some kind of oil, and the
fumes that rise from it fill the cavern. Taking a naked flame
within will ignite the atmosphere, utterly consuming any
Kindred in moments.
The traditional way to use the Dark Spring for magic is to
bring a lead tablet engraved with the intended victim’s name
and a description of what the caster wishes to befall them.
After beseeching the malign forces that lair within the cave
and reciting the tablet’s text, the caster then leaves the object
for the darkness to consume. Over the centuries, hundreds of
tablets have piled up within the chamber, making it a potential
goldmine for blackmail and information-gathering; however,
between the total darkness and constant, echoing drips, it’s
impossible to tell if one is ever truly alone in the Fons Ater…
Porta Noctis
The Porta Noctis is where mortals die and new citizens of
the Camarilla rise.
In the first nights, it seemed appropriate that Embracing new
Kindred should be done within the Necropolis, to symbolize
a mortal’s transition from the living world above to their new
existence as one of the dead below. This practice swiftly became
a popular tradition, and so a special chamber was constructed
specifically for the purpose of siring childer. While all Camarilla
citizens know of the Porta Noctis, routes to the chamber are
deliberately convoluted and well concealed. Creating a new
vampire is an intimate and vulnerable act and should be done
with as much privacy and security as possible. This prevents
confused or frenzied fledglings from easily stumbling back into
the more populated areas of the Necropolis and embarrassing
both themselves and their sires.
Unlike many rooms in the Necropolis, the Porta Noctis has
a high ceiling, supported by rows of narrow columns. The floor
is decorated with a simple black-and-white mosaic of geometric
design, the sharp divides between light and dark symbolizing
76 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Darkness and the Light
Any rolls to use ritual magic intended to harm
or hinder another exceptionally succeed with three
successes rather than five if performed within the
Fons Ater.
However, if as much as a spark ignites within
the main cavern, the gases trapped there will
explode, dealing 20 points of damage (aggravated
for Kindred and lethal for most living beings) to
everything within it. The inferno only lasts a few
seconds, burning itself out quickly, but the pools of
oil ensure the gas is quickly replaced.
the divide between life and death. At the center of the chamber
is an elaborate, open-topped stone sarcophagus engraved with
scenes honoring important moments in the history of both
Remus and Senex, but some elders claim these engravings
have been altered over the centuries, their original message
lost or covered up.
Attached to the interior of the sarcophagus are four man-
acles, one for each limb. The chains aren’t meant to truly
restrain the victim but rather to make it so they can’t easily
leave. A metal frame hangs above the sarcophagus, suspended
by chains that can lower it to just above its lip. Newly risen
Kindred are often starving, and the frame is meant to be
occupied by a restrained mortal, providing the fledgling with
an easy meal.
The Porta Noctis is attended at all times by four masked
volunteers known as lictors (p. 94), who swear oaths of secrecy
and service each time they take up their posts. The lictors
attend to the needs of the chamber and those who use it.
They restrain mortals to the frame and lower it when it’s time
for the new childe to feed, and they ensure that an Embrace
in progress is not interrupted. They also clean up the inevi-
table mess. By tradition, lictors are anonymous and are not
permitted to speak of what they witness while on duty, but
that doesn’t necessarily stop them from using such knowledge
for personal benefit.
Lictors also enforce the most sacred law of the Porta Noctis:
No one leaves the chamber alive. Any human brought within
only leaves once they have been transformed within the sar-
cophagus or consumed as a sacrifice above it.
Labra Rubra
One of the more baff ling, if useful, mysteries of the
Necropolis is the large pools of free-standing blood sometimes
found in out-of-the-way corners and half-forgotten tunnels. The
so-called Red Baths vary in size from a large bucket to a small
bathhouse, and the blood within ranges in temperature from
pleasantly warm to nearly boiling — even if there’s no source
of heat within the cavern. The blood is human and just as
nourishing to Kindred as if drunk straight from a vessel. It
stays fresh and consumable until the pool vanishes or thirsty
Kindred drain it dry.
 The appearances and disappearances of Labra Rubra defy
prediction, and the rumor of a new one can send the entire
Necropolis into a fury of activity as Kindred race to be the
first to find it. Some citizens even specialize in exploring the
Necropolis’ most desolate areas in the hopes of discovering —
and controlling access to — a Red Bath.
While the obvious use of a Labrum Rubrum is feeding,
Propinqui consider their appearance a blessing from the gods
and that those who bathe in the pool are similarly favored.
Conflicts over newly discovered Red Baths often arise between
faithful Kindred who wish to gain divine providence and
more practically minded vampires who just want a free meal
before it’s all dried up. Technically, all citizens are responsible
for reporting Red Baths to the Senex so its aediles can see
to the proper distribution of the blood within. However, the
nature of the Baths makes the law difficult to enforce, and
it’s rarely obeyed.
There are many explanations of why and how Red Baths
form, and each wing has its own pet theory. The Cult of Augurs,
of course, call them divine gifts, further proof that Sodalitas
Pernox is a blessed institution. The Legion likes to say the
Baths are the blood of the Camarilla’s enemies, soaked into
the earth and then delivered to its warriors to feast upon. In
a surprisingly poetic stance, the Strangers claim that for every
mouthful of blood the Kindred take, the Necropolis extracts
a drop, and these drops eventually fill the Baths. The Senex
simply states that the Camarilla looks after its citizens in all
ways, and the Red Baths are further reason for all dead to be
brought into the fold.
The heretics in the Lancea et Sanctum might have a theory
as well, but no one asks them.
Doors to Nowhere
Sometimes, Kindred crawling through the narrow, ill-used
tunnels in the deepest pits of the Necropolis come across a
strange sight: doors, pressed into otherwise bare rock. Often
simple, but sometimes elaborately carved or made of exotic
materials, these apertures are always closed, and they resist
being opened with force. Every so often, however, a vampire
Dis Pater’s Domain
Readers with access to Geist: The Sin-Eaters will
no doubt recognize this phenomenon as Avernian
Gates, entryways into the upper levels of the
Underworld. As an underground space saturated
with death and blood, it’s no wonder the Necropolis
would form such Gates. In the Republic and Empire,
Sin-Eaters (immortui) are very rare, but a city as large
as Rome still might contain enough of them to form
a Krewe. How do they respond to Kindred turning
up more and more frequently in the Underworld?
figures out the trick to unlocking one and manages to journey
through. They are almost never heard from again, and even
those who return are changed, altered in mind or body by what
they experienced on the other side.
Rumors speak of strange caves populated by hungry shades,
of rivers of blood and pus, and of domains whose laws rival
the Camarilla’s in scope and complexity. Wise Kindred pre-
tend not to notice the doors if they happen to come across
one, for — surely — nothing but suffering could come from
opening one.
Tales of the Depths
• The unacknowledged altar within the Camarilla chamber
is missing, and Julian elders are shutting themselves up in
their havens, stockpiling their herds, and otherwise acting
like the world is about to end. Before also going into hiding,
a leading Senectus offers a bounty to find the altar — and
destroy it.
• Some enterprising Nosferatu spelunker manages to retrieve a
sack full of curse tablets from the Fons Ater without getting
burned, only to be promptly staked by the Cult of Augurs
for his presumption. The tablets have yet to be recovered,
and the Vaticinators are offering blessings aplenty for their
return. But the Peregrine Collegium is also offering heaps
of hard coin…

Flashpoint: Fall of the Camarilla

410 CE
Alaric sacks Rome. The Nemeses make their move. The Julii fall — not so much as ashes left. Founders who weren’t
in the Eternal City perish soon as well, either by the Striges’ talons or their Kindred’s knives, who now realize how
easily the Founders serve as vessels for the Owls. So many Kindred perish that no accurate losses can be recorded.
Even Julius Senex meets his end. Betrayed.
The ashes of Rome’s dead litter the Necropolis. What remains of the Cult of Augurs splinters further, possessed
Legionaries turn their blades on each other, the Senecti collapse without a figurehead, and the Strangers scatter to
the wind without any laws to cheat. But the Church of the Dark Father remains. The Lancea et Sanctum is ascendant,
the other wings lost to the ages.
The modern Sanctified have quietly swept their apocalyptic past under the rug, destroying or concealing scripture
and prophecies predicting a more dramatic end. You’d be hard-pressed to find any Kindred who believe in the Last
Sunrise in the modern nights.
But it did come.

CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 77

 • A foolish neonate, the lover of a senator’s son, drags his beloved
down into the Porta Noctis so they can be together forever.
However, his lover is less than thrilled with the arrangement
and manages to drive off his would-be sire using a pilfered
torch. Unfortunately, as per tradition, the lictors won’t let the
young man leave until he’s dead, and meanwhile, his powerful
• Down in the depths, Nosferatu workers find a mysterious
father is turning Rome upside down looking for him.
• During a particularly lean time in the Necropolis, the Lancea
et Sanctum discovers an enormous and, apparently, new Red
Bath. To use it, a Propinquus simply has to offer thanks to
Longinus the Dark Father for the bounty, and she may then
drink her fill. The Augurs are furious, of course, and have
78 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
put pressure on the Legion to shut the whole thing down.
Should anyone stumble on the Labrum in peace rather than
hostility, the Atheists will make them an offer: stymie the
Legion’s efforts, and they can have free access to the blood
until it’s gone.
door made of bone. Unlike similar portals that occasionally
appear, this one is already open — from the inside. Kindred all
over the Necropolis hear voices and see apparitions of those
they’ve slain, and the constant torment is causing some to
lose their minds. However, to close the door, one must first
go through it…
 PACTIO SANGUINARIA
See the old man’s triumph,
the traitors’ blood
still wet upon his blade.
He takes his seat, that throne of dread,
calling forth each dead
tribe to swear its oath.
Mark you how they bow their heads to Aulus,
called Julius, called Senex, called Lord.
To the Courtesans, he speaks:
“By your visage,
we shall never become that which
the Nemeses desire us to be.”
And they drink of him,
and he calls them Kindred.
To the Wanderers, he speaks:
“By your ferocity,
we shall rend
the Nemeses from stolen flesh.”
And they drink of him,
and he calls them Kindred.
To the Seers, he speaks:
“By your holy vision,
we shall know
the Nemeses by the hungry
look upon their eyes.”
And they drink of him,
and he calls them Kindred.
To the Worms, he speaks:
“By your toil and terror,
we shall forever banish
the Nemeses from our domain.”
And they drink of him,
and he calls them Kindred.
And to the Founders,
he does not speak,
and they do not drink of him.
They are Kindred.

CHAPTER TWO: SODALITAS PERNOX 79

 Interlude III
’m no stranger to death. I’m simply about to
I die one more time.
I imagine the arena is far grander from the
seats, but there’s something beautiful about the
pageantry I’m trapped within. The stone walls of the
central bowl are obscured by layers of vine and plant
matter, painstakingly transported and attached with
paste. It must’ve taken fifty ghouls to construct this
maze in a night.
I wonder how it all looks from above. Perhaps
I’ll get to see it after they tear my head off. With
any luck, they’ll remember that I — Atellus the
Worm, servant of the tunnels — met my end with
faith and honor.
A pair of screams tears through the wall of a
nearby row — Ismael and Mariah. Their tenor
grows; they’re each reciting a prayer to the Dark
Father as fast as they can.
A feral roar ends both prayers abruptly. I clasp my
hands and say the final words for them. It’s too late
to do anything else. It’s too late for anyone inside
the maze.
Another voice rises to the south, screaming for
help. As much as the voice in my head screams, I’m
not willing to have my body torn to ribbons for this
faith or its faithful.
But if that’s true, why am I already running to
the sound?
I rush past my own footprints down a passage
that leads around two serpentine turns and a right
opening into a square clearing — easier to see from
the stands. A kill room.
The maze’s walls are made of more woven vines
and wood, but they’re not without gaps. A meaty
arm juts through one, its forearm and knuckles thick
with hair. I approach the hole carefully and look
through it: It’s Enon, once a Hebrew leg breaker,
now a devout convert. I was there when he shaved
his curly locks down to his wrinkled, pale scalp.
He’s one of the largest men I’ve ever met, and if he’s
afraid, perhaps I should be too.
Enon didn’t realize soon enough he was too
large to crawl through the wall. His body’s wedged
between them so tightly the vines have begun to
80
draw blood. And yet, he’s pressed against them with
his not-insignificant strength.
“Atellus, please!” he begs through the wall, his arm
swinging to grab me. “Help me! I— I keep losing
my bearings!”
His fingers close around the hem of my robe, his
rough fingernails tearing the thin linen as he pulls
me toward him. He’s in a blind panic, on the verge
of frenzy, and unless he calms down, he’ll tear me
apart — or worse, summon the hunter.
“Enon! Listen to me! Of course it’s confusing you:
It’s a maze! Stop trying to find your way out. Stop
thinking like prey! Think like a builder
builder.”
.”
“I don’t understand!”
“In the tunnels, we mark fresh walls so if we get
lost in the deep dark, we can find our way out. But
if there’re no markings, we keep a hand on the wall
and walk until we find our way back up.”
“Which hand, Attelus?”
“What?”
“Which hand should I use?”
“Which… hand?” I can’t help myself. I giggle. “It
doesn’t matter, you fool! Just pick one!”
“Thank you! May the Dark Prophet — AHH!”
He screams and pulls me against the wall. My face
slams into the foliage again and again. Panic rises in
me, and I manage to hurl myself back. The tension
releases as I tumble to the sand, and something falls
limp across my stomach.
Enon’s arm still clutches my robe, raggedly sev-
ered where it once met his elbow.
I yelp shamefully and slap at the arm till it releases.
As it hits the sand, the meat is already rotting. From
beyond the wall, I hear rending. Enon is no longer
screaming, but I feel drawn to the hole; I have to
know what I’m up against.
I peer through the opening and crane my neck
to take in as much of the scene as I can. The other
side is carnage.
A pair of blue eyes fills my vision, framed by a face
awash in red. Blue, but slit like a large cat. We were
never being hunted by animals. Not really.
“I don’t suppose you’re full?” I say.
 The reply is the impossible speed of a tiger’s paw. It
flashes through the hole like an arrow and finds my
chest, tearing away the meat of my chest to the ribs.
I’m undone.
I struggle against the agony and will the Blood
to knit bone and flesh as quickly as it can, but it’s
already too late. I hear the vines breaking as a tigress
melts through the hole. The beast rolls and rises as a
woman. She’s tall and whip-thin, covered in tattoos
and metal rings pierced through her face. Her hair
is red and long, braided with beads and leather.
German? She’s carrying a long, serrated gladius,
dripping with gore.
“Be proud. You are last.” The words are labored,
like squeezing whey through cheesecloth. Her Latin
is stilted, delivered… in a Pictish accent!
“I know you! The gladiatrix! Do you really want
to slaughter an unarmed opponent?”
“Yes.” She stabs me in the thigh, hard. So hard,
indeed, my leg detaches at the hip. I hear the scream
before I know it’s my own.
Is this what you really want, Attelus? Fine.
I hold up my hands in surrender, forcing words
through the pain. “Wait! Just a moment! You were a
slave, right? Brought to Rome by Septimius Severus
himself. Terrible what he did to your father…”
“How did you know that?”
A crack in the iron stare.
“I can show you power greater than any other.
Power to destroy them all,” I say.
She stabs my side and twists the blade, trying to
seem amused, but she’s shaken. “With your pretty
eyes? Or your God?”
“There’s more power in me than you know,” I say.
“But first…” I look up at the audience. “You’d better
give them what they want.”
81
 CHAPTER THREE
BLOOD AND CIRCUSES
We’ll bury him; and then, what’s brave, what’s noble,
Let’s do ’t after the high Roman fashion
And make death proud to take us.
— Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra
Requiem for Rome is about the epic fantasy of being a vampire in the classical age, when empires rose and tyrants fell.
In this chapter, we’ll show you how to turn the clock back two thousand years on your Kindred characters, with Roman
Archetypes, banes, Merits, and a new system for blood sorcery. You’ll also find special mechanics for political debates, the ins
and outs of ancient warfare, and a short selection of errata for Vampire: The Requiem and the Storytelling System.

Character Creation
Unless otherwise stated, character creation in Requiem for
Rome follows the same steps starting on p. 79 of Vampire:
The Requiem. What follows are suggestions and resources for
building Roman-era characters.
Step One:
Character Concept
This step doesn’t differ from the one described in Vampire,
but players who aren’t familiar with the real history of Rome
might have difficulty getting into the mindset. If so, don’t fret
about historical accuracy at first. Instead, start with a modern
concept, and follow the process listed in Vampire as you nor-
mally would.
Once you’ve got that baseline, rework your character in an
ancient context, consulting the steps below. While the Romans
were different from us in some ways, in many others, they
were uncannily similar: A bitter veteran of Middle Eastern
wars easily becomes a haunted legionary who was in Judea
when the Temple fell, and corrupt politicians are all alike in
Washington and Rome.
Step Two:
Select Attributes
Assign your character’s primary, secondary, and tertiary
Attribute categories.
The value and meaning of Attributes are the same as the
modern nights, but consider how your character’s social class
may influence their distribution: Class distinctions were
stringent among the Romans, and this would likely have an
impact on your character’s traits.
Is she a patrician who spent her life parlaying with senators,
favoring Social Attributes? Or is she one of the plebeians, a
laborer favoring the Physical category? And while the Romans
didn’t have a true priest caste like many ancient societies,
almost all citizens had some understanding of religion, and
perhaps yours dedicated herself to the gods, putting high-
minded pursuits first with Mental Attributes.
Of course, there are always iconoclasts. Some patricians
thought of themselves as soldiers first and foremost, and many
commoners rose through the social ranks, with several emperors
coming from plebeian backgrounds.
Step Three:
Select Skills
Assign your character’s primary, secondary, and tertiary
Skill categories.
As with Attributes, consider how Rome’s class structure
might affect your character’s various talents. A pleb isn’t likely
to have much knowledge of Academics, and a patrician probably
doesn’t know as much about Crafts, for instance. As above, this
isn’t to say there were no outliers, and breaking the social norms
is a time-honored character hook all on its own, especially in
conservative societies like the Roman Empire.
Note that four Skills do not exist in this era: Computer,
Science, Drive, and Firearms. Drive, Firearms, and Computer
are not compatible with Roman technology, and while there
are scientists of a kind in the Empire, they don’t follow the
scientific method as we would understand it. Things like
mathematics and biology instead fall under Academics and
Medicine, respectively. To fill in these gaps, four archaic Skills
are outlined below.

CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 83

 Archery (Physical)
Archery allows your character to shoot, identify, and repair
any kind of weapon that mechanically assists in firing a pro-
jectile. This can include bows and their variants — including
ballistae — as well as spear-throwers and similar weapons. The
Archery Skill can represent formal military training or the
familiarity born of experience in the field, from a hunter who
shoots to eat, to a soldier who shoots to kill, to a sportsman
who shoots for fun.
Sample Actions: Shooting (Dexterity + Archery), Bow
repair (Intelligence/Dexterity + Archery, extended)
Sample Specialties: Arcuballista, Ballista, Composite
Bow, Hunting, Poor Visibility, Self Bow, Trick Shot, Wind
and Weather
Sample Contacts: Hunters, Mercenaries, Sagittarii
Archery operates almost identically to the Firearms Skill
described in Vampire: The Requiem. However, dramatic
failures work a little differently.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Bows can fail in a wide variety of ways,
from snapped strings to damage to the bow itself. Restringing
a bow takes about as long as clearing a jam in a gun — one
turn — but damage to the bow makes it useless until it can
be repaired. Alternatively, the archer might hit a different
target. If the Storyteller has opted to represent ammunition
narratively rather than keeping track of each missile, a dra-
matic failure could also indicate that your character has run
out of arrows.

Ride (Physical)
Ride is your character’s ability to handle and maneuver
horses (p. 116) or more exotic creatures. In addition to
riding a horse or operating a horse-drawn vehicle, the Ride
Skill is useful for performing basic veterinary medicine on
commonly ridden animals. Ride can also be used to build
and maintain a working relationship with such animals,
as compared with the Animal Ken Skill, which applies to
interactions unrelated to the task of riding.
Ride is not required to ride a horse. Rather, it represents
a character’s ability to use one in high-stress and dangerous
situations, or just when he needs to move quickly. While not
as ubiquitous as cars, many more Romans can ride a horse
than modern people. As such, assume that most characters
have a passing familiarity with horse riding.
Sample Actions: Ridden pursuit (Manipulation + Ride +
Handling), Jumping and other dangerous tricks (Presence +
Ride + Handling), Ridden tailing (Wits + Ride + Handling)
Sample Specialties: Chariots, Jumping, Riding in Combat,
Tricks, Tailing, Unfamiliar Horses
Sample Contacts: Cavalry, Charioteers, Stable Workers
The Ride Skill is almost identical to the Drive Skill, and
much like cars, animals have Handling scores. As a guideline,
an animal’s starting Handling is equal to Wits. This trait

84 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

can rise through good treatment and successive Manipulation
+ Ride rolls or fall with maltreatment and neglect.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Dramatic failure with a horse almost
always involves either an injury to the horse or the animal
adopting an unhelpful attitude, refusing to perform or even
rearing up and throwing its rider. It’s also possible, though
unlikely, for the rider to just fall off.
Step Four:
Skill Specialties
Assign three Specialties to your character’s Skills.
Many of the modern Specialty examples listed in Vampire
apply in a Roman context, and you’ll also find samples for the
Skills listed above.

Religion (Mental) Step Five:

Religion represents a character’s knowledge of their own faith Add Kindred Template
and sometimes even those of other creeds. This is not occult
The basic vampire template remains the same, but rather
knowledge, but rather a familiarity with the widely available and
than five covenants, each Propinquus belongs to a wing of the
greatly complicated tales of religion, as well as an understanding
Camarilla. Furthermore, the Ventrue are not present in Rome,
of its proper practices, both domestic and foreign.
instead replaced by the Julii.
Note that Religion is used to perform mundane religious
rituals and the Cult of Augurs’ Veneficium procedures. Clan
In modern times, Occult is used in exorcisms, but among the The clans of Rome are as follows. The Daeva, Gangrel,
Romans — both Christian and pagan — this is an inexorably Mekhet, and Nosferatu clan curses are listed on p. 103 Vampire:
religious rite. The Requiem. The Julii bane and the optional curse of the
Sample Actions: Exorcism (Intelligence + Religion), Preaching Hollow Mekhet can be found on p. 89 of this book.
(Presence + Religion, extended), Rituals (Manipulation/ Favored
Dexterity + Religion) Clan Attributes Disciplines
Sample Specialties: Christianity, Pantheon (Egyptian,
Julii Composure or Dominate, Resilience,
Etruscan, Roman, etc.), Omens, State Religion, Rituals
Presence Vigor
Sample Contacts: College of Priests, Christian Sages, Vestal
Daeva Dexterity or Celerity, Majesty, Vigor
Virgins
Manipulation
Warfare (Mental) Gangrel Resolve or Animalism, Protean,
Warfare represents your character’s understanding of large- Stamina Resilience
scale combat maneuvers, whether gained through education, Mekhet Intelligence or Auspex, Celerity,
experience, or just innate sense. Warfare is useful when Wits Obfuscate
planning a battle — assigning troops well, reading the lay of Nosferatu Composure or Nightmare, Obfuscate,
the land for advantages and trouble spots, predicting enemy Strength Vigor
movements — and when attempting to read the flow of events
during open conflict. A character with a high Warfare score
is unlikely to walk into a trap in battle and is more likely Wing
to adopt the correct response to a change in circumstances The Camarilla is the sole legal covenant of the Roman state,
amidst the chaos of war. and to exist outside its bounds is to invite Final Death. Yet it isn’t
Warfare doesn’t just represent the ability to gain objectives quite a unified front. The Empire of Night has its wings, and each
in war; it’s the ability to gain those objectives while incurring offers advantages to the dead. Kindred characters must possess
minimal losses and inflicting maximum casualties on the at least a dot of Wing Status to access the following benefits:
enemy. Any good soldier can take an objective with overwhelm- • The Cult of Augurs: Prophets of the Cult of Augurs may
ing force; it takes a great one to achieve the same goal with an study the Veneficium (p. 109).
underpowered force and avoid losing any subordinates in the
process. • The Legion of the Dead: Soldiers of the Legion of the Dead
may purchase Jura Merits (p. 95).
Sample Actions: Battle planning (Intelligence + Warfare,
extended), Commanding an army (Presence + Warfare), Tactical • The Peregrine Collegium: Strangers of the Peregrine
analysis (Wit + Warfare) Collegium may develop Fenestrae (p. 103).
Sample Specialties: Ambushes, Fields of Fire, Logistics, • The Senex: Ancients of the Senex may purchase Legislatio
Troop Movements, Terrain Merits (p. 97).
Sample Contacts: Camp Followers, Field Officers, Praetorian • The Lancea et Sanctum: Apostles of the Lancea et Sanctum
Guards may learn Theban Sorcery (p. 106).

CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 85


Ages Pass:
Gangrel Favored Attributes
The Gangrel of Rome favor Resolve instead of
Composure. As the Midnight Republic’s most feared
warriors, the Champions value persistence, refusing
to back down when a fight comes calling.
Does this mean “Gangrel” outside the Camarilla
also favor this Attribute? Or do other ancient
Savages favor a predator’s self-possession over a
soldier’s tenacity? That’s up to you. But the Camarilla
has a way of changing those it brings into the fold.
Mask and Dirge
Propinquus characters can draw from the Mask and Dirge
Archetypes listed below or p. 84 of Vampire: The Requiem.
Touchstone
Attach a Touchstone to your character’s sixth Humanity dot.
Propinqui generally use the same things to keep them grounded
to Humanity as modern vampires, but see p. 87 for a short list
of Roman Touchstones.
Anchors
Like modern Kindred, Propinqui have several Anchor traits
to keep them connected to the worlds of the living and the dead.
Mask and Dirge
Archetypes
The following are common Mask and Dirge Archetypes
among the Propinqui.
Beggar
A beggar exists by taking handouts from others. This isn’t
due to inability; it’s a strategy for survival, one he’s honed over
many long nights. It’s his goal to live without ever providing
for himself.
Single Willpower: Convince someone to aid you at their
own expense.
All Willpower: Put yourself at risk by refusing to invest your
personal resources into an effort.
Dictator
A dictator exists to be seen leading. He needs to not only
impress his vision upon the world but to be acknowledged for
his greatness in doing so.
Single Willpower: Convince others your path is the correct
course of action.
All Willpower: Be lauded by a large group for leading them
to success.
86 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Disciplines
Assign three dots to your character’s Disciplines. Two dots
must apply to her in-clan Disciplines, and the third is a free
choice. This third dot can include the Veneficium, Theban
Sorcery, or a Fenestra, provided she has at least a dot of the
appropriate Wing Status.
Blood Potency
Your character starts play with a single dot of Blood Potency.
Additional dots costs five Merit dots per level at character
creation.
Step Six: Merits
Assign ten Merit dots to your character. You can purchase
Merits from Vampire: The Requiem, Chronicles of Darkness,
or any other sourcebook your Storyteller allows, though take
care to choose ones that fit in a Roman context. You’ll also
find Rome-specific Merits starting on p. 90.
Step Seven: Advantages
All additional Advantages are calculated as per Vampire:
The Requiem, p. 81.
Hero
A hero strives for glory. This is not altruistic; it’s the heroism
of Odysseus and Achilles, with personal honor above all. She
seeks out worthy rivals to pit herself against, claiming trophies
to proclaim her greatness before the masses.
Single Willpower: Overcome a competitor in an even
contest.
All Willpower: Claim a trophy when a superior foe acknowl-
edges utter defeat.
Iconoclast
An iconoclast can’t empathize with those who follow the
wrong gods. Defining himself in opposition to other powers
lends him strength and purpose.
Single Willpower: Attack something holy to another cult
or religion.
All Willpower: Bring down the wrath of a god’s followers
by destroying something irreplaceable.
Lar
A lar exists to protect something important to her. She places
the safety and prosperity of her chosen ward above all other
things, including herself.
Single Willpower: Drive away a threat that endangers your
ward.
All Willpower: Burn bridges just to destroy a threat to your
beloved ward.
 Noble
A noble is elevated above the masses by right of blood. She
understands her place apart from the common folk and isn’t
afraid to show it.
Single Willpower: Force someone to grovel or admit your
superiority.
All Willpower: Harm your position by refusing to accept the
authority or expertise of someone of lower birth.
Oracle
An oracle experiences visions of other times and places, or
has convinced others that he does. He sees hidden truths and
offers cryptic warnings of dangers to come.
Single Willpower: Change someone’s course of action by
sharing your vision with them.
All Willpower: Put yourself at great risk to avert a danger
you saw coming.
Worker
A worker earns his place in society. He supports himself
and others, propping up those around and above him with
his efforts.
Single Willpower: Take responsibility for a burdensome task.
All Willpower: Face serious deprivation or harm to provide
for those who depend on you.
Zealot
A zealot has seen the true face of righteousness and dedicated
her life to following its teachings. There is a correct way to live,
and she does so unfailingly.
Single Willpower: Convert a new follower to your (correct)
way of thinking.
All Willpower: Succeed at a task that risks death or ruin by
following your beliefs.
Banes
The Propinqui suffer the same banes as modern vampires,
but some discussion is necessary to place these traits in a
Roman context.
Humanity
Detachment comes from any source that forces a vampire to
confront the idea they’re no longer human, and what causes
these revelations varies with the values of its given society.
Humans in Rome aren’t fundamentally different from humans
tonight, but their environment and society is dissimilar enough
to cause some divergence in how the Beast erodes the Man once
they become Propinqui.
Mores Romani
Throughout history, the concept of what constitutes normality
has been an ever-moving target. Vampires can’t help but echo
Touchstones
The following are examples of Touchstones Kindred might
take in Ancient Rome.
Adoptive Father
He gave you his name and his family, made you the heir he
couldn’t produce from his own loins. When you disappeared,
he was never the same, and as the years grew longer, the spark
of the man he was faded from his eyes. But a Roman must
pass on his name, and his new heir is every bit the person
you were. Maybe more.
Death Mask
They made the cast when you were still breathing, and you
never really thought you’d see it again. It sits in the atrium of
your family estate, growing dustier with each generation. Do
they even know who it is anymore? Tonight, you snuck in just to
give it a polish, to remind the living that the dead still demand
respect. It was gone.
Mystery Religion
They were your brothers and sisters, and the truths they
taught you of the secret gods were important when you became
one of the dead. You still come to meetings, participating in
their rites and dedicating yourself to your brethren. But some-
times, they stare a too long at your pale complexion. You’re sure
one of them made the manu fica in your direction when they
thought you weren’t looking…
The Oath
You swore to avenge her, swore upon the Iuppiter Lapis
itself. But her killers have made other enemies; they’re the
kind of people where to know them is to loathe them. If you
don’t act soon, someone will act for you. But if you do, what
will be left of her?
changes in human society, and the concept of Humanity marches
in lockstep. In Rome, most things that drive a vampire away from
the sense of their humanity, like surviving injuries that would
kill a human being or existing long enough to watch their loved
ones wither and die, will still cause detachment. Just like their
modern counterparts, the Propinqui struggle with the suffering
they cause and must wrestle with the realities of immortality.
The primary differences in Rome’s outlook exist in how loy-
alty and violence are understood. Romans build their identities
around belonging to the state, harboring deep nationalism
and encouraging its growth in their peers. They believe in
their nation and its supremacy over others in matters spiritual,
martial, and social. Though this belief degrades as the Republic,
and later, the Empire ages, it’s a powerful foundational belief
for most of Rome’s existence. This generalization doesn’t gov-
ern every single Roman, but it carries enough weight to form
a pillar of their society.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 87
 This unshakable belief in their state allows Romans to do
terrible things in the name of what they call the greater good.
Greed and personal ambition are rampant, but many temper or
disguise these vices behind an apparently selfless allegiance to
Rome herself. To many, it’s unthinkable to act in a way that truly
undermines Rome or her gods. Storytellers should bear this in
mind and apply bonuses or penalties to breaking points if those
rolls have to do with the good of Rome directly. Remember that
although vampires may lie to each other, a vampire and their
Beast cannot fool one another. The Beast cares little for excuses,
and it knows the true motives that lurk in the vampire’s heart.
Romans existed with a level of violence that would shock
modern people. This isn’t to say violence happened all the
time, or that everyone fell victim to it, but physical violence
and murder weren’t policed the way they are in current times,
which meant mob violence and vigilante action was often the
only avenue available to those wronged in ways too small to con-
cern state officials. Simply put, the government didn’t concern
itself with private acts of violence, provided those acts didn’t
threaten SPQR. People, and by extension, the Propinqui, were
more accustomed to the use of violence as a natural tool for
the enforcement of order by and in a community. Impassioned
violence and impassioned killing in particular were much more
forgivable if they occurred within the appropriate context —
usually that of righting a great wrong or punishing a crime.
Gladiatorial contests and other blood sports don’t usually
provoke breaking points for observers, even though they may
include multiple grisly deaths. That is part of life in Rome, and
that surety acts as a shield to the populace’s psyche. Most people
would be horrified to commit such acts themselves, but they
readily accept their presence.
System: As an optional rule, any breaking points that refer to
violence can be treated as one level higher than they’re typically
treated if conducted in a socially appropriate setting.
Mores Propinqui
Humanity in the Camarilla is complicated. Outlooks among
Rome’s dead vary greatly depending on culture, education, and
religion. Many don’t have a concept of humanity to cling to,
instead using their own moral compass to guide their actions.
The Propinqui know some of their kind fall to the Beast, but
they attribute this to personal failings or spiritual weakness
rather than a universal transgression. The Camarilla views
those who are strong, powerful, and prosperous as examples
to follow, regardless of how depraved they may be.
Changes in Camarilla culture play a part in Humanity as
well. Fads and trends come and go among the dead, which
can have corresponding impacts on the spiritual wellbeing of
the Propinqui. If a trendsetter decides it’s in vogue to string up
humans on hooks at parties, then the Necropolis is likely to see
dozens of copycat events trying to improve upon, compete with,
or outdo the original, leading many Kindred to face detach-
ments they might’ve otherwise avoided. Similarly, as waves of
austerity and tradition return to the fore, Roman dead have a
chance to fortify their souls and avoid the worst predations of
88 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
their Beasts. The Propinqui don’t look at these shifting mores
in these terms, but the ebb and flow of fashion and depravity
are intertwined within the halls of the Camarilla.
Atonement also takes a different flavor in Rome. Often, the
dead of the Camarilla do not seek permission or forgiveness
for their sins from each other or the humans they torment,
but from the gods themselves. The Propinqui take signs and
portents from the gods very seriously. Ill omens can make even
the most wanton Nefasta rethink her actions since only the
foolhardiest actively seek to anger the gods, and those who do
rarely survive long. In the same vein, a vampire who receives
positive signs after a questionable act may take this as divine
absolution, or even as permission to continue transgressing.
Some may even believe that unless they repeat the act, they’ll
anger the gods who’ve shown them favor.
Frenzy
Special mention should be made to the omnipresence of fire
in an ancient city like Rome, as well as the Propinqui’s dim
view of the Beast’s appetites.
Fire
While vampires can function quite well in near-total darkness,
they do need some light, especially for complicated tasks such as
writing, crafting, and most artistic endeavors. The only source
of portable light at this time is fire, be it small candles or large,
oil-burning torches. Thus, strangely, Kindred in the Necropolis
are constantly in the presence of one of their greatest banes.
In general, Roman vampires are more accustomed to the
proximity of flame than modern Kindred. They have to be
to function at all each night, and most develop a tolerance
through repeated exposure, a process that begins in their
mortal lives and is honed after death. Of course, they draw
a fine line between controlled and wild (or wielded) flame.
After all, Kindred were once human, and humans can adapt to
nearly anything, even the constant presence of potential death.
Think about how often you casually walk along a busy street
filled with cars, even though any one of these vehicles could
potentially strike and kill you. That doesn’t mean you’re just
going to wander into traffic, but you’re not constantly fearing
for your life. It’s the same with Roman vampires and torches.
They respect the fire for what it can do to them, but they’re
not endlessly flinching away from it.
The omnipresence of fire also serves as a constant reminder of
the danger of Rome herself. Many Propinqui draw comparisons
between the fires that surround them and the human mob:
both serving useful and necessary purposes, and both capable
of inflicting grievous harm when mishandled. Vampires with
responsibility for fires who are lax in those duties are often put
to death. Very minor infractions may be punished with burns
to drive home lessons about what carelessness can wreak, but
it’s a lucky Propinquus who escapes with such mercy.
System: Unless they’re true fledglings, Roman Kindred only
resist frenzy in the presence of flames if they’re brandished as
weapons or burning out of control.
 Hunger
Rage and fear can both drive a Beast to seize control, but
it’s hunger that Propinqui hold in the greatest contempt. They
look down on those who must resort to the dole to keep them-
selves fed, but a consequence of that same sentiment is that
anyone who grows hungry enough to lose control is not only
a fool but also lazy enough to have allowed an easily remedied
problem to fester.
Propinqui who fall to hunger frenzy frequently can expect a
torrent of ridicule. They’ll certainly lose the respect of their peers,
and they may face other consequences, such as being pressed into
service to undertake menial tasks, as those around them sense
weakness and rush to take advantage before someone else does.
Falling once is often forgiven and forgotten with time, but any
Propinquus who gains a reputation of poor control because of
hunger is unlikely to survive long. Most who learn that they’re
known for this choose to flee Rome, braving the dark unknown
rather than face the tender mercies of their Camarilla fellows.
Common Banes
The following are banes common to Roman vampires. Some
may appear in the modern nights, but they would mark a Lick
as strangely archaic.
Banishment: Living creatures can recite prayers, shout
commands, or ritually force your character to flee from their
presence, similar to abjuration. When presented with such a
banishment, your character must resist frenzy with a penalty
equal to (10 – Humanity) divided by two, rounding up. On a
failure, her Beast will flee from the ritual as swiftly as possible.
Bound: Your character finds it difficult to stray far from a
particular place. This could be where she was born, the house
where she spent her mortal life, or where she was Embraced.
Wherever it is, once chosen, this location cannot be changed
until she loses a dot of Blood Potency from torpor, in which
case, her new binding will be the location she awakens in next.
Her dice pools lose the 10-again quality if she does not visit
this location once every (Humanity) nights.
Charon’s Obol: Placing a coin in your character’s mouth
has the same effect as staking her. She will remain in torpor
until the coin is removed. In a grapple, a character can force a
coin into her mouth by taking a –3 modifier on the action to
control the grapple. Placing Charon’s Obol in her mouth while
she’s sleeping prompts a Humanity roll to awaken, as usual.
Knock Once: Your character can’t enter a mortal’s home if
all its doors and windows are closed. Even a closed curtain bars
her passage. She can only knock once on a particular dwelling
per scene to request entry but suffers (10 – Humanity) dice of
bashing damage if she forces her way in. She cannot heal any
damage as long as she remains inside.
Lightning Rod: Lightning and electricity burn your character’s
flesh just like fire, causing aggravated damage. If she’s outside in
a storm without shelter, once per scene, roll a dice pool equal to
her Humanity. On a failure, she suffers an aggravated damage
as lightning strikes, even if it would normally be miles away.
Organ Thief: Your character must feast on a specific organ to
fully satiate herself. Choose an organ like the heart, stomach,
eyes, skin, or liver (which many ancient cultures believed housed
the soul). While feeding on living creatures, the number of
Vitae she can drink per victim is capped by Humanity. To gain
more Vitae, she must devour the chosen organ, likely killing or
maiming her victim. Your character can eat and digest these
organs without the blush of life. This bane does not apply to
feeding from Kindred.
Plague-Bearer: Disease clings to your character’s Vitae, and
she risks infecting her victims. Whenever she feeds directly
from a living creature, roll her Humanity. On a failure, the
victim contracts a disease that your character carries or one
chosen by the Storyteller.
Clan Banes
Each Propinquus clan bears a unique curse. The Daeva,
Gangrel, Nosferatu, and most Mekhet suffer the same banes
as in the modern nights, though their perceptions of these
curses differ. The Julii clan bane can be found below, as can
the alternate curse of the Hollow Mekhet.
Julii: The Strigid Curse
The Julii honor the lares and patron gods of Rome. Yet the
more they become like the cannibal state they revere, the easier
it is for such divinities to smite them. A Founder’s Humanity
caps any dice pools or traits used to contest/resist the Numina
of ephemeral beings and the powers of the Striges.
Mekhet: The Haunted Curse
Many Egyptian Tenebrae still practice the old ways of their
clan, the ones taught upon the black earth of Egypt long before
they were Kindred. When a Mekhet murders a mortal and
desecrates his resting place, she can perform a special form
of posthumous Embrace (Vampire, p. 93). If successful, her
childe immediately gains the Haunted Curse, his soul rent
from his body and forced into the form of a Reflection (p.
216), a vengeful, hungry creature that wishes only to punish
its wayward body. Because of this abruption, Hollow do not
cast reflections or shadows, and the sounds they make do not
echo or carry over long distances.
Whenever the Reflection appears in the story to haunt the
Mekhet, the vampire gains a Beat, but the number of Beats he
can gain within a chapter/story is limited by Humanity (see
below). A Mekhet can always gain the maximum Beats per
story when her Humanity falls, but any she gained at lower tiers
count against the maximum if she raises the trait once more.
Humanity Beat Maximum
9–10 Once per scene
7–8 Twice per chapter
5–6 Once per chapter
3–4 Twice per story
1–2 Once per story
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 89
 Merits
General
Propinquus Merits
Most Kindred Merits from Vampire: The Requiem are
also available to Camarilla vampires, except for proprietary
covenant Merits, which are assigned differently in this era
(see p. 99).
Blood of Persephone (••)
Prerequisite: Ghoul
Effect: The Curse rests heavily on your character’s veins,
thickening their blood to almost the level of a newly Embraced
vampire. She counts as having Blood Potency 1 for resistance
rolls and Clash of Wills and can expend two Vitae per turn.
Drawback: At Integrity 5, choose a common bane, applying
Integrity instead of Humanity where relevant.
Boundless Vitality (•••)
Prerequisite: Daeva
Effect: An entertainer must appeal to her audience, and
even the smallest slip of the mask can be fatal to a reputation,
or the Propinqua behind it. If your character’s Humanity
minus Blood Potency is greater than 3, she doesn’t need to
spend Vitae for the blush of life. This takes an instant action
instead. If she falls beneath the prerequisite, she can keep
this Merit until she meets it again, or she can cash it in per
the Sanctity of Merits.
Cerberan Soul (••)
Prerequisite: Mekhet
Effect: Stranger creatures than Propinqui stalk the dark of
Rome in search of prey, but the Emissaries rarely provide a
satisfying hunt. Mekhet with a Cerberan Soul have a Beast that
acts as a vicious guardian against intrusion, much like Cerberus
guards the passage into the Underworld. Your character gains
+3 to resist possession, and a successful resistance roll inflicts
a level of lethal damage on the being that attempted it.
Conquered (•)
Prerequisite: Peregrine Collegium Status •
Effect: Rome isn’t just filled with Romans, but a mélange of
peoples who’ve added themselves, or been added, to the Empire.
Your character is one of them. She shares a sense of community
with all who are not “true” Romans, gaining the 9-again quality
to any Social actions with humans not born in Rome.
Earthmover (•)
Prerequisite: Nosferatu
Effect: Other broods may claim Rome’s culture or history,
but it was the Worms who built the Necropolis. The earth
yields to your character’s touch and skill faster than would
90 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
normally be possible. He can dig a hole through soil large
enough to wriggle through at a quarter of his Speed per turn
(rounding up).
Elector (••••)
Prerequisite: Julii
Effect: One of the Owls has left its stamp on your character’s
soul, which makes others of its kind hesitant to interfere with
him. He cannot resist or contest the Dread Powers of the Strix
that once claimed him, but he doesn’t suffer the Strigid Curse
regarding other Owls. The Storyteller must still roll the Strix’s
dice pools. Your character’s bane functions normally against
other ephemeral beings, however.
Escape the Lions (•)
Prerequisite: Lancea et Sanctum Status •
Effect: Your character knows the fate awaiting members of
her faith who aren’t quick or clever. She’s fostered connections
and knows places the Sanctified have prepared for situations of
dire need. Once per chapter, gain the 9-again quality in rolls
involving extended chases for a scene and two dots of Safe
Place for a single night.
Fire-Bearer (•••)
Effect: In life, your character was responsible for main-
taining a flame, whether it was a cooking fire, hearth, or
the lamps and braziers used to light public spaces after dark.
She’s suffered many burns and has a familiarity with flame
that surpasses most Kindred. When resisting frenzy caused by
the presence of fire, she can treat any source as one Size level
smaller, and spending Willpower adds two dice per point to
the roll instead of one.
Ghostblood (•••)
Effect: Your character has a deep connection to the ances-
tors. Perhaps they were once touched by one of the Nemeses,
or perhaps their blood’s truer to the lares than most. They can
demand an audience with any ghost in their vicinity, causing it
to manifest within a few minutes.
Julii Only: By spending a Willpower, your character can also
force the ghost to remain manifested for the rest of the scene,
or until they verbally release it, whichever comes first.
Ichor of Dis (••)
Prerequisite: Ghoul
Effect: Propinqui display a level of control over their blood
other creatures can only envy. Vampires don’t bleed when cut,
and they never lose blood they don’t mean to. Your character’s
blood takes on similar qualities, meaning they don’t bleed from
wounds and never die from blood loss caused by injuries. Only
complete aggravated damage in her Health will kill her, though
before that point, she may well wish for it.
 Kindred Status (• to •••••)
Effect: Kindred Status (Vampire, p. 113) in Requiem for
Rome works the same as it does in modern nights with a few
minor changes:
• City Status becomes Camarilla Status, which extends beyond
the bounds of Rome herself. If your character travels to
another domain, she will be afforded all the same honors she
was due in her home city. That said, on the furthest reaches
of the Empire, her station might be questioned without proof
to back it up, and Camarilla Status may function more like
City Status in such backwaters.
• Covenant Status becomes Wing Status. Because the Camarilla
is a single covenant, Wing Status is slightly less restrictive than
Covenant Status: A character’s combined Wing Status may not
exceed six dots rather than five. The exception is the Lancea
et Sanctum. A known Apostle may not have additional Status
dots in wings other than the Peregrine Collegium. However,
this will change after the Edict of Milan in 313 CE, when the
Camarilla reluctantly integrates the Sanctified as a wing.
Lararium (•• or •••)
Effect: Your character presents himself as the household god
(lar) of a particular family, and they have a dedicated shrine
where they pay tribute to him: a lararium. At two dots, he can
take a Willpower from their oblations once per week. At three
dots, he’s so connected to this family that he can refresh his
entire Willpower pool once per story.
A character can have multiple lararia.
Drawback: Your character must fulfill his part of the bargain,
protecting the family from misfortune and blessing their home.
If not, they may question his nature.
Limen Mortis (•• or •••)
Effect: The darkness of Hades dwells within your char-
acter’s blood, tolerating neither light nor heat to persist in
their proximity. Said to be offspring of the lower depths,
Propinqui demonstrating this oddity are given a wide berth,
lest they drag unwary souls into the Underworld. The chill
of the grave causes them to exude a frigid aura, blanketing
everything near them in shadow.
At two dots, your character can take an instant action to
cause all flames within Blood Potency meters to shrink by
one Size level. At three dots, they can snuff out Size 1 flames
entirely by spending a Vitae as well.
Love of the Masses (••)
Prerequisite: Senex Status •
Effect: The wisest in Rome know ultimate authority lies with
the mob, and that being a friend to the people is the easiest
way to ensure a long life. Some Senecti take this lesson with
them into death, fostering good relations with Propinqui of
lower classes. Your character counts half their Senex Status,
rounding up, as dots of Peregrine Collegium Status in Social
rolls with Strangers.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 91

Julian Merits
The Daeva, Gangrel, Mekhet, and Nosferatu have
access to special Merits in their respective clan books.
Since the Julii have no dedicated supplement as of
this publication, Founder characters may purchase
Ventrue Merits from False Gods: Ventrue and other
sources, making any necessary modifications.
This is not a statement on the Lords’ connection
to the Julii (or lack thereof). Both clans simply fill a
similar niche in the All Night Society.
Martial Prowess (•)
Prerequisite: Legion of the Dead Status •
Effect: The Camarilla trains its Soldiers well, and some
are capable of picking up fighting techniques at a remarkable
pace. Whenever your character gains a dot in a Fighting Style
or learns a Fighting Merit, she takes a Beat.
Natural Authority (• or •••)
Prerequisite: Julii
Effect: Some voices are more easily heard than others, and
your character’s is often heard above most. She’s accustomed
to being listened to, and others seem to instinctively want to
follow the directions she gives. At one dot, this Merit grants
the 9-again quality on all actions related to debate. At three
dots, it grants the 9-again quality to any Social action where
your character’s Clan or Wing Status would apply.
Magistrate (•)
Prerequisites: Non-Senex Wing Status ••, no Senex Status
Effect: Your character was elected by her wing to be a voice
in the Senex. She (supposedly) has the ear of the Old Man,
receives a vote in the Assembly, and can propose and debate
policy. In Social interactions with Senecti and purchasing wing
Merits, treat your character as having Senex Status equal to half
her Wing Status, rounding up. While she’s not permitted to
learn the secrets of Legislatio, she does count as a participant
for Leges that require a consensus.
A magistrate’s role is strictly defined, and she isn’t just a
Propinqua who owes allegiance to two wings. Like Caesar’s
wife, she must remain above suspicion, and if your character
ever earns true Senex Status, she loses this Merit.
Drawback: Kindred often overestimate how much pull
magistrates have with the Senex, coming to them with a
laundry list of issues and grievances they feel are worthy of
the Assembly’s time. Navigating the expectations of both your
character’s home wing and those of the Senex can be a difficult
and dangerous task.
Noble Heritage (• or ••)
Effect: Your character is the recognized scion of a patrician
gens, and the Propinqui will treat her with all due respect. At
one dot, gain a +1 on Presence and Manipulation rolls with
92 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
characters who would be impressed by her heritage. At two
dots, gain a +2.
Drawback: The Camarilla expects more out of the noble
dead, and if she’s found behaving in a way that besmirches her
family name, your character will be judged harshly.
One God’s Favor (•••)
Prerequisite: Must have a Deific Boon
Effect: The gods of Rome love those who show them proper
deference, but they require a constant supply. One of them
smiles upon your character, and she isn’t shy about letting
others know it. Rarely does she miss an opportunity to sing
the praises of her patron deity, and it rewards that devotion.
Once per chapter, in a scene where your character has
verbally invoked her chosen god, gain the rote quality on
a single action. This roll can be for anything apart from
breaking points.
Mekhet Only: A Seer with this Merit regains a Willpower if
she exceptionally succeeds the rote action, in addition to the
usual Condition.
Drawback: Your character must sacrifice or otherwise show
fealty to her god in a meaningful way once per chapter or loses
the benefits of this Merit until she atones properly.
Primacy (••)
Prerequisite: Clan Status •
Effect: Clans are far more important to the organization of
the Camarilla than they are to modern covenants. Broods cleave
together, and family units have greater significance to nightly pol-
itics. Leveraging those connections, your character can also add
Clan Status on Social rolls where Camarilla Status would apply.
Primal Essence (•••••)
Prerequisite: Gangrel
Effect: Your character is unlike other Propinqui, perhaps
only a generation or two removed from the shadowy things
that first created her kind, and the curse is strong in her
blood. Rather than taking damage from sunlight, she is par-
alyzed, unable to make even the smallest motion, but she is
otherwise unharmed.
Ride the Knife’s Edge (••••)
Prerequisite: Legion of the Dead Status ••
Effect: The Legion has trained your character to harness the
Beast’s rage, granting a primal potency to the powers of their
blood. In any scene where your character successfully resists
frenzy, gain +2 to uses of Dominate, Majesty, and Nightmare,
and +3 rather than +2 when invoking Physical Intensity.
Repurposed (•• or ••••)
Prerequisite: Peregrine Collegium Status •
Effect: At some point during her past, your character was
deemed a failure by the Assembly and given to the Untouchables
to remake into a more useful citizen. While very little remains
of your previous existence, flashes of old memories and abilities
occasionally rise to the surface. At two dots, these remnants
are specific but indistinct: gain a Specialty in any Skill you
have no dots in. Whenever you attempt to use that Skill in a
situation where this Specialty would apply, you may ignore the
untrained penalty for it.
At four dots, the memories from your past are clearer, giving
you hints as to who you used to be. In addition to the above,
you gain an additional Mask, which must be different from
your Dirge.
Drawback: Relying on fragments of your destroyed previous
self is disconcerting, to say the least. Whenever you make
a successful roll using the Specialty granted by this Merit
or regain Willpower from your additional Mask, gain the
Spooked Condition.
Roar of the Crowd (•)
Prerequisite: Fame •
Effect: A performer never rests easy knowing his audience
awaits. Your character’s soul hovers just on the other side of
death, eager to rise and seek applause. They awaken 30 minutes
before sundown each evening.
Daeva Only: Courtesans rise an hour before sundown.
Suckled by Lupa (•)
Effect: Just as Rome was nurtured by the milk of a wolf, so
your character is fed by the natural world. Count her Blood
Potency as one dot lower when determining whether she gains
sustenance from animal blood.
Gangrel Only: Your character’s Blood Potency is considered
two dots lower instead.
Unstable Blood (•••)
Prerequisite: Blood Potency •
Effect: The blood animating your character has a mind of
its own, refusing to accept the limitations set upon it by the
Kindred. Once per chapter, your character may use this Merit
for any common Discipline (Animalism, Celerity, Obfuscate,
Resilience, Vigor) they have only a single dot in. They lose
access to the chosen Discipline for the scene but gain a single
use of any other common Discipline they do not know in
exchange. For the Physical Disciplines, the active effect can
only be applied for a turn, but the passive effects remain for
the scene.
Drawback: Your character loses this Merit if she gains Blood
Potency. Sanctity of Merits applies.
Wormborn (•)
Effect: Born in darkness and brought up in the tunnels
of the great Necropolis — or one like it — your character has
developed instincts unknown to those who dwell in the world
above. Your character can’t become lost underground; she
always knows the cardinal directions and can retrace her steps
to the last place she slept.
Nosferatu Only: Worms with this Merit gain the 9-again
quality on all mundane Survival rolls while underground.
Deific Boons
Many Kindred enjoy advantages said to be bestowed by the
gods themselves. Whether or not this is truly the cause, it’s
undeniable that some Propinqui display oddities that align with
aspects of the pantheon. Though not always gifted to those
devoted to specific gods, most with such gifts choose to favor their
benefactors for fear of giving offense, if not out of genuine thanks.
Special: In addition to the systems below, these Merits grant
a universal effect. Once per chapter, the vampire may pray for
her god to intercede on her behalf as a reflexive action. If so,
the Storyteller rolls a die in secret. On a 10, treat a single action
related to her prayer as an exceptional success before the end
of the chapter, regardless of the actual rolled result. If this is a
contested action, treat the vampire as having achieved exactly
five more successes than her opponent. The Storyteller decides
when and where this effect comes up.
A character can have more than one Deific Boon, but if she
beseeches more than one god per chapter, the result of a 1 on
the secret roll means she must suffer a dramatic failure on an
action, as the gods punish her fickle devotion.
These Merits are available only to vampires and, potentially,
other supernatural beings.
Boon of Bacchus (•)
Effect: Vitae is a brutally addictive substance, but your
character’s blood has been blessed by the God of Vices him-
self. Mortals and Kindred alike find the nectar in her veins
irresistible and are easily overcome by it. When your character
feeds their blood to a character, you may spend a Willpower to
advance the bond by two steps instead of one.
Boon of Ceres (••)
Effect: Some Propinqui cling to life more stubbornly than
others, your character among them. She’s never lost the ability
to consume human food. Food is mystically absorbed by her
body, disappearing without needing to expel anything. If she
feeds on raw meat of at least Size 1, she gains a single Vitae,
but only once per night.
Boon of Dis Pater (•••)
Effect: Your character’s soul refuses to rest easy in the realm of
death. When struck down, they return with startling alacrity but
wake feeling empty and chill, as if a piece of their soul were left
behind. When your character enters torpor because of violence,
they can choose to awaken at the beginning of the next night.
Drawback: The Ferryman’s not cheap. If your character uses
the effect of this Merit, they lose a Humanity dot. If they choose
not to accept this price, they must endure the full length of
torpor unless awakened early through the usual means.
Boon of Fortuna (••)
Effect: Luck smiles upon your character. Once per night, she
can apply the Advantaged quality (p. 118) to a single instant
or reflexive action, or she can apply the Disadvantaged quality
to an opponent’s roll.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 93
 Drawback: Your character must spend a Willpower in sup-
plication to Fortuna when she uses this Merit. If not, the effect
works as described, but she suffers the opposite effect (i.e., a
Disadvantaged action or an opponent with an Advantaged
action) at some point before the end of the night.
Boon of Janus (•••)
Effect: The Two-Faced God has blessed your character with
a scrap of his dominion over pathways. Once per story, she may
open a door and come out the other side elsewhere in the same
city if she has passed through that door before. If she is touching
another person (or people) they can join her, but only as many
as can pass through the door simultaneously.
Boon of Jupiter (••)
Effect: Your character has a strange affinity for lightning, the
element of Jupiter. In a thunderstorm, she can take an instant
action and make a short prayer to the King of the Gods and
direct a thunderbolt at any target. This applies once per night.
The lightning bolt deals 5 lethal damage, even to Kindred, and
inflicts the Stunned Tilt. Once per story, the vampire can pray
to summon a storm, which will arrive in (10 – Blood Potency)
turns. After which, she can use the effect above.
Boon of Mars (•••)
Effect: The Propinqui know dire consequences can befall
them should they anger the God of War and patron of Rome.
To act against the Empire is to invite his retribution, and that
extends to its servants.
Your character has been marked by Mars as his emissary, and
any physical attack against her while she acts on behalf of the
Roman state (including the Camarilla) suffers half her Blood
Potency (rounding up) as a penalty. If she spends a Willpower,
the attacker also suffers the Shaken Condition.
Boon of Vesta (••)
Effect: Your character draws their connection to the mor-
tal world through a family rather than individuals and can
weather the sands of time better than her Kindred as long as
that lodestar survives.
If your character loses a human Touchstone, they can replace
her with another member of the same family unit within one
generation without needing to reacquire a Touchstone the
usual way. Your character must still resist detachment because
of the death of a Touchstone, if relevant. Furthermore, she
gains two Willpower for minorly defending this Touchstone
instead of one.
Necropolis Merits
The Undercity is of such depth and sprawl as to be a world
unto itself, replete with its own rules and dangers. Indeed, a
Propinquus who knows its ways can gain shelter, sustenance,
wealth, and influence without ever leaving its twisting cat-
acombs. The following are some of the ways a canny citizen
might get ahead while staying low.
94 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Lictor (••)
Effect: Your character volunteers as one of the masked
attendants guarding the Porta Noctis, ensuring the chamber’s
sanctity and overseeing the creation of new Propinqui.
While within the Porta Noctis and wearing her ceremonial
mask, your character is immune to any mystical effect that
would force her to leave the chamber against her will. Anyone
attempting to affect your character with a supernatural power
that would interfere with her duties within the chamber
suffers her Composure as a penalty on the activation roll.
If Composure would already be subtracted from this roll,
double it.
Finally, because of her frequent attendance at the Embraces of
new Kindred, your character possesses extensive knowledge of
Rome’s bloodlines. She applies the 9-again quality to any Occult
or Politics action involving the blood lineage of Camarilla
Kindred, including Taste of the Blood.
Drawback: Lictors are sworn not to reveal what they witness
in the Porta Noctis, and like most oaths sworn in the Camarilla,
this one carries mystical weight. If your character breaks her
oath, she loses this Merit, her mask turns to dust, and she gains
the Shaken Condition if she ever enters the Porta Noctis from
then on. Sanctity of Merits applies.
Mystery Cult Initiation:
Cultus Terrae Atrae (• to •••••)
Effect: Most nights, the Cult of the Black Earth (p. 74) keeps
to a custodial role, replacing light sources, shoring up tunnels,
and ensuring the traditions of rooms like the Porta Noctis and
Templum Remi are enforced.
That said, the Black Earth isn’t opposed to taking an active
hand against those they feel aren’t showing their goddess
proper respect. Some of the disappearances that occur down
in the deep tunnels are their doing, as the cult’s favored
method of removing “problem” Kindred is to bury them, fully
aware, in some deep and forgotten corner of the Necropolis
to allow their pat to reclaim the blood and flesh of those
who’ve done her wrong.
• Members of the Black Earth are at home in the subter-
ranean realm of their goddess. Gain an Underground
Specialty in Survival.
•• Cultists can never be lost as long as they have the
Necropolis to guide them. Gain the Direction Sense
Merit (Chronicles of Darkness, p. 44).
••• The Black Earth is adept at not being seen, for they
seek no recognition for the work they do. Gain a dot
of Stealth.
•••• As they advance, cultists grow to appreciate how
their goddess can be seen in all things. Gain the
Interdisciplinary Specialty Merit, with the Necropolis
as its focus.
••••• The Necropolis looks after those who look after
her. Once per chapter, when your character turns
 down any tunnel in the Necropolis, she can spend a
Willpower and emerge into any other tunnel they’ve
previously been to. She can bring a number of others
with her equal to Blood Potency plus one, but she
must pay a “tribute” of 1 Vitae for each unless they
also possess Black Earth Initiation. This effect can-
not bring her directly to any named chamber of the
Necropolis — only anonymous tunnels and niches
she knows.
Tunnel Runner (••)
Prerequisite: Streetwise ••
Effect: Your character is adept at using the Necropolis tunnels
that run beneath Rome to move across the city swiftly. She
always knows where the nearest entrance to the Necropolis
is (though not necessarily the safest or most convenient), and
when attempting to move through the city on foot, roll Wits +
Streetwise to attempt to reduce the travel time by dipping in
and out of the Undercity. Success reduces travel time by one-
third, while an exceptional success cuts it in half.
Drawback: It’s difficult to quickly weave through tunnels
and alleys with a group. For every person your character is
traveling with who doesn’t possess this Merit, he suffers a –1
to the above roll.
Undercity Scavenger (•••)
Prerequisite: Investigation •• or Streetwise ••
Effect: All sorts of cast-offs and rotten trinkets make their
way down into the Necropolis, and your character is adept at
finding the hidden bits of treasure in the refuse.
Once per session, he can spend an hour scouring the
Undercity for hidden resources. Describe to the Storyteller
what he’s searching for in terms of material or blood, then
roll Wits + Investigation/Streetwise, penalized by the degree
of difficulty in scrounging such a thing up.
Small scores, such as a few mouthfuls of Vitae or a set of
simple tools, incur no penalty, while more specific or rare
items can incur as much as a –5. An exceptional success rep-
resents a rare or unexpected find, such as a runaway ghoul
or a stash of valuables buried long ago.
This Merit can’t be used to find specific objects or people, like
a senator’s personal seal or the head chef of his household, but
almost anything (or anyone) that might have been lost, thrown
away, or forgotten is fair game.
Worm Guide (••)
Prerequisite: Wits ••• or Nosferatu
Effect: Your character has spent extensive time traveling
all corners of the Necropolis, and she rarely leaves its depths,
offering her services to guide less-familiar citizens. She never
needs to take Streetwise/Survival actions to navigate to any
location in the Necropolis that she’s been to before, and any
Streetwise/Survival rolls made to navigate to a new location
enjoy the 8-again quality.
Jura
The Legion of the Dead is empowered by the Senex to enforce
the laws of the Camarilla and punish those who defy them. This
authority takes many forms, from the physical symbols they bear
to their right to search, detain, and assault those they suspect
of criminal behavior. The purest form, however, manifests as
Jura, a collection of abilities that blurs metaphorical and tangible
power together, allowing a Soldier to wield her authority like a
truncheon to crush dissent wherever she finds it.
Unless otherwise noted, Jura only affect Kindred, ghouls, and
creatures who have sworn the Oath of Citizenship (see p. 98).
By the Book (•)
Effect: Soldiers who hold fast to the Camarilla’s laws find
they provide comfort against the whispers of the Beast in trying
times. When your character suffers a breaking point, if she does
so upholding Camarilla law, apply a +2 to the detachment roll.
Die on Your Feet (••)
Effect: Legionaries can fight long after they should be struck
down, for the laws command them to fight past what they
can truly endure. When your character is fighting to defend
property, citizens, or ideals protected by Camarilla law, she can
spend a Willpower to gain temporary Health boxes equal to
her Legion Status for the rest of the scene.
Drawback: These Health boxes fade at the end of the scene,
but any damage suffered remains, added to your character’s
Health track as if she had suffered them as a fresh wound.
This can lead to torpor or even Final Death, so a wise Soldier
does his best to heal as much as possible before this happens.
Executioner (•••)
Prerequisite: Legion of the Dead Status ••
Effect: While sentences of Final Death are rare in the
Camarilla — and normally the Old Man’s purview — some
criminals are too dangerous or offensive to exist. Inevitably,
the duty to execute outlaws falls upon the Legion of the Dead,
whether this is in a formal setting in front of the Assembly or
some gods-forsaken tunnel of the Necropolis after a long and
bitter chase.
When your character makes an Athletics, Brawl, or
Weaponry attack against a vampire she’s witnessed violating
Camarilla law, halve the penalties (rounding down) your
character takes when she makes a called shot. She can spend
a Willpower before the attack to inflict lethal damage on
a success, and if the victim of this attack has had a death
sentence formally declared upon them by the Senex, she can
choose to deal aggravated damage instead.
Eyes of the Empire (••)
Effect: While most simple guard duties in the Legion are
performed by ghouls, there are locations and personnel import-
ant enough to warrant Kindred guardians of their own. To be
trusted with the safety of such an asset is considered a great
honor — and to fail in that duty, a terrible disgrace.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 95
 Your character must swear a short oath to guard another
vampire or place unfailingly. For the rest of the night, she gains
the rote quality on Perception to detect intruders or threats
while within the presence of the asset she’s guarding. This
effect also imbues your character with supernatural vigilance,
potentially piercing through the veil of Obfuscate. If someone
concealed by Obfuscate acts against her or her charge, a Clash
of Wills occurs, with your character applying her Wing Status
+ Blood Potency. If your character wins the contested action,
the Obfuscated character is revealed to her, and he cannot
conceal himself or others from you for the rest of the scene. If
you call attention to the Obfuscated character, other characters
attempting to find them via indirect clues (Vampire p. 138)
receive a bonus equal to your character’s Wing Status.
Drawback: Once the oath is sworn, your character must
remain with the asset for the entire night. If she leaves or allows
a person she’s protecting out of her sight for more than a few
minutes, this Jus ceases to function and she loses a point of
Willpower. Once it has failed in this way, Eyes of the Empire can-
not be used again on the same subject until the following night.
Interrogator (••)
Prerequisite: Legion of the Dead Status ••
Effect: It falls to the Legion to hear their pleas and sort truth
from falsehood before criminals are brought before the Senex.
With this Jus, the words of those who’ve broken Camarilla law
ring harshly in your character’s ears. When interrogating a
suspect, he gains the 8-again quality on Empathy, Intimidation,
and Persuasion. If he successfully engages the suspect in conver-
sation for at least a few moments, for the rest of the scene, she
suffers a penalty to all mundane Subterfuge-based rolls equal to
half your character’s Legion of the Dead Status, rounding up.
No Escape (•)
Effect: The Grim Battalion’s tenacity is well known through-
out the Camarilla. When pursuing someone your character
knows or suspects of breaking Camarilla law, add her Wing
Status to Speed. Furthermore, if your character can see her
quarry, subtract her Status from their Speed as well.
No Quarter (•)
Effect: There’s no safety for those the Legion wishes to
find. When attempting to breach a Safe Place belonging to
someone your character knows or reasonably suspects to have
broken Camarilla law, she may offset the penalty levied by that
Merit equal to Wing Status. This protection also extends to
her Dexterity + Larceny actions to avoid traps the Safe Place
may contain.
Our Invincible Will (•)
Effect: The Legion of the Dead fight and train as one, and
just as their shield wall defends the entire formation against
physical threats, so too can they pool their determination to
turn aside corrupting mental influences. Your character gains
a bonus to resistance rolls against supernatural mental and
emotional manipulation equal to the number of other char-
96 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
acters present in the scene with Legion of the Dead Status, so
long as those characters are visible and not obviously working
against her, to a maximum of +5.
Summary Justice (•••)
Prerequisite: Legion of the Dead Status •••
Effect: The Senex can’t handle every crime. Sometimes,
officers of Grim Battalion must pass judgment over petty misde-
meanors not considered worthy of the Old Man’s time.
Within a bordered space no larger than a meeting hall (usu-
ally in the Necropolis, but any space of appropriate size will do)
your character must loudly accuse a present Camarilla citizen of
a crime and then spend a Willpower to invoke this Jus. Once
invoked, neither your character nor the accused may leave
or attack one another without first spending Willpower and
succeeding an instant Resolve + Composure action, penalized
by your character’s Wing Status.
To resolve the Jus, the accused must either confess and accept
the punishment your character hands down, or your character
can declare the accused innocent of the offense. In either case,
the accused regains a spent Willpower if they accept their sen-
tence without further trouble.
Fleeing Summary Judgment or attacking the accusing Soldier
before a verdict is reached is a clear sign of guilt in Camarilla
culture, so most accused at least attempt to plead their cases
before resorting to desperate measures. Likewise, it’s a sign of
dishonor and weakness for a Soldier to invoke this Jus for per-
sonal reasons or to entrap someone they know to be innocent.
Once invoked, Summary Judgment remains in place until it’s
resolved, the accused successfully flees, or your character enters
torpor or meets Final Death. As such, some brazen Legionaries
will invoke it in areas open to the sky, adding the pressure of
sunrise in a bid to force a suspect to confess.
Summary Judgment may only be called down on a single
accused once in a given night.
Officially, the Senex supports the judgments of their Kindred
in the Legion, but privately, many Legislators rankle at this Jus
for its “undemocratic” nature. At minimum.
Weight of Law (•••)
Prerequisite: Legion of the Dead Status ••
Effect: Often, the mere presence of the Legion of the Dead
stops lawbreakers from causing trouble.
Your character must present herself as an obvious symbol of
Camarilla authority, whether by declaiming about the sanctity
of law, rebuking a rebellious voice, or simply standing tall and
proud in full black armor. As long as she continues in this fash-
ion, anyone attempting an action that would violate Camarilla
law suffers her Wing Status as a penalty unless they first spend
a point of Willpower.
Drawback: Weight of Law only functions as long as your
character’s air of authority lasts. If she violates Camarilla law
or is decisively rebuked, or even humiliated, the effect of this
Merit ceases.
 We March as One (••)
Effect: It’s called the Legion of the Dead for a reason. Strength
in numbers is a power recognized the world over, and otherwise
stalwart foes quail at the sight of rows of black-armored Soldiers
advancing in lock-step. Your character gains a bonus to her
Initiative and all mundane uses of the Intimidation Skill equal
to the number of other characters present in the scene with
Legion of the Dead Status, so long as those characters are visible
and not obviously working against her, to a maximum of +5.
Legislatio
Camarilla law is more than the mumbled words of hoary old
corpses. It has weight and power beyond language, and Legislatio
(“the giving of law”) is the manifestation of that power. When
Remus taught Senex the Lord’s words, it wasn’t simply control
he gained, but authority. The laws crafted by their Words were
imbued with that authority, granting them power over those
that bow to the institution of the Camarilla. It is only right
then, as the leaders and lawmakers of Sodalitas Pernox, that
the Legislators’ authority and judgment should be absolute.
Unless otherwise noted, each Lex only affects Kindred,
ghouls, and creatures who’ve sworn the Oath of Citizenship
(see below).
Aegis of Authority (•••)
Prerequisite: Senex Status ••
Effect: The Senex claim to channel the might and will
of Aulus Julius. There might be something to that boast, as
Kindred who try to impede Legislators from their duties with
violence are often unable to do them any real harm, as if the
Senecti were protected by some powerful outside force.
When undertaking official duties in the name of the Senex
(voting at the Assembly, sharing a proclamation, overseeing a
criminal’s punishment, etc.), your character counts her Senex
Status dots as general armor against all sources of physical
harm, including banes (but not sunlight). To receive this
protection, your character must be an obvious and active
participant in whatever official duties are occurring: reading
out a new law, debating a proposed change, etc. This effect
stacks with mundane armor and Resilience.
This protection is lost for the scene if your character takes
any significant action outside of her official duties. For example,
flung stones, fruit, and even arrows might bounce harmlessly
off her while she reads out an unpopular new law to a crowd,
but if she stops to assault one of her attackers, then this Lex
ceases to function.
Forced Reparations (••)
Prerequisite: Senex Status ••
Effect: When a citizen is found guilty of harming another
in violation of Camarilla law, this Lex ensures he makes fair
restitution. Forced Reparations requires the public consensus
of at least three Status-bearing members of the Senex, though
only one needs to possess this Merit.
When your character invokes this Lex, one of the involved
Senecti must spend a Willpower to bind two subjects: the con-
victed and the plaintiff. The convicted loses Social Merit dots
equal to the combined Senex Status of the Ancients invoking
this Lex, to a maximum of five (Sanctity of Merits applies). The
plaintiff then gains dots in the same Merits that the convicted
was stripped of. This cannot reduce a convicted vampire’s dots
in a single Merit to less than zero or the plaintiff to rise above
five in any given Merit.
This transfer is permanent, but if the plaintiff later loses
the Merit dots she gained from this Lex, perhaps as a result
of a legal entanglement of her own, Sanctity of Merits does
not apply.
Humble the Blood (•••)
Prerequisite: Senex Status ••
Effect: The Senex considers physical punishment a crude,
inefficient tool. Flogging, beatings, and even amputations are
temporary inconveniences to Kindred who will then seek out
more blood to heal their injuries and further drain resources.
This Lex was created so Senecti could exercise a bit more
creativity in punishing lawbreakers, as well as have them give
back to society at the same time.
Humble the Blood temporarily suppresses a vampire’s access
to one of their Disciplines until they fulfill a condition set
down by your character. This requires the public consensus
of at least three Status-bearing members of the Senex, though
only one of them needs to possess this Merit. Your character
spends a Willpower and announces the victim’s crimes and the
Discipline she will lose access to, as well as what she must do
to end her punishment. The subject then gains the Humbled
Blood Condition (p. 273).
The victim can be called upon to do nearly anything in the
name of this Lex, but it must be something she has a reasonable
prospect of succeeding at. Until she meets that requirement,
she cannot use any aspect of the suppressed Discipline unless
she first spends a point of Willpower, which does not add any
dice to the activation roll (if any).
Drawback: Your character cannot refresh the Willpower
spent to activate Humble the Blood until the victim fulfills
their service, meets Final Death, or enters torpor.
Lawful Insight (•)
Effect: The Senecti are tied to their laws in a way that goes
beyond bureaucracy. Almost all of them have an intuitive sense
of Camarilla law, and veteran Legislators can extend this to the
rules of far more exotic locations.
Your character always knows the laws and customs of any
Camarilla domain she enters, gaining the 9-again quality
on any Academics of Politics rolls to interpret them as long
as she’s been in the domain at least one night and briefly
conversed with someone who resides there. This extends to
any set of mystical laws or rules tied to the location, such as
deep domains within the Underworld, or the intricate oaths
of changelings and spirits.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 97
 Drawback: Because of your character’s innate understand-
ing, she has a difficult time claiming ignorance of any laws
that might apply to her. She suffers a –2 to any Persuasion or
Subterfuge rolls made to convince others she was unaware of
violating a rule or law.
Litany of Violation (••)
Effect: By conversing with a Camarilla citizen for a few
moments, your character can call up a record of their past
transgressions. Roll Intelligence + Politics as a reflexive action,
+1 if your character can steer the conversation toward justice or
politics. For each success, she gains knowledge of one crime the
subject has been accused of and if they were found guilty or not.
Note that culpability doesn’t always equal justice. Litany of
Violation only reveals official rulings, not true guilt or innocence.
Quaestors (p. 64) are usually required to know this Lex to
perform their duties.
My Word is Law (•••)
Prerequisite: Senex Status •••
Effect: This Lex effectively creates a temporary law enforced
by your character’s own will. She must spend a Willpower
and declare a course of action to be forbidden. This should
be something active (not doing something can’t be illegal) and
cannot be a state of being. For the next scene, anyone in your
character’s presence cannot perform the illegal action unless
they first spend a Willpower, which allows them to act against
the edict for a turn. However, if this illegal action requires
a roll, it’s penalized by your character’s Wing Status. Only
one instance of this Lex can be active during a given scene.
If another Senectus attempts to override your character’s use
of My Word is Law, or vice versa, it provokes a Clash of Wills
where both characters roll Senex Status + Blood Potency.
Drawback: While the actual Assembly might be full of
hypocrisy, Legislatio is less tolerant. If your character attempts
the action they forbade, this Lex fails, and your character loses
a Willpower. If they have no Willpower left to lose, they enter
frenzy instead.
Oath of Citizenship (•)
Prerequisite: Senex Status ••
Effect: The Camarilla is a society built by the Kindred, for
the Kindred. However, they’re not the only predators of the
night preying on the living. Though rare, occasionally one of
these “cousins” wishes to enjoy the safety and security Sodalitas
Pernox offers. If such a being manages to make its case to a
member of the Senex and be accepted, the Legislator can invoke
this Lex to make them a citizen.
Your character may sponsor a non-Kindred vampire by hav-
ing them swear this oath in front of a fully informed witness
and then marking a symbol of their agreement in blood. This
symbol might be a formal written contract, a crudely drawn
pictogram, or an intricately carved totem — the form doesn’t
matter. As long as this symbol is intact, the signee is treated as
a citizen of the Camarilla in every way that matters. They may
98 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
gain Status in any of the wings that will have them, and the laws
of the Camarilla will both bind and protect them, including
Legislatio and Jura. The oath is permanent once sworn; only
the destruction of the symbol will free the signee, an act your
character and the signee will be instantly aware of no matter
how it happens.
Your character can only have one sponsorship active at a time.
Drawback: The actions of such “adopted” citizens tend to
reflect on their sponsors, especially the negative ones. The social
consequences of sponsoring a new citizen who proves unfit for
the role can be dire.
Official Witness (•)
Effects: Members of the Senex are often called upon to oversee
disputes and agreements between citizens to ensure fairness. The
gaze of a Legislator adds weight to the proceedings and guarantees
any violations of negotiations will not go unnoticed.
Your character must either read or hear the terms of a deal
between two or more consenting parties as it’s being negotiated.
These can be as simple or complex as is required, but after the
deal is agreed upon, your character will have a perfect recol-
lection of the terms for as long as it persists. For its duration,
she knows if anyone bound by its terms violates it, which party
broke trust, which clause was broken, and a rough idea as to
the immediate circumstances around the violation.
Your character can only act as an Official Witness to a num-
ber of deals at one time equal to Wing Status.
Persona Non Grata (•••••)
Prerequisite: Senex Status ••••
Effect: Sometimes, a citizen must be removed for the good
of the Camarilla. Whether it’s used to punish a particularly
heinous criminal or to destroy a political rival, this Lex causes
the laws themselves to forsake a victim, effectively revoking the
protections of citizenship.
This Lex requires your character to call a vote to declare a
victim Persona Non Grata, which requires at least fifteen Senex
to attend, and at least one of equal or greater Status to your
characters. A majority consensus is required; in small domains
with fewer Legislators, the vote can be held with as few as five,
but the vote must then be unanimous.
Your character crosses off a dot of Willpower to mark a vic-
tim currently within the domain at the time of the vote as a
pariah. The victim immediately takes a level of lethal damage
as a black brand appears on their forehead. This brand cannot
be concealed, healed, or removed as long as the victim remains
within the domain. While the brand remains, the victim loses
access to the following Merits: Allies, Contacts, Haven, Herd,
and all Kindred Status. As long as the victim is inside the
domain where this Lex was invoked, nothing done to him is
considered a violation of Camarilla law, up to and including
diablerie. Jura and Legislatio do not function for him, nor will
they punish anyone who harms him.
Any Propinquus who inflicts at least a level of lethal damage
upon the victim, or impedes him in a significant way, refreshes
a point of spent Willpower (though only once per use of Persona
Non Grata). In addition, any citizen who wishes to aid the
victim must spend a Willpower to do so for the scene, or else
any rolls to do so fail automatically. Finally, any character who
would suffer a breaking point related to actions taken against
the victim gains a +3 on detachment.
This effect lasts until the victim has spent at least one full
night outside of the domain where the Lex was invoked, at
which point, the brand fades (though he must heal the damage
normally), and he regains access to Merits blocked by this Lex.
For a year and a day, should he return, Persona Non Grata will
take effect again unless the domain’s Senex members have since
voted to overturn his sentence.
The dot of Willpower is permanently lost until repur-
chased with an Experience unless your character commits the
Amaranth upon the victim while they are under the effects of
Persona Non Grata, in which case, it will return after nights
equal to the victim’s Blood Potency.
Red Tax (••)
Effects: One of the Camarilla’s greatest achievements is the
blood dole, a communal source of nourishment donated by
privileged citizens for the benefit of all. How a would-be philan-
thropist goes about gathering enough blood for a dole is up to
them, but many Senecti use this Lex to help the process along.
Violators found guilty of poaching blood must repay their
theft in kind. The Red Tax requires the public consensus of
at least three Status-bearing members of the Senex, though
only one of them needs to possess this Merit. A Vitae must be
ritually spilled to invoke this Lex, but it may come from any of
the involved Kindred — including the victim. This Vitae is then
used to anoint the intended vessel for the victim’s taxed Vitae,
whether that’s another Propinquus or a container of some kind.
The victim then gains the Taxpayer Condition (p. 273).
Spotless Record (•)
Effect: The Ancients must appear to be model citizens, lest
the masses lose faith in their right to lead. As long as your
character participates in Senex business (attending Assembly or
a sponsored blood dole, for instance) at least once a week, her
Wing Status acts as a penalty to any Academics, Investigation,
or Politics rolls made to uncover her past legal violations or
transgressions.
Drawback: This Merit does not function if the character
investigating you has equal or higher Senex Status. Shit rolls
downhill, even in Rome.
Modern
Covenant Merits
The Merits similar to the various Covenant Status Merits
of modern nights exist in Rome, but these are distributed
differently between the wings.
The following are from the Vampire: The Requiem rule-
book. Merits from other supplements (except for Carthian
Laws, discussed below) are available at the Storyteller’s discre-
tion. As a rule of thumb, the Senex can access Invictus Merits
(but not Oaths), the Collegium can access Carthian Merits (but
not Laws), and the Augurs can access Ordo Dracul and Circle
of the Crone Merits (where appropriate). As long as they’re not
anachronistic, Witnesses can access modern Lancea et Sanctum
Merits. Because the Legion of the Dead has no direct modern
analog, Storytellers should decide which (if any) modern Merits
Soldiers can access on a case-by-case basis.
Covenant Status prerequisites shift to match the appropriate
Wing Status, but otherwise, the mechanical effects work the
same unless otherwise noted.
Cult of Augurs
Members of the Cult of Augurs may purchase Altar,
Lorekeeper, Night Doctor Surgery, and Secret Society Junkie.
• Altar becomes Templum, a sacred space the vampire (or
vampires) can define as a ritual setting. This Merit functions
the same way for the Veneficium as Altar does for Crúac.
• Lorekeeper becomes Scholar. A character with this Merit
maintains the history of the Camarilla and Propinquus lore.
The Empire of Night assures she never wants for assistance
and never goes hungry.
• Night Doctor Surgery becomes Medicus Nocturnus. The first
physicians in Rome were priests and magicians, and while
living doctors (sort of) became more scientifically minded,
Propinquus doctors never shook this association.
• Secret Society Junkie becomes Initiate, a Vaticinator who
hides in plain sight among the various mystery cults of Rome.
Legion of the Dead
Members of the Legion of the Dead may purchase Sworn as
Staff Officer. A Staff Officer is an integral part of a large divi-
sion or unit and is afforded both more direct mentorship from
her superiors and greater aid from her inferiors. She may shift
her Mentor and Retainer dots as she gains new assignments.
Peregrine Collegium
Members of the Peregrine Collegium may purchase Carthian
Pull and I Know a Guy.
• Carthian Pull becomes Honor Among Thieves. The Strangers’
many ill-gotten gains must be shared and shared alike.
• I Know a Guy is unchanged. In all times and all places, there’s
a guy, and someone always knows him.
Senex
Members of the Senex may purchase Attaché, Friends in
High Places, Invested, Speaker for the Silent, and Where the
Bodies Are Buried.
• Attaché becomes Adjutor. The Ancients have a higher class
of deputies and assistants, and they don’t hesitate to martial
these human resources for all they’re worth.
• The remaining Merits are unchanged.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 99

Ages Pass: Christian Vampires
The Lancea et Sanctum won’t appear in Rome
until the mid-3rd century CE, but before that, some
of the dead worship as Christians, and a few odd
cults exist within the Peregrine Collegium in the
early Empire.
Most of these groups are banned after a
notoriously violent incident in the Necropolis
involving an explosion, but some remain in secret,
ready to be absorbed into the future Sanctified and
help define their dogma. Vampires with Status in
such cults can purchase the Discipleship Merit and
the equivalent of Carthian Pull (“Apostolic Mutual
Aid”), with Retainer and Mentor instead of Allies
and Contacts.
Lancea et Sanctum
Members of the Lancea et Sanctum may purchase Anointed
and The Mother–Daughter Bond.
• Anointed is unchanged.
• The Mother–Daughter Bond becomes Discipleship. Adversity
is always on the horizon for the Spear and Chapel, so its congre-
gants are far more tightknit than their modern counterparts,
an insularity the Camarilla mistakes for weakness.
Carthian Law
The abilities “rediscovered” by the Carthian Movement
during the French Revolution are echoes of the legal powers
wielded by the Senex and the Legion of the Dead, filtered
through the notorious Gallows Post covenant that rose in
the latter’s ashes.
Many laws have been lost, and some have been corrupted
or otherwise altered; others remain identical to their past
incarnations. Because of this, most Carthian Law Merits can
be used as either Jura or Leges with no alteration. Below is
a list of Carthian Laws appropriate for Requiem for Rome
chronicles and their associated wings. In the case of Laws with
Carthian Status prerequisites, substitute the appropriate Wing
Status instead.
• Breaking the Chains (Secrets of the Covenants, p. 179):
Legion of the Dead
• Cease Fire (Secrets, p. 180): Senex
• Coda Against Sorcery (Secrets, p. 180): Senex
• Empower Judiciary (Secrets, p. 180): Senex
• Establish Precedent (Secrets, p. 180): Legion of the Dead
• Lex Terrae (Vampire, p. 116): Legion of the Dead
• Mandate from the Masses (Vampire, p. 116): Senex
• Right of Return (Vampire, p. 116): Senex
• Strength of Resolution (Vampire, p. 116): Legion of the Dead
100 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Mundane Merits
Beloved of the People (••)
Prerequisite: Fame •• or Status ••
Effect: Your character’s face is known to the people, and the
people love her. They will generally treat her favorably, and some
folk may rush to her side to greet her as she moves through the
city. Few would stand by if your character w threatened with
harm. In any scene where your character is obviously threatened
or harmed in front of witnesses, your character can implore
observers to assist them. Roll Presence + Expression and gain
Retainers equal to successes rolled for the scene as the common
folk come to assist.
Castrum (• to •••••)
Effect: When not in use, supplies must be kept somewhere
safe. The Roman military held their supplies in strongholds
called castra, and your character has learned to apply this
wisdom to their everyday tools, leaving small caches of useful
things hidden throughout areas they frequent. This Merit
represents disguised stores of food, weapons, or equipment
secreted around the city in convenient places. Each dot of this
Merit represents a stash of goods worth a dot of Availability.
Locations for this Merit need not be predefined and should be
quickly reachable when called upon.
Home Altar (•)
Effect: Displays of worship to the Roman pantheon are sym-
bols of status for many Romans. Your character is known to be
dedicated to a single deity of the pantheon above others and
displays an altar prominently in their home. This reputation
grants them the equivalent of a Status dot with the god’s others
followers, and they enjoy an additional +1 to Social actions on
that god’s festival days.
Patron (• to •••••)
Prerequisite: Status equal to or higher than that of the client
Effect: Your character is engaged in the Roman practice of
clientela, acting as a patron to a lower-level member of society.
The level of this Merit determines the severity of the debt the
client owes, which influences the level of favors he’s willing to
perform. Your character can call upon the client to perform
tasks for her, with higher dot levels representing more and
greater favors. These are rated as small, medium, and large:
• Small favors don’t require the client to spend any money, piss
anyone off, or do anything illegal.
• Medium favors require him to spend money, risk losing
status, or engage in semi-serious crimes.
• Large favors risk the client’s whole career, or even his life.
Once per chapter, your character can ask a favor of her client.
The Storyteller determines if it’s small, medium, or large, but no
roll is required to gain its benefits. Small favors are unlimited;
medium favors can be called in a number of times per story
equal to Merit dots; and large favors can be called in half that
many times, rounding up. If the client cannot perform the
favor in a single chapter, your character must wait until he
does so before she can ask for another, even a small one.
Your character can call in medium and large favors past
these limits, but this means the client has gone above and
beyond what he owes her, and he will consider his debt
at least partly paid off. An excess medium favor reduces
your Patron rating by a dot, and an excess large favor
reduces it by two. Sanctity of Merits applies.
Drawback: A client isn’t a flunky or a servant. He can
ask your character for minor favors of his own, especially
if he’s done something for her lately. He’ll expect your
character to help him advance his goals in good faith,
and if he realizes their relationship is all take and no
give, he’ll find someone more amenable. Furthermore,
if the client ever exceeds your character’s Status, she can
no longer serve as his patron.

Resources (• to •••••)
Effect: The Resources Merit has largely the same effect
as presented on p. 123 of Vampire: The Requiem, but it’s
worth noting that sources of wealth differ in this period.
Systems of loan and credit exist much as they do today,
but much less value is placed on actual currency, and
more on the exchange of services or opportunities. As
such, Resources takes on a social facet since so much of
their use requires negotiation and diplomacy compared
with the modern era. A Resources level of 4 or 5 grants
a dot of Contacts each to represent the hands-on net-
working nature of currency and barter.

Fighting Merits
Cramped Spaces (• to •••)
Prerequisites: Resolve •••, Strength ••, Weaponry ••
Effect: Mostly known to Propinqui who’ve had many
opportunities to draw weapons in the tight tunnels of the
Necropolis, or mortals who employ it in the suffocating
press of regimental combat, this style allows your char-
acter to turn confined surroundings to their advantage.
Mastery of this style allows your character to trap or
break weapons and move inside their opponent’s guard.
Limited Arc (•): The first lesson is to treat tight spaces
as if they’re allies. Your character gains +2 Defense in any
situation where she has less than a meter of clearance to
both the left and right.
Deny Encircle (••): Lone fighters are easily over-
whelmed once they’re surrounded by enemies. Your char-
acter can maneuver herself so that foes can’t outflank her
to bring greater numbers to bear. In situations where your
character has less than a meter of clearance on either side,
hostiles can’t move past her without taking her weapon’s
damage modifier in injuries, and she cannot be attacked
by more than two opponents in a round. This does not
apply to thrown attacks or Archery-based attacks.

CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 101

 Pin (•••): Closed-in fights always have solid obstacles
nearby, whether they’re walls or other combatants, and you
have become an expert in using the enclosed battlefield itself
to your advantage. By reflexively spending a Willpower after a
successful attack in an enclosed situation, you can inflict the
Pinned Tilt (p. 274) on your opponent.
Deadly Coordination (•)
Prerequisite: Formation Fighter •
Effect: Legionaries drill together ceaselessly, ensuring any
group of them can function together as a deadly whole. Add
+1 success to any roll made to assist another member of the
formation in a teamwork action. In combat, your character can
choose to reduce their Defense by 1 to add 1 to the Defense of
any soldier within (Weaponry) meters once per turn.
Destroyer (• to •••)
Prerequisites: Strength ••••, Weaponry •••
Effect: Lacking a weapon in combat usually means dying
shortly thereafter. Users of this style learn to defeat the weapon
rather than the wielder, correctly concluding that an unarmed
opponent is no opponent at all. Weapons and equipment dam-
aged using this Fighting Style can be repaired unless Structure
is reduced to zero, in which case, they shatter or are otherwise
destroyed, and they must be rebuilt or discarded.
Knick (•): A battle of a thousand strikes begins with a single
blow. Make an attack with a 2-die penalty targeting your oppo-
nent’s weapon. In addition to any damage dealt to Structure,
permanently reduce its damage bonus by one. Note that a
weapon cannot be reduced below a damage bonus of zero.
Blade’s Betrayal (••): Weapons can be turned against unsus-
pecting wielders. Your character can drive an enemy’s weapon
back on him. If she makes an attack using Knick and achieves
more successes than their opponent’s Weaponry dots, she can
inflict the Stunned Tilt (p. 274).
Shatter (•••): Your character can quickly identify weak
points in weapons wielded against her. When attacking with
Knick, she can ignore the targeted weapon’s Durability by
spending a Willpower on the attack. This does not confer
the usual +3 modifier.
Formation Fighter (• to ••••)
Prerequisites: Strength ••, Athletics ••, Warfare ••,
Weaponry ••
Effect: The Camarilla is the dark reflection of the world
above, and nowhere more so than among the Legio Mortuum,
where the tactics and strategies of mortal armies are expertly
adapted to the dead.
While most Soldiers are familiar with formation tactics (p.
115), some know how to refine these techniques, standing above
even the other troops of the elite Legion of the Dead.
Defensa Perfecta (•): Your character is an expert at operat-
ing in formation, using her place in the crowd to keep herself
safe. She gains a +1 to Defense while attacking within the
formation’s ranks.
102 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
More Styles
In addition to those listed here and in Chronicles
of Darkness, the following Fighting Styles from Hurt
Locker are available in Ancient Rome. Non-inclusion
in this list doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t use a
particular Merit, but these are the ones that best
reflect archaic warfare and violence: Bowmanship
(p. 47), Chain Weapons (p. 48), Combat Archery (p.
48), Grappling (p. 49), Mounted Combat (p. 51),
Powered Projectile (p. 51), Spear and Bayonet (p.
51), Weapon and Shield (p. 53).
Shield Breaker (••): When conducting the Cuneum Formate!
maneuver, your character can take a –3 instead of the normal
penalty to double the damage bonus.
Offensa Perfecta (•••): Your character knows how to make
the most of her attacks as the formation fends off enemies.
When performing the Ciringite Frontem! maneuver, if your
character forgoes the +2 modifier on her attack roll, she excep-
tionally succeeds with three successes instead of five.
Call to Arms (••••): Your character is the one the rest of
the formation looks to for guidance. Spend a Willpower and
roll Presence + Warfare as a reflexive action when a formation
command is issued; on a success, the tactic can be set up as
a reflexive action, as the whole formation works in concert.
Gladiatorial
Showman (• to •••)
Prerequisites: Athletics ••, Expression •••, Weaponry ••
Effect: Romans love a good fight, and recreating spectacles
of ancient wars is a time-worn tradition. Gladiators learn to be
artists in their craft, exaggerating their motions and communi-
cating with an audience through telegraphing and body language.
They use this style to enhance the perception of their prowess
to gain favor and adoration from all who see them. To gain this
style’s benefits, your character must use it in front of an audience.
Pop (•): Your character can feign weakness to draw out the
drama, making their inevitable success more pleasing to the
crowd. Take a –2 on an attack, but gain the effect of spending
a Willpower on the next attack after that.
Too Easy (••): When being brash, loud, and playing to a
crowd, it’s easy to convince an opponent their efforts are futile.
Speaking aloud to the crowd, your character states the ease with
which they’ll claim victory, and if the next attack succeeds,
inflict the Shaken Condition on the opponent. Your character
can also claim a bonus equal to the net successes on a Social
roll against someone who saw the attack during the scene.
Admiration (•••): Your character has mastered the art
of combat entertainment. It’s second nature to play to the
audience, winning hearts and minds as well as the battle at
hand. People who see your character fight talk about their
performance for weeks afterward. If your character wins the
fight, they gain the Adored Condition (p. 272).
 Mixed Arms (• to •••)
Prerequisites: Athletics •••, Weaponry ••, Quick Draw
Effect: True soldiers master all means of doing harm. A
master of all forms of combat, your character can use a variety
of weaponry to probe his enemies for weaknesses to exploit.
This style alters with different weapons at different ranges in
the following order: a thrown javelin or ax, a spear or polearm,
and closing with a sword or dagger. Each step of this fighting
style builds on the last, requiring your character to continue
closing in on the target while they perform each step.
The Throw (•): Your character begins their attack from afar,
hurling a projectile to knock their foe off balance. Take –1 to
your character’s attack roll and inflict an Arm or Leg Wrack if
the attack is successful.
The Close (••): Moving closer to their foe, your character
attacks from a middle distance to create an opening for their
final strike. In addition to the damage your character deals with
this attack, they’re placed one step ahead of their opponent in
the initiative order on subsequent turns if they wish. If they’re
already ahead, the victim of the attack suffers your character’s
successes as a penalty to Initiative.
The End (•••): Battered and off balance, few can stand
against this skilled sequence of well-timed attacks. Spend a
Willpower to gain the rote quality on an attack with a 1L
hand weapon if The Throw and The Close have been used in
sequence on the previous two turns, ignoring any mundane
armor worn by the target.
Quick Draw (•)
Prerequisites: Wits •••, a Specialty in the weapon or fighting
style chosen
Effect: Choose a weapon Specialty in Weaponry or Archery
or in a Fighting Style Merit when you purchase this Merit.
Your character has trained in that weapon or style enough that
pulling the weapon is her first reflex. Drawing or holstering
that weapon is considered a reflexive action, and can be done
any time her Defense applies.
Fenestrae
Strangers can dodge the laws of death with surprising ease
— especially considering the suspicion the other wings have for
them. Even Jura and Legislatio have trouble identifying and
punishing veteran Untouchables, to the eternal frustration of
both Senex lawmakers and Legion enforcers.
The reason for this uncanny slipperiness is Fenestrae, the
Collegium’s odd collection of knacks and talents. No one among
the Strangers is certain why Fenestrae work, but there are whis-
pers. Half-heard tales of old, chthonic gods who resented the
presumption of Remus and the Striges, leaking the secrets of
Fenestrae into the dreams of those Kindred who similarly chafed
under the new order. Not quite Disciplines, these abilities defy
categorization, just like the Untouchables who wield them.
Reckless Abandon (• to •••)
Prerequisites: Strength •••, Weaponry •••, cannot be
wearing armor
Effect: In a world where few people, even soldiers, receive
formal combat training, an overabundance of aggressiveness
and nerve can often win out. Warriors skilled in this fighting
style don’t consider their own defense, focusing solely on
overwhelming their opponent through pure aggression. This
fighting style cannot be used while wearing mundane armor.
Strong Arm (•): Your character knows striking hard is the
best way to end a fight fast. They’re practiced in putting their
all into every attack. When she makes an all-out attack, she can
substitute her Weaponry score instead of taking the normal +2.
Froth (••): Overwhelming an opponent is as much a men-
tal battle as a physical one. By building herself into a state of
frothing intensity, your character can weaken her opponent’s
resistance. Make a reflexive Presence + Intimidation roll. If
successes rolled exceed the opponent’s Composure, they cannot
spend Willpower for attacks or defense against your character
for turns equal to successes. They can still spend Willpower
normally for all other effects.
Rhythmic Strikes (•••): Your character can feel the drum-
beat of battle deep in her bones. When fighting, her wild strikes
follow a flow and pattern that can be heard, building to the final
crescendo of her opponents’ defeat. Gain a stacking +1 modifier
against an opponent as long as your character continues to
attack them each turn, to a maximum of +5. These attacks do
not need to be successful, merely directed at the same target.
A dramatic failure breaks the sequence.
Track Star (•)
Prerequisites: Ride •••, Weaponry ••
Effect: Your character is an expert charioteer, whether at
the Circus Maximus or the various smaller venues in Rome.
Gain a Chariots Specialty in Ride, and add a +4 instead of
+3 when spending Willpower on attacks while handling a
horse-drawn chariot.
Fenestrae cost 3 Experiences per dot and are purchased in
the same manner as Disciplines. They can come in any order or
combination, and no teacher is required as long as the vampire
is a member in good standing of the Peregrine Collegium. Every
time a character purchases a dot, she selects which Fenestra she
gains from the list below.
The number of Fenestrae a character can purchase is
unlimited but dots past the fifth level cost an additional
Experience. For Clash of Wills and other rolls/modifiers,
her rating caps at five.
At character creation, a Peregrine Collegium character may
spend one of her three starting Discipline dots on a Fenestra
of the player’s choice.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 103
 Common Fenestrae
The following are Fenestrae common to the city of Rome.
Many more exist throughout the Empire, and Strangers often
develop their own personalized techniques.
All Are Free
Most Strangers hate the Vinculum as a tool of oppression,
and this Fenestra can free them from its coils at a steep cost.
The vampire cannot be blood bound by any means, but, at the
same time, she can’t create the Vinculum in others — not even
her own ghouls. This does not prevent her from becoming
addicted to Vitae, and her blood is as addictive as ever.
Blessing of the Unseen
If no one else saw it, did it even happen? The vampire can
ignore a breaking point if she was unobserved or left no wit-
nesses. Instead, she takes a Bestial Triad Condition befitting the
crime, even if she would normally be immune. This Fenestra is a
reflex; not being able to use it won’t alert the vampire to hidden
observers. If she ever confesses or evidence proves her guilt, she
suffers the breaking point she would’ve taken, even if she no
longer has high enough Humanity. She can’t use this Fenestra
again until she resolves Bestial, Competitive, or Wanton.
Blood of Anonymity
Blood will out — for most vampires. With this Fenestra, Taste
of Blood rolls involving the Stranger’s Vitae automatically fail,
and relatives do not gain a Discipline sympathy bonus against
her. She feels when they successfully detect blood sympathy to
her, and she can choose to block this, even in torpor.
Burden of Evidence
Untouchables are so skilled at avoiding blame that it can be
difficult for even the Legion of the Dead to enforce punishments
unless they’re certain of guilt. If a Legionary Jus could be used on
the vampire, a Soldier must engage in a Clash of Wills, rolling
the Merit’s dot rating or an appropriate Attribute, whichever
is higher. This requirement is waived if the Soldier personally
witnessed the vampire violating Camarilla law on the same night.
Code of Silence
The Peregrine Collegium is made up of varied interests, con-
flicting loyalties, and clashing temperaments, but the wing does
agree on one thing: Never snitch. The vampire cannot be mysti-
cally compelled to tell the truth through the powers of the Blood.
Furthermore, actions to discern her true motives or feelings are
penalized by her Fenestra dots and cannot exceptionally succeed.
Defer the Beast
The Beast is a kind of authority, and while it isn’t legalistic,
it does understand bargains. As a reflexive action, the Stranger
can spend a Willpower to ignore a frenzy provocation or upgrade
a failure to resist into a success (this does not apply to dramatic
failures). However, he must still accept the Tempted Condition in
either case. If the penalty from Tempted is 5 or greater, the vam-
pire cannot use this Fenestra until she resolves the Condition.
104 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Letter and the Spirit
Fenestrae aren’t legal, but they’re also not not
legal. How do you legislate against something that
exists to nullify laws? But while the Camarilla could
make more effort in wiping them out, it’s not in its
best interest. The Strangers can avoid all the little
roadblocks that prevent the higher classes from…
dealing with each other more definitively.
Deny Sol
The Strangers can even pull a fast one over on Sol Invictus.
Subtract the vampire’s Fenestra dots from her effective Blood
Potency when calculating sunlight damage (to a limit of one
dot). However, there’s a catch: Instead of her flesh, the day
burns away her other legal loopholes. Each time she benefits
from this effect, she loses access to her other Fenestrae until
the following sunrise. She can choose to forgo this benefit
if she wishes.
Evading Prosecution
The Senex views the Peregrine Collegium as a mass of
interchangeable thugs, criminals, and ne’er-do-wells. This
Fenestra uses that perception against them, making Legislatio
unreliable unless those wielding it know exactly who they’re
trying to control. If a Lex could be used on the vampire, the
Senex member invoking it must engage in a Clash of Wills,
rolling the Merit’s dot rating or an appropriate Attribute
instead of a Discipline, whichever is higher. This requirement
is waived if all Legislators involved in the Lex know the
Stranger’s name or face.
Fate Breaker
The Peregrine Collegium is defined by its independence,
and most Strangers prefer to make their own destinies.
Whenever the vampire is subject to a supernatural power
that attempts to read or alter her future, its activation roll
is reduced to a chance die. Furthermore, she is immune to
the Striges’ Inflict Doom ability (p. 197). However, Fortuna
knows a few loopholes herself. Once a story, if the character
has less than half her Willpower left (rounding down), the
Storyteller can choose to obviate the effect of this Fenestra.
However, if so, she must refill all the vampire’s Willpower
regardless of the outcome.
Heretic
The gods have their laws, and the Collegium ignores those
too. The vampire applies her Fenestra dots to all rolls to con-
test Ritual Disciplines. Furthermore, if a sorcerer wants to use
a ritual on the Stranger outside her presence, he must win a
Clash of Wills to make the attempt at all.
Ignorance of the Law
If the vampire breaks a supernaturally enforced rule that
she does not know about, she does not suffer any mystical conse-
quences for doing so. If she later becomes aware of a rule she’s
broken in the past, any relevant consequences are not retro-
actively applied, but this Fenestra no longer protects her from
it. This ability came about in response to Jura and Legislatio,
but it also works just as well against other occult laws, such as
bargains made with the Fae, or trespassing the spiritual taboos
of the Uratha.
Slip Through the Cracks
Trying to find a Stranger who doesn’t want to be found
is often an exercise in futility. All mundane rolls meant
to research, locate, or track the vampire automatically fail.
Blood Sorcery
The powers of the Blood go far beyond what the Beast
permits a vampire to do physically, and Rome is where these
properties were refined into a gruesome art. To the Propinqui,
blood sorcery isn’t just a force of Vitae, but a way of attaining
the gods’ favor. Or, for that matter, God’s.
For the Vaticinators, this is merely a method of communi-
cation. It’s nothing new; it’s what society’s built around. You
talk to a patrician, bring a bribe, bow and scrape just right,
and you get what you want. It’s just input and output. Call
and response. When the gods walk the earth, it only makes
sense that they’d work the same way. They’re not so different
from us.
For the Sanctified, a miracle is a way of inviting God’s wrath
into the world. The ritualist is a vessel for something greater
than herself, a conduit of His will. If her cause wasn’t just, she
wouldn’t receive the blessing, and the mere fact a ritual works
at all is proof positive that Witnesses are right and, in time, God
will usher in their Kingdom of Night.
Systems
Ritual Disciplines allow vampires to extend the powers of the
Blood beyond themselves and force them onto the surrounding
world. Each dot has numerous associated rituals rather than
a discrete effect.
The following systems supplant the Ritual Discipline rules
starting on p. 150 of Vampire: The Requiem Second Edition.
All previously published rituals are compatible with this
system: Ignore references to target successes, and all resisted
rituals become contested, applying Blood Potency to the listed
resistance Attribute. Experience costs for blood sorcery dots
and rituals are the same as those listed in Vampire (p. 84).
Veneficium dots and procedures cost the same number of
Experiences as Crúac dots and rites.
Sacrifice and Request
Each ritual involves a sacrifice and a request.
The sacrifice is the material and spiritual cost of the ritual,
which varies depending on which form of sorcery the vampire
is practicing.
Supernatural methods of tracking or locating her trigger a
Clash of Wills. If the vampire has any dots in Fame, she loses
that Merit upon gaining this Fenestra.
Unbound
Untouchables have an uncanny ability to escape anything
that could entrap them, be it chains, locks, ropes, or more exotic
restraints. The Stranger can automatically slip any mundane
bindings and bypass any normal lock with an instant action.
If she’s bound by mystical means, or facing a bewitched lock,
this triggers a Clash of Wills. This Fenestra does nothing to
escape a grapple, however.
The request is a ritual component of the casting, the ecstatic
dancing or holy chanting she performs to appease the gods.
This is represented by the player’s roll. Requests are resolved as
instant actions, but by default, they take one narrative hour to
enact. The player can halve that period for every two Discipline
dots her character has above the required level. For example,
a one-dot effect takes a five-dot sorcerer about fifteen minutes
to cast, and a three-dot ritual takes half an hour, but four- or
five-dot rituals always take an hour.
Defense does not apply during casting, and if the vampire
is interrupted in any way, all resources are wasted unless she
accepts the Stumbled Condition (Vampire, p. 306). She can
only do so once per ritual; any further interruptions result in
failure. For bookkeeping purposes, the player spends the sac-
rifice first, but her roll comes at the end of the request period.
Potency
Some rituals have a Potency trait through which the sorcerer
can improve the degree of her ritual’s effect in various ways. By
default, Potency is one. To increase this trait, the ritualist’s player
must take a cumulative –2 modifier to her dice pool for each level
of increased Potency. She must be able to roll at least one real die
(i.e., not a chance die) or else she cannot increase Potency further.
Fast Casting
A vampire can try to perform a ritual instantaneously, but
such recklessness means she can’t apply her Discipline dots
to the request roll, and Potency can’t be raised. Furthermore,
she must accept a particular Condition: Practitioners of
Theban Sorcery must take Mission, and a ritualist casting the
Veneficium takes Indebted (p. 273).
This overreach must be declared before the request is rolled.
If the action fails, the character gains none of the benefits and
must still accept the corresponding Condition. Furthermore,
she treats the casting as a dramatic failure.
Defending Against Sorcery
Unless specified, the subject of a ritual does not need to be
present for it to take effect, though the sorcerer must know
the name they’re commonly known by (i.e., not an alias).
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 105
 The victim has a chance to shake this off, however, for the
touch of the sorcerer’s vampiric nature exposes her to her
intended victim.
• Hostile rituals are always contested actions.
• Through a sensation much like blood sympathy, vampires are
always aware when someone uses a ritual on them. Their Beasts
react to the ritualist’s sorcerous presence from the moment the
sacrifice is made until the ritual fails or succeeds. This applies
even to vampires in daysleep or torpor, although they can’t do
anything about it until they wake. Note that vampires don’t
know what a ritual does, just that one is taking place.
• Conscious victims may spend Willpower to increase their
contesting dice pool.
• Frenzying increases a victim’s dice pool as though she spent
Willpower, without requiring the expenditure.
• While the ritual is taking place, the victim increases his
blood sympathy to the ritualist by two ranks if he is of the
same clan, or gains it at “Thrice Removed” if he’s part of a
different clan.
Suggested Modifiers
Situation Modifier
The power applies to a vampire with
whom the ritualist already has blood
+1 to +3
sympathy. Crúac and the Veneficium
double this modifier.
The ritualist is rushed or distracted.
The penalty is cumulative with multiple −1 to −3
distractions.
The ritualist takes an additional hour
+1 to +3
to complete the request (+1 per hour).
The ritualist forgoes the time she would
save for casting a ritual at a higher +1 to +2
level, one for each step.
The ritualist prepares an elaborate rit-
+1 to +3
ual above the minimum sacrifice.
The ritualist successfully meditates
+1 to +3
before casting (bonus equal to med-
(Theban Sorcery
itation successes above the target, to
Only)
a limit of 3).
+ Size
The ritualist prepares a blood sacrifice
(Veneficium
or burnt offering of a living being.
Only)
The ritualist sacrifices more Vitae than +1 to +3
required (bonus equal to excess Vitae). (Crúac Only)
Theban Sorcery
Theban Sorcery is the Ritual Discipline of the Lancea
et Sanctum. The Witnesses say Saint Daniel, one of the
Monachus’s followers, was guided by an angel to discover these
miracles beneath the city of Thebes in Egypt. While similar to
the Lord’s holy works in the Bible, many Propinqui, especially
106 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Conversions
If you want to use this system with the
specialized blood sorceries of various bloodlines
and minor covenants in the modern All Night
Society, the following Conditions apply to making
the ritual instantaneous:
• Gilded Cage (False Gods: Ventrue, p. 136):
Megalomania — The pure genius of the
Monolith overwhelms you. Whenever you fail a
contested or resisted roll against someone you
perceive to be an inferior or with lower Kindred
Status, lose a Willpower. This Condition fades
without resolving in a number of nights equal
to the invocation’s dot level.
• Kimiya (Dark Eras 2, p. 143) and Lithopedia
(Strange Shades: Mekhet, p. 30): As per Crúac.
• Therion (Dark Eras 2, p. 344): As per Theban
Sorcery.
of Egyptian stock, say the Atheists stole these rites from the
native dead, and pagan Mekhet warn that one night there will
be a full accounting.
Systems
Sacrifice: Miracles require a sacrament, a sacrificial object
the ritualist dedicates to God to empower the ritual. Once she
completes the request, the sacrament falls to dust unless other-
wise noted. In addition, the vampire must spend a Willpower
point to focus her mind.
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Academics + Theban Sorcery
Action: Instant or contested; one hour of effort
Duration: Per miracle
Roll Results
Success: A miracle occurs, however small. The vampire gains
the benefits provided by the ritual.
Exceptional Success: The Witness’s soul, or whatever passes
for it, aligns with God’s will, allowing her to act as His savagely
divine agent. She can take the Raptured Condition or halve
the time it took to cast the ritual (rounding down).
Failure: The vampire’s need for divine intervention is
found wanting.
Dramatic Failure: The vampire’s efforts are rebuked, and
she knows God has abandoned her in this time of need. She
takes the Humbled Condition.
Miracles
All Theban Sorcery miracles described in Vampire: The
Requiem (p. 153) and other supplements are available to the
Sanctified of Rome. However, the following rituals are enacted
differently compared with their modern counterparts, with
Witness gatherings hoping for divine intervention turning
into ecstatic, frenzied services where all are expected to get in
touch with their nature as holy predators.
 Final Repose (•)
Sacrament: One treasured belonging of the deceased
Duration: Indefinite
This solemn ritual may only be performed on a deceased
human or ghoul. Its usage is controversial even among the
Sanctified, some of whom fear it will prevent God from reviving
the lost on Judgment Day.
If successful, the dead will remain dead. They will not leave a
ghost; cannot be posthumously Embraced, possessed, or revived
through any means; and cannot rise as revenants. Any attempts
to supernaturally tamper with the corpse or view their last
moments fail automatically. The ritualist instinctively knows
if someone attempted to do so and may spend a Vitae to track
them as though she had tasted their blood.
The Spider’s Web (•)
Sacrament: Assorted insects and other vermin, burnt along
with incense
Duration: One lunar month
Jewish folklore tells that King David, pursued by Saul, took
shelter in a cave. To prevent his pursuers from finding him,
God sent a humble spider to save him by weaving its web over
the entrance of the cave, convincing Saul that no one could
have entered without breaking the threads of silk.
Often used to protect their meager holdings, this ritual pro-
vides the ritualist and all present at the ritual the benefits of
Safe Place equal to Potency. If used in an area already designated
as a Safe Space, the penalty for others to find it doubles, though
it does not increase the bonuses from traps.
Cephalophore (••)
Sacrament: The tooth of a dead, baptized Christian
Duration: Nights equal to Potency
There are tales of martyrs who continued to preach the Word
even after death. In a similar vein, this ritual ensures the truth
will never die, even as immortal flesh might.
The sorcerer must speak a factually true statement upon fin-
ishing the ritual. The beneficiary, who need not be conducting
the ritual, gains a +2 to any Expression rolls using the spoken
word. If they die before the ritual’s effects end, then whatever
statement the sorcerer spoke during the ritual will be immedi-
ately transmitted into the minds of all people, whether mortal
or supernatural, within a two-kilometer radius of the corpse.
They intuitively understand the statement is true. All affected
people suffer the Stunned Tilt and a point of bashing damage.
Clay Sparrows (••)
Sacrament: Clay mixed with fresh human blood
Duration: Nights equal to Potency
It’s said that God knows when a sparrow falls, but it certainly
doesn’t hurt for the Sanctified to have a few extra eyes on them.
This ritual creates two bird-shaped amulets that must be given
to two separate parties. They will remain enchanted for the
duration. Both functionally have a single Health box.
An amulet will activate when its holder takes at least one
level of damage from someone attacking them, regardless of
type. The amulet comes to life, singing loudly and pecking the
attacker. It isn’t capable of dealing any real damage, but it’s an
irritating distraction that imposes a –2 modifier on any further
acts of aggression on behalf of the attacker. The sparrow will
continue to pester the aggressor until it is destroyed or at the
end of the scene. Targeting it incurs a –5 modifier. In either
case, it will crumble into a pile of dust.
The other amulet also comes to life and flies toward its other
half, leading its wearer to the other amulet.
Jacob’s Ladder (•••)
Sacrament: A cord of woven copper
Duration: Nights equal to Potency
The vampire metaphysically ascends into God’s Kingdom,
gaining knowledge of what could have been hers but is forever
out of reach. It might inspire her to become something greater
than she is, but she’ll always be a divine monster at her core.
Once per night, when acting in accordance with her Mask
to refill Willpower, the subject gains the Steadfast Condition.
Furthermore, if she has fulfilled her Mask, she may ignore
any frenzy triggers outright for the rest of the scene. However,
any act that would fulfill her Dirge inflicts the Demoralized
Condition (p. 272).
Micah’s Hope (•••)
Sacrament: A nail driven into the palm of the beneficiary
Duration: Scene (when triggered)
It’s a fact of death that the Sanctified are often put to the
sword by Propinqui and mortals alike. Those who know they’re
soon to walk in the shadow of Final Death are blessed with this
rite. The beneficiary need not be the ritualist himself.
This miracle grants no effect until the beneficiary faces some-
one who intends to cause them serious harm. The assailant must
attack first, and upon doing so, the subject regains all Willpower,
a +1 to all Power Attributes (including derived traits), and ignored
wound penalties, after which, the ritual ends.
Quelling the Storm (•••)
Sacrament: A vial of seawater no more than an hour removed
from its collection
Duration: Until the subjects reach their destination or a
week, whichever comes first.
The forces of nature are nothing to the truly faithful, for
there is no power greater than God.
So long as they travel without rest, bar the necessity of
daysleep, the ritualist and a number of beneficiaries equal to
Potency may ignore the ill effects of one type of Environmental
Tilt and any secondary effects of it. For example, if they were
to travel across a desert where the High Winds Tilt is in place,
they would not take the Blinded Tilt from sand blowing in
their eyes. They do not suffer any Conditions or Tilts relating
to exhaustion for the duration of the ritual.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 107
 Ages Pass: Ancient vs. Modern Blood Sorcery
The Blood isn’t resistant to change, and sorcery is just another expression of its power, as much as adherents want
to believe their rituals are blessings from the gods/God.
The needs of Kindred evolve. Sea travel becomes less deadly with GPS, and thus Neptune’s Embrace falls to the
wayside. The Sanctified no longer have their backs against the wall in the modern nights, and without the need to
make the ultimate sacrifice to prove their faith, The Martyr’s Miracle is lost to the ages. If the need is strong enough
to regain these powers, there might be some fragmented records remaining of how to perform them, but piecing
these ancient practices back together would take quite a bit of research.
But it’s more than just what the Kindred need — it’s what they do that changes as well. After being banned by the
Sanctified, the Cult of Augurs’ remnants splinter with Rome’s fall, dividing into the cults the Empire of Night once bound
together into a whole. They revert to older practices that even few elders remember, falling into ecstatic, predatory
frenzies instead of the carefully measured formulae they thought would communicate their will to their gods. Those
instead are passed down, and the Kindred start to remember a more primordial way of doing things, a dark secret
taught beneath the crescent moon.

This ritual cannot affect the same group or individuals more
than once at a time.
Blighting the Fig Tree (••••)
Sacrament: The branch of a barren, fruit-bearing tree
Duration: Night
Time and time again, the Lord salts the lands of His ene-
mies. Hunger, after all, is the force that will turn all so-called
reasonable creatures into mere beasts.
The ritualist curses a two-kilometer radius around him. Upon
doing so, unnatural hunger sets into all living and unliving
beings in the area. Vampires must resist frenzy with a penalty
equal to Potency, and they require four Vitae rather than one
to wake from daysleep. Mortals must eat twice as much food
to feel sated at all.
Rebuking the Brazen Bull (••••)
Sacrament: A golden statue of a bull
Shadrach, Mesach, and Abdenego were delivered from a
torturous death by fire as repayment for their devotion to the
Lord. The Kindred might not be so pure, but they can still gain
a fraction of that blessing. This ritual may include a number of
vampires or ghouls equal to the miracle’s Potency times two. For
the rest of the night, the subjects cannot be damaged down to
their last three Health boxes by fire, nor can they be provoked
into fear frenzy by being exposed to it. They may divide any
damage taken by fire among each other as a reflexive action.
Casting Out Legion (•••••)
Sacrament: An assortment of gold, incense, and various
finery equaling five dots of Resources
Contested: by Resistance + Rank/Shadow Potency
Duration: Indefinite
As the Messiah drove the legion of demons into a herd of
swine, so can the Sanctified cleanse the world of the Birds of
Dis and, perhaps, even stranger beings… at a cost, of course.
After all, the world is imperfect; its people fall far short of the
sublime embodiment of God’s only begotten Son, and His
Kingdom is yet to come.
This ritual binds an ephemeral entity into a physical object
crafted by the ritualist. The sorcerer must be within the crea-
ture’s immediate presence. It is held there until the item breaks,
if ever. However, it isn’t so easy to contain the unfathomable
power of wicked spirits. Wherever the item might be stored, it
blights the land around it. Plants around it rot, then the soil
blackens, and food spoils in its presence. Animals who spend
too much time in its presence mutate in subtle ways, their
eyes turning jaundice-yellow, or fur clumping into feather-like
growths. Humans who spend more than a day around it regain
all Willpower from indulging their Vices and only one from
following their Virtues.
This blighting effect is negated if the ritualist carries the
vessel on her person, but she hears the voice of the bound entity
in her head whenever it chooses to speak. It is unlikely to be
very pleased about its imprisonment.
If the vessel is ever destroyed, the prisoner is released.
The Martyr’s Miracle (•••••)
Sacrament: The ritualist
Duration: Night
Those who perform the ultimate sacrifice this ritual
demands are sure to be plucked from Final Death when the
Last Sunrise ends.
This miracle cannot be used on any other subject but the
ritualist herself; its benefits are reserved only for the most
devoted Witnesses. Unlike most miracles, it will not immedi-
ately consume the sacrament, as that comes later. However, at
sunrise, should she find no worthy foe to use it against, the
ritual ends and she takes the Humbled Condition for daring
to ask such a great favor of God without using it.
If the ritualist does find an appropriate moment, usually
when facing certain death, she may choose to prematurely
end the ritual. Should she do so, she dies immediately in a
blaze of holy fire. Anyone who was within about a meter of
her will take fire damage as though touching a Bonfire size
with a Torch intensity (Vampire, p. 103). She continues to
burn until sunrise, at which point, the fire gutters, leaving
not even ash behind.

108 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 The misfortune of those who dared to harm her doesn’t
end there. Anyone who she has a blood bond with is
immediately aware of her sacrifice and can choose to
arrive at her location at any point by stepping into the
nearest patch of shadow. So long as they actively pursue
her attackers, they gain all dots of the highest physical
Discipline the martyr had to a maximum of 5, a dot
of Blood Potency, and, if human, temporarily become
ghouls. This aspect of the rite ends after one lunar month
or when all those who would have harmed the martyr
are dead, whichever comes first.

The Veneficium
The Ritual Discipline of the Cult of Augurs, the
Veneficium (sometimes the Veneficia when referring to
its manifold canon) is unique to the Camarilla. Collating
countless pagan rites from the various dead residing in
the Italian Peninsula and beyond, the Vaticinators have
distilled prophecy and blood magic down to a science.
Other vampire societies practice similar magics, but they
are wilder rites, lacking the dogmatic methodology the
Fates have worked so hard to maintain.
The Veneficium is corrupting, occult, and pagan.
Like a slow-acting poison, it taints all it touches, sap-
ping the life from its victims with strange agonies and
stranger visions.
The Augurs have many ways to speak with the gods
using the Veneficium, augury being one of many. Indeed,
the wing’s common nickname is something of a misno-
mer. The first Prophets were indeed augurs like living
priestly officials, but as they codified the Veneficium,
augury became a secondary practice and, eventually, just
another ritual focus.
Systems
Sacrifice: One Vitae per dot of the procedure. The first
Vitae is spent by the caster as though fueling a Discipline.
Any remaining Vitae used must be spilled, and not neces-
sarily by the caster — mortal blood is insufficient until it
has been consumed by a vampire and turned into Vitae.
Vampire blood spilled during a procedure becomes inert
and unsuitable for feeding.
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Religion + Veneficium
Action: Instant or contested; one hour of effort
Duration: Per procedure
Roll Results
Success: The gods are appeased by the ritualist’s show
of devotion and permit him a fraction of their power.
Exceptional Success: The Prophet gains a glimpse
into the web of fate, and understanding his place in
it keeps his worst impulses in check. He can take the
Ecstatic Condition or halve the time it took to cast the
ritual (rounding down).

CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 109

 Failure: The ritualist’s request provides nothing more than
amusement for the gods.
Dramatic Failure: The ritualist does attain divine knowledge,
but like the hubristic heroes of yore, he’s reached too far. It is
not what he hoped for: It’s a vision of his own downfall. He
takes the Anagnorisis Condition (p. 272).
Procedures
These are just a sample of rituals practiced by the Cult of
Augurs. Many modern Crúac rites have their roots within
Rome, and thus they are available to Vaticinators as Veneficium
procedures. However, practitioners of the Veneficium may know
them by different names, usually relating to stories and deities
they would be familiar with and seek to channel through their
rituals. For example, Birthing the God (Secrets of the Covenants,
p. 186) might be known as Pygmalion’s Craft. See the chart below
for Roman names for rituals listed in Vampire: The Requiem.
That aside, the trappings of these sorceries are drastically
different, even if it’s certain blood will spill during a procedure.
The Veneficium is far more rigid and elaborate than Crúac, and
even its sacrifices are solemn affairs, controlled right down to
what the knife cutting the throat is made of. Vaticinators take
their bureaucracy very seriously, and an Acolyte would have
little in common with such systematic pedantry.
Crúac Rite Veneficium Procedure
Pangs of Proserpina Libera’s Hunger
Rigor Mortis Gorgon’s Touch
Cheval Eyes of Minerva
Hydra’s Vitae Blood of the Hydra
Arius’s Pursuit (•)
Duration: Night
The stallion Arius could never be caught. Not by mere mor-
tals, at least. But other beings of myth might be able to take a
fraction of that power. For the duration, the ritualist achieves
all benefits of an exceptional success on three successes rather
than five in a chase scene and is always considered to have the
Edge in a Chase (Chronicles of Darkness, p. 84). If not using
the Chase rules, then his first action to pursue someone or flee
from pursuers takes the Advantaged Action quality.
Gifts of the Divine (••)
Duration: Actions equal to Veneficium dots
The Augurs are dealers of good omens. If you’re willing
to pay, they can make sure the gods bless all your endeavors.
Sometimes Vaticinators also use this ritual to bless celebrations
and other undertakings.
The Vaticinator names a god and beseeches it to bless the
supplicant’s undertaking at one of its temples, making an
appropriate offering along with the sacrifice. For the dura-
tion, the subject gains the procedure’s Potency as a bonus
to a particular Skill. Alternatively, the subject can choose to
forgo this bonus to take the Advanced quality on this action,
but she can only do so once, and she must not have used the
die bonus yet.
Each god grants a different bonus to a particular Skill. This
list is not exhaustive, and the Storyteller and player can work
together to come up with other god–Skill combinations.
• Apollo: Archery
• Cybele: Occult

Deflection of Wooden Doom Fortuna’s Blessing • Dionysus: Socialize

Touch of the Morrigan Jupiter’s Wrath • Janus: Persuasion
Blood Price Saturn’s Tithe • Jupiter: Politics
Willful Vitae Blinding Cupid • Mars: Warfare
Blood Blight Curse of Echidna • Mercury: Subterfuge
Feeding the Crone Typhon’s Maw
• Venus: Expression
Arianna’s Thread (•) • Vesta: Religion
Duration: Night • Vulcan: Crafts
If a mere human can find his way through a treacherous This ritual cannot be used on unwilling subjects, but it
labyrinth with a simple spool of thread, surely the wicked dead cannot be resisted once they consent.
can do the same with less.
Upon completing this ritual, the sorcerer must name a Neptune’s Embrace (••)
location she wishes to reach. She cannot lose her way for the Contested: by Resolve + Blood Potency
duration of the ritual and is immune to any effect that would Duration: As per Adrift
bestow the Lost Condition.
The sea is treacherous. It’s common for someone traveling
If any supernatural effects in place would cause her to go across it to never make it back to land, so this ritual remains
astray or obfuscate the location, she gains the 8-again quality a favorite weapon of the Fates. The victim of this ritual gains
on any Clash of Wills. She knows the fastest way to the loca- the Adrift Condition (p. 272) when they are in open water with
tion she’s named on foot, but not any of the obstacles that no land in sight.
might stand in her way.

110 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Crúac
While Crúac isn’t practiced in Rome (that any Romans know of), it finds a firm foothold in the All Night Society after
the fall of the Camarilla. If you want to use this updated blood sorcery system for Crúac in a modern chronicle, apply
the systems for the Veneficium with the following changes:
Success: The monstrous power the Acolyte worships creeps into the world, and the effects of the rite take place.
Exceptional Success: The Beast delights in the mystical savagery of the ritual. The ritualist takes the Ecstatic Condition
or can halve the time it took to cast the ritual, rounding down.
Failure: The strength of the Blood falters. The ritualist gains no benefits.
Dramatic Failure: The rite succeeds only in rousing the Beast, and now it wishes to run free. The ritualist takes the
Tempted Condition.
If the vampire wishes to perform the rite instantly, they take the Exposed Condition (p. 272).

Apollonian Sight (•••) Torment of Tantalus (••••)

Contested: by Stamina + Blood Potency for the first person
the ritualist strikes
Duration: Night
Extispicy is a time-honored method of learning the future,
and the Vaticinators do love a blood sacrifice. When you’re
willing to give up something greater than just a simple beast of
the field, you’ll find even greater knowledge is waiting for you.
The night the ritualist performed this rite, she must harm
someone within their last three Health boxes with lethal damage.
If so, she gains the Informed Condition on Investigation rolls for
both the target and their closest blood relative, usually a sire or
childer for a vampire, or a parent or child for a mortal.
Stymphalian Bird (•••)
Duration: Nights equal to Potency
Nothing is more valuable for a sorcerer than a faithful famil-
iar. When one can’t be found, you may as well make your own.
Before conducting this rite, the ritualist must create a statue
of an animal using Wits + Crafts. The statue comes to life at
the end of the ritual and henceforth exists as a conduit for the
powers of the gods, benefiting both the ritualist and anyone
they have a blood bond to, regardless of the direction. All
blood sorcery rituals for which the familiar is present enjoy a
+3 modifier. In addition, once per night, anyone who benefits
from the familiar may instead choose to make a ritual instan-
taneous without taking the Indebted Condition.
Journey of Orpheus (••••)
Duration: One lunar month
Death cannot be defeated. Hades will always have his due.
But you can cheat him — just a little bit.
This ritual requires the body of someone who has died within
the past lunar month and who has not left a ghost. The ritualist
performs a passion play, acting out the last moments of the
deceased’s life, which she must have a rough sense of. Upon
completion, she takes a fragment of the deceased’s psyche into
herself. She learns one secret the corpse kept to himself, and
five dots worth of Skills he had in life. She may access these
Skills at any point in time for the Duration.
Contested by: Resolve + Blood Potency
Duration: As per Fixation
The gods may task mortals with labors they’re doomed to
never accomplish. So too can the Kindred. The victim of this
ritual gains the Fixation Condition (p. 273). Before casting the
rite, the vampire may spend a point of Willpower to also over-
write an existing Aspiration with one of her choosing instead.
Arrow of Tartarus (•••••)
Duration: Indefinite until used
This procedure is the Vaticinator equivalent of a nuclear
option. It’s never spoken of directly and only used in times of
war or other existential threats, used to blight the herds of enemy
dead. Even then, its chances of backfiring are enormous.
The ritualist spreads the sacrifice over a piercing weapon.
Once complete, the object turns an unnatural, void black, and
the Vitae covering it becomes viscous and hot to the touch. If
this weapon strikes a mortal, they suffer a terrible degenerative
disease, such as leprosy, cholera, or scarlet fever. There is no
resistance. This disease’s severity is equal to Potency, and it
spreads as easily as the mundane form. Furthermore, even if
vampires wouldn’t normally be carriers, any Kindred who feed
from infected subjects will spread the disease to their victims
until they purge all Vitae from their systems.
Pelian Spear (•••••)
Duration: Indefinite
One of the Augur’s most viciously guarded secrets is the
power to not merely contain the wraiths and wicked spirits that
bedevil the Propinqui but to destroy them permanently — if
one is willing to pay the price.
As part of the sacrifice, the ritualist must cut off one of
his limbs. He then flays and ritually cleanses the remaining
bone before sharpening it into a point. That bone will then
act as a bane to the first ephemeral being it strikes, becoming
attuned to only that spirit. From that moment forward, it
can strike that entity even in a Twilight state. After the being
is damaged in its last Health box, both it and the bone are
destroyed permanently.

CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 111

 War
Warfare is an essential skill for the Propinqui, and this
section has all the tools you need to wage it in Requiem for
Rome, including equipment, tactics, and rules for conflicts
between armies.
Archaic Weapons
and Armor
The charts below supplement the weapons and armor
described in Vampire: The Requiem Second Edition. Apart
from anachronistic materiel (firearms, Kevlar, etc.), most of the
equipment there fits in an Ancient Roman chronicle or can be
converted with an artful name change.
Note that Availability is a bit more abstract than in the
modern era. In the early Republic, soldiers had to bring
their personal weapons, whereas they were outfitted by their
generals in the Empire. The same was true of the Camarilla,
with Legionaries being provided arms by the state and smaller
personal guards and mercenaries using their own arms.
Legionary Equipment
A typical Roman legionary (and Camarilla Soldier) gains the
following equipment:
• Gladius: A short sword.
• Pila: One pilum for throwing, the other for close combat.
• Pugio: A wide dagger (use knife traits on p. 180 of Vampire).
• Scutum: A tall shield used in formation fighting. Earlier sol-
diers used clipei (round shields), which were more durable in
general but less protective against archers and other projectiles.
• Armor: A helmet, manicae (arm protectors), and sometimes
greaves. Chest armor depends on the era: Default to lorica
lamminata in the late Republic and early Empire (segmented
armor). Lamminata was cheaper and lighter than lorica hamata
(chainmail) but had worse coverage and required maintenance.
Later soldiers wore lorica squamata (scale mail), especially in
the east. Greaves were more common in the Republic, typically
covering only one leg, with the other limb being protected by
a scutum.
Sagittarius Equipment
Sagittarii (archers) gain the same equipment as other legion-
aries but without a scutum or pila. Their tapered helmets also
differ from the galea style of formation soldiers, but they have
the same traits. About two-thirds of archers were foot soldiers,
and the other third were mounted.
Typically, archers were armed with composite bows. However,
some used arcuballistae, crossbows similar to Greek belly bows.

Melee Weapons
Type Damage Initiative Strength Size Cost Tags
Clipeus +2 −2 3 3 •• Shield
Cestus +1 −1 1 1 • Brawl
Falx +2 −4 3 3 ••• Two-Handed, Armor-Piercing 2
Gladius +2 −2 1 2 •
Net +2 −2 2 4 • Grapple
Scutum* +2 −4 3 4 ••• Shield
Staff +1 −1 2 4 • Knockdown
Trident† +3 −3 3 4 •• Two-Handed; Reach

Armor-Piercing: Subtract the weapon’s armor-piercing rating from the target’s armor rating (ballistic first, then general).
Brawl: Attacks use Brawl instead of Weaponry.
Grapple: Add the weapon’s damage rating to your dice pool when grappling.
Knockdown: Double the weapon bonus for the purposes of the Knockdown Tilt.
Reach: Grants the wielder +1 Defense against opponents using weapons of smaller Size (including unarmed attacks). This
bonus doesn’t apply while grappling; instead, the weapon (if it can be used at all) inflicts a −1 modifier to grapple actions.
Shield: A character who wields a shield but doesn’t use it to attack can add its Size to her Defense and applies Size as
a concealment modifier against ranged attacks.
Two-Handed: This weapon requires two hands. It can be used one-handed, but doing so increases the Strength
requirement by 1.
* Scuta are cumbersome and hard to move in close combat; treat the shield’s Size as 3 against melee weapons.
† Can be thrown.

112 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Ranged Weapons
Type Damage Ranges Initiative Strength Size Availability Tags
Arcuballista +4 40/75/150 −5 3 3 ••• Armor-Piercing 1
Composite Bow +3 40/75/150 −3 2 4 ••
Pilum +2 Thrown −2 2 4 • Armor-Piercing 1*
Plumbata +1 Thrown −2 2 1 •†
Self-Bow +2 30/60/120 −2 2 3 •
Sling +0 20/40/80 −1 1 1 •

* Used as a melee weapon, a pilum has the Reach tag.

† For a set of ten plumbatae.

Armor
Type Rating Strength Defense Speed Availability Coverage
Galea* 2/1 1 −1 +0 •• Head
Greaves 1/1 1 +0 +0 • Legs
Lorica Hamata 3/1† 3 −2 −3 ••• Torso, Arms
Lorica Lamminata 2/2 3 −2 −2 •• Torso
Lorica Squamata 3/2 3 −3 −3 ••• Torso
Manicae 1/1 1 +0 +0 • Arms

* Wearing a galea (helmet) confers a −1 to sight- and hearing-based Perception rolls.

† 2/1 against blunt-force damage.

Battles
The following section contains rules for large-scale battles
FORMATION
between formations of soldiers.
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3, Strength
Unless otherwise noted, these systems work using the usual 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Presence 2, Manipulation 2,
rules for violent scenes in Vampire: The Requiem. Composure 3
Formations General Dice Pools: Positioning 5, Taunts 4, Never
The system below is written from the perspective of forma- Surrender 4
tion combat, but it works fine for gangs of less formal antago- Combat Dice Pools: Shield Combat 4, Swords and
nists. Indeed, soldiers don’t have to be grouped in formation to Spears 7, Throwing 5
use these rules, though they also wouldn’t be able to perform Initiative: 6
any tactics (p. 115).
Defense: 6
Traits Willpower: 3
Use the sample traits below for an average formation, adjust- Size: 5
ing as you see fit. Apply any necessary weaponry and armor as
needed (see above for examples). Speed: 11
These traits also work for individual soldiers who break off
Cooperative Actions
from the group to engage in single combat. However, since
formations don’t track Health (see below), treat a lone soldier’s Resolve the formation’s action as a single roll using the
Health trait as 8. traits above. Each soldier in formation past the first grants a
+2 modifier if the action is within their usual purview (that

CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 113

 is, war). If they’re doing something out of the ordinary for a
formation of soldiers, the modifier is +1, and if they’re out
of their depth, it’s +1 for every two soldiers (rounding up).
Formations can make all-out attacks as per the usual rules.
Player characters and major Storyteller characters who are
part of a formation act on their own initiatives and use their
own dice pools in mass-combat scenes, benefiting from any
bonuses from tactics. They make their own attacks against
opponents, including against other formations, and are not
counted among the formation’s collective Health. They’re
more important to the story, so they get more to do.
Player characters acting in their own formation act as usual,
but they gain access to tactics, if relevant.
Collective Health
Any successful attack dealing bashing damage greater than
the formation’s Stamina, or any amount of lethal or aggravated
damage, takes one soldier out of the fight. This works the
same as being Beaten Down (Vampire, p. 175). If the soldiers
are immune to Beaten Down (for example, ghouls), every two
successful attacks of this nature take a soldier out of the fight.
Area-affecting attacks, such as from Devotions or Merits,
can eliminate multiple soldiers at once, and abilities that
impose Tilts or Conditions take out a soldier every time
(or every second time) at the Storyteller’s discretion. The
formation doesn’t suffer wound penalties or Personal Tilts,
but Environmental Tilts work as usual.
Blood Potency and Disciplines
Formations primarily made up of ghouls have Blood
Potency 1 and three Physical Discipline dots. Formations of
Kindred gain Blood Potency 2 and five Physical Discipline
dots. The Storyteller is free to adjust these traits as she sees
fit, but elders and other heavy hitters don’t typically fight
in formations: They lead them. If you want soldiers to use
more sophisticated Disciplines, create individual characters.
Because the formation is treated as having a collective
Health trait, to heal, it spends Vitae to negate damage from
attacks. Aggravated damage cannot be healed in battle.
Subdivisions
A commander can divide a formation into subdivisions
before its turn so it can take multiple types of actions. For
example, against a couple of Gangrel berserkers, a group of
twelve could split into two groups of six to deal with both
vampires individually. If two groups take the same action
(i.e., attacking the same target), they merge once again. Split
formations draw from the same Vitae and Willpower pools.
Morale
When a formation suffers an attack that deals an excep-
tional success, the controlling player must make a morale
roll of Resolve + Composure. On a failure, panic makes
waves through the ranks, and the Storyteller rolls a die and
halves the result, rounding up: this is how many troops are
knocked over in the chaos or lose their nerve. The formation

114 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

loses that many troops on its next attack, and it cannot use a
formation tactic. On a dramatic failure, a catastrophic blow to
morale causes these soldiers to either die or flee. If the formation
includes Kindred, some may frenzy.
As with frenzy, the formation can spend Willpower to prevent
losing its nerve for a turn. When it comes time to roll, it gains
each spent Willpower as a one-die bonus to its morale roll.
Formation Versus Formation
When two armies clash, the bonus for actions is calculated
based on the difference between the two groups. For example,
if a group of twelve were facing a group of ten, the former would
only gain a +4 bonus to its attacks, whereas the latter would
gain none at all. The Storyteller can decrease the bonus to +1
if she feels that the small group outmatches the larger in some
fundamental way (a gang of ghouls versus mortals, for instance).
Battle Plans
Once a group outnumbers another by enough, the battle
isn’t going to last long. But that’s why you fight smart, not hard.
Battle plans are extended actions before the fighting takes
place, with the commander’s player rolling Intelligence +
Warfare. The base target is 5 successes, plus any modifiers based
on the chart below. The Storyteller determines the intervals for
each roll depending on the complexity and size of the battle.
Roll Results
Success: The commander’s strategy is sound. She gains her
Warfare dots as points she can spend on her troops during the
battle. She can spend these points in one of the following ways:
• Negate an Environmental Tilt for a turn.
• Move them at double their full Speed and have them attack
in the same action.
• Gain a +2 to Defense for the turn.
• Gain the 9-again quality on an attack.
• Gain a +3 on a morale roll.
• Set up a tactic as a reflexive action.
Exceptional Success: The usual effects of exceptionally
succeeding an extended action apply.
Failure: The die is cast. It’s up to the gods now.
Dramatic Failure: The commander grossly miscalculates.
Treat the first failure her forces suffer as a dramatic failure.
Suggested Modifiers
Situation Target Modifier
Low morale +1
Unfamiliar with the battlefield +2
Bad weather +2
Entering the field from a vulnerable +3
position
Enemy is a significantly larger force +5
Scale
If you’re operating on a scale of hundreds or
dozens, apply the usual attack bonus for every
ten soldiers in the group. The number of soldiers
eliminated by attacks may also need to be adjusted
— five soldiers per bashing damage, for example.
While some individual characters can take on
whole legions, generally speaking, a big enough
army can crush even an elder vampire, and that’s
a case where you don’t really need to roll any dice.
Tactics
The legions train to dominate the battlefield, and each
formation is designed for a specific purpose. Together, they
are a toolkit for victory. To use these tactics, a character must
have a Formation Tactics Specialty in Warfare. Furthermore,
these techniques do not work outside of a formation. Only one
tactic may be used at a time, and unless otherwise stated, each
requires an instant action to set up. All the following tactics are
available to living and dead Roman soldiers, but other forces
may have access to a smattering of similar tactics.
IACITE PILA!
The legionaries throw their pila. Enemies subtract 2 from
Defense, unable to easily escape the deadly wave of projectiles.
Using this tactic means the soldiers must take a turn to rearm
unless they have the Quick Draw Merit (p. 103). In mass com-
bat, assume that a formation will have to take a turn to rearm
unless the Storyteller decides otherwise.
CIRINGITE FRONTEM!
Trained to hold position, a legionary rebuffs enemy attacks.
The player rolls Strength + Weaponry + 2 against each attacker
in a turn. Success applies the Knocked Down Tilt (Chronicles
of Darkness, p. 285). However, the character loses his Defense
when performing this maneuver. If he applies Defense before it
comes to his action in the turn, he cannot use this technique.
CONTENDITE VESTRA SPONTE!
In a powerful assault, the legionaries unleash a wave of
attacks. If a character in this formation scores a successful hit
with her melee weapon on an adversary, she may benefit from
the position of her fellow soldiers, pushing her target directly
into another’s blade, or otherwise maximizing the benefit of
her attack. This capitalization requires no additional roll; the
adversary takes one additional damage for every other soldier
in the formation, to a maximum of +5.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 115
 This tactic does not require an instant action to set up, but
to participate, each soldier involved must spend a Willpower
point before she makes her initial attack. The Willpower does
not grant the usual +3. If the attack roll fails, the Willpower is
wasted, and the bonus does not apply to her attack (although
her participation may still be counted toward the bonus of
another soldier’s attack in the formation).
CUNEUM FORMATE!
This fast-moving wedge breaks enemy lines. The character’s
dice pool suffers a –2 modifier, but her weapon’s damage rating
gains a +2. In addition, the enemy suffers the Cowed Condition
(p. 272) against every soldier in the formation until resolved.
ORBEM FORMATE!
The legionaries form a tight circle with archers amidst and
behind them to act as fire support. Anyone within the circle
gains a +1 to Defense against melee and ranged attacks for
every soldier in the circle, to a maximum of +5. For every three
soldiers in the formation, one person benefits from this bonus.
The character or characters being protected cannot participate
in combat, or else they lose the benefit of this defense.
REPELLERE EQUITES!
To repel cavalry attacks, the legionaries form a square and
use their spears to strike at approaching riders. The soldiers
gain +2 Defense against mounted combatants, and each attack
against the horse strips two levels of Defense from the horse
instead of one. However, the legionaries suffer –2 Defense
against non-mounted combatants and throwing weapons, as
their mobility is hampered by the formation.
TESTUDO FORMATE!
All soldiers overlap and raise their shields. Each gains +2
Defense but can’t attack. Reduce Speed by half, rounding down.
Beasts of Burden
Humans and vampires aren’t the only combatants in war.
Horses
That Romans revere horses is something of an understate-
ment. One even became a senator. The Empire’s riding tech-
niques are unmatched, taking all the best from the various
peoples they conquer, and they study as many as seventeen
specializations for different kinds of equestrian service. Notably,
horses are primarily used for war, hunting, and charioteering,
with relatively little use in agriculture.
116 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Use the following traits for an average horse. If a player
invests Merit dots into such an animal (e.g., with Retainer),
the Storyteller and player can adjust these traits as they see fit,
depending on the Merit’s rating.
HORSE
Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 3, Resolve 3, Strength
5, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5, Presence 3, Manipulation 1,
Composure 2
Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl (Kicking) 1, Survival 2
Initiative: 5
Defense: 7
Health: 12
Willpower: 5
Size: 7
Speed: 19 (species factor 12)
Special: Horses can lift four times as much as a human
with comparable Strength and Athletics.
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Dice Pool
Bite +0B 5
Hoof +2B* 6
* A successful strike from a horse’s hoof inflicts the Knocked
Down Tilt (Chronicles of Darkness, p. 285).
Elephants
Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants is one of the most
enduring images of the Second Punic War, both for the awe
they inspired and the devastation they wrought. In the ancient
world, many different breeds and subspecies were used as war
elephants. The Seleucids and various states of India and China
used Asian elephants, while the Carthaginians used the North
African elephant, which was smaller, couldn’t swim, and was
more difficult to train. Sadly, their overuse by humans led to
their extinction by the beginning of the 2nd century CE.
The Romans also used war elephants, likely taking a few point-
ers (and actual elephants) from the Carthaginians. War elephants
were widely used by Rome up to the time of Julius Caesar, after
which they were mostly implemented on an individual basis.
War elephants are exceptional animals, and the following
special rules apply to their use:
The High Ground
A war elephant can support up to four people, though two is
less harmful to its spine. Riders can be archers, javelin throwers,
or just spear-stabbers. This applies a +1 modifier to the riders’
attack pools and a –2 to most melee attacks against them.
Carthage and Rome also mounted turrets on their elephants,
providing cover for the riders (Partially Concealed). Whether
North African elephants could support these structures is a mat-
ter of scholarly debate, but we suggest going with the rule of cool.
Bulky Creature
Elephants are enormous creatures, and while they’re swifter
than one might expect, smaller targets can dodge them with rel-
ative ease. However, if the beast does hit, it’s going to hurt. If an
elephant attacks a target of Size 7 or less, it suffers a 5-die penalty
to its attack dice pool. But, if the attack hits anyway, the victim
takes 3 additional bashing damage. Furthermore, elephants aren’t
agile. A war elephant may only apply its Defense to attacks on its
head or legs unless the attacker is Size 8 or higher.
Crush Underfoot
If a target of Size 7 or less can’t or won’t get out of the way,
add a +5 to the elephant’s attack as it crushes targets underfoot.
This inflicts lethal damage and stacks with the Bulky Creature
rule, effectively zeroing the die bonus in some cases.
Elephant Behavior
Elephants are very intelligent animals, but this instills them
with willfulness and a sense of self-preservation that makes
them hard to control. Some situations might spark unpredict-
able behavior, including abuse (or even memories of abuse),
musth (a periodic mating cycle in males), harm to a human or
animal friend, aggravated damage, etc. If any of these things
occur, roll the elephant’s Resolve + Composure. On a failure,
it will flee or attack the source of its anxiety.
Mass Slam
An elephant can trample multiple nearby targets with a
collective Size of 15. Roll the animal’s attack pool against each
target individually, but count the action as only one attack.
Morale
As Hannibal made his way through Europe, a not-insignifi-
cant portion of his victories came from the utter terror his ele-
phants inspired. Whenever a person or animal of Size 7 or less
sees a war elephant attack someone or approach with aggressive
Debate
Debates and speeches are an integral part of Roman politics,
no less so among the Roman dead. Rhetoric is an art all its
own, as evidenced by celebrated thinkers like Cicero, Seneca
the Elder, and even Julius Caesar himself.
The original Requiem for Rome sourcebook included a sys-
tem for debates in the Senex and Elysium. This was effectively
updated in Guide to the Night as a general system for social
combat, one with explicit connections to Ancient Roman vam-
pires. Guide to the Night thoroughly covers these mechanics,
and they’re an excellent stand-in for the First Edition mechanics.
However, if you don’t have access to that book or prefer
a more down-and-dirty process, use the following modified
version of Social maneuvering for debates.
intent, roll Resolve + Composure; this is a fear frenzy trigger
for vampires. If a target experiences a direct attack from a war
elephant (that is, not one of its riders), the roll is opposed by the
elephant’s Presence + Intimidation. If an animal victim has a
handler, roll the higher of the animal’s Resolve + Composure or
the human’s Presence + Animal Ken. On a failure, the creature
suffers the Shaken Condition related to any action where they
might attack, approach, or antagonize the elephant.
Trunk
An elephant’s trunk has an effective Strength of 4 and can
be used to bash or grab victims before the creature crushes or
gores them. The trunk is not subject to the Bulky Creature rule.
WAR ELEPHANT
Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 2, Resolve 3, Strength
9, Dexterity 2, Stamina 7, Presence 2, Manipulation 1,
Composure 3
Skills: Athletics (Running) 2, Brawl (Tusks) 3,
Intimidation 3, Survival 3
Initiative: 5
Defense: 4
Health: 22
Willpower: 6
Size: 15
Speed: 15 (species factor 6)
Armor: 2/1 (natural armor) or 4/1 (with worn armor;
–1 Dexterity, –1 Defense)
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Dice Pool
Tusk +1L 13
Trample +3B 12
The Audience
A debate isn’t about who’s right: It’s about who the crowd
thinks said it best. Thus, the target of the maneuver is the
audience, though it tends to keep abreast of its betters. The
crowd has base doors equal to those of the member with the
highest relevant Status. Otherwise, it’s whichever high-Status
character has the most doors if two or more have equal dots.
If no one has any relevant Status, it’s the highest Resolve/
Composure in the crowd.
However, one also can’t discount the whims of the masses.
The crowd has additional doors depending on its size. Size
here is relative to the context: a “minuscule” crowd in a local
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 117
 taberna might be a couple of inebriated sex workers, whereas a
minuscule crowd at the Assembly might be as many as twenty
vampires out of hundreds of Senecti.
Just as when an individual attempts to influence an entire
group using the usual rules, the Storyteller should also
determine three Aspirations, a Virtue, a Vice, and a relative
Integrity/Humanity score for the crowd.
Crowd Size Additional Doors
Minuscule +0
Small +1
Medium +2
Large +3
Massive +4
Colossal +5
Action
The maneuver is a series of contested actions between the
debaters. The players roll at the same time, although one
might go before the other narratively. Whoever wins opens a
door, and once all doors are open, whoever opened the most
wins the debate. In the event of a tie, apply a sudden-death
door and treat opening it as one more contested action. If it
becomes impossible for one side to open enough doors to win,
the debate ends early.
Winning the debate doesn’t mean every single person in
the crowd agrees with the victor, but the consensus is that the
winner presented their argument best.
Errata
Since the publication of Vampire: The Requiem Second
Edition, numerous new versions of the various Chronicles
of Darkness games have been released, and some of the
basic rules of the Storyteller System have been tweaked or
expanded. Since it was the first game released for the new
edition, Vampire has the most out-of-date system of these
gamelines, so we provide the following as a brief collection
of errata and clarifications.
These errata complement and replace any relevant rules or
language in Vampire: The Requiem or Blood and Smoke:
The Strix Chronicle. They also supplement the official FAQ
document, available online.
Storytelling
System Errata
The following errata apply to Vampire specifically, but they
are compatible with all Storytelling System games.
Advanced Actions
Some Chronicles of Darkness games use Advanced Actions,
which call for a player to roll a dice pool twice. An Advantaged
118 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Interval
Each roll represents a single exchange rather than a specific
timespan, which might be as short as a few one-liners flung
across the Assembly floor or as long as a pair of soliloquies.
The Storyteller and players define the context.
Impression
Impression levels are the audience’s collective views of each
debater, as determined by the Storyteller. Instead of set intervals
for each roll, the impression applies a modifier to a debater’s
dice pools; consult the table below.
Impression Modifier
Perfect +3
Excellent +2
Good +1
Average +0
Hostile −2
Forcing Doors
and Leverage
A debater cannot force the audience’s doors, but soft and hard
leverage apply depending on how gutsy they are: They might have
bribed the audience beforehand or threatened key members of
the crowd. Merits and other effects that automatically open doors
or otherwise apply to Social maneuvers also apply to debates.
Action takes the better of the two results, while a Disadvantaged
Action takes the worse of the two. Most Advanced Actions are
Advantaged unless stated otherwise.
Aspirations and Beats
Instead of after each chapter, characters replace resolved
Aspirations at the end of the scene. Furthermore, all Beats
are pooled, with the Storyteller distributing them evenly.
Remainders can be saved for the next chapter, or the troupe
can determine who earned extra. The troupe may still use
the “individual” Beats system, but all members of the troupe
should agree.
Clash of Wills
If a vampire is called upon to engage in a Clash of Wills
that does not involve a Discipline power, roll the most relevant
Attribute instead unless otherwise specified.
Contested Actions
Contested actions count the difference between successes
to determine the number of successes/exceptional successes,
and contested actions that result in a tie are rerolled until one
of the actors prevails.
 Meditation
A character can improve her chances of resisting a breaking
point by meditating. Meditation is an extended action with a
pool of Composure + Wits, target successes of 4, and an interval
of 30 minutes. After successfully meditating, the character gets
a +1 bonus to her next breaking point roll.
Once this bonus is used or the character sleeps, it disappears
and must be regained by meditating again.
Soothing music or relaxation tapes can provide a +1 to +2
equipment modifier. A dedicated meditation room, perhaps
in the character’s Safe Place, provides +3. Loud noises, an
uncomfortable environment, or lack of sleep inflict a –1 each.
Lack of food/Vitae inflicts a –1 to –3 modifier.
Merits
Add the following text to the Retainer Merit:
Additionally, a Retainer can have access to twice the Merit
dots in her own Merits. These are limited to Merits that don’t
create additional Storyteller Characters — your Retainer can’t
have a Retainer, who then has another Retainer, for example.
But he could have Resources, Status, or a Fighting Style Merit.
Violence
Aiming: If a character takes an instant action to aim carefully
at an opponent with a ranged weapon, the player enjoys a one-
die bonus to the attack roll when he fires on the next turn. A
character can aim for multiple turns in a row at the same target,
to a maximum of a three-die bonus. If a character applies his
Defense while aiming, he loses his accumulated bonus and must
start over. Aiming is incompatible with autofire.
Grappling: A character can move herself and her opponent
up to her Speed in distance in a grapple if she wins the con-
tested action, but the usual limits on acting and movement
apply, assuming she isn’t using a move like Drop Prone or
Restrain. She can also move at double her Speed if she does
not use a move. When a grapple is first initiated (i.e., the
turn before contested actions), the grappled character can
still take an instant action if they have lower initiative than
the grappler, though they cannot move. This must be within
reason, and the Storyteller can veto actions that don’t match
the circumstances.
Movement: A character can move, take an instant action,
and move again in a single action provided she doesn’t move
more meters than her Speed.
Requiem Errata
The following errata apply to Vampire: The Requiem
Second Edition.
Bloodlines
Banes: Bloodline banes work the same as clan banes, in
that the vampire gains hers when she drops to Humanity 6
after joining. She also gains it if she was at that Humanity
level when she joined.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 119
 Gifts: All bloodlines have a “bloodline gift.” A bloodline gift
is any benefit that can be purchased with Experiences, such as
a unique Discipline, Devotions, Merits, or Coils; an inherent
power gained upon joining; or a free trait (a Merit, Skill dots,
etc.) By default, gifts that can be purchased with Experiences are
exclusive to their bloodlines unless otherwise noted.
Updates: The first few bloodlines published for Vampire
Second Edition work slightly differently compared with those
of later supplements. If you want to conform these bloodlines
with the current system, make the following changes:
• Kerberos: The player must succeed a Humanity roll at the
beginning of each scene or the vampire loses the 10-again qual-
ity on all mundane and non-reflexive rolls against characters
who aren’t currently suffering from a Bestial Triad Condition.
• Khaibit: The vampire’s player must roll Humanity to avoid
being blinded by bright lights. Otherwise, the bane works
as written.
• Morbus: Limit the total Vitae a Morbus can take per night
from healthy mortals by her Humanity dots.
• Neglatu: The player must succeed a Humanity roll each time
the vampire wants to impose a blood bond. Furthermore,
the character gains a free choice of Celerity, Resilience, or
Vigor as her fourth favored Discipline.
Bestial Triad Conditions
References to “Bestial Triad Conditions” in sourcebooks
refer to Bestial, Competitive, and Wanton.
A character only gains immunity to these Conditions by
fulfilling their resolution criteria, not after they fade natu-
rally. However, immunity rules apply regardless of how the
character gained the Condition. If a vampire is immune to
these Conditions and would suffer one because of a breaking
point, the Storyteller has the option to apply Guilty or another
appropriate Condition (Shaken, Spooked, etc.)
Finally, Competitive only applies to contested actions, not
resisted ones or combat actions.
Disciplines
Celerity: A character who can no longer take their chosen
instant action in a combat turn because of Celerity’s interruption
effect loses their instant action for that turn, period. However, all
things being equal, they can still move and take reflexive actions.
Out-of-Clan Unique Disciplines: When learned out-of-clan,
Auspex, Dominate, Majesty, Nightmare, and Protean and other
unique clan Disciplines, such as Praestantia and Vitiate, require
teachers. The vampire must drink Vitae from a teacher with a
higher level of that Discipline, regardless of whether the teacher
has a clan or bloodline affinity for that power. The vampire can
learn as many dots of that Discipline as the original teacher had
at the time after a single drink. However, unless the teacher
had the maximum dots, the learner needs to find herself a
more skilled tutor to learn further levels and risk a new blood
bond, or potentially increase one to the original teacher if he
improved his rating.
120 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Vitae Expenditures: If a character does not have sufficient
Blood Potency to fuel a Discipline (or any other power) in a
single turn, she can use the preceding turns to start spending
the cost reflexively, up to her usual limit. On the turn she meets
the cost, she can activate the power as usual.
Devotions
Cross-Contamination: Instead of contesting the vampire’s
successes, onlookers must make a resisted instant action with
the same printed dice pool, penalized by the Discipline the
vampire used to activate the Devotion. If they return their gaze
to her, they must resist to look away again. Looking away does
not break the other effects of this Devotion.
Enfeebling Aura: Increase the prerequisites to Majesty ••
and Resilience ••.
Riot: Optionally, the Devotion also imposes the Riot Tilt
(p. 274) on the area for the scene if enough people are present
and affected by the vampire’s Devotion.
Touch of Deprivation: The dice pool is Intelligence +
Medicine + Obfuscate.
Feeding
The following clarifies the stages of violent feeding starting
on p. 94 of Vampire:
Step 1: The vampire successfully establishes a grapple with
an opponent.
Step 2: The vampire and her victim engage in a contested
action to control the grapple. If the vampire prevails,
she can apply the Damage move to bite her victim,
inflicting lethal wounds (including to vampires) equal
to successes and stealing a single Vitae point. The lost
Vitae inflicts an additional lethal damage on mortals
and comes directly from a Kindred victim’s pool. This
establishes a bite for the Feed move.
Step 3: On the next turn, assuming the grapple continues,
the vampire and victim enter into another contested
action. If the vampire wins, she can apply the Feed
move: She takes her successes in Vitae, capped by her
Blood Potency, and bestows the Scarred Condition
on mortal victims; she must pay a Willpower to inflict
that Condition on Kindred and other supernatural
beings. The Feed move inflicts damage equal to Vitae
stolen on human victims and draws directly from a
vampire’s Vitae pool; it applies no further damage to
Kindred. Repeat this step on subsequent turns unless
the victim prevails in the contested grappling action.
Ghouls
Blood Potency: If the scope of an effect is based on a ghoul’s
Blood Potency (normally 0) treat it as 1.
Devotions: Ghouls learn Devotions like vampires. As with
bloodline Disciplines, a ghoul can learn any bloodline gift that
can be purchased with Experiences, barring those that ghouls
specifically can’t purchase.
 Ritual Disciplines: Ghouls can learn and use Ritual
Disciplines if anyone’s willing to teach them. However, in the
case of Crúac and the Veneficium, they can only use one-dot
rituals without the aid of a vampire, as higher-level powers
require spilled Vitae to fuel the sacrifice.
Vitae Capacity: Ghouls do not apply Resilience to Stamina
when calculating how much Vitae they can hold.
Ghoul Families
The following clarifies and collects the rules relating to ghoul
families in Vampire: The Requiem and Half-Damned:
• Ghoul families come in two types: biological and social.
• Biological ghouls breed true, have natural lifespans of about
150 years, don’t age rapidly after gaining the Deprived
Condition, and can learn common Disciplines without
Kindred teachers. They retain their Disciplines even when
lacking Vitae. Biological ghouls are born with the Unseen
Sense: Vampires Merit.
• Social families are looser associations of humans and ghouls
who band together to achieve a goal or live under the thrall
of a single regnant. They have no special inherent qualities.
• Both family types have a common Touchstone attached at
Integrity 6, a Benefit, and a Drawback.
Torpor
Duration: The base duration of a vampire’s torpor is one week
only for Kindred with Humanity 10. The Humanity 9 value noted
at the top level of the chart on p. 105 of Vampire is a misprint.
Vitae: Providing a torpid vampire with blood that’s insuf-
ficient to wake her refills her Vitae pool, though she’s still
limited by her current Blood Potency feeding restrictions;
being in torpor means she cannot spend Willpower to process
“thinner” blood. She is not subject to any Vitae addiction
unless the blood wakes her from torpor, though blood bonds
still apply. Vitae drawn from a torpid vampire can be used for
all the usual functions if anyone wishes to use it, including
maintaining ghouls and blood bonds.
Willpower
Sleep: Vampires do not regain Willpower from sleep, but
ghouls do.
Touchstones: Vampires cannot regain Willpower by defend-
ing unattached Touchstones.
CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES 121
 Interlude IV
t is the beginning of the Camarilla’s end,
I though I do not know it.
In truth, I’m not sure I would care even if
I did. Right now, all I’m concerned with is putting
down a gathering of heretics. It’s my job, after all.
I am Decima Junia, Soldier of the Legion of the
Dead. Tonight was meant to be my night of rest. I
should not be here. But where else would I be?
“Decima, are you listening? Brace up.”
I feel the sudden weight of a sword in my hands.
The grip is too large by half, and I struggle to hold it
with an air of effortlessness. Nothing in the Legion
fits these nights, from the weapons to the armor. My
greaves slap against my legs as I walk, and my cuirass
is so tight that if I still breathed it would squeeze the
wind from my lungs. Then again, I bore two children
before I was reborn, so a wide chest is expected.
A pair of eyes the color of an ocean storm glares
into mine. Laurentius Caerellius Lars looks dis-
pleased, which is not what a Legionary wants to
see in her commander. I fall in line and try to hide
from his displeasure. The Necropolis has miles of
tunnels — leagues if the Worms are to be believed
— carved into its bowels. The one where we now
stand, colorfully referred to as Shitbag Row, lies
beneath the Esquiline Hill. To call the smell awful
would be generous. The walls are slick with a foul
ichor that seeps down from the landfills and grave-
yards above. The stench is choking even for those
who don’t need to breathe. I’m suddenly thankful
for the cuirass.
We should have come with more than a contuber-
nium. Eight Kindred isn’t enough for this rabble;
the fanatics breed like lice.
Our tunnel gives way to a rough cave with doz-
ens of hovels dug into the walls like the cells of a
beehive. I flare my nostrils and force a breath in:
blood. At least a dozen in the shadows ahead have
fed recently, and I can see almost twice as many
pairs of eyes.
Lars steps to our flank, his voice low. “Lock shields
and hold formation no matter what. I’ll personally
crucify any coward who breaks rank.” There’s no
humor in his voice. He’s done this before.
122
Lars takes a step toward the hovels, and one of
the fanatics steps forward in lockstep, matching
his movements like a dance. The man looks Greek:
a slave. He’s wrapped in a soiled tunic that’s had its
back torn away to let his worship leaders lash him.
He’s got a curly beard framing a gaunt face, marred
by a cavernous crater where his nose should be.
“You the leader?” Lars demands.
“The Dark Messiah speaks through the Blood.”
I can hear the leather grip of Lars’s shield squeak
as his grip tightens. Our unit knows the drill. We
take two steps, locking our stride with Lars’s. To my
left, Ostorius, a recruit three days my junior — a
baker in life — whispers to me.
“This is going well.”
A few feet ahead, Lars is trying to remain dip-
lomatic. “Tell your Messiah that Ala Senecta has
deemed your camp an unlawful gathering.”
“The only laws are His own. The Old Man has no
power here.”
“Alright,” Lars says with a sigh. “You can tell
him yourself when we deliver you. The rest of you
may depart.”
The Greek throws his hands in revelry. He’s
clutching a tarnished silver blade in one hand. “They
do not know their trespasses, Dark Father—”
“Drop the knife and come peacefully. If you do,
I’ll note your cooperation. This really doesn’t have
to end in blood.” Lars takes another step forward.
It’s a mistake.
“If blood you seek, praise Him, he that reveals the
true glory of God, and repent!” The fucker slashes
his own wrist with the dagger. Blood rolls out from
the cut like sap, the trail never breaking. Lars leaps
back into a gap in our formation.
“Shields!”
“Fuck meme,”
,” Ostorius laughs. “If they want to kill
themselves, I say we help—”
He doesn’t get to finish. The stream of blood
flowing from the Greek’s wrist solidifies into a
cattle whip and lashes around Ostorius’s throat.
His body goes stiff and falls like an olive breaking
from its stem.
 Our ranks are gapped.
“I said shields
shields!”
!” Lars roars.
The fanatics surround us, taking advantage of the
disorder in our ranks. The Greek spins his wrist and
twists the blood whip, lashing at Lars, but he’s made
a fatal error: I’m much faster than he is. I parry the
lash before it can reach Lars. It wraps around my
blade, which flies from my grip and spins into the
darkness. He’s left me emptyhanded, which is his
second fatal error.
I snarl back at Lars, “Permission to break ranks
with maximum prejudice, sir?”
Lars hammers his shield through the teeth of a
nearby cultist, and in the dimness, I can see a boyish
grin. This is the real Lars. “Granted, Munifex!”
I hurl my shield into the fray like a discus and
crouch on all fours. I love this body — the power.
The feeling of my hands elongating. Of my fingers
curling into wicked black talons, dark as night and
twice as keen. Before, it was nothing like this. I was
weak. Powerless. Prey. No, this is what I’m meant
to do. Whoever I was before doesn’t matter. Right
now, I am Decima Junia, Soldier of the Legion of
the Dead.
One. Two. Four dead men fall to their knees.
Throats rent. Tendons torn. Bowels splayed. I am
unstoppable.
In a blink, it’s over. Their ranks shatter and flee
through the tunnels, leaving almost a dozen dead
and maimed behind.
The Greek lies on the ground beneath me, still
somehow moving despite being torn in half. His
bowels trail beneath him and dance like a jellyfish’s
tendrils as he laughs, with no air of madness in
the sound.
Lars puts a hand on my shoulder and pulls me
away, expecting some kind of subterfuge.
Instead, the Greek just keeps laughing. “Kill me
if you want, but you will not win this war.”
Soon, I will learn he’s telling the truth.
123
 CHAPTER FOUR
AGES OF THE EMPIRE
They have plundered the world,
stripping naked the land in their hunger…
they are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor…
They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretenses,
and all of this they hail as the construction of empire.
And when in their wake nothing remains but a desert,
they call that peace.
— Tacitus, Agricola
Throughout the Eternal City’s blood-soaked history, its ascent echoes with war, magnificence, and wealth, and its downfall
with betrayals, decadence, and excess. On this path through the ages, from a small village founded upon seven hills to one of
the largest empires the world’s ever seen, countless played a role on the stage of Rome.
From its legendary founders claiming divine heritage to the corrupt emperors, from slaves in chains to gladiators slaughtered
in the arena, all lived and died for the Eternal City, both the shining ideal and the hungry monster looming over all.
Just like Rome, vampires stand immortal. The Propinqui infest the city’s shadows, a dark reflection of its living inhabitants,
but as much as vampires claim to exist beyond human vicissitudes, their nighttime world doesn’t truly belong to them. For
good or ill, the history of Rome is the history of the Kindred — the history of the Camarilla, its wings, and all those who
opposed them.
This chapter presents six Dark Eras to explore Rome’s history in the Chronicles of Darkness, shedding a wicked light on
the Requiems of those who experienced them. Each flashpoint shows how the Propinqui evolved along with their empire and
reacted to the many troubles Rome faced.

FOR VENGEANCE, TRIUMPH, THE SEA OF FIRE

AND BLOOD
The Second Punic War
Hannibal marches and Europe bleeds, all as the
Camarilla fights a shadow war with a terrifying rival.
FAVOR THE BOLD
The Gallic Wars
The Republic’s greatest general has many plans
once his victory over Gaul is complete. The Camarilla
admires that ambition, even as other dead things
work to defy it.
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Death wears many masks. In the depths of the
long-slumbering Mount Vesuvius, it prepares to don a
new one of flame and ash, and even the Propinqui won’t
escape its reaping.
THE ANARCHY
Crisis of the Third Century
War and plague rage across Rome, the powerful falling
from their thrones like bloody hail. Even the dead can’t
escape the chaos, for their Nemeses see opportunity.

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS CITY OF MIRACLES

Year of the Four Emperors Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Emperors are just men. There can even be more than An empire can’t last forever, and soon, Rome will yield
one at a time, and the Kindred will have to decide to fate. Yet Ravenna, usurper of the Eternal City, stands
which one suits their dark designs. as a beacon even in dark times.

CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 125

 FOR VENGEANCE, TRIUMPH,
AND BLOOD
The Second Punic War (218–202 BCE)
The Mediterranean burns. Thousands of soldiers march
to war by land and sea, each side knowing more than soil’s at
stake. This war is for supremacy, the dominance of one culture
over another. Over the future.
Fifty years ago, two rivals fell to war after circling each other
for centuries, a peace that lasted only as long as their interests
didn’t cross: Rome and Carthage, the great nemeses.
Decades later, the son of a defeated Carthaginian general —
who in childhood swore eternal hatred for Rome at the altar of
his gods — crosses the Alps with his elephants and brings war to
Italy. He is Hannibal Barca, one of antiquity’s most celebrated
military leaders. In response, Publius Cornelius Scipio rises to the
challenge, eager to avenge the father who died at Carthaginian
hands. Hannibal and Scipio’s rivalry reflects this clash of nations,
both lusting to become empires, well aware the world holds no
room for coexistence. It is the story of two civilizations sharing
ideals and dreams, mirrors of each other’s ambitions. It is the
Second Punic War, fought For Vengeance, Triumph, and Blood.
Even in their eternal stagnation, the Propinqui sense the war
with Carthage holds more than meets the eye. Against this back-
ground, the Republic meets its greatest challenge yet, and so does
the Camarilla. The Kindred stand aghast as a dark truth reveals
itself, whisper after whisper: Carthage holds its own society of
predators within its walls. In the tongue of their people, these
dead call themselves “Lords,” a word Roman vampires hesitate
to pronounce out loud: Baali. When these tenebrous societies
discover each other, human and predatory feelings merge into a
deadly dance that allows for neither reprieve nor mercy.
The Senex spreads hatred and propaganda; the Augurs
face pro granted by foreign gods with blessings of their own;
the Legion of the Dead fights secret battles cloaked in the
night’s shroud; and the Peregrine Collegium roams through
What Has Come Before
Despite any pretense of coexistence crumbling by the time
Hannibal marches on Europe, Rome and Carthage maintain a
cordial relationship for centuries. Several ancient treaties detail
The soul favors victory over peace.
— Hannibal
126 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
battlefields soldiers can’t march on. Those who question
the will of the gods wonder whether the clash between Julii
and Baali is just a twist of fate or, perhaps, if higher powers
wish for the two clans to face one another, either as a wicked
entertainment or a dark experiment to determine who bears
the right to rule the night.
The darkness offers no answers, and some fear the truth
stands in the middle.
Mood: Patriotism,
Noble and Desperate
Since their foundation, the city of Romulus has fought Italic
and Celtic tribes, while Carthage has battled Numidians,
Sardinias, and even the Iberians, and in their expansionist
desires, both have faced the might of the Greeks. Both have
achieved great victories; both have suffered major defeats.
Yet the Punic Wars are different. They feel different, and the
Romans and Carthaginians both implicitly recognize one
simple yet terrible truth: The outcome will determine which
civilization survives.
Neither side can accept the price of defeat. Sons inherit the
hatred of their fathers, well aware of what’s at stake and despite
promises of civilized accords after the conflicts end. With the
enemy at the gate, internal dissensions slide into the background,
if only for a while. Because of pride. Because of fear.
Embodiments of their cultures, the Julii and Baali add a vam-
piric twist to living ideologies. In their secrecy, both societies
have developed in proud parallel to their empires, but now the
entire social structure of their deaths demands these vampires
defend their supremacy. The Roman and Carthaginian dead
prepare for war, bloodthirsty predators ready to eradicate any
intrusion in their territories.
clauses establishing the two societies as allies in their respective
efforts to expand, a fact either purposely forgotten or taken as
an example of the other side’s betrayal. In truth, the situation
endures only as long as these empires’ interests don’t clash.
The very moment all other foes fall, conflicts over Sicily offer
a pretext for the war both nations crave.
Sicily, with its central position in the Mediterranean, was
long part of the coalition of Greek colonies known as Magna
Graecia. Rome tried for decades to expand southward against
fierce opposition, while Carthage considered the Greeks rivals
in the struggle for hegemony over Mediterranean trade routes.
Although the Greeks were often victorious, constant struggles
against both empires exhausted their forces. Greece had no
choice but to withdraw military support from the colonies and
leave the field open to Rome and Carthage, two hungry beasts
that — up to that point — pretended not to eye the same prey.
The ensuing war forces the Romans, who’ve never needed a
proper navy, to adapt to a battlefield Carthage reigns supreme.
Yet despite these challenges, Rome manages to win both on
land and at sea, inflicting a grievous wound on Carthage’s pride.
The Eagle:
Scipio’s Rome
The Roman Republic has reached the kind of grandeur
previous generations only dreamed about. Centuries of war,
rebellion, and spilled blood finally bear fruit: The opposing
forces fall, dominated when not outright destroyed. The spoils
of war and taxes finance a golden era for all the victors, and
further expansions aren’t a matter of “if,” but “where.”
After the First Punic War, Rome becomes the strongest
power in the Mediterranean in all but name, an achievement
that will play a fundamental role in its future. War’s crucible
forges the Republic into an efficient monster, any trace of
decadence or corruption nothing in comparison to its past or
future. The citizens of Rome are proud to join its armies: The
Republican tradition expects each man to fight for his nation,
and centuries of conflicts with Italic tribes and Greeks have
laid the foundation for a fierce military tradition.
For the Propinqui, victory in the First Punic War provides
What Is to Come
In the years between wars, Hannibal’s father Hamilcar led
Carthage into Iberia after suppressing internal rebellions.
Through grit and blood, Barca conquered enough territories
to send much-needed spoils back home, and with each victory,
he drew closer to the line the Romans forbid the Carthaginians
to approach. Once his son inherits the rank of general, to the
unanimous acclaim of his troops, he crosses that line.
Blazing through Iberia and Gaul, Hannibal crosses the Alps
and takes war to the Roman homeland. During his decadelong
campaign, he destroys any opposition and sets Rome’s territories
ablaze. His army triumphs against the legions at Cannae: Only
one of the two consuls sent to stop him returns, with Hannibal
paying due respect to the body of the fallen one.
proof of their superiority in character and rank. With the Sicilian
dead now forced under Rome’s heel as new members of clans
Gangrel and Nosferatu, even the stories about the “Carthaginian
clan” don’t bother the Julii, and they dismiss sporadic encounters
with the Baali as interactions with yet another group of unsorted
dead who will recognize the Propinqui’s authority soon enough.
They are wrong.
The Bull:
Hannibal’s Carthage
Following its defeat in the First Punic War, Carthage is in
shambles. Rome’s victory conditions impose obscene compen-
sations, along with the liberation of all war prisoners without
the right to extract payments of any sort. Unlike Rome,
which founds its wealth in territory and conflict, Carthage’s
economy follows the example of its Phoenician origins. The
Carthaginians are traders first and foremost, an attitude Rome’s
victory shatters. The glory days of Qart Hadasht, blessed by
Melqart, Tanit, and Ba’al Hammon, are but a distant memory.
Carthage’s strengths turn to weaknesses. Unable to control the
sea, the harsh North African mainland rejects efforts to estab-
lish agricultural infrastructure capable of supporting its needs.
Carthage’s cosmopolitan army crumbles when the Republic can’t
afford to pay the various mercenary forces filling its ranks, leading
to brutal revolts, betrayals, and uprisings. Peace treaties allow
Carthaginians to take territories Rome isn’t interested in — at
least for now — but expansion attempts meet fierce resistance.
The Baali consider the crisis an assault both on their honor and
godly mandate, a demonstration of blasphemy requiring furious
retribution. Unlike the Julii’s secretive approach, Carthage’s
vampires see themselves as divine emissaries, dark demigods
with the right to demand sacrifices but also the unholy duty to
protect their city. For the first time in their history, all Baali feel a
moral imperative to act directly to help Carthage. It’s a dangerous
game, where vampires risk exposure like never before, but the
Lords agree to play it, going as far as conniving with demons
and spirits made of darkness and smoke to obtain more power.
Of honor and discipline, Hannibal has no lack, but he has no
mercy for the Romans. Thousands of legionaries die at Cannae,
the slaughter ending when darkness makes it impossible to con-
tinue. Carthaginians waltz through the battlefield in the morning
to kill anyone too wounded to become a valuable prisoner.
Rome has no choice but to regroup and reorganize, trying
to weaken Carthage on other fronts — far from Hannibal. He
knows the Romans are wounded, but not cornered. He can’t
besiege the capital without new troops or opening up Carthage’s
territories for attack. Hannibal and his peers forge alliances
with other enemies of Rome, eager to bleed the Republic on a
vast scale before striking with the final blow. War engulfs the
whole of southern Europe and North Africa.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 127
 The Mediterranean
at War
Sicily — where Syracuse joins Carthage in the hope of
preventing Rome from conquering the whole island — and
Iberia — Carthage’s economic bastion — become meatgrind-
ers. The waters around Sardinia turn red as the Roman fleet
massacres the Carthaginian forces. In Greece, Carthage’s
allies clash with Rome’s, locking each other into a conflict
that prevents either side from joining their forces in Italy.
Cities burn to the ground, and tribes and kingdoms swear
to one side or another hoping to preserve themselves from
these empires’ hunger.
Scipio gains more and more renown in these years. He
faces Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal in Iberia, sending him
bleeding back to Italy where he’ll meet his end. It’s Scipio
who takes the peninsula for Rome, dealing a heavy blow to
Carthage. After obtaining the Senate’s approval to invade
North Africa, he cuts a bloody path through Carthaginian
territories and lays siege to the enemy’s capital. Rome sees
an opportunity for victory in the event, but Scipio knows
better: Hannibal has no choice but to retreat from Italy
to defend his homeland, where his Roman rival awaits.
The two armies meet at Zama, the last and greatest battle
of the war. Carthage’s elephants charge across the battlefield,
trampling men and horses alike, while Cannae’s armies,
eager to regain their honor, hold the ground against impos-
sible odds, enough for the cavalry to pierce Carthaginian
ranks. Rome wins.
But Carthage survives, if barely, though the wounds of
the Second Punic War never heal. Rome knows its nemesis
can’t be allowed to recover. “Carthago delenda est,” adds Cato
the Elder at the end of each and every speech — Carthage
must be destroyed. A faint pretext offers the Romans an
opportunity to start another war in 149 BCE, the third
and final Punic War. It only lasts three years, culminating
in Carthage’s utter destruction: Rome burns the city to
the ground and spreads salt in its fields so nothing shall
ever grow again.

The Dead at War

For the Camarilla, the secret conflict with the Baali during
the Second Punic War represents the most dangerous exter-
nal threat the Propinqui have faced so far.
The first phases of the vampiric war play out as espionage
rather than open conflict. The Julii barely acknowledge
their Carthaginian rivals’ existence, an advantage the
Baali use to organize, spy, sabotage, and assassinate. The
Lords plan to coordinate and reveal themselves only when
it’s time to strike, but the more time passes, the more the
idea finds difficult realization. Personal ambition and the
Propinqui’s response (which, at this stage, comes mostly
from the Peregrine Collegium and perceptive Soldiers)
lead several Baali to take the initiative when opportunity

128 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION


Their Steps Make
the Earth Tremble
Elephants are already extraordinary creatures,
but war elephants are a some of the most terrifying
combatants in history. Meeting one in the chaos
of battle is a nightmarish experience even those
deploying them aren’t immune to. The creatures are
as unstoppable as they are unpredictable, crushing
anything in their paths and refusing to change
course when panic gets the best of them. For war
elephant rules, see p. 116.
arises. Soon enough, the Camarilla understands the pattern
of aggressions and sorcerous miracles for what it is: the hand-
iwork of vampires.
While no stranger to foreign dead and the dangers they repre-
sent, the Camarilla find in Carthage’s clan an echo embodying
all their worst fears. The Baali are numerous, organized, and
thriving, but more than anything, the Lords are a unified clan
in the same way the Julii are, one with its own culture and
history, intrinsically bound to a mortal nation. War breaks
out, fueled by hate and blood.
Though they support mortal armies on the field, the
Propinqui and Baali do more than just act behind the scenes
or indulge in skirmishes. In an example of open warfare the
likes of which the Camarilla has never witnessed (and never
will again), both sides field true armies of vampires and ghouls,
fighting a parallel conflict alongside the one between Rome
and Carthage.
The differences between the Baali and Camarilla are most
evident in their relationships with mortals. Like the Julii, the
Lords do not reveal themselves to the world of the living as
a general rule, but Carthaginian commanders frequently see
dark figures emerge from the shadows outside their camps,
bearing hidden truths and promises of victory. The Julii soon
understand the extent to which the Baali directly involve
themselves in the conflict, but not before paying for that
lesson in blood.
The Propinqui must soon face not only the Baali’s numbers
and power but their sorcerous arts. The Baali sear the horror
of their dark magic into Kindred minds with dreadful violence,
consorting with powers Roman vampires fear to name. The
Cult of Augurs and Baali blood sorcerers hold a confrontation
of their own throughout the war, eager to determine whose
gods are stronger.
When Scipio’s legions land in North Africa, the Propinqui
join them: generals, priests, spies, and soldiers waging a secret
war, just outside mortal perceptions. Eager to disprove their
enemies’ false claims of divinity, the Propinqui burn altars,
slaughter officials, and show the Baali’s devotees that their
blasphemous gods hold no power against the Camarilla’s might.
Pushed to the brink, the Lords unearth forbidden rituals to
lay ruin on Roman forces. Stories of their monstrosity merge
with Propinqui propaganda, making it unclear where the truth
lies. Still, no demonic pact or desperate resistance is enough to
prevent Rome’s victory.
The Propinqui choose not to visit Final Death upon the
Baali, but the act bears no mercy: In Carthage’s vampires,
the Julii see a part of themselves they can’t bear to look upon.
Destruction isn’t enough. Roman vampires want their rivals
to suffer, broken gods of a fallen city they considered eternal.
Humiliated, battered, and defeated. In due time, the Julii
reason, even the Baali will bend the knee and recognize the
Propinqui’s superiority. More than a prediction, it’s what the
Founders want, leading them and the Lords to interact in a
tense peace in the following years.
For a moment, it seems as if Propinqui and Baali can indeed
coexist, but the Carthaginian clan’s absence from the modern
nights speaks volumes. The Beast, it seems, can’t tolerate look-
ing through a glass darkly.
Battles to
the Final Death
Among the many conflicts between the Julii and Baali, the
following are among the most notable.
Battle of the Phlegraean Fields
The Battle of the Phlegraean Fields represents the culmina-
tion of months of attacks between Julii and Baali forces, one
of the first major vampiric battles in the war. Fought under a
full moon on the sulfurous plains outside Naples, the battle
sees dead from both sides go to war among craters and calderas,
stopping only when the sun rises. Vitae drenches the volcanic
soil for three nights until both armies flee from the stalemate
under the weight of their dwindling supplies.
The Night of Hungry Waves
Eager to score a victory over Rome’s seemingly unstoppable
fleet, a cadre of Baali sorcerers joins the conflict for Sardinia’s
waters. The Legion of the Dead interferes with their efforts
again and again, but the sorcerers land a grievous wound
when one of their rituals summons what survivors describe as
a colossal maw emerging from the waves, devouring men and
ships alike with insatiable abandon.
Battle of Hadrumetum’s Depths
When the Propinqui reach Hadrumetum, a Phoenician col-
ony older than even Carthage, they meet fierce resistance from
the local Lords. While living Rome conquers Hadrumetum
with ease and moves on, for vampires, the battle lasts for two
weeks. Each night, the Kindred fight for every last inch of
soil as they push inside the caves near the city. The ancient
horrors leading the Baali exact a hefty price in Propinquus
blood, but the Camarilla’s soldiers emerge victorious from
the blind darkness.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 129
 Locations
The Second Punic War spans almost two decades, with
theaters all over the Mediterranean.
Cannae
Cannae is a trap that becomes the embodiment of all
Rome’s fears. But for Carthage, it’s all their society’s virtues
expressed in an act of military genius. When he crosses the
Alps, Hannibal has a plan in mind, and in Cannae, that
cunning manifests as triumphant reality. The battle creates a
clear tactical choice for Rome. Its strategy is to cut Hannibal’s
supply lines, letting his army fall apart from sheer attrition,
but this faces a major complication when the Carthaginian
conquers Cannae’s massive storage depots, a problem requir-
ing immediate response.
Hannibal knows this, but he also understands a deeper
truth: The Romans crave his blood more than anything.
His unstopped advance is an insult, his victories a stain on
Rome’s honor.
Hannibal concentrates Rome’s hatred and fear in a single
place, dresses it with actual tactical value, and then sets every-
thing on fire. Proud, arrogant, and blinded by personal ambi-
tion, the Roman consuls face a military genius who’s prepared
all his life for this moment. The pincer maneuver Hannibal
uses — one of the first instances in recorded history — leaves
the legions no room to escape the massacre.
The Rogue Ghoul
Mastanabal is a Numidian mercenary far older than his looks
suggest. A triumphant cavalry charge during the First Punic
War gave him the chance to be noticed by an obscure demigod,
who blessed Mastanabal with a taste of blood. His master might
be long gone, but Mastanabal learned how to find more of her
kind and obtain what he craves — one way or another. Brawl
3, Ride 4, Survival 1
Syracuse
The polis of Syracuse arose as a typical Magna Graecia col-
ony, though since its foundation in the 5th century BCE, it’s
become much more. Its wealth, fame, and victories — both in
the military and commercial fields — grew so fast the city earned
the Athenians’ scorn, leading to a war Syracuse triumphantly
won. Syracuse’s greatness, along with its strategic position in
the middle of the Mediterranean, eventually put it at odds with
both the Romans and Carthaginians. The two republics see
Syracuse as either worthy prey or a dangerous rival, putting the
Greek city between two insatiable fires.
In the Second Punic War, Syracuse takes Rome’s side during
the first movements, but a succession crisis and growing con-
cerns about Sicily’s independence leads the city to break the
alliance and join Carthage. Hannibal’s reassurance of having
no interest in Syracuse is a crucial factor. Rome responds to
130 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
the slight by declaring open war on Syracuse, the start of a long
siege where Archimedes’ deadly inventions play a central role
in keeping Rome at bay.
The great city bends the knee to Rome after centuries of inde-
pendence when traitors open the gates to Claudius Marcellus’s
forces. Legend has it that Archimedes, busy organizing the
defense of his beloved city, doesn’t even notice the true nature
of the Roman soldiers sent to assassinate him.
The Genius
Mathematician, inventor, astronomer, engineer, and much
more, Archimedes of Syracuse’s genius grants him a reputation
as one of history’s greatest minds. As a scion of the Greek
independent colony, he contributes to his city’s prosperity, his
brilliance finding both opportunities to bloom and earning
the respect of his fellow citizens — and the world. Academics
5, Crafts 4, Occult 5
Zama
The Second Punic War culminates at Zama, the final
showdown between civilizations. In its prelude, Scipio gets
payback for Hannibal’s invasion of Italy, attacking Carthage
on its home soil. Hannibal shows more cunning and patience
than the armies he defeated at Cannae, but he knows whoever
triumphs at Zama will win the war — a truth Scipio knows
just as well.
On the eve of the battle, Zama’s arid fields host all the
forces both sides can afford to deploy. Scipio has learned from
Cannae’s defeat, with the largest concentration of cavalry ever
seen in a Roman army following his commands. Carthaginian
and Numidian soldiers share the ranks with mercenaries from
all over the Mediterranean: Celts, Gauls, Greeks, and more — all
the enemies of Rome march under Hannibal’s banner.
At the center of Carthage’s formation, the sight of eighty
war elephants instills terror in the Roman ranks. Recruits
must reconcile the distant stories with the monsters in front
of them, while veterans well remember the mayhem heralded
by an elephant’s charge.
Thanks to a combination of bold new tactics, lessons learned
from paying a bloody price, and the burning desire to avenge
the defeats of the past, Scipio manages to resist first, then turns
the tides of battle against his rival.
The Battlefield Jackal
A Mekhet going by the name Tentamun has a reputation
among Carthage’s vampires for being the gal who can find any-
thing, for a price. When Scipio lands in North Africa, Tentamun’s
sharp survival instincts convince her the nights of Carthage
are numbered. Now she lays a foundation for a dangerous bet,
where she scavenges what’s left after battles and offers valuables
to the Grim Battalion for favors, goodwill, and safe passage to
the Necropolis. Larceny 3, Streetwise, 4, Subterfuge 4
 The Bleeding Pantheon
The Baali clan structure places their lineage’s terrible
Methuselahs at its apex. The entire culture of the clan
rotates around the simple yet inalienable affirmation of their
monstrous divinity. Even the Baali’s counterparts to the
Camarilla’s wings aren’t really parts of a covenant working in
unison, but rather avenues through which the Lords express
their godly nature.
The Head: Vampires of the Head take on the roles of leaders
and guides, planners and enforcers of the clan’s future and
Carthage’s present. For them, slaughtering a man’s family to
let another rise through the ranks of the city’s politics is just a
step toward a greater goal. Advantage: Members of the Head
gain Merit dots in Herd, Resources, Retainer, and Staff equal
to Clan Status.
The Fang: Vampires of the Fang pursue martial excellence
beyond mortal reach, hunting humans and supernatural
creatures in their effort to hone body and mind to lethal per-
fection. They stalk the night looking for worthy challenges or
entertaining prey, all while cultivating their personal doctrine
of blood and war. Advantage: Fangs inherently have access
to the Martial Prowess Merit (p. 90) and gain a free Fighting
Style Merit dot upon induction into their faction, provided
they meet prerequisites.
The Right Hand: Vampires of the Right Hand are muses,
idols, and artists. They gift glimpses of their presence to mortals
while tearing throats apart, smiling at the thought of what their
glory will inspire. Each new devotee they add to their flock
increases their immortal legend. Advantage: Right Hands
gain Merit dots in Allies, Contacts, Haven, and Mentor equal
to Clan Status.
The Left Hand: Vampires of the Left Hand earn the terrible
reputation of sorcerers, keepers of dark knowledge, and masters
of the arcane. While no Baali avoids interacting with spirits
and demons, members of the Left Hand consider bloodthirsty
priesthood the ultimate purpose of their clan. They officiate
rites, forge new pacts, and wield blood sorcery with night-
marish skill, no sacrifice too great to appease the gods they
serve. Advantage: Left Hands learn Molk rituals (below) at a
one-Experience discount.
The Pit: Vampires of the Pit exclusively comprise the
Methuselahs who command the clan, a divine right their old
age grants them. Not only is this a sign of power young Fiends
never contest, but it’s also an aspirational state of grace. While
all Lords commune with their spirit kin and patrons, it’s the
Methuselahs who speak as peers with those entities that make
the world quake in fear. Advantage: Unknown. Pit vampires
keep their mysteries even from other Baali.
Although the Lords maintain a Masquerade roughly com-
parable to that of the Camarilla, this attitude owes more to a
separation between divine and mundane rather than self-pres-
ervation. As a result, the Baali’s shadow looms large over
Carthage. Though the Republic and its citizens are masters of
their choices, just as the people of Rome are, a host of dread
gods infests Punic nights like divine parasites. Whereas the
Julii achieve their victories in whispers and dominance, the
Baali do so in screams and splendor.
When the Second Punic War breaks out, the Baali’s elders
disagree on how to relate to the human events enveloping their
civilization. Some indolent horrors insist living matters aren’t
their concern, while passionate terrors state their divinity comes
with a duty to act. A secret war divides the clan from within,
with neonates and viriles embracing a simple-yet-ruthless design:
If those with the power to summon their dark patrons against
Rome refuse to do so, then other Baali will drain it from their
useless veins.
The Others
Just like the Founders, the Baali have created a cosmopol-
itan city, maintaining relationships with different dead since
any Lord remembers. While not as many of the gentes exist
in Carthage, all vampires are welcome. Foreign practices
and beliefs — while often looked down upon — encounter no
opposition, as long as the other clans don’t prove disruptive or
forget who’s in charge.
Daeva and Mekhet are a common sight in Carthage, their
connection to the Baali owing to the proximity of their
purported ancestral homelands, but Gangrel and Nosferatu
maintain a stable presence too. Even a few Julii are said to make
havens here, though mostly exiles and criminals. The one caveat
to this acceptance is that non-Baali have nothing to do with any
political decisions. While they can certainly befriend Lords or
influence their opinions, Carthage belongs to the Baali.
To Moloch:
Baali Blood Sorcery
Ever since the first Baali made their appearance in Carthage,
the clan’s connection with spirits, demons, and ghosts has taken
the shape of a kind of sorcery that relies on sacrifices, voluntary
acts of possession, and the promise of blood and flesh for those
entities lacking both: Molk. Molk is a dangerous practice, one
the Baali’s clan bane precipitates into disaster at the faintest
mistake, with cautionary tales and monstrous consequences
being recurring elements of Carthage’s vampire society… but
the Lords consider even the direst incidents a price well worth
paying to gain the power of the gods.
For the Baali, blood sorcery is a holy act, a connection
between material and ephemeral divinity. However, the nature
of their rituals, and the extremes they push them to in their war
against Rome, provide the Propinqui all the justification they
need to paint the Baali as “Fiends” wielding sacrilegious arts,
a taint to delete from the face of the earth before its tendrils
corrupt the Camarilla.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 131
 What’s the Difference?
The Julii preach about how Propinqui differ from the “uncivilized” dead of other lands, how their foundational
guidance shaped the clans into vampires more like themselves. During the Second Punic War, they’re quick to claim the
Lords are the most different of all, totally foreign to the Camarilla’s civilizing touch. Are the Baali and the clans who
nest in their city like the Bourkolakes (p. 186), a different breed of corpse entirely, or are they more like the Marvoi
of Gaul (p. 140), close but not close enough?
Neither. The Baali and their subjects work exactly like the Kindred.

The exact nature of the Baali’s spirit allies is difficult to clas-
sify. The Lords make no distinction between ephemeral beings,
at least none that really matter. For the Baali, all ephemera are
both gods and family, kindred creatures to worship, serve, and
share triumphs and hungers with. While the clan recognizes
certain entities as closer relatives to their vampiric nature and
drives, Striges, spirits, angels, and torturers from the Duat all
deserve the same level of respect. Ghosts are the only exception:
while the Lords entertain relationships with the ephemeral dead
too, only ancient and terrible ghosts who left their humanity
behind are worthy of godhood.
Molk works the same way as Crúac, although the ritual
names draw from Phoenician and Sumerian myths rather
than the Circle of the Crone’s vast pagan canon. Molk empow-
ers the Baali well past the end of the war. Stories of Lordly
warlocks pushing their practices into profane desperation,
cannibalizing their ephemeral kin to perform dark miracles
beyond the ken of mortals, became more and more common
as the conflict grew direr.
If true, said rituals may still wait for someone with the right
blasphemous attitude to unearth them.
Fate of the Baali
Despite a massive influence on the classical world, the Lords
disappear so utterly that even their name is difficult to find
in ancient texts. It’s all but certain that the Julii subjected
them to damnatio memoriae at some point, but the following
are a few possible truths of the matter. All may be correct,
or none at all.
Assimilation: In yet another example of the Camarilla’s
hegemony, the Julii take the Baali into their own clan. By the
time the Empire rises, all that belonged to the Lords becomes
the Founders’, their traditions and identity lost to the salted
earth of Carthage.
Extermination: The Camarilla tolerates the Baali for a while,
but old grudges and new fears inevitably lead to confronta-
tion. Just as Rome does with Carthage, the Founders push to
exterminate the Baali until the idea finds purchase across the
Necropolis. When the Camarilla strikes, the Baali have little
ability to fend off this final genocidal act.
Extinction: After Carthage’s destruction, the Baali simply lack
the numbers, power, or resources to survive the Danse Macabre.
Like many lost clans before and after, they simply die out.
Flight: The Baali flee to another land, either in this world or
beyond. There, they regroup and lick their wounds, planning
for revenge. Perhaps they still exist, waiting to strike at Rome’s
heirs. Perhaps they already have.
Rebirth: Demonstrating how they earned that Fiend moniker
in the first place, the Baali further entrench themselves as demon
worshippers and agents of malevolent spirits in a desperate
attempt to cling to power. As the difference between Julian pro-
paganda and truth becomes difficult to distinguish, other dead
decide to exterminate the Baali. The few survivors disappear in
the stygian darkness, becoming something less than vampires.

Storytelling the Era

Chronicles set in a complex war lasting almost two decades,
with fronts located all over the Mediterranean, pose a challenge
to any Storyteller, but the key to bringing the Second Punic
War’s spirit to the table lies in considering the timing and
placement of the narrative.
Across the
Mediterranean
Rather than looking at the war as a single event, break
down the conflict into a series of flashpoints for characters
to interact with. Whether your chronicle follows Hannibal
and Scipio’s troops across the entire conflict, details the secret
war between the Propinqui and Baali, or unfolds entirely
within a single year of Camarilla intrigues in the wake of the
Carthaginian invasion, remember the historical context and
the war’s protagonists matter little compared with what the
player characters are up to.
The mood of For Vengeance, Triumph, and Blood shines
when vampires feel a sense of belonging to the empires at war
while at the same time maintaining agency. They should feel
like their actions matter, even as the Mediterranean spirals
out of control.
Don’t be afraid to bend historical facts and play loose with
the conflict’s progression if that makes for a more memo-
rable story. You can focus on the Chronicles of Darkness’s
supernatural setting, with Kindred defending themselves
from hostile clans and Striges as living legions march ahead,

132 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

with the characters’ actions reverberating across the world
of the living. Perhaps they must conspire to assassinate key
generals and unleash ghoul elephants on enemy formations
— or even change history itself. The Propinqui might prevent
Cannae’s defeat from the shadows, while a chronicle featuring
Carthaginian characters lends itself well to an epilogue where
Carthage defeats Rome.
Warring Vampires
A protracted conflict on a vast scale clashes with the All
Night Society’s realities, but at the same time, it offers many
opportunities to explore new narrative angles.
Stories where vampires travel with Roman and Carthaginian
armies ask characters to find ways to feed and keep up with
the troops, a perilous endeavor where each night holds the
Inspirational Media
Several films depict the Second Punic War, some of the most
notable coming from Italian cinema.
• Cabiria (1914), directed by Giovanni Pastrone, was one of
the first epic films in the history of cinema, and Martin
Scorsese himself has said it doesn’t get nearly enough credit
as one of the genre’s founders. A dramatic depiction of the
Second Punic War is used as a backdrop for a larger-than-
life melodrama featuring fugitive slaves, volcanic eruptions,
heroic battles, and monstrous rites.
promise of potential destruction. With the war lasting sixteen
years, the Kindred’s immortality makes them the perfect wit-
nesses to observe human upheavals and tragedies, witnessing
children who lost their parents in the war grow to avenge
them on the battlefield or analyzing defeats and victories with
detached amusement.
A chronicle focused on human battles — such as one featur-
ing an all-Legionary coterie — certainly doesn’t lack pathos,
but keep in mind that Kindred fight a war of their own in this
era. The Camarilla’s clash with the Baali for dark supremacy
over the Mediterranean creates a stage for vampires of all clans
and wings to play a role, no matter their skills or personal
inclination. While Hannibal and Scipio guide their armies,
secret battlefields appear far from the eyes of the mortals, be
they in blood-soaked temples, hallowed catacombs, or plains
where dead soldiers battle under moonless nights.
• Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal (1937) depicts the last
stretch of the Second Punic War from Rome’s side, ending
with Zama and Scipio’s triumphant return. Approach this film
with care: It was part of Fascist Italy’s nationalist propaganda,
and it was filmed with the regime’s approval and support.
• Hannibal (1959) covers the Carthaginian general’s inva-
sion of Italy, from the crossing of the Alps to Cannae and
beyond, exploring his values and his grief at the death of
his brother Hasdrubal.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 133
 Baali
The divine dead
Lords, Fiends, Infandi
She stands above the slab, blood dripping from her fingers as
the soldiers hold you down. The Moon flashes for an instant
on a blade: Warmth erupts, leaving behind only cold and
pain. Something that shouldn’t be coalesces, expanding
across the battlefield in a cloak deeper than darkness.
Your murderer laughs. The army roars. “To victory!”
the living shadows hisses. “To feast!”
Aliquid mortuum appropinquat. It is godliness
clad in brass and blood. It is profane glory made
flesh, generous patron and fearsome harbinger,
the fire that all-consumes. Glyphs older than
memory adorn it, sacraments mortal men aren’t
meant to see or understand. To look upon it is to
stare at the sun herself, and yet we can’t avert our
eyes. Its words, its scent, its touch… the apparition burns
away what we once were. Only devotion remains. Here is the
sacred corpse of worship, an unliving relic dispensing miracles
and tortures. It takes its place at the altar, the chanting crowd
ceasing the moment it opens its mouth. “I give that you may
give,” it says, and knives slit veins, and blood falls on braziers.
A prelude to the meal that awaits your willing walk to slaughter.
The Baali are Carthage. Their blood mixes with the bricks;
their essence seeps through the soil beneath its walls. They are
the Republic’s greatness and its hunger, its nobility and its wrath,
its resolve and its vengeance. Their sanguine host relays divine
words and codifies them into heavenly law, daring mortals to
violate them and unleashing nightmarish retribution when they
do, knowing those same rules don’t apply to exalted beings such
as they. Whatever a god desires is already hers. The Baali preach
this sacrosanct truth, and an empire bleeds.
For this, the other clans call them Lords. When the
Phoenicians founded Carthage, they dedicated their city to
their divine patrons hoping to earn their attention, unaware
that gods were already waiting for them. A legion of formless
entities, monsters and divinities alike, each demanding worship
and craving purpose. Their sanctuaries fill with the carcasses
of those they and their ephemeral kin devour. Masters of the
earth and sky, of the worlds beneath and worlds beyond, by their
dark rebirth do they gain the right to rule. Before the Lords,
Rejoice!
Your blood will open the gate.
134 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
the other clans were ravenous corpses, mindless scourges,
gnawing worms: It was the Baali’s magnificence that
revealed what vampires could aspire to be.
The Lords know this. Their blood sings in a
thousand dissonant voices, each howling in
hunger, power, and darkness. Worship and
tributes aren’t just demands when those who
crave them can shake the earth in their grasp.
Beasts, vermin, and humans alike obey the
Baali’s faintest whims because they know that
anyone foolish enough to defy a god, living or
dead, deserves every doom he calls upon himself.
Hail the priest! Her steps echo through the tem-
ple, a ritual symphony performed in exquisite devotion.
The faithful stand in sacred silence at her passage, parts of a
whole eager to achieve the bliss of ego death. How sacred her
profanity. How profane her sacredness. Listen, kneel, stand,
bleed — she orders and they listen, her voice the gods’ own.
Legions of darkness heed her splendid summons, their secret
names the words of her sacred chants. She calls upon them to
feast on tonight’s offering, and she wonders when her mortal
coil will finally shed and let the ravenous thing within soar free.
Hail the hierodule! A promise of sweet torment upon their lips,
peasants and aristocrats alike duel to the death for a chance just
to converse with them. All the poems, statues, and songs in their
honor weave a tapestry of awe and blood. How soft their eyes!
How sharp their smile. They can raze a household with naught
but a grin — they’ve done it more than once. The prerogative of
the divine. Why shouldn’t they get to play with such willing toys?
Hail the devouring darkness! The monstrous holiness in
the cave. Patron and scourge. Each breath in its presence
draws a terrible holiness, and each step through its lair brings
darkness beyond any we’re meant to inhabit. How perfect
the void. How sweet the silence. They know not to trespass
its realm. And yet, it beckons. The shadows move; rust fills
their nostrils. Lambs rushing to the slaughter. Pain, terror,
and death — all worth the chance to witness the nightmare
majesty lurking within.
Let the other clans cower. The Baali’s glory shines above all.
 Why you want to be us
A throne’s nothing to a god. Anything the dead have stands
only because we didn’t decide to take it — yet. Ours is the
insatiable maw, the grin or frown that decides who shall
live and who shall die. The others can infest their fetid
catacombs: We’ll gorge on tributes in the world above.
Why you should fear us
The formless multitudes speak
through us, their heralds and
their kin. Think you can stop
us? Or them? Hold what’s left
of your soul, little bird, and
make your choice. Kneel, and
our judgment will spare you. Defy
us, and tales of your suffering will
echo for an age. Long after your
ashes scatter to the wind.
Why we should
fear ourselves
I look at myself and see a skin for
a thing I cannot comprehend. I am
a tattered dress to wear and discard,
a bloody mouth to feed with. Please, stop! I
thought I knew the price, but it’s too much!
They claim more and more of what I didn’t
know I could give. They’re so vast, and there’s
so little left of me…
Clan Origins
• A corpse lies in a pit, bodies above and
beneath. Cut, drained, gutted. An offering
anointed in pain. But the corpse lingers. It
can’t move, its lifeless limbs buried under
countless others. It can’t feel, its mind
shielded from the stench of offal and burnt
flesh. Yet, it listens. A choir of wretched
things sinks inside the vessels around him,
their dead eyes gleaming with wicked hunger.
“Newborn child of Moloch, to enter a god’s
maw is to become it. Now we speak as kin.”
The shadows propose a covenant, a thousand
dark blessings for a thousand sins. They place
conditions on the godling’s rise. Rules to
follow, duties to perform, and, most impor-
tantly, divine monstrosity to ever honor.
It accepts. A god climbs out, kissed by
Tanit’s light. And unlike those it shares
the night with, it never breaks faith.
• To feed is to kill; to be fed upon is
death. When the most-blessed god-
dess created death in her left hand so
the first bird could die and become
the first meal, she held doom tight in her grasp so all her chil-
dren would never know the embrace of the grave. A moment
of passion, a distraction born out of love and desire, and death
joined itself in the goddess’ womb. Thus, Mot came to be, the
paradox of death brought to life and unleashed upon the
world at the core of his most sacred mystery. Mot, whose
hunger was like that of lions for flesh, whose longing
was like that of dolphins for the sea. Mot, who
challenged his peers for the right to
rule, who slaughtered Ba’al and was
slaughtered by Anat in turn. Mot,
torn to ribbons, reduced to dust.
The birds descended, devouring
what was left of Death itself, tak-
ing a dark blessing they longed to
share with worthy vessels so Mot’s
hunger could be born anew.
• Olim, Queen Dido, the beautiful,
the clever, fled her house. Her own
kin spilled her husband’s blood and
tried to claim her life, so she guided
her people across the sea and find
them a new home. She built an empire.
But though her faith never faltered, she
begged (not commanded) the gods to provide a
balm to heal her loneliness. The gods answered.
A young prince from a burning city reached her
shores, and with divine hands guiding their
hearts, the royal exiles found respite in their
mutual embrace. Dido dared dream of happi-
ness, but a higher destiny called her beloved.
She begged him not to leave, but for once, her
pleas fell on silent ears. As the prince’s ship
sailed away in the dying sunset, tears of pain
became tears of loathing. Dido tore out her
broken heart and offered it to the gods, com-
manding (not begging) them to sow the seeds of
her eternal vengeance, so her betrayer’s lineage
would never know respite, his kingdom reduced
to ash and his bloodline left fallow. Once again,
the gods listened — gloriose in aeternum.
In the Camarilla
Before the First Punic War, sporadic contact
with the All Night Society guaranteed that the
few Lords in Rome had no trouble pretending
to be other clans (usually Daeva or Gangrel).
Some were even seen as such without trying,
offering no correction. Only a few pioneers and
outcasts found a place in the Roman nights,
but the situation changes drastically during
the Second Punic War, when the Fiends
make eternal foes of the Propinqui. Many
Baali in Rome act as spies or saboteurs, a
duty they perform with grave dedication.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 135
 Some remain neutral, but those who betray Carthage to serve
the enemy are deemed anathema, and few escape their clan’s
wrath, even in the Necropolis.
The majority of Baali find their way to the Camarilla only in
the war’s aftermath, but not for long. While their exact presence
in the wings varies over the years, a few generalizations help
place the Lords in the Camarilla’s structure.
The Cult of Augurs: Driven by their nature and culture
alike, most Baali gravitate to the Fates, but differences between
Carthaginian and Roman vampires in their relationships with
the gods make the Lords’ attitude a double-edged sword. The
Wing of Prophets has lines and boundaries; the Baali, though
effective Vaticinators, either strain against these restrictions or
cross them with glee. Hostility and jealousy are common for Baali
Prophets, while their divine kin seem more distant than ever.
The Legion of the Dead: The Soldiers represent a common
destination for Baali eager to employ martial skills before the
First Punic War, but the wounds of the Second ensure few
Lords find a place in Ala Militaris. Propinquus soldiers remem-
ber too well fighting against the Baali, and few are willing to
accept them as comrades. Still, the rare Lords who endure in
the Legion of the Dead prove themselves as some of the most
fearsome vampires the wing ever counted among its ranks.
The Peregrine Collegium: Aside from the Vaticinators,
most Baali in Rome end up in the Peregrine Collegium. Their
status as outsiders — and hated ones to boot — never formally
lifts before the clan disappears, so many Lords in Rome find
a structure for their talents with the Strangers. It’s actually in
this wing that Baali receive the sincerest appreciation from their
peers. The Untouchables, it seems, have less trouble accepting
a Fiend in their ranks than anyone else.
The Senex: Before the First Punic War, all Baali were foreign
faces in Rome. Very few had the ambitions to climb the ranks of
the Senex, and even fewer managed to. After the Second Punic
War, no Baali can join the Wing of the Ancients. At least for a
while, the Camarilla accepts the clan, but law and decree forbid
them from taking any seat of power. A few manage to deceive
their way in, pretending to be Daeva or — think of the insult! —
Julii, but none can hope to increase their status without courting
the scrutiny and inevitable destruction that comes with it.
136 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Stereotypes
JULII: Pretenders. Oathbreakers.
DAEVA: They mistake depravity for holiness and
then expect worship.
GANGREL: Kneel, and perhaps I’ll throw you a
bone to gnaw on.
MEKHET: You claim devotion to the gods. Very
well. Serve.
NOSFERATU: Divine handiwork marks them, but
a flawed mold is waste, not art.
Clan Bane: The Strigid Curse
The Baali have no bane. To feel the gods’ touch is a blessing,
not a burden. The other clans struggle against the flaws of their
tainted origins, but the Baali are made of divine matter, and
it’s divine presences they entertain. Only the unworthy would
mistake godly intimacy for anything less than honor.
Favored Attributes
Presence or Resolve
Disciplines
Animalism: Who should beasts answer to but a god? Being
a Lord means ruling existence itself — no exceptions. The clan’s
power over animals is testament to their miraculous blood, whose
greatness anoints the Earth and binds all creation to their service.
Majesty: Who deserves worship more than a god? A king
commands, his subjects fulfilling his tasks because of a fickle
imitation of authority. But true power? The Baali see it in the
host of worshipers kneeling before them of their own volition,
eager for an ember of approval. Majesty is the soul of the pan-
theon, and the Baali wield it with pride.
Resilience: Who embodies eternity better than a god? The
Baali thrive in sublime perpetuity, unperturbed by things that
would cause torment and doom in lesser beings. As sacrificial
blades draw a tribute from a Fiend’s own flesh and obscene
celebrations feed the fires of her greatness, a Lord endures.
 FAVOR THE BOLD
The Gallic Wars (54 BCE)
It is a time of plunder and slaughter. Gaul’s wealth and
blood call the Romans into the dark woods where dark eyes
and bright fangs gleam. Safety is an illusion; peace is only a
pause in hostilities. There’s always someone else to shove your
gladius or spear into, another town to raid, a further territory
to conquer. Nothing is sacred anymore.
Yet in Rome, knives are being sharpened so they can be
plunged into unsuspecting backs. Friend betrays friend, lover
betrays lover, and the gods look down on the city’s decadence
with disdain. The city teeters on a razor’s edge, ready to col-
lapse given the slightest provocation — and with egos to satisfy
the size of Caesar and Pompey’s, they won’t have to wait long.
Mood: No Compromise
Rome marches forth and Gaul refuses to back down in the
face of Caesar’s aggression. Meanwhile, his political enemies
ready their blades, preparing for the precise moment he returns
What Has Come Before
In 378 BCE, the Gauls sack the Eternal City, making them
the hated foes of all good Romans. Vampires who experience
these dark days will say later tales reflect Rome’s wounded
pride rather than the violence actually dealt to the city, but
none bother to correct the record. Instead, stories of Gallic
depravity serve political purposes and give the city a common
enemy. Many Propinquus elders fear the Gauls too — the raiders
opened many tombs to the sun in their lust for treasure.
Two centuries later, Tiberius Gracchus rides a wave of popular
support to become Tribune, promising land reform on a hitherto
unseen scale. The marginalized and dispossessed flock to his
side, while the wealthy and elite recoil at the thought of anything
that would limit their luxurious lifestyles. Assassins murder
Tiberius, but in 123 BCE, his brother Gaius raises the banner
again, proposing even more radical economic reforms. By the
time assassins silence the second Gracchus brother, the merciless
wheels of political violence have been perpetually set in motion.
It’s easier to find men who will volunteer to die than to
find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.
— Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico
from his war. Under their influence, Pompey turns his back
on Julius and rebuffs all attempts by his former friend to mend
their bond.
Death in this era is a game of chicken, where even the
slightest error or hesitation can lead to bloody doom. No one
is willing to back down; no one is willing to talk; everyone
is ensconced in the mentality that their only options are vic-
tory or one last sunrise. Neither Roman nor Gaul is prone to
backing down from a battle, but all of them must ask what
they are willing to do.
Just as Rome must choose between Caesar and Pompey and
the Gauls must choose to fight or ally with Rome, the Propinqui
must decide where their allegiances lie. It may be politically
convenient for a brood to side with a former rival, but in doing
so, they alienate themselves from a staunch ally. Everyone must
walk the tightrope of balancing change — and the power they
can gain through it — with the certainty of stability.
The Camarilla learns this bloody lesson well. They use mortal
catspaws and proxies to wage war on one another, regardless of
the consequences. They are confident that theirs is the great-
est society and that the bones serving as its foundation aren’t
rotting under their very feet.
In 83 BCE, Sulla takes the next step, demonstrating that
swords triumph over laws if no one’s left to raise a hand against
you. The vicious old man thinks he’s saving the Republic from
demagogues when he marches his legions on Rome herself.
Instead, all he does is show other ambitious men that absolute
power is within their reach if they’re bold enough to grasp it.
Men like Pompey Magnus and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Men like
Gaius Julius Caesar. The three forge a pact that soon becomes
an open secret in the streets of Rome, using their wealth, troops,
and influence to shape the burgeoning empire to their benefit.
To cement their ties, Caesar, the junior partner, marries his
daughter Julia to Pompey, binding him to the great general with
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 137
 family ties. All the while, Gaul looms in the Roman mind, a
great terror to the north. Caesar resolves to do something about
it, ideally making himself rich and famous while sucking the
prosperous region dry. Or at least keep his debtors from sucking
him dry. His consulship complete, he takes over as governor
of Rome’s northernmost provinces in 58 BCE but quickly
finds reason to involve himself beyond his legal authority. He
sets north with legions into Transalpine Gaul, intent on using
his legion’s might and propaganda machine to make himself
Rome’s eternal hero.
If Caesar wanted a fight for his life, he gets one. After his bat-
tles with the Helvetii, other tribes seek his friendship, drawing
him into conflicts further from Roman lands. Almost by acci-
dent, he achieves even greater glory than he imagined. While
the core of Gallic lands remains untouched, the territories
What Is to Come
A grief-stricken Caesar leaves Britain brimming with wrath,
hellbent on smothering Ambiorix’s rebellion and bringing
Gaul back in line. While he quells the uprising, Ambiorix slips
beyond his grasp, retreating across the Rhine into the night.
Even with Ambiorix gone, the fighting takes its toll on the
Romans. Caesar must trade favors and cut deals to raise new
legions, replacing those lost to winter and the battlefield. In 53
BCE, he all but annexes Gaul into the Republic during a lull
in the constant battles. Fearing the Romans will blaspheme
the Gallic sacred spaces, the chieftain Vercingetorix forges
an unprecedented alliance among the tribes to drive off their
would-be-conquers. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to forestall
Rome’s hunger for land.
The legions and the Gallic coalition fight three pitched
battles. Finally, in 52, Caesar captures Vercingetorix alive
after the double siege of Alesia, where his legions besieged the
Gallic stronghold while simultaneously fighting off a siege by
a relieving army. Pockets of fighting will continue for another
two years after Alesia, but this marks the end of any serious
resistance. Rome has won; Gaul has lost.
Caesar doesn’t get to enjoy any of it.
The political situation back in Rome deteriorates out of con-
trol. Crassus gets himself killed attempting to claim military
victory in Anatolia, and grief over Julia’s death drives a wedge
between Caesar and Pompey. Caesar’s foes seduce Pompey with
flattery and glorious promises, ensuring the two most power-
ful men in Rome are competitors rather than allies. When
it becomes clear that his arrest — and likely execution — will
follow the end of his command, Caesar heeds Sulla’s example.
He crosses the Rubicon with his legions in 49 BCE, making it
clear he intends to march on Rome.
For the next four years, Rome is consumed by civil war, mark-
ing the death rattle of the Roman Republic and the birthing
pains that will lead to the rise of the Empire. Throughout,
Vercingetorix rots in a dungeon, left behind and forgotten
by his captors while they squabble over their nation’s corpse.
138 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
surrounding them bow to Rome. Thinking the “barbarians”
pacified, Caesar sets his sights on greater glories. He intends
to cross the channel, traveling like Ulysses across the farthest
oceans and conquer the lands the Gauls say lie beyond the
water. He will extend the Roman world into the unknown,
helping create an empire that shall last the ages and make its
masters rich and powerful beyond comparison. Unfortunately
for Caesar, woe follows his hubris.
In 54 BCE, while in Britannia, Caesar receives the worst
news he can imagine. Julia has died in childbirth, and her child
by Pompey swiftly follows her to Dis Pater. Grief over a lost
daughter and a lost wife shatters the chains binding Caesar and
Pompey. Simultaneously, Ambiorix, chieftain of the Eburones,
incites the Belgae Confederation to rise against the legions and
prepare for a pitched battle against their invaders.
The Story of the Dead
When Caesar leaves Rome, the dead follow in his wake,
sensing an opportunity to feast and expand away from com-
petitors’ prying eyes. Roman vampires know nothing like the
Midnight Republic exists in Gaul. In their minds, dividing
and subjecting such insular backwaters will be no great task.
Instead, the vampires of Gaul communicate far faster and
mobilize more efficiently than anticipated. They also wield
blood sorcery unseen in the south, bound in metal and allow-
ing wielders to draw sustenance far from civilization. The
source of both problems is the Gobannes, an organization
of diplomats and smiths. The Gobannes aren’t all hostile
toward their Roman counterparts, but many are, and even
the most welcoming intend to be the Romans’ partners, not
their subjects.
When Caesar leaves to conquer Britannia, the Gobannes
become even more skeptical of Roman intentions. Bloody
shadows begin to flee their homeland, risking the monster-in-
fested night of Germania rather than being gradually snuffed
out through assimilation into the Peregrine Collegium or on
the blades of the Legion of the Dead. Not everyone leaves, but
enough do that the Gobannes’ magical Torcs — and the smiths
who create them — become harder to find.
Those who remain throw their weight behind Ambiorix and
Vercingetorix’s campaigns, but even the dead can’t forestall
Roman victory. Ambiorix escapes, Vercingetorix is captured,
and over the decades, the Camarilla crushes the Gobannes
under the weight of their empire.
Caesar safely ignores Vercingetorix after the Gallic leader’s
defeat, but the Necropolis remembers him, and many Worms
sneak into his cell to sup on his blood. When Caesar parades
him through the streets in his 46 BCE triumph, dying by
strangulation and ritual sacrifice seems to be a relief.
A pity for him that his body gets up and walks away a few
nights later.
 Locations
The people of Gaul spread thin compared with their Italian
counterparts, but urban centers like these three are still a
hotbed of intrigue and politics.
Alesia
The Mandubii reside in Alesia, a large fortress town in the
heart of Gaul. The town sits atop a steep hill, protected by
cliffs to the north and south, and sturdy walls to the east and
west. Rivers flow north and south of the precipices, creating a
fertile plain within the valley for farmers to support the tens of
thousands of Mandubii living in the citadel. Romans who come
to Alesia sneer at the Gallic settlement, as it cannot compare
with the grandeur of Rome, but for Gauls, this is one of the
largest settlements they will ever see.
Vampire politics within Alesia are cutthroat. While there
are more than enough necks to support its broods, the corpses
on top of the food chain want it all for themselves. Alesia’s
“chieftain,” Virici, seized power by impaling his rivals along the
town’s cliffs until sunrise. He insists on maintaining a personal
herd that marks many of the town’s citizens as off-limits to
the other broods. Even members of Virici’s gang, who he also
keeps supplied with exclusive herds, grow tired of his imperious
ways, but so far, no one is willing to risk standing against him.
The Mediator
Atepu is looking for a way to defuse the tension as peacefully
as possible. While best known for her fiery hair and skill with a
hammer (both on skulls and anvils), the young Marvos prefers
words over violence. She also realizes the far greater enemy
is the Camarilla, and she despairs that Virici has neither the
interest nor vision to deal with it. She’d prefer to convince the
Chieftain to change his ways, but she won’t hesitate to stoke
rebellion if she can make the coup quick. Crafts 4, Persuasion
3, Weaponry 3
Bibracte
Situated beside Mont Beuvray, Bibracte is the home of the
Aedui, a Gallic tribe with old connections to Rome and one
of Caesar’s better regional allies. It was here Caesar resupplied
between his early battles with the Helvetii, and it’s still where
he receives cavalry support. Yet, despite their aid, Bibracte and
the Aedui are divided about what to make of things.
While the elder statesman Divitiacus, long an envoy to
Rome, supports Caesar, his brother Dumnorix is staunchly
anti-Roman and wishes to see them driven from Gaul. Or at
least he was until he fell to Caesar’s armies, but his supporters
remain. Thus, the city must decide whether to maintain its
long-standing ties to the southern invaders or join the warlords
calling for independence.
While mortal Romans grant the Aedui the title “Brothers
of Rome,” relations between the Aedui’s vampires and the
Midnight Republic are considerably frostier. The Gobannes
have worked hard to keep their independence-minded kin from
starting a bloody struggle to toss out the Romans, but even
they’re frustrated by the imperious southerners. Fortunately,
the Romans are few and mostly avoid the forum where the
local broods do business. Thus, the Gauls and the Romans do
their best to stay out of each other’s way. All the dead know,
however, that the city is a disaster waiting to happen.
The Collaborator
Gaius Flavius Caturix is Kindred now. He even claims a place
among the Wanderers; he likes their martial attitude, and his
temper runs just as hot. He’s one of the few Camarilla vampires
in Bibracte with any influence, though that’s only because most
of the Marvoi remember when he just called himself Caturix.
But Gaius is canny enough to know which way the wind is
blowing. Soon, there won’t be any Marvoi, and he’s not going
to be one of them when it happens. Politics (Appeasement) 3,
Subterfuge 3, Warfare 4, Brawl 3
Mutina
Mutina is the capital of Cisalpine Gaul, the most Romanized
of all the Gallic provinces, conquered by the Latins in 155 BCE.
The city has seen its fair share of fighting, having been a sig-
nificant battleground in the Second Punic War and Spartacus’
revolt, and it now serves as the de jure capital of Caesar’s con-
quests. Ghosts of all these conflicts haunt the city, while Roman
soldiers stationed here just as hungry for blood as vampires.
In Mutina, the Gobannes integrated into Roman rule as part
of the Peregrine Collegium, but they remain willful and inde-
pendent. In particular, they refuse to create Torcs for anyone
but other Gauls and frequently journey to other settlements on
either side of the Alps without leave from the Senex’s represen-
tatives. But if there’s anywhere peace between the Gobannes
and the Midnight Republic can be worked out, it’s in Mutina. It
won’t be easy; the two cultures dislike and distrust each other,
but they recognize they can mutually benefit if they overcome
their instinct to stab each other in the back.
The Cassandra
Manta sees it all too clearly: In ten years, a tyrant falls, but his
heir will come to Mutina, and though the people will not know
it, he will earn his crown there. This is the vision she sees so
clearly, but she can’t get anyone to listen. A mere washerwoman,
no one gives her a second thought. She doesn’t know where
these visions come from, but they grow clearer by the day. Can
she stop them? Should she? The yellow-eyed thing sharing these
truths doesn’t really care, but it’s very interested in seeing what
happens next. Expression 3, Occult 2, Religion 2
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 139
 Life in Gaul
Roman fearmongers portray the Gauls as a horde of
unwashed barbarians, vicious brutes who’ll slaughter a Roman
at the merest pretext. They both overstate Gaul’s unity and
underplay its culture to serve their own bloodthirsty purposes.
Much like Roman society, the Gauls are largely stratified by
class. Gallic aristocrats are landowners and war chiefs, with
status determined both by the number of clients they have
as well as their success in battle. Drawn from their ranks are
druids, the revered religious and judicial class who frequently
act as de facto leaders within their communities. Most Gauls
are peasant farms, toiling away at their farmsteads.
Each tribe has its own traditions and institutions; some are
ruled by aristocratic councils, while others are the vassals of
kings. While tribes ally and trade with one another, they’re
politically fragmented, alone in the dark night. Nothing can
compel one tribe to work with another except for the leaders
of those two tribes, even when facing an existential threat
like the Romans. Despite efforts to unify through diplomacy
or war, the Gauls remain fiercely independent of each other,
even unto death.
Metallurgy is an ancient tradition in Gaul, and its people
are known for their fine metalwork. Their extensive mines
extract gold, iron, copper, and tin from the earth’s bones,
shaped by smiths into fine arm-rings and broaches. The wealth
this generates allows the Gallic tribes to create walled hill
Death in Gaul
Gallic vampires don’t have the same overarching political
structure as their Roman counterparts. Local broods have far
more authority than their contemporaries, or even modern
vampires in the All Night Society. The Gobannes are the clos-
est thing the Propinqui can find to a wing of the Camarilla,
although lacking a unified government, the analogy is at best
imperfect, and at worst, deceptive.
The rejection isn’t just political; Kindred philosophers say
that the Gallic Beast refuses to be chained by any laws except
its own. Northern vampires believe it’s the Romans who are
aberrant, willing to tame their Beasts with bureaucracies and
cities rather scream together in the starlight.
The Clans
The Kindred aren’t native here. Instead, vampires call
themselves Marvoi (“the dead”) and see no need to distinguish
further. Most Marvoi resemble the Wanderers and Worms,
and perhaps they’re cousins. Indeed, many Gangrel are said
to have come from Gaul when they first joined the All Night
Society. Perhaps the clan divided as Rome rose in the south,
with some becoming their own form of living death, different
from the Propinqui.
140 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
cities — called oppida by the Romans — in defensible locations
across the European plain. The Gauls connect themselves to
the Mediterranean world through trade; in addition to their
fine art, they send salt, copper, amber, furs, and slaves south
in exchange for wine and textiles.
In battle, Gauls favor the longsword and spear, charging en
masse at their foes to shatter their morale. Despite terrifying
their foes, this charge leaves the Gallic warriors vulnerable if
their enemies don’t break and run, for they fight unarmored
apart from their massive shields. Not only does this leave them
undefended, but it also means Gallic weapons aren’t designed
to withstand armor, making breakage common. Romans who
get inside the longsword’s lethal arc are a thrust of the gladius
away from disemboweling their foes. Still, the Gauls aren’t foes
to be taken lightly, with their ferocity and devastating heavy
cavalry making up for their technological and organizational
disadvantages. Any Roman who underestimated them will
soon be a corpse.
Roman philosophers make much of the fact that Gallic
warriors are motivated by wealth and power rather than
duty. They see the Gauls as mercenary and unmotivated by
higher ideals, oblivious to their own soldiers’ loyalty to gold
over patriotic fervor. But now that Marius and Sulla are gone,
surely no living Roman would raise arms against another for
profit. Surely.
It’s possible the Marvoi would have developed their own clans
one night, but as the Camarilla takes ever more territory, the
influx of Propinqui dilutes their unique qualities. When Rome
finally solidifies its grasp and necropoles are dug beneath the
oppida, they will all be Kindred too.
Marvos Template
Gallic vampires aren’t Propinqui, but they operate under sim-
ilar rules. Build Marvoi like any Kindred characters; however,
as they have no clans, use the following systems:
Bane: Each Marvos has a personal bane she gains at
Humanity 6; this can be any common bane or clan curse,
or even a bloodline one, though the Storyteller has the final
say. Marvoi also have more difficulty resisting the Beast, with
Humanity limiting all rolls to resist uncontrolled frenzy, except
for riding the wave.
Disciplines: The character treats Protean and any two com-
mon Disciplines (player’s choice) as in-clan Disciplines, though
a few Marvoi can access Nightmare instead of the Protean.
Marvoi learn the other clan Disciplines like Kindred, but
Dominate is very rare.
Favored Attributes: Marvoi characters get a free choice
between the three Resistance Attributes.
 The Gobannes
The Forgemasters
You want to join the Gobannes because: You were an
artisan in life and want to share your art in death. You think
the dead can live in peace, but you’re not afraid to kill for
it. You’ve turned your back on Rome and the Camarilla for
a simpler life. You know the only other choice is to
be a lone corpse in the woods.
The big picture: Smiths and diplomats,
the Gobannes resolve disputes between the
scattered Gallic vampires, ensuring blood
feuds don’t tear their civilization to shreds.
Unlike the Kindred, they prefer diplomatic
means when settling disputes and building
status, and the Gobannes show their favor
by bestowing Torcs upon their fellow dead
— magical, bloodthirsty objects.
Where we came from: The Romans
paint us as unwashed savages without
culture and society. What self-ag-
grandizing nonsense. Our civili-
zation is different from theirs;
most vampires get along fine
without bureaucrats like the
Kindred micromanaging every minute of
their nights. Our broods have long been the
major dead power blocs in Gaul, but diplomacy
doesn’t come naturally to predators, and some-
times someone needs to take charge. That’s
where the Gobannes come in. We’re the ties
that bind the Marvoi together, and when
haughty bastards like the Romans try to take
our land, we fight back together.
Our practices: Not every Marvos is a
Forgemaster, but every community has at
least two: one to serve as a messenger and
one to serve as a diplomat.
The messenger keeps the broods in con-
tact with each other all across all the nearby
domains. They don’t run the entire width and
breadth of the land but coordinate to pass news
from one dead community to the next. Messengers
who aren’t self-sufficient and innovative quickly get
one last look at the sun before a sudden end to their
careers. Most use blood Torcs to help keep themselves
fed when away from mortals, but they must be wary
of bandit broods and feral dead things attacking them
deep in the woods.
The diplomat ensures disputes don’t spiral to the
point that everyone ends up as ash on the forest
floor. They are voices of reason and mediators
— but don’t mistake them for weaklings. Of
course, every diplomat can put other vampires
in the dirt if they don’t listen; otherwise, they don’t keep their
position for long. But, of course, they prefer peaceful resolutions
whenever possible and often forge Blood Torcs to ensure broods
who get a raw deal feel fairly compensated.
Nicknames: The Forgemasters, the Diplomats, the Talkers
(derogatory)
Concepts: Beleaguered envoy, defender of the
peace, avuncular smith, hardworking miner,
anti-imperialist
When we are in power: We keep the
peace. It isn’t our place to rule over broods
but to advise them and keep bloodshed
to a minimum. If other dead — even
other Gobannes — won’t listen to reason,
we put them down, but we don’t do it to
elevate ourselves. We already have supreme
authority in our society; micromanaging an
empire would suck the joy out of our nights.
When we are in trouble: When danger comes
calling, we call in favors. You don’t have to be
a Gobanns to fight alongside us; centuries of
resolving disputes means everyone owes some-
thing to the Forgemasters. Bribes of Torcs and
feeding grounds usually sway the few who
don’t. The Romans call us barbarians, but
they’re the ones who refuse to negotiate. Hell
with ’em. We help everyone see how much of
a threat they are, and if they won’t use words,
we’ll translate our message into a language
even they can understand: vae victis.
New Merit
The Gobannes craft special charms called Blood
Torcs, magical items infused with Vitae. Many Torcs
are the classic Gallic neckband, but despite the name,
any item primarily made from metal can serve as a
Torc’s foundation.
Blood Torc (• to •••••)
Prerequisite: Allies (Gobannes) • or Gobanns Status •
Effect: You possess a Blood Torc. A Torc can store Vitae
up to twice its dot rating, and any vampire can infuse
more by bleeding from their own blood supply. Each Torc
also has a minor supernatural effect that functions for
anyone wielding the Torc, whether or not they possess
Blood Potency.
A Torc’s supernatural power is purely a narrative effect,
so what is does is less important than how it feels. Use
them to emphasize the primal urges a vampire feels or the
threat they represent. Powers that evoke death, hunger,
or danger are appropriate, while those that play off the
sun, fire, or safety are not. If the power feels like some-
thing that would be terrifying to experience without
any context, you’re on the right track.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 141
 Use the following examples to guide you when creating your
own Torcs:
Feeding Ring (•): This golden bracelet is patterned with
symbols representing horned cannibals devouring their prey.
The figures seem to move whenever not in view, but no one
ever sees the change. Effect: When touching another, the
wearer immediately knows whether they are starving, hungry,
or satisfied.
Bloody Carnyx (•••): Towering over the battlefield, this
trumpet curves upward so all can see the boar head effigy
Storytelling the Era
Favor the Bold offers a variety of chronicle styles for
Storytellers. The most obvious is to set a story in the heart of
the Gallic Wars, with players taking on the roles of vampires
seeking to expand the Camarilla’s influence. In these chroni-
cles, enemy vampires are monsters who sweep out of the dark
night, wreak bloody havoc, and then disappear again. Play up
feelings of paranoia and dread — the protagonists are a long
way from home, and they should feel like the hunters have
suddenly become the hunted.
A chronicle could also portray the Gobannes’ resistance
against their encroaching neighbors. Here, the horror lies in
the inevitability of the Roman war machine trampling all in
its path. Even if the brood is made of vampires who ally with
Rome as clients, proximity to Roman customs begins to corrode
centuries of Gallic traditions (and perhaps even change their
Vitae). While those traditions won’t die quickly, they will perish
in the coming centuries, leaving only Roman culture in their
wake. Chronicles from the Gallic perspective should be tinged
with remorse and regret to foreshadow this eventual loss of the
culture’s identity.
Regardless of which culture Storytellers frame for their pro-
tagonists, consider playing up the theme of Piety + Blasphemy
from the Vampire rulebook. Religious customs were a deadly
serious matter for Romans and Gauls alike, although their
practices looked very different. Whether the chronicle is set in
Rome or Gaul, emphasize religiosity and ritual as community
The Gobannes Tonight
Are the Gobannes still dead and kicking in
modern France and Belgium? Who’s to say?
If Storytellers and players want a chronicle where
an ancient Forgemaster rises from torpor or there’s
a small Gallic holdout in the provinces, they should
be empowered to do so. In most chronicles, modern
Kindred are more likely to stumble upon historical
references to the Marvoi and Gobannes or uncover
one of their Blood Torcs. The Acolytes and Dragons
go out of their way to recover these artifacts,
while the Carthians use the Forgemasters’ history
to undermine narratives about the Camarilla’s
historic supremacy.
142 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
metalsmiths have fashioned around its bell. Its bronze tusks
and teeth perpetually drip blood. Effect: While playing, the
musician can make everyone who hears the horn’s sound also
hear a single whispered threat.
Death’s Head (•••••): Iron antlers tipped in blood and gore
branch out of this mask made from a human skull. As heavy
as metal should be when carried in hand, but as soon as the
mask is worn, it becomes light as cloth. Effect: While worn,
the mask’s bearer can communicate with any animal or insect
that feeds on carrion.
builders, as well as the alienation of witnessing a practice you
don’t understand.
Most fighting during this era took place during the day,
meaning vampires will rarely be involved in pitched battles,
but that doesn’t mean a military campaign is impossible. One
way to emphasize the horror of battle is for coteries to come
across the ruined aftermath of daytime battles, still littered
with the dead and dying. Military camps are another place for
vampires to get involved, giving soldiers a chance to talk to the
dead before they face death itself (see Chapter Three for more
on battles and warfare in Ancient Rome).
Sieges are another way around the daylight problem, and
prolonging a battle over several days or weeks allows vampires
to get involved. While it’s after the time period this era focuses
on, Storytellers may wish to play out or build toward the Siege
of Alesia in particular. The double siege allows Roman cote-
ries to go on both the attack and the defensive — attempting
to subdue Vercingetorix while simultaneously beating off the
relieving Gallic forces. Regardless of which siege you build the
chronicle around, this is a good opportunity to emphasize
hunger, feeding, and limited resources. Where will the vampires
get their Vitae from? Do Kindred drink from Roman soldiers,
risking weakening them for the next battle? Or do they take the
bare minimum and hope they don’t end up dust themselves?
You might also consider running Favor the Bold from a ghoul
perspective. This allows characters to fight alongside — or against
— Caesar during the day while serving their Kindred overlords at
night. Some groups may want to try a form of troupe play, with
two characters per player: a vampire for the night and a ghoul
minion for the day. Of course, chucking historical verisimilitude
out the window and allowing more pitched battles to happen at
night is also an option if having vampires mixed in among the
legions is the story your group wants to tell.
Finally, the chronicle doesn’t have to take place in Gaul.
Plenty is happening in Rome during this period, with rival
political gangs clashing in the streets in a prelude to civil war.
When setting chronicles in Rome, Storytellers should ensure
characters here gossip about the war in the north — Caesar knew
a PR opportunity when he saw one. Emphasize Caesar’s divisive
nature and the debate about whether he’s the Republic’s greatest
hero or its most corrupt politician. Every mortal Storyteller
character should have an opinion on him, while vam-
pires should be like the general himself — larger than
life, proactive, and willing to flout traditions for power.
This goes double for the Julii, who consider Caesar their
mortal “cousin” and back his ambitious schemes. Julii
who consider themselves young and cutting edge even ape
Caesar’s counter-cultural fashion sense, wearing flowing
and gauzy togas with sleeves as a way of showing their
allegiance to the up-and-coming general.
Storytellers should also consider using shifting alli-
ances and uncertain friendships as metaphors for the
metastasizing rift between Caesar and Pompey. Treachery
from other vampires is expected, but mortals, ghouls,
and dhampir all can have their moment to betray a dear
friend. Just remember not to overdo it; constant betrayal
by Storyteller characters runs the risk of players becom-
ing bored or upset. Let the betrayals help the coterie as
much, if not more, than it hurts them — if vampires are
supposed to be manipulative bastards, let players run
with that trope to the hilt.

Story Seeds
The following are two seeds to help build chronicles
set during the Gallic Wars.

Caesar Returns
Caesar is back, thirsty for revenge on the ungrateful
Gauls who rose up to oppose his designs for their home-
land. Meanwhile, Ambiorix presses his advantage after
annihilating the invaders’ forces at Atuatuca. The two
generals race to catch each other off guard — a decisive vic-
tory here could either spell Gaul’s salvation or final defeat.
What Is Happening?
Things are no less chaotic in the dead of night.
The Gobannes and other Gallic broods continue to
resist Roman hegemony, but that isn’t the Camarilla’s
only problem. Realizing how difficult it is for Rome
to assert its power in Gaul, an ambitious alliance of
Strangers and Soldiers is attempting to carve out an
independent covenant for themselves. They’re willing
to allow the Gobannes into their alliance — but only as
a junior partner. The rebel’s victory wouldn’t change
the Roman hegemony in Gaul; it would just swap one
master for another.
Dramatis Personae
The mastermind behind Ala Militaris’ revolt is Gaius
Memmius Sanga, an ambitious and power-hungry
Wanderer who chafes under the rule of both the Julii
and the Night Senate. Now he dreams of creating a
midnight kingdom in his own image, still made of good
Roman citizens, but without the Old Man’s meddling.
To that end, he’s convinced the Iberian Seer Ursa of the
Peregrine Collegium to join his cause. Ursa has her own
squabble with the Senex over how they treat her wing,

CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 143


Changing History
Win or lose, the Midnight Republic responds to
the Gallic revolt by erasing it from history. Romans
are barred from speaking of it, even as bloodthirsty
assassins are sent north to deal with its leaders.
That said, this doesn’t mean the characters are
doomed to failure if they fight Drusilla.
Eventually, the hot war becomes cold, as both
sides accept the current division of power and do
their best to pretend the other doesn’t exist. After
several centuries pass and the mortal side of the
Roman Empire expands, the Camarilla proposes
a true peace, potentially reintegrating Gaul as a
semi-autonomous province. If the players’ brood
is still around, they get to play co-consuls with
the Senex… right as Constantine is about to take
center stage.
but while she makes common cause with Sanga, she has no
intention of letting him rule. He can have the laurel upon his
head, but she will be the true power.
Opposing the revolt is Papia Drusilla, the leader of the
loyalist Soldiers who remain in Gaul. Drusilla has the unen-
viable task of trying to coordinate the forces she can muster
while also preventing more of them from defecting over to
Sanga and Ursa. Caught in the middle is Agedilio, a respected
Gobanns elder both sides are attempting to sway to their
cause. For her part, Agedilio wants all of the Roman invaders
gone, but she realizes the moment for that has likely passed.
She will attempt to extract the most favorable terms she can
from her allies, all the while praying for an opportunity to
slaughter them both.
Possible Resolutions
Loyalty to Drusilla comes with rich rewards. If the coterie
helps her suppress the uprising, they’ll win accolades upon their
return to Rome. Saying they’ll be loyal is easier than actually
doing it, however; Drusilla’s forces are in dire shape, and defec-
tions are common. They’ll either need their own propaganda
campaign or a well-placed assassin to boost the Legio’s morale
to the point where it can stand its ground against the rebels.
If the brood sides with Sanga and Ursa, they have an oppor-
tunity to topple the established Roman order and carve out
their own kingdom. Sanga will eventually grow jealous of their
success, but if they treat the former Untouchables well, they can
still keep Ursa on their side. Sanga tries to assassinate them
while Caesar and Pompey are embroiled in their civil war, but
once the dust settles to the south, they will have to contend
with wave after wave of imperial loyalists.
The only way Agedilio unambiguously sides with the brood
is if they help push the Romans out of Gaul entirely, as well as
adopting Gallic custom if they’re Romans. If mortal Gaul falls
to Caesar, Gallic vampires remain free. However, eventually,
more and more of the dead see the need to reform their tra-
ditions to present a united front against the Propinqui. They
144 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
found new covenants to work alongside the Gobannes, which
the coterie will be in a prime position to influence and leave
a lasting legacy.
If the characters are ambitious and powerful enough, they
may be able to not only push the Propinqui out of Gaul, but
also Caesar himself. Defeated by an allegiance of mortal and
supernatural forces, Caesar must go on the run the avoid the
creditors who come chasing after him. For a few years, Pompey
stands triumphant in Rome until the conservative faction
decides they no longer need him following Caesar’s death.
Secretly mourning the loss of his one-time friend and father-
in-law, Pompey allies with a vengeful Octavian. Unknown to
either, they have the quiet backing of the furious Julii, who
seek retribution against the Romans and Gauls who brought
about Caesar’s demise.
When in Rome
Julia Pompeii is dead. The bond between Pompey and Caesar
is now the weakest it has ever been. With Crassus dead, the
Triumvirate is about to fracture.
What Is Happening?
While the Midnight Republic has weathered the turmoil mor-
tals breed before, politically astute vampires sense the brewing
conflict will be a brutal one. Whispered questions of which
politician to back echo throughout the Necropolis, and even
among the Founders, some partisans get violent. The coterie
must navigate these political divides to ensure that, whichever
general ends up on top, he’s in the Camarilla’s pocket.
Dramatis Personae
Quirinia — a Seer from the Senex — urges the Kindred to
fall in line behind Pompey and back Rome’s patrician faction.
While her Julian rivals sneer that she refuses to support their
cousin because of clan politics, that has nothing to do with her
stance. She’s met Caesar before and is certain he knows she
was something more than mortal. The look of understanding,
of being a fellow predator in his eyes unnerved her, and she
has no desire to see him become the ultimate authority in
the Roman Republic.
Meanwhile, the Legion backs Caesar, with the Worm Quintus
Priscius Libo acting as their voice on the matter. To Ala Militaris,
Caesar has shown his superiority by politically defeating his foes
in the Senate time and again. They’re certain he’ll do so on the
battlefield if a civil war does break out. Libo, however, served with
Pompey before his Requiem began and hopes to find a way to
mend the rift between the two great men so they can rule Rome
as they were meant to — together, as blood brothers.
The Augurs and the Strangers don’t have a single repre-
sentative to speak for them. In general, the Strangers don’t
care about picking a side and are content to play the two off
each other. Even if they get caught on the wrong side of a
war, they’ll land on their feet. The Vaticinators are strangely
silent. When pressed on the matter, they foresee that Rome
is coming to a crisis and that either general could make — or
break — the Republic.
Possible Resolutions
If neither Quirinia nor Libo turns their ambitions into real-
ity, history unfolds as expected. Libo dutifully serves alongside
Caesar’s mortal troops, following him all the way to Egypt,
where he meets Final Death defending Cleopatra’s palace from
assassins. Quirinia survives to see the Republic collapse and
Augustus rise in its place. Her reservations do not go away
with Caesar’s death, for she has the same dread feeling about
Augustus she did about his uncle. Quirinia eventually resolves
to get to the bottom of the Julio-Claudians’ supernatural con-
nection, disappearing into the night.
If Quirinia’s faction prevails, Pompey stands a better chance
of defeating Caesar, and holds his ground to defend Rome
against his former friend. When the dust settles, the two
allies-turned-rivals have slain each other in an orgy of blood
and violence. Their deaths do nothing to quell the sectarian
violence. Octavian, Marc Antony, and Cicero all vie for power in
Inspirational Media
• The primary source historians use for this time period is
Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War, which provide a
firsthand account from the perspective of the man himself.
Caesar was a master propagandist, so this text should be
taken with a whole pile of salt. That said, there’s also a reason
it’s been a standard text for students learning Latin for the
last two thousand years, and its simple, direct style is a great
way to pick up some basics.
• While it’s mostly set in Italy after the events of Favor the
Bold, HBO and BBC’s Rome (2005) gets the feeling of uncer-
tainty and decline in this era down pat. Use its set design
to guide you when creating a Rome that vampires inhabit
— rundown, dirty, and dangerous in the shadows.
the aftermath, causing a new movement to rise among vampires.
Clearly the mortals can’t govern themselves, and the constant
violence threatens the stability the Senex needs to manage the
night. This faction believes the Midnight Republic must seize
even more power over mortal affairs to keep the masses in line.
If Libo’s plot to reconcile Caesar and Pompey succeeds, his-
tory changes, and Storytellers shouldn’t be bound by fidelity to
Rome’s fate in the real world. Caesar and Pompey run for consul
together, and the Camarilla feasts on the blood of their foes.
The two are proclaimed consuls for life, and when Pompey dies,
Caesar adopts and elevates his nephew Octavian into another
duumvirate. As the Republic becomes even more debauched,
the Striges strike out at the Kindred by manipulating two of
Caesar’s closest allies: Marc Antony feels slighted for being
passed over in favor of Octavian, while Marcus Junius Brutus
is deeply troubled by the Republic’s transformation into a de
facto empire…
• Dan Carlin has covered Rome multiple times on the Hardcore
History podcast. “Death Throes of the Republic” is useful for
getting a sense of the political developments in Rome, while
“Celtic Holocaust” covers the Gallic Wars from both Gaul
and Caesar’s perspectives.
• The Chronicles of Darkness has touched on similar times and
places in the Dark Eras Companion. The Fall of Isireion (p.
10) examines Egypt during the last days of the Ptolemaic Era,
where Caesar and Pompey’s conflict will come to a final, tragic
end in a few years’ time. Meanwhile, Forsaken by Rome (p. 52)
pushes beyond Gaul into Germania after Rome becomes an
empire. Both can be used to inspire crossover games or delve
deeper into the thematic darkness that hangs over Rome.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 145
 SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS
Year of the Four Emperors (69 CE)
The year is 68, the month of Junius. Nero, First Citizen of
Rome, faces military uprisings and rebellion in the Senate.
Rather than cling to power, he chooses death. Four men will
claim his throne in the following year: Galba, Otho, Vitellius,
and Vespasian. One will found a dynasty. The rest will fall.
The Year of the Four Emperors is the first civil war since
Augustus defeated Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of
Actium. It is the end of the Julio-Claudians, the last vestige of
Caesar’s blood legacy. The plebs cry out for vengeance at the
death of their beloved Nero as the Senate grasps for relevance
with each of his successors, and deep in the Necropolis, the
Kindred fear the Emperor’s death is a portent.
Immortals know what becomes of despots. They were there
the night Brutus led the people against Tarquin. They were there
when Cleopatra bid the asp suckle at her breast. They were there
when the Senate dealt with Gracchus with rocks and clubs, and
they were even there when his grandfather heard the news. “Bring
death to all who act as he!” the old man proclaimed in Greek,
but history will recall it more succinctly: Sic Semper Tyrannis.
Mood: End of an Era
The Julio-Claudians are gone. Caesar’s name lives on as a
title (it will last another 2000 years), but never again will an
What Has Come Before
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus would rather be
an artist than a dictator. Still, he takes great pleasure in the office:
Banquets, concerts, and horseracing are the Emperor’s favorite
pastimes. But while his extravagance makes him unpopular with
the Senate, for the first five years, good counsel stays Nero’s hand,
and the people hail him for the games he holds in their honor.
Few emperors are as beloved among the plebs as Nero.
The Great Fire
But that stability ends in flame. In 64, the world burns, but
Nero never fiddles. Instead, always a man of the people, he
offers comfort to the people in their dire hour, allowing them
Aut Caesar, aut nihil.
— Motto of Cesare Borgia
146 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Emperor bear his blood. For the first time, the Romans find
a crack in the imperial office. Yes, Caligula was murdered for
his deviance, but the family name was stronger than a single
pervert. After Nero, the Romans won’t see their Princeps as
an extension of Julius or Augustus. Power is his right, not
a bloodline, and he must never forget where it comes from:
Senatus Populusque Romanus. And one day, the Roman Emperor
won’t be a Roman at all.
The Year of the Four Emperors proves that title is more fluid
than Augustus meant it to be. The Princeps is an absolute
monarch in all but name, yet he must always watch his back.
There’s no way to remove the Emperor but wait out his nat-
ural life — or to murder him. The old organs of the Republic
are powerless against his imperium, cobbled together from a
thousand scraps of unwritten constitution, yet with a dagger
or a swift poison, gaining the purple is simple enough. Keeping
it is another matter.
The Camarilla must reckon with this as much as the kine.
Vampires don’t have natural lifespans, and even less room for
social mobility than mortals. They’ve also seen this before. The
eldest remember Tarquin the Proud, the last King of Rome, and
they see little difference between that tyrant and the emperors.
Many wonder why they should be ruled by a mortal at all.
to rest within his palace walls. Still, he does take advantage
of the ashes. When the Great Fire burns out, the Emperor
commissions a great public works project in the Grecian style,
levying heavy taxes and devaluing currency to rebuild the city,
culminating with the Domus Aurea, a splendid golden manse
to crown his restored capital.
The patricians don’t care for such excesses. They deride the
foreign style and complain about the drain on their fortunes.
Some whisper that the Emperor — away on business when the
fire began — started it himself. Never beloved by the Senate,
Nero’s grand plans fritter away what little support he has left
among the upper classes. He blames everyone but himself.
 Chaos and Flame
No mortal catastrophe will affect the Kindred more than the Great Fire of Rome, at least not before the Camarilla’s
fall. The seat of the Midnight Republic nearly collapses, and even half a decade later, the Necropolis is nowhere near
recovered when the four pretenders make their claims.
The Great Fire wipes out many Kindred with firsthand knowledge of historical events like the founding of the
Camarilla and the destruction of the Traditores, and even the existence of Julius Senex, who becomes more myth than
dead man as time passes. It also forever changes the makeup of the Undercity, as many vampires from the provinces
and beyond come to Rome to take advantage of the power vacuum. While the Julii will always maintain a plurality in
the city (and the Assembly), they will never again command a majority.
This event should loom over all that’s to come. Perhaps the characters were Embraced in the aftermath, or maybe
they’re survivors looking to fill the gaps that still remain in the All Night Society when Nero falls.

The fire is a turning point for the Kindred as well. Elders Still picking up the pieces from the great fire, some Kindred
caught on the surface die in quick agony, and many others take advantage of the conspiracy’s fallout, Embracing members
are barred at the locked gates of the Necropolis and left to of fallen households, and even a few condemned. Or so the
the inferno. Panic spreads through the tunnels, even to the rumors go.
hallowed Small Chamber, and between the fire, the fear, and
the lack of blood, a riot breaks out, the size of which will never
be seen again before the fall of Rome.
The Fall of Nero
Finally having enough of the Emperor’s mismanagement, sev-
After five agonizing days and nights, barely twenty percent
eral provincial governors rebel in 68, led by Galba of Hispania
of Propinqui in the city survive by the time the flames and
Tarraconensis. Though the Senate declares Galba an enemy of
frenzies die out. Most of the Inner Circle goes up in ash, and
the state, it is an empty gesture, and many members privately
thus, many of the oldest Founders. Power games will mark the
hope he succeeds where the Pisonians failed. Soon, even the
next five years as the clans and wings reposition their many
Praetorian Prefect abandons the Emperor, and his troops begin
pawns in the light and dark, and immigration and a flurry of
to ignore his orders, quoting Virgil at him: “Is it so dreadful a
Embraces brings new blood to the Necropolis.
thing then to die?”

The Pisonian
Conspiracy
Gaius Calpurnius Piso is a man of letters and statecraft, an
orator and benefactor of the arts. A great man, in other words;
greater, he thinks, than the juvenile who rules the Principate.
In 65, he enlists patricians, equites, and soldiers to eliminate
the Emperor, though their goals are diverse. Some wish for a
new leader (Piso sees himself in the purple), but many hope for
a chance to restore Senatorial rule. The republican sentiment
never fully faded among the Romans, even a century since the
fall of Caesar, and even though none living remember the days
of the Republic.
But Piso and his group are betrayed, first through incom-
petence, then through malice. A conspirator admits the plot
to an unfavorite at Nero’s court, hoping to bring him to her
cause, and he promptly turns her in. The conspiracy abandons
its initial plans and attempts to move before the Emperor can
react, but a slave of one of its members betrays his master out
of spite on the morning of the assassination. Nero exacts his
vengeance in quick fashion, murdering some, exiling others,
and pardoning few. The execution of several elder statesmen
emboldens the Emperor, eliminating whatever moderation
he had left.
Abandoning plans to flee to the east, the Emperor’s house-
hold deserts him on the night of June 9th, and he finally
realizes it’s over. No one even remains to kill him. With his
few remaining allies, he flees to a friend’s villa to commit
suicide, telling his companions to dig a grave. He paces the
grounds, weeping and muttering. “What an artist dies in me!”
he exclaims, but he loses his nerve and begs his secretary to
wield the blade instead. Who brings down the knife is a small
mystery, but it doesn’t change anything: Nero is dead, and four
men will scramble to take his place.
If only Piso had waited a few years.
Regime change isn’t popular among the Propinqui. Nero
was kin to the Julii, and his excesses made him as close to a
Kindred emperor as Rome has yet had. However, while many
vampires exalt Nero the man, some are ambivalent about his
office. Many survivors of the Great Fire yearn for a time when
mortals didn’t put so much stock in one man, though some
of this is bitterness: Many were forced to pay the Emperor’s
heavy taxes to keep up the appearance of Masquerade.
Still, a bad emperor is bad for the people, and what’s bad
for the people is bad for their secret predators. Some older
vampires hold fast to that peculiar brand of Roman antimon-
archism, while others believe they can wait out this monarchy
without monarchs.

CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 147

 What Is to Come
In light of Nero’s suicide, some Propinqui (and a few mortals)
believe the imperial experiment is over, but whether they should
welcome or fear that outcome divides them. The Senex officially
supports whichever emperor happens to hold power, but even
the Ancients debate if a return to the republican system would
be preferable by the time Otho falls on his sword.
No vampire is foolish enough to directly intervene, but
Kindred money and blood will flow into all four claimants’
coffers, whether to defend the imperial office or to hasten its
end by prolonging the civil war.
Galba
A hardnosed veteran of four regimes, Galba is elderly by the
time he claims imperium. Brutality and caginess helped him
survive the Julio-Claudians, but these same qualities make
him a poor Princeps. Galba’s paranoia leads to purges, and
he refuses to pay the soldiers who supported his claim. Half
a year into his regime, his power evaporates when the Army
of the Rhine rebels, declaring General Vitellius their new
lord. In an effort to solidify his position, Galba chooses the
nobleman Licinianus as his heir over his expected successor,
the ambitious Governor of Lusitania, Otho. It will be his last
mistake. Galba’s own Praetorians murder him in mid-January,
bribed by Otho.
148 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Kindred call Galba a usurper. Even the Senex is reluctant
to recognize him (for all its approval matters), but conservative
Senecti argue they have no right to defy the heir of Divine Julius,
even if he isn’t a Julian. Still, the Old Man is quietly pleased with
Galba’s ruin: Several senators lost important thralls as Galba
purged patricians and equites of insufficient loyalty. Indeed,
one influential magistrate’s entire ghoul family perished when
the Emperor razed a town that didn’t accept him fast enough.
The night Galba falls, the Senex holds a mock funeral in his
honor, with one of his distant (living) relatives taking his place
in the pyre.
It’s not as celebratory for other Kindred. A few nights after
Galba’s assassination, a Soldier beats a vampire called Gaius
Septimius into torpor after he makes a speech declaring his
fealty to Rome, not some “king.” It’s unclear which wing
Septimius belongs to, but the Strangers take up his cause,
demanding the Legion punish their man. It doesn’t help that
Septimius’s corpse disappears almost immediately after the
Soldiers decline to make restitution. Who really throws the
first punch depends on which side you’re on, but the ensuing
riot leaves several important Strangers torpid or in chains, and
trust in the Legion at an all-time low.
For the rest of the year, each time an emperor falls, a riot
follows among the dead, and an owl’s screeches ring out over
the fray.
 Otho
Otho portrays himself as a second Nero — despite the fact
that he never forgave the bastard for stealing his wife, Poppaea
Sabina, or the fact that he was the first to side with Galba’s
rebellion. Still, his youth and looks make him a good fit to
fill his shoes, and the plebs bestow him with their beloved
Nero’s name as a cognomen. Otho is said to even bed the
dead emperor’s castrated slave/wife, Sporus, who uncannily
resembles Poppaea.
Briefest of the four emperors, Otho is well liked by the people
and the Senate. Reinstating Neronian reforms struck down
by Galba but pledging to rule as a temperate, sober leader, his
politics pay off just as his military gambits don’t. Vitellius over-
whelms his forces, and the second emperor of 69 kills himself
shortly after the First Battle of Bedriacum, viewing the battle
as a verdict on his reign. “It is far more just to perish one for all
than many for one,” he notes, then stabs himself in the heart.
Other than disposing of Galba, Otho doesn’t last long
enough for the Propinqui to form an opinion, but they do
find his suicide suspicious. The mortal historian Suetonius
later claims Otho killed himself for the good of Rome, but the
Vaticinators say his position after Bedriacum wasn’t so dire.
Some believe Otho could have rallied. After the death of two
emperors in so short a time, the Augurs claim the imperial
office suffers from a Nemesis curse, while some in the Senex
believe (or hope) a resurrected Nero is exacting revenge on
his false heirs.
Vitellius
In theory, Vitellius is an ideal emperor. His family was close
to Tiberius, and rumors that he was one of the Emperor’s
“favorites” on Capri followed him for years. With a prodigious
military and political background, Vitellius is beloved by his
troops and enters Rome on the heels of a resounding victory
over Otho.
In practice, Vitellius is a disaster. The third emperor of 69
nearly bankrupts the treasury on debaucheries, caring little for
the day-to-day maintenance of his stolen prize. He is addicted
to luxury and cruelty, and his incompetence ushers the civil
war into the streets of Rome herself as the army of Vespasian —
commander of the army in Judea and latest claimant — comes
marching in. As many as 50,000 perish in the fighting, and
Vitellius dies a coward’s death as he tries to flee. Beheaded and
tossed into the Tiber, he barely outlasts Galba.
Many Kindred appreciate Vitellius’ excess. His debauchery is
a worthy successor to Nero’s, if not his administration. Not all
the dead are so content with him, however. The Soldiers resent
his purge of the Praetorians, many of whom were connected
to their mortal pawns. The Emperor also draws the Augurs’
ire when he bans astrologers from Italy, wishing to suppress
ill portents of his reign. He even orders executions when they
retaliate with predictions of his doom.
The Vaticinators warn that Vitellius doesn’t respect the
gods, and the Legion says it won’t protect him from their
terrible wrath.

Year of the Four Emperors Timeline

Date Event
April 68 Galba rebels against Nero.
June 68 The Roman Senate declares Nero a public enemy; he commits suicide. Galba is
recognized as Emperor.
1 January 69 The Rhine legions refuse to swear loyalty to Galba after he alienates much of
the military.
2 January 69 Vitellius is acclaimed Emperor by the Rhine legions.
15 January 69 After being rejected as heir, Otho bribes the Praetorians to assassinate Galba.
The Senate recognizes Otho on the same day Galba is killed.
14 April 69 Vitellius defeats Otho at the First Battle of Bedriacum.
16 April 69 Otho commits suicide after only three months as Emperor, and Vitellius’s claim
is recognized by the Senate.
1 July 69 Vespasian, commander of the Roman army in Judea, is proclaimed Emperor by
the legions of Egypt with the support of the provincial prefect.
August 69 The Danubian legions declare their support for Vespasian and invade Italy.
October 69 The Danubian legions defeat Vitellius at the Second Battle of Bedriacum and other
conflicts. Vespasian occupies Egypt.
20 December 69 Vitellius is killed trying to flee as Vespasian’s forces take Rome.
21 December 69 Vespasian is recognized as Emperor, founding the Flavian Dynasty.

CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 149

 Vespasian
Titus Flavius Vespasianus was born to an unremarkable
family in an unremarkable part of the Empire. He will be the
best Emperor since the first.
Flavian forces end the Year of the Four Emperors at the
Second Battle of Bedriacum, only a few months after Vitellius
defeated Otho near the same village. However, the man himself
won’t arrive in Rome until mid-70. Instead, Vespasian remains
in Egypt to build up his support. Lacking a base at home, he
plays the propaganda game, employing fortunetellers and harus-
pices where Vitellius spurned them. The Egyptians proclaim
him Pharaoh, and he builds a cult to victory to legitimize his
rule. The new Emperor is happy to indulge in mythmaking:
Stories of Vespasian healing the sick in Alexandria spread
among the people, and he may even believe it. His advisor
Josephus, greatest of the Jewish historians, calls him Messiah,
saying his ascent is God’s plan made manifest.
That said, Divus Vespasianus isn’t above a little graft.
Suetonius, Tacitus, and that beloved know-it-all Pliny the Elder
all admit to accepting the Emperor’s patronage. All speak
highly of him.
But Vespasian does rule well. Not as well as Augustus, but
history will remember him as one of the good emperors, espe-
cially after the disappointments of his predecessors. His eldest
son, Titus, will become the first trueborn child of a Princeps
to inherit the position. He is beloved as well, though Judea
will know him as a butcher, and his lasting legacy will be the
destruction of the Temple.
Vespasian’s younger son, Domitian, will take the purple
after Titus’s early death, but he lacks the generosity and
brilliance of his father and brother. All he has is their ruth-
lessness, which serves him well enough for a time. After 27
years, the Flavian dynasty ends under the weight of Domitian’s
corruption, and the Nerva–Antonines begin their rule over
the 2nd century.
Locations
Apart from Rome herself, the following three locations are
of note during the Year of the Four Emperors.
Alexandria
Vespasian’s base of operations is Rome’s breadbasket, and
even more than military victories, this is the key to the new
Emperor’s success. Augustus himself knew this, making Egypt
the Princeps’ sole property so he could control the Empire’s
bread supply. The city prospered under the Julio-Claudians,
and its granary will gird Vespasian’s claim to imperium, as will
the Prefect of Egypt’s endorsement.
Rome’s rule isn’t without hiccups. Tensions between the
Greek and Jewish populations are always simmering, and they
boil over into riots in 38, 55, and 66, all three ending in the
brutal suppression of the Jewish rioters. Religion is a major
150 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Vespasian as Prophesized
The Romans put a lot of stock in prophecy and
omens. A bad astrological chart can break the
highest-born patrician, and it isn’t unheard of for
senators to spread false readings about themselves
or their enemies.
Vampires put just as much weight (if not more so)
on star signs, and in the Year of the Four Emperors,
astrologers in the Cult of Augurs find their services in
high demand, especially from Senex members with
pawns in each emperor’s camps.
Emperors apparently have the lifespan of mayflies, so the
Propinqui have no reason to believe Vespasian will be any differ-
ent. After five emperors in eighteen months, republican sympa-
thies reach an all-time high in the halls of the Necropolis, even
as Vespasian consolidates power in Egypt. Upstart Senectus
neonates believe they should press their thralls to overthrow
the new Emperor while he’s weak and lending support to the
Senate, but the Old Man suppresses this plan when it catches
wind of it. Its servants in the mortal legions crucify any ghoul
with a disloyal regnant. The matter is settled.
Religious Kindred see Vespasian in a different light. Almost
as soon as he takes power, an odd cult of Mekhet appears in
the Necropolis, saying they believe Vespasian to be Christ to
the Romans just as Jesus was Christ to the Jews. They wish
to assure the loyalty of his dead subjects. Stories of Vespasian
experiencing a vision at the Temple of Serapis and healing the
blind spread like wildfire, and these Seers claim to have borne
witness to these events. Some of their childer and ghouls were
close to Nero’s imperial cult in life, and they believe the Flavians
are the deposed Emperor’s true successors. They say Vespasian
and his sons are a holy dynasty the Kindred must help main-
tain — debauchery and terror are the way of emperors, and the
Propinqui are the embodiment of this truth.
factor and sore spot in Alexandrian life, particularly among
scholars. Many early Christians will study and write here, in
no small part because of the city’s famed library.
The Library of Alexandria is still going strong at this time. It
did suffer an accidental fire during Caesar’s civil war, but despite
later mythologizing, it was relatively minor, and the building
and its research wing were restored by the time of Nero and
the Flavians. While it will never again hold the stature of its
heyday, the Library endures for another two hundred years. The
Emissaries of Alexandria consider the Library sacred, and other
Propinqui whisper that they have their own occulted wing within
its walls, spared from Caesar’s fire through some unknown magic.
The Loyalist
One of the only Jews among the Empire’s high officials,
Tiberius Julius Alexander’s loyalty made him Prefect of Egypt.
Despite his heritage, he is a Roman first and a Jew a distant sec-
ond, and while he attempts to negotiate with the rioters of 66,
their jeers “force” him to become the architect of their repression.
Later, he serves as Titus’s lieutenant during the brutal siege of
Judea, helping to crush his own people and destroy the Temple.
Politically canny as he is militarily, Alexander sees Vespasian
is the horse to bet on. He’s instrumental in the new Emperor’s
ascension, eventually earning the title of Praetorian Prefect.
Academics 4, Politics 4, Religion (Jewish) 2, Warfare (Siege) 3
Cremona
The two battles of Bedriacum are key to the outcome of
this conflict, but despite the names, they’re situated closer to
Cremona, a rich city at the heart of Cisalpine Gaul. One of the
largest urban areas in Northern Italy, Cremona is an important
trade center along the Via Postumia, and many living and dead
merchants travel here for the wealth it offers.
Unfortunately, that makes it an attractive prize. Against their
commander’s wishes, Vespasian’s forces sack Cremona after they
defeat the army of Vitellius, ravaging and robbing the city for
four days and nights. Though Vespasian will make efforts to
rebuild it, Cremona will never really recover.
Many Kindred participate in the second battle, as much of it
occurs at night. Most fight for Vitellius, whether they support
him or not, as they fear the fate Cremona will suffer if they lose.
They are correct. The Camarilla abandons the domain after the
city falls to ruin, and many Propinqui make their way to other
cities in the north, leading to a refugee crisis, and more new
blood in the Necropolis, still recovering from the Great Fire.
Some even join up with the Batavian revolt (below), looking
for independence after finding no safety in Rome.
The Crooked General
Marcus Antonius Primus is one of Vespasian’s most devout
backers, though not his most upstanding. Before the civil war,
he’s best known for being expelled from the Senate after forging
a will. Tacitus calls him greedy, extravagant, and a bad citizen,
though not useless in a fight. His lasting legacy will be the
Second Battle of Bedriacum, defeating the Vitellian forces but
watching helplessly as his troops sack Cremona. These actions
disgust even a reprobate like Antonius — at the very least, he
Storytelling the Era
Sic Semper Tyrannis offers a wide range of possibilities for
Storytellers, whether the chronicle is set in the middle of the
action or its aftermath. However, the most important thing to
consider is where the coterie’s loyalties lie: Did they bet on a dud
and now have to pick up the pieces? Did they back Vespasian
from the start and have significantly more power among the
living? Or maybe they’re trying to play each side against the
others. Other Kindred might prefer to remain apolitical; inter-
fering in mortal affairs is taboo among the dead… but in all
the chaos of 69, who would ever notice?
fears a scandal. He orders his army not to take any slaves, and
proving the general is a better conman than a mediator, they
respond by murdering their captives. Streetwise 4, Subterfuge
3, Warfare 3, Weaponry 2
Germania Inferior
Vespasian’s victory doesn’t quite end the Year of the Four
Emperors. To the north in Germania Inferior, Gaius Julius
Civilis, hereditary prince of the Batavi and a Roman officer, raises
a rebellion against the new regime. At first a Flavian ally, Civilis
takes advantage of Vitellius’s downfall to declare independence,
rallying the other Germanic tribes to his cause. Like Arminius
before him, Civilis uses Rome’s tactics against her, delivering a
crushing defeat to the legions and establishing a brief breakaway
nation separate from the “slaves” in Rome and the provinces.
Whether patriotism or revenge drives him is an open question:
Nero murdered his brother on trumped-up charges, but it was
only Galba’s short regime that saved Civilis from his own death.
Germania Inferior is almost as far north as one can go in the
Empire, and the people here are accustomed to cold winters and
foul weather. The Romans refer to the waters as the North Ocean,
but the locals prefer to call it the Dead Sea for the strange, still
areas that sometimes trap ships as they cross. The Kindred say
these waters are unholy, that even Neptune has no power over
them. Monsters lurk within, drowned sailors who return to land
with nothing but hunger for human blood. These draugoz are
like the Kindred but mindless and (more) violent. Rumor has it
a Wanderer with Batavian sympathies has been training them
as attack dogs over the years and that he uses these beasts to aid
the rebels, devastating living and dead troops by moonlight.
The Holy Prophet
Veleda is an earthbound goddess, so say the Bructeri. From
her high tower above the Lippe River, she arbitrates for Romans
and Germans alike, sending forth envoys with prophecies for
the masses. Whether she predicts the rebellion or calls for it is
difficult to say, even among her people, for she is too holy to
even look upon. Perhaps Civilis twists her words. But he has
her support. The Kindred know her too, and they fear her. Even
the Wanderers stay clear of her stronghold, and Seers in nearby
towns make small oblations lest she notes their impiety. Politics
3, Religion (Germanic) 4, Occult (Prophecy) 5
Conversely, perhaps the characters are new to the Requiem,
Embraced by elders or viriles to realize fresh schemes as the
four generals vie for control. Purges were associated with each
tyrant’s ascension, and those marked for death would make
good candidates for the Embrace.
Another angle is focusing the chronicle on the war effort.
Numerous battles occur throughout the year, and the cote-
rie could aid or hinder these conflicts by night. While Ala
Militaris is technically loyal to the Emperor… well… there are
four of them. Like the living legions, Soldiers are often more
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 151
 devoted to their generals than the state. True, no Legionary
commander would dare act against the Emperor — but what
about a usurper?
Story Seeds
The following are two possible plot hooks for Sic Semper
Tyrannis. They could be separate episodes in a longer story,
or they could be the basis for entire chronicles in themselves.
The Pseudo-Nero
Nero remained a bogeyman for years. The Romans feared
and hoped for his survival in equal measure, and the legend
of Nero redivivus (“Nero reborn”) would haunt the Empire
for centuries. Pseudo-Neros appeared during the reigns of
Vitellius, Titus, and Domitian, and Saint Augustine wrote of
the Emperor’s imminent return as late as the 400s. Rumors
spread of the deposed monarch building an army in Anatolia,
or with the Parthians, or any other number of allies. A few
historians believe this is the source of imagery related to the
Beast in the biblical Book of Revelations.
What Is Happening?
The Kindred have their own pretenders. At the end of
Otho’s short reign, a stranger appears before the Senex
claiming to be Nero, reborn among the Propinqui. He does
resemble the Emperor, and like Nero’s mortal imposters, he
sings well and plays the lyre with skill. He makes no mention
of a sire or clan, saying he woke in his tomb a few weeks after
his suicide, hungry for revenge. He asks for the Camarilla’s
loyalty as he takes his place as Emperor of the Night, with an
army of dead to strike at his living usurpers. He boasts that
he has already dealt with Galba and Otho and needs support
to destroy Vitellius and Vespasian.
He’s lucky to escape the Assembly with his Requiem — he
certainly doesn’t retain his dignity as he’s pelted with rocks and
blood. Nonetheless, this self-proclaimed Nero gains a coterie of
believers, and for the rest of 69, they attempt to build a follow-
ing, first to overthrow the Camarilla, and then, the Emperor.
Who Are the Characters?
The characters might be agents of the Senex seeking to
silence this pretender and debunk his claim. They might also
be a neutral party looking to engineer a kingmaker scenario,
exploiting both the Pseudo-Nero and his enemies.
If you’re tying this era to The Pretenders chronicle (p. 244),
the Pseudo-Nero could be one of the various usurpers, with the
coterie acting as agents for one of the other claimants.
Possible Resolutions
However the characters resolve things, the Pseudo-Nero disap-
pears or withdraws his claim in the first few months of 70. Other
vampire Neros will appear over the centuries, possibly influencing
mortal tales of Nero redivivus, but none will be as successful.
The specific resolution of this seed depends on the vampire’s
true identity:
152 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
• The pretender is a Daeva neonate exploiting his likeness to
the dead Princeps, with enough Majesty to cover his flaws.
Musical training is a common part of Roman education, and
it’s never hard to trick undiscerning marks, especially those
yearning to fooled. The imposter doesn’t expect to actually
take over the Camarilla, but he’s bold enough to make money
and blood off unwise Nerophiles. However, it’s also possible
he has hidden backers and that his con is part of a bigger play
within the halls of power. Uncovering the lie is dependent
on confirming his true identity. If this Pseudo-Nero has a
sire in the picture, they might not appreciate their childe’s
machinations. However, if his creator is behind the ruse,
then uncovering their relationship will be key to bringing
the charade to an end.
• Rather than a neonate, “Nero” is a Julii elder fresh from
torpor. Formerly a powerful Latin chieftain, his mind is lost
to the sleep of ages; his memories of the past and his confu-
sion at the present lead him to believe he really is a deposed
emperor. Only incontrovertible proof will dissuade him, and
even then, the fallout may push him over the edge.
• The question isn’t who Nero is, but what he is. While bold,
possessing the corpse of the Kindred’s favorite emperor
isn’t outside the Striges’ wheelhouse. Desecrating the blood
of Divine Julius and using it to spread chaos among the
Kindred, this Strix wants to exploit the already fractured
political situation, hoping to force the Propinqui into their
own civil war. This effort will fail, but what will it cost the
characters to thwart it? And how has this creature possessed
the Emperor’s body for so long without it rotting away?
The Imperial Cult
The cult of the emperors began with Julius Caesar, despite
the fact that he wasn’t an emperor. Proclaiming himself divine
(without Senatorial approval) Caesar plotted to make a play for
kingship by claiming divinity, just as the Tarquins and other
Roman monarchs had. Or so his enemies claimed. Whatever
Caesar’s true intentions, his assassins put an end to them, but
the idea of a holy leader took form in other ways. Shortly after
Caesar’s death, the Senate declared his son Augustus divi filius:
the son of god.
What Is Happening?
The Cult of Divus Flavius draws on vast holdings in the
east to build an influential bloc within the Senex. Their elders
belong to a strange Seer bloodline (p. 154), wielding the Words
as the Founders do. Despite their monotheist beliefs, and the
fact that they come just short of advocating the end of the
Masquerade, the Old Man respects their devotion and tolerates
their input. At first.
When Domitian claims imperium and reveals his true,
depraved nature, so do his Kindred followers. The Vaticinators
say the Emperor’s tyrannical demeanor and vile proclivities
are this cult’s doing, tainting his wine and meals with blood,
but no one can prove it. In the final years of Domitian’s
regime, the Flavianists arrange attacks on Kindred they find
insufficiently loyal to Domitian, all but declaring war on the
“heathen” Cult of Augurs. While they’re careful to employ
proxies, few buy the cult’s claims of innocence. At the begin-
ning of 96, the Senex finally expels them, but powerful thralls
in the Emperor’s household make it too risky to eliminate
them altogether. Plucked from the Camarilla’s heart, the
attacks only intensify.
Who Are the Characters?
The characters might be members of the Cult of Augurs in
the year 96, religiously opposed to everything the Flavianists
believe. While Vaticinators do venerate the Emperor, they see
the Flavianists as rank atheists and have fought a cold war
with the upstart Seers since they arrived in the Necropolis.
The characters might also be young or disillusioned members
of the Flavianist bloodline, wishing to undo the damage their
worship of Domitian has done to Rome.
Possible Resolutions
Despite their strength, the Flavianists have a linchpin: the
Emperor. However, while Domitian is drastically unpopular
with the elite, he has the army’s loyalty, and his craftiness and
cruelty are unparalleled. Open revolt is unlikely. If a vampire
could get near him, or convince an influential thrall that the
tyrant has gone too far, then a quiet death might be the best
solution. In real history, Domitian was murdered by members of
his household, but that doesn’t preclude Kindred involvement.
Inspirational Media
The Year of the Four Emperors is rather neglected in film
and literature, at least in English. Still, the trope of several
factions vying for the same throne is common in media, and
the following might help you get into that cutthroat mood.
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan: While the setting
is meth-ridden Albuquerque as opposed to civil war–torn Rome,
many of the principles are the same, and the story even mostly
takes place over the course of two years. Each new drug kingpin
Walter White faces is worse than the last, but “Heisenberg”
himself stands undefeated as the most ruthless emperor of New
Mexico’s amphetamine trade.
The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola: Mafia
dons and emperors have much in common: Italian, informal
Lupa’s Children
The Year of the Four Emperors proves to be a
turning point not just for the Kindred but also for
the Uratha of the Romulan Protectorate (Dark Eras
Companion, p. 54). Nero was Saturi by right and
blood, but of his successors, only Galba shared that
heritage, and he’s the first to fall. Otho and Vitellius
don’t last long enough to matter, and Vespasian’s
ancestors are plebeians. Like the Julii, the Tzuumfin
lose an important familial connection to the imperial
family, and this will only exacerbate their brewing
conflict with the Iminir.
Still, any Propinqua who would lay a fang on the Emperor, even
indirectly, had better cover her tracks.
It’s also possible Domitian’s death isn’t as devastating to the
Flavianists as the Augurs predict. Vespasian has another descen-
dant, a granddaughter called Flavia Domitilla, and history is
unclear regarding her providence after her uncle’s death. Some
associate her with a Christian saint or believe she died soon after
Domitian. While the Romans are notoriously patriarchal, many
of the Flavianists are foreigners and might not see her gender
as an impediment to imperium. She might at least produce an
heir. In that case, it may be in the characters’ best interests to
stamp out the gens Flavia altogether…
power structures, arcane rituals, ruthless methods — being
assassination-prone. The Five Families of New York may as
well be patrician gentes, each scheming to control the criminal
underworld. But in the end, only one autocrat can stand, and
the ensuing revenge would make any princeps proud.
A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin: Martin
takes inspiration from the Plantagenets rather than the Julio-
Claudians, but the multifactional conflict over the Kingdom
of Westeros (an empire in all but name) has plenty of parallels
with Rome in 69 CE. Indeed, the second novel in the series
focuses on the War of the Five Kings, and the sudden turns of
fortune each monarch experiences are a good reflection of the
ways such conflicts play out.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 153
 CULT OF DIVUS FLAVIUS
THE MONARCHIST DEAD
Ave Imperator! Those who are dead salute you.
There’s a saying among the Kindred that came about in the • Fraud. It’s always fraud. The Flavianists started as a
time of Augustus: The Emperor of the Living is also the Emperor cynical pack of elder Mekhet who saw an opportunity
of the Dead. Julius Senex was a Roman first and vampire and seized it, stealing propaganda from Josephus and
second, after all. The Camarilla is an extension of the expanding it into an ideology. Who could possibly
mortal state, and though it doesn’t advertise its existence defy such loyal servants of the Emperor? Sure, they
to that state, it’s loyal to the Caesars. But not loyal enough, brought a few magic tricks from back in the old
say some. The Cult of Divus Flavius believes Vespasian nights, but Seers always have some sorcerous
is a god on Earth. Also called the Flavianist Party after hokum hidden away. Theirs just happened
their faction in the Senex, their Shadow Cult forms to fit the part. The fact that Vespasian
a vocal faction in the Assembly for three decades, actually lasted was a stroke of luck, but
worshipping Vespasian and his sons. Domitian turning out to be a bit of a
While most Emperors do end up being vampire himself? That was fate.
declared gods, they usually have to die first, • Olim, a woman became King of
and because of this distinctly un-Roman the Black Lands. Though a woman
practice, few Kindred outside the bloodline could not be a king by the reck-
buy into their doctrine. Indeed, some Seers oning of her people, she did it
of Egyptian blood whisper of a Pharaoh anyway. She was the King, after
who exalted a single god over the others, all. Her reign was prosperous
bringing ruin on Kemet. They also point and just, and when she died,
to the growing Christ cult and speculate her nation mourned. Yet her
whether these strange loyalists have successor would not be outdone
some connection to it. This may have by a woman, striking her name
something to do with the sorcery they from all the sacred records, her
supposedly wield, a power brought monuments toppled in place of his
from Egypt that the Kindred know own. Deep in the Duat, outrage
little about. at his disrespect gave her soul the
strength to fight past the Devourer
Bloodline and return to the land of the
living. Now her followers work to
Origins restore her to a proper royal body
• Flavianist elders are almost all Hellenized through any bloodline that rules
Egyptians, but when exactly they were Hellenized the Black Lands. When they find
is never stated. They are old, though. Older than a female heir, she’ll finally regain
the Ptolemies, and perhaps even older than the her throne — regie in aeternum.
last Pharaohs. Some Mekhet speak of a cult to the Nicknames: The Flavianist
Aten among the dead, the One-God Heresy of the Part y, Registae (The Kingists;
Eighteenth Dynasty, though other Seers say there derogatory)
were no dead native to Egypt at the time. Not the Parent Clan: Mekhet
kind who drink blood. At any rate, whatever they
Bloodline Bane (The Partisan
once were or worshiped doesn’t matter. It’s buried
Curse): The Registae are too bound
in the desert if you know where to find it and if you
to their master. Any action taken in
don’t care about living to tell the story. Now they
opposition to the Emperor’s servants
have a new master, and one night, the whole
or Roman law is a breaking point at
world will follow him.

154 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

the vampire’s current Humanity level. This cannot be obviated
with a bane but does not apply to laws derived from Legislatio
or enforced by Jura.
Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Dominate, Obfuscate
In the Camarilla
Almost all Flavianists are Senecti. Like many Seers, they take
a religious view of politics, and the Assembly is where they feel
the true strength of their living god. They have an avid interest
in the night-to-night affairs of the Camarilla, especially as they
relate to the Emperor’s will. Many of the bloodline’s neonates
served in the imperial household under Nero, and they were
Embraced to educate their sires on Roman imperial politics and
act as their proxies among the Legislators. How the Flavianists
had the foresight to bring such useful pawns into the night
long before their “god” ever rose to power is an open question.
Some Registae join the Legion to fight on Vespasian’s behalf,
but few can be found among the Peregrine Collegium; most can
“pay” their way out if they’re foreign-born. And the cult holds
nothing but contempt for the Vaticinators. The feeling is mutual.
The Flavianist Party
Members of the Flavianist Party can access the following
Mystery Cult Initiation benefits. For more on Seer cults, see
Strange Shades: Mekhet.
• To serve the Princeps, one must know his regime. Gain
an Imperial Court Specialty in Politics.
•• Duty to the Emperor also means deferring to one’s
elders. Gain a dot of Mentor.
••• The closer one gets to the Princeps, the more one learns
about the way he governs. Gain a dot of Politics.
•••• To help the Kindred serve their proper master, one
must be inscrutable. Gain three dots of Closed Book,
ignoring prerequisites. This applies to supernatural
powers.
••••• Those at the highest echelons of the Party can access key
imperial household members. Gain four Merit dots to
spend on Retainer and Staff.
The Emperor’s
Blessings
The Flavianists practice a form of blood sorcery transplanted
from Egypt. The bloodline’s elders refer to it as Heka, while neo-
nates see it as the Emperor’s Blessings. Mechanically, this magic is
similar to Theban Sorcery, but the associated Skill is Religion,
Ages Pass:
Fate of the Flavianists
The Registae lose their standing after Domitian’s
fall, their elders retreating to Egypt to regroup and
their childer ruthlessly purged by the Cult of Augurs.
Kindred who remember their brief influence will
remark on the similarities between their rituals and
those of the Sanctified, but what the Witnesses
might’ve learned from them is a question no one
seems to have an answer to.
The rituals listed below are available to Theban
Sorcerers. Mark of the Emperor is The Angel’s Touch,
and its sacrifice is a lock of the subject’s hair; Aegis
of the God-King is Shield of God, and its sacrifice is
a martyred saint’s bones.
and all miracles have an additional sacrament: The sorcerer can
only cast a ritual if she has a specific task from the emperor, his
sons, or a proxy acting on their behalf. She cannot request an
order — only a true test of service will do. When the Flavian
dynasty dies out, so does this sorcery.
Flavianists with a dot of Initiation in their Shadow cult may
access the Emperor’s Blessings. In addition to miracles similar to
those later practiced by the Lancea et Sanctum, they can learn
the following rituals:
Mark of the Emperor (•)
Sacrament: A lock of the subject’s hair
Contested: by Stamina + Blood Potency
Duration: Week
The Emperor’s servants are untouchable, and it is a grave
sin for the Propinqui to harm his favorites. The vampire can
use this ritual on a Status-bearing member of the Emperor’s
household, or anyone with a mission set by him or his close
relatives. The subject is immune to the wound-sealing effect
of the Kiss for the rest of the duration, making obvious any
interference by Kindred. The victim does not bleed out, but
the signs of feeding become obvious.
Aegis of the God-King (•••••)
Sacrament: A toga’s worth of fabric dyed with Tyrian purple
For 24 hours, the vampire gains 5 points of general armor
against any damage that would hinder accomplishing the
Emperor’s orders. She must be actively following his directive;
protection fails if she’s attending to other matters. This armor
applies to supernatural damage, fire, and sunlight, but the
vampire still takes a minimum of one point of lethal damage
from these sources even if it would normally be reduced to
zero. This effect stacks with Resilience and mundane armor.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 155
 THE SEA OF FIRE
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius (79 CE)
Be it a fierce kingdom, a proud republic, or a vast empire, Rome
gained an eternal place in humanity’s memory. Few ancient cities
can equal its fame, and certainly none within its borders… with
only a single exception: Pompeii. The small town, an economic
center located in the peaceful countryside not far from Naples,
didn’t earn its immortality through glory, triumphs, or excesses.
In the first year of Titus’ reign, memories of the rebellion against
Rome from a century before and the ways Sulla repressed it had
lost any meaning. No, Pompeii and the nearby Herculaneum
owe their fame to the awakening of their destroyer: Vesuvius.
When the dormant volcano erupts, it unleashes ruin beyond
mortal nightmares, erasing all nearby communities from the face
of the Earth in less than 24 hours. The rich and noble consider
the Gulf of Naples a veritable pearl of the Mediterranean, but the
events between the 24th and 25th of October obliterated the area
around Pompeii, turning its verdant hills and beautiful coastline
into a charred wasteland, burying the prosperous town — and
its thousands of inhabitants — under a cruel sepulcher of ash,
forever petrified in the terrified screams of their last moments.
Despite the attention to signs and prophecies that Roman
culture holds to, both mortals and Kindred fail to see the trag-
edy coming. Life in the region has always involved earthquakes,
and a major one gravely damaged Pompeii in 62 CE. With
proper rituals to obtain the gods’ favor and protection from
the manes, the citizens rebuilt a bigger, stronger Pompeii. It’s
the Roman way. Even the ancient tombs outside town, where
immobile corpses share the darkness with thirsty ones, endured
these hardships. Earthquakes are frequent in the area, after all,
and destruction only offers opportunities to grow once more
and make greater fortunes.
What Has Come Before
The area around Pompeii has always enjoyed relative prosper-
ity, but Augustus made a precise investment aimed at growing
the region. Rome’s navy uses the gulf for training and coordi-
nation purposes, and Pompeii is a major commercial hub acting
as a point of passage between northern and southern Italy, both
by land and sea. Ideal weather conditions and fertile soil ensure
Now everything lays covered in flames and sorrowful ash: Now the
gods would wish it wasn’t allowed them to herein wield so much power.
— Martial, Epigrams
156 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
And yet, the situation worsens. New construction sites appear
along with those still open because of the old earthquake, their
workers struggling to repair damage to structures before new
tremors strike. Still, people carry on with their lives, focusing
on their own goals. The Kindred are no different: after the
disappointment of Nero and the chaos of the Four Emperors,
vampires see Vespasian and Titus’s stability as a chance to
perform their secret dances in peace. Unbeknownst to them,
however, a hidden monster far more ancient and terrible than
any elder is about to wake up from its millennia-long torpor.
It is eager to feed.
Mood: Looming Ruin
In the years preceding Vesuvius’s eruption, Pompeii,
Herculaneum, and the neighboring region represent the ideal
of what Roman citizens want out of imperial rule. The cities are
at peace, and commerce from Rome allows them to grow. Not
even the destructive earthquake of 62 CE can hamper Pompeii’s
enterprising spirit. Patricians and plebeians alike find chances
to grow rich, if they persevere and know how to forge the right
connections. The city evolves. Life is good. The future is bright.
Still, a sensation of uneasiness persists in the back of everyone’s
minds, no matter how much they try to ignore it. Statues crack,
the gods deaf to any propitiatory rites. Kindred struggle against
frenzies triggered without any apparent reason, as if the Beast
knows something they don’t. The earth shakes again and again,
each tremor waiting for less time to pass than its predecessor.
Efforts to implement any lasting changes to the town face a dif-
ficult road, but not because of the stagnation vampires know far
too well: It’s as if the universe itself is holding its breath.
all agricultural efforts thrive, with grapes and wine from the
area being a coveted luxury across the Empire.
This prosperity plays a crucial role in local attitudes toward
hardship. While the earthquake of 62 inflicts grievous wounds
on Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the other communities around
Vesuvius, the population bounces back from the disaster with
an enterprising spirit, born out of a combination of commu-
nity-mindedness and financial savviness. There’s money to be
made around the gulf, and whoever invests in the reconstruc-
tion can lay the foundation for future riches, all while basking
in civic gratitude.
Public structures such as the amphitheater; the aqueduct
known as Castellum Aquae; and the temples dedicated to
Jupiter, Apollo, Isis, and Venus (patron goddess of the city) are
rebuilt in no time, along with brand new locations, including
vast central baths. While men work ceaselessly up until the
very day of Pompeii’s demise, the rest of the city heals with its
own more private rhythm, slower but constant. Villas, private
domus, theaters, markets, inns, brothels, and arenas — the city
repairs all and builds more. Even the tombs don’t escape the
impetus for renewal. The most ancient ones, located on the
road outside the city, suffered from the earthquake just as any
other building. In town, the debate about moving the tombs
according to administrative laws the previous generations
ignored grows heated, with several citizens protesting, saying
such an act would qualify as blasphemy.
Despite their resourcefulness, people can’t hope to pre-
vent a threat whose existence they ignore. Not that knowing
would make any difference, even if the menace announces its
presence with a terrifying choir of subtle signs. Ever since the
earthquake of 62, many other smaller ones have occurred with
increasing frequency. Some people leave, tired of the constant
cost of patching up their properties. Frightened too, though
no proud Roman paterfamilias would admit it. Kindred with a
connection to their mortal families assuage their relatives’ fears
or straighten them back into discipline, worried their departure
would leave them without bonds to the living world. Still, only
the most stubborn — Kindred and kine alike — sincerely believe
everything’s well.
As the eruption approaches, the signs turn into omens. The
public aqueduct carries only dust, as if something redirected
the water elsewhere. Abandoned by their inhabitants, the
woods around town are eerily silent, while dogs in town bark
without end. The smell of sulfur sometimes accompanies the
increasingly common tremors.
The farmer living near the mountain discovers his harvest
won’t bear any fruit. Not the first bad year, but this time some-
thing’s different: The earth itself seems poisoned. He goes
hunting to find something to eat, but game grows rarer each
day until none is left. He fears a winter he won’t live to see.
The mason returns to the beautiful villa he’s building and
finds a crack that wasn’t there the day before. He tries to repair
it just as he repaired those that appeared before, but this time
he can’t finish before a new one reaches its way up the wall. The
dark web of wounds in the stone grows. The villa will survive
its builder, if only for a few hours.
The priestess awakens to find the altar to Venus defiled,
its instruments cast to the ground by invisible hands. While
the omen sends shivers down her spine, she adjusts the altar
and ponders what kind of sacrifice would restore her patron’s
goodwill. She will spend her last day praying to unlistening ears.
The Sleeping Giant:
Vesuvius
How could the Romans ignore the true nature of the
mountain casting a shadow over their own backyard? Etna and
Stromboli further south ensured Rome well knew all about
the fearsome expressions the geothermically active Italian
Peninsula could take.
Vesuvius is a different kind of beast.
The volcano reigning over the Gulf of Naples in modern
nights didn’t exist. The tall mountain is a direct consequence of
the eruption of 79: when people still walked Pompeii’s streets,
an unremarkable rocky spur was all they could hope to see,
and even then, walls of trees growing from the fertile volcanic
soil complicated things.
Those pushing to the top of the mountain stumble upon the
sinister remains of an ancient caldera, a dead, alien landscape
they deduced to be the result of an ancient eruption. Their
thesis was correct. Around 2000 BCE, Vesuvius went through a
catastrophic eruption, “The Pumice of Avellino,” which blew up
the mountain and destroyed the entire region, with the caldera
being all that was left. Since then, nothing worthy of note has
happened. In living memory, the mountain hasn’t grown, and
no lava has erupted. “The volcano has been dead for millennia
because, otherwise, something would have happened in the
meantime,” say the scholars, unaware of the pressure growing
in the bowels of the earth.
The immortal nature of the Kindred allows them to carry
a distorted clue through the ages. The dead of Pompeii long
observed a rite where, every ten years, a vampire would be car-
ried to the silent caldera and immolated on a pyre to propitiate
the gods and quench their wrath. The local tradition persisted,
an oddity among Kindred, especially since the passage of time
soon obscured the truth behind its origin, turning the sacrifice
into a useful tool to eliminate undesirable individuals, failed
childer, or hated rivals.
Around the reign of Augustus, society’s attitude toward
human sacrifice changed, recasting it as a despicable act of
barbarians rather than civilized Romans. The Kindred’s decen-
nial sacrifice consequently was seen as a cruel act imposed by
detached elders upon younger Propinqui.
When the earthquake of 62 buried several elders in their
tombs and allowed other Kindred to rise to power, the new
leaders abolished the rite to unanimous praise. After Vesuvius’s
eruption, Kindred aware of the tradition will wonder if proper
sacrifices did indeed keep the volcano dormant, but nobody
can know for sure. For their part, Pompeii’s Kindred won’t have
the chance to doubt their choices.
In the decades before the eruption, the pressure within
Vesuvius’s magmatic chamber keeps growing, eager to find
release. An ocean of fire and heat pushes against the wall of
its earthen prison. The natural geothermal springs Romans
thank the gods for and the occasional tremor are but a meager
prelude to what the future holds.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 157
 What Is to Come
For the vast majority of those who don’t leave the area
on the morning of October 24th, there is no future. In the
hours preceding the eruption, a series of distant explosions,
frightening rumbles, and eerie smoke clouds rise from the
mountain, omens that — by themselves — still aren’t enough
to wake up vampires from their slumber. These portents spur
some citizens to leave as soon as possible, a decision that will
save their lives. Among those who don’t, only the ones who
run away in the cataclysm’s very first minutes have the slightest
hope of saving themselves.
In the aftermath, Rome stares in terror at the sight of the
volcano’s blazing wrath. Emperor Titus organizes massive
relief efforts to help the victims, but the truth is, Vesuvius has
reclaimed its territory, erasing any intruder from the face of
the earth. Survivors and thieves dig up what they can from the
ashes, moving through silent wastelands with hope and greed
in their hearts. What the scavengers manage to dig up, none
can say. Some never return, as if snatched away by the very
ruins they hoped to plunder. Stories of specters haunting the
Locations
Across the Gulf of Naples, several communities prosper,
unaware of the tragedy about to strike, with the following being
only the most well-known examples.
Pompeii
Perched on a plateau above the Tyrrhenian Sea, Pompeii
stands as an example of Roman success. As the home of around
12,000 souls, Pompeii is without a doubt the major city in the
area — right next to Vesuvius. Pompeii’s inhabitants enjoy the
success the city’s position and decades of fruitful commercial
endeavors have brought, an idyll only the constant earthquakes
and other signs of the upcoming eruption manage to mar.
The city’s geometrical structure is built around a major
avenue going from north to south, with two others crossing
through from east to west. These speak to the typical Roman
urbanistic style applied to Pompeii over the last century, but
those who know where to look — or those who were alive in
times past — can recognize signs of the city’s history in its
outline. The narrow streets of Pompeii’s most ancient area
meet with expansions built to provide refuge to those fleeing
Hannibal, while the severe changes ordered by Sulla after quash-
ing the rebels of the Social War stand in stark contrast with
the rich modern quarters hosting the beloved amphitheater.
A perfect microcosm of Roman culture, patricians, slaves,
freedmen, and people from many corners of the Empire live
in Pompeii. Rome’s syncretic approach to religion shows itself
as the road passing the nearby temples of Venus and Jupiter
quickly leads to that of Isis, while people of the Jewish faith
also walk the streets.
158 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
lost cities begin to circulate. Mentions of owls made of smoke
perched on the ruins join the survivors’ tales about giants
emerging from the mountain and glimpses of colossal mech-
anisms seen through lava and dust — panicked recollections
crafted by traumatized minds, no doubt.
The few Kindred who manage to survive the disaster have
even less choice about restarting elsewhere. Other vampires
force those refugees weak enough to exploit into their schemes,
while more dangerous Kindred rarely survive for long, crashing
against an unfamiliar status quo and burning up in the effort.
Propinqui living in other cities don’t forget how the Kindred
of Pompeii and Herculaneum flaunted their wealth, a gesture
those inhabiting bigger cities — Rome included — considered
an insult deserving proper punishment.
To the eyes of those living in this era, Vesuvius’s eruption
can only be seen as a divine act. Eventually, the locations and
names of the destroyed cities are lost to the passage of time,
while the mountain keeps growing, an awakened horror that
refuses to let its terrible majesty be forgotten again.
In the roads leading outside town, both within and inside
the walls, ancestral tombs watch in silence as the living conduct
their business. The most ancient ones dig deep in the earth,
well below the surface.
The Righteous Official
Appointed by Vespasian himself, Titus Suedius Clemens acts
as a special prefect with extraordinary powers. Sent to Pompeii
to oversee the reconstruction following the 62 earthquake, the
scope of his mission includes the management of properties
imperial, public, and private. Considering he only answers to
the Emperor, Clemens is without a doubt the most feared man
in all of Pompeii. While kind and well-mannered, he has no
tolerance for violations of any sort. His reformative measures
apply imperial law to all aspects of Pompeii’s existence, showing
no mercy for activities with hidden masters or social circles
with unsanctioned purposes, nor for tombs and shrines built
within parameters Rome disapproves of. Kindred in Pompeii
wonder if enemies in the capital played a role in his arrival,
an event that’s broken the city’s delicate balance. Academics
(Bureaucracy) 4, Investigation 3, Resolve 5
Herculaneum
Northwest of Vesuvius, closer to the volcano than Pompeii,
the small port city of Herculaneum holds far more wealth
than its size would suggest. Wealthy people from the Empire
might visit Pompeii to seek solace, but the real elites prefer
Herculaneum. Its nature as a sea town allows the city to gather
wealth both as a commercial nexus and a ship construction
yard, though its dimensions favor quality over quantity. The
city takes its name from its mythical founder, Hercules, and
divine favor indeed seems to shine over it.
Freedmen — liberti — who made fortunes compose the vast
majority of Herculaneum’s population, their heterogeneous
tastes and cultures revealed in art found all over town, rang-
ing from statues of pantheons from across the Mediterranean
to delicate examples of decorations and jewelry. Liberti in
Herculaneum don’t show any trace of the crass nouveau
riche attitude that Roman stereotypes attribute to them,
and they’re fully assimilated into their upper-class role.
Conflicts with Roman norms still arise at times, with the
heirs of the city’s families (themselves slave owners) needing
to demonstrate they were born after their parents earned
freedom to enjoy full citizenship — but money and the right
connections solve all problems.
The Old Founder
The earthquake of 62 gave Pompeii’s neonates and viriles
an opportunity to fill the vacuum left by elders who went
missing in the aftermath, but the vampires in Herculaneum
still pay tribute to their eldest, Marcia Claudia Sabina.
An esteemed Julian and an ancient member of the living
gens Claudia (a Julio-Claudian, if you will), Marcia carved
out a little reign for herself through decades of cunning
schemes and ruthless maneuvers. Although she plays by
the Camarilla’s rules, Herculaneum is too small to mistake
her central role in the city’s power structures for anything
else. Empathy 4, Persuasion 4, Socialize 5

Misenum
Misenum can’t compete with the beauty of Pompeii or
Herculaneum, but the port makes for a different kind of town:
One of the two Praetorian fleets, the Classis Misenensis, docks
here. As the base of the main imperial fleet, Misenum acts as
a waypoint for all naval operations in the Mediterranean, from
simple exercises to actions against pirates and war operations.
Many troops pass through the city, with all the businesses
flourishing thanks to the vast amount of people drawn here.
Misenum’s western position saves it from the eruption, but
the imperial fleet is helpless before Vesuvius’s fury. Violent
winds and dangerous waves — the result of giant rocks cast
into the sea — make any effort to reach the shores near
Pompeii moot, a danger only a few dare face…
The Learned Admiral
Appointed admiral of the imperial fleet at Misenum in
his later years, Gaius Plinius Secundus treats his position
with the dedication that’s accompanied him across his entire
career. Those same virtues made him a successful juror and
officer, earning Pliny the Elder the trust of the Roman state
while also allowing him to become one of the first naturalists
in history. Striving to rescue those threatened by the erup-
tion, Pliny lands next to Herculaneum only to be trapped
by the waves. A cloud of toxic gases covering the shore reaps
the old man’s life. Academics 5, Politics 4, Expression 3

CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 159

 The Eruption
When Vesuvius releases all the fury gathered through mil-
lennia of tormented sleep, the devastation threatens humans
and Kindred alike. This section focuses on rules for playing
out the catastrophe, offering characters challenges to confront.
All mechanics take humans as a baseline unless otherwise
specified. Kindred apply their resistances and weaknesses to
circumstances as usual.
Before the Eruption
In the months leading up to Vesuvius waking up, the disas-
ter brewing underground causes subtle yet dangerous conse-
quences. Kindred ignore their origin just as mortals do, but
their supernatural nature and inhuman senses catch glimpses
of just how bad the situation really is.
• Constant earthquakes and other hidden volcanic activities
scare off animals. Damage to buildings causes collapses and
shifts the ground enough for doors to get stuck. Water drains
from reservoirs. Larceny, Survival, and Animal Ken actions
suffer a persistent –1 modifier, increasing to –2 in October.
• While vampires carry on with the Requiem unbothered,
the Beast stands restless, subconsciously aware of the doom
ahead. All rolls to resist Frenzy incur a 1-die penalty, which
increases to –2 in late October. Earth tremors of any sort can
provoke frenzy, even minor ones people can barely perceive,
leading to bursts of apparently unprovoked violence that, in
truth, are anything but.
Beginning of the End
October 24th, 1 PM
When rumblings and booms trouble the entire morning,
many people look in Vesuvius’s direction before the eruption
happens. In the early afternoon, A dark smoke column made
of gas and tons of rock and magma pierces the sky, with a vast
white ring that expands in the blue signaling where the object
breaks the sound barrier. A mighty roar follows, soon joined by
the screams of the people, the only reaction their fear allows.
As the column rises higher and higher, it boils and twists,
pumice boulders shooting out like comet swarms. In the mean-
time, the eruption drains air from the surroundings, causing a
storm further aggravated by falling debris.
Systems
Tilts: Heavy Winds (3), Earthquake
• Boulders falling from the sky destroy anything they hit. On
impact, anyone in the affected area must succeed a Dexterity
+ Athletics action or take 5L damage and the Knocked Down
Tilt. Boulders also cause the Inferno Tilt and struck buildings
cause the Collapsing Ceiling Tilt (p. 274). The boulders are
lethal, but not omnipresent: Storytellers should not have
players evade more than a boulder per scene.
160 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
• From this moment onward, players of slumbering vampires
can roll Humanity to wake up, with a 2-die bonus to the roll.
They may do so with each boulder strike to the nearby area.
Although the sun is high in the sky, Kindred instinctively
recognize the danger upon them.
Hell Above
October 24th, 2 PM
At almost twenty kilometers high, the volcanic cloud
loses fragments of its initial impetus and extends, opening
in blackened branches like an infernal tree. Lighter pumice
begins to fall, a hailstorm of rock and dust that devastates the
entire town. While the cloud devours the sun and plunges
the world into darkness, a storm of lightning and fire spawns
within its coils.
Systems
Tilts: Heavy Rain, Heavy Winds (3)
• The hailstorm inflicts 1L damage each turn to anyone outside.
• Those trying to flee the town discover that rain and detri-
tus have flooded the area outside the walls. Any attempt to
cross the bridge leading in the only safe direction calls for a
Dexterity + Athletics roll with a –2 modifier.
• From this moment onward, Kindred no longer need to roll
to wake up and suffer no sunlight damage while in the open.
Through the Ashes
October 24th, 5 PM
As night approaches, a cloak of cinders and ashes envelopes
the world. Stirred by hurricane-like winds, the resulting black-
ened mist scours eyes and lungs.
Systems
Tilts: Heavy Rain, Heavy Winds, and Dust Storm; the
combined weight of pumice and ashes imposes the Collapsing
Ceiling Tilt on all buildings in town.
Harbingers of Death
October 25th, 1 AM
Inside Vesuvius, something changes. The monster hasn’t
ceased its assault for a moment, erupting 200,000 tons of lava
each second. Within its belly, air mixes with magma, causing
the volcano to collapse in on itself, an act of self-destruction that
only intensifies its wrath. Surges of pyroclastic flow rise from
Vesuvius, each a blazing horror leaving no escape. Herculaneum
has avoided pumice hailstorms and ash clouds until now, its
citizens thanking the gods, but a single surge exterminates its
entire population in a matter of minutes.
Systems
Tilts: Avalanche, Heavy Winds, Dust Storm
Surges are masses of pyroclastic material so hot they can
evaporate water in the body, effectively fire hurricanes made
of ash and gas. They don’t damage buildings, but instead seep
inside and expand in open spaces. Anyone caught in a surge
suffers a variable amount of aggravated damage, followed by an
avalanche of heavier material soon after. The one that wiped out
Herculaneum inflicts 13A, impossible to survive unless safely bur-
ied underground or with the help of Resilience or other powers.
Climax
October 25th, 6:30 AM
The volcano rumbles. Earthquakes return with new strength.
A pyroclastic flow clashes against Pompeii’s walls, unable to
break through, but carrying hundreds of corpses along its path.
When the pumice rain ceases, survivors can make a final
attempt at escape. Around them is an alien landscape they don’t
recognize, a charred corpse they can’t orient themselves in. Even
the sun seems like a dying ember, shrouded in ash and smoke.
Storytelling the Era
This era being set right before and during one of the most
famous disasters in human history, Storytellers face the challenge
of crafting interesting stories beyond the obvious expectation that
Vesuvius is going to blow up. Relying on such an impressive set
piece risks depriving the chronicle of emotional depth, turning
what should be a central hook into something that takes up all
the narrative space, as players and their characters shift into the
background while the volcano steals centerstage.
Running the Game
Although Vesuvius dominates the era, several tools to craft
enticing chronicles under its shadow exist. The volcano takes
any chronicle into the realm of the disaster genre, but focusing
on the right direction allows both Storytellers and players to
enjoy a story capable of standing on its own, whether you trig-
ger the eruption or not. Despite first impressions, knowing a
story’s end doesn’t necessarily invalidate its telling. The core of
tragedy comes from how characters whose lives the audience
cares about reach their doom, a truth with excellent examples
in both classic and modern media.
The key thing to remember at a table is that the players might
know the conclusion, but their characters don’t. A chronicle set
in Pompeii offers room for vampires to experience the gamut of
narratives available in the context of an upcoming apocalypse.
Let characters fill the void between historical facts, paying no
regard for academic accuracy for the sake of drama. Perhaps
they try to warn everyone about the eruption, only for their
efforts to clash against those who refuse to even consider the
possibility because doing anything would ruin the status quo.
Systems
• All Survival rolls made to navigate suffer a 4-die penalty.
• Although sunlight reaches Pompeii once again, vampires
treat Blood Potency two steps lower when determining sun
damage frequency, to a minimum of zero.
• A first pyroclastic surge hits Pompeii around 7 AM. While
not as hot as Herculaneum’s, poisonous gases make it lethal
to any human. The surge inflicts 3L fire damage and 5A toxic
damage, with vampires being immune to the latter.
• Around 7:30 AM, Vesuvius’s eruptive column collapses in a
titanic fist of rock, pumice, and magma. Anything the pyroclas-
tic surge touches, it disintegrates. All buildings are destroyed,
while any survivor suffers 7L damage (bashing for vampires).
• At 8 AM, a mass of pyroclastic flows merges to create the most
devastating surge yet, a vast black cloud radiating from the
volcano in all directions. Given that the other flows opened
the way, this monster finds no opposition. Anything in the
affected area — be it Pompeii or the coast nearby — is destroyed
as the flow annihilates all semblances of life and civilization,
burying the city and the corpses of those who inhabited it.
That’s a classic storyline, but what if, instead, the characters
are on the other side, vampires who spent years ensuring their
position in the Camarilla and suddenly have to confront the
idea that all those efforts will burn to cinders, those are but two
opposing extremes, with a vast range between them.
Reinforcing the era’s themes and moods also sheds light on
the primeval horror Vesuvius embodies. An amoral monster
acting on a scale beyond anything most supernatural creatures
can even conceive, the volcano allows characters to exist within
the boundaries of a true apocalypse, where they can struggle
against its nihilistic bonds — or embrace them. The sheer fear
Vesuvius brings to the table should loom over the entire chron-
icle even before the survival scenario begins.
Stopping the Eruption
Of course, any chronicle set in Pompeii raises an obvious
question: Can the characters stop Vesuvius from erupting?
Let us answer this question with another: Why the hell not?
While this depends on the expectations Storytellers and play-
ers have for their chronicle, nothing stops you from changing
history. And if you don’t want to go too big, perhaps there are
ways to just save the town. Remember, the Kindred’s world isn’t
our own. In the Chronicles of Darkness, a host of supernatural
elements inevitably surrounds Mount Vesuvius, whether as cul-
prits behind the eruption, byproducts of it, or possible sources
of salvation. For example, in a Vampire context, consider the
idea that the eruption frees countless Striges from a fiery prison
within the depths of the earth, unleashing their malevolent
influence upon Rome and its inhabitants.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 161
 Adding other Chronicles of Darkness settings to the
mix expands the horizon even further. Vesuvius could be
Infrastructure, or perhaps a sudden injection of Divine Fire
explains its sudden awakening. Obtaining the help of the right
spirits — maybe even the one embodying the volcano itself — could
alleviate the magmatic pressure. What if Irem’s Judges demand
that thousands perish in the disaster for their own eldritch
schemes, sending trusted Arisen to turn their will into reality?
These are just a few examples among a myriad of possibilities.
Kindred would be in an unusual position as saviors, but this
enhances the pathos. Struggling to find a way to put Vesuvius
back into torpor inevitably confronts vampires with their
attachment to the world of mortals, harsh truths about tragedy
and death, and their role in the All Night Society. They might
even find a way to only save themselves through a miracle — or
pact — committing inhuman acts for the promise of salvation.
Any possible victory against the fury of the Earth no doubt
asks Kindred to pay a painful price, but a tragedy written in
fire and ash is, after all, a grim story to be the hero of.
Story Seeds
The following story hooks provide examples of the kind of
plots that can happen in the shadow of Vesuvius.
Sins Half-Buried
With Pompeii’s current status quo being literally built upon the
bones of vampires buried during the 62 earthquake, the idea that
not all Kindred lost that day perished is something of an open
secret. Those accused of killing their sires (or worse) dismiss these
stories as nothing but gossip, of course, and most agree the true
cause behind a despised elder’s disappearance matters little in
the end. Still, every now and then, those raising these rumors are
either called to answer for defamation… or suddenly disappear.
When the sun sets on Pompeii today, these voices assume a
grim tone for the first time since the earthquake. Right above
the ashes of Lucius Falcidius stands the sentence “CALU’S
PUNISHMENT FOR ALL BETRAYERS,” written in the elder’s
own Vitae. After the murder, stories began to circulate. Stories
about how Lucius emerged from the depths of his sire’s tomb
after the earthquake, his hands covered in blood. Stories of how
Inspirational Media
Despite the eruption’s fame, good inspirational sources are
scarce. Academic works like Mary Beard’s fantastic Pompeii:
The Life of a Roman Town aside, other media often fall victim
to cinematic clichés, their accuracy flawed at best, but they still
offer valuable inspiration. Other sources include the following:
• The Last Days of Pompeii, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, is pure
19th-century melodrama. This historical novel details Pompeii
as a city where passion and faith intertwine, along with noble
heroes, vile villains, and unrequited loves. Sergio Leone later
adapted it into a sword and sandals adventure, emblematic of
the years he honed his craft before moving on.
162 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
older Kindred in Pompeii believed in more ancient things than
themselves sleeping beneath the earth. And that name — Calu. It
belongs to a chthonic deity from before Rome itself. Calu, wolf-
headed god of the underworld, bringer of wrath and purification.
Has this god’s name been co-opted by a group of revolution-
aries, or is there something else behind it? Vampires aware of
Pompeii’s secret history wonder if an elder left buried under-
ground found its way to the surface or, as only a handful dare
whisper, if one of the starving prisoners forged a covenant with
an occult power now on the prowl for those bearing the guilt of
betrayal. As more notable Kindred meet Final Death, the mystery
requires an answer before Calu comes after the characters too.
The Hands of Vulcan
Right before 79 CE, religion in Pompeii struggled against
its many souls, and the Kindred are no exception. Conflicts
between the Vaticinators’ various cults carry over from the
furthest reaches of the Empire, and the slow but growing pres-
ence of Christians in Rome animates the city’s nights, heartfelt
debates happening alongside actual violence more often than
civilized Propinqui would like to admit.
The addition of the Hands of Vulcan to an already volatile
situation complicates things even further. Led by the elder
Wanderer Tarpeia, who claims to have received divine revela-
tions during her last torpor, the Hands profess a doctrine of
sacrifice and renewal that veers into unsettling fanaticism. The
Hands of Vulcan commit acts of arson and self-immolation,
claiming fire represents the key to returning the essence of
the world — and of the Kindred — to the divine crucible where
it will be made anew, with each devotee being responsible for
rekindling the flame by any means necessary.
Officially, representatives of the Camarilla in Pompeii consider
Tarpeia and her followers extremists, but the elder’s charisma and
raw power, along with the inexplicable powers her Hands demon-
strate, keep attracting more members, enticed by the promise of
a bright new world where Kindred will no longer fear fire or sun.
When rumors of rituals being performed in the hills north
of Pompeii spread, accompanied by whispers of Tarpeia digging
tunnels near Vesuvius, other Kindred can’t help wondering what
the Hands of Vulcan are really up to. Perhaps the key to strike at
them lies in an uneasy alliance between rival Kindred?
• “The Fires of Pompeii” episode of the revived Doctor Who
series isn’t among the series’ best, but it still provides a good
example of how fantastical elements can merge with historical
events to create a valid narrative in the Chronicles of Darkness.
• Pompeii (2014) is a historical disaster movie that merges Titanic
and Gladiator with questionable results, especially when it
comes to its protagonists and story. However, the visuals of
the city and its environment, combined with a pretty cool
representation of Vesuvius’s eruption, make it worth a watch
(with a couple of glasses of vinum).
 THE ANARCHY
Crisis of the Third Century (235–284 CE)
The Roman Empire teeters on the brink of collapse.
Every calamity imaginable strikes: rampant assassinations,
ignominious military defeats, ravaging plague, barbarian
assaults, fractured territories, imposed and outlawed religions.
A rapid and confusing parade of emperors, many of them usurp-
ers or pretenders to failed empires of their own, leave Rome
reeling. Twenty-eight men (and one woman) claim imperium
in only forty-nine years, fomenting constant instability. Several
rule for less than a month. Most meet bloody ends.
Gordian I commits suicide after his son (Gordian II) dies in
battle. Gordian III, talented notwithstanding his tender age
of 19, dies at war with the Persians; no one knows exactly how.
Plague takes Claudius Gothicus despite a brilliant military
victory. Pupienus, Balbinus, Trebonianus Gallus, Aemilian,
Gallienus, Aurelian, Florianus, and Probus are all killed by their
troops. Carus, after only a year of rule, is struck by lightning.
Living f lamens pray to their angered gods, but dead
Vaticinators discover something darker at work. A word threads
through their visions, a vision of ruin and black ash: Riot. If
the Empire teeters, there’s a chance it will take the Camarilla
with it. And that is an opportunity the Birds of Dis won’t miss.
They spread their wings from every shadow, taking the oppor-
tunity to push each challenge toward disaster. The Striges, as
doom-bringers, earn their reputation.
But fate has other, more insidious ways to weaken the
Camarilla. Like cutting off its food supply. For fifteen years, the
What Has Come Before
Three main factors contribute to setting off the Crisis of
the Third Century.
Plague
The Antonine Plague does not discriminate. Between 165
and 180 CE, seven million die, with two thousand a day in
Rome alone, and it will claim one of the emperors for whom
it’s named. Perhaps both. Their successor, Commodus, will
The lofty pine is oftenest shaken by the winds — high towers fall
with a heavier crash — and lightning strikes the highest mountain.
— Horace
Plague of Cyprian runs rampant, melting bowels and filling eyes
with blood. At its worst, five thousand die daily in Rome alone,
decimating herds and exposing those Kindred who survive to
its ravages. Not even the most powerful elders are spared from
this ravenous frenzy.
And that is only the beginning.
Mood: Haunted and Hunted
Ambitious bids for power end in calamity and disgrace.
Friendships are fraught and frayed. Murderers lurk among one’s
own soldiers or coterie. These are cursed nights.
Previous ages saw such bloodthirsty avarice, yes, but those
tumults gave way to stretches of peace and prosperity. This time,
ceaseless upheavals erode every one of the Camarilla’s careful
foundations. Destiny can be forged in a single act of decisive
nerve — and be just as swiftly ended by a freak accident. None
can find their footing before another blow keeps them reeling.
Official religions are proclaimed, rescinded, and reinstated
whenever the laurels change heads. And the most damning of
these is a bold and deadly worship of the Unconquered Sun.
The Fates say something sinister’s at work. The wrath of one
or more gods. They whisper of the Nemeses watching from the
shadows. There are too many unexplainable tragedies to doubt
that Sodalitas Pernox is under attack. Now is the time to act,
to scramble to the top of the shambling heap and hold tight
to this whirling chariot wheel of fate. If not, you’ll be crushed
beneath it.
inherit its troubles. He lacks the genius of his father, and he can
neither see nor staunch the decline the Empire will succumb
to before his assassination.
The historians will blame it all on soldiers who desecrated a
temple as they razed Seleucia. Perhaps it’s a fitting vengeance.
The plague devastates Rome’s economy and its population,
sapping manpower from both its labor force and its armies.
The latter will be especially problematic.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 163
 Invasion
Forced from their homelands by a changing climate, many
Germanic tribes push into imperial territory, some forming
alliances and becoming powers in their own right. Still recov-
ering from the plague, Rome lacks sufficient manpower to
repel the invaders, and border wars vex the Empire for much
of the crisis to come.
But these are not the only incursions. To the east, the
Sasanian Empire rises from the ashes of Parthia. Their new
king, Ardashir I, wishes to make a show of strength to con-
solidate his reign, and a weakened Rome proves an attractive
target. As such, Emperor Severus Alexander takes Ardashir
What Is to Come
With the death of Severus Alexander, the Empire reaches a
tipping point. The Principate never bothered to establish clear
rules around imperial succession: Anyone with a swift blade
and the people’s support can claim the title now, for Alexander
leaves no heirs. Assassinations, bribes, public posturing — for
these trifles, imperium can be yours.
But Alexander’s immediate successor fares no better. With
the death of Maximinus Thrax, six different contenders claim
the purple in the same year, and whiplashing allegiances leave
the Senate and military divided and weak. For an empire built
on cohesive purpose and rigid efficiency, such shambles don’t
resemble the Rome of old.
Into this vacuum, a parade of tyrants come and go. Many
hail from far-flung territories. Some, like Philip the Arab, are
military men focused on securing peace with Rome’s many
restless allies. Others try to start dynasties, like Trajan Decius.
But first, he must deal with his prejudices.
The Persecution
Decius is convinced all of Rome’s weaknesses arise from
a failure of faith. He thinks enough worship will restore the
old gods’ favor and, thus, Rome’s glory. To this end, he orders
a systematic persecution of Christians: denying them rites,
strongarming them, hiking their taxes, and evicting them from
certain districts.
In the Necropolis, the Senex point to this decree to justify
their own oppression of the newcomer Lancea et Sanctum.
Though few in the capital, the Witnesses galvanize against
these edicts, gladly sacrificing themselves to crosses and
sunlit oubliettes with prayers on their cracked lips. Owls
wear Senex skins to make false and contradictory demands:
control the rabble, accept the Witnesses, punish so-and-so.
Simultaneously, Strigid whispers stir up unsustainable appe-
tites and ambitions among the Collegium’s magistrates. The
Sanctified are only considered Strangers when they can be
made a scapegoat, and despite the rhetoric, many Advenae are
still not considered Kindred. A few rabblerousing Sanctified
164 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
and his armies to be far more concerning than barbarians. He
is right, but this will prove a cold comfort.
Succession
Alexander is more a wheeler and a dealer than a warrior. The
people fear the Germani are coming for the Eternal City, and
numerous legions fall to them over the years. But Alexander
has spent 235 fighting the Sassanids, and on the advice of his
beloved mother, he decides to buy off the barbarians. The
choice destroys his reputation; the army wishes for revenge,
not rapprochement.
His troops kill him in his tent.
get strung up as an example, but no one knows who tight-
ened the ropes. Relations between the wings are strained to
a breaking point.
Above, another series of ill-fated rulers yearns for the purple.
Decius dies in battle, and a few years and emperors later, Valerian
rises. He doubles down on Decius’s beliefs; indeed, he believes
the pantheon is outraged at the Christians. They detract from
the gods’ tributes and desecrate the ancestors.
Valerian takes the Decian persecution to merciless and
hateful extremes. His men raid cults and churches, burning
all they can find, especially targeting holy books and sigils.
Bishops, missionaries, and devout believers give themselves
up to martyrdom.
A Divine Plague
On the heels of these persecutions, sickness crawls again into
Rome. This unnamed plague sets the bowels aflame, liquefying
their contents and dehydrating its hosts. Lesions crop up in
soft flesh. Eyes and other orifices bleed. It is agony, and it is
indiscriminate. The epidemic ravages the soldiery and farmers,
the highborn and the slave.
What good is Rome’s excellent infrastructure when crops fail
for a dearth of hands to harvest? When supplies are raided for
lack of soldiers to defend them? When the dead pile up in the
cities because not enough are left living to bury them?
Propinqui go hungry, threatening the Masquerade in their
frenzies, and becoming one more vector to transfer the dis-
ease to ever more victims. The nascent Lancea et Sanctum
preaches that the plague is God’s retribution in defense of His
chosen people. The Witnesses grow bolder. Justified. Zealous.
Nosferatu crawl like lemures among the corpses, scavenging
and hauling the dying into crypts where they can be salvaged
as childer or ghouls. The pedigree of neonates becomes ragged
and dubious. Unfortunately, a succession of these corpses rises
yellow-eyed to rile panic — not a plague of Owls, just a single
Bird keen to live up to the name of Dis.
They are Riot. They are named well.
 Pagan Kindred lash out all through the Necropolis. In
response, ever more Sanctified are inspired to burn as brightly
for their faith. They proselytize, praise their martyrs, and perform
miracles with their Theban witchery. Their numbers boom.
An Empire Fractured
In 260, the Persians capture and later kill Valerian. While he’s
indisposed, Postumus of Germania rallies the western provinces
to break away as the Gallic Empire. He is the most powerful
Roman in the region, but nothing can end well for a man of
talent and ambition in these times. Likewise, Septimia Zenobia
secedes in the east, proclaiming her son emperor and herself his
regent. She defends her new Palmyrene Empire from the might
of the Sassanids, for Rome seems unable to manage the task.
When Gallienus wrests control in Rome, he issues the Edict
of Toleration, allowing Christians to worship freely. There
are even rumors the emperor’s wife is a Christian. This effec-
tively ends state-sponsored Christian persecution, forcing the
Camarilla to soften its judgments in the Undercity. There are
also rumors that at least one Senecti has converted.
In 268, the throne is usurped in a wide conspiracy that ends
in several assassinations. The traitors, in turn, are assassinated.
Out of this scrabbling, Claudius Gothicus manages to claim
power for two fitful years. A beam of hope breaks through
the miasma: He fights back the barbarian hordes and starts to
reclaim the Gallic territories. Just as swiftly, the light is snuffed
when he’s destroyed by the plague.
Aurelian subsequently claws back both the Gallic and the
Palmyrene Empires into Rome’s bosom. For the five years of
his rule, he travels widely, reestablishing law, claiming fealties,
and exploring his faith.
The Unconquered Sun
But not all these successes suit the Propinqui. In his journeys,
Aurelian is inspired to convert to the Syrian cult of Sol Invictus.
Worse, he decrees it the state religion.
Old mausoleums that have shielded elders and neonates alike
for centuries are modified for tributes to this new supreme deity.
Pagan monuments are torn down; fanatics (many who later
claim to have been possessed) hack shafts out of the stone to
allow holy light to “purify” the oubliettes. Light streams even
into the recesses of the Necropolis. Kindred throughout the
Empire burn as they are forced to worship the Unconquered
Sun. Several Senex members disappear into torpor to escape
Final Death. The cackling of Owls is almost drowned out by
the screams of vampires burning.
The damage done by Aurelian’s religion leaves scars across
the wings. Many of the old guard are gone, and the balance
of the Propinquus population is severely destabilized. New
alliances must be forged, and positions of power filled from
depleted ranks across the wings. The Peregrine Collegium
alone swells as more Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Mekhet join
the Camarilla as a result of the constant skirmishes along
the Empire’s borders.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 165
 This tangle of new blood leads to riots in the Necropolis
driven by miscommunication between many new dialects,
clashing politics, diverging religious beliefs, and old-fashioned
fear — and one relentless Owl. Riot spurs on pandemonium
during annual Camarilla funeral games, personally rending
the chosen cupbearer limb from limb. In the chaos, the Strix
escapes; the Augurs turn to their rituals but see only smoke.
Meanwhile, far from Rome, Emperor Carus is struck down,
inexplicably, by lightning.
The Dominate
Change is needed, from the seat of power all the way out to
the edges of the Empire, and Diocletian believes he’s the man
to do it. Born a pleb in Dalmatia almost a decade into the
Crisis, the former Diocles becomes a formidable general under
the unfortunate Carus. When Carus and then his younger
son perish, their general is acclaimed Emperor. Unlike his
predecessors, he has a plan.
Once he defeats his rivals, Diocletian establishes a Tetrarchy,
splitting the power of the Empire. Two augusti will act as
co-emperors, preventing the reckless, absolute power of previous
years. Beneath these augusti, two caesares will serve. While
this will make assassination attempts far more conspicuous,
they will also be less destabilizing. Moreover, the augusti
will be able to train their successors, providing a longer-term
vision for Rome’s laws and governance. The last remnants of
Augustus’s Principate are swept away, the Emperors becoming
true monarchs rather than de facto autocrats. And while the
Tetrarchy system won’t last, the Dominate of Diocletian will
reign for three and a half centuries.
In the Necropolis, the Camarilla takes note. They establish
new rules to lessen the impact of imperial whims and craft easier
ways for foreigners to earn Kindred status through service in
Locations
The following locations are important locales during the
Crisis of the Third Century.
Colonia Agrippina
Colonia Agrippina has a ragged history. Once home to the
Eburone and Ubii, the Romans make it into their military
garrison in the Rhineland, complete with a naval port. Efforts
are made to fortify this holding against the attacks of roaming
Germani, such as outfitting it with a wall over 24 feet high,
which separates the city grid from the surrounding farmland
and potential attack. The Eifel Aqueduct, built to supply 20,000
citizens with daily fresh water, is one of the longest aqueducts
in the entire Roman Empire.
Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus, Governor of
Germania Inferior and Germania Superior, declares Colonia
Agrippina his capital. Under Postumus, Germania, Gaul,
Britannia, and (briefly) Hispania, make a bid for independence.
166 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Twofold Damned
For once, death is beyond the Kindred’s control.
During the Antonine Plague and (later) the Plague
of Cyprian, many Propinqui watch as their servants,
worshipers, and, yes, even friends fall to pestilence.
Some even Embrace those they wish to spare the
agony of such a death, their desperation so great
they would damn those they love most.
It is a mistake. What they produce are not
Kindred, though they are similar. They yearn for
the touch of the living yet are malformed by the
Embrace, hideous or strange to look upon, some as
if plague still ravages them. Their numbers swell, and
they become a common part of the All Night Society
during the Crisis. Rejected even by the Strangers,
they keep to themselves, taking dirty work from
those who need a quick and quiet assassination, for
they are skilled in darkness, death, and alacrity. For
a time, they scrape by.
But such creatures could never be tolerated,
especially not when they attempt to spread their
taint, stealing the beloveds of other Propinqui to
bring into their brood. Though many in the Senex
are their sires (so the rumors say), they finally cross a
line. When the purge is complete, just as Diocletian
rises, none shall speak of them again.
the wings. The Lancea et Sanctum — while still not accepted
as a part of the Camarilla — finds a foothold in the All Night
Society, though it has hard years ahead, particularly when the
Emperor above begins a new round of Christian persecutions
in less than 20 years.
Finally, the Legion captures and destroys Riot. Or so they
think. The Birds retreat into the shadows. Change has come.
Seceding from the Roman Empire in 260, the so-called Gallic
Empire will last only fourteen years.
During this period, steles mark burial grounds where
Propinqui can stake out their domains. Colonia’s a good place for
a vampire to lay low if they’re out of favor with the Senex in Rome.
It’s also a good place to sow dissent or build allegiances with
those far-removed and daring enough to make a bid for power.
Here, vampires sup on rebellious blood. They take risks. And
sometimes, when they don’t burn for it, they amass vast power.
The Courier
Salagast was there when Postumus fought back the Germani.
By reputation, he’s a skilled rider, an experienced soldier, and
a balanced orator. He is the model of prudence and discretion.
He’s mature now, and nothing much to look at — in fact, he’s
difficult to remember. However, he knows causes can better
be served by those who act silently. The question is, what’s his
cause? Ride 3, Larceny 3, Stealth 4, Weaponry 3
 Antioch
The Palmyrene Empire encompasses Syria, Palestine, Egypt,
and Asia Minor. While its original capital was Palmyra (hence
the name), the true seat of government is Antioch.
Originally built to mimic the grid layout of Alexandria under
the Seleucids, this Hellenistic city had expanded thrice by the
time the Romans claimed it. Straddling the Orontes River,
Antioch’s palatium, circus, and stadium stand on the island
that divides the river, while its nymphaeum sits at the heart of
the city on the southeastern shore. These Grecian influences
last into the Roman period, though Antioch remains a multi-
cultural city with Persian, Semitic, and Egyptian influences.
With its mosaics, baths, temples, and forums, Antioch supports
learning of all kinds.
Erudite vampires of all bloodlines mingle here — includ-
ing ancient blood drinkers that bear no resemblance to any
Kindred. The Camarilla traditions hold, more out of conve-
nience than stout belief. But other practices and rituals flourish.
Gifts of the Blood can be explored without sanction. All are
welcome. All are equal. It’s enough to give Propinqui ideas to
take back to Rome.
The Empress
Zenobia: Syrian monarch, Hellenistic queen, Roman Empress.
She’s refined — highly educated, religiously tolerant, and multi-
lingual. She welcomes all faiths, all cultures, and all ideas. She’s
cunning — she captures Egypt to secure trade routes and build her
new empire up against the Romans. She’s charming — when you
speak, you feel like she truly hears you. Especially if you can serve
her ambitions. Politics 5, Religion 3, Subterfuge 4, Warfare 2
Storytelling the Era
The challenge of running a chronicle set during The Anarchy
is that everything is happening at once. It can be a lot for a
Storyteller to juggle, and overwhelming for players to react to.
Make this more manageable by allowing the various calamities
to unfold in sequence (even if historically they were happening
simultaneously). Behind all these conflicts lies an unspoken
impetus. Famine, disease, discontent, yes, but why? Play with
conflicting rumors, shoddy reports, and ambiguity in decrees.
Allies or enemies (falsely) presumed destroyed; omens of shadowy,
approaching doom. Grant brief glimpses of the Striges that grad-
ually hem the players in. A yellow-eyed plague rat trailing their
movements. An unsettling pattern of frenzy that rips through
the Necropolis. A trusted contact inopportunely possessed.
Being a vampire should be hard. The chance of exposure
is much higher. Safety is fleeting. Connections and resources
dwindle over the course of the story. Loss will feature prom-
inently. See if any of your players are willing to explore a
character death, working in a new contact that may divide the
group or sow further distrust. This era gives opportunities for
all wings, factions, and clans your group may want to play, even
if that means they’re pitted against each other. In particular, the
The Nymphaeum
Aboveground, nymphaea are sacred sanctuaries built atop
natural springs; their symbolic purity and natural splendor can
wash all sins clean — symbolically and literally. Down in the
heart of the Necropolis, though, the dead’s Nymphaeum flows
with Vitae kept warm by internal copper piping during festivals.
Lit with rippling torchlights, their watchful icons change with
the religious mores of any given night: Julius Senex, pagan
deities, the latest emperor, and even the Virgin Mary.
Under those watchful icons, rebellions brew. Overtly, they’re
meeting places where you exchange news and gossip, pray, or
celebrate a wedding. Collegium newcomers can ask directions,
pay tribute to the local deities, and make new connections.
Scrying Augurs perform rites in the flowing blood; Sanctified
practice their Theban sorcery, thinking of water that once
turned to wine. Clandestinely, Soldiers (and sometimes even
Senecti) spy on this meeting place, knowing it will be the first
to catch wind of a criminal on the run, a rebellion brewing, or
where a discreet assassin can be hired.
The Agent Provocateur
Afra can be found at the edge of the Nymphaeum, preaching
the Word of God. She’s always wrapped in a simple shawl,
curly hair tied loosely back. Her shoulders are stooped, her
hands calloused, and her feet invariably bare. She especially
strikes up conversation with those who leave offerings for
the statuette of Venus. Look closer. She conceals her seal of
office as a spy for the Senex, keenly listening to the internal
workings of Sanctified and Christians. Stealth 3, Subterfuge
3, Weaponry (Knives) 2
Sanctified meet their first true test or resolve here, and some
even hope their Kingdom of Night is at hand.
Explore reversals of all kinds: alliances, religions, status, beliefs,
and morality. Everything in the world of men and monsters is in
upheaval. The coterie will need to adapt, or they won’t survive.
The question is, however, how far are they willing to go?
The tension of these nights will push the Beast right up to
the surface. Feeding is difficult because of decimated herds
and an abundance of tainted blood, and vampires are likely
always hungry to some degree. Willpower will be stretched to
the breaking point, and principles may be too costly to adhere
to. Everything is as the Birds of Dis want it.
Desperate vampires are more willing to take risks because
they have no other choice. They’re more likely to make sacrifices
they would normally never entertain. They’re also more likely
to accept a deal from a yellow-eyed monster. They may even
willfully threaten their own Humanity just to survive. This
setting leans into the grit of what it costs to be a monster, so be
sure to anchor the aftermath of these fraught situations in the
emotional toll it takes on your players’ coterie. Explore the guilt,
the fear, the stifled ambition, and the ever-present paranoia.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 167
 The Heralds This Cerberus is unattached to the forms they take, and for
this reason, they always refer to themself in the plural. One
of Oblivion week a rat, another a ghoul, another a worm-riddled corpse,
then back to smoke-and-shadow, then sinking deep into some
While not responsible for the woes of men, the Nemeses Propinquus dupe. It’s all about opportunity. And whim. Riot
take decisive advantage of the constant upheaval to sow strife drifts on the currents of change, sniffing out ambition and
among the Kindred. They can be kept as a boogeyman on the taking advantage of it. If they offer any recompense, it usually
fringes of the plot, at first, but have them act through various comes in the form of swift release before regret can settle in.
contacts as the players try to survive one calamity after another. It’s not mercy — it’s boredom.
The Owl known as Riot is the informal leader of the Striges At their worst, Riot latches their talons to a specific host
during the Crisis. It’s rare that the Nemeses fall in line behind a (typically Kindred, but sometimes a powerful ghoul) and stays
single Bird, but Riot is just the right Strix for the age. Have Riot there for a few years, frittering away their influence and power
crop up in auguries, lurk in the shadows, and whis- on outlandish commands and drastic ventures. They like to
per in dreams… despite being notoriously see how far they can push their toys before they break. Even
hard to pin down. If you want to delay better, these longer stints give Riot an opportunity to spread a
Riot’s reveal, you can Plague of Hatred that ripples out to claw countless others
also make use one down into the mire.
of the sample Striges
Yes, Riot wants the Beast in every
from Chapter Five,
vampire to wake up snarling; there’s no
or create your own.
grandiloquent philosophy behind it.
Riot The Beast is unpredictable, and that’s
W hispers th at come as close as anyone gets to speaking
from within writhe like worms. Riot’s language.
Emotions twist, curdling in the Archetype: Cerberus
breast, distorting into their cruel Vice: Chaotic
inverse. She soured by degrees, night
after night, until the mere sight of her Shadow Potency: 10
grandchild repulsed her. There was no Attributes: Finesse 7,
sudden drop. She just came to, finally, with blood Power 9, Resistance 7
on her hands. In her mouth. The child on her Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl
dinner table, a cleaver splitting sternum in twain. 3, Occult 3, Weaponry
She screamed until her throat rent, 3, Warfare 5
until the servants came running, until Corpus: 12
guards carted her off. That boy would
have grown up to be an emperor. They Willpower: 10
asked her why she did it. All was smoke Size: 5
and shadow. She only wished she knew. Speed: 12
If change isn’t in the winds, Riot
beats their wings to stir up anarchy.
Defense: 9
What this Strix finds most satisfying is a Initiative: 14
complete reversal of fortunes: vaulting the Dread Powers:
unworthy into the light or plummeting the Ambition’s Source,
successful into the depths. They don’t play favorites, Command the Lost,
and they don’t understand loyalty. But Riot is an expert Dominate ••••, Plague of
at building momentum: every minor upheaval builds Hatred, The Beast’s Rebuke,
toward the full disintegration of everything the Screech, Shadow Infection,
Kindred have built. It’s difficult to predict what Talons of Fury, Twilight Form
this Strix will do next; it’s nigh impossible to Banes: Bells, Fire, Hated by
reason with them. One thing is clear, however: If Beasts, Invitation, Material
Riot succeeds, the Camarilla will crumble. Bane (Salt), Ravening, Sunlight

168 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Story Seeds
The following are two plot hooks set during the Crisis. These
concepts would work well as sequential episodes in a longer
story, but they could be expanded to become the focus of an
entire chronicle.
A Plague of Blood
Countless die from the plague. One report notes 62 percent
of Alexandria’s population is lost in just thirteen years. Chances
are the blood the coterie is drinking is tainted. While the
plague can’t kill a Propinquus, it can transfer to lovers, ghouls,
and living descendants. And viruses have a way of mutating…
What Is Happening?
Order breaks down as the kine required to sustain the old
systems die by the thousands. The Birds of Dis take the oppor-
tunity to overwhelm weakened vampires, puppeteering them to
make erratic and disastrous decisions. Networks grow unstable
as contacts disappear into the shadows. Resources of all kinds
(supplies for one’s herd, money, even clean blood) are harder
to get as imperial borders falter and kine die faster than they
can be buried. Manes torment whoever’s left behind.
Worse, the disease is starting to affect the Blood, hardening
it like tar in veins. Vision clouds over; the ears feel like they’re
underwater; the nose clogs as if with grave dirt. Even the limbs
feel leaden. Is this what their senses were before the Embrace?
How can they hunt in this sluggish state? Thus impaired, they’re
vulnerable to possession — or worse.
Carriers of the Plague of Blood (p. 273) crawl like rats
through the poorest hovels, slurping from pustules, draining
blood-bloated sclera. Still ravenous, they look to their fellow
Propinqui. One bite, and they’ve infected another. Mekhet are
twisted by so much feeding on the diseased and dying, they
become something else.
The oldest of the Morbus bloodline have only been in their
Requiems for nine years. They’re still coming to terms with
their role as God’s divine retribution, and their progenitor,
Pestilens, drives them to infect highborn and noble pagans,
while granting merciful death to pious Christians ravaged
by the plague.
Who Are the Characters?
In destruction, there’s opportunity. If the vampires risk
infection, they can claim abandoned spoils, challenge faltering
domains, or even petition for a higher position within their
wings. They might be able to scratch out a moment of glory
amidst all the decay, but can they make it last?
The characters may be opportunists trying to fill the gaps
left by those claimed by death. Perhaps the Senex appointed
them to research the plague, its origins, and how to prevent
its spread among the kine. They may have been (or become)
infected by the Plague of Blood and develop immunity; how will
this change the way they move through the stricken quarters?
They might even be Morbus Mekhet recently come into their
new need to feed off the diseased.
The Afflicted
The Morbus bloodline of Clan Mekhet first
emerges in this era, supposedly sired by one Thascius
Egnatianius Hostilinus, also known as Pestilens and
Numida, remembered by future generations as the
Plague Angel. The Afflicted are surprisingly numerous
despite Pestilens’ relatively recent Embrace, and some
Propinqui in later years will say the Plague of Cyprian
itself somehow spawned his vile lineage.
The Morbus can’t sustain themselves on the blood
of healthy mortals. They must feed solely from the
blood of diseased mortals, or else the number of
healthy Vitae they can take per night is limited by
Humanity, though Kindred blood is as nourishing
as it would be to any other vampire. They add the
unique power of Cachexy to their favored Disciplines.
Cachexy is on p. 112 of the Dark Eras Companion.
If you don’t have that supplement, Afflicted gain
Animalism instead and have an inherent bloodline
gift: A Morbus vampire can automatically detect if a
character is sick just by looking at him and can spend
a Vitae to inflame a diseased human’s illness, inflicting
an appropriate Tilt with an additional −2 modifier
for (1 + Blood Potency) turns; there is no resistance.
Possible Resolutions
Charged by the Senex to find the source of the local epi-
demic and stop its spread, the coterie can follow either of two
main paths: find the source or find a cure for the Plague of
Blood itself. What impact this decision will have depends on
the coterie (especially if members are/were infected with the
Plague, if they’ve lost relatives to the Cyprian plague, or if they
are Morbus).
• The coterie successfully tracks infected vampires and con-
tains them in quarantine on the edges of the Necropolis.
Perhaps an infected Morbus has intentionally been spreading
the Plague of Blood on a holy mission to disable or weaken
key members of the All Night Society; they want to send a
message to the Senex. Once it discovers the source vectors,
the coterie is supposed to call the Legion and bring whoev-
er’s responsible before the Assembly to be tried. But what
message are they sending? Is it truly their own message, or
was it inspired by the Striges? Does the coterie support this
message, or do they try to silence the Morbus for good?
• The coterie takes samples from both kine victims of the
Cyprian plague and vampire carriers of the Plague of
Blood (perhaps this is even one of the coterie). Using the
Veneficium, Theban Sorcery, alchemy, and/or augury, they
work to create an inoculation to protect uninfected Kindred
from falling victim to the dread disease. Who do they test
their cure on? Perhaps it works, but at the risk of turning the
patient into a Morbus, regardless of clan. Or maybe it has
more subtle side effects: making them silent vectors, opening
them to Strix possession, or dampening their Disciplines.
And even if it does work, maybe they aren’t so altruistic. Will
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 169
 The Best Disinfectant
One possibility is that the Cult of Sol Invictus is the beginning of a hunter conspiracy, albeit one that doesn’t seem
to survive Aurelian’s fall. If so, use the systems below.
Status Benefits
• Your god’s holy light has revealed the corruption beneath Rome. Gain a free Specialty in Occult, Investigation,
or Streetwise relating to vampires.
••• The Emperor himself seems to implicitly endorse your efforts to cleanse the city. Gain two dots in Allies (Imperial
Court) to represent his favor, but don’t ask too much of the Princeps if you want to keep it.

••••• You have been initiated into the Cult’s deepest mysteries. Raise your Occult or Religion rating to five.
New Endowment: The Solar Crown
Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Presence + Strength (−1 for every 10 meters below ground, to a limit of −5)
Action: Instant
Duration: Turn
Roll Results
Success: The cultist calls forth the power of Sol for a single turn, flooding the immediate area with sunlight regardless
of the time of day, weather conditions, or even if she’s inside a sealed room.
Exceptional Success: The effect lasts for turns equal to successes.
Failure: The sun does not heed the call.
Dramatic Failure: The cultist does not pay proper homage. She suffers a level of aggravated damage.
Backlash: Channeling sunlight through your body in a concentrated form isn’t great for your health. The cultist
takes a lethal damage.

they just turn over the cure to the Senex, or will they sell it
to the highest bidder?
• Of course, during play, the coterie may fail in their objectives
or actively choose to turn their backs on their duty, especially
if they grow to believe in the Morbus philosophy. In this
resolution, they actively choose to further the spread of the
plague and join the monsters in the quarantined crypts. How
do they escape from the wrath of the Senex and its Legion?
Do they make a deal with Riot to escape their punishment?
Cult of the Sun
Under Aurelian, Sol Invictus divides religious views
throughout the Roman Empire. At least it’s not the Christian
god, but it is a Syrian one. But what comfort might the sun
bring a night-dweller? The Kindred can’t maintain façades as
citizens for long when Aurelian is demanding obedience and
proof of faith (possibly at the behest of his wife, who seems
equally devout).
Rumors say he grows weary of excuses from those high-rank-
ing Propinqui who move in Masquerade through his circles.
Some manage to send ghouls in their stead. Others sink into
torpor to wait this madness out. For those who embrace this
religion wholeheartedly, they let their flesh sear under the
sunlight seeping into an oubliette to prove their faith. Where
did the emperor get such a fiendish idea as worshipping the
Unconquered Sun? If the Striges weren’t as repelled by sunlight
as vampires, the perversity of it would suit their tactics…
What Is Happening?
Zealous sun-worshipers track Kindred to their mausole-
ums and columbaria. They wait until dawn to strike. The
Necropolis, so subterranean Sol should never be able to pen-
etrate it, finds the Unconquered Sun spearing its deadly light
into havens long hidden. Screams echo through the corridors.
Elders relied upon for centuries are reduced to ash. Who can
harness the sun to reach into the depths in this way? Perhaps
they work for Riot…?
Those who survive scramble for new hiding places, dreading
tomorrow’s sunrise, and none dare sweep away the ashes to
claim these sun-scorched places.
Who Are the Characters?
The coterie, even if newly sired vampires, would have held
some sort of faith before Sol Invictus’s worship is mandated.
Consider what they believe, and whether or not those beliefs
will be challenged through the course of this story. They may
be Augurs still holding tightly to previous rituals; agents of the
Senex charged with wrangling scattered holdings; Legionaries
struggling to defend Kindred from the Sol Invictus’s attacks;
visiting Kindred whose domains now lie outside Rome’s Empire;
or fanatic converts to sun worship.
Likable (or, at least, indispensable) allies will be injured
or lost to these Sol Invictus attacks. A lost haven can bring
together even the most motley coterie. Depending on the
length of the chronicle, the Storyteller may need to flush
the characters out of subsequent makeshift havens. Augurs
might divine where they can find safety, if only for a night.
Introduce new contacts in these shelters, fellow survivors of
other Sol attacks, each with a rumor or fragment of the culprit
behind these attacks. Together, the coterie can combine skills,
resources, and hope to outlast the terror — and unmask its
true mastermind.

170 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

Possible Resolutions
Depending on whether you run this story on its own or part
of a longer chronicle, you may want to adjust who’s responsible
for the Sol attacks. Here are a few options.
• A devout Witness has weaponized light with a new miracle.
His attacks are intended to shake faith in Sol Invictus and
drive recruitment to the Lancea et Sanctum, destroying
Senex elders who’ve persecuted his fellow Sanctified.
Graffiti on the walls of a burnt-out niche provides a clue:
“Follow a false god and the Lord’s wrath will fall upon
the sinners.” But which elders are being targeted? Their
outspoken politics can shine the proverbial light on what
links all these Final Deaths together.
• Emperor Aurelian is aware of the Midnight Republic, and
his decree of Sol Invictus as the state religion is partly a
calculated move to unearth those Propinqui lurking in the
cracks of Rome. But how does he come by this knowledge?
Some say he’s taking counsel from a certain yellow-eyed
shadow. Riot’s need for anarchy is so strong, they’re willing
to risk sunlight if it means sowing chaos in the Camarilla.
The countless Kindred reduced to ash are random, but
auguries and signs that precede each attack can be traced
to the Strix behind the attacks.
Inspirational Media
Agora (2009), directed by Alejandro Amenábar: Although
the events of this film take place in 391 CE, it beautifully
illustrates the conflict between the elite and slaves as well
as pagans and Christians, including the burning of books as
a method of silencing opposing viewpoints, something the
Sanctified are both victim to and will learn from in later years.
“De mortalitate,” by Cyprian of Carthage: This contem-
porary Christian account provides most of the details we have
• After so many Final Deaths, a Kindred caravan has formed
for those Propinqui who’ve survived but lost everything to
these mysterious Sol Invictus attacks. The caravan is headed
to Antioch, for in that fair city, they say, not a single ray of sun
has struck. But then how did the Palmyrenes know of their
plight? Isn’t Sol Invictus one of their deities? A Courtesan
who controls Antioch’s largest territory has long worshiped
Elagabalus and knows secret rites from before he was called
Sol Invictus in Rome. She can’t face off against the Legion
of the Dead directly, but she can swell her fledgling schism
by driving those fleeing into her magnanimous embrace.
• Burbling warnings issue through the cracked lips of a pos-
sessed Vaticinator behind the Sol attacks. Only after the last
of Riot’s acrid smoke clears, the coterie sees writing on stone
in the Augur’s own Vitae: CDX. A date? Riot promised to
return when the Camarilla finally fell; a vain threat by a foe
about to be vanquished. The numbers were quickly scuffed
out, but in those hurried moments, surely someone saw Riot’s
proclamation and knew the truth of that portent — and, more
importantly, how fiercely the Senex would not want such an
augury to be known. How is this secret kept? Who is permitted
to know it? How does this close conclave prepare for the utter
collapse of vampiric civilization? Do they make a plan for what
might come after the fall of the Camarilla?
of the plague that swept through the Empire during the Crisis
of the Third Century — so much so that it became known as
the Cyprian Plague.
Funeral Games, by Mary Renault: While this novel is
focused on the death of Alexander the Great, it captures the
sense of an expanding, bloated empire, complete with military
conquests, disasters, assassinations, and the commemoration
of fallen heroes in bloody, high style.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 171
 CITY OF MIRACLES
Fall of the Western Roman Empire (402–410 CE)
The barbarians marched right past Ravenna, sacking Rome
instead. Its large naval base forced pirates to leave it largely
unmolested. It is a place of opportunity, to put down roots,
to start a family, to make one’s fame and fortune, and, even-
tually, to be baptized. Over the centuries, it attracts emperors,
regents, kings, and archbishops. What might this City of
Miracles offer next?
For centuries, Kindred were posted in Ravenna, primarily as
an arm of the Legio Mortuum, but the appointed representa-
tive of the Camarilla was not considered to hold an important
domain. Local vampires slept in the cemeteries outside town.
Initially, their havens comprised separate mausoleums and
a few vaults, but no underground network like the grand
Necropolis of Rome.
Then, Ravenna is thrust onto the political stage. Emperor
Honorius moves the capital away from Rome, rebuilding the
city to make it fit as the official seat of emperors and legions.
Marble edifices, temples, and great monuments were erected
throughout Ravenna, beginning a trend of beautification that
the Byzantines would eventually take to the greatest heights of
mosaic art and gold gilding.
While many Senecti dutifully follow the Emperor to his new
capital, no one is under the illusion that all of the Senex should
abandon Rome. Yet settling power in Ravenna proves prudent.
Only eight years later, Alaric the Goth successfully sacks Rome,
and with his forces, the Striges make a final assault on the
Necropolis. Little could Honorius have known his decision
What Has Come Before
Italic peoples established Ravenna as early as 1400 BCE.
It was occupied by the Etruscans and later the Gauls before
joining the Roman Empire in 191 BCE. Set on a lagoon on
the Adriatic, its position provided the Romans with a prime
naval position. Augustus built the port of Classe just three
miles away, and this became the center of naval operations by
the 1st century BCE.
O sad, and sweet, and silent! surely here
A man might dwell apart from troublous fear…
Oscar Wilde, “Ravenna”
172 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
would be the start of a great schism that would witness the
permanent split of the Empire into West and East, and with
it, the fall of the Camarilla…
Mood: Turmoil
Breeds Opportunity
These brief few years are fraught with upheaval. The Western
Empire and the Camarilla stand at a precipice. After this, there
is no going back. The Camarilla has survived setbacks before
— the Fire of Rome, plagues, erratic emperors, rises and falls
of deities — but it always rose from the (at times, literal) ashes.
Not this time.
For those with power, it’s an age of uncertainty and loss.
Established rules that organized Kindred relations and behav-
ior for a thousand years crumble. As the Camarilla collapses,
what becomes of its three Traditions? If no line divides the
civilized Kindred from the barbarian vampire, all is left to
the Beast.
But for the upstart, it’s a time of chance, opportunity, clarity,
and departure. The old guard is dust. Who will steer the survi-
vors? It could be you — if you have the cleverness and charisma
to wrangle disparate factions. If you appreciate the gathered
power of the Sanctified, after all, the Empire is Christian now.
The Wing of Apostles rises, and it prepares to deal a deathblow
to its enemies.
Ravenna pivots to a new future. When the unthinkable
becomes fact, anything goes.
During the Crisis of the Third Century (p. 163), the frac-
tured Roman government and its rogue’s gallery of despots
left Ravenna and Classe in deep disrepair. In the 250s,
and again in the 260s, roving bands of barbarians sacked
Ravenna, and over the next fifty years, Classe’s silted harbor,
no longer maintained, dried out and began to fill up. Despite
this, Ravenna remained the sole easy landing point along
the northeastern coast of Italy, and so Roman officials (and
their Camarilla counterparts) continued to be posted there
to keep an eye on the Adriatic and ensure the harbor wasn’t
captured by enemies seeking to make landfall. At very least,
they might spot enemy ships moving past their port and send
early warning to Rome.
What Is to Come
Everything changes in 402.
Emperor Honorius moves the western capital to Ravenna.
Suddenly, this sleepy naval port is bustling with administration,
becoming the center of the corn dole distribution and grain
allotments. The Western Emperor and his highest officials now
live, meet, and plan here. The wealthy build expansive villas to
establish their importance to city and state.
The New Capital
Wealth pours into both Ravenna and Classe: the former to be
beautified, the latter to be built up into a prosperous port. To
house the increase in sailors and administration, a residential
district swells to the south of the harbor, challenging the old
cemetery for domain. The Kindred say spirits are stirred up as
graves are displaced and new monuments are built over old,
the forgotten pagan symbols replaced with venerated Christian
ones. Rome’s powerful may have dodged danger, but it still
churns beyond Ravenna’s walls.
Rome has not been the capital since the end of the Crisis of
the Third Century, switching between numerous cities several
times, but the Kindred have never felt the need to uproot. The
Necropolis is the Camarilla’s capital, and the dead never had a
need to be precisely where the Emperor dwells.
This time is different. Many Senecti join the Emperor in
Ravenna, for the Ancients see something coming this time that
they didn’t before. Few Kindred recognize this “new capital,”
but many are drawn to its power nonetheless.
Necropolis Nova
While the kine build up and out, the Kindred build down
and within, casting shadows behind each new structure. With
this expansion comes the need to establish a proper Necropolis.
This proves a difficult feat, as there are no limestone hills along
the lagoon such as those surrounding Rome (and, some believe,
whatever dark magics preserve the Undercity are not present
here). What makes Ravenna so ideal as a harbor is its bay of silt,
perfect for bringing ships in close to shore. The lagoon can be
filled in and built up with canals, but “Necropolis Nova” will
struggle with unstable foundations and flooding.
Instead, rather than building deep and in layers, the
Necropolis spreads out for miles, connecting to harbor through
shallow subterranean corridors. What appears to be two sep-
arate cities above ground — one political, one military — is,
underneath, the commingled Necropolis Nova, desperately
Propinquus activity throughout this quiet rise and fall is
provincial. The city useful, but not important. Its Kindred
hold little influence, and mostly interact with Legio Mortuum
dispatches posted as shadows to the living naval fleet. Camarilla
existence here is unsophisticated, old-fashioned, often influ-
enced by barbarian customs.
trying to fortify its authority. Those Kindred still possessing
wealth and power show it off by hastily constructing statuary
and inscriptions to adorn their corridors and cellae. They
compete for preeminence by staking out those regions closest
to the new Senex assembly beneath the Basilica.
Stricter Rule
But where does this leave the rest of the Midnight Republic?
In 404, a census is conducted across the Camarilla that
reveals membership in the Senex and Legio Mortuum has
been in steady decline for some time. In contrast, the Peregrine
Collegium and Lancea et Sanctum are growing exponentially.
The danger of this imbalance is obvious, but measures to
minimize the threat are harder to determine.
Back in Rome, the remaining Senecti propose legal mea-
sures to restrict the Embrace, effectively limiting neonates.
They claim this is necessary to maintain law and order. Some
believe them, mostly those who cling to political power that’s
steadily slipping away. The Sanctified vehemently oppose the
motion but are overruled. The law passes, for all the good
it does.
In less than a year, the ineffectiveness of this policy is
repeatedly proven. There aren’t sufficient Legionaries to
enforce it, and many Untouchables Embrace in open con-
tempt of the Senex’s bald-faced efforts to control them, many
of whom join the Wing of Apostles. It all comes to a head
when a Sanctified Senex member openly preaches against
their discrimination, citing that the vast majority of Rome
is Christian now. She is arrested. Yet, no public punishment
follows — no exsanguination or crucifixion. Rumor has it
she escapes to Ravenna. Kindred power is gathering there,
furthering disarray in Rome.
Panic simmers just below the surface. Patrols increase.
More Senex members, mostly Julii, flee to Ravenna under
the thin excuse that they are going to consult the elders now
Fact vs. Fiction
In real life, defining what counts as the capital
of Rome is rather arcane by this point, at least in
the Western Empire. Technically, it’s wherever the
Emperor resides, and by that standard, the Eternal
City is briefly the capital during the same period
Ravenna is meant to be. We simplify history here.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 173
 entrenched there. Their prudence/cowardice is swiftly proven
when a string of assassinations and mysterious disappearances
cuts down a number of Julian Senecti. Conspiracies sprout up
that the Senex has consolidated those loyal to it in Ravenna
to purge any contenders in Rome who refuse to bow down.
And a few dare whisper that the Nemeses are finally exacting
their dreadful will.
Things Fall Apart
The murders and betrayals of the past year will leave a polit-
ical landscape that is almost unrecognizable.
In 407, an elder Mekhet seizes Alexandria, one of the oldest
domains in the Camarilla outside Rome herself. She begins
a ruthless purge of all Camarilla elements, and many escape
to Ravenna rather than Rome, seeing the Eternal City as too
chaotic. The ancient Seer is smoke and vengeful fire; some
reports claim she is one of the Nemeses. Whatever she is,
she is unquestionably in control. She threatens to destroy
any Roman vampire who enters her domain hereafter. She
is heeded.
The Senecti in Ravenna desperately try to maintain control
of their domain. With so many ancient Kindred killed in the
Alexandrian purge, they offer positions of power to younger
vampires, those with ambition and the wealth to strengthen
their fledgling Necropolis Nova. They know they need to move
quickly because, by 408 CE, those Senecti left in Rome will
reassert themselves as the true heirs of Aulus Julius, cutting
Ravenna off from the Legion’s protection. They do not mention
that they do so at the “suggestion” of Helvidius Bassianus, the
War-Crow, general of the Legio Mortuum and eldest vampire
still in Rome.
The fractures that started a few years before become a full
sundering. Loyalties divide, from the state level all the way down
to the coterie. The Legion fragments into private militias for
powerful Kindred, and deployments across the outskirts of the
Empire are left without orders. It becomes a prime opportunity
Locations
Ravenna and Classe are two halves of a whole, and all the
space between and around them is swiftly filling up with both
the living and the dead as the world as they know it falls apart.
The Quaestor’s Domus
To give their new capital the grandeur befitting the Roman
Empire, Ravenna’s once-humble façades are built up with
marble and monument. The domus assigned to the local
quaestor is a handsome affair built in the traditional Roman
style but decorated in crosses. The cracks are only noticeable
at a scathing glance: the crumbled plaster on the walls, the
cracked stones surrounding the impluvium, the weeds choking
the kitchen garden.
174 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
for criminals to conduct their business, rebels to rise, and
foederati to stake a claim.
In 409, Rome abandons Britannia. Reports say those Kindred
still trapped in the region are in deadly conflict with a cult of
native vampires, wielding blood magic unknown to them. They
are never heard from again.
Meanwhile, the Wing of Apostles stands proud and powerful
in Ravenna; if Rome will not help them, the Witnesses will.
They see the End Times emerging from the dusk. All is smoke
and confusion.
The End
In 410, Rome falls, and the Striges annihilate the Julii. What’s
left of the Camarilla scatters, and the Lancea et Sanctum
prepares for its Kingdom of Night. In Ravenna, the remaining
Senecti among the other clans inherit an impotent crown with
no head to rule. The Sanctified claim praxis, and none are left
to stop them.
The residential district south of Classe explodes during this
brief boom, encircled by a new protective wall — for all the good
it does. The Western Emperor moves the capital back to Rome
in 450. As brightly as Ravenna shone, it shone briefly. Yet, both
the city and its port will survive this upheaval.
Hereafter, the Western Roman Empire is pocked with barbar-
ian invasions and further fracturing. Several bands of Germani
(Visigoths, Burgundians, and Suebi) settle but aren’t accepted
as true citizens, forcing split loyalties among the residents who
previously held these lands.
Meanwhile in the East, the other half of the Empire rises as an
enemy. When Classe is restored, it will not be by Roman hands,
but by order of King Theodoric of the Ostrogoths, who claims
it as his own capital. In less than seventy years, the remnants
of the Western Roman Empire collapse utterly, and with it, the
last coils of the Camarilla. Europe splits into smaller factions
replete with warring kings, bishops, popes, and holy crusades.
The continent is primed to enter the Middle Ages.
A series of cubicula house the current quaestor and his family,
as well as the few servants and slaves that live on the premises.
Small shops are built into the outer walls, which are rented out
to craftspeople to provide some income for the house. Claudio
Imbrex is the man to see about renting these spaces, even if the
quaestor’s stamp is required on the lease. To be granted one,
you’ll need to be able to serve Necropolis Nova.
Regardless of its official purpose, beneath the Quaestor’s
Domus lies the tomb of the preeminent Witness in Ravenna:
Seraphina. Every night, the Sanctified gather to hear her
preach, and by dawn ever more converts crawl back to their
crypts. Her installation here sends a message to all Kindred
that, whatever the Senecti might proclaim, Ravenna is run by
the Wing of Apostles.
 The Porphyry
In the cemetery southwest of the suburban sprawl, a porphyry
mausoleum stands with a now-forgotten patrician’s face carved
above its doorway. The name has been scratched out, and the
nose broken off; whether an intentional defacement or merely
the brutality of time is unknown. Graffiti has been carved
into the stone beside the obliterated name, and if one looks
closely, a Camarilla sigil is hidden within the scoring. This is
the primary entrance to Necropolis Nova, often referred to
simply as the Porphyry.
Down a short flight of cold stone steps, a wide entrance
chamber opens onto a series of tunnels that fan out to con-
nect with other mausoleums, graves, and monuments across
Ravenna and Classe. When emergency meetings are held, it
is usually here, in the Porphyry’s entrance hall. The central
corridor leads to a chamber beneath the Quaestor’s Domus,
to crypts built into the city’s walls, as well as to the aqueduct,
beneath which the Senex has recently set up a small assembly,
despite their growing irrelevance.
The living try to ignore the sprawling cemeteries that, until
recently, served the navy’s dead. Thanks to the recent and hasty
removal of some of these gravesites to make room for more
insulae, those who live nearest to the cemetery turn away from
what they perceive as unhappy spirits. Sometimes they leave
offerings at the mausoleum, trying to placate the restless manes.
The Dead of Ravenna
In the City of Miracles, a lot changes in a very short period
of time, even by human standards. The reckoning has come,
and soon, the Witnesses say there will be an apocalypse: a
final collapse of what was once the Camarilla. But before that
happens, where do Ravenna’s Propinqui stand?
The Wings
The Legion of the Dead has been here for centuries, and
no one’s under any illusions that Classe is a military town.
They control the waterways, which means they control how
safe everyone — living and dead — in Ravenna remains. The
responsibility that’s recently landed on the Legio Mortuum’s
shoulders, to defend this rump Senex after its schism with
Rome, has also given them great power. They haven’t been
quiet about exercising it, either. They’ve had a long leash for
centuries, and they aren’t about to come to heel. The only one
they’ll listen to is their praetor, Horatius Merula.
For the Apostles, it’s time to preach. Ravenna’s Church of
the Dark Sacrament grows nightly. There are many new ears
willing to listen to their apocalyptic message. They take in
destitute and shaken vampires who have lost everything in
Rome, Alexandria, and everywhere at the hands of scrabbling
political forces. They gather up ghoul retainers whose old
masters are ash and who now seek a new benefactor lest they
crumble like Lot’s wife. They uphold the Traditions, but they
Classe
Slightly south of Ravenna, Classe stands on a lagoon feeding
into the Adriatic Sea. Here, the Roman fleet is maintained
and launched, especially to defend the waterways from pirates
that plague the Mediterranean. At full capacity, the harbor can
hold 250 ships (mostly triremes, quadriremes, and liburnians).
In support of the navy, the harbor also holds barracks for the
sailors (and the Legion of the Dead), as well as an arsenal full
of weapons for warfare both on land and at sea.
It’s also something of a commercial port, as it’s out of the
way for marauding Germani, with storage for goods, taverns
for sailors, and docks to repair damaged vessels. Some smaller
quarters can be found here, mostly for harbormasters, look-
outs, and higher-ranking naval officers. Roads lead north to
Ravenna and more upscale residential districts, market places,
and churches, while roads leading south and southwest lead
to the cemetery and the sprawling suburbs of laborers, retired
sailors and their families, and freedmen.
The land here is soft and silty, preventing Necropolis Nova
from spreading this far. Kindred need to travel the sailor’s
roads or take ships if they wish to navigate the harbor. While
it may seem more exposed than the inland options for meet-
ing places, if a fight is brewing, the harbor is the best place
to arm yourself.
impose their own commandments, too. Thou shalt Feed only
on the Evildoer. Thou shalt always Honor thy Sire. Thou shalt
use the Blood to Deliver only the Goat into Damnation. After
all, they are pious, and their God is vengeful.
The Peregrine Collegium’s old class system burns with
Rome. Who will dare call them Strangers now? The few
who still cling to the old ways are powerless to enforce them
in Ravenna. The Collegium here upholds Greek ideals of
democracy, welcoming in those freedmen or foederati that
the old order denied. New allies greatly swell their member-
ship, making them undeniably the largest faction among the
Kindred. But the more needs to manage, the harder it is to
reach a consensus — as the old Senex knew well. Thus far,
the biggest forces and financiers in Necropolis Nova are guild
tribunes like Orion (Crypt Masons), Aesarius (Merchants),
and Valeria Naunet (Shipwrights). If you need something, it’s
their support you want to garner.
The Senex strives to be seen as the Camarilla’s sole legitimate
arbiters. Ignore the Romans! They may have brought centuries
of legacy with them when they set up in Ravenna, but the mortar
is barely dry on the walls of their new assembly, the Aqueduct
Chambers, and there are an awful lot of new faces in their circle.
Perhaps they thought if they fled far enough, they could leave
old sins behind. Some — mostly neonates — question their right
to rule. Others cling desperately to some sense of stability and
normalcy, when everywhere signs point to anything but. Even
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 175
 the Old Man isn’t blind to the fact that the Camarilla is losing
its grip — not only on Ravenna.
The Vaticinators are gone. However, while the wing was
proscribed in 380, it has holdouts in Ravenna, as represented
by the elder known as the Skeptic, who is forthright in her
refusal to bow to the Sanctified. That said, most former Augurs
in Ravenna are Strangers now, some having fled the Necropolis
over thirty years ago. Rumor has it the last Regina Sacrorum
of the wing, Flaviana Galla, spent time here, but if so, she has
not been seen in years. For now, holdouts must practice the
Veneficium and their faith in secret. Vampires will always have
a need for the prophecy — or so these pagans believe — in one
form or another.
Notable Kindred
The following figures are active and influential in Ravenna
in this period.
The Ageless Smuggler
Old Amara Cento, a fisherwoman, followed her beloved to
Ravenna long ago. Unfortunately, sailors aren’t legally allowed
to marry while enlisted, so she built a shack near the shore and
fished while she waited. Her beloved died at sea (rumors tell
conflicting stories about pirates), but she remained. Amara
knows things before other people even suspect. She can source
what folks need, even during famine or drought. Some say she
works for Aesarius, others that she can get you the things the
Mercantile Guild won’t touch. She’s ancient (and has been
ancient for a long time) but steady as ever, especially in a pinch.
Crafts (Boats) 2, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 3
The Augur Holdout
Most often referred to as the Skeptic, Virgiliana is this Seer’s
Roman appellation, though there are rumors she had other
names in other lives. As a keeper of mysteries, it’s impossible
to force the Skeptic to tell you anything she doesn’t want you
to know. But as surly as she can be, she’s extremely accurate in
her predictions. While she no longer calls herself a Vaticinator
for legal reasons, everyone knows what she’s up to. The Senex
here hope for some kind of bulwark against Seraphina, and for
this, they have delayed taking any action against the Skeptic. It
helps that many of them still secretly rely on her for prophecies.
Occult 4, Medicine 3, Religion (Old Gods of Italy) 5
The Stonemason
Orion came to prominence during the Cyprian plague,
when the old roads were littered with dead and the cemeteries
overflowed. He also witnessed (and survived) the horrors of the
Unconquered Sun. A skilled stonemason even for a Worm, he
developed new ways to prevent crypts from being penetrated by
the sun. Ravenna was an obvious destination when it became
the new capital, and he’s accumulated a great deal of influence
in overseeing the building of the Porphyry underground. None
know the tunnels and all their secrets as well as Orion. Crafts
(Masonry) 5, Politics 3, Streetwise 2
176 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Merchant
Aesarius made a name as a purveyor of all things mercantile
during the expansion of the Empire under Trajan. Aesarius,
seemingly on intimate terms with everyone, is effortlessly gre-
garious and known for their “wolf-bright smile.” Rumored to
have once been a Gangrel follower of Cybele before moving on
to more earthly interests, Aesarius’s status as one of the tertium
sexus rankles conservative members of the Senex and Lancea
et Sanctum. But then, they’re also unequivocally the richest
vampire in Ravenna, so it’s best to lick the hand that feeds.
Persuasion (Soft Sell) 4, Politics 3, Subterfuge 2
The Shipwright
Valeria Naunet built fleets for Alexandria, and perhaps her
long years of experience are the reason she was able to escape
intact. She came to Ravenna first as a refugee, but with the
need to rebuild Classe Harbor, she swiftly rose through the
ranks with her practical knowhow and ability to charm Praetor
Merula with her Player ways. She might be his lover, but it would
be a mistake to think she hasn’t earned every ounce of power
she’s clawed to her breast. Crafts (Shipwright) 4, Expression
4, Persuasion 3, Politics 2
The Ambitious Bureaucrat
Petronius Corvinus is a Worm with pretenses to greatness,
despite being little more than a clerk appointed by the Senex
to take a Kindred census of Ravenna’s booming population.
However, beneath this bureaucratic cover, he’s gathering as
much information about the Witnesses as possible — where
they meet, when, how many, who speaks, who listens, who
nods along. If the Senecti have intentions of how to use this
information, he would never admit to such a thing — especially
if it were true. Petronius believes in one thing only: advancing
his position. So, you’d better prove useful if you want his help.
Academics (Bureaucracy) 3, Politics (Camarilla) 2, Stealth
2, Subterfuge 3
The Quaestor’s Steward
Decimus Claudius Imbrex has been stewarding the
Quaestor’s Domus for centuries. While ostensibly serving the
official appointed by the Emperor, Claudius is a Senex ghoul
in a unique position to carry information from the mortal state
to the Camarilla. Ultimately, Claudius is custodian to both the
seat and the one who sits in it. He’s notoriously tight-lipped
and tight-fisted, watching power changing hands with a dour
expression and an unflappable lack of sentiment. Academics
2, Politics 4, Socialize 3
The Rising Star
Tullia Juno is a decades-old Julii who fled Alexandria for
Ravenna. She survived the Mekhet purge and now takes up her
position in the capital’s new Assembly under the Quaestor’s
Domus. She’s clever, sharp-witted, and keen-eyed. Having
experienced turmoil and upheaval once and survived it, she’s
quick to sniff out any hint of rebellion, insubordination, or
riot. However, she may be a little too effective for the older
(and more corrupt) Senecti to sit comfortably. Persuasion 3,
Politics 3, Subterfuge 3
The Ruthless Praetor
Praetor Horatius Merula is a venerable soldier and sailor.
Even for a Wanderer he’s crude, and cutting, and his conscience
as colder than marble. Tales of his surviving in a shipwreck
through two sunrises before reaching land have risen to mythic
proportions among the local Kindred, and some say he’s been
fighting for over 400 years, both alive and dead. He’s learned
a lot in that time, like the fact that heads of state come and go.
The only folk he relies on now is his battalion. He’s like a father
to them, and their obedience is nigh worship. He hasn’t taken
kindly to the Senex moving into his city, but they know better
than to order him about. If you want the Legion’s help, you
ask Merula. Nicely. Brawl 4, Ride 3, Warfare 4, Weaponry 4
Playing the Game
The combination of centuries with little oversight from
the old capital, the influx of survivors from the purges in
Alexandria and Rome’s Necropolis, and the stranglehold the
Wing of Apostles has over Ravenna have led to more (open)
collaboration between Witnesses in developing their blood
sorcery. No longer do the Sanctified cringe in separate hovels; in
Ravenna, they make miracles to do the Dark Father’s dark work.
Living (metaphorically speaking) in the new capital requires
the development of specific skills that will help prevent — or at
least enable one to survive — the kind of cataclysm that ravaged
Alexandria and now threatens Rome.
New Merits
The following Merits are available to the Kindred of Ravenna.
Guild Member (•)
Prerequisites: Peregrine Collegium Status ••, Crafts •• or
Persuasion ••
Effect: Your character is a member of one of Ravenna’s three
powerful artisan guilds: the Grave Masons, the Merchants, or
the Shipwrights. When you take this Merit, gain a Specialty
related to one of these professions in Crafts or Persuasion
(Grave Masons and Shipwrights for the former, Merchants
for the latter). Furthermore, treat your Wing Status as one
dot higher when dealing with Untouchables who aren’t part
of the guilds.
Old Salt (••)
Prerequisites: Sailing Specialty in Athletics or Crafts
Effect: From a Requiem spent on the ocean, your character
becomes more resilient to reflected sunlight, able to withstand
early dawn, and is even resistant to daylight on heavily overcast
or stormy days — so long as direct sunlight doesn’t touch her.
It’s also easier to pass unheeded amongst sailors during the
The Principle Witness
Beneath the Quaestor’s Domus lies the Church of the Dark
Sacrament, haven of the preeminent Witness in Ravenna:
Seraphina. This Mekhet preaches night after night, and the
more she does, the more her flock grows. It’s not just that her
claims about the Kingdom of Night seem to be unfolding as
she speaks, but as the creator (she would say, God’s recipient)
of the Reveal Judas Miracle, she has the power to back up her
preaching. That said, she isn’t as orthodox as many Sanctified
would like. She’s cobbled together her own list of “dark com-
mandments” based on what some Witnesses consider faulty
reasoning. While most are trivial (at least to outsiders) mat-
ters of doctrine, it’s the following one that makes even some
Sanctified fear she may be planning to go too far: You shall usher
in the End Times by all the means of your Dark Gifts. Academics
(Theban Sorcery) 4, Occult 2, Religion 4, Warfare 2
day. Treat her Humanity as one dot higher for the purposes of
calculating sunlight damage when on the open ocean.
Shattered Trust (••)
Prerequisites: Wits •••, Empathy ••
Effect: It’s not paranoia if they’re out to get you. Your
character anticipates betrayal, disappointment, and broken
promises from even their closest allies. All actions to detect
lies exceptionally succeed with three successes instead of five.
Drawback: Paranoia impedes other social graces. Smiles
never quite reach the eyes; commitments always feel slightly
lukewarm. In situations when your character requires trust
from others, she suffers a persistent 1-die penalty on all relevant
Social actions.
New Miracle
The following miracle is an innovation of Seraphina, a
secret she only reveals to her most trusted followers. She
sometimes asks her flock to submit to it willingly to prove
their loyalty and faith.
Reveal Judas (•••)
Sacrament: A cone of sacramental incense, made from the
ashes of an incinerated Witness, blended with Myrrh, and a
point of Vitae, consecrated by a Sanctified priest.
Contested: by Composure + Blood Potency
This ritual requires careful preparation, which can be com-
pleted as part of its request. The Sanctified draws a cross on the
floor or ceiling of the room in which the ritual is to take effect.
She may then state a betrayal she suspects. Those the Witness
would judge must enter the ritual space of their own free will,
but once they do, each must resist the ritualist’s successes with
the dice pool above. In the ritualist’s vision, any individuals
present who have betrayed her will appear with a silvery aura.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 177
 Storytelling the Era
City of Miracles is an excellent era for Storytellers weaving
a chronicle focused on political intrigue, battles of wills, or
thematic murder mysteries. Since there are only eight years
from the time Ravenna became the capital to the Midnight
Republic’s collapse, chronicles can easily span this window,
perhaps even feeding into Fall of the Camarilla, whose events
overlap this era.
You don’t need to be a history buff, as most of the drama
centers on the progression of Senex politics mentioned above
and the jostling between the wings to maintain (or make a grab
for) power. Players can place themselves in the midst of the
action by picking a side. Using a breathless tempo encourages
players to work together to uncover the enemy and save their
own necks.
As older members of Sodalitas Pernox flee to the city or
meet Final Death, opportunities will open for your players
to step into. Use a prophet (whether a Sanctified zealot or an
Augur holdout) to provide drastic events to prevent, such as
preventing the next assassination. Suspecting fragments of the
inevitable — and the various interpretations of these predic-
tions through different lenses of religion and class — will add
a deeper layer to the political intrigue between your characters
178 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
and their contacts. Show the cracks in the Camarilla. Force
them to take sides.
Keep tensions high with a need for swift decision-making
and rapid reactions to those decisions. Remember, this is a
whirlwind period where the halls of power permanently change:
the upswing Wing of Apostles will soon be the only real power
among the European dead.
In these tumultuous nights, there’s sure to be a betrayal or
two. Keep players guessing about each clue they uncover or
piece of information they receive. Sow doubt as to whether
they can trust what they’re told. And don’t let it be forgotten
that, beyond any immediate danger, the end times are brewing.
Senex vs. Sanctified
Conflict between the crumbling Senex and the ascendant
Lancea et Sanctum has reached its boiling point. Now the
second-largest wing (after the Peregrine Collegium), the
Witnesses are demanding obedience — both in the forum and
the streets. More than just having vast followers and influence,
the Sanctified have conviction. These are vampires willing to
literally burn to prove their faith. They stand on principle,
believing in a power higher than any Old Man can contain.
This makes them difficult to reason with, bribe, or intimidate.
Meanwhile, the Senecti know their power is slipping, but they
don’t have the forces they once did to enforce their Traditions.
It’s all they can do to hold the Camarilla together as it falls
apart at the seams.
The Storyteller can leverage this dichotomy by pitting a
cast of vitriolic Senecti against your players’ coterie of upstart
young Witnesses. More experienced players may wish to
take on the roles of the old guard, struggling to survive the
dissolution of all they’ve known and being haunted by all
their mistakes coming home to roost. One timeline option
is beginning in the year 405 CE, when established members
of the wings are in the midst of a spree of assassinations,
shifting loyalties, and slipping control. Have each player pick
a secret goal the other members of the troupe don’t know,
while outwardly setting them all working together as allies.
This can make for an emotionally and morally tense game as
players forge alliances, betray confidences, and keep guessing
as they try to survive the year.
Even if neonates sneer at their elders and question the old
ways, they can’t ignore the decay all around them. When the
wings fracture, the Camarilla will cease to function. Without
it, every vampire throughout the Empire will stand — and
fall — alone.
Duty vs. Faith
Unlike the other wings with their express and specific roles
in Sodalitas Pernox, the Lancea et Sanctum represents faith
and moral drive. Faith can rise from any faction, bloodline,
or background. And that is part of their allure. Yes, the old
pantheon was ostensibly for everyone; it could be argued that
accepting territorial gods was part of what enabled Rome to
swallow so many different peoples as it expanded its borders.
But with so many deities, power was diffused across countless
domains, some of which were so specific their influence was
rendered little more than that of a familial lar. The Augurs
might have once performed rites for all and sundry, but they
didn’t have to believe in the gods they were paying tribute to.
The Sanctified do believe. Even when different cults disagree
on the specifics of their holy texts or when they uphold different
precepts, they all agree on a single, all-powerful, all-knowing
God. That, in turn, gives followers power and focus. They can
band together under one banner, united by a shared faith, in a
way no other wing can. Just as Christianity has swept through
the Roman Empire, so too has the Wing of Apostles sunk its
teeth into the All Night Society’s psyche. Perhaps your players
are new to this faith. Who did they alienate in their conversion?
What new allies might they gain? Is the conversion genuine or
merely a matter of political adroitness?
Unlike the old wings, the Sanctified encourage cross-mem-
berships to a far higher degree. One can be a magistrate for the
Collegium and a Witness. One can be a celebrated Soldier and
Sanctified. One can even stand as a member of the Senex and
an Apostle… to a point. But eventually, all allegiances will be
tested. They can’t not be in a society where laws are passed that
affect Sanctified in ways other wings are exempt. If pushed to
choose between the wing that gives her unstable status, dutiful
purpose, and a jockeying position in society… and a wing that
calls her to a higher purpose, validates her beliefs, celebrates
her faith, and allows her to work with others who agree with
her vision for Rome… what will a vampire choose?
Consider what situations you can press your players into that
force them to choose between belief and duty. At what point
does a personal belief drive them out of their wing or compel
them to join the Church Eternal, in body and soul? Consider
the impact of being part of a movement, of finding meaning
again after a hundred years spent in ruinous slaughter among
the Legion’s ranks. Consider a faith that might finally allow
a despised and rejected Worm to enter the gates of Heaven.
Consider the idea of sin and corruption of the soul; compare
it to a message of inner virtue and redemption. The Sanctified
claim it’s never too late to turn towards salvation — even if they
must be devils to do it.
Then ask what the Nemeses might think and feel and do
about hundreds of thousands of Kindred turning their backs
on the Beast…
Story Seeds
Exploring current political ills through this age of corruption
and power schisms can give players less familiar with Ancient
Rome a powerful anchor. The following story seeds are potential
hooks to get your players into a cutthroat mood.
The Purge
Senex members are dropping dread. Final Death dead.
Kindred the coterie have known for years are cut down in dis-
honorable, embarrassing, or gruesome ways. But with each one
that crumbles to ash, they’re forced to scrutinize the survivors’
faces, wondering: which of them is behind this?
What Is Happening?
A vicious spree of murders and other power games in
Rome caused many Senecti to exodus to Necropolis Nova.
Rumors say an assassin has followed them north, and now
they’re making their way through Ravenna’s elite. If so, who
are they and who hired them? Who is benefiting from this
destruction? Another rumor says this is merely a new round
of backstabbing in a seemingly unending, gory, chain reaction
of revenge. Only by finding what started this cycle of violence
is there any hope of ending it. Until then, the city is held
hostage by paranoid leaders. Instability shakes the wings to
their foundations.
Depending on how the public feels about the current powers
that be, they may not want the killings to stop. Some dare to
welcome this carnage openly: Let fate run its course and clear
the whole rotted lot out. But if that happens, the infrastructure
of the All Night Society will grind to a halt in Ravenna. No
disputes settled, no supplies provided, no incomes paid. And
that affects everyone. Especially the coterie.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 179
 No matter how vindictive or disgruntled a vampire’s dispo-
sition toward their colleagues, each victim did perform a vital
function for the state (or at least less corruptly compared with
others). Administration is still needed to keep society running.
With so many Senecti gone, very few are left who know the ins
and outs of Legislatio, and someone has to take up the slack.
Someone needs to hear out petitioners and find resolutions.
Those key positions stand empty. Whoever fills them will need
either a surviving member’s support or must take her new
position by force. It’s a dangerous offering, irresistibly dangling
there. Let’s hope it’s not a trap.
Considering making a timeline for when each assassination
takes place, with clues that can be gathered from each murder
(see Chronicles of Darkness, p. 77). Depending on how much
freedom you want to give your players, you can either have the
order of assassinations set, or you can randomize their Final
Deaths to keep everyone guessing.
Who Are the Characters?
The characters are likely sitting members of the Assembly
(though not necessarily from the Senex) so that this string
of assassinations directly affects them in gutting or personal
ways. All of the characters should have a personal reason to
want to stop the murders and to find the one responsible.
But, depending on where their loyalties lie, their personal
needs and motivations may clash as they chase down multiple
different leads, such that they don’t know if they can even
trust each other.
Possible Resolutions
• Tullia Juno is secretly an agent provocateur from Rome. If
captured and forced to confess who she’s working for, she
names the first Legislator she took down. Was that victim
truly destroyed, or are they in hiding somewhere still and
pulling the strings? Juno could be laying the blame on some-
one who can’t be questioned to hide her own agenda — but
what does she want? To take over the Senex in Ravenna, to
eradicate city’s claim to power entirely, or to bring the local
Camarilla crashing down to make way for the young guard
of vampires she represents?
• The Skeptic seeks vengeance for what the Senex did to her
wing. One night, a voice whispered to her from the dark,
tempting her with offers. Power, fortune, and position all
failed to lure her. But revenge? For that, she stirred. She let
the Strix possess her, watching impassively as it used her
to devour those with the strongest Vitae. How will she be
brought to justice when those who pass judgment have been
eliminated? And surely a Seer so ensconced in prophecy will
see her own end coming. Perhaps she wants it all to end.
She knows the Camarilla is soon to fall, and with it, the last
vestiges of her world.
• After a few hundred years of free reign over Ravenna,
Horatius Merula decides he has no need of this upstart
Senex. The Legion has all the structure and power the city
needs to weather the current political upheaval. He and his
180 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Soldiers track the enemies of the state, capture them, bring
them to trial, and — when needed — mete out punishments.
They haven’t brought in any assassin because they’d never
dare turn on their own. Why bend the knee to a bunch
of withered cowards who fled to his city just because the
barbarians are raising arms again? The Empire has a long
history of coups, and this one is no different. Submit. There
are worse vampires to serve.
The Heresy
Civil war is simmering in the City of Miracles, fought
for the soul of Sodalitas Pernox. Or what remains of it. Its
champions are Seraphina in one corner and Tullia Juno in
the other. Members of every wing need to choose sides. Do
they support Camarilla law, or do they defy it once and for
all and embrace the Word of Longinus?
What Is Happening?
Sanctified throughout the Empire have crawled up from
their scattered congregations to join the Church of the Dark
Sacrament. In their vast numbers, they now have almost total
control over the city and its immortal inhabitants. Seraphina
has stoked a holy fire within them, teaching them miracles
and urging them to “proselytize” until they’ve dealt with every
sinner in Ravenna. The End Times are nearly here, and she
believes she’s their herald. When that holy storm breaks, she
would have Ravenna be the seat of a Dark Eden.
In contrast, Tulia Juno defies the Dark Sacrament’s extrem-
ism, holding to the Camarilla’s time-tested Traditions. She
points out that even the Sanctified are protected as Kindred
under Camarilla law and warns that Seraphina’s ethos will see
the Masquerade shattered and armies of kine descending on
them. She demands order, patience, and duty, and she even has
the ear of more moderate Sanctified. Backing up Juno’s stance,
the Skeptic proclaims a dire vision: Seraphina’s ascension will
cause an apocalypse to break over them all, but not one the
Sanctified desire. When that night comes, the most zealous
Witnesses will be the first struck down. Her predictions have
never been wrong before.
Under the charisma and influence of these two vampires,
alliances are splitting Ravenna down the middle. Violence is
on the rise. Faithful in all the wings are leaving their posts to
join the Dark Sacrament — or worse, holding to their posts
and using the Church’s power to subvert its resources to serve
Seraphina’s whims. And as more Kindred accept her unique
interpretation of the Testament, more feel justified in defying
the Senex.
Who Are the Characters?
Each member of the coterie should give special consideration
to their faith, as belief lies at the crux of this story. Even if they
aren’t devout, the political climate makes it impossible to sit
on the fence. They need not all agree, and during the course
of events — as both ringleaders are proven fallible — some may
change their alliances.
Possible Resolutions
• The coterie helps Tullia Juno destroy the Church of the Dark
Sacrament, scattering its followers and executing Seraphina
before the dawn. Her adherents are forced to publicly
renounce her theology and swear an oath to uphold the
Traditions (as long as they last, at least). Those who refuse
are lashed to a raft and set adrift into the dawn of Classe
Harbor as punishment. But how can the characters be sure
they’ve caught every last believer?
Inspirational Media
Legionary: Empire of Shades, by Gordon Doherty: Set in
379 CE, this historical fiction sets the stage for the danger
presented by the invading Goths. The focus is on legionaries
and the everyman’s attempt to maintain tradition and order
in the face of chaos, while the army finds itself once again
without an emperor.
Lest Darkness Fall, by L. Sprague de Camp: This alternate
history sees a historian transported back to 535 CE during
the reign of the Ostrogoths. Seeing as Ravenna was their
• With the help of the coterie (or despite them), Seraphina seizes
Ravenna using key infiltrators secretly installed in each wing.
To cement her reign, she makes a spectacle of Juno and the
Skeptic’s executions, employing horrible miracles known only
to her. But how does she control the remaining citizens? Some
Kindred can be bought, but others are more rigid in their
beliefs or hold more tightly to their positions, like Horatius
Merula and the three guild masters. And how does Seraphina
actually use the power she gains? Was the Skeptic right all along,
with the Bishop’s success ushering in utter disaster?
capital, here’s a view of what the city looked like after the
Camarilla’s collapse.
The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice: Through the history
of its titular hero, we meet a Satanic cult of vampires, a
vampire turned during the reign of Julius Caesar, and beliefs
that span back thousands of years to Egypt. Throughout, the
book examines the idea of belief and how it can sustain an
immortal through centuries as the world he was born into
decays around him.
CHAPTER FOUR: AGES OF THE EMPIRE 181
 Interlude V
t pains them to acknowledge me, almost as
I much as it pains me to be acknowledged.
I am Gaius Decius Murena, the eel mer-
chant. That is how I saw myself, well before I was
dead. Long before I was Sanctified. But it’s been
nearly half a century since I last drew meaningful
breath, and those memories grow pale and translu-
cent like spider silk before my mind’s eye.
The men in front of me are members of the Senex,
garbed in purple and crimson, but when we met,
things were different. The Necropolis didn’t ring
with chants and prayers to the Dark Messiah. Then,
these men spat on me and ridiculed me, forbade me
to enter the grander chambers of the tunnels. Now,
they’re forced to nod in respect.
“Deacon Murena,” they both murmur.
I bury my loathing and genuflect. “Ave “Ave,, gentle-
men… a pleasure, as always. I was told—”
“Yes,” Blasius, the taller of the two, gestures to the
doors to the Assembly. “Rhetrix is—”
“Sister Rhetrix,” the shorter, Messor, interjects,
“is inside. Alone.”
I stare for a long moment at the oak doors
barring entry to the Assembly. They are wide
and grim, with haunting bone inlays that show
the Camarilla’s history. How long ago would the
thought of a Witness being allowed entry into this
space be unthinkable?
I know the answer but prefer not to dwell on it. I
wish both men their perfunctory good fortune and
push through the doors. As I step through, the two
Julii shut them behind me, and I pray this is not a trap.
Thankfully, it is not.
A woman stands, draped in a simple hooded robe
of linen.
“Murena, blessings on you. I pray you’ve been
keeping safe.” Marciana Longina Rhetrix turns to
me, and in the dim light, she looks even older than
her sixty years. I could be her grandson, though I
know for a fact I was born two years before her.
182
“I’m well, Sister. You wanted to speak with me?”
“Join me in the spectator’s area.”
She leads me to a quiet and overlooked corner of
the hall where we wait and I watch. It’s been years
since I’ve seen the Senex meet. It’s normally a ribald
affair, with passionate debates, cruel turnabout,
and even occasional audience participation. Like
deadly theater.
But this is not the Old Man I remember. The
Kindred trickle in, garbed in the same colors as
my friends at the door, but there’s stiffness in
their motions, and when order is called, I notice
less than half the seats are filled. The ceremonies
that would have taken a night now last barely an
hour, with discussion and debate anemic against
the raging torrent in my memory.
“The Founders’ will is broken,” Rhetrix whispers
in my ear, “as you’ve seen with Blasius and Messor
outside. Almost makes one miss Corbulo. At least
the pig could write.” She sneers at some private joke
and continues. “Those who still possess their spines
are few, like that viper Aurelia or that pampered
bitch Sabina.” She pauses. “Between the two, who
would you place your bet?”
“Gambling is a sin, Sister.”
“For the living. Humor me. This is a place of
rhetoric, after all.”
I pause. “Sabina.”
Rhetrix turns and searches my face for something.
She scowls as if finding confirmation to a question
I don’t know I’m being asked.
“Not that it matters,” she continues. “The real
reason they’re dying is their lot. Once the Senex
was the Julii, but the clan is vanishing. Thankfully.
Returning to whence they came…”
“Have they? Perhaps it’s—”
“Tut. Everyone knows, Murena. There’s no use
pretending you don’t. The “Nobles” are finished.”
“Yes,” I reply, not realizing the look on my face.
“I know what you are, Murena.”
 “Oh?”
“Yes,” she says as she keeps her eyes on the debate.
“And I don’t care. Honestly, I don’t. I think your lot
is doing God’s work in the end, and that’s all I really
care about.”
“Is that why you brought me here? Exposure?”
“No. I wanted to converse in a public place. And
ask a favor of you, if you would be so willing.”
“What would you have me do?”
“Pestilens has overreached. His unclean thirst
harms even the Christians of the city. The Senex
fears another plague and will speak of it after this
stupid, pointless debate. And yet, no matter how
many times the Ancients sentence him to Final
Death, he escapes. His vices have grown: pride
and wrath. He’s begun to call himself ‘The Sword
of God.’”
“Again, Sister
Sister,, what would you have me do?”
“Well, Murena
Murena… … I do so loathe blasphemy. It
ought to be punished.”
I pretend to consider. “He’s formidable. Many
followers. Many friends.”
“Oh yes. But I’m a patient woman, Murena, and
friends always seem to fall away with time. Perhaps
I’m bitter. Another sin. But I’m leaving the city for a
while, you see. Perhaps in my absence, the Almighty
— or whoever may be listening — will see that my
brother finds a new purpose.”
She smiles and turns back to the debate. “The
Dark Father always has need of new martyrs…”
183
 CHAPTER FIVE
MORTUI IMPII
One thing is in the least certain — nothing certain exists,
and that nothing is more pitiable, or more presumptuous, than man!
— Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia
Upstart neonates think they’re masters of the night, mis-
taking themselves for hunters when they’re really parasites.
The real predators lurk in deeper shadows than the Propinqui
do, for the Roman night is far stranger than any vampire can
imagine. Woe to the fool who believes she can vanquish all
foes, for she’s as good a meal as any mortal.
This chapter covers a legion of antagonists and allies the
dead may encounter:
In the heart of Greece, another predator stalks the night, so
like the Kindred yet not of their ilk. But the Bourkolakes are
truly damned, and one night, if the Propinqui get their way,
these Returned won’t even have that to their name.
The Striges are the true nature of the Beast laid bare in black-
smoke form. They neither forgive nor forget, and the Founders
will pay for what they did.
When Senex forged his Camarilla, he did so drenched in
the Vitae of another clan, traitors to the Blood whose name
he forever marked taboo upon Kindred tongues. Who were
these Traditores, and what crime did they really commit to
earn oblivion?
Finally, the dead may have conquered the known world
in Rome’s shadow, but they are not alone. Horrid legions
share the night, unbound from the laws and customs of the
All Night Society.
• Aventine Harpies: The Sibyls read Kindred futures, and pity
any Nefastus who catches their interest.
• Cineres: The Whispering Ashes know family is everything,
and if you ever forget that, they’ll teach you why.
• Colossi: The Ichor Giants call themselves gods of the dead,
and no one’s yet found the courage to contradict them.
• The Cult of Faces: The Waxen love your look. Shame you’re
still using it…
• Lamiae: The Child-Eaters are some of the most wretched of
the beasts that hunt the night, cursed to prey on the innocent
and anyone they hold dear.
• Plani: The Lures are the price you pay for being a bloodthirsty
monster, specters of past kills hungry for revenge.
• Reflections: The Kas haunt those Mekhet who still practice
the ways of their purported homeland.
• The Sabine Order: The Quaestors use the organs of the
Roman state to purge the Kindred and their corruption.
• Tullians: The Fire-Marked are walking banes to the Kindred.
It’s their birthright, but more than that, it’s their destiny.
• Vitae Angels: The Caelestes claim they’re God’s messengers,
but where their loyalty truly lies depends on their whims.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 185
 BOURKOLAKES
THE ACCURSED DEAD
Returned, Wolf-Skinned, Anathemata
You wake in the middle of the night, a great weight pressing upon
your chest.
You open your eyes and see a monster perched on top of you.
It seems to suck the breath right from your lungs, just by holding
you down. Its grip is iron, and you cannot break free. The monster
smiles, leans down, and runs his hand across your face.
You recognize that hand. You know who it belongs to, just as you
know he died two weeks ago.
“My love, I’ve come back to you…”
Ask any farmer, statesman, or widow in Greece, and they’ll
tell you. If there’s a single knock at your door in the dead of
night, do not open it — no matter how much you miss the
person on the other side.
When blasphemers die, cut off their heads before you bury
them. When someone’s murdered, bind their limbs down in
their graves. And when the dead rise, put them down.
Background
The Bourkolakes are (were) the vampires of Greece. They
are not Kindred. Not yet. Hellenic Nosferatu sometimes speak
of these creatures, kin after a kind, but where the Worms
burrowed beneath the city-states and colonies of Greece, the
Returned preferred wild and rural environs.
There are many ways to become a Bourkolakas: If you
blaspheme against the gods, if you’re cursed or ill-omened, or
if your grave is desecrated on Greek soil, you may wake from
death and return to the world of the living, cast out of Hades.
The Returned feast on the living, spreading sickness in their
wake and prowling backroads and villages like beasts. But
despite their monstrous appetites and strange appearance, many
Bourkolakes are compelled to revisit their homes and families,
driven to recapture some semblance of their former lives. In
the end, they are always doomed to fail.
The Bourkolakes are mighty, and like Kindred, grow in
power as time passes. But they cannot Embrace, and their
numbers were never great even in their homeland. Every
Greek knows about the Bourkolakes and how to put them
down. The Romans never learned to kill their parasites. Look
where it got them.
Let me in.
186 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Origins
The eldest Bourkolakes claim to have been created by the
gods, cursed to wander, feeding on the ones they loved and
always yearning for what can never be. Others say Hecate cursed
the first unnamed blasphemer with undeath in the ages before
history was recorded. However, few remember these tales; the
Returned have a weak sense of history. Even their name is
an oddity, a borrowing from the Venedi who dwell north of
Greece: Wolf-Skinned.
Bourkolakes are born in solitude. Rising spontaneously from
the corpses of blasphemers, the accursed, and the unlucky,
Anathemata have no sires to teach them how to adapt to their
hungers. Compelled to return to their old lives, they often
devour their families or neighbors before they understand
what’s happened to them, only to be butchered in their slumber.
Tales of the Bourkolakas are common in Greece, and villages
will band together to kill the monsters when they appear. To
survive, most Returned either brutalize the living into surren-
der, retreat into the wilderness like animals, or find a way to
convince the mortals to tolerate their presence. Some desperate
villages will offer a Bourkolakas food and safety in exchange
for protection from their enemies, but such guardians often
become petty tyrants, lording over their backwaters as their
appetites and power grow.
For untold centuries, this is how the Returned existed, until
monsters came from across the sea.
The Imperialist Dead
As the Roman Empire expanded, the Propinqui licked their
fangs and set sail to conquer. But even though the Roman
Republic seized Greece’s cities, the Camarilla found unexpected
resistance in the backroads and wayward villages of this new
territory. Those isolated lands belonged to the Bourkolakes,
and they would die before surrendering it to Roman savages.
Though the Returned know the land better than their
would-be masters, the Propinqui are winning. Their superior
organization and numbers have already eradicated many of their
Greek “cousins.” But one cannot simply kill the Bourkolakes
and be done with them. As long as there are blasphemers and
upturned graves in Greece, they will rise again.
 The Senex does not understand the Legion of the Dead’s
obsession with controlling Greece’s most remote hamlets
and least useful roads. They scoff at these Hellene dead and
can’t imagine them posing a real threat to Sodalitas Pernox.
Indeed, the Night Senate may soon withdraw its support
for the effort. The Legion knows this would be a mistake.
In the wake of the Midnight Republic’s campaign, more
and more Bourkolakes have begun to realize they’re not
alone. Some have begun to search for other Returned, or to
desecrate graves in an attempt to create more of their kind.
Some even want to join the Camarilla.

Rumors
“Have you seen Oenone? It’s ghastly. She goes missing for days,
shows back up in such a state, and her husband just... He sees it,
no? He must. We all know what she is. I don’t understand how he
can live with… with that thing. Puts us all in danger. Don’t leave
a single door open at night. Not a one.”
Oenone was a farmer’s daughter who grew up to become
a farmer’s wife. She lived her whole life in the same remote
coastal village. If you’d asked her, she’d have told you she was
very happy. Then, on a trip to a nearby village, she slipped,
fell into the sea, and drowned. The next night, she awoke a
Bourkolakas. Oenone knew what she’d become, and wandered
the woods for days, too frightened to return to her family.
Eventually, however, the desire to come home overwhelmed
her. Sick with grief, Oenone’s husband and all her children
welcomed her back with open arms. They know she’s not
the same, but they try to love her anyway. They take turns,
offering her their breath. She feeds as infrequently as she can
without starving herself. At night, you can see her working
her family’s fields, reveling in her new strength and power.
But her family is always tired now, and her littlest one keeps
getting sick. Oenone doesn’t know if she can keep hurting
them. Maybe she can ask the village if they can come to some
sort of arrangement. She’ll convince them, one way or another.
“Dry your tears, boy. Weeping won’t bring you justice. I may
know a way to balance the scales. Have you heard of the Man of
the Woods? If you travel up the hill in the dead of night and offer
him a sacrifice, a goat or something bigger, he may hear you. But
don’t speak out of turn — and never turn your back to him. He is
hungry, and he is cruel, but he hates oathbreakers above all. If your
brother’s done all you say, he’ll be dead in a week.”
Menekrates was once a noble and wealthy man of Athens,
who took great glee in litigating his neighbors into poverty
until one of them murdered him. He returned from death
a few nights later, took his revenge, and tried to resume his
mortal life. Unfortunately, no one wanted him back. He was
cast out and run into the woods. For decades he’s seethed
there, slowly losing all but the last vestiges of his Humanity.
But even though he is a ragged, bestial creature, he still loves
the law. Nothing brings him greater joy than revenging those
who have been wronged by the filthy, horrid denizens of
Athens. He appreciates the gifts people leave for him, but
really, he’ll take any excuse to kill an oathbreaker.

CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 187


Katara: The Curse That Binds
Some Bourkolakes wield a Ritual Discipline called
Katara. This blood sorcery functions like Crúac, but
it focuses on curses and maledictions, and it has no
reverence for the gods. Spending additional Vitae
does not grant bonuses to cast a Katara rite, but if
a ritual is cast on cursed land, desecrated ground, or
under an ill-omen, the roll enjoys a 1-to-3-die bonus
at the Storyteller’s discretion.
“Though beautiful, the isle of Thera is the most accursed place in all
of Greece. At night, you can hear the shades of the dead wailing across
the waters, and hungry eyes watch from every shadow. They call it the
Island of Bourkolakes, for all the monsters that rise from its cursed soil.
It is the one place in Greece the Camarilla has never laid claim, as
no Propinquus who ever set foot on its baleful soil has ever returned.”
Thera is cursed. Bourkolakes, ghosts, and other horrors rise
from its shores as often as the tide, but it’s the living people of
the island who should frighten the Camarilla. The Therans have
been killing monsters since gods walked the earth. Others from
far and wide ship their unquiet dead to the island for execution
and burial. The islanders practice a strange form of pharmakeia,
magics that render them immune to the blood bond and allow
them to enslave ghosts, and even Kindred. They hold packs of
Bourkolakes in thrall and use them like hunting dogs against
Propinqui who dare land on the island. The Camarilla should
pray the Therans never leave their home.
Phillipos
“It’s still me. I’m still me! Please, open the door...”
One night, Phillipos came home to his young wife and
daughter, as he did every night after the harvest. It was a hard
day in the fields, and he was caked in dirt. But by the gods he
was hungry, and needed to wash the red rash on his skin before
it got worse. He knocked at the door, just once, and found he
could not knock again. His wife opened the door and started
screaming. So, Phillipos held her tight and calmed her down. He
hugged her so tight she could barely breathe. She smelled so good.
Phillipos tried to settle back into his old routine, but his wife
couldn’t look him in the eye, and his daughter backed away
whenever he approached. No matter how he explained and
pleaded, they thought something in him was wrong.
One day, while trying to scrub the rash off his skin at
night in his fields (he kept sleeping through the days), a
group of his old friends came to see him. Overjoyed at first,
the mood soured as Phillipos saw their hard, grim eyes, and
the torches in their hands. They said some very cruel things
to Phillipos. He tried to reason with them, but by the time
dawn started to rise, they were just a pool of viscera and
blood. If only they’d been more sensible. But when he saw
his daughter, huddled against the barn, clutching her ears in
terror, Phillipos faltered. Oh no, he thought. Please, I didn’t
mean to… Please stop crying!
188 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
He fled the sound of his daughter’s weeping, ran until he fell
into the earth itself and slept. When he next woke, at night
once more, his wife and daughter were gone. No matter. He’d
find them. He can smell their scent in the air. He will apolo-
gize, explain why he would never hurt them — anyone — ever
again. Then they will be a family again.
Clan: Bourkolakas
Mask: Idealist
Dirge: Lar
Touchstones: Zosime, his wife (6), and Phillipa, his
daughter (5).
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 4
Physical Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 1,
Composure 2
Mental Skills: Crafts 2, Medicine 1, Occult 1
Physical Skills: Athletics (Labor) 3, Brawl 2, Larceny 1,
Ride 2, Survival (Hidden Trails) 2, Weaponry 1
Social Skills: Animal Ken (Farm Animals) 2, Empathy
2, Socialize 1, Subterfuge 1
Merits: Acute Senses, Giant, Indomitable 2, Touchstone
1, Trained Observer 3
Disciplines: Obfuscate 1, Protean 3, Vigor 2
Blood Potency: 2
Health: 9
Willpower: 6
Humanity: 6
Size: 5
Speed: 10
Initiative: 4
Defense: 5
Notes: Phillipos suffers the Knock Once and Holy Day
(Saturday) banes.
Systems
Bourkolakes have several unique characteristics that distin-
guish them from the Propinqui; otherwise, their mechanics
are identical to those of Roman vampires. In essence, they are
a clan that has not taken on certain Kindred characteristics.
Clan Bane (The Resumptive Curse): Bourkolakes are com-
pelled to reenact their old lives. When they encounter a person
or place that reminds them strongly of their mortal days, roll
Humanity. On a failure, the Bourkolakas gains the Obsession
Condition, fixated on trying to relive some aspect of his old
life, incorporating the current object of their fixation.
Disciplines: Obfuscate, Protean, Vigor
Favored Attributes: Resolve or Strength
 Ill-Fated
The Bourkolakes are cursed. The blasphemous acts that
create them stain their souls, leaving them with strange compul-
sions and weaknesses. All Bourkolakes begin play with a com-
mon bane on top of their main curse. This bane is active upon
Embrace, and not attached to any particular breaking point.
Nor does it inflict penalties on detachment rolls. Returned may
have a maximum of four personal banes, including this one.
Common banes for the Returned include Holy Day (Saturday),
Knock Once, and Lightning Rod (see the list starting on p. 89).
A Bourkolakas almost always gains the Knock Once bane over
the course of her existence.
Livid Death
Where the Kindred are pale and lifeless, the Bourkolakes are
ruddy and swollen, as if gorged with blood. When Humanity is
high, a Bourkolakas looks human enough, if stout and a little
ruddy. But as this trait falls, their bodies swell, and their skin
reddens further, and becomes taut like a drum. When Humanity
falls to 2, the red sheen blotches with early signs of decomposition
and rot, and the vampire gains a level of Size.
The Return
The Returned rise spontaneously from dead blasphemers,
unavenged murder victims, desecrated corpses, and the
remains of vile sorcerers. They cannot Embrace. Instead,
when a Bourkolakas desecrates a grave or kills someone by
drinking their last breath, the Storyteller can roll a chance
die. On a 10, that corpse rises as a Bourkolakas, and the
Returned who created them suffers a breaking point as if she
had spawned a revenant. If this corpse belonged to someone
with supernatural powers or was the ghoul of a Bourkolakas,
the Storyteller may roll a real die instead.
The Spiteful Beast
The Bourkolakas Beast is cunning and cold, not a ravening
monster. While frenzying, Bourkolakes retain their mental
faculties and speech, and they still suffer from pain penalties.
However, even though it may look like the Bourkolakas is cogent,
the Beast still sets the agenda, and it will ruthlessly use every tool
the Bourkolakas has to get what it wants without regard for others
or long-term consequences. Bourkolakes remember everything
they do while in frenzy and are often overcome with guilt when
they see the results. Returned draugr are cruel and monstrously
intelligent creatures, devoured by paranoia, spite, and pettiness,
and they are driven to ceaseless revenge.
Stolen Breath
and Ragged Flesh
Bourkolakes drink breath and can devour flesh when neces-
sary. Blood alone cannot sate them. When the Returned feed
subtly, they must touch or restrain their victims and breathe in
their lifeforce. This follows the same rules as subtle feeding for
Kindred but causes no visible injuries. This inflicts the Drained
Condition instead of the Swooning Condition, regardless of
how much Health the victim loses.
Ages Pass:
Accursed and Forgotten
As the world lost faith in curses and omens, fewer
and fewer Returned rose. Those who integrated into
urban Kindred society gradually dwindled, their lack
of Embrace limiting their numbers. Eventually, even
the few childer they managed to create through
desecration and graverobbing rose from death as
Nosferatu, and those Returned who kept to the
wilderness were likewise subsumed into Clan Gangrel.
Faded and lost.
However, some Kindred believe creatures called
Vrykolakas still survive into the modern era, haunting
the remotest islands of Greece to this very night.
Bourkolakes use the same systems for aggressive feeding
as Kindred do, but the Returned rip their prey apart with
their vice-like grip (mechanically identical to Kindred fangs)
and devour chunks of their flesh whole. Bourkolakes can’t
create blood bonds, though they can breathe into a mortal’s
lungs to create ghouls. They also can’t spawn revenants, but
anyone they kill by breath-drinking might also be cursed to
rise as a Bourkolakas.
Story Seeds
• An odd sickness sweeps the city, and feeding grounds grow
lean. The Propinqui blame each other, thinking their rivals
have struck against them. The wings bicker, paranoia leading to
accusations and bloodshed. All the while, the disease spreads.
The kine whisper of a stranger who drinks their breath, and
some Kindred watch for golden eyes. Someone has to find this
accursed creature and put it down, whatever it is.
• The mortal lover of a Collegium elder dies. But, a week later,
someone swears they see him walking the agora. The next day,
someone else sees him hiding in the dark. One night, he shows
up at the elder’s door. He’s changed. He’s not Kindred, and
that frightens the elder. His appetites are strange, and there’s a
cruelty in him he never possessed before. What happens when
the Legio Mortuum realizes what he is? Will the elder protect
him from the Camarilla or hand him over to be judged? Will
he petition the Senex to let him join the Strangers? How much
is an old monster willing to risk for love?
• Certain Vaticinators have begun to dream of upturned graves
in Aetolia, and accursed Greeks screaming blasphemies as
they rise from their graves. They see aquilae devoured by the
earth. They see an ancient monster roaming the lands across
the sea, desecrating every grave he walks upon and teaching
his kind how to feast on Roman hearts. The Legion says the
Returned are growing in number, and some can call down
curses on their foes with a vile imitation of the Veneficium.
They call themselves the Anieroi, and if left unchecked,
could upend the Camarilla’s presence in Greece and become
a power in their own right.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 189
 STRIGES
THE NEMESES
The Birds of Dis, The Owls, The Bane of the Julii
Where law tempers the Kindred, anarchy fuels the Striges.
Where the Kindred hold to the vestiges of Humanity, the
Striges revel in the Beast’s depravities. They are more than just
a dark mirror of the vampire soul: They are its worst potential
made manifest.
Yet the Birds of Dis claim they are the original, and the Julii
are their watered-wine reflection. How disappointed they must
be in their creation. Behold the Julii aping the living, building
The Story of Dis
The Striges claim no origin. Pasts are for the kine, and at
any rate, they wouldn’t tell the Julii (or any Kindred) if they did
know. They rise from the dark cracks in the earth in the form
of shadow owls to feast on the living, jealous of the way they
waste their flesh on petty things like truth and beauty instead
of ruin and hate.
Though the Striges figure prominently in the story of Remus,
each gens has myths of birds and bargains, though whether
these were the same creatures is impossible to say. Sometimes
they appear as messengers from the gods or scourges from some
lost hell, but they always have a preoccupation with vengeance
and the dead who cheated them. Yet only the Julii acknowledge
a special connection. The rest say they can keep it if it means
the Birds will ignore their own discretions.
What’s certain is that the Striges are vampires: nothing more,
nothing less. Even the living know this. Mortal Romans, when
they catch a glimpse of a vampire, call him a strix, an association
the Nemeses encourage. The dead, refusing to accept this horror
as a part of their heritage — their very psyche — call themselves
Propinqui. As if a new name would be enough to separate
them from the destruction that hunts them through eternity.
Bargain and Betrayal
The Camarilla only exists because of the Nemeses, and it was
their gift to Remus that created the Founders in the first place.
They set their playthings loose, these Julii and their “Kindred,”
eager to see what would happen when so many Beasts were
unleashed on the living.
We have not forgotten.
190 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
their Camarilla to mimic the mortal Empire with its soldiers
and priests and laws.
They pretend they’re not bloodthirsty monsters, as the Striges
intended. Well, if they would turn their backs on their nature,
their self-styled creators have no qualms about becoming their
eternal Nemeses.
The Owls are the outstretched talons of fate, and nothing
will stand in their way.
Instead, they were betrayed. Julius Senex and his minions
broke the pact of night that Remus made, destroying the Striges’
favored servants and denying the gifts they were granted. But this
was not the final insult. The dead began to learn from those they
were meant to prey upon: They organized themselves into wings,
established their Masquerade, and began to hide in plain sight.
The Birds of Dis were outraged.
Thus, the Striges will not rest until they’ve destroyed every
vestige of what the Propinqui have built. They will force
Kindred to devour their own, to cannibalize all their kith and
kin. As their Nemeses, they will salt the very earth of Rome.
The Enemy Is Us
What is a corpse but a vessel to be filled? And if that vessel
still possesses some animus, the Striges will shunt that conscious-
ness aside until, after time lost in swirling smoke, the rightful
mind emerges only to be abandoned to carnage and chaos. The
Nemeses use stolen dead flesh and all its immortal powers to
commit unspeakable evils, even by vampire standards. What
makes the Propinqui lay awake in their mausoleums is that a Strix
is capable of all the same things fellow Kindred are, but without
any of the Man’s restraint. Across the Empire, Nemeses abuse
the Augurs to prophesy; they puppet Sanctified to spread their
doomsaying; they massacre through the Legion; they drive the
Ancients to excess and cruelty; and in the Peregrine Collegium,
they experiment with new torments to set upon their enemies.
It’s easier for an Owl to possess a human corpse, but it’s also
easier to spot the horrible wrongness of dead flesh walking,
polluting the seven hills. Conversely, Kindred don’t rot. Or
mortals. A Strix can hide behind dead and living faces virtually
undetected — except the eyes: a flash of gold in the torchlight,
there and gone before they can be sure.
Why do the Nemeses strike? They might single out an indi-
vidual because they especially hate the color of her toga, or
the way they kiss their lover, or just because he had a stroke of
good luck after a long run of bad. The only reason the Striges
need is that they want to.
Can they be killed? With effort, perhaps. But even when their
smoke forms are trapped in fire, vanishing with eldritch shrieks,
can anyone be sure they’ve really perished? How do you kill
blood and smoke? The short answer: You don’t; you run. The
longer answer: There are ways to trap them, to create barriers
the Nemeses cannot pass — sunlight, for one. How ironic that
the same tool that would save Kindred is equally fatal. Almost
like they planned it that way.
Triadic Archetypes
In Rome, clusters of Striges watch from shadowed temples
or borrowed eyes. If more than one or two are found, beware
— doom is brewing. Larger gatherings are uncommon… until
a natural disaster, plague, or other great and sweeping tragedy
comes. The Vaticinators warn that as the Empire stretches
further, as Rome bloats and Kindred grow indolent and
corrupt, more Nemeses will be circling in the dark. They are
carrion-eaters waiting for the mighty to fall. They are bringers
of Final Death for Kindred and Camarilla both.
The Julii, fond of slotting the world into rigid structures, clas-
sify the Nemeses into three archetypes: Cerberi, Parcae, and Dirae.
They claim all Striges behave based on one of these guiding loci.
The bravest (or most desperate) even believe that if one appeals
to this inner nature, a deal can be struck, but if there are any
patterns to be found, it’s only because the Nemeses caught wind
of these theories and found them satisfying to exploit. A Strix
might well follow an archetype for a time only to turn on its
agreements or contradict its established “nature.” Others might
ride their Cerberus ways to their seeming destruction only to rise
from the ashes behaving as a Dira. The Birds of Dis are chaos; any
attempt to understand them is self-delusion — and that, at least, is
one false comfort the Striges are willing to let the Kindred keep.
Cerberi
These Owls are named for Cerberus, guardian of the afterlife,
a beast known for wanton destruction and an eternal vigil.
They play with their food and push their stolen bodies to the
most grotesque of extremes; Caligula would be nauseated by
their appetites. Pleasure or pain, all is novelty to a creature of
smoke. They ride their flesh toys until they break: eviscerations,
vivisections, crucifixion. Eating till you literally burst, fucking
till the flesh falls off the bones. Go to the depths of depravity;
then, keep going.
Novel sensations might delay them, distracting them long
enough for a Propinquus to escape — if you’re willing to leave
others behind in their nightmare clutches to save yourself. Your
Humanity might wither at your complicity, or you might not
have enough left to care. Either way, the Strix wins.
Dirae
The Dirae are ruthless and wild, swooping in unannounced
to wreak havoc and doom. Vengeance personified. They take
offense, instantly, and for the meagerest of slights. They hide
behind a forgettable face, beg for alms, offer a posy, ask for a
ride in your cart. No? Woe to you in all your arrogant sense of
superiority. The Dirae shriek their curse to the skies, and they
will hunt you to the ends of the earth to make it come true. Once
their attention affixes on their prey, nothing can dissuade them.
They will always be able to find you. Even if the Dirae must burn
with you to exact their deathless revenge, so be it.
As wild as they seem, they are equally cunning. They will
poison your entire herd just to watch you writhe with thirst.
They’ll lurk within a trusted retainer for months, only to bear
you out into the sunlight when you finally rest easy. They’ll
disrupt blood rites, distorting every vision with lies. They’ll pos-
sess every horse in a race, thrashing chariots into the horrified
crowds. Dirae find every weak spot and exploit it, as viciously
as possible. They are the plague of proverbial locusts, callously
destroying everything in their path. See the Nemesis cackling
from the ruined face of your dismembered sire as you both,
trapped, await the sunrise? That is not hate; it’s joy.
Parcae
Then again, perhaps the Birds of Dis are more like the Parcae,
those ageless sisters, weaving their dead progeny, measuring out
the lives of their prey, and cutting short that thread. This is the
facet of doomsayers and prophets, whispering secrets from the
smoke and darkness that seem like madness — not because they
lie, but because they know such terrible things. They might
make a bargain, as they did with Remus. The Nemeses predate
the Kindred; they have seen much through the millennia, expe-
rienced everything through stolen forms. They can fly through
the smallest of gaps in the masonry and tirelessly cross the world.
What could you learn from them? What will you pay to learn?
Your gold means nothing to them, your pious sacrifices even
less. Listen to the Beast within; it may whisper dark suggestions
of what might please these harbingers of doom. Please them and
you may earn their favor… for a time. But know that you deal
with pandemonium, with ever-shifting, uncontrollable forces.
They are the gathering smoke at the edges of the Empire, the
impending fall. If you would profit from your dealings, do it
quickly, and know that you damn your Kindred.
Rumors
“Do you blame Magistrate Mercurius for what happened — those
seven ghouls sewn together — still living — to line the walls and floor of
his haven? I don’t know… he hasn’t been himself lately. Ever since he
joined the Mithraists, he’s been colder. Wild-eyed. If you think about
it, the god they worship flows like smoke from one follower to the next,
promising resurrection. No one dares say it, but how could an Owl
not be behind all of this?”
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 191
 Vampires are full of many dark impulses. How convenient,
then, to point to an invisible monster without morals or lim-
its or substance and lay the blame for them. In these bloody
nights, “crying Strix” is becoming an increasingly common
defense for those brought before the Senex for judgment. The
accused claims he did not commit the crimes for which he
stands accused, that he has no memory of the events — that the
last thing he saw before it all went black were a pair of glowing,
yellow eyes. How do you prove it? If Striges roam in clusters,
who else among the accused’s circle might be infected? And
if the accused is lying, how do the real Nemeses feel about
being used as a scapegoat?
“The Fates keep the temple fires burning day and night — not in
glory to Jove but to keep the Nemeses at bay. Their ancient rites can
trap the Birds of Dis in the sacrificial smoke, containing them or
dispersing them, as pleases the gods.”
Both sunlight and fire are impenetrable barriers to a Strix in
its shadow form. Further, if the body it possesses is engulfed in
flames, the Strix cannot escape it. Of course, these deterrents
are equally deadly to the Kindred. Worse still, no one knows
what happens to the vanquished Strix — does thus trapping
it send it back into the ether to reform somewhere else, or
actually kill it? Considering how shady their origins, or their
total numbers, it’s equally impossible to know when they’re
truly dead. If these rites do have power, what happens when
their performers lose faith? What happens when the old ways
are supplanted by an upstart God?
“All the Striges seek is the destruction of their failed creations. I say
let them. Then, when that aim is achieved, they’ll have no further need
to torment us. Let the Owls tear down this decaying, decadent regime.
Perhaps they are the Lord’s vengeance on such depraved creatures.
Once they succeed, surely the rest of us shall be free, and the will of
the Dark Father will take purchase in all dead hearts.”
When Striges choose to talk, they’re full of contradictions.
Some Kindred report them vowing the utter annihilation of
the gens Julia, but there are also stories of them dressing their
stolen bodies in steaming offal just so they can feel the squelch.
Whatever their end goal — if they even have one — the Nemeses
are enjoying themselves in their ceaseless torments, in cor-
rupting the Camarilla through a thousand channels. Sooner
or later, it all has to come to a head. And if the Camarilla
does fall, where will they direct their vengeance? Will they
go loudly into the eternal night, their purpose achieved… or
will they, like a bully bereft of its broken toys, turn their eyes
to new ventures?
Three Striges
Whether the archetypes provide any true guidance to the
Nemeses or not, individual Striges seem to have individual
temperaments and personalities. Despite their apparent sense
of self, if they do have names, they don’t divulge them, at least
not to Kindred. Instead, the dead have taken to documenting
them under qualifying titles. Here are three with established
sightings across the Empire.
192 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Appetite
When we heard that Lady Ventidia lost her grip, we expected to
see her unconscious in her bath with a few exsanguinated slave girls.
Again. Not the carnage that greeted us.
Her arms were nailed to the bed frame, a silk sheet twined around
her neck. Even the Lady we knew — a Founder of such pedigree —
could have easily broken those bonds. Vomit covered her naked body:
blood and figs and cooked meat carved from her own thighs. Her
stomach had ruptured… everything below the navel was rent open,
and the knives used to… no, I shall not speak it. They lay strewn
about the bed and floor.
She recovers, night by night, but it will be a while yet before her
beauty is restored. She still maintains that she has no memory of how
the orgy began. She’s quite tightlipped about the whole affair. Since
the incident, though, all her appetites seem to have died.
Appetite is vain. But, being a creature of smoke, it craves a
physical body through which to admire itself in all its myriad
facets. To this end, Appetite possesses anyone it can get its
claws into — as long as its host is exceptional in some way.
Extremely beautiful, grotesquely disfigured, possessing missing
or additional appendages. Then, Appetite settles in to enjoy
the extremes of every sensation of the flesh: gorging, guzzling,
and rutting. Unfortunately, its host bodies always give out
before Appetite is satisfied. How could it ever get enough of
itself? It can’t.
The answer, then, is propagation. The only thing better
than Appetite is more Appetite. As it builds up power through
this ceaseless consumption, leapfrogging from one host to the
next, Appetite gorges itself on Vitae that it can’t quite digest. It
siphons this excess off to generate fledgling Owls it inevitably
abandons, just one more mess for others to clean up. Whether
Appetite is dividing itself into perfect replicas or siring a vast
horde of bastard Nemeses, no one quite knows.
All that’s certain is that everywhere Appetite goes, at the end
of the trail of carnage, lurks another hungry Strix.
Story Seeds
• A Caligulan banquet is held among the kine, where a
debauched patrician cannibalizes his beloved heir. The sur-
viving children flee, taking refuge in the family mausoleum
and praying to their lares — who happens to be their Julian
ancestor. The children tell of a shadow that wrapped around
Pater just before the killing started. If it becomes known that
their ancestor made a deal with that Strix years ago, he’ll lose
everything he’s built.
• A brothel run by a prominent Daeva gains a reputation for
“unbridled passions,” and many of its patrons report feeling
out of control once they began their carnal encounters,
drinking a little too deep from their fellow Kindred. To make
matters worse, there have been increased sightings of Owls
appearing around the brothel, which seem to coincide with
each report of lost consciousness. More than the brothel or
its mistress’s reputation is at stake here; many in the Senecti’s
inner circle are among her elite patrons.
• After a hard winter and three failed harvests, fifty pure white
cows are brought into the city to appease the unhappy gods.
The night before the sacrifice, all fifty are decapitated, their
heads missing, their bodies drained of blood. The only clue
is a trail of gore leading from the Temple of Venus down to a
secret entrance to the Cult of Augurs’ main shrine. To make
matters worse, over the following fortnight, a white cow’s head
appears on the doorstep of the havens of the most prominent
Kindred in the Necropolis, who are each stricken with an
unquenchable thirst. Kindred and kine alike are set to riot —
and there are still thirty-six heads to be found.
Archetype: Cerberus
Vice: Gluttonous
Attributes: Finesse 4, Power 3, Resistance 3
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Occult 2, Persuasion 3,
Subterfuge 2
Shadow Potency: 3
Corpus: 5
Willpower: 8
Size: 2
Speed: 12
Defense: 4
Initiative: 7
Dread Powers: Plague of Hatred, Taint of Life, Tip of
the Tongue, Vice Manipulation
Banes: Abjuration, Fire, Ravening, Sunlight
The Blind Oracle
Truth is a terrible weight to bear, fledgling. You claim you must
know, as if knowing what awaits you in Carthage will have any
bearing on whether you return victorious… or, indeed, return at all.
The Oracle has seen the future that lurks in the dark, soon to come
to pass. Yes, she knows all that will befall you. But, I wonder, are you
willing to pay the price of knowing?
Perhaps the blindfold is to better hone her mystic gifts, to
look inward to cosmic truths, undistracted by the mortal realm.
Or perhaps the Blind Oracle knows the flash of her eyes might
give her away.
She invariably takes the bodies of women, sometimes comely
neonates, sometimes freshly dead crones. Regardless, she’s
always found in high, hard-to-reach places: remote temples,
craggy mountain strongholds, cliffs overlooking the Hellespont.
There’s no pattern to when she’ll surface. She chooses her lonely
hiding places and then waits, letting rumor draw in those who
desperately seek guidance. She might reside there for a month
or a year, until the winds of fate change. She accepts any
petitioner — Kindred or kine or things more monstrous — but
whether she tells them what they wish to know depends on if
they agree to pay her price.
No, not wealth or tribute. The Blind Oracle would have
you pay in principle. She has a knack for knowing exactly what
drives others, what they secretly desire, their most cherished
ambitions — and she relishes having them sacrifice those core
tenets. Once stripped away, she instills her petitioner with a new
dream to strive for, a new ambition or conviction. In exchange,
she will provide the invariable truth.
And if this exchange renders that truth empty or injurious
to the new destiny she has provided them with, well, that’s just
the price of knowing.
Story Seeds
• An estranged but beloved childe has been taken hostage by
a band of outlaw Kindred. They have said the sire will know
what they want for ransom, but she can’t see any connection.
The Blind Oracle offers to tell her not only their ransom
demands but also how to exact her revenge. In exchange, she
wants the sire to willfully exile herself from the Camarilla
for one year — without her childe. What will occur while
she’s away? Will saving her childe repair their relationship?
What’s her true connection to the outlaws?
• A Seer Legislator has gone against his rival in the Assembly
for a decade now and suffered one humiliating defeat after
another. Another mistake and he’ll lose his position perma-
nently. His attendant informs him that the Blind Oracle has
taken up residence in a ruined villa outside the city walls; she
has offered to share the secrets that will finally take down his
rival and vault him into that vacuum of power. On the night
of the full moon, she beckons him to bring a silver knife, a
sprig of wolf’s bane, and a tourniquet. The mysteriousness
of the request seems too enticing for any Mekhet to resist.
• A Sanctified convert believes in an unorthodox interpreta-
tion of Longinus. Lately, her influence has been spreading
throughout the Lancea et Sanctum. Great crowds gather to
hear her preach: She warns of a great schism that will divide
Rome, and that the Camarilla must fall for Longinus’s teach-
ings to rise. Few take her seriously outside the Witnesses, of
course, but several in the audience can’t help but believe she
speaks a dark truth. Rumor says she visited the Blind Oracle,
but no one knows what she was told or what price she paid.
Each night, the numbers who side with her blasphemous
faith seem to grow…
Archetype: Parca
Vice: Malicious
Attributes: Finesse 6, Power 3, Resistance 4
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Religion 4, Occult 4
Shadow Potency: 6
Corpus: 6
Willpower: 10
Size: 2
Speed: 12
Defense: 6
Initiative: 10
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 193
 Dread Powers: Ambition’s Source, Auspex •••,
Cassandra Truth, Dominate •, See the Cracks, Web of
Destiny
Banes: Abjuration, Counting, Fire, Hated by Beasts,
Sunlight
Harbinger
I don’t understand what happened. We had the weather to our
advantage. We held the high ground. We outnumbered the enemy
six to one! And then — I don’t know, it was like a mist descended on
them. They turned mid-rout and charged us. They were filled with such
unholy fire that no wound would slow them. Each man, to the last,
became an infernal Achilles. But when they were done slaughtering
our troops, they turned on each other. I’ve never seen a massacre like it.
Like the Fury of Revenge, Harbinger is drawn to battlefields.
In some regions, warriors will leave offerings for her at the edges
of their camp — skewered owls with their eyes seared out — in
hopes she’ll turn away. But Harbinger does not take sides. Her
only goal is to turn the tide of battle, especially if the outcome
seems a sure thing.
She’ll dive into a soldier of modest skill to make him a
whirlwind of blade and spear. She’ll take a skilled Kindred
Legionary and make him Mars incarnate. But most insidious of
all, whenever Harbinger possesses someone on the battlefield,
her wrath spreads from one soldier to the next, sewing wrath
and violence that destroys even the most disciplined unit or
the most iron-clad tactic.
194 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
In more prolonged conflicts, she may even switch sides part
way through, abandoning the first force to favor their enemies.
Other times, she’ll erupt in a camp, destroying an army before
it ever sets foot on the field. Only chaos can sate her. At least,
that’s what she tells the last one standing after her skirmishes
bleed themselves out.
Story Seeds
• Marching to the frontier, a battalion reaches the spot arranged
for negotiations only to find the soil churned with blood and
the faction they were to meet utterly destroyed. The opposing
force accuses them of an ambush and threatens to send in rein-
forcements, declaring open war. Superiors back in the Senex are
frustrated with what they perceive as the Legion of the Dead’s
diplomatic failure. Carrion birds fill the skies, and some of them
seem to be intently watching what the soldiery will do next.
• A Nosferatu Legionary dreamt she was caught in a storm
of blood, unable to tell heaven from earth, tasting Vitae
on her tongue and frenzied by it. She woke, aching and
frightened, to find her hands and tunic caked in dried gore.
She crept to report it to her commander, only to find her
gladius buried up to the hilt in his throat, and someone
had exsanguinated her — or, gods forbid, diablerized him.
She doesn’t feel hungry… unlike her fellow Legionaries,
now stirring beyond the tent.
• The crowd-favorite charioteer for the Greens looks primed to
win the race in this year’s games. That is, until his lead horse
 bolts as if chased by the Furies themselves — right off the
track, crashing through the Blues’ champion, and smashing
into the stands. A riot erupts, Greens and Blues fighting,
slinging blame at each other, crying sabotage, murder, and
corruption. The riot spills into the street, and with each act
of violence, tainted blood splatters hapless bystanders. Each
person the blood touches is filled with sudden and irresistible
wrath. They join the savage fray, and so the rage spreads like
a plague through the city. How can it be stopped? And where
did the fateful horse that started it all disappear to?
Archetype: Dira
Vice: Chaotic
Attributes: Finesse 7, Power 7, Resistance 7
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 5, Occult 3, Weaponry 4
Strigid Systems
The following rules apply to Striges in Requiem for Rome
chronicles. These systems supplant those described in Chapter
Five of Vampire: The Requiem Second Edition.
Anchors
Striges possess Vices but no Virtues, as they lack any sort of
nobler nature. Furthermore, as Storyteller characters, Striges
don’t track Aspirations. For the purposes of Social maneuver-
ing, use a goal based on the Owl’s Vice.
Triadic Archetype
Each Strix belongs to one of three Triadic Archetypes: the
Cerberi, Dirae, or Parcae. This archetype grants access to cer-
tain Dread Powers and enhances lashing out.
Attributes and Skills
Striges are similar to ephemeral entities, using the attributes
of Finesse, Power, and Resistance.
Power is the Owl’s raw ability to impose itself on the world,
used for all rolls that call for Intelligence or Presence. When
not in a host, it is also used for Strength.
Finesse is how deft the Strix is at imposing its desires with
fine control, used for all rolls that call for Wits or Manipulation.
When not in a host, it is also used for Dexterity.
Resistance is how well the Nemesis can avoid imposition. It
is used for all rolls that call for Resolve or Composure. When
not in a host, it is also used for Stamina.
All Striges have at least two dots in Athletics, Brawl, and
Occult. By default, a base Strix character has up to its Attribute
dot maximum in Skill dots, not counting its default Skills, and
no Skill may be raised above 5. If a Strix wants to learn a new
Skill dot when already at its maximum, it may replace one of
its existing dots.
Shadow Potency: 8
Corpus: 9
Willpower: 10
Size: 3
Speed: 12
Defense: 7
Initiative: 14
Dread Powers: Command the Lost, Dominate
••••, Dark Places, The Beast’s Rebuke, Fated Foe,
Materialize, Talons of Fury
Banes: Fire, Invitation, Material Bane (Copper),
Ravening, Running Water, Sunlight
Shadow Potency
Striges are vampires, but they Shadow Potency instead of
Blood Potency. An Owl’s Shadow Potency determines its
maximum Attributes and total Attribute dots, in addition
to the number of Vitae it can spend per turn and how many
personal banes it has.
Shadow Potency also grants something resembling a
Predatory Aura, enough for a Propinquus Beast to recognize
it as such, though not as anything other than another vampire.
Therefore, Striges are capable of lashing out. Each Triatic
Archetype tends to prefer a specific Predatory Aspect. The
Cerberi favor the Monstrous Beast, the Dirae the Competitive
Beast, and the Parcae the Seductive Beast. They take a +2 to
invoke this aspect.
If a Strix’s abilities provoke a Clash of Wills, whether from its
inherent powers of Dread Powers, it uses Resistance + Shadow
Potency for the contested action.
Advantages
Striges gain the following advantages:
Corpus
Corpus is equal to Size + Resistance.
This trait works like Health, but Striges do not suffer wound
penalties. Owls in Shadow Form heal by spending Willpower;
the costs are the same as for Vitae. In stolen bodies, they heal
their hosts like vampires.
Vitae
Striges use Vitae like vampires with a couple of exceptions.
Instead of just Physical actions, a Strix can apply Physical
Intensity to all Attributes. Furthermore, Striges cannot feed
material creatures Vitae in Shadow Form and hence cannot
create ghouls unless they take Kindred hosts.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 195
 Effects of Shadow Potency
Shadow Attribute Attribute Vitae/ Dread
Potency Maximum Dots Per Turn Powers Banes*
1 5 4–6 10/1 3 Fire and Sunlight
2 5 7–10 11/2 4 +1
3 5 7–10 12/3 4 None
4 5 10–15 13/4 5 +1
5 5 10–15 15/5 5 None
6 6 13–18 20/6 6 +1
7 7 13–18 25/7 7 None
8 8 16–21 30/8 8 +1
9 9 16–21 50/10 9 None
10 10 19–24 75/15 10 +1

* Striges have all banes according to their Shadow Potency level, plus any from lower
ratings. For example, a Shadow Potency 6 Strix suffers the banes of sunlight and fire plus
three more.

Striges are always immune to Vitae addiction and Vincula,
even when consuming blood directly from vampires.
Willpower
Striges have Willpower dots equal to the lower of Finesse +
Resistance or ten, whichever is lower. They regain Willpower
whenever they witness the sun setting. An Owl may also spend
three Vitae to regain a spent Willpower once per scene.
Integrity
Striges have neither Integrity nor Humanity. If an effect calls
for Humanity/Integrity as a dice pool or another factor that
affects the Owl, use Shadow Potency or 10 – Shadow Potency
instead, depending on the context.
Other Advantages
Defense: Higher of Power or Finesse in Shadow Form; lower
of host’s Dexterity or Finesse + Athletics when possessing a host.
Initiative: Finesse + Resistance
Speed: 12; Striges can fly like birds in Shadow Form, and
they can move through openings large enough to see through.
Size: 2; at Shadow Potency 8 and higher, increase Size by a
step for each dot above 7.
Banes
The Striges suffer banes similar to vampires, but these are
different in effect.
Fire and Sunlight
Striges cannot pass through areas illuminated by the sun
or through flames. If cornered with these banes and lacking
anywhere to hide or flee, they suffer one level of lethal damage
per minute. Possessing a body lets them bypass this limitation,
even in Kindred hosts, though this doesn’t grant immunity to
mundane fire damage.
Uncommon Banes
At higher levels of Shadow Potency, Striges develop unique
banes, not unlike those the Kindred gain.
Abjuration: The Strix can be abjured, warded, and exorcised
as though it were a spirit, using the rules in the Chronicles
of Darkness Rulebook. If an abjuration would cancel the
Conditions created by a spirit’s Manifestation, it forcibly ends
a Strix’s possession of a host.
Bells: The Strix cannot abide the sound of bells, and hearing
them causes intense pain. Every minute it is exposed, it takes
(Shadow Potency) dice in bashing damage.
Counting: The Strix must stop to count small objects. Unless
it’s injured or forced to stop (because of another bane, for
example), it can’t cease for (Shadow Potency) minutes.
Hated by Beasts: Animals sense and despise the Strix.
Any attempts to deal with animals through Animal Ken or
Animalism suffer a penalty equal to Shadow Potency.
Invitation: The Strix cannot enter a private dwelling
uninvited and treats the interior as though it were filled
with sunlight.
Material Bane: The Strix is repelled by a particular sub-
stance, such as garlic, salt, or silver. Treat this bane as though
it were sunlight, and if the material is used as a weapon against
the Strix — even in Shadow Form — it deals lethal damage.
This bane may be taken multiple times to represent different
materials the Strix finds abhorrent.

196 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Plague of Purity: The Strix loathes self-possession and good-
ness. Any touch by a human with Integrity 8 or higher inflicts
(Shadow Potency) dice of bashing damage.
Ravening: The Strix is consumed by a terrible hunger, like a
starving vampire. It cannot stop feeding for (Shadow Potency)
turns unless its victim dies.
Running Water: The Strix treats flowing water and the air
above it as though it were sunlight. It can fly over a bridge, but
not over a stream, and if immersed in moving water, it suffers
a lethal damage per turn.
Symbols: Symbols of faith and devotion weaken the Owl.
When touching such a symbol, or when acting against someone
brandishing it, all its dice pools are capped by a number equal
to (10 – Shadow Potency). Physical contact also deals one level
of bashing damage per turn.
Inherent Powers
All Striges have access to the following abilities.
BREATH EATER
In Shadow Form, Nemeses can feed on mortals by stealing
their breath by perching above (usually) sleeping or uncon-
scious victims.
The Owl must “grapple” a waking victim with Power +
Brawl to feed upon them. This works the same as the Feed
move (Vampire, p. 94), but the damage is inflicted because
of suffocation rather than blood loss. Conscious victims gain
the Scarred Condition. Used on ghouls, the half-damned
lose Vitae first, then their breath. Striges cannot feed on
Kindred or revenants with this ability, nor on creatures who
lack true souls.
Striges learn new Skills by breath-eating; the Storyteller can
decide if the creature wants to learn a new dot or switch out
one of its current Skill dots during a feeding, the latter if it’s
at its maximum.
DOOM SENSE
The Owls automatically sense any supernatural powers
related to fate within their sensory range and instinctively know
when a disaster is imminent in an area, including the rough
details of what it will entail. They’re likely to stick around for
it or (more likely) will try to accelerate it.
ENHANCED SENSES
The Nemeses can see perfectly in mundane and supernat-
ural darkness. They can track anyone who they’ve fed from
or possessed in the past regardless of how far away their
quarry might be and automatically smell out any Vitae in
their immediate vicinity.
Owl Amaranth
Striges can commit diablerie on each other,
smashing their shadowy forms together and fighting
it out, gaining a dot of Shadow Potency for their
trouble. As these are not player characters, when
and how this occurs is at the Storyteller’s discretion.
However, if you need a system, use the one starting
on p. 200 of Vampire.
GATHERING CRY
On rare occasions, the ordinarily solitary Striges may hunt in
flocks. To do so, a Strix can let out a keening call that can only
be heard by other Striges, small children, scavenger animals,
vampires, and creatures with supernaturally enhanced senses.
This covers an area equal to double its Resistance + Shadow
Potency in kilometers. They have no control over what creatures
hear or how they might respond.
INFLICT DOOM
The Striges are agents of strife and discord. Each member of
the unholy triad represents a specific kind of ill fate, and those
who set eyes on them are sure to face certain doom. A Strix
spends a point of Vitae and rolls Finesse + Shadow Potency
versus their victim’s Composure + Blood Potency. Success
imposes the Doomed Condition (p. 272), with varying effects
based on the Strix’s Triadic Archetype.
In the modern nights, this ability will become just another
Dread Power, but it is an inherent tool of the Nemeses in
Ancient Rome.
LANGUAGE
Striges can communicate telepathically with anyone; there
is no resistance. They can also speak aloud, which will be
perceived as whatever the listener’s native tongue is. In
Shadow Form, the creature’s eyes glow bright yellow when
it speaks aloud.
POSSESSION
The ability to invade and control another person’s body is
the most dangerous part of an Owl’s arsenal, and it’s a power
it will use as often as possible. It’s what the Striges do for fun,
after all, reveling in destroying or toying with those who knew
their victims.
Striges can possess corpses, Kindred, and humans. In addi-
tion to specific systems below, some general rules apply to all
types of possession:
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 197
 • Initiating possession always costs a Willpower point.
• A Nemesis gains access to all its host’s memories when it
possesses her, barring any mental protections and with the
exception of corpses. If the host has a higher Skill rating than
the Owl, once per night, it may learn a dot this way, or swap
out an old one if it’s at its Shadow Potency limit.
• A Strix uses the Physical Attributes of its new host but still
uses its simplified Attributes for Social and Mental actions.
It gains access to the host’s Skills if they’re higher than its
own. Again, this does not apply to corpses, so the Owl must
use its own traits.
• The Strix suffers a –5 modifier to use all the victim’s
Attributes, Skills, and Disciplines on the first night of posses-
sion (this does not apply to corpses). This penalty decreases
a step per night.
• Striges do not fall into torpor or unconsciousness with full
damage in their hosts’ Health boxes.
• Striges can use their Dread Powers and Disciplines while in a
host. However, in a human, the same restrictions on ghouls
for powers that require spilling blood apply.
• Injuries to the host do not damage the Owl’s Corpus, and
destroying a host will not kill the Strix unless the host’s final
health box is filled with aggravated damage while the Bird
still possesses it, in which case, it goes down with its victim.
It has a final chance to escape if this occurs, with the aim of
achieving more successes on a Shadow Potency roll than the
attack that inflicted damage. On a success, it ejects. Otherwise,
a Strix can leave a host as an instant action, dissipating into
the night to find new prey. If a host is on fire or in the middle
of a sunlit day, however, the Strix may have other problems.
Corpses
Striges can seize control of a mostly intact corpse with no
resistance, nestling in where a soul once was and puppeteering
the flesh left behind.
• This new form is transient, and the Owl’s corruption hastens
its rot. It loses a Physical Attribute dot per week; at Strength
0, it can no longer lift things; at Dexterity 0, it can no longer
move. After that, what’s left of its Health dots atrophy as
well, with the corpse decaying and ejecting the Strix when
it reaches zero if it bothers to stay that long.
• While in this form, the Strix can feed as a vampire but it
inflicts two lethal damage per Vitae stolen.
• Corpse hosts take bashing damage from all mundane
sources of injury.
Vampires
What are Propinqui if not particularly sophisticated corpses?
There’s still enough of something left in them to resist being
controlled, but it’s a small comfort. Kindred hosts are prized
among the Owls, though acquiring them requires a combina-
tion of skill and luck.
198 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
• A Strix can only possess torpid vampires or torpid/sleeping
revenants (sleeping revenants are sent into torpor if the Owl
is successful). Roll Finesse + Power + Shadow Potency vs.
Resolve + Blood Potency. Success allows the Owl to possess
the vampire. Failure causes it to be ejected from their body,
and it cannot attempt to possess the victim again until after
the next sundown.
• Upon possession, Striges gain all Vitae in a host’s system, up
to Shadow Potency limits. Remainders are lost.
• Striges gain all the inherent vampire abilities in Kindred
hosts. An Owl ignores its host’s banes and is not vulnerable
to stakes to the heart apart from the damage they deal.
Furthermore, it doesn’t need rest, nor does it need to spend
Vitae at each sunset. It can fake daysleep if necessary.
• A Strix can use any Disciplines and Devotions the host
knows. However, it cannot use Theban Sorcery, the
Veneficium, or Fenestrae. It can use the Crúac Discipline,
but it’s largely unknown in the Camarilla. It also can’t be
subject to or use Legislatio and Jura Merits.
• Striges in Kindred hosts can Embrace, but their lack of
Humanity means they can only spawn revenants. However,
see Synthesis (p. 199).
• Striges can commit diablerie using the host, increasing
Shadow Potency by a dot if successful. The host also gains
the benefits of any diablerie(s) when and if the Strix leaves
her body, and she must still suffer the usual Humanity 1
breaking point(s).
• Leaving the host wakes her from torpor. Those systems
resolve as usual, if applicable. However, the Strix steals away
as much Vitae as it can hold, leaving only the remainder.
Mortals
While they don’t have the same affinity for human hosts as
they do for Kindred, the Birds of Dis love living mortal lives,
especially when it hurts the Propinqui.
• The mortal must be sleeping when the Strix attempts to
possess her.
• Finding purchase within the living is difficult. The Storyteller
rolls Finesse + Power as a Disadvantaged Action (p. 118),
while the mortal’s player rolls Resolve + Composure (+
Supernatural Tolerance) as an Advantaged Action.
• While the mortal will heal from injury as normal, she will
die if the Strix doesn’t feed her body or bother to heal her
injuries. The Owl can also feed directly from its host for a
Vitae per lethal damage inflicted, allowing the victim to
heal before it does it all over again. If the host dies but is not
physically destroyed, the possession subsequently follows the
rules for corpses, as above.
• If a Strix convinces a vampire to grant her the Embrace while
occupying a human body, she effectively gains possession of
a Kindred host.

SHADOW FORM
Without hosts, the Owls exist in Shadow Form, out of step
with material reality though still visible to the human and
Kindred eye. In Shadow Form, Striges always take a +3 to
Stealth, owing to their innate affinity for shadows.
In their Shadow Forms, Striges are immune to injury except
from their banes and supernatural powers that deal aggravated
damage, the latter of which they suffer as bashing damage.
When an Owl in Shadow Form takes enough damage to gain
lethal or aggravated wounds, it loses an equal amount of Vitae
per injury.
SYNTHESIS
This ability is one of the strangest of the Owls, as it confers
power on their hosts rather than ruin (mostly) at the cost of its
existence. The very few scholars of the Striges in the Camarilla
believe this is how the Owls created the Julii.
To use this ability, the Strix must possess a host. To initiate
Synthesis, it spends a Willpower per night for a number of
nights according to the chart below; failure to spend these
Willpower points consecutively means the Owl must start over.
Once it completes this process, the Strix is destroyed, at least
as it existed. Depending on the host, one of the following occurs:
• Corpse hosts become Kindred. Reduce the vampire’s start-
ing Humanity by a third of the Strix’s Shadow Potency,
rounding up.
• Revenants become full Kindred. Reduce the vampire’s
starting Humanity by a third of the Strix’s Shadow Potency,
rounding up.
• Kindred gain Blood Potency equal to a third of the Strix’s
Shadow Potency, rounding up, but lose an equal number of
Humanity dots.
• Living hosts die, rising the next night as Blood Potency 1
vampires.
A player character cannot lose their last Humanity dot this
way, though other characters can if the Storyteller wishes to
go through this process offscreen.
As for the new vampire’s clan, it depends on when the Strix
uses this ability. In the modern nights, and perhaps other parts
of the ancient world, it’s the clan of the last vampire the Strix
possessed. In Rome? Julii. Always.
Victim Nights/Willpower
Corpse 1 victim gains an acute image of some disaster about to strike
Revenant 3 their community. All Social actions to convince others of
Kindred 5
Living 7 will believe him.
Dread Powers
All Nemeses have access to the Dread Powers listed below. In
addition, an Owl can also learn two dots-worth of Disciplines
for each Dread Power it would normally allocate, though it
must learn abilities sequentially as Kindred do.
A Strix may gain three Experiences’ worth of Devotions per
Dread Power, provided it knows the prerequisites. It can learn
the five common Disciplines and (in Ancient Rome) Dominate
inherently, but it must possess a member of one of the other clans
at some point to learn its unique powers. Note that the passive
effects of physical Disciplines only apply when an Owl occupies
a host, not while it’s in its Shadow Form. If a Strix loses Shadow
Potency, it must discard Dread Powers if it’s over its limit.
Some Dread Powers are keyed to one of the Triatic
Archetypes. Other Striges cannot learn these Dread Powers,
though some Owls are known to shift their Archetypes to
keep the Kindred guessing; in which case, the Strix simply
exchanges Dread Powers with the appropriate prerequisites.
The Storyteller is the arbiter of when and how a Strix changes
its Archetype in her chronicles.
Dread Powers are either permanent effects or activated with
Power + Finesse; resistance is noted where relevant. Unless
otherwise specified, activating a Dread Power is an instant
action that costs one Vitae.
THE BEAST’S REBUKE
Prerequisite: Cerberus
Contested: by Resolve + Blood Potency
The Propinqui may wear their sheep’s clothing, but they’ll
never hide the wolf beneath. It’s too easy for the Owls to tear
away that façade of Humanity.
For nights equal to the Bird’s Shadow Potency, the victim
suffers a (10 – Humanity) penalty on Social actions with mor-
tals because of horrible hallucinations tempting her to vice.
Furthermore, she either suffers the same penalty divided by
two (rounding up) on rolls to resist frenzy, or they detach from
all Touchstones for the duration; Storyteller’s choice. If the
activation was an exceptional success, it’s both.
CASSANDRA TRUTH
Prerequisite: Parca
Contested: by Composure + Blood Potency
There is only one thing worse than knowing an awful
truth: not being able to convince anyone it is true. The
this truth dramatically fail. However, those with whom the
victim has a mutual three-step blood bond are immune and
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 199

Resisting Synthesis
Storyteller characters can resist or succumb to
Synthesis as the plot dictates. As an optional rule,
player characters can resist the effect reflexively,
pitting the Strix’s Power + Finesse + Shadow
Potency versus the host’s Resolve + Blood Potency.
The action is extended and contested: Whichever
character accumulates the most successes by the
last night prevails. If the host wins, the Owl may
not attempt Synthesis on the subject again unless
it repossesses her.
COMMAND THE LOST
Resisted: by Resolve
Vampires do so love their toys, and the Nemeses are happy
to claim that which has been broken and discarded. The Strix
may only use this Dread Power if a mortal victim encountered
a vampire within the last lunar month and walked away from
the experience with no Willpower; a third-step Vinculum; or
the Amnesia, Broken, False Memories, Fugue, Intoxicated, or
Soulless Conditions.
If the Owl succeeds, for the rest of the night, the victim
cannot refuse an order given to them by the Strix, even if that
order could be lethal. He also cannot spend Willpower to resist
the Dread Powers of the Nemesis.
CONTAGIOUS GENESIS
It’s frightening enough that the Birds of Dis exist in the first
place, but the fact that some can reproduce by twisting the
Blood into smoke and shadow is enough to make the faint of
heart hide away in their Havens.
This Dread Power may only be used when the Strix is pos-
sessing a vampire, but it has no activation roll or Vitae cost.
Instead, using it consumes a dot of Blood Potency from the host,
at which point, the host becomes spiritually impregnated with
a larval Nemesis. The Strix must then find a torpid Kindred
victim to feed its host’s Vitae. If it does so, the larva immediately
possesses the victim and becomes a Shadow Potency 1 Strix.
A Strix can remove a vampire’s last Blood Potency dot with
this effect, turning them into a revenant.
DARK PLACES
Cost: 1 Willpower
The Birds of Dis fly strange and terrible paths hidden from
mortal and immortal alike. Sometimes, they find it entertaining
to bring a bit of home to their victims.
To use this Dread Power, the Strix must be in an area of
total darkness — even the dim light of the stars will prohibit
200 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
the ingress of its alien place. If successful, it pours itself into
the area, with each success merging one meter of the physical
world with the Strix’s native realm, a place of pitch blackness.
Anyone or thing that carries Vitae may spend a Willpower to
cross into this area, but if they remain, they disappear along
with the realm at the end of the scene.
This Dread Power is likely to summon other Nemeses or, more
rarely, other spirits from that dark place. The shapes and names
of these spirits are wildly variable, but those summoned by the
call of the Birds of Dis are certain to be hostile to vampires.
FATED FOE
Prerequisite: Dira
Contested: by Composure + Blood Potency (highest of victims)
The Dirae pull the threads of fate and set the stage for bloody
conflicts. An Owl with this Dread Power names two people who
have met within the past lunar month. If the Strix succeeds,
both parties gain the Obsession Condition with regard to one
another, as well as a + 3 modifier on all rolls to attack each
other, whether physically or metaphorically through damaging
social reputations, and suffer a –3 to Defense when facing off
against each other.
HOLLOW BONES
Like the birds they superficially resemble, a Strix with this
Dread Power can take wing even in a host body. As a permanent
effect, the Nemesis triples its host’s jumping distance, taking
only one level of bashing damage per ten yards it falls, though
it can never take damage in its last Health box because of this.
The Strix may also spend a Vitae to instead glide gracefully
to the ground and suffer no falling damage at all. However, if
it does so, bystanders will see strange wisps of smoke trailing
behind that look almost like wings.
INDOMITABLE
Prerequisite: Shadow Potency ••• or •••••
One of the greatest weapons the dead can wield is their
power over the minds of others, whether their Kindred or
the kine but the Birds of Dis are not so weak-minded as kine
and other Propinqui, and some of the most powerful Strix
can defy their manipulations altogether.
At Shadow Potency •••, the Nemesis with this Dread Power
is permanently immune to Dominate and any associated
Devotions. At Shadow Potency ••••, it is also immune to
Majesty, Nightmare, and Obfuscate, along with any Devotions
derived from them.
If the Owl would be subject to one of these powers, roll its
Shadow Potency versus the vampire’s Blood Potency. If the Strix
wins, the power is reflected back on the vampire.

LABYRINTH
Cost: 3 Vitae
Resisted: by Safe Place dots invested in the target area (up
to the size of a large building)
There can be no escape from the Nemeses, but that won’t
stop their victims from trying. To deal with this inconvenience,
some Owls twist the world into a reflection of whatever sinister
realm they came from.
If activating this Dread Power was successful, in a single
building, all exits but one that the Nemesis chooses will be
sealed off, disappearing rather than simply being locked.
The Durability and Structure of all parts of the building are
increased by the Strix’s Shadow Potency. No sound can enter
or exit the Labyrinth, ensuring help is unlikely to come.
The interior of any place afflicted by the Labyrinth becomes
visibly unnatural. Darkness sets in, torchlight is snuffed out,
and the cries of strange birds can be heard throughout it. Not
that it will help the trapped victim; it appears perfectly normal
from the outside.
MATERIALIZE
Cost: 1 Willpower
An Owl can pull itself out of its Shadow Form into a more
solid shape, shifting its body into the physical realm for a scene.
No roll is required.
While in the physical world, its talons are 3L weapons, and
its beak is a 2L weapon. It can now feed by eating human flesh
or drinking vampire blood. Injuries are applied to the Strix’s
Corpus, but it only takes bashing injuries from damage sources
other than banes.
In physical form, the Strix may also spend Vitae to heal
wounds at the same cost as a vampire; it may also spend
Willpower to heal as normal, but it can only heal from one
method in a single turn.
PLAGUE OF HATRED
Prerequisite: Cerberus
Cost: 1 Willpower
This Dread Power corrupts the power of the Blood running
through a host’s veins into a metaphysical curse. No activation
roll is required. For the night, anyone who comes into contact
with the Owl’s host must resist this effect with Stamina + Blood
Potency versus the Owl’s Power + Shadow Potency. If they fail,
they become a carrier for this mystical disease.
Those suffering from the contagion are irrationally aggressive
even by the standards of the Beast. Debates become shouting
matches, arguments become brutal duels, and honorable com-
bats become fights to the death. Victims take the Competitive
Condition, using Shadow Potency to determine the duration.
Anyone who touches the Vitae or blood of a carrier will then
become a carrier themself and similarly take the Competitive
Condition. Contagiousness lasts until the next sunrise.
SCREECH
Cost: 2 Vitae
The call of the Owl heralds death, afflicting those who hear
it with the horrible knowledge of their own mortality. To use
this Dread Power, the Strix must let out an ear-splitting scream
similar to the Gathering Cry. If the activation is successful,
the victim suffers the Stunned Tilt. If the Nemesis achieves an
exceptional success, the victim instead takes the Immobilized
Tilt as they reel from the horror of their looming end.
SEE THE CRACKS
With this Dread Power, it’s a trivial matter for the Striges to
pry out the worst aspects of their victims. For each success on
the activation roll, they may learn one of the following details
about their victim:
• One Aspiration;
• Vice/Dirge;
• Integrity/Humanity level;
• A Condition relating to Integrity/Humanity loss;
• An event that led to Integrity/Humanity loss, in general
terms, starting with the most recent;
• A bane (vampires) or their greatest fear (humans).
SHADOW INFECTION
Cost: 3 Vitae
Resisted: by Stamina (highest in group)
A Strix is an omen of death. With this Dread Power, it can
drag those unfortunate enough to cross its path closer to their
inevitable end. Upon successful activation, it leeches away the
vitality of all those within a radius of (Shadow Potency) meters.
Its victims suffer a penalty to all dice pools equal to half the
Strix’s Shadow Potency for the scene, rounding up. In addition,
they take one lethal damage per success, which cannot be
downgraded with Resilience.
SHEEP’S CLOTHING
The host of a Strix with this Dread Power always seems per-
fectly fine, utterly without injury — not like a rotting corpse or
a starving-to-death mortal. This effect holds as long as the Owl
has at least a third of its Vitae pool (rounding up), but it can be
pierced with supernatural sight, provoking a Clash of Wills.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 201
 SHADOW JUMP
The Birds of Dis are made of shadow-stuff, and so they find
it all too easy to return to darkness. When within an area of
shadow, the Strix may activate this Dread Power. On a success,
it emerges from any other area of shade within up to (Shadow
Potency × 2) kilometers. However, it suffers a lethal damage
for every kilometer traveled. A Strix can use this ability while
possessing a host, but this levies a –5 on the activation roll.
The host suffers the damage instead of the Owl, but the Strix
loses Vitae equal to the damage.
SOUL BITE
Prerequisite: Materialize
Contested: by Resolve + Stamina
Some believe that the breath, pneuma, is the very substance
of the soul. Some of the most powerful owls can not only drink
of the soul but swallow it whole.
The Strix must grapple its victim as though it were using
Breath Eater. However, instead of dealing bashing damage
and gaining Vitae, the Owl activates this Dread Power. If
successful, it consumes the victim’s soul whole, inflicting the
Soulless Condition.
Simply carrying about the soul provides the Strix with no
benefits, but it may take a physical vessel and regurgitate its
stolen prize into it. The vessel then generates one Vitae each
night, which the Strix may draw from. A vessel can never hold
more than one Vitae at a time.
This Dread Power only functions on mortals with no
Supernatural Tolerance trait.
SURPRISE!
The Birds of Dis are silent as the shadows they’re made of.
A Strix with this Dread Power permanently adds its Shadow
Potency to all rolls to ambush victims.
TALONS OF FURY
Prerequisites: Cerberus, Materialize
The talons of the Nemesis are anathema to living and dead
alike. The Strix deals aggravated damage with its talons and
beak when Materialized.
202 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
TIP OF THE TONGUE
Prerequisite: Parca
The Birds of Dis have a natural aptitude for pulling the
strings of lesser creatures. Against all non-Striges, the Nemesis
permanently adds its Shadow Potency to Finesse rolls to lie or
hide its own goals.
TWILIGHT FORM
Cost: 1 Willpower
The Strix can enter a Twilight form for the scene. No acti-
vation roll is required. It is invisible to the naked eye, can
pass through physical obstacles, and damage from its banes
is downgraded by one type (to nothing if it’s bashing). It can
attack ghosts and spirits as if it were Materialized, and it can
feed on them by eating their Corpus, one Vitae for every
three consumed.
A Strix cannot use this Dread Power while possessing a host
or else it automatically abandons the body.
VICE MANIPULATION
Prerequisite: Dira
Contested: by Resolve + Blood Potency
Everyone, no matter how saintly they think themselves, has a
darker side, and with this Dread Power, the Strix can dig it up,
twist it around, and make sure it suits its goals. If successful, it
may change its victim’s Vice or Dirge for one lunar month. On
an exceptional success, any attempt to fulfill this new Vice or
Dirge regains all Willpower so long as it remains.
WEB OF DESTINY
Cost: 2 Vitae
Contested: by Resolve + Blood Potency
The Birds of Dis are creatures of ill omen, and they can see
the strands of fate all too easily. The Owl may target itself or
a victim with this power. If using it for personal benefit, no
activation is required; the Strix gains the 8-again quality on a
number of dice rolls equal to Shadow Potency, though it can
only do so once per scene. If used against a victim, that person
loses the 10-again quality on all actions for turns equal the
Owl’s successes, and any failures are dramatic.
 TRADITORES
THE ONES WE MUST NOT NAME
Betrayers, The Lost Tribe, Innominati
We must not speak of them. Yet, we do.
Before the Camarilla, another clan drank Roman blood
alongside their cousins. Were they native to the Eternal City?
A foreign bloodline? Or were they something stranger?
These are questions that cannot be asked. To name this
blood clan anything but traitors is punishable by Final Death.
To speak of them at all is to risk all. Their appellation has
been struck from every record: every tablet shattered; every
scroll burned. Their legacy is dust, and to sift through it is
tantamount to treason.
The Legend
Eventually, everyone learns the story. Once, another
clan walked among the Propinqui. These others served the
Nemeses and were endowed with special privileges for their
service. Thus, while the Kindred toiled beneath Rome, digging
the ever-expanding labyrinth of tunnels, the Traditores were
exempt. When the Striges demanded the sacrifice of human
lives or Kindred Vitae, the Traditores were never the ones to
bleed. Eventually, the Owls grew too greedy in their demands.
They asked the Propinqui to surrender their descendants in
body and soul so the Striges could profane mortal bodies
with their own damned essences. And they wanted to start
with the Julii’s family.
This pushed Aulus Julius beyond his limit. Though he had
faithfully served his sire and the Pact of Dis, he would no
longer sit idly by.
The Truth
The mystery of the Traditores grants them a mystique a few of
the dead find unbearable. Indeed, after Nero’s Great Fire, when
the eldest vampires in the Eternal City perished, the traitor clan’s
myth only grew, for few (if any) still remember these events first-
hand. As time passes, more Kindred begin their search, and more
come together in their common, hidden purpose.
The Societas Innominata (The Nameless Society) is dedicated
to asking questions their sires and grandsires refuse to even
acknowledge. Who were the Traditores? Where did they
So, we don’t talk about them.
Still, vampires possess both long memories and an abundance
of time. Eternity is fertile soil for speculation, and as any student
of the human (or Kindred) mind can tell you, to brand something
taboo is to raise its profile and invite scrutiny.
Elders still whisper about the Traditores in their private
chambers. Their childer are no different. Wait around long
enough at any orgy or gala and you’ll inevitably find someone
whispering in a distant corner about the traitor clan. And
within those whispers, the story of the Traditores grows.
On the same night Brutus expelled the last King of
Rome above, the dead were at work below. Senex rallied the
Propinqui and accused the Traditores of secret collusion with
the Striges. He accused them of dark magic and witchcraft.
With a voice unheard since Remus himself, the Old Man
called upon the Kindred to rid themselves of this corruption,
and they fell upon the Traditores like a wave.
Every last member of that accursed clan met Final Death.
From that night, the Camarilla would rise, its foundations
buried in the destruction of the clan I must not name, whose
ashes were scattered into sea winds and whose records and
histories were reduced to dust. The Camarilla’s first true
edict was that, henceforth, these Traditores would never be
spoken of again.
come from? What sin did they really commit? And how was
it so great as to earn their destruction? The Nameless Society
seeks answers. 
But the Julii were thorough, their record purge almost abso-
lute. What’s survived through the ages are mere fragments
pieced together through a combination of historical negative
space, context clues, and a few heretical (frequently non-Ro-
man) sources.
So, who were the Traditores? No one knows. Yet.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 203
 They Were the Akhud
Olim, Gomorrah stood as a bastion
of justice, ruled by a mighty and
wise king who guided his people
with wisdom and kindness. But
one day, a stranger requested
an audience with the king. The
stranger enticed the monarch
to sin, and over the months,
that kind and just rule turned to
depraved tyranny. The king led his peo-
ple into sin, encouraging the most deplorable acts imaginable.
When the king’s sons attempted to show their father the error
of his ways, he attempted to cast them out, but the sons feared
the damage their father would do to their city. The stranger
had come to them in a different guise and told them all the
horrors that would befall the world if the madness did not end.
And so, the king’s sons slew him, and in doing so, violated the
most sacred law.
Their god descended from the heavens and rained fire and
brimstone down on the city. As the brothers watched their
people burn to cinders, they swore a blood oath that they
would hunt the stranger to the ends of the Earth and avenge
their people, even if it took an eternity. They called themselves
Akhud, an ancient word meaning oath or pact, and swore that
until the day of their vengeance, they would see neither the light
of day nor enjoy any pleasure but blood.  History says Romulus died at the hands of assassins, patricians
The Akhud set off across the world, soon discovering they
could create others of their line, sometimes allowing themselves
to be consumed to strengthen their progeny. Years passed,
and the youngest son and his childer traveled west. When he
reached the Latin hills, he met others like himself and learned
the story of Remus, and how he too had been visited by a strange
creature as he lay dying. The youngest was eager to know more
and traveled into the belly of the Necropolis to seek the guid-
ance of beings called Striges. The Owls promised to reveal the
truth about the stranger in exchange for the Akhud’s services. 
Societas Innominata Initiation
The Nameless Society would never describe itself
as a “mystery cult.” Still, their obsession with the
Traditores is fanatical, and the more they study this
enigma, the more power they gain…
• Gain a Traditores Specialty in Investigation.
•• Gain Trained Observer 1, ignoring prerequisites.
••• Gain a dot of Subterfuge.
•••• Gain three dots of Library.
••••• Anonymity is the ultimate research tool. The
cultist can spend a Willpower to erase her
presence from the memory of anyone who
saw her in a scene if she didn’t interact with
them or do anything notable. Supernatural
protections provoke a Clash of Wills.
204 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
He agreed, and the Akhud were given a special task: to gather
sacrifices for the Birds’ sanguine hunger. And in this, they
excelled. But as their power grew, Aulus Julius Senex became
jealous of their power. He branded them witches and worship-
ers of vile things, and eventually lured them into a trap in the
Fons Ater before setting them ablaze. Yet even tonight, when
the moon turns to blood and Kindred go missing, a glyph can
be found drawn in blood: an ancient Gomorrahan symbol that
means “as we have been devoured, so shall we devour you,”
though to most Roman eyes, it simply looks like a number…
They Were
the Clan of Romulus
Olim, the founder of Rome was a
hard man. Orphan, kinslayer, and
the Eternal City’s first king, the
people respected and feared
Romulus equally, but they did
not love him. For forty years,
Romulus drove his people as a
cruel father. His body grew old
and slow, but his mind was still
sharp. Yet, he refused to admit his time
would soon come to an end and pushed himself ever harder to
lead by example. Too hard.
who grew weary of his callous rule. But that is not the case. One
day as age began to take its toll, he attended a military parade
at the Campus Martius, just before the city walls. However, the
beautiful day was almost instantly overtaken by a violent storm.
The sky turned black as night and was torn with streaks of light-
ning. A smoke-like cloud belched out across the land, throwing
the soldiers and assembled crowd into a panic. In the chaos,
Romulus spied an owl flying through the storm and followed it
to the wall. As Romulus approached, he felt ice in his veins, for
beneath the bird’s talons was an ancient bloodstain, left upon the
wall by his own hand decades before. A familiar figure emerged
from the shadows: Thirty-seven years had passed since Romulus
killed Remus and left him for Mars’ vultures, yet his twin had
not aged a day, his face still bearing the violence delivered upon
it. The younger brother reached out for the King, and when the
clouds parted overhead, Romulus was nowhere to be found. But
he was not loved, and his people did not weep.
Remus took his twin into the caves beneath Rome, the younger
twin boasting of how in death he had gained an eternity to create
a kingdom of his own. And though Remus’ kingdom of filthy
tunnels and caves was far from the grand Necropolis it would
one night become, Romulus still tore at his hair in spite.
However, though the King was no longer the impatient youth
who committed fratricide in a fit of rage, his mind had learned
a lifetime of hard lessons. Even as he felt his body failing, he
clung to his twin’s every word and asked pointed questions. But
Remus merely laughed and left his twin to die in the dark as a
fitting repayment for his sins.
 The Birds of Dis found the dying monarch. Though he had
not strength enough to stand, Romulus remained prideful,
wrathful, and unmoved. He would not accept his brother
having even a shadow city beneath his own, so when the
Striges offered him a pact, he was all too ready to accept. And
Romulus promised them everything. Blood. Service. Whatever
they asked. Thus, they asked for something only a king can
grant: subjects.
Romulus agreed without hesitation. If the people were weak
enough to become the vessels of these demons, they deserved it.
The strong would survive and prosper. In return, he was given
eternal life and the means to create his own dead lineage. He
Embraced the strongest and best of his line and named them
Quirini, after the name his people deified him with. Soon, his
clan flourished and touted their power over the Julii, for unlike
their cousins, the Kings refused to set foot in the Etruscan tun-
nels beneath Rome. They dwelt among their descendants and
manipulated mortal affairs from the shadows.
But Romulus and his clan’s arrogance grew alongside their
power, and soon, Remus vanished. Perhaps into torpor; perhaps
into Final Death. Eventually, the Quirini’s control of the royalty
and affairs of Rome grew so impertinent that the Julii could no
longer stand it. Aulus Julius Senex united the Propinqui, and
together, they stormed the homes of each of the Quirini, and
like the people of Rome, they removed the stain of Romulus and
his line of kings. In doing so, the Julii may have freed themselves
from tyranny, but they earned the eternal ire of the Striges.
Quirini: The Royal Dead
The Quirini were much like the Julii, but they were also
masters of deception. Perhaps they still exist, hidden just out
of sight and awaiting the perfect opportunity for revenge.
Nicknames: Kings, Queens, Domini
Clan Bane (The Patriotic Curse): The Quirini are only at
ease within the city of King Romulus. Whenever a Queen sets
foot outside the walls of Rome, her dice pools are limited by
Humanity unless she spends a Willpower for the scene.
Favored Attributes: Manipulation or Resolve
Disciplines: Dominate, Obfuscate, Resilience
They Were Remus’s
Other Childer
Olim, Remus vanished, never to
be seen again.
In his stead, the Julii say, he
left his childe, Aulus Julius,
to watch over his get while he
slept away the ageless centu-
ries. But that is not the truth.
One night, sire and childe met
to drink and talk of things, as they
often did in those nights. Though the
son had grown to loathe his father (and vice versa), there were
few others of similar age and experiences. As contentious as
their relationship had become, they knew each other with a
simple understanding. Or so Remus thought.
But he was deceived. For years, Julius had planned a coup.
Compared with himself, Remus was akin to a god, beyond
pain or death. But Aulus knew better than most that being
close to something and being something are two separate
things, and so he sought a higher power. He beseeched mortal
oracles for guidance, and after offering them a permanent
place in his future empire, they whispered the solution in his
ear: That which has killed once may kill again.
It would take a lifetime of searching, but Aulus had many to
spare. A century and many false leads later, his agents finally deliv-
ered a box containing the bones of King Romulus. He ground
the dead man’s bones into a powder and fed them to Remus’s
victim that night. When the sire drank deep, the poison took
hold, and the ancient monster froze in terror, if but for a moment.
A moment is all it takes. Julius drove a stake through Remus’s
heart and consumed his soul while his sire’s yellow eyes wept at
whatever horrible sights glistened through crimson tears. With
the strength of his sire, the Old Man forged his Camarilla.
Yet not all the Propinqui supported Senex. He was the old-
est, yes, but not the only one who Remus sired. Worse, many
grew suspicious of him, fearing for Remus. And so, on the
night the Romans rid themselves of their king, Senex assem-
bled the Propinqui in the small chamber. There, he revealed
Remus had forged a dark conspiracy with the Striges, forced
upon his bloodline eternal servitude, and that Senex himself
had slain his sire to free them all. When the Julii learned of
what had happened, most rejoiced. But some, the other childer
of Remus and their own progeny, were outraged. But Senex
had prepared for this, and in the years since Remus’s murder,
he had been busy. His line had sired more than double that
of his broodmates combined.
Those descended from Senex slaughtered their kin to the
last that night and scattered their ashes on the wind. When
it was over, they told the other dead the Julii had purged the
traitors for their protection. They did not question it. What
did they care for the loss of so many Julii, after all, if there
were no witnesses to argue?
But there were witnesses. The Owls watched as childe slew
sire, the one they granted eternal life. They watched as Julius
planned to break his bloodline’s vow in outrage, but waited
to see if another of Remus’ grandchilder would set it right.
And when none did, the Striges swore they would have
their vengeance on the Julii and their Camarilla. They will
take back the gift that was stolen and perverted.
They Are
the Enemy Within
Olim, Senex turned the Kindred against the Traditores,
making them swear an oath to leave the blood of the fallen
untouched. But why was Julius so afraid of his people partaking
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 205
 in their enemy’s Vitae? Was it fear that
there was something within that
blood so cursed that it would
taint the drinker, or perhaps
something even more insidi-
ous? Who the Traditores were
is not nearly as important as
what they were capable of, for the
damned clan was endowed with a
strange and potent Discipline that
allowed them to control the flow of blood itself.  these true Julii, lords of whatever new ventures they undertake
On that bloody night, every Traditor met their end, but a
few Julii were overcome with lust for Vitae and power, and they
betrayed their oath to Senex. Seven of the Propinqui drank the
heartsblood of seven Traditores and consumed their power,
but in doing so, they gained something worse. The Traditores’
mastery over blood was so great that to drink their Vitae was
to invite their souls within one’s heart. And so, each of these
seven traitors survived within the very Vitae of their killers,
and within all those Embraced thereafter.
Though these Traditores still exist, their consciousnesses
have been watered down across time and countless bodies, and
their existences are ones of fury and confusion. But sometimes,
these shattered minds coalesce into a shadow of their former
selves. And when this happens, a power struggle begins with
their hosts. When the Traditores gain control, they use the
bodies of their hosts like marionettes and enact bloody ven-
geance against all Kindred, acting as beacons for the Striges
to take new hosts. Countless Embraces and blood bonds have
transmitted the Traditores’ tainted Vitae from the Founders
to every clan in the Camarilla. For you see, it does not matter
who the Traditores were. They are the Kindred.
They Were the Julii
Olim, the Striges grew greedy. After
centuries of service, fulfilling the
pact of Remus was no longer an
adequate chore for his childer.
After thousands of sacrifices,
the blood of the slaves and
conquered could no longer
satiate the Birds’ bloodlust. The
Striges wanted more, and so they
changed the terms of their pact. The
Striges demanded that the Propinqui offer up the bodies of
their mortal kin as sacrifices and vessels for their amusement.
However, in changing the deal, the Strix inadvertently weak-
ened their position. Senex agreed to their terms and summoned
up the dregs of each of his mortal bloodlines — the bastards and
disowned and dishonored — and brought them to the Small
Chamber as a gift the Striges would eagerly accept.
And accept they did. But in this, they were betrayed, for Senex
had mastered the secret words the Birds had taught his sire, and
he had prepared well. Before the Striges could take their new
forms, he reshaped each of those mortal minds as a potter shapes
206 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
her clay. Within each of these sacrifices, he built a labyrinth for
these monsters, and at the heart of each, a secret command so
potent that it would bind the Owls within their fleshy cages and
make them forget who — and what — they ever were.
And it worked. Now Kindred, the wretches and the owls
become one, believing themselves to be the real Julii and that
they had destroyed the “traitors,” who abandoned Rome for
the far reaches of the world. Even Senex left, free from his sire’s
burdens. What directed the construction of the Camarilla after
that point is impossible to say. Perhaps the old clan still exists,
or new domain they seize. Should they return one night, they
would be unrecognizable to the false clan they left behind.
They Were
Belial’s Brood
Olim, a dead thing named Belial
helped found the Camarilla. He
was a witch, a sorcerer, a wor-
shiper of dark chthonic gods,
a fallen angel. The legends say
he was many things. What
they agree on, however, is
that he was blessed with power
beyond the ken of the other dead.
He could see the future in pools of
blood and control the weather with a whisper to the clouds.
And he was beloved by the Striges. Something in Belial was
wild. Unchecked. And though they remade Remus with their
pact, he was not their favorite. Belial and his childer could see and
speak with the Striges even as they hid in the realm beyond flesh.
Before his slumber, Belial and Remus were like brothers, but
when the Inauspicious Twin left his kingdom to his childe, the
Birds’ favor for Belial and his childer drew Aulus’s ire. Belial’s
unique perspective allowed him and his kin to exist between the
worlds of matter and spirit, but so too did he walk between the
realm of the living and the dead. He entwined himself with mor-
tal lives, warping their minds and souls. Those who survived the
ordeals were gifted riches, Vitae, or the Embrace. From Roman
stock, Belial added to his brood by the dozens, never bothering
to ensure they didn’t emerge as half-formed draugr. To Senex,
this was the final insult. 
The Old Man could no longer bear the preferential treatment
given to Belial and his kin. It was bad enough that they idled
while Propinqui toiled, but now they dared sully Roman blood
with foreign profanities. In a night, Aulus rallied the Kindred
to his side, and they slew every last member of this brood, with
Senex dealing the deathblow to Belial himself, who did not resist.
And though their cause was righteous, Julius swore the
Propinqui to secrecy that night. This was not to hide their
actions, which they proudly announced to the other dead,
but in an attempt to forget. For the Striges had whispered a
warning to Belial, and told him a secret truth. When the Julii
struck down his childer, they met their Final Deaths with serene
smiles. And when Julius dealt his final blow, Belial sloughed
off his flesh like a moldering robe.
And though Belial’s clan is gone, his lessons survived. Kindred
often wake to find that throughout their daysleeps they’ve tran-
scribed strange verses in old, foreign tongues they do not speak
or read — the writings of Belial. This can happen to any Kindred,
but for some reason, but it happens most often to Julii. No matter
how often these passages are destroyed, they — and those who
take his lessons to heart — will always eventually return. Perhaps
the Propinqui were right to destroy Belial and his brood. Perhaps
they should have done it right the first time.
They Were a Sacrifice
Olim, when Romulus and Remus
set about digging the Eternal City’s
foundations, Remus stumbled
upon something deep within
the old Etruscan crypts. It was
a black stone altar buried in the
earth, marked with symbols of
Dis Pater.
When he showed it to his brother,
Romulus believed it to be a bad omen.
The two fought, and in the end, Remus was struck dead by
his twin, his body left to cool on the altar. But he did not
die. The altar changed him, and blessed by Dis Pater, he
The Simplest Explanation
Maybe the Traditores never existed. While a few
Kindred might’ve been branded enemies of the new
covenant and executed when Senex took power, they
were nothing as unified as a clan until Final Death
made them so. The traitor clan is nothing more than
a fable meant to frighten neonates — and a warning
to the other clans.
became first of the Kindred. For centuries, he watched Rome
grow, and he too expanded his domain. Yet as his children
multiplied, the city above strained to feed them. And so, the
dead did what they always do: They killed their brothers. Lots
were drawn at the altar of Dis, and half of all Remus’s childer
accepted their fates. 
In truth, the game was rigged. Aulus Julius oversaw the
lottery, handing out winning tokens to his allies and doom to
each of his enemies. Each loser was slain upon Dis Pater’s altar,
their souls given in sacrifice to the Infernal King. But Dis Pater
took pity on them for their kin’s betrayal and allowed them to
return. Without bodies, these betrayed creatures could only
appear as smoke that smelled of burned blood. For you see,
the Striges did not exist before the honest Julii were betrayed.
The Owls did not create the Julii, but were created by them,
and that is why they are their Nemeses.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 207
 HORRID LEGIONS

Rome’s monsters are as diverse as they are debased. Some are vampires who’ve evolved beyond the capabilities of their breth-
ren, unleashing unique abilities on the unwary. Others are stranger variations of the Blood, manifesting uncanny and bizarre
powers. Some are even mortals: blessed by the gods, possessing sorcerous powers, or just cornered prey who lash out when
faced with death. None of them should be underestimated. By birth, by law, or by custom, they are the children of Romulus,
and just as dangerous.

Aventine Harpies
I see your future, bloodsucker. It’s not pretty.

AKA: The Sibyls

All good Romans know the legend. Romulus and Remus
took auguries to see where to build their city. First, Remus saw
six vultures on the Aventine Hill, then Romulus saw twelve
eagles on the Palatine Hill. A quarrel broke out over which
birds showed greater favor from the gods, and Romulus slew
his brother. And as the Kindred know, Remus then arose as a
walking corpse to found the Julii.
Less well known is what happened next. After many weeks,
Remus tracked down those fateful vultures and brought them
back to the Aventine, where he made them his own. What that
means changes from tale to tale. In some, he transformed them
into ghouls, mutating them over time into beasts with more
humanoid forms. In others, they’re trained animals, but after
repeated exposure to his Disciplines, they become something
else entirely. Some even whisper that Remus murdered the
treacherous birds, using their entrails to read the future and
presenting their corpses to the Striges as offerings.
Whatever the truth, those vultures became the first Aventine
Harpies, skull-faced avians who feast on blood to divine the
future. A Sybil is an unliving monstrosity that only vaguely
resembles a vulture; numerous arms protrude from under its
wings, and a fanged skull caps its long neck. The most common
of these heads are human or bird, but any animal skull can
take its place.
While the original harpies only numbered six (or twelve,
depending on who tells the tale), through profane rituals, their
numbers swelled across the Italian peninsula. Tonight, they can
be found anywhere Romans (and Propinqui) dwell, and they
frequently demand aid in swelling or spreading their numbers
from Kindred seeking their oracular gifts. The rarely possess
numbers sufficient to rival even a single clan, a Propinquus in
need of their abilities can find within a day or two’s journey
of their settlement.
Three Sibyls
The dead must leave Rome’s walls if they seek Sanquinia’s
gifts. She refuses to enter Rome, citing Romulus’s murder
of Remus as the reason, but refuses to elaborate. Instead,
she dwells in a villa beyond the city walls with her ghouls,
although she’s moved multiple times over the centuries as
the city encroaches further into the farmland surrounding
it. Sanquinia extorts future favors from those who beg for
her aid, using them to manipulate politics within the city
she refuses to enter.
Vampires hide themselves from mortals, but some harpies
have no qualms about revealing themselves. Every pleb who
lives near the Aventine Hill hears rumors that an oracle will
meet them in the abandoned home behind Libera’s temple. Few
pluck up the courage to take their woes to a being as monstrous
as Ceres, but she will help them if they serve her. The Senex
fear she will whittle away at Mendacium, and they plot to either
bring the harpy in line or take her out.
Ages ago, in the time of the kings, the harpies and the
Kindred banished Aegaeon from Rome for crimes history did
not record. The exiled Sibyl fled to the Alps, haunting the
mountain passes until Hannibal and his elephants arrived.
He feasted on Carthaginian dead and followed the army to
Cannae, where he gorged upon the slain. Now swollen to gigan-
tic proportions, boasting dozens of dead limbs, renowned for
his prophetic gifts, and calling himself Centimanus, Aegaeon
plots revenge against those who drove him off so long ago.
Systems
Create an Aventine Harpy using the same rules as vampires
with the following changes:
Augury: By spending 3 Vitae, a Harpy can read the future,
seeing what Fate has in store for a person. The subject gains
the Informed Condition regarding events foreseen in the

208 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

prophecy. The Vitae required for an Augury doesn’t have to
be spent by the Harpy herself; vampires or ghouls can donate
them, although doing so inflicts one point of lethal damage
to the donor.
Blasphemous Embrace: Sibyls create more of their kind
through a twisted posthumous Embrace that requires both
a dead vulture and a fresh human corpse. By spending a dot
of Blood Potency, the harpy disgorges Vitae into the corpses,
twisting them together into a single disgusting whole.
Carrion Feeders: Aventine Harpies can drain Vitae from
mortals as vampires do, but they do not enter torpor or need
to spend Vitae to wake at sundown. Sibyls can also consume
(2 × Blood Potency) fresh corpses in a night-long ritual to per-
manently increase their Blood Potency by a dot.
Creatures of the Night: Aventine Harpies have Blood
Potency and suffer damage from fire like Kindred. Harpies do
not suffer damage from exposure to sunlight, but it does inflict
a –3 penalty to all dice pools.
Disciplines: Aventine Harpies can possess any combina-
tion of dots taken from the Auspex, Dominate, Majesty, and
Nightmare Disciplines.
Shared Bloodline: Aventine Harpies have no clans, but
they’re treated as Julii for the purposes of Blood Sympathy.
Cineres
<a chorus of whispers followed by rushing wind>
AKA: Whispering Ashes
No one dies without regret. Whether those regrets are as big
as never confessing your feelings to that beautiful person in your
past, or as small as being unable to finish one more book, none
of us leave this life without wishing we could have done more.
The Eternal City’s no different. Its people die every day full
of desires unfulfilled, ambitions thwarted, actions untaken. In
Rome, however, the dead are kept close to home. Even moder-
ately wealthy families maintain a crypt, a place to keep the ashes
of their ancestors. For a relatively modest family, this means
perhaps a handful of funerary urns, but catacombs can hold
dozens. There, the family dead rest, row upon row, listening to
the troubles and prayers of their descendants, unable to help
with their hardships… until something wakes them up.
Cineres form when something galvanizes the lingering
regrets, ambitions, and desires left in the ashen remains of
multiple humans in the same family line. Not true ghosts,
but not exactly spirits, either, these wraiths are composed of
swirling clouds of ash, from which the constant muttering of
many voices can be heard. This sound is what gives the Cineres
their nickname: Whispering Ash. In their base form, Cineres
don’t have much power to affect the world, and so they hijack
the bodies of others to enact their simplistic agendas.
Cineres aren’t sophisticated; they’re the shards of dozens of
dead family members temporarily united to achieve a single
Story Seeds
• People are going missing, leaving only blood-soaked cobbles
and a smear of gore behind. Ala Militaris is certain an
Aventine Harpy is hunting mortals, tearing them to pieces
to empower its magic. They don’t know if they’re about to
face down a horde of freshly created Sibyls or one powerful
and very bloodthirsty vulture.
• Tensions run high when a Sybil sups from a powerful
Vaticinator’s mortal granddaughter. Open violence hasn’t
broken out yet, but the two parties are recruiting allies to
their sides and becoming increasingly territorial. Each offers
their gift of foresight to those who aid them and declares
dire omens that will befall their rival. All the while, clever
Propinqui try to play the two off each other and reap the
benefits of multiple prophecies.
• The local Harpies seem docile enough, serving as underlings
for both the Senex and the Cult of Augurs. Rumors abound,
however, that they conspire against their Propinquus lords
and plot the Camarilla’s downfall. Wary Kindred swear
they’ve seen the harpies sneaking into the forest just before
dawn, whispering to golden-eyed shadows. The Sibyls swear
they are loyal servants of Remus’s heirs and that their detrac-
tors slander to seize power for themselves.
goal. They are, however, implacable and untiring creatures,
impossible to dissuade. Whispering Ashes understand little
besides their goals, including the needs of their hosts. Human
hosts have died of starvation or exposure under the yoke of a
Cinis, and a Propinqua unfortunate enough to be caught by
one will burn as the entity attempts to take care of unfinished
business in the middle of the day.
What creates a Cinis varies, but it’s usually something so egre-
gious it offends an entire catacomb-worth of shades. Something
like, say, a parasitic corpse pretending to be one of them while
feasting on the blood of their descendants. Manifestations of
the Whispering Ash are, therefore, something of an urban
legend among Propinqui, and one of the reasons it’s considered
prudent to treat dead mortals respectfully within their crypts.
After all, the whole family is watching…
Three
Whispering Ashes
Anger of Stlaccius formed when a starving vampire lost con-
trol of herself and murdered gens Stlaccia’s patriarch during a
clandestine meeting in the family catacomb. It attached itself
to the dead man’s oldest daughter and is currently stalking
the upper levels of the Necropolis, attacking anyone who
resembles the murderer.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 209
 Pride of Digitius is trying to restore its family’s glory. Gens
Digitia has fallen far in recent years, but their catacomb is still
large, meaning Pride is a powerful Cinis. While attached to a
young, brash son of the line, Pride has been toppling emblems
and statues of the family’s rivals and erecting crude monuments
to the Digitii in their place — with no signs of stopping.
Regret of Pedanius has trapped its Kindred victim in endless
acts of horrifying contrition. While trying to make amends to
another family the gens Pedania wronged long ago, Regret has
forced its host to commit several acts of self-mutilation in front
of mortal witnesses, repeating the cycle when the injuries heal.
For its next attempt, Regret is going to deliver gifts…
Systems
Ephemeral Traits: Like Striges, Cineres use the simplified
traits of Power, Finesse, and Resistance (p. 195). They have a
number of dots to distribute among these traits equal to the
number of ash-filled funerary jars in the catacomb they first
manifested within, which can be placed freely in each category,
but Finesse must always be their lowest trait. They can alter the
distribution of these dots once per scene as an instant action.
Calculate Advantages as with other ephemeral beings, but
Cineres can do little to affect the world without a host besides
frightening onlookers and obscuring an area with ash.
Dread Powers: Unattached Cineres possess Discorporate
and Unbreakable (Chronicles of Darkness, pp. 145 and 148).
Taking Control: Cineres can take control of an animate
creature by compacting their form around them to create
a thick layer of ash. Roll the Cinis’s Power + Finesse in a
contested and extended action versus the victim’s Stamina +
Blood Potency. The target is the victim’s Stamina + Resolve.
Each roll represents a turn of struggle. If the victim reaches
his goal first, he shakes off the ash and is immune to further
attempts for the rest of the scene. If the Cinis wins, it gains
control of the victim’s body. Once attached, the victim can
spend a point of Willpower once per day to try and struggle
free, repeating the contested action.
Ashen Puppeteer: A Cinis’ control isn’t true possession;
instead, the entity forces its victim’s body to comply, awkwardly
piloting it in the pursuit of its goals. While controlling a victim,
the creature uses the victim’s Physical Attributes and Skills,
substituting its Finesse for any Mental or Social actions. A
Whispering Ash can force its host past his physical limitations,
Colossi
Bow before your gods.
AKA: Ichor Giants
The Lancea et Sanctum has its One God, bound in a mortal
form, humiliated through crucifixion. It can keep him. Romans
descend from more glorious deities — divine Venus and victori-
ous Mars — who are not confined to such puny forms.
210 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
adding its Power to any Strength-based action or its Resistance
to any Stamina-based action. However, every time it does this,
the host suffers a bashing damage. Hosts are fully aware while
they’re being piloted but are unable to move under their own
volition, even to speak. Humans are utterly powerless, and all
Kindred can do is reflexively spend Vitae to heal or use Physical
Intensity. Finally, the layer of hardened ash coating the victim
grants the host a point of general armor.
Dust to Dust: Once the Cinis has completed its goal, or its
host dies, it disperses, retreating back to the catacomb that
spawned it. There are two ways to detach a Whispering Ash
early: the first is destroying the funerary jars that once con-
tained its ashes. For every jar broken, it loses an Attribute dot.
If any Attribute is reduced to zero, the creature is destroyed. The
second is fire. Flames remind the Cinis of its individual deaths,
confusing it and weakening its hold. Whenever an attached
Cinis takes damage from fire, roll Finesse + Resistance minus
the damage inflicted by the attack. If it fails, the Whispering
Ash releases its host, but it does not disperse, and it can attempt
to attach to a different host the following turn. This method
is obviously perilous for a human host — even more so for a
Kindred one.
Story Seeds
• A Cinis has manifested in the family catacomb of a powerful
Augur, attaching to one of her most beloved descendants.
Now, the entity is running amok trying to smash every shrine
it can find. This is obviously embarrassing for the Augur,
and she’d like the coterie to end the Cinis’s rampage, but
she insists both that her descendant survives the process and
her family’s remains not be further desecrated.
• A silent, ash-covered vampire attacks one of the characters,
and they barely fend it off. Some research leads the charac-
ters to discover what the Cineres are and why they manifest.
Unfortunately, they don’t know which family this particular
Whispering Ash is from, or why it’s targeting one of them.
But it’s only a matter of time before it appears again.
• An ally of the characters has been snatched by a Cinis and
is systematically murdering the mortal family of one of their
rivals. No doubt harsh repercussions will follow, so they
should probably rescue their friend… or they could allow
the events to unfold and strike at their rivals in the chaos,
leaving their erstwhile ally to take the blame in the end.
Colossi rise at the sites of great battles, where exceptionally
vicious wars lay mortals low in a sanguine harvest. They tower
over Kindred and kine alike, standing up to 10 feet tall, clad
in armor, and wielding the finest weaponry. While the Ichor
Giants possess the forms of beautiful mortals, they would
never be mistaken for them, as their bodies are composed
entirely of blood. Kin feel the power coursing through these
effigies instinctively, and even the least of them are as potent
as vampires who transcend their mortal limits.
Most of the dead treat the Ichor Giants with deference
and respect; those who don’t rarely last the night. How the
Colossi come into being is an open question, one the Cult
of Augurs debates fiercely. The predominant theory is that
the Ichor Giants are avatars of the Olympians, sent into the
mortal world through the bloody offerings of battle to achieve
some divine purpose. More agnostic Kindred believe they are
gestalt beings, the souls of hundreds of warriors fused into
a sanguine form that is given purpose and meaning through
faith. But if the Colossi know the truth, they refuse to bestow
it upon the dead.
Three Ichor Giants
Mars is the most common Ichor Giant vampires encounter
and shows great fondness for what he calls “my children.” Mars
believes he is the Camarilla’s patron, a granter of discipline,
virtue, and bloodthirsty violence. He is the ultimate general,
expecting loyalty even other Ichor Giants would deem fanatical,
but rewarding vampires for their obedience with riches and
power beyond their wildest dreams. Mars deeply opposes the
Striges’ and their machinations, claiming they are Minerva’s
minions and that his sister’s reputation as the kinder war god
is entirely undeserved.
In Illyricum, a Colossus claiming to be Apollo stalks the
night. But while many vampires fear this Ichor Giant will blast
them into dust with the sun’s rays, it isn’t that Apollo. This
is Apollo in his role as both disease-bringer and healer. The
corpse legions he raises fester and rot, causing anyone who
trespasses on the Colossus’s lands to fall ill. Those afflicted
often experience prophetic visions, and those who survive
can achieve greatness by acting upon what they saw. At the
same time, the Giant can cure maladies mundane and super-
natural, tempting some vampires to brave his battlefield to
partake of his wisdom.
While rare, the Ichor Giants can make homes within a city,
including Rome. Since Augustus’ rise as Princeps, one such
Colossus has stalked the halls of the Senate, claiming to be
none other than Divus Julius himself. The Colossus certainly
knows enough about Caesar’s life and exploits to pass as the
genuine article, drawing the curiosity of vampires who knew
the dictator. While he seems uninterested in mortal affairs,
rumors persist that the Emperor is his puppet and that Caesar
still rules Rome as his successors’ divine patron.
Systems
Create a Colossus using the same rules as vampires with the
following modifications.
Above It All: Colossi possess Dirges, but not Humanity,
Masks, or Touchstones, and they do not acquire banes. Treat
Humanity as 1 for all purposes.
Bloody Deity: Ichor Giants are terrifyingly powerful, possess-
ing a minimum Blood Potency of 3. Fire can’t harm Colossi,
but they’re unable to pass through flames. Colossi discorporate
into a sticky pile of blood at the break of dawn, only to rise
again the following sunset with maximum Vitae and Health.
Furthermore, the Strigid Curse applies to these creatures.
Disciplines: Colossi have three Discipline dots for every
point of Blood Potency they possess. They can choose from
the following powers: Animalism, Celerity, Dominate, Protean,
Resilience, and Vigor.
Deathless Legions: For a Willpower, an Ichor Giant can
animate a number of corpses on the battlefield equal to five
times its Blood Potency as an instant action. Treat each corpse
as a two-dot Retainer that specializes in attack and defense.
Immortal Ends: Colossi can’t be killed just through
damage, and they do not fall into torpor unless they wish
to. Complete aggravated damage causes them to disintegrate
into a bloody heap, but they rise again upon the next sunset
as above. Instead, each Colossus has a purpose, and fulfilling
it is the only way to rid an area of its presence. Some Ichor
Giants recruit vampires in an effort to make this purpose
come to pass, while others hide their goal, hoping to prolong
their deathless existence.
Masters of the Battlefield: Each Ichor Giant is bound to a
single location where warriors clashed with each other. The
Colossus knows intuitively where the boundary of its battlefield
lies and cannot cross beyond that threshold. By spending a
Willpower, an Ichor Giant can sense the presence of all living
and dead beings present on their battlefield. Attempts to hide
one’s presence with magic provoke a Clash of Wills.
Story Seeds
• As the Sanctified gain power and the Striges stalk the nights,
several members of Ala Senecta beseech Mars (above) for aid.
The Colossus from Cannae is willing to assist the vampires
with its cult, but they must help it complete its mission in
return — gathering the bones of Marius, the ashes of Sulla,
and the head of Pompey. However, the Cult of Augurs has
received a prophecy that states that an even greater monstros-
ity shall arise if the Colossus gets what it wants…
• Far from the Eternal City, vampires have discovered a Colossus
unlike any other. It appears as a massive, ornate fountain that
serves as a perpetual font of Vitae in the Necropolis. Propinqui
freely imbibe this blood, but those who do are subject to a
potent Vinculum, feeling the Colossus urging them to feast
and drink in the back of their head. While the creature doesn’t
name itself, most assume it is related to Bacchus, although a
few simply call the strange fountain Ambrosia…
• Bound as he is in a single location, the Colossus of Typhon
must be cunning if he wishes to undermine the other Ichor
Giants. He sends minions far and wide to enact his will and
thwart all though who bow before gods. To this end, he has
allied with the Strix to make war upon Rome’s Kindred,
seeing their piety as a human frailty they cling to.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 211
 The Cult of Faces
Do you like him? He looks just like you. I made certain.
AKA: The Waxen, Larvae
Among the wealthy and elite, it’s an honor to have your
living visage preserved in wax so that your face could live on
forever. No patrician household is without a room of death
masks making up a macabre gallery — a testament to the family’s
station and history.
Death masks are only ever worn twice. The first time is atop
the oft still-living flesh of their subject. The second is by an actor
to embody them at the funeral. Ironic that a “lesser” should
wear the face of an esteemed patrician, but the elite understand
even the underclasses have their purposes. Without someone
to embody the dead, how can grief rise to the divine heights
needed to gain the gods’ attention?
The trouble begins when an actor takes their role too seri-
ously. But the Waxen know just how to handle such egos.
It’s not known when the first Waxen mask was made, but
the Cult of Faces credits it to one Appius Pulcher. At a partic-
ularly debauched funeral, he was plied with obscene amounts
of alcohol by friends of the deceased until the libations drove
him into a fit. Only then did he don the death mask, but rather
than perform, he fled the country villa hosting the ceremony
in ecstasy and madness. He awoke hours later in a forest and
discovered, to his horror, that he had cracked the priceless
heirloom in his flight.
The relic was worth nearly a decade of Appius’ wages, but
as he began to panic, he heard a strange buzzing. He followed
the noise and discovered a horrifying sign: a hive, teeming
with thousands of fat honeybees, formed around the hollow
eyes and mouth of a shattered statue. Desperate to repair the
mask, Appius donned it to protect his face and eyes and set
about raiding the nest. Despite his efforts, he suffered dozens
of stings, and as he scooped the beeswax out with his injured
hands, the blood and venom mixed with the wax he used to seal
the damaged mask. Soon, he was unable, or perhaps unwilling,
to remove it, and was astonished to find that when he returned
to the villa the following morning, he was greeted warmly and
treated to breakfast with the departed’s family. To them, the
mask had resurrected their son, and Appius was all too happy
to accept their generosity.
Later, Appius returned to the nest in the woods and acquire
more wax for more masks, and with each creation, his skill
grew greater. Soon, he taught others how to create these pecu-
liar relics with the same simple ingredients: blood and wax.
Although Appius never learned who the hive’s ancient statue
was meant to resemble, he believed the masks were a blessing
from Mellona, goddess of bees, a reward for his gentle care of
the hive. And perhaps it was.
Appius returned to Rome and shared his secrets with other
actors, trusted friends, and lovers who would one day slit his
throat with a broken clay urn and leave his body floating in the
212 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Tiber. From his sacrifice, the Cult of Faces rose — or just the
Waxen — and these players dedicate themselves to accumulating
the power and privilege afforded by their masks.
And the statue? It now dwells in the heart of Rome where
its magic can be more readily accessed…
Three Waxen
Maximian believes the masks can be used for good. Too
many miserable old bastards die in Rome, and few make
amends before they go to Dis Pater, so Maximian tries to clean
up affairs for the worst of Rome. He’s had a lot of success so
far, though he’s often frustrated at how hale and healthy his
targets often are. Too often the bad prosper while the best die
young, so Maximian has had to hurry a few subjects to their
postmortem redemptions.
Could the Waxen steal the visage as high as the Emperor?
Catia Celeris wants to find out. A young member of the cult,
she has an in at the palace, and when the Emperor croaks (not
long now, so they say), she wants to do a little switcheroo. The
kine already speak of Nero redivivus, so why couldn’t one of them
return from the dead?
Marcus Nasidius knows there’s more to this than a broken
old statue. Mellona? Please. A third-rate deity at best. Nasidius
has been retracing Appius’s steps, hoping to learn the true
nature of the statue his cult reveres. Though he doesn’t know it,
his search is bringing him closer and closer to the Necropolis.
This has not gone unnoted by the Kindred — but they’d also
like to know what he might find.
Systems
While wearing one of these masks, a person becomes the
deceased in body and mind. The effect is flawless, and the actor
can pass among the deceased’s friends and family with little
effort. However, the sensation is addictive; wearing the mask
automatically inflicts the Addicted Condition.
Characters wearing a mask use the following systems:
Perfect Doubles: The cult’s masks can only be cast from
the dead. Masks made from still-living subjects have no effect.
When a character dons a mask, they become the person whose
visage they wear. Their appearance, build, voice, and man-
nerisms all alter to match the deceased, and no mundane or
supernatural perceptions can see through the disguise.
Command Performance: While wearing the mask, the
cultist gains the 8-again quality on all actions to convince
others of her identity, and she gains access to any Social Merits
the original had in life. The mask’s innate glamor convinces
onlookers that not only is the Waxen the deceased, but that
the rumors regarding their death must have been a grave
exaggeration.
 Death Tax: If it is not anointed with at least a lethal
damage–worth of blood (or a Vitae), the mask will extract a
price of its own. This inflicts lethal damage on a human and
drains Vitae from a ghoul or vampire. The mask must be fed
an increasing amount of blood each night the wearer keeps
it on, plus one for each sunrise passed (to a limit of five per
night). Once removed, the mask can’t be used again until
about a week passes. If the mask kills its wearer, she rises as
a revenant the next night, permanently transformed into an
exact double of the deceased.
Kindred Spirits: If the mask was crafted from a vampire’s
face, a human wearer gains additional benefits. She may use
Physical Intensity or any of the vampire’s Disciplines, and she
gains Blood Potency 0 for the purposes of Vitae storage and
expenditure. She can drink human and Kindred blood to refill
her pool, but if she’s empty, spending Vitae draws on her own
blood supply, inflicting a lethal damage per point.
Story Seeds
• The Cult of Faces hides a library of masks hidden in
Rome. To keep them in good condition, the building is
Lamiae
Come here, little one.
AKA: Child-Eaters, Empusae, Mormolyce
Lamia was a consort of Zeus, cursed by Hera to become a
monster and devour her own children for her sacrilege. Zeus,
in pity, bestowed Lamia with prophecy and the ability to take
the forms of creatures most pleasing to him. Literally true or
not, the Lamia curse spread all across Greece, transforming
those who murder their children or kill their lovers into
bloodthirsty monsters.
The Greeks give these creatures many names. Those with
snake-like features they call Lamia, those with donkey’s legs
and flaming hair they call Empusae, and those too monstrous
to describe they call Mormolyce. But, in truth, there is only
one curse, no matter what form it takes.
Lamiae are not truly vampires, but living beings cursed to
feed on innocence and youth. Each day, a Lamia loses more of
her Humanity and draws closer to becoming a ravening beast.
By devouring the blood and flesh of others, she can feast on
the youth locked inside their bodies, and deny her fate. A
Lamia’s most succulent meals are young lovers, children, and
her own mortal kin.
After Lamiae feed and restore their Humanity, they’re often
wracked with guilt. Thus, they seek out lovers or companions
to assuage their long, lonely lives. Some even start families,
feasting only enough to keep themselves human. But even-
tually, something goes awry; their Humanity slips away, and
they devour those closest to them in a bloody feast. Again
and again and again and…
also a functioning and popular butcher shop, known for
surprisingly cheap prices. But with so many piles of offal
and trimmings stored close to the masks, some have been
known to go walkabout…
• A relatively levelheaded and humane Propinquus has had an
odd change in personality, hosting lavish parties involving
literal orgies of blood. In truth, he’s been replaced by one of
the Waxen, but the mask is faulty and requires more than
three times the normal amount of blood to sustain itself.
What will the coterie do when they accidentally come across
the Cultist removing his mask? Will they rat him out and
reap the rewards? Or is this imposter a far better ally than
the stodgy original?
• Each mask contains a queen bee larva taken from the sacred
hive. Should a cultist wear a mask long enough, the larva
will burrow into their skull through their eyes or nose and
slowly transform them into a hybrid monstrosity of human
and bee. These creatures would do everything to ensure the
propagation of their species, viewing the darkest parts of
the Necropolis, such as the Fons Ater (p. 76), as the perfect
places to construct hives.
Lamiae have no love for the Propinqui. The conquerors stole
the cities and urban centers of Greece, territories that were
occupied by the Lamiae for centuries. Now, the Child-Eaters
plot and scheme to wrest control of their cities back from the
Roman dead, but their odds aren’t great. As always, it’s a num-
bers game: The Propinqui can Embrace much more quickly and
easily. That said, some Lamiae have attempted to integrate, but
this makes them traitors to their kin, and a strange curiosity
to the Propinqui at best.
Three Child-Eaters
Orithyia haunts a long trading road, waiting for young men
to wander by. She offers to share the night with them, and most
agree. In months of plenty, she drains a little blood and sends
them on their way come morning. But when travelers are sparse,
and the months grow lean and hungry, she devours them whole.
Phaia has given up on trying to be human. She is a monster,
and will not pretend to be otherwise. She drinks from children
in their beds, ones whose parents do not believe tales of mon-
sters lurking in the dark.
Ismene has fallen in love with a Bourkolakas (p. 186). They
live in the wilds beyond Corinth, preying upon its people
and trying to find some peace and happiness. But as Ismene
gluts herself to maintain her love and compassion for her new
husband, he falls farther away from Humanity as the slaughter
increases. Ismene so deeply wants their love to endure — espe-
cially now that she is, somehow, pregnant with his child.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 213
 Systems
Lamiae function like Kindred except in the following ways:
Warm Bodies: Lamiae do not age, but they are alive. They
breathe, sleep, and bleed as mortals do, needing no blush of
life. They can eat food, though it doesn’t nourish them; they
don’t feel the pull of the daysleep; and they don’t undergo
the Cleansing each night.
Vulnerabilities: Lamiae are immune to disease but vul-
nerable to poison. They suffer damage and heal like mortals,
though they don’t pass out from damage in their final Health
boxes. Finally, the sun is harmless to Lamiae, though fire
is still a bane.
Degeneration: Once per night, a Lamia must take at least
one Vitae from a child, adolescent, or members of her own
mortal family (within two generations). If she fails to meet
this requirement, every time the sun sets, her player rolls
Humanity: On a failure, she gains a cumulative –1 modifier
to that trait. This does not actually lower her Humanity
rating, but she treats it as though it were lower in every
meaningful way. These penalties are instantly removed if
she feeds from one of these favored vessels. Otherwise, if
they would lower the creature’s effective Humanity to zero,
she falls to hunger frenzy until she can drain an appropriate
victim. She can feed on other victims to gain Vitae, but this
doesn’t alleviate her curse.
Progeny: Lamiae can only Embrace murderesses (cis or
trans), specifically those who’ve killed their own children,
lovers, or spouses. All other attempts to Embrace fail. They can
also bear human children, but this is rare, and they often pos-
sess supernatural Merits and are born under strange omens.
Disciplines: Lamiae treat Auspex, Majesty, Obfuscate, and
Vigor as in-clan Disciplines. They can learn Animalism and
Resilience, but they cannot learn other unique clan powers.
They also can’t learn the Veneficium or Fenestrae, but they
can learn Crúac.
Thin Blood: A Lamia’s Blood Potency cannot exceed five
dots, and they cannot commit diablerie.
Monstrosity: Lamiae inherently have access to the
Predatory Aspect power of Protean. However, their adap-
tations are always active unless they spend Vitae equal to
Blood Potency to suppress them for the night as an instant
action, and they cannot be swapped. Reverting to the default
monstrous form only takes a reflexive action at no cost.
Shapeshifter: A Lamia may spend a Vitae as an instant
action to take on the form of a human or predatory animal
she’s killed. When a Lamia assumes an alternate human form,
her monstrous adaptations are suppressed, she cannot feed,
and she gains the Striking Looks Merit if her victim possessed
it. This transformation lasts until sunset unless she spends
another Vitae to revert to her monstrous form. A Lamia can
keep a number of forms equal to her Presence dots. Whenever
a Lamia kills a human or predatory animal, she may choose to
gain them as a new form and forget one of their old ones. As
above, a Lamia may assume her true form as a reflexive action.

214 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 New Adaptations
Lamiae and creatures with Protean have access to the fol-
lowing adaptations.
Snake Tail (Predatory Aspect): The vampire’s legs collapse
into a monstrous serpent tail. Her Speed increases by 2, and
in a grapple, she can choose to inflict two additional bashing
damage to a victim as she squeezes the life out of him, even if
she doesn’t win the contested roll. This damage applies each
turn the grapple continues. This tail is mostly for movement
and crushing, but the vampire can use the Prehensile Tail
adaptation to make it more dexterous.
Snake-Person (Unnatural Aspect): The vampire becomes a
true hybrid between human and snake. She gains a level of Size,
and her constriction now deals lethal damage, even to vampires.
She must have the Snake Tail adaptation active to use this one.
New Merit
The Lamiae are sometimes called Mormolyceae, though the
two words aren’t quite synonymous. These creatures are far more
physically monstrous than other Child-Eaters, and many Lamiae
fear transforming into them as depravity takes hold.
Mormolyce (••)
Prerequisite: Lamiae
Effect: Your character gains one adaptation from Unnatural
Aspect. As above, it’s always manifested unless suppressed. If
Plani
How could you?
AKA: Lures
All Kindred are murderers. No matter how hard they try,
mistakes are made, the Beast slips free, and hard choices force
their hands. Eventually, most vampires grow to accept this;
others stop caring altogether. But each Propinquus has a few
deaths they can’t forget. People they didn’t want to kill, people
they regret having to end, murders they got away with but, in
their secret hearts, they feel they should have paid a price for.
The Plani are that price.
A rare phenomenon, the Plani are only found in the
Necropolis, usually in its deepest depths. Called “Lures” by
those who know of them, their true form, if they have one,
is a mystery. They appear to all who observe them as a victim
of the vampire they’ve chosen to stalk. This victim is always
someone the vampire murdered who still has a powerful
emotional resonance for them, usually sorrow or grief, but
any strong emotion will do, such as the deep satisfaction of
watching the light go out of a hated enemy’s eyes. To the
Propinquus being targeted by the Planus, this disguise is per-
fect — the creature looks, acts, and speaks just like its victim.
To onlookers, there’s one small but disturbing flaw: where
the adaptation would add Protean dots to a dice pool or another
value, substitute Stamina. If a Lamia character gains this Merit
in play rather than at character creation, she may exchange one
of her Predatory Aspects for another.
Drawback: The Vitae cost of maintaining a human form is
increased by Blood Potency divided by two (rounding down).
Story Seeds
• An elder’s favorite ghoul starts acting strangely. Her speech pat-
terns, her movement — everything about her seems… off. More
confident, more self-possessed. For some reason, this doesn’t
worry her regnant. In fact, he finds himself more enchanted
by her each day. It isn’t until the catches her feeding on his
still-mortal children that he realizes she isn’t a ghoul anymore.
• In a small town in Macedon, a powerful Lamia named
Sebasteia has allied with some lesser Child-Eaters to slaughter
any Propinquus who sets foot in their territory. Together, they
wage a guerrilla campaign against the Roman dead and have
set the Camarilla’s interests back years. Someone had better
put these monsters down. Soon.
• It’s said the oldest and most powerful Lamiae can pluck out
their eyes to speak to the gods, who grant the Child-Eaters
oracular visions far beyond the scope of Kindred second
sight or the Veneficium. Some desperate fools actually seek
out these ancient monsters and beg for glimpses into their
futures. But who knows if such tales are true, or if it’s just
another lie to lure victims to the Lamiae’s jaws.
the Lure’s eyes should be are instead two coins pressed into
the blank flesh behind them.
Most Kindred haven’t even heard of the Plani, which makes
their work that much easier. When confronted by the image of
someone they last saw dead in their arms, most vampires are
going to want to know more, and the Lures are happy to talk,
so long as the vampire keeps following them ever-downward.
Three Lures
Hooks of Grief stalks young Kindred, those who still experi-
ence the bite of shame and sorrow when they feel a vessel’s heart
stop. It appears sympathetic and understanding to its intended
victims, telling them it forgives them, and that everything can
be made right if they just follow it for a little longer…
Confront Pain chooses Propinqui who try to erase their
crimes, building up walls of denial and refusing to think about
their victim. This Lure is, unsurprisingly, very confrontational,
demanding that the vampire acknowledges their crime before
others. It tells them it will only let them rest once they’ve done
it a service, down in the dark tunnels.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 215
 Kill You Twice appears as a person its victim is glad to have
killed, whose death is a source of relief and even strength. It
taunts its chosen Kindred, telling them they’ll never be rid of
it and insulting previous attempts to kill it. This Planus goads
its victims into chasing it down, keeping them angry so they
never notice how deep they’ve gone.
Systems
Plani are created as per mortal characters, except as outlined
below, and they should mimic the abilities of the person they
are imitating as closely as possible. They have Potency equal to
the Blood Potency of the vampire they are stalking.
Bound to the Dark: Plani cannot leave the Necropolis, and
they are only active at night, vanishing into the shadows when
the sun rises.
Debt Paid: The only way to stop a Planus is to either kill it
with its bane or by reducing or altering the emotional resonance
its victim has to the person it’s imitating. The Lure’s victim
can do this by coming to terms with their actions, sincerely
seeking to make amends for the crime, or growing even more
callous so that their past actions no longer trouble them. If a
Planus is haunting a player character, she should work with the
Storyteller to devise a course of action significant enough to
release her from its attention. Of course, Lures cannot pursue
their quarry outside the Necropolis, so a victim who’s willing
to never set foot in the most important sociopolitical hub in
the Camarilla can continue to pretend there’s nothing wrong…
Dread Powers: Hunter’s Senses, with their victim as its focus;
Surprise Entrance, which they manifest by coming around blind
corners; and Immortal, with a bane of the physical remains of the
person they are imitating (see Chronicles of Darkness, p. 144).
From Beneath: When a Lure enters the Necropolis for the
first time, it leaves behind a large, unnatural opening in the
rock, like an open wound in the tunnels. If the creature forces
or convinces its victim to follow it inside, the opening closes,
and both are lost to whatever fate lies within.
I Know What You Did: When a Planus manifests in the
Necropolis, it does so having already selected its victim, which
can be any vampire within the Undercity who took a breaking
point for killing in the past lunar year.
Reflections
What a waste you are.
AKA: Kas, Lemures
The Mekhet did not always Embrace as the Kindred. Egyptian
Seers prepared their childer in a profane rite, desecrating a
victim’s grave or resting place and then performing a posthu-
mous Embrace, cleaving the body from the ka, the vital essence
of the soul. The people of Kemet believed one could not die
without the ka first leaving the body, and this essence was so
important that the living would often feed it, making special
216 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Near-Perfect Disguise: Plani appear as physical copies of the
murder victims they’re imitating, save for the coins where their
eyes should be, but this flaw can only be seen by characters other
than the creature’s intended target. Lures have all the memories
of those they imitate and are capable of mirroring their personali-
ties and mannerisms perfectly. They possess the same Attributes,
Skills, and Merits (save for those that rely on other people, such
as Contacts or Retainer), but their Resolve, Composure, and
Subterfuge scores are all 5. Lures do not require food, water, or
sleep, and they do not age. The victim of a Planus needs to make a
successful Wits + Empathy roll to spot some flaw in the creature’s
performance, contested by the Lure’s Composure + Subterfuge.
Void of Thought: Lures are immune to Auspex, Dominate,
Majesty, Nightmare, Obfuscate, and Devotions derived from
those Disciplines.
Story Seeds
• The Assembly is set to discuss an issue important to the
coterie, but their key ally in the Senex refuses to enter the
Necropolis. When the characters confront him, he claims
he’s being punished by the gods for his sins. In truth, he’s
being stalked by a Planus that’s tormenting him whenever
he enters the Undercity. The characters need to resolve this
problem before the debate, but it will mean digging into areas
of their ally’s past he would prefer remain buried.
• One of the characters is the victim of a Planus, but while
she feels a rush of grief and regret whenever the creature
appears, she can’t remember who the Lure is imitating. The
first challenge, of course, will be for the characters to figure
out what they’re dealing with. After that, how do they help
the Lure’s victim come to terms with a murder she doesn’t
remember committing?
• A few nights ago, there was an earthquake deep in the
Necropolis, and now there are Plani everywhere. Where once
Lures were rare, now it seems every third Propinquus has one
haunting her, and the All Night Society is breaking down
in short order. As one of the few groups spared from this
torment, the characters have been tasked with descending
into the broken depths of the Undercity to find a solution
for this plague of guilt.
offerings of food to the dead so it would not starve. In turn,
the Mekhet believed they could not Embrace without removing
this force from a childe’s corpse, or else their curse would find
no purchase.
They were right, in a sense, though whether the thing that
spawns from the Mekhet Embrace is truly the ka is debatable.
These creatures are the double of their vampires in every way,
albeit more desiccated and feral. Like ghosts, they exist mostly in a
state of Twilight, but they’re far more pathetic than the ephemeral
dead. A Ka can only occupy reflective surfaces, like glass or pools
of water, and for this, they despise their vampire counterparts,
envying every moment they cavort among the living.
This creature haunts its Mekhet, making her Requiem
miserable whenever it can. It pretends to be the vampire,
whispering lies in friends’ ears and secrets to enemies, or
murdering prey and feasting on the flesh, leaving evidence
that the Seer was responsible. More than anything, however,
the Ka wants to merge with its vampire, taking back the “life”
it believes the Mekhet stole. As such, a Reflection will never
do anything to put its vampire in mortal danger, though as the
Seer loses Humanity, the creature will grow more unhinged
and hostile. Yet the Ka can never truly hate its vampire; it
can resent her and envy her, but in its own, twisted way, it
only cares about her.
While the Hollow Mekhet are most common among Egyptian
Seers, native Roman Mekhet have their own name for these
monsters: Lemures. In this view, the Reflection is an echo of
the vampire’s sins in life, her lack of honor and pietas, and it
returns to torment her for the final insult of becoming a walking
corpse rather than one of the honored dead.
Systems
Reflections use the following systems.
Traits
The Ka draws power from its Mekhet’s inhumanity. Reflections
of humane Seers are barely wisps in the night, whereas those of
the most monstrous are almost as solid as they are.
A Reflection has three traits based on a number equal to
11 – Humanity: its average, best, and worst dice pools.
• Its average dice pool is the unmodified sum. Whenever a Ka
takes an action unrelated to the best and worst pools, roll its
average pool unless otherwise specified.
• Its worst dice pool is half its average, rounding up, and it
relates to any action that falls under the purview of the
vampire’s mortal Virtue.
• Its best dice pool is double its average pool and is used for
any action that falls under the purview of the vampire’s
mortal Vice.
The Storyteller should interpret these purviews broadly;
if it feels like an action could apply to the Vice/Virtue, it
does. Think of these more like bans and influences rather
than aptitudes.
The Ka’s Health, Defense, Speed, Initiative, and Size are the
same as the Mekhet’s, including trait boosts from Merits but
not from Disciplines
Willpower
The Ka has a Willpower pool equal to its worst dice pool
plus Potency. It replenishes a Willpower per chapter, or it can
feed (see below).
Supernatural Tolerance
The Ka has a Potency trait equal to its vampire’s Blood
Potency. It can spend a number of Willpower points per action
equal to this trait.
Injury
Kas take damage like vampires, downgrading lethal to bash-
ing and aggravated to lethal. However, a Reflection does not
fall into torpor unless its Seer does, and it cannot be killed.
Only the Final Death of a Hollow Mekhet can destroy her
Ka. Instead, if the Reflection suffers full aggravated damage,
it disappears, reviving in Twilight near the vampire’s location
(Humanity) nights later, fully healed. Otherwise, it heals like
a vampire, spending Willpower instead of Vitae.
Dread Powers
All Kas have Dread Powers equal to half the vampire’s total
Discipline dots, rounding up; if a Dread Power is rated with
dots, one Discipline level is equivalent. Furthermore, the Ka
always has access to the vampire’s Auspex powers, spending
Willpower in place of Vitae and rolling its best dice pool to
use effects.
Manifestation
The Ka is a Twilight being, similar to a ghost but not quite
on the same plane of existence as ephemera. Normally, it
can only physically occupy reflective surfaces such as water
and glass (or electronic devices like phones and computers
in modern nights), and it exists in a hazy, reversed world
where it cannot interact with the living or the dead. It can
move around different surfaces in odd, stuttering ways, but
it can only use its powers on things it can see. It can spend a
Willpower to manifest in the material world for a scene, but
only within these confines.
Range
The Ka can exist in sunlight and does not need to sleep, but
it can only move (Potency × 2) kilometers away from its vampire
whilst in Twilight. It can spend a Willpower to return to the
Seer as a reflexive action no matter how far away it is.
Possession and Materialization
If a Hollow fails a breaking point, her player can accept a Beat
to have the Ka materialize in the real world outside its usual
confines for the rest of the chapter (or the next, if appropriate),
and if she dramatically fails, she can allow the Reflection to
possess her character for (10 – Humanity) scenes or the rest of
the night, whichever comes first. The player gains this Beat
even if her character’s bane normally prevents that.
While materialized, the Ka does not appear in reflective sur-
faces, but its voice does have an echo, and it can communicate
over phones and other electronics.
While possessing its vampire, the Ka uses her traits and has
access to all her powers, though if it suffers any of her banes
in that time, it will be forced back into Twilight.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 217
 Feeding
A materialized Ka can feed on rotten carrion and stagnant
water to refresh its Willpower pool, one point for each level of
Size consumed. If it eats dead human flesh in any amount, it
regains all spent Willpower.
Becoming Hollow
Creating a Hollow Mekhet follows the rules of the post-mor-
tem Embrace (Vampire, p. 93), but the sire must defile the
victim’s grave or resting place. Some Seers use Egyptian
funerary magic, while others just vandalize the site. Once that
condition is met, the system resolves as usual. The Storyteller
might even add a bonus to Blood Potency if the desecration
was especially thorough. If the post-mortem Embrace succeeds,
the new vampire is Hollow. Furthermore, any Seer who hasn’t
gained her clan bane can become Hollow. To do so, she must
taste the blood of a Hollow Mekhet and voluntarily shed a dot
of Humanity before the end of the scene. This grants a Beat
and inflicts the Haunted Curse rather than the Tenebrous. If
she tastes Hollow blood and rejects this choice, she can never
become Hollow, short of blood sorcery or other foul magics.
Dread Powers
In addition to the powers listed below, Kas can learn the
Dread Powers starting on p. 144 of Chronicles of Darkness as
well as those starting on p. 199 of this book (at the Storyteller’s
discretion). If a Dread power calls for a roll, use the creature’s
218 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
average dice pool. All Reflections have the Spite Dread Power
inherently, in addition to those they gain over time.
A Ka can’t learn Fire Elemental or Immortal. Furthermore, it
can’t take Firestarter if it takes the Numen Dread Power.
MATERIALIZE
A rare Dread Power for Kas, with this ability, the ghost can
step out of its mirror world to hunt and harass its vampire, just
as it would if the Mekhet’s player had chosen to summon it after
a breaking point. The Storyteller must spend three Willpower
and make an activation roll; the effect lasts a scene per success.
SELECTIVE REVELATION
When the Ka manifests in the physical world, it can choose
to be selective, appearing only to those it wishes. Short of
supernatural powers, it cannot be seen through any means.
However, it can never hide from its Mekhet.
SNATCH
If the Ka manifests in a reflective surface, it can reach out
and grab a victim within its arm span, dragging him into the
mirror. This costs two Willpower. If it succeeds on the activa-
 Ages Pass: Modern Hollow
The Ka of this era is slightly different from those
of modern nights. It’s possible Hollow Mekhet still
weren’t quite Kindred in the time of the Camarilla,
with their rejected souls manifesting as hungry
beasts reminiscent of Egyptian legend rather than
true ghosts. That said, you aren’t required to use the
Haunted Curse as it appears here. The ephemeral
being–based systems in Thousand Years of Night
works fine in Requiem for Rome chronicles, just as
well as the ones here work in a modern story.
If you want to use the Spectral Communion Merit
(Thousand Years, p. 85) with this system, the Ka
uses its best dice pool to contest the effect. If the
player takes the Imprisoned Echo Condition (p. 136),
substitute the ghost’s worst dice pool for Rank in
both instances.
tion roll versus the victim’s Stamina + Blood Potency, it pulls
him inside for the rest of the scene. Being in the mirror world
is similar to being in a Twilight state, a faded reflection of
whatever the surface is facing. The victim can’t communicate
with others while trapped, and bystanders won’t see him. The
Ka is capable of attacking or talking to its victim (and vice
versa), and if it spends an additional Willpower, it can take
him to mirror worlds at other locations. If the ghost kills him,
his body will fade back into the real world in the same place it
falls in the reflection.
The Sabine Order
For all its supposed piety, murderers and thugs founded Rome.
And what’s a few vampires on top of all that?
AKA: Quaestors
After the Sabines and the Romans went to war, there was
peace for five years while Titus Tatius ruled alongside Romulus
as co-regent. According to the Sabine Order, they formed after
Romulus refused to lift a finger in avenging Tatius’s murder,
vowing to never forget the Romans’ treacherous and foul
nature. They would watch for the duplicity, backstabbing, and
betrayal Rome was known for to ensure the Sabines wouldn’t
be caught off-guard again. Their investigations led them deeper
into the darkness until they discovered the Kindred. They saw
the supernatural as a physical manifestation of Rome’s corrupt
origins and pledged to eradicate the dead plague while forcing
the city’s mortal population to live up to its virtuous ideals.
They murdered a childe of Senex, stole themselves out of the
Necropolis, and began their never-ending war.
Or that’s how the story goes. Tonight, the Sabine Order of
hunters is primarily made of politicians and historians, who
wield the earliest Roman traditions and legends as legionaries
wield a gladius. Few of its high-ranking members believe their
compact’s founding legend is literal truth, as little evidence
SPITE
Once per chapter, the Ka can impose its average dice pool
as a penalty to its Mekhet’s actions or as a bonus to someone
in direct opposition to her. However, if it does so, the vampire
gains a Beat, regardless of her bane.
Story Seeds
• When a Hollow meets Final Death, most Reflections expire
as well. Most. A strange creature has been haunting a recently
unearthed section of the Necropolis, a shallow pool of stagnant
water that drains deep into the earth. It leaves fetid carrion and
sometimes even human corpses, and dead authorities suspect
a draugr. The Seers know better. But if this creature lingered
even after its counterpart’s death, can it be killed?
• The coterie encounters a strange Seer whose haven is filled
wall-to-wall with mirrors. She says she has come to an accord
with her restless spirit, creating a liminal world for her and
her Reflection to occupy together using a strange blood
magic foreign to Rome. However, she requires a sacrifice to
complete the rite: another Hollow Mekhet.
• Can a Strix possess a Ka? In the modern nights, no. But in
Rome, the Ka is a far more solid being, somewhere between
a revenant and a specter. Perhaps one of the Nemeses could
take control of such a creature. Striges are not quite ephemeral
beings themselves, so perhaps they’re on the same wavelength…
backs it up. Furthermore, the Sabini ceased to exist as an
independent tribe centuries ago; now, there are only Romans.
But the story’s emotional core resonates so profoundly with
the compact that they care little for its historicity. Instead, they
truly believe in the Roman cause, fighting against vampires
and human degeneracy with equal fervor. They hope it will be
enough for the Eternal City to overcome its debased origins.
These Quaestors (“investigators”) rarely confront Kindred
head-on, at least initially. Instead, they see the mortal and
supernatural worlds as intimately connected and use this to
track down their prey. The Sabine Order reaches out to sus-
pected ghouls, Touchstones, and members of a vampire’s herd
long before they confront the Propinquus. By helping those
touched by darkness, they hope to set them on a better path,
far from the thirsting fangs in shadowed alleys. In doing so,
they gain invaluable information they can corroborate with
Rome’s history and legends. When they go for the kill, they
aim to infiltrate the vampire’s mortal connections, presenting
themselves as prospective ghouls or childer before dragging
their target into the sun. It’s a dangerous tactic, but they know
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 219
 if they end up Embraced, their allies will hunt them down
quickly to free them from the festering curse of vampirism.
Three Quaestors
Antonia Quintilla isn’t a soldier, scholar, or public servant,
but a homebody. She’s well respected and participates in all the
required public rituals, but if you asked anyone, they’d say she
isn’t remarkable, to which she would likely agree. Antonia fell
in with a vampire’s herd before she was married, but the Sabine
Order got her out. Since then, she’s been a loyal foot soldier,
although there are still nights she dreams of the Kiss, and it
disturbs her.
Cornelius wasn’t just born a patrician — he was born a ghoul.
His family’s regnant was present for his birth, as she had been
for every child and adoption over the last six generations.
Unfortunately, Cornelius always chaffed under the family’s
traditions, so when the Quaestors approached him, he was
more than willing to become a mole. Now he watches, noting
everything and passing it on to cells around the city.
Numa isn’t his real name, but the second King of Rome’s
serves him well, given his importance to Roman religion.
Numa’s first brush with the supernatural wasn’t with the
Kindred, but with a Waxen cultist (p. 212) impersonating
his dead father. He investigates the myths and legends of the
Latin countryside for clues on how to hunt monsters, and he’s
convinced the secret to defeating vampires lies in the myths of
Romulus and Remus. He’ll stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
Systems
The Sabine Order is a hunter compact as described in
Hunter: The Vigil, mortal men and women unwilling to
become part of an undead predator’s herd. As they advance
Tullians
I embrace the flames you fear. It is my destiny, and your doom.
AKA: The Fire-Marked
Tullians are mortals, ghouls, and dhampirs marked by the
gods for greatness with fire upon their brow, but the same
flames that proclaim their destinies make them a constant
threat to vampires.
The sixth king of Rome, Servius Tullius, was born a slave
but was adopted by Tarquin the Elder when flames wreathed
his head as a child. Vampires know Tullius was not the first to
bear such an omen from the gods, but he is the most famous,
so the Fire-Marked bear his name.
Collectively, the Camarilla isn’t sure what to think of the
Tullians. Encountering them isn’t a nightly occurrence, but
most Kindred have heard of them. Many vampires, understand-
ably, regard them as a threat for their ability to conjure flame
and provoke frenzy, and as such, there’s always a handful of
elders who insist the Tullians must be exterminated for the
220 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
their Status in the compact, they gain the following additional
benefits:
• You’ve studied Rome’s history, leveraging your knowl-
edge to bring down the dead who won’t die. Gain an
Academics or Politics specialty to reflect your under-
standing of Roman history and customs.
••• You’ve fought the dead long enough that their magic
no longer lies to you. Gain the Clear-Sighted Merit.
••••• You know the Kindred’s networks as well as they do,
gaining an in with those the vampires overlook. Gain
three dots in Allies and/or Contacts to represent your
connections to ghouls and vampire herds.
Story Seeds
• When a Senex elder’s still-living children disappear while
he’s in torpor, he insists his rival is to blame. The accused
professes their innocence, and indeed, they’re telling the
truth. The Sabine Order helped the mortals escape and
hopes the Kindred will turn on each other as they seek
someone to blame.
• A sword has been found — a holy relic Mars himself
bequeathed Romulus and Remus. It weeps Vitae and would
bring prestige to any vampire holding it, but it currently
belongs to the Sabine Order. The hunters study it to uncover
the secrets of Kindred history and plan on turning the blade
against any Nefastus who tries to take it back.
• A new censor has been elected to office, and suddenly, mortal
allies of many Kindred are being targeted for political exclu-
sion. No one believes it to be a coincidence. Now the coterie
must determine if the censor is a Sabine or if the hunters are
manipulating him instead.
good of Sodalitas Pernox. Still, few are willing to go to such
extremes, fearful of angering the gods who bestowed the fiery
blessing upon them. Some vampires even consider having a
Tullian ghoul or dhampir child a sign of prestige and pietas.
At a bare minimum, rival dead think twice before bringing
violence to such a vampire’s doorstep.
The Fire-Marked are just as divided in their opinion of vam-
pires, if not more so. There’s no overarching society to unite
the Tullians; they are Romans first and foremost, each shaped
by their beliefs and roles within society. Many aren’t even
aware of the supernatural world beyond their own personal
omens before a vampire or some other monster shows up on
their doorstep, demanding allegiance or fealty. Being destined
for greatness, the Fire-Marked tend to end up in leadership
positions of some sort, although, like Tullius, many of them
come from humble origins.
 Three Fire-Marked
When Lupilla isn’t haunting the Capitoline Hill, she’s
wandering the countryside up and down the Tiber. She has
an eerie affinity for wolves, and while she isn’t a ghoul, many
vampires still wonder if she’s mastered the Beast’s Words.
Lupilla claims her animalistic talents and the flames upon
her brow are not the gifts of some god, but of the She-Wolf
who raised Romulus and Remus. She also warns anyone who
listens that the She-Wolf sees what’s happening in Rome,
and if the people do not change their ways, she will return to
cleanse the city with tooth and flame.
Hostus would rather stay far, far away from vampires, but fate
keeps conspiring to put this Tullian astrologer on a collision
course with the dead. Hostus has a secret, the proverbial loaded
dice hidden within his robes for the next time the vile corpses try
to shake him down. He’s interpreted the desires of the city’s lares
many times, and now, one of these guardian deities has reached
out to him. It promises vengeance and freedom in exchange for
utter obedience, which Hostus gladly gave before the small god’s
smoky form and yellow eyes melted into the night.
Lucida is the alias of a Tullian dhampir (Half-Damned,
p. 12) who hunts Kindred she deems corrupt and unworthy.
For those who meet her prices, she’s also willing to serve as
a private assassin, striking down Propinqui of their choice.
The financial compensation she requires is steep, but the true
cost is a single task from her client. While they seem simple
at first, they inevitably require the vampire to swallow their
pride and debase themself in some way, often with political
or religious consequences.
Systems
Tullians possess one or more of the following Merits. At the
Storyteller’s discretion, other creatures, such as Wolf-Blooded
and Proximi, may take these Merits as well. All Fire-Marked
begin play with a dot of Tullian Corona.
Tullian Corona (• to •••••)
Prerequisite: Not a vampire
Effect: Once per chapter per dot, you may declare your charac-
ter’s actions in the present scene are part of his destiny. He gains
the Informed or Inspired Conditions, and his head becomes
wreathed in flames that cast light but not heat. While these
illusions can’t harm vampires, they still trigger frenzy as if they
were true fire. The flames disappear at the scene’s end, at which
point, the Condition fades without resolving if it went unused.
Drawback: Once per story, your character must consume
the raw flesh of a fresh sacrifice. If not, he loses the benefits of
this Merit until he next feeds.
Burning Brand (••)
Prerequisite: Tullian Corona ••
Effect: While your character’s Tullian Corona is active,
their touch burns vampires as if it were a bonfire that causes
second-degree burns.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 221
 Boiling Blood (• or •••)
Prerequisite: Tullian Corona •••
Effect: Your character’s blood burns vampires. The dead
can still extract Vitae from her, but for every lethal damage
they inflict, they take damage as if exposed to a torch that
causes first-degree burns.
At one dot, this effect only occurs when the Tullian’s
Corona is active; at three dots, it’s permanent, though your
character can suppress this effect for a scene by spending a
Willpower point.
Solar Blessing (••)
Prerequisite: Tullian Corona ••
Effect: When your character deceives, persuades, or oth-
erwise emotionally manipulates a vampire, she achieves an
exceptional success on three successes instead of five.
Drawback: A failure on this action becomes a dramatic failure.
Vitae Angels
Accept your fear. Then, accept God’s might.
AKA: Caelestes
A winged skeleton, dripping viscera through pure white
robes. A giant bloodshot eye orbited by burning, floating tallow.
A severed head with flowing locks, sprouting nine wings each
trailing drops of blood in its wake.
To the Lancea et Sanctum, these are not monsters but God’s
divine messengers calling the faithful to overthrow the corrupt
and rotting pagans.
The Vitae Angels are ancient horrors, far predating
Christianity, but it wasn’t until the time of Longinus and the
Monachus that Sodalitas Pernox took them seriously. Before
the Christ, the Propinqui largely disregarded them, convinced
as the dead were of their cultural and religious superiority. As
the Lancea et Sanctum and Theban Sorcery spread across the
Empire, however, opinions of the Caelestes changed, casting
them instead as heavenly messengers. Regardless of when it
happens, meeting a Caelestis is a miracle in itself, and many
Sanctified would kill for the opportunity.
That said, the Vitae Angels don’t give the Witnesses uncon-
ditional support or aid. To other wings, they seem mercurial,
sometimes supporting ardent Roman traditionalists, some-
times aiding Longinian malcontents. To the Witnesses, this
is part of God’s ineffable plan, either a test of faith or a sign
of divine omnipotence.
Three Caelestes
Malice is the angel of shadows. Darkness, confusion, and
deception are his domains, which he uses to cloud minds and
sow despair in the Lord’s enemies. Lacking a physical body,
he’s just a shade, and could be lurking in any dark corner. The
222 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Story Seeds
• A body of Tullians has gathered in Rome intent on freeing
their kind from the subjugation they’ve suffered under the
Camarilla. Sodalitas Pernox is divided. Should they extend the
Tullians rights as equals to head off the brewing conflict — or
should they raze them to the ground as Scipio razed Carthage?
• Competition among the living is fierce for influence over this
year’s quaestors. One of these officials is a Tullian, unaware
vampires lurk in the city’s shadows. If the coterie can become
his patrons without getting their faces burned off, they’ll have
a mortal pawn destined for great things.
• A prominent Tullian ghoul is found dead in the Forum at
nightfall, and the authorities suspect foul play. The coterie
is tasked with solving the murder, but the deeper they dig,
the more it feels like a setup. Everyone — even the Tullian’s
regnant — is a suspect, and the investigators will have to tread
carefully if they want to avoid seeing the next sunrise.
Sanctified believe when you pass through a dark alleyway and
feel eyes on the back of your neck, Malice is judging you and
your hunger.
Abraxas, Ruler of 365 Heavens, is among the most well-known
and feared Vitae Angels. While their torso is that of a beautiful
human, they are borne on midnight wings, and two massive
serpents take the place of their legs. Abraxas is draped in pelts
and amulets of all kinds, which offer protection from various
ills if bestowed upon mortals or vampires — supposedly even
protecting against fire and sunlight. Abraxas’ wrath, however,
is ferocious, and those who fail to meet their high standards are
immolated on the spot.
Complete and utter frenzy is the calling card of Crimson
Tide. Those who encounter this angel and survive to tell
the tale say it looks like a skeleton drenched in gore, except
a single, massive bloodshot eyeball, crowned in laurels of
flame, floats where the skull should be. The mere presence
of Crimson Tide triggers every nearby vampire’s fight-or-flight
response, driving most into a murderous panic. Those who
can clamp down on their instincts can receive the angel’s
blessing, and Sanctified eager to prove their worth are prone
to summoning it, despite the risks.
Systems
It’s debatable whether the Vitae Angels are living, dead,
or undead, but they use the same rules as vampires with the
following modifications:
Dark Miracle: Spend two Willpower points and roll the
Angel’s Presence + Blood Potency, contested by Stamina +
Blood Potency. On a success, the victim suffers a point of aggra-
vated damage. If the victim dies as a result, they’re rendered
down into pure Vitae equal to their Health dots. This blood
then flows into the Angel’s Vitae pool, (Blood Potency) points
per turn. The Angel can also choose to distribute the Vitae to
any number of individuals present in the scene.
Divine Grace: Vitae Angels do not fall into torpor and
cannot feed on the living or dead to regain Vitae. They do
not track Humanity and are unaffected by the banes of fire
and sunlight.
Fear Itself: Whenever a character gains or resolves a
Condition related to fear in the Angel’s presence, the Angel
regains a Vitae. Furthermore, regardless of the Angel’s Blood
Potency, vampires must always spend a point of Willpower to
fight against a Caelestis’ Predatory Aura.
Petitioner’s Call: A Vitae Angel can sense anywhere its
name is written or spoken as if it were present in the scene.
By spending 5 Vitae, the angel can appear at that location as
an instant action.
Theban Master: Each Caelestis possesses Theban Sorcery
dots equal to one-half its Blood Potency, rounded up.
Additionally, each knows a minimum number of rituals equal
to twice their Blood Potency, although they are capable of
learning more.
Story Seeds
• A Vermilion Angel is found dead in the Necropolis. Already,
scarlet anemones blossom where its blood fell, while small
rodents, reptiles, and insects spontaneously arise from its
decaying flesh. Though the Caelestis’s body is rapidly disin-
tegrating, it’s obvious someone fed from it. Who would be
willing to murder one of God’s messengers, and how will
their angelic feast transform them?
• The Caelestes are at war with each other. No Propinquus has
seen an angel fight, but they send their catspaws to murder
one another and stoke conflict in general. The Sanctified try
to understand what lies at the heart of this conflict, while
the Senex just want it to end before it tears the All Night
Society apart. Has one of the angels rebelled against God’s
grace, or is this conflict itself a divine plan?
• Kindred all across the empire, pagan and Sanctified alike,
are plagued by visions of angels calling themselves Amoniel
and Vahishtael. In these prophecies, the angels warn that the
time to repent has come, for the darkness of night is drawing
near. While most worshippers of the old gods dismiss this as
some type of Sanctified trickery, a growing movement aims
to seek out the two angels to get to the truth of the matter.
CHAPTER FIVE: MORTUI IMPII 223
 Interlude VI
ome burns. The Camarilla is dead.
R Barbarians, mortal and Kindred alike, flood
the streets above and the tunnels below.
They pillage, rape, and diablerize, all with the impu-
nity that comes with might. I’m reminded of an old
military saying: vae victis.
victis. That phrase has never felt
so alive as it does right now.
Nearby, a horse rides through the street, its dead
rider peppered with arrows. The horse’s shoulder
strikes a woman sheltering a screaming babe. A hol-
low, wet noise follows, and she falls to the ground.
I can no longer hear the child.
In the alley between two flaming insulae, a trio
of Virgatores battle a dozen long-toothed war-
riors, our little lie forgotten. I watch as a barbar-
ian woman hurls a weighted net stolen from the
fish market — an eel net! — and binds two of the
soldiers, pulling them into the swords and axes of
her comrades.
I could try to rescue them, but I am known for
my social acumen, not for my battle prowess, and
I would be torn apart before I could even delay
their deaths.
Rome is finished, and I must be finished with it.
I hurry to the docks, a tickle in my blood drawing
me to it like iron filings to a lodestone. No sane
Propinquus would seek safety in the Necropolis
tonight. Above ground, the city’s walls and gates are
breached. There’s only one way to escape the doom
that’s befallen Rome: the sea.
I quicken my already hurried pace, pulling
the shadows around me and hoping none of the
invaders possess greater sight to see me. However,
as hordes of Vandals surge past, both with and
without fangs, I begin to relax. Perhaps I will reach
my destination unmolested.
After an agonizing press through the city, I do.
Behind me is the sound of roaring fire, but the
barbarians have either not yet made their way to
the dockyards on the Tiber or decided the city
contains greater plunder and treasure. Many of
224
the ships have already sailed away, but most that
remain are unharmed. One vessel, a merchant ship,
calls to me.
I approach carefully, and as I near it, I see a tall,
broad man unfurling the sail. I recognize him as
Severus Julius Juventus, a lesser member of the
Senex, always concerned with helping rather than
ruling his Kindred. It’s no wonder he never achieved
any real status.
He startles when he sees me, but calms as recog-
nition crosses his face.
“Julia Sabina!” he calls out to me. “Is that you?”
“In the flesh.”
I smile and wave up at him. I can’t imagine
the contrast: the city behind me burning like an
offering to its betrayed gods, and myself, standing
before it all, dressed in clean clothes unmarred by
smoke, hair immaculately pinned. I must look like
a spirit.
“Thank the gods! I tried to find as many of the
family as I could, but I feared you were lost.”
“No, friend,” I say, shaking my head. “I’ve been
here all along.”
He smiles, his genuine relief naked on his face.
So uncharacteristic for the dead. “Hurry, cousin,
we must depart for the east. There’s safety there.”
I take his large hand in my own, and he pulls me
aboard the ship.
“You found some of the family? Other Julii?”
“Three in the hold: Arvina, Messor, and Corbulo’s
grandchilde. I’m glad you’re here; I could use the
extra weight to offset that last one. I was worried
we’d just move in circles.”
“That you’ve managed to round up so many Julii
is a welcome surprise. I’d begun to believe they were
all dead.”
“Yes, though I fear you’re not far off.” Juventus
rushes around the ship, making its final prepara-
tions. His voice is loud and strong, but even then, it’s
hard to hear him against the cacophony of Rome’s
downfall. “So many of us have died tonight! I can
feel them in my blood. Their deaths echo in my
veins. It’s damn distracting — I’m surprised you’re
so composed.”
I whisper into the sea breeze, “Many lives of prac-
tice, little bird…”
“What?” He squints his eyes as if that will help
him hear me over the cacophony.
“Never mind.” I step closer to him. “What’s the
next step?”
“Next step? Escape! We sail down the Tiber and
make way for Constantinople. It’s what Senex
would’ve wanted. Hell, it’s what Remus himself
would’ve wanted.”
“No, my friend,” I say, and lay my hand upon his
shoulder in comfort. He turns his broad, friendly
face back to me, and as the firelight of the city
exposes my true eyes to him, I watch his relief
dissolve into horror.
He sees what I am but knows it’s too late. For him,
for Rome, and for the misbegotten Julii. This ship
will never reach Constantinople.
We will not let it.
“I know exactly what Remus wanted.”
225
 CHAPTER SIX
COGNATI
Everybody is a book of blood;
wherever we’re opened, we’re red.
— Clive Barker, Books of Blood
The clans of Rome are united, but they are not homogeneous. Each dead gens has different roles to play within its caste,
and sometimes the Blood itself aids them with these designated duties.
This chapter details five bloodlines common to the Camarilla. Some have survived into the modern nights, while others
couldn’t keep up with Time’s relentless march. Others still became something else altogether, remade in the Danse Macabre
and shuffling off the inconvenience of recorded history.
The Julii have more dirty secrets than even the most illustrious patrician families, but the Cassii are the only one that brings
them genuine shame.
Perfection must be earned. In the early nights of the Camarilla, the Ferrati learned fast that Rome offers all manner of ways
to refine oneself. All of them delicious.
The Great Mother favors her worshipers with vision and beauty, but not all graces are created equal. The Galli possess Cybele’s
most dreadful gifts, and they’re eager to share them.
Death is just part of life; two sides of the same coin. The Phersui take this philosophy to its most mercenary conclusion,
but what price their two-faced patron truly desires, even they can’t say.
Power — real power — belongs to the mob. The people together can bring down the mightiest kings and most beloved celeb-
rities, and just at the back of the riot, the Rotulae are making sure it all goes according to plan.

CHAPTER SIX: COGNATI 227

 CASSII
THE REJECTED DEAD
One man’s trash is another man’s revenge.
Fuck the Julii.
The great “Founders” who graciously allow the rest of us to
exist in this paradise of dirt tunnels… I’d vomit, but I don’t
want to waste the blood. The history the Senex spouts about how
Aulus gave a bunch of pretty speeches and everyone decided,
you know what, his way really is the best way after all, is the
rankest sort of bullshit. Truth is, Pater Aulus was always more
tyrant than statesman. When you can control a mind, you can
just make your subjects agree with you — and if that doesn’t
work? Violence will see to anyone too stubborn for the Words.
Best con the Julii ever pulled was pretending they don’t have
an enormous capacity for violence.
Oh, and that farce about being “without weakness.” But
that’s another story.
They’re liars, is what I’m saying. Shocking, I know, a bunch of
vampires lying, but it still needs to be said. We are one of those
lies. Not many know the name Cassius these nights, and that’s
by design. They don’t want to admit we Rejects exist, because
we’re proof that Julii unity is just another lie they’ve managed to
sell as history. More than that, though, we’re proof the Founders
can fall — and if they can fall, then the whole Camarilla can go
tumbling down as well. We’re here to give it a push.
The whole story is a mouthful, but here’s what’s important:
a Julia spoke up against her namesake and she got made an
example of. Not your usual swift-but-painful execution, either.
No. This was a “fuck you, your children, and your children’s
children” sort of deal. Stripped of power, cast down, and forced
to exist in the cracks with the rats and roaches. All for having
the audacity to ask a few very reasonable questions. Thing is, the
Old Man should’ve just killed her, because she didn’t take that
lying down. Spite is a powerful motivator, especially when it’s
all you have left. “She” became “they”, Cassia became Cassius,
and Cassius multiplied to become Cassii. Whenever a Founder’s
rejected by the rest of her “family,” we’re here to take her in.
If they can’t find a place anywhere within this blood-grubbing
death cult, they have one with us — no exceptions.
Despite everything, we’re still here, wearing away at the
foundations of the whole sick enterprise. They may have ruined
us, but we’re going to ruin them right back, and they have so
much farther to fall.
Look around. The Senex puts on a good front, but this whole
castle is made of sand, and the tide is coming in. Some of that is
us; some of it’s just the nature of trying to get monsters to play
house. But a lot of it? A lot of it is the gods damned Julii. Mark
228 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
my words: It’s going to be them that drive this thing beyond
the point of no return, and they’ll be dragged down with it.
We’ll make sure of it.
Why you want to be us
Being one of us isn’t pretty, but the truth rarely is. We’ll peel
back the tarnished mask to reveal the true rot beneath, and
you’re going to thank us for it because it means you’re going to
survive what’s coming. Better to be the first rat off the sinking
ship than the fool trying to bail out the hold with a bucket.
Why you should fear us
We know. We know where your bodies are buried, and we’re
going to dig them up and beat you with the bones. We’ve spent
centuries gnawing at the supports of everything you know, and
we’re just about ready to kick them over.
Why we should fear ourselves
When we finally get our revenge, what’s left for us? If we’re
really Spite-Born, then do we have a place when the scales are
finally balanced? We have no guarantee that we’ll survive the
reckoning that’s coming — only that they won’t.
Bloodline Origins
• Cassia Florentia dared to question the wisdom of Julius
Senex. She questioned his right to destroy the relationship
between Kindred and Striges, one that had brought power
to both parties. She further questioned the pogrom against
the Traditores, asking by what authority Senex felt he had to
wipe an entire gens from Rome. For her audacity, the Old
Man used the hideous strength of his Words to force Cassia
to publicly purge her own blood, tearing the knowledge of
commanding others from her mind. Cassia, whose nomen
would come to be synonymous with worthlessness, swore
revenge from the shadows and raised her childer to loathe
the Julii and Camarilla alike. So great was her spite that she
made deals with Striges, demons, and worse to ensure the
works of Senex would end in suffering and humiliation — a
goal her line still works toward tonight.
• The creature that spoke out against Julius Senex was not
Cassia but a hollow thing made of wishes and brambles
wearing her face. Cassia was already gone, victim of a bad
deal with a laughing godling, and her replacement didn’t
understand why it shouldn’t ask questions. Lonely in its exile,
 the hollow thing tried to make company for itself, and it
was just enough of a vampire to accomplish this. But every
one of its “children” was as imperfect as it, destined to be
rejected forever more.
• Olim, Echo fell in love with beautiful Narcissus but was
harshly rejected, for he loved no one so much as his
own reflection. Echo followed Narcissus as he courted
himself, trying to capture his attention away from his
own visage, but never succeeding. Finally, as Narcissus
lay dying upon a pond’s bank, unable to look away from
his reflection to eat, Echo realized she could save him.
She could bring him food, force him to eat… and
then she remembered his vapid rejection of her
love, and all the pain came flowing into her
breast. She decided she’d rather watch him
die. When Narcissus stilled, Echo drank
down his last breath, exalting in finally
capturing the essence of her never-was
lover — invidiose in aeternum.
Parent Clan: Julii
Nicknames: Rejects, the Spite-Born
(among themselves)
Bloodline Bane (The Vindictive
Curse): The Spite-Born simmer with resent-
ment for their “Kindred,” and this clouds
every interaction with other dead. Cassius
die pools for mundane Empathy, Expression,
Persuasion, and Socialize rolls are capped
by Humanity when dealing with vampires.
The Spiteful Curse does not affect interac-
tions with other Cassii or any vampire that
the Spite-Born has a blood tie to (including
via Vincula).
Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate,
Resilience, Vigor
In the
Camarilla
Spite-Born who are true to their lineage
loathe the Camarilla, and those who join
its wings do so only as a means of sab-
otage. However, on the rare occasion a
Reject finds acceptance away from their
kin, they can display fanatical loyalty to
their new companions.
The Cult of Augurs: Because of the
scrutiny the Fates place each other
under, it’s difficult for Cassii to gain
prominence in this wing. However,
a few have had some success posing
as Seers, with the goal of stealing the
secrets of the Veneficium or causing
mayhem by directing petitioners to perform rites on inauspi-
cious nights. However, only the bitterest Spite-Born will risk
the gods’ wrath in this way, so such things remain rare.
The Legion of the Dead: Rejects have a game
they like to play with the Legion called “How
Many Times Can I Lead My Unit to Ruin
Without Getting Caught?” With their ability
to use the shadows to take on new faces and
personas, the number is higher than one
might think. Still, sometimes the deep comrad-
ery present among the Soldiers can worm its way
into the dead heart of a Spite-Born, producing
tenacious loyalty. If not to the Legion itself,
then to the Kindred he fights beside.
The Peregrine Collegium: Most Cassii
who join a wing sincerely choose the
Strangers, seeing a compromise between
freedom and safety in their ranks, but those
who infiltrate as agents of ruin are among
the most insidious of their line. Sabotaging
merchandise to destroy an artisan’s repu-
tation and fixing arena fights to engender
bitter rivalries are standard Cassian plays
in these circumstances. However, the
highest goal a Reject can aspire to here
is to ruin a blood dole. The tidal wave of
rage and violence that results is akin to
a work of art, one they hope inspires
more Kindred to turn against the
Julii and their Camarilla.
The Senex: The Spite-Born
would love to infiltrate Ala
Senecta to strike a blow against
their most loathed enemies, but
most don’t have enough self-control.
Their bane makes conversing with a
single self-righteous Julius difficult, let
alone a whole room of Founders. The
fear of discovery is also omnipresent;
some of the oldest in the Assembly may
actually remember who they are and decide
to turn their full attention to finishing what
the Old Man started. But, whatever else they
might be doing, most Rejects won’t give up the
chance to take vengeance on the Legislators,
no matter how petty or indirect.
The Lancea et Sanctum: Here’s the one “wing”
the Cassii join without reservation or deception,
pleased this One God has a purpose for them no
matter their flaws. Rejects make eager spies and attack
dogs for the Witnesses, the zeal of the converted on
full display. The tragedy, however, is that their
curse doesn’t discriminate, and Cassii have just
as much difficulty finding true connections
with their fellow Damned as anywhere else.
CHAPTER SIX: COGNATI 229
 Three Rejects
Numerius Allienus Falco wants to burn it all down. A loud
and proud convert of the Lancea et Sanctum, he constantly
advocates for more violent responses to the Camarilla’s oppres-
sion. Unfortunately, his bane ensures his rants make him
seem even more unreasonable than his methods really are, so
Numerius hasn’t gotten much traction. His failure to mobilize
his fellow Sanctified is leaving the young Reject frustrated,
enough so that he might decide forcing a fight is the only way
to make the others see what must be done.
Albinia Lucilla is actually pretty content, thanks. She spent
years placing herself in the perfect position to control one of
the most popular gambling houses under Peregrine Collegium
control, with the intent of selling her clients’ secrets to the high-
est bidder before burning the whole thing down with everyone
inside. But now that she’s in charge, Sabina finds she enjoys her
new position and is rather reluctant to destroy what she spent so
long building up. Surely she can do more harm to the Camarilla
with constant blackmail than a few Final Deaths — right?
Publius Aquinius has found the perfect partner-in-crime.
Falling Ashes is a Strix who watched his continuing efforts to
destroy the Julii, first with amusement, then with admiration,
before approaching him with an offer of partnership. Publius
knows he’s nothing but a tool to his supposed “friend,” no
matter how it flatters him, but he doesn’t care. Just so long as
he gets to reduce more Founders to screams and soot.
Bloodline Gift:
Inside Man
Cassia was supposedly a privileged member of the Inner
Circle before being cast out, and she was privy to secrets
unknown outside the eldest Julii, like what their clan bane
really is. The Rejects intimately know the flaw of the Founder’s
blood and can force their way into the minds of their hated
originators by exploiting it. Cassii may spend a Willpower to
count as ephemeral beings for the purpose of the Strigid Curse.
This lasts a scene. A Reject may only use their bloodline gift
once per night on any given Julian.
New Merits
Cassii can access the following Merits.
Parliamentarian (• to •••)
Prerequisite: Cassii
Effect: Through her efforts to exact vengeance on the Julii,
your character is known to the Nemeses in a positive way (rel-
atively speaking), and they support her vendetta with advice
and secrets from the shadows. Once per chapter, your character
can access Allies, Contacts, Mentor, Resources, or Retainer
dots in any combination (so long as no single Merit exceeds
five) equal to twice her dots in Parliamentarian by requesting
aid from her shadowy friends. Benefits gained from using this
Merit always come through strange and sinister channels that
230 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
are difficult to explain but can grant her access to things that
mundane networking simply can’t.
All Julii can purchase this Merit for an additional dot (making
it a 2–4-dot Merit), but this additional rank does not apply to
the number of Merits a character can access.
Drawback: The Nemeses do nothing for free. Also, it should
go without saying that being discovered by the Camarilla as an
ally of the Striges is… bad.
Shield of Hate (••)
Prerequisites: Cassii, Resolve ••• or Composure •••
Effect: The rage that fills a Spite-Born upon hearing the
Founder’s Words drowns out everything else. Once per scene, if
your character would be the victim of Dominate, she can forgo
the normal resistance to ignore the power and instead enter
frenzy, with whoever attempted to command her as the target.
Wing Infiltrator (••)
Prerequisites: Cassii, Subterfuge •••, no Wing Status in
the faction chosen for this Merit
Effect: Your character has studied the ways of a Camarilla
wing, the better to pass herself off as one of its own long enough
to do some damage. When you purchase this Merit, select the
Cult of Augurs, Legion of the Dead, Peregrine Collegium, or
Senex (the Cassii don’t need to infiltrate the Lancea et Sanctum;
the Witnesses are happy to have them). Your character gains
the 9-again quality on all Politics rolls relating to the chosen
wing and on Subterfuge rolls to convince anyone she belongs
to said wing.
Your character may only infiltrate one wing at a time. However,
if she wishes, she may change factions by taking a month to slowly
faze out her old cover and introduce a new one.
This Merit grants a particular benefit based on the wing
you select:
Cult of Augurs: Once per night, your character can per-
form a ritual mimicking true divination. Roll Manipulation +
Subterfuge to convince someone her insights into the future
are correct. This roll becomes contested against an observer’s
Wits + Occult if they possess Cult of Augurs Status.
Legion of the Dead: Once per scene, when your character
would be the victim of a Brawl or Weaponry attack, she can
spend a Willpower to have a nearby ally become the victim of
that attack instead.
Peregrine Collegium: Once per week, your character can
spend a Willpower to start a rumor within the ranks of the
Strangers. The exact reaction to your rumor is out of her con-
trol, but at least a few Propinqui will believe it wholeheartedly.
Senex: Once per night, you may spend a Willpower to sup-
press your character’s bloodline bane for a scene, but she gains
the Tempted Condition as if she had successfully resisted frenzy.
Drawback: If your character’s ruse is discovered, she loses
this Merit and cannot attempt to infiltrate that wing again.
Sanctity of Merits applies, and dots can be used to take an
identity in a different wing.
 Ferrati
The unfinished dead
You are about to become a part of something greater — me.
When the Senex talks about the wild, hungry things that
wait beyond the walls, they’re speaking of the Ferrati, an insular
bloodline of Gangrel that says the Kindred condition is not a
destination but a journey to become something greater. They
believe that by consuming powerful beings, they will undergo
a transformation into something darkly divine, something that
will no longer need to concern itself with the petty needs of
blood and earth.
Until that time, they are Unfinished.
At first, the Ferrati despaired at the coming of the Camarilla.
They feared the taming of the dead would weaken the blood,
leaving none worth consuming. They lashed out, ambushing
patrols, murdering couriers, and generally making themselves
as large a thorn in the side of the Midnight Republic as they
could. The response was swift and overwhelming. The Legio
Mortuum marched out in force, burning out the Ferrati from
their forest havens, slaying many, and dragging a few back to
Rome to face what could be called a trial. The Unfinished
were nearly wiped out, and the line might have faded back into
obscurity if not for three escaped gladiators.
Held in captivity for decades before escaping via treachery
and murder, these three Unfinished were known as the
Ironclad for the way their manacles had rusted into their skin.
While forced to fight for the amusement of the Propinqui,
the Ironclad learned its ways, and they understood they were
wrong before. The Camarilla wasn’t the end — the Camarilla
was a gift. Dozens of thick-blooded, idle elders all in one place,
all trying to destroy each other with hired killers. Killers like
the Ferrati.
The Ironclad returned to the city, slipping into the deep-
est parts of the Necropolis and slowly spreading the word.
Remember the fighter who ripped the fangs from the jaws
of lions and used them to cut gladiators’ throats? Remember
the warrior who tore the arms from opponents and beat them
into bloody ruins? For a fee, they can be unleashed upon
your enemies.
This is how the Ferrati exist tonight, hired killers who no
one admits to knowing but everyone knows how to find. It’s
even whispered that the Unfinished drink the souls of their
most powerful targets, but these whispers don’t stop them from
getting work. Condemned by the Senex (their biggest client)
and hunted by the Legion (who’d love to recruit them), they ply
their trade on the fringes of Sodalitas Pernox. Every indolent
elder they’re paid to consume is another step in their journey
to becoming something that will rise above the Camarilla and
all its petty laws. Maybe the Ferrati will even thank them before
they reduce it to ashes.
Why you want to be us
All Kindred want to be us; they just don’t want to admit it.
Our existence is about real power, not the false kind the Old
Man would sell you on a scrap of parchment. Real power is
snapping bones and breaking wills, about traveling beyond the
need for anything or anyone but yourself. Being us is the first
step along that journey.
Why you should fear us
Your Legion couldn’t kill us, and your arenas couldn’t break
us. We’re the ones you turn to when you don’t just want someone
to die — you want them to die screaming. Pray to your gods that
your name will never find its way to our ears.
Why we should fear ourselves
Our journey is taking us off the edge of a cliff. All we know
how to do is kill and devour, and we choke on our own hun-
ger. For all our certainty and violence, none have completed
the journey, and we wonder in our secret hearts if we’ll ever
be finished.
Bloodline Origins
• The original Ferratus is called Prima in the bloodline’s
lore: the First. A warrior queen among the Italic tribes
devoted to Diana, Prima was devastated by her Embrace
because she could no longer join her patron in the after-
life. A hunter of peerless skill and ferocity, Prima decided
that if she could not accompany her beloved goddess, she
would force Diana to come to her. Determined to become
a creature fierce enough to join Diana on her sacred hunt,
as either companion or prey, her first step upon this journey
was devouring her sire’s soul. During her long existence,
the First sired many times out of loneliness or admiration,
teaching the philosophy that living death was simply a
waypoint on a longer path. However, at some point during
her travels, stories of the First cease. Whether she ever saw
her goddess again, or is still Unfinished, is unknown.
• There never was any “First.” The true founders of the
Unfinished are the Ironclad. Before them, the line was just
a pack of Gangrel with delusions of grandeur. It took being
CHAPTER SIX: COGNATI 231
 tempered in the arena, forced to perform for Kindred who
disgusted them, soaking in hate and resentment, to truly alter
their blood. The Ironclad perpetuate their foundational myth
to provide the other Ferrati a sense of superiority, but the only
“journey” they’re on is revenge. It will remain Unfinished
until the Camarilla lies in ruins around them.
• Olim, a young slave fetching water for his master witnessed
the spirit Bellum washing the blood from his form in a
beautiful clear spring. The slave was smitten, but he knew
he was unworthy of the affections of such a powerful being.
When the slave returned home, he took up a knife, slew his
master, and brought his head back to the spring as tribute.
However, Bellum was no longer there, but in his place, a
gladius lay upon the shore with a blade of deepest crimson.
The slave took up this gift and went out into the world to
kill greater and greater foes, hoping each would earn him
the attention of Bellum once more. He is out there killing
still, for Bellum loves nothing more than violence without
end — cruente in aeternum.
Parent Clan: Gangrel
Nicknames: Unfinished, Ironclad (literal meaning)
Bloodline Bane (The Primal Curse): The Ferratus Beast
must answer any challenge with overwhelming violence. The
first time an Ironclad takes lethal or aggravated damage
in a scene, she must resist frenzy. If she fails, it counts as a
dramatic failure.
Disciplines: Animalism, Nightmare, Protean, Resilience
reputation and ultimately led to the line’s resurgence. While
Strangers are mostly less squeamish about hiring Ironclad than
others, they’re also more cautious about it. More than one
Ferratus has decided consuming the heartsblood of a Stranger
client is a better step in their personal ascension quest than
whatever payment was being offered.
The Senex: At the same time the Unfinished’s most vocal
critics and their biggest client, the Senex almost never associates
with Ironclad directly. However, most Ancients know Kindred
who can pass word to them. The Ferrati love Legislator contracts,
because the targets are inevitably old and heavy with blood, just
begging to have their rich Vitae put to better use…
The Lancea et Sanctum: The Atheists are already on the
fringes, so what do the Ferrati have to lose by associating
with other social pariahs? When they can scrape together an
appropriate payment, the Witnesses are all too happy to send
Ironclad after one of their many oppressors in the Camarilla.
Some Unfinished even offer a discount in recognition of how
Sodalitas Pernox has persecuted them both.

In the Camarilla
The Cult of Augurs: An excellent method of ensuring a
prediction of woe and misery for a blasphemer comes to
pass is to hire an Ironclad to ruin their night. Ferrati who
work in the shadow of the Vaticinators are rarely taught
the Veneficium, but they show great enthusiasm and gory
creativity in making examples of the Cult’s enemies.
The Legion of the Dead: Ferrati have no respect for
Camarilla authority, and not a single self-respecting
Soldier would suffer one in their unit. The Legion
of the Dead does not maintain a small stable of
Ironclad to attack targets
it can’t officially antago-
nize, and even if it did, it
would disavow all knowledge
of such activities.
The Peregrine Collegium: It was in
Collegium arenas that the Ironclad were
abused and tormented, but their gladiatorial perfor-
mances are what gave the Unfinished their terrifying

232 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Three Unfinished
Lucius Caninius is tired of being pushed around. Washed
out of the Legion for a lack of discipline, Lucius managed to
get inducted into the Ironclad by walking up and asking — and
then failing to meet Final Death after the mauling he earned.
Lucius is all in on Ferratus philosophy, and while he might be
more driven by personal vengeance than purity of ideal, the
Unfinished respect his enthusiasm. That said, there’s a betting
pool on how long before he bites off more than he can chew
and chokes on it.
Vergilia Clementia knows where to find real power, and
it’s not in weak Kindred souls. After watching her hardened
unit of Legionaries get slaughtered by a pack of werewolves,
Clementia became obsessed with devouring the souls of pow-
erful, non-Kindred supernatural creatures, certain that this
will accelerate her transformation. Clementia claims to have
already performed Amaranth on one werewolf, but even her
fellow Unfinished dismiss these stories as ravings. That said,
she does seem to have gained a considerable amount of power
in a very small amount of time. Almost equal to the number
of enemies she’s made.
Mettia is scared of what she’s becoming. One of the original
Ironclad, her blood has grown thick with years and the souls
of her victims, and now she can feel it squirming within her,
ready to change, ready to be reborn but she doesn’t feel the
joy she thought she would on the cusp of ascension: only
apprehension. Every night she feels her Beast tearing at the
edges of her mind, and she fears that — should she relent and
give in to whatever comes next — there won’t be enough of
herself left to enjoy it.
Bloodline Gift:
Punching Up
Because of their focus on achieving — and surpassing — the
pinnacle of Kindred ability, the Ironclad are more discerning
about who they unleash their hunger on. Unfinished characters
addicted to Vitae and/or Amaranth do not have to resist rea-
sonable opportunities to indulge their vice unless the would-be
victim has higher Blood Potency.
New Devotions
Ironclad are oft accused of being unsophisticated, but nothing
could be further from the truth — if you’re talking about violence.
Last Warning
(Animalism ••, Nightmare ••)
The Unfinished are possessive of what scraps of territory they
manage to take for their own, erecting grisly totems to warn
intruders of their fate should they trespass.
This Devotion costs 2 Experiences to learn.
Cost: 3 Vitae
Requirement: A fresh corpse of a Size 3 or larger creature
that the Ironclad killed herself.
Dice Pool: None
Action: Instant
Duration: Nights equal to Blood Potency
The Ironclad creates a gory territorial marker out of a corpse.
Anyone who sees the totem must resist its horror with Resolve +
Composure with a penalty equal to Nightmare. Failure means
the viewer gains the Frightened Condition. The Unfinished can
choose to exempt a specific person or a class of people (e.g., her
coterie) from this effect when she creates the totem. Anointing
the totem with a Vitae refreshes its duration. The Unfinished
is aware of when her totem is destroyed, but not how.
Shock and Awe
(Nightmare ••)
The Ironclad’s sudden display of violence is so overwhelming
that it can cause hesitation to outright terror in onlookers.
This Devotion costs 2 Experiences to learn.
Cost: None
Requirement: The Ironclad can use this Devotion when she
makes an attack inflicting at least one point of damage.
Dice Pool: None
Action: Reflexive
The vampire can activate any level of Nightmare she possesses
as a reflexive action as long as she is capable of paying its activa-
tion cost. This can only affect those who witnessed her attack.
CHAPTER SIX: COGNATI 233
 GALLI
THE EXQUISITE DEAD
Beauty? Beauty is the least of the Great Mother’s blessings.
But yes, I can give you beauty.
All around, people chant the Great Mother’s name. You adjust your
earrings and pray for her blessing. You are heard, and her glory brings
warmth to your cold, cold veins. You approach the bull, which snorts
and struggles against its bindings, but you cut its throat so lovingly it
settles into peaceful slumber. The beast gives its life to your goddess,
and its blood pours down into the pit below. One of your fellow priests
stands in the pit, now bathed in sacrifice. As she wipes the blood from
her eyes, she is born anew through Cybele’s grace.
The Galli are cursed with perfection. An utterly symmetrical
smile. Flawless skin without a single wrinkle or pore. A body
proportioned more like a statue than a human being. Each of
these Nosferatu is uniquely beautiful — and wrong.
Yet the Galli are also beloved of the goddess Cybele, and they
return her favor with transcendent passion. They dedicate their
Requiems to fertility, healing, and prophecy, all things sacred
to the Magna Mater. These Eunuchs wander the Necropolis
and streets of Rome, offering divinations for scraps and pocket
change. They adopt human orphans or steal them from their
beds and raise them in the cult. They marry mortal lovers. They
start great gardens of mandragora and matchmake for ghoul
families. Though they died long ago, the Galli live.
The Galli Embrace almost exclusively from Cybele’s mortal
priesthood (also called Galli), and like her mortal followers,
many castrate themselves and present either as female or tertium
sexus, a third gender outside Rome’s strict masculine/feminine
divide. However, some leave the priesthood for the other wings
and find new ways to spread the faith of the Great Mother.
The Galli aren’t well liked by their fellow Vaticinators, or the
Camarilla as a whole. Their zealous faith and honest prophe-
cies set them at odds with the corrupt and reactionary Cult of
Augurs, and their foreign conception of the Magna Mater and
distinctly un-Roman attitude toward gender draws the Old Man’s
ire. However, the Galli are also useful soothsayers, and they’re
exceptionally good at cultivating communities of mortals for the
Camarilla to exploit, which keeps them safe for now. But more
than that, the rites of the Great Mother can grant beauty and
fertility, even to the dead. And who doesn’t want to be beautiful?
Why you want to be us
We are the blessed of Cybele, chosen to shepherd her gifts
across all time. We sacrifice our mortality and fertility to the
Great Mother, and in exchange, we receive eternal beauty and
endless life. A cost well paid. Think of all you could learn,
234 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
everything you could experience. We alone can watch the
stream of life run from generation to generation, looking to
the sky and witnessing the changing of mountains. Don’t weep
and moan like the dead things in the Necropolis, hiding away
in their crypts. The goddess commands you to live.
Why you should fear us
You shouldn’t. Yes, some children go missing, but don’t trouble
yourself. They’re happier with us. You don’t trust us, but you must
move past this. We know it hurts. And, of course, your choices are
your own; it’s just that we’ve lived so much. We know how these
things go, seen it many times. It’s best if you defer to our wisdom.
Why we should fear ourselves
Sometimes, we wonder if we could be more... circumspect.
Life is to be lived, yes, but all these ghouls and families… there
are so many people. How much can you trust them? We have
enemies, fangs waiting in the dark. Wouldn’t it be simple for
them to turn our families against… No, no, we would never
doubt you, sister. Or your children. Never.
Bloodline Origins
• The Galli descend from a Nosferatu elder who received a
holy vision from the Great Mother while traveling in lands
that would become Phrygia. Their body was transformed,
their monstrous visage burned away to reveal the inhuman
perfection beneath, and their faith blossomed. The elder
began to proselytize, first in Phrygia, then Greece, then
Rome. The bloodline expanded across the Mediterranean, as
befitted worshippers of a fertility goddess, mixing in with her
mortal cults until they found homes all across the Empire.
• The Great Mother has many names; Cybele is just the most
useful in this era. The Eunuchs are an old bloodline, truly
ancient, and the first were born from the birthing pangs of
the Great Mother herself, back when flesh and spirit were one
and monstrous gods prowled the world. The goddess charged
her children with safeguarding human fertility and life, of
making sure they survived. And survive they did. The Galli
performed their task so well they dwindled and atrophied
like an unused limb, becoming more and more obsessed with
beauty instead of fertility and protection. Elder Galli fear the
day when their childer will not remember their goddess’ old
names and their sacred task will be completely forgotten.
• Olim, Attis was the consort and lover of Cybele. His beauty and kindness inspired her to gift him with every blessing
she could give. However, something went wrong. Accounts differ, but either Attis was unfaithful and Cybele cursed him
with madness, or he was dreadfully wounded in an attempt to escape a pursuer. Both stories end with Attis castrated and
dying beneath a tree as Cybele weeps. But as Attis lay dying, a once-living beast was drawn to the smell of his blood. The
beast drank deeply and was transformed into a creature of grace and beauty. Attis bade the
creature worship his beloved, for he could not. As Attis died, his body grew into a tree,
and his children came forth into the world in blood and beauty. Made to
love their goddess — fideliter in aeternum.
Parent Clan: Nosferatu
Nicknames: Eunuchs, Pretties
Bloodline Bane (The Infertile Curse): After being initiated into the
bloodline, a Gallus must choose to forever sacrifice either their power to
create ghouls or their ability to Embrace new vampires (player’s choice). In
addition, their blood bonds thin quickly, lasting only a number of weeks
equal to (11 – Humanity), requiring Galli to constantly reassert them.
Disciplines: Majesty, Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor

In the Camarilla
The Cult of Augurs: The vast majority of Galli belong to the Cult of
Augurs, even though they remain perpetual outsiders within its ranks.
They are too faithful, too earnest, and too attached to mortal life to truly
earn the respect of their fellow Vaticinators. However, their soothsayers
have a nasty habit of seeing the truth of things — an invaluable and
dangerous habit in the Camarilla.
The Legion of the Dead: The violence and brutality of the Legio
Mortuum hold scant appeal for the Galli unless their hearts have
truly turned away from the Great Mother. Those Eunuchs who
join the Soldiers find it difficult to fit in among the most
rigidly martial wing, though some find success as tacticians
and strategists.
The Peregrine Collegium: Pretties who tire of politics
and grow disillusioned with the Cult of Augurs often
join the Untouchables. Some keep their faith in Magna
Mater, ministering to their fellow outcasts, while
others abandon it altogether. Either way, those Galli
who join the Peregrine Collegium are welcomed with
open arms, finding some measure of acceptance and
peace among the lost.
The Senex: A small number of Galli don the purple
and abandon their faith in pursuit of power. Others
maintain their devotion but adopt a broader definition
of fertility: Though all its members are dead, the
Camarilla grows and breeds like a living thing, spread-
ing across all known corners of the world. What is the
fertility of an individual compared with the fertility of
Rome herself? The Greatest Mother of all. Who better
to guide her children?
The Lancea et Sanctum: Absurd. Ridiculous. No Galli would
ever join the Atheists. None worth speaking of, anyway. Only those exiled
from the worship of Cybele — only blasphemers and traitors — would dare join
the Spear and Chapel and earn the eternal hatred of all their kin. Still, the Galli
have always been attracted to zealotry…

CHAPTER SIX: COGNATI 235

 Three Eunuchs
Decimus Severius Balbus has such beauty that he is the envy of
all the Kindred around him. A Legislator, he has abandoned the
worship of Cybele, but he still finds her rites useful to cultivate a
flock of addicts beholden to his will. It’s difficult work, as many
Old Men still find the idea of a Eunuch in their ranks distasteful.
Lentulus never cared about Cybele, or any other god. The
gods can rot, for all he cares. But he does care about beauty.
When he was Embraced, Lentulus became a hideous monster,
skulking through the catacombs for a decade of Requiem. No
longer. Now, he’s a Pretty. Now, he can walk the streets of
Rome once more. Now he just has to ditch these goddess-ad-
dled idiots.
Zelkia has been a priestess of Magna Mater for longer than
she can remember, long before Phrygia. She woke from torpor
just in time to witness the rise of the Camarilla, and was instru-
mental in bringing the love of Cybele to the barbaric Romans.
She is a truly ancient monster, though you would never know
it. She loves mortals, traveling with hordes of her descendants,
and her relatively high Humanity means the Ancients don’t
know how dangerous she truly is.
Bloodline Gift:
Beauty of Attis,
Sight of Cybele
All Galli gain the Striking Looks 2 Merit upon induction
into their bloodline. If a character already has that Merit or
the one-dot version, she is refunded any Experiences spent.
Eunuchs still bear the Nosferatu curse, but those adopted into
the bloodline take on a strange beauty that’s far from human
but unique to each Galli.
Galli also gain the Dream Visions Merit, ignoring the usual
clan prerequisite. However, to use this Merit, the vampire must
make a one-point Vitae sacrifice to Cybele before she enters
daysleep, or else she cannot call upon her goddess’s visions
the next night.
New Veneficium
Procedures
The priesthood of the Great Mother has been given the
power to bless others with her beauty and fertility. All Galli
are taught the Criobolium procedure upon learning a dot of
the Veneficium, in addition to the usual free ritual.
236 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Other Kindred can learn these rituals, in theory, but unless
they have access to Gallus Vitae, they automatically fail when cast.
These rites come with a unique downside, a quality of the
specific Vitae required to empower them: Upon gaining the
benefits of either Criobolium or Taurobolium, a subject must
resist becoming addicted to their effects, rolling Resolve +
Composure minus the rite’s Potency, with an additional –1
for each time they’ve been subject to the ritual within the last
lunar month. Failure means the subject gains the Addicted
Condition and must be bathed again before sliding into the
Deprived Condition. When Deprived, an addict loses access to
the Striking Looks Merit as their body becomes ghoulish and
sunken. Deprived humans suffer a –2 on Social actions, while
Deprived vampires gain the Nosferatu clan bane.
Some Galli in Phrygia — or even those in other wings of the
Camarilla — perform these rites with what amounts to Crúac,
but there is effectively no mechanical difference.
Criobolium (•)
Contested: by Resolve + Blood Potency (if unwilling)
In a religious ceremony honoring the beauty of Attis, a Gallus
chooses a ritual subject and bathes them in the sacrifice along
with a few drops of ram’s blood. Once the procedure is com-
plete, the subject transforms into an ideal version of herself,
gaining the two-dot version of Striking Looks. This effect lasts a
week. However, the subject also gains the Swooning Condition
toward the vampire who performed the rite.
Taurobolium (•••)
Contested: by Resolve + Blood Potency (if unwilling)
In a religious ceremony honoring the fertility of the Great
Mother, a Gallus chooses a ritual subject and bathes them in
the sacrifice in addition to a bowlful of bull’s blood. The subject
gains the following benefits for a week:
• The subject is invigorated with confidence and Cybele’s love.
She ignores the first Door in all Social maneuvering actions.
• A living subject gains three dots of the Hardy Merit
(Chronicles of Darkness, p. 47), is temporarily cured of all
forms of infertility and will conceive a child anytime she
engages in penetrative sex, even if biologically impossible.
• A vampire gains the ability to activate the blush of life without
cost, but the character also suffers a –5 modifier on Humanity
rolls to resist creating revenants.
• Plants bloom where the subject’s blood falls. The subject can
voluntarily suffer a lethal damage to cause a plant to bloom
and bear fruit.
 Phersui
The two-faced dead
Be careful how you step through the door,
lest you leave behind all your best parts.
You planned for this moment as soon as you knew death crept
through the dark: beautiful, terrible, and ever closer.
He offered a new existence draped in the trappings of the grave, a
way to live on in the hearts and minds of kith and kin. All it would
cost was a tithe of blood. Such a simple sacrifice. He held you tight
in his embrace as the wailers sent up the cries throughout the house
that once was yours — and now would be ever after.
You will reign as ancestor, ghost, and god… at least as long you pay
your dues. If not, the voices surging out of the darkness will overtake
you. The marble pillars of your altar will crumble and your power
will crumble with them.
So remember: Never cheat the ferryman.
Eternity is a long time to clutch to power. Wouldn’t it be
better if you had someone to help you shoulder the burden, to
cover up your insufficiencies, to fulfill those duties you haven’t
got time for?
The Phersui are here to help. Don’t meet the requirements?
Not a problem! On your behalf, they’ll supply the talent. Or
maybe you’re just not the right lar for the job, lacking the
gravitas to guide your family in death. The Doubles can borrow
your visage to present you at your ancestral best. Under their
care, a dead man’s legacy won’t just survive: It vaults to divine
heights! If you’ve got to ride out the eternal night, why not do
so in triumph?
In a sense, the Phersui are professional mourners, of the
same ilk that don death masks and entertain at a funeral (not
uncommon among Daeva), but this takes a strange and literal
form among the Kindred. The Personae make the “afterlife”
smoother, serving the dead as consultants and doppelgängers,
making sure your Requiem at least looks like you want it to.
Once a minor cult to Janus among the Vaticinators, the
Personae have skyrocketed in popularity since they showed up
in the Necropolis, and their services are always in demand, even
as they’re derided as cheats — a label they happily accept. They
are mystics and conmen, sibyls and scoundrels, bestowing their
boons for lavish prices as they help the dead defraud Death.
But beneath the surface, this bloodline is more than a bunch of
avaricious fixers. Their patron deity demands a fee too. Tonight,
they call him Janus, but among the Etruscans, he was Culsans,
God of the Gate, a far crueler master. The Two-Faced God is
only interested in balance, and if one takes, one must also give
back. Refuse to pay the toll, and he shall find other uses for you.
Why you want to be us
There’s so much power in being indispensable. We straddle
the threshold between life and death, keeping our clients one
step ahead of mediocrity. We bestow blessings and protect
them from their own weaknesses. We provide, we protect —
and we profit.
Why you should fear us
Every gain has a price. Some may call us usurers, driving
too hard a bargain, but we just fulfill the demand. When
you find your seat filled by another, your memory desecrated,
don’t come crying to us. You sowed your own destruction by
withholding our dues.
Why we should fear ourselves
The problem with following a liminal deity is that all our
bets are hedged. Sooner or later, we’ll need to choose a side: the
living or the dead? Our clients or ourselves? No matter where
we side, we lose. All our dabbling upsets the balance, drawing
forth all the monsters in the dark. When they come rushing in,
we won’t be able to hide behind any of our stolen faces. Come
the reckoning, our debts will be beyond counting.
Bloodline Origins
• The first Double was a sacred performer of funerary rites in
Etruria. She would wail for the dead as they passed on to
Orcus; not real grief, of course, but however much grief the
family paid for. From each corpse she danced for, breasts bared
to the heavens, she would steal a kiss and wonder: What did
this man do that was worth remembering? She could sense it,
feel it through that cold kiss, an innate understanding of what
made them unique. She would ape their talents, pretending to
be them for a night, to be worthy of that outpouring of love
and grief and money. Until the night of her own death. She
stood at the doorway into the afterlife, but no one paid her
own mourning. No one even remembered her. She screamed
her self-grief into the void — and the Two-Faced God answered,
asking a price for a chance at life beyond death. She tossed
two silver coins to the God of Paths, and he hurried her away
from that dark doorway, back into her cold corpse. She rose
that night, hungry, and went right back to all her old tricks
but with a new purpose.
CHAPTER SIX: COGNATI 237
 • What the Phersui serve is neither Culsans nor Janus, nor any other god known to mortal or Propinquus. The Man at the
Crossroads appeared one night in the first of these Courtesans’ dreams, asking for tribute in exchange for power. Each night
it entered their minds, tormenting them until they submitted or fell to madness. Thus rose this
creature’s disciples, and tonight, they straddle both sides of mortality, meting out their god’s
“blessing” to feed his hunger.
• Olim, Hecuba, gracious Queen of Troy, was blessed for her piety with a dutiful family, and
her many children were her special pride. Thus, when the Greeks assembled the largest
army the world had ever known to besiege her great city’s walls, she sent her youngest son,
Polydorus, away with a generous price to buy his safety with a foreign king and his court.
When the rest of her house crumbled and all her kin were dead, she went to retrieve her last
child, only to find his lifeless body washed up on the moonlit shore. Her wrath transformed
her, teeth sharpening and skin paling as she razed the palace of the treacherous king.
She rent his eyes from his head and his face from his skull. She tore her hair and rent
her flesh, for her mercy had died along with her. She still roams those lonely rocks,
forever howling her grief, demanding restitution — lugubriter in aeternum.
Parent Clan: Daeva
Nicknames: Personae, Doubles
Bloodline Bane (The Bifrons Curse): The Phersui are steeped in the opposing
truths of life and death. Faced with imbalance, that rigid duality breaks down. Unless
she has defended her Mask within the same night, each time she would regain
Willpower from her Dirge, roll Humanity. On a failure, she gains no Willpower.
Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Majesty, Obfuscate

In the Camarilla
The Cult of Augurs: The Personae claim to have originated in this wing,
but considering the living have no flamens of Janus, the Vaticinators are
skeptical. They’re probably right, too, but they can’t deny the Phersui
have their uses. Whatever rituals they participate in, they bolster to
unparalleled heights, and the Fates know duality has certain magical
qualities. Still, the wing sees the shadows that hover about the Doubles
more clearly than most.
The Legion of the Dead: The Personae always know to go wherever business
opportunities lie. A formation of death fetishists obsessed with honor? The Doubles
barely need to make a pitch. They play a wily Ulysses rather than a bloodthirsty
Commodus, making speeches that inspire the whole battalion. Their most feared
warrior appears in multiple places across the battlefield to rout the enemy. Soldiers
appreciate good tactics.
The Peregrine Collegium: The Phersui understand being between extremes —
included yet kept on the outskirts, needed but barely trusted. They’ll perform their
rites to improve the reputation of any client, no matter their origin or wing. Doubles
wholeheartedly subscribe to the Collegium’s precept of “doing whatever’s required,”
and once they’ve solved one of your problems, they make it irresistible to call on
them for everything else.
The Senex: The Senex are the Phersui’s oldest and most devout clients. The Old
Man needs to curate its public image more than any other wing, and the Doubles
can help it hide all its scandals, increase its wealth, and build new contacts. Just let
them borrow your noble face. What could go wrong?
The Lancea et Sanctum: Many Phersui are willing to twist their rites from the
breast-beating of Janus to the Maledictions of Longinus. In the end, their lacquer of
godly worship doesn’t go deep enough for it to affect their practical tactics. Moreover,
community collections are already an accepted concept among the Sanctified, so paying
tithes into one more coffer for additional protection isn’t that big a stretch. And isn’t
a triune god better than a biune one? That’s just economics.

238 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Three Personae
Quintus Ostorius is an unassuming lover to the great men
and women of the Senex. He rarely brings forward a petition
and doesn’t seem especially skilled in employing pathos in his
speeches, yet every senator or magistrate who takes Ostorius to
his bed sways the whole Assembly to their views. Some whisper
he calls down favors from the one God of the Christ, others that
his kiss can protect his patrons from misfortune. Whatever his
tactics, they’ve kept this obsequious Daeva in his seat despite
the fact that, if you look closely, he never actually does anything.
Whenever a new Propinquus earns an Embraced among the
high-born, Prosperina is there, leading the childe out of Apollo’s
domain and into that of Nyx. With her blessing, anyone can make
an impressive and portentous beginning among the Camarilla’s
elite. But take heed, for power is addictive, and it requires fre-
quent tending lest it withers. Rumors say at least three praetors
in the Legion have won battles because of Proserpina’s assistance.
Tithes are so high for her services she no longer needs to hunt:
Blood flows unceasingly from her sacrificial altar.
Through the warrens of Suburra, Sorex the Witch wanders,
making deals at crossroads. She can enter any place unnoticed
to spy on secret discussions, and her blessing shields her charges
from harm. Her eerie proclamations make slaves of the freeborn
or make the enslaved free — for a time. She demands strange
payments: a two-headed calf, a virgin’s menstrual blood, or the
eyes of a crucified man. She claims these are the only things that
can placate her master. But the horrors are never far, tearing
up the ones she leaves behind.
Bloodline Gift:
The Toll
To use their special abilities, Phersui must pay the God of
Gates, from whom all their power flows. This price must come
from the client and be paid within an agreed-upon period
after the vampire supplies a service using one of the Merits
below. This price can be anything: Vitae, money, favors, etc.
Once chosen, this price cannot be changed. To solemnize the
agreement, one of the characters must spill a Vitae’s worth of
blood at a crossroad or some kind of aperture.
If the subject fails to pay the price at the appointed time, she
risks an Integrity breaking point/detachment at her current
Humanity level when next she sleeps, tormented by dreams of
horrors beyond the veil. She gains no Beat for facing a break-
ing point, but she can choose to dramatically fail for a Beat,
drawing the attention of a ghost, spirit, or Strix (Storyteller’s
choice) instead of the usual Conditions.
If the Double reneges on his half of the deal, he suffers this
drawback instead.
New Merits
In addition to the following Merits, Phersui gain the Boon
of Janus Merit (p. 94) for free. If a character already has this
Merit, she gains the Experiences spent instead.
As a general requirement, all of these Merits require the
vampire to first use her inherent bloodline gift.
Death Mask (•••)
Prerequisite: Phersui
Effect: When a Phersua offers to take another’s place, she
must first become indistinguishable from her subject, and a
Death Mask enables her to fully become the perfect mimic
of her client.
To do this, your character must remove the flesh on her
face, dealing an aggravated damage, and then cover the wound
with a point of the subject’s Vitae. During daysleep, she heals
as normal, but instead of her own form, her body conforms
to her subject.
In addition to being a perfect duplicate, your character can
access her subject’s highest Discipline instead of her own while
borrowing this form (if they are the same power, choose the
second highest, and so forth). The disguise lasts for nights equal
to Blood Potency plus one; your character can renew the ritual,
but this requires her to spend a Willpower each night, or else
the Cleansing will restore her form.
This disguise cannot be seen through with Auspex or oth-
erwise disrupted.
Door Between Minds (••)
Prerequisite: Phersui
Effect: Your character can choose to exchange an Attribute
or Skill with another for the duration of the scene. She must
touch the individual to effect the transfer and spend a Vitae
(Skill) or a Willpower (Attribute). She may only do this once
per subject night, and the subject must be willing.
Funeral Dirge (••)
Prerequisite: Phersui
Effect: Your character performs funerary rites for her client:
wailing for the dead, tearing her hair, beating her breast, or
scratching her arms. She then spends a Vitae. As a result, the
subject she celebrates shares in her glorious mien. For the rest
of the night, they gain the vampire’s Presence dots as a bonus
to their own Attribute.
CHAPTER SIX: COGNATI 239
 ROTULAE
THE POPULIST DEAD
Thoughts are deeds. Image is power.
Honorius watches the crowd gather around the dais to hear his
patron speak. Demetria is an eloquent demagogue all on her own,
but tonight, she’s asked Honorius to grasp the reins of fate and ensure
everyone becomes a believer. He breathes deep, closes his eye, and
focuses on the crowd.
Demetria’s energy bursts into a blaze against the darkness of his
closed lids. Her speech shimmers out as ripples, stirring and prodding
the sentiments of her listeners. Honorius stretches out with his will
to gather up their souls, tugs them a little to bring them in line.
Mild interest inflames into love; disagreement fizzles out into bland
neutrality. He’s got them all in the palm of his hand.
Demetria beams down at the crowd, buoyed by their energy,
emboldened by their passion. Now all she needs to do is make her
request, and all her ambitions will be rewarded — except… something
bucks around her servant.
Honorius realizes, grimly, that he’s held the reins too tight, shoved
fate aside one too many times on her account.
The crowd’s cheers turn into sullen silence. Demetria goes rigid,
trapped under Honorius’s turning wheel, confessing all her dark deeds,
the bribes, the assassinations. The mob surges in with hands extended
claw-like, vengeful…
The last thing she sees is an absence. Honorius, her long-suffering
lackey, is gone. She’s lost this race, but he has other chariots to drive.
The Blues and Greens rule the racetracks of daylit Rome,
but another faction is enthralling the Necropolis. First, the
“Reds” entertained their fellow dead, driving ghoul horses to
impossible speeds. Even now, they spend much of their time
at the circus, whether hiding among mortal racers or wowing
even mortal crowds. But they’ve taken the lessons they learned
in the chariot to far grander ends. The Rotulae understand the
power of popular opinion, and how swiftly those tides can turn
with a well-placed flick of the reins.
But every driver needs her patron, and the Reds turn to
the highest patrons of all: the gods. The Egyptian ones, as
befits their Seer blood, though it would probably work with
the Roman pantheon if they bothered to try. The Reds curry
favor with the divine to manipulate the masses, pushing them
to enact their agendas from afar. But despite their faith, the
Charioteers are no incense-clad flamens, remote and aloof.
They’re priests of the people, speaking in plain words, putting
power into simple gestures. They compel with their under-
standing of the mob, inspiring with their ability to lift even the
farthest fallen back into good graces… or unseat the proudest.
240 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Why, then, do they act from the shadows? Because they know
claiming power is like being a tall mast in a tempest, liable to
break; better to be the wind in the sails and change direction
when needed. Rotulae hold the center, spinning the multitudes
around them. The goals they steer the people toward can be
revolutionary, just, or self-serving, depending on the individual,
but if you have a cause, they can help it along.
But beware of the capriciousness of the gods they worship.
The other Seers warn a price must be paid for calling on divine
power so brazenly, so shamelessly, and they very much doubt
the Reds can pay it off.
Why you want to be us
The world would have you believe birth ordains your place
and legacy limits your access to power, but we know one man
can never stand to a whole city, no matter what color the blood
in his veins.
Why you should fear us
The gods gave us the power to steer the world. Our will is
a legion of chariots crushing all who get in our way. Let the
politicians think they pull the strings. It’s us who install them
— and destroy them.
Why we should fear ourselves
The masses remember, and they’re ready to rise up when our
whip misses the mark. When the tides change, they’ll swallow
us up, and we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves. You can’t
stop the wheels once set in motion.
Bloodline Origins
• When her sire stole Chisisi from Egypt, she survived in Rome
by racing chariots. She was good at it, but she needed to be
better if she was ever to earn her independence. She prayed
to her gods — Kherty, Set, Sobek — and they taught her a
ritual that would make her unparalleled on the racetrack
and beyond. She made ghouls of her lead horses, feeding
from them and feeding them her blood, over and over in a
cycle like the spinning of her wheels. Soon, the horses took
her direction before she ever put hand to whip. Then, her
fellows bent to her unspoken will. Then, the crowd. At long
last, Chisisi was master of her own destiny, and she would
never let go of those reins again.
• Deep in the Land of the Dead, King Sneferka dipped his
stone bowl into the waters of resurrection and drank deeply.
The spirits of the Duat laughed, taunting him, for it was truly
the blood of Set. “You are the wheel of my chariot for all
eternity,” the god decreed, “and you will do my bidding.” The
king bowed before Set and returned through the doors
of his tomb to rule the land of night. He passed Set’s
blood on to his children, ever turning the wheel
to gain the god’s favor.
• Olim, Iphis, called a woman at birth, yearned to
wed a maiden of night. Never one to bow to an
unfavorable fate, Iphis went to the Temple of Isis,
begging to be transformed. That great goddess,
who remade her husband’s dismembered body, was
pleased by Iphis’s devotion. She granted him the
power to change all outcomes — including
to become all he wished. In return, she
would have him steer those around
him, to alter their hearts and
minds. In her name, Iphis took
the reins — devote in aeternum.
Parent Clan: Mekhet
Nicknames: Reds, Populares,
Charioteers
Bloodline Bane (The Curse of
Ochlocracy): The horse can only
be whipped so much before it bucks.
The same is true of the people. Over the
course of a story, track the number of fail-
ures the vampire experiences when exerting
social control over humans via Intimidation,
Persuasion, Subterfuge, and the Devotions
below. Once this number exceeds Humanity
(or if the vampire loses Humanity such that
the number would be greater), the nearest
area occupied by humans gains the Riot
Environmental Tilt (p. 274) by the end of the
scene because of some unlikely circumstance,
and they’ll specifically target the vampire if
she’s visible. This bane resets once it goes off.
Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Celerity,
Majesty
In the Camarilla
The Cult of Augurs: The Charioteers’ “vul-
gar” rites appeal to cynical Vaticinators. They
require less faith or fuss, making them an afford-
able option when keeping up appearances. The
Reds’ ability to rein in crowds provides whichever
results the gods (or patrons) require, enabling
them to placate and please whoever’s pulling
the purse strings tonight.
The Legion of the Dead: It might
seem counterintuitive for a Red to
bend his will toward militarism, but crowd control can be a
powerful way to vault through the ranks. Many Rotulae aim to
become centurions or even praetors — but those who falter can
end up at the center of a vicious and professionally lethal mob.
The Peregrine Collegium: Kindred fans of the chariot races
can back their own drivers hiding among the Reds.
When the rivalry between the Blues and Greens gets
in the way of Kindred interests, the Rotulae serve
as tiebreakers during deadlocks or, when the scales
unbalance, shore up the underdog. Generally, they
siphon power down to the disadvantaged. Some
claim their aims are altruistic, while others recog-
nize that by gaining power for the masses, they also
gain power for themselves.
The Senex: Many Rotulae are freedmen
or former slaves, rarely rising high in the
Senex. No matter; it’s often easier to
bend the wills of powerful Kindred
if they perceive you as a support-
ive aide — or at least allied
with their goals in swaying
other members. W hen
they do step forward to
hold power, it’s usually in
roles as magistrates, rep-
resenting the various bands
of the Peregrine Collegium.
The Lancea et Sanctum: Rotulae
often sympathize with the Sanctified,
as both came to Rome as outsiders. Those
who convert to the word of Longinus
often cite the similarities between their
rites and Theban words of power, but
whatever their beliefs, they know how to
work a crowd. That’s the kind of power
the Witnesses need to actually do some
witnessing.
Three Reds
Myrtis, Magistrate of the Peregrine
Collegium, has plenty of troubles on
her hands. The Senex has commanded
her to get recent riots in the feeding
grounds near the Circus under control.
She’s preparing her rituals to placate
disgruntled gods, but if she makes the
slightest mistake, they’ll all know it was
she who caused the riots in the first
place. Worse, they might even realize
she did it deliberately.
Ever since Vitrasia cast rituals before
the games, rumors have spread that she
took liberties with the procedures.
Younger Augurs aren’t entirely sure
what they saw. All went well until
CHAPTER SIX: COGNATI 241
 she anointed the goddess’s statue, but then the whole room
exploded into chaos, as if a storm had boiled up in a single
room. For her own part, Vitrasia really wishes she’d known the
statue was haunted, or that she could affect the mares with her
powers. Then, she’d be able to do it again…
Habitus has lived more lives than he can count, sliding in
and out of the wings, disguising his features and remaking
himself. Fortune favors then fails him time and again, and the
crowds won’t answer his call anymore. He’s convinced devils
hound him, maybe because he turned his back on the old
gods to preach the word of Longinus, the true prophet of the
people. These nights, he hobbles up and down the corridors,
misshapen and filthy, but still he dreams of the days when he
wore the purple.
New Merit
In addition to accessing the following Merit, Red characters
gain the Track Star Merit (p. 103) for free, provided they meet
the prerequisites.
Mount Affinity (•)
Prerequisite: Rotulae or Animal Ken ••, Ride ••
Effect: Your character has a deep connection with the animals
she uses on the track. Her Animalism effects apply to horses and
other beasts trained for riding, including camels and elephants.
New Devotions
Rein in the Crowd
(Auspex •)
Dealing with people is messy. Too chaotic. But numbers?
You can predict those.
This Devotion costs 1 Experience to learn.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Requirement: The target crowd must include at least twenty
people.
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Auspex
Action: Instant
Duration: Scene
Roll Results
Success: The vampire learns about the crowd’s psychology
enough to avoid or redirect it. When taking an action to study
or manipulate the crowd, she applies her Auspex dots as a
242 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
bonus, including other Auspex powers. She can also confer
this bonus on another, anointing them with the cost of this
Devotion in a brief ritual honoring her favored pantheon.
Exceptional Success: The Charioteer’s understanding of
crowd dynamics is so astute she exceptionally succeeds on three
successes instead of five on the first action.
Failure: Just because you hold the reins doesn’t mean you
can handle the beast.
Dramatic Failure: The vampire misjudges the crowd. She
loses the 10-again quality on all Social actions for those she
tried to study and cannot use Auspex on them for the scene.
Vox Populi
(Animalism ••• or Majesty •••)
Rotulae can harness a crowd’s sentiments, reshaping, inflam-
ing, or redirecting public opinion.
This Devotion costs 2 Experiences to learn.
Requirement: The target crowd must include at least
twenty people.
Cost: 1 Willpower (and variable Vitae; optional)
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Animalism/Majesty
– Composure (highest in crowd)
Action: Instant
Duration: Scene
Roll Results
Success: The vampire can focus the crowd’s attention on
a particular action or person, whether that’s cheering for the
“right” racer on the track or jeering the new magistrate. The
crowd’s help or interference applies the Advanced Action
quality (p. 118) to any appropriate actions taken by the object
of their interest. This applies to a number of actions equal to
the vampire’s successes or until the duration expires (whichever
comes first), after which, the crowd disperses or finds other
interests. The vampire can also spend a Vitae to alter the crowd’s
attitude from positive to negative, or vice versa.
Vampires and creatures with supernatural tolerance traits are
immune to this effect and obviate it entirely if they’re part of
the target crowd. Only the kine are so easily swayed.
Exceptional Success: The Rotula’s control over the crowd
is absolute. She gains additional modified actions equal to her
relevant Discipline dots.
Failure: The crowd does as it will.
Dramatic Failure: The crowd goes wild, in the worst way
possible. The area gains the Riot Tilt.
 APPENDIX ONE
THE PRETENDERS
There is only one step on the path to royalty.
It is the idiot’s step, and it stretches to the horizon.
Tom Parkinson-Morgan, Kill Six Billion Demons
The Camarilla has only ever had one undisputed leader:
Aulus Julius Senex. Since his disappearance in 300 BCE, the
Kindred have kept his seat in the Small Chamber empty out of
protocol and deference, and legend has it a curse coils within
its hallowed stone. This is a promise. The Propinqui shall have
no more dictators, for none are as worthy as Senex.
But promises are made to be broken.
Spurred by a prophecy, an ambitious elder lays claim to the
Old Man’s throne, naming himself King of the Camarilla, and
this act sets off a series of copycats, conflicts, and catastrophes
that threaten the very heart of the All Night Society.
Setting
This section provides all the background you’ll need to
run the story, with suggestions on periods to set it in and a
summary of Rome’s odd relationship with monarchy.
Choose Your Own Era
The Pretenders is presented in the same rough period
as the rest of this book, but you can place it in any era with
minor adjustments. The only elements that really date it are
the Lancea et Sanctum and the involvement of Macellarius
Corbulo, a character from Fall of the Camarilla (Embraced
in 81 CE and disappearing in 366 CE). However, neither are
intrinsic to the story: The Witnesses can be cut or replaced
with another Kindred cult, and the character represented by
Corbulo only needs a name change. That said, if you’re not a
stickler for lore, don’t sweat it.
With all that in mind, the following are suggestions on
how The Pretenders might tie into the Dark Eras described
in Chapter Four of this book:
• For Vengeance, Triumph, and Blood: As the war between
the Camarilla and Baali escalates, the Propinqui look to
strong leaders to bring them victory, only for opportunists
to seek power. In vampire terms, Senex’s disappearance is
still relatively recent in 218 BCE, and this might focus the
story more on the power vacuum the Old Man left in his
absence (p. 126).
244 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Pretenders is a series of linked story seeds ready to plug
into your ongoing chronicle or serve as the basis for a new one.
These plot hooks can be tailored to suit any character back-
ground, and they’ve been designed for customizability.
Mood: Chaos
Innumerable bad actors seize the Camarilla’s carefully held
reins and drive it toward a chasm. Even moments of calm or
peace are merely eyes in the hurricane, or brief respites as the
next domino teeters. Nothing is certain, everything is possible,
and none of it’s good.
• Favor the Bold: This chronicle could easily occur in the
aftermath of Caesar’s conquest of Gaul (and/or the sub-
sequent civil war), with some Kindred deciding a dictator
isn’t such a bad idea after all (p. 137).
• Sic Semper Tyrannis: The parallels between this chronicle
and era are almost too good to pass up, with a nice round
year to fit in all the action. In this scenario, the pretenders
attempt to seize power in the wake of the Great Fire and
Nero’s downfall. You could even anchor their fortunes to
the various emperors’ regimes, basing them in different
parts of the Empire controlled by the opposing mortal
generals (p. 146).
• The Sea of Fire: Perhaps the pretenders fight for the throne
in the shadow of Vesuvius, tying their reigns to prophecies
of destruction and rebirth. This is also a prime opportunity
to throw something — or someone — into a volcano. Note
too that Vesuvius erupts only a decade after the Year of the
Four Emperors, and this chronicle might be a convenient
way to tie the two events together (p. 156).
• The Anarchy: These events could run concurrently with
the Crisis of the Third Century, with the Strix known as
Riot manipulating each new claimant to Senex’s throne.
Perhaps the Cult of Sol Invictus gets in on the action too,
using the chaos wracking the Necropolis as cover to pick
 off Propinqui. Set during this era, the story could take place
over many years, perhaps even setting the stage for Fall of
the Camarilla (p. 163).
• City of Miracles: With a little finessing, The Pretenders
would fit well in Ravenna toward the end of the Western
Empire, with the various self-proclaimed monarchs scram-
bling to establish successor states as Sodalitas Pernox col-
lapses back in Rome. It could also be about power vacuums
in the aftermath, perhaps even taking the characters to the
Byzantine Empire, though this would expand the chronicle
beyond the Requiem for Rome timeline as written (p. 172).
On Monarchy
For most of their history, the Romans were fiercely anti-
monarchist, which is confusing to modern people considering
they’re best known for founding an empire. But at least at first,
the Emperor wasn’t a monarch at all. He was the First Citizen
(Princeps Civitatis), an informal position based on unwritten laws
and executive powers tied to the army and state bureaucracy’s
Affairs of the Dead
As with any crisis in the Necropolis, the wings have a
spectrum of reactions to these events. Below are suggestions
on how to handle each faction in this story, as well as advice
on involving player characters from their ranks. Some of the
flashpoints below are more oriented toward certain wings,
though none require the characters to hail from any partic-
ular faction.
The Cult of Augurs
It’s the Wing of Prophets for a reason, and the Propinqui are
desperate to hear its voice in troubled times. Even the low-
est-ranking Fates can influence (or manipulate) their Kindred
with ritual bureaucracy, providing ample opportunities for
the scheming fanatics and frauds of the Cult of Augurs to
exercise their power. Encourage Vaticinator players to shape
the chaos and use it to make a name for themselves that the
gods won’t soon forget.
The Legion
of the Dead
Throughout these events, the Legion will vacillate between
saviors and opportunists. Soldiers should feel the weight of their
responsibilities contrasting with the authority granted by their
role as the Camarilla’s enforcers. While the Senex may have a
monopoly on legitimized violence, it’s the Legion that enacts
that violence and, ultimately, decides its own legitimacy. Provide
Soldier characters with lots of chances to test their loyalties and
play different sides off each other.
support. Augustus, the inaugural Emperor, portrayed himself
as the Republic’s savior, partly because Julius Caesar’s enemies
were willing to kill to prevent him from taking a crown.
Of course, this is all just semantics. The Emperor was a
monarch in every way that counts, even if calling him one was
bad politics because of the quirks of Roman nationalism. As
such, official propaganda emphasized the Republican nature of
the Princeps’ role. After Diocletian established the Dominate,
the Emperor did become a de jure monarch, but the state still
made efforts to distinguish its leader from a king.
This context should color every vampire’s opinion of the fol-
lowing events. Most Propinqui share their living counterparts’
allergy to monarchism, and indeed, anyone claiming to be a
king in the Necropolis would normally be labeled a traitor.
Julius Senex never took such a role for himself, and legally
speaking, he was just another Legislator. Besides, the Camarilla
considers itself part of the Roman state, so it wouldn’t make
sense for it to have a separate monarch anyway. Or so goes
the Old Man’s reasoning, an argument his eponymous wing
occasionally finds necessary to reiterate.
The Peregrine
Collegium
The common Kindred shelter and protect each other from
the horrors of these events… all at a very reasonable price. The
Peregrine Collegium offers the chance for social mobility and
profit: Several prominent Kindred may perish or be disgraced
during these events, and Untouchables can use these downfalls
to rise through the ranks. Help Collegium players take advantage
of these openings, as few like them will ever come again.
The Senex
As these events unfold, the Old Man’s ability to wield power
grows more and more uncertain, and for this reason, The
Pretenders is prime material for Senex characters. Indulge them
in debates and power schemes, and put them in the Small Room
where it happens. Let them feel as though they have a direct
hand in shaping Camarilla history. Is it dangerous? Sure. But
events like these are why Kindred join the Senex.
The Lancea et Sanctum
Turmoil tills the soil of dead hearts, allowing the devout to
sow seeds of faith. One night, the Kindred will turn to the
Sanctified for guidance, and it’s because of times like these.
In the meantime, however, they’ve got to survive them. Let
players interested in the Lancea et Sanctum know in advance
that these events will be difficult for the Church, and encour-
age them to look at their successes in the long term.
APPENDIX ONE: THE PRETENDERS 245
 Flashpoints
Below, you’ll find seven flashpoints comprising the narrative
of this chronicle. Each begins with a synopsis and overview
of the given circumstances, followed by a central Storyteller
character (if relevant), advice on how to include the coterie, and
three sample events the characters can play out. Some events are
potential resolutions, prompting the start of the next story seed.
These flashpoints are loosely tied to a linear narrative,
and while we’ve numbered them as such for convenience,
Storytellers can easily alter the suggested sequence as they see
fit. Note that the character traits below are slightly abbreviated;
apply Merits and Devotions and adjust other traits per the
needs of your chronicle.
I. The Stolen Throne
Synopsis: A minor elder named Vulso sits in
Julius Senex’s throne, declaring himself King
of the Camarilla.
Overview
The Senex assembles within
the Camarilla chamber to hold
an important ceremony, per-
haps for the ascension of a
new Princeps or to dedicate a
major wartime victory to the
gods. However, the proceed-
ings are thrown into disarray
when an elder named Vulso
dares to sit in Senex’s throne,
dubbing himself Rex Camarulae.
T he L egislators gasp when
Vulso doesn’t meet Final Death for
tempting the chair’s curse, but once
the shock dissipates, many begin heck-
ling, calling him a usurper of both Senex and
the Emperor. But Vulso comes with justification: A
prophecy states he will “ascend the seat of death” when the
stars are right, but more than that, he dramatically reveals
that he is Senex’s eldest childe. Even if he has no specific right
to kingship, he does have the right to sit his father’s throne.
The assertion divides the room. Few are old enough to
dispute this last claim, and not all elders in attendance do so;
some were almost certainly aware of this plan beforehand,
and a few respected voices side with Vulso. Soon, the Small
Chamber is on the verge of a riot. The Inner Circle calls in
the Cult of Augurs to settle the matter, and the priests bring
a goat and read the validity of Vulso’s statements in its spilled
entrails. As Vulso reclines on the foreboding stone seat, the
Vaticinators confirm his story: He is as he says.
While some refuse to call him Rex, this provides Vulso’s
coup d’état enough legitimacy that it doesn’t matter. Soon,
he enacts sweeping changes, declaring the Camarilla a nation
246 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
separate from the Roman Empire. Festivals and other cele-
brations are plentiful in the first weeks, but the Necropolis
becomes a prison for those without political power. Only Julii
and favorites at court are permitted to set foot in the Small
Chamber now, and the King bans feeding on aristocrats and
mystics. Violating these edicts is punishable by Final Death,
but they strain the blood supply and lead to a reliance on the
dole… which Vulso readily provides.
Pretender: Vulso
On the outside, Lucius Manlius Vulso is everything
a Roman politician should be: a tall man of middle age
Embraced at the early moments of distinction. The Embrace
has preserved just the right amount of gray at his temples
and wrinkles along his broad, smiling face, and when
he laughs or speaks, his voice booms across the
room like Jove’s thunder.
On the inside, Vulso is everything
a Roman politician really is: con-
niving, deceitf ul, and driven
by unchecked ambition. He
craves the power Julius Senex
wields even in absentia, and
he doesn’t care who he has to
trample to get it. Whether or
not he’s the Old Man’s childe
is immaterial — he believes it
so much that no supernatural
ability can reveal deception.
Vulso is many things, but
most of all, he’s obliging. He has
no problem sharing the wealth
with his fellow elites as long as
he’s the one handing out the spoils.
However, he’s also deeply superstitious,
and he’s spent years forging alliances with blood
sorcerers, werewolves, and mortal sorcerers. He’s never
seen without a fascinum, a strange phallic talisman he wears
around his neck at all times and attributes much of his success
to. More importantly, he believes it protects him from the
curse of Senex’s throne. If he lost it, the fear frenzy would
be quite dramatic.
Vulso is comparatively weak for an elder of his (supposed)
age, especially one who claims to be Senex’s heir. He’s spent
most of his Requiem on the backbenches of the Assembly,
making his coup all the more surprising, and this may suggest
he has higher-level backers.
Clan: Julii
Wing: Senex
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 4, Strength
3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Presence 5, Manipulation 5,
Composure 3

Schemes
We leave it to the Storyteller to decide if there’s
any truth to Vulso’s claims. For example, you
might decide trickery’s afoot, with events playing
out so that the rituals all result in the pretender’s
favor — even if the results shouldn’t — as if some
external force is interfering. Maybe Vulso has a
mortal mage hidden out of sight, or even a Strix
possessing a Vaticinator. Or maybe he just pays off
a high-ranking member of the Augurs to employ
some clever stagecraft.
Skills: Animal Ken 1, Academics (Camarilla Law) 4,
Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Empathy 1, Expression (Speeches)
2, Intimidation 3, Occult (Fate, Mages, Werewolves) 5,
Politics 4, Ride 3, Socialize 3, Subterfuge (Self-Delusion)
4, Warfare 3, Weaponry 3
Disciplines: Animalism 2, Celerity 3, Dominate 5,
Nightmare 2, Resilience 3, Vigor 4
Blood Potency: 5
Humanity: 3
Initiative: 6
Defense: 5 (Active Defense 8)
Health: 11
Willpower: 7
Size: 5
Speed: 15
Notes: If Vulso’s medallion figures into the story, it has
the following traits: Size 1, Durability 2, Structure 3.
Anyone who wears it gains the Boon of Fortuna Merit (p.
93) as long as it remains around their neck, though its
patron deity is actually Nurtia, the Etruscan goddess of
time and fate. The fascinum’s drawback is also different.
It doesn’t cost a Willpower to use, but if the character’s
Advanced roll fails, she loses the 10-again quality for
the rest of the night on all actions.
Involving the Characters
The characters could be members of the Senex present to
cast their vote on the above event if they have the status to do
so. Enterprising Propinqui may even take part in debates for
or against the self-proclaimed king. Augurs could assist those
who perform the rituals that verify Vulso’s claims, or be called
on to hunt down the truth of the ritual and discover what
really transpired. Vulso comes with backup too, so Soldiers
could act as bodyguards or crowd control when the Senecti
get rowdy. Sanctified characters could seek an audience with
Vulso and prey on his superstitions in an attempt to convert
him, or they could sow discontent against the pagan beliefs
that led to his rule.
However, it’s the Strangers who have the most latitude
to advance their Requiems during this flashpoint. As the
Camarilla’s rank and file, they’re right in the middle of things,
and elites are quick to bribe or goad them into action, particu-
larly if the Advenae can use Fenestrae to even the odds under
the new regime.
Vulso’s connections to the occult could also lead the coterie
to encounter other supernatural entities. As noted, the new
monarch has contacts among the Uratha and Awakened, and
it could be that he used their influence to claim the throne.
Event: The Victory Party
Vulso hosts a massive celebration in his own honor a few
nights after taking the throne, open to all. The King has an
entire amphitheater flooded for a mock naval battle, complete
with sharks in the water.
In attendance is every Propinquus of note in Rome, and the
characters have ample opportunities to socialize and mingle.
Alternatively, they’re welcome to participate in the naval battle,
which involves a capture the flag–like game between a blue team
and a green team, fighting their way through mortals who’ve
been stirred up into mania with liberal uses of Majesty and
Nightmare. A pair of ghoul gladiators guard each flag and have
permission to maim anyone who gets within armlength. The
sharks have also been given a taste for Vitae and will swarm
anyone unlucky enough to fall in the water.
Storyteller Tips
Vulso’s celebrations are a good way to draw characters into
other plots, or even to start a chronicle with their Embraces.
You could also tweak the event and have the coterie be in charge
of setting up the celebration; see Chapter Two of Sin Again:
Daeva for a special party-hosting system.
Event: Tainted Blood
Hoping to gain favor with the lower classes, King Vulso
increases the blood dole to a degree previously unknown.
But soon, rumors swirl that the supply is tainted. Some say
it’s infected with the plague, while others claim Vulso spiked
it with his own Vitae. Others still claim the King is one of
the Traditores returned from the dead and that the blood is
poisoned, infernal, or worse. As such, Kindred stop drinking
from the dole. Blood curdles and stinks in the tunnels where
rats feast on the coagulated chunks.
When these rumors reach Vulso, he grows paranoid,
employing the lower ranks of the wings to spy on their supe-
riors. Within weeks, he moves on from paying spies to paying
assassins, and he places generous bounties on rumormongers.
The characters can quash further rumors of the tainted
dole or act as eyes for the King, though they’ll meet resistance
from several parties. Indeed, if they’re particularly effective,
they’ll get a visit from an assassin known as the Naked Blade
(see Pretender: Julia Apollonia on p. 248). They can also
spread gossip themselves, but this will land them in Vulso’s
crosshairs instead.
Inquisitive characters can investigate the claims of blood
tainting. Their search will lead them to the Transtiberim neigh-
APPENDIX ONE: THE PRETENDERS 247
 borhood on the west bank of the Tiber. Here, they’ll discover
a secret stockyard where foreigners and petty criminals are
strung up on hooks and bled over days or weeks. The practice
may be monstrous, but the butchers are entirely human — a
half-dozen mortals hired with Vulso’s vast wealth. They won’t
give up their captives without a fight.
Storyteller Tips
This event can be action-oriented or investigative depending
on what direction you want to take the story. It’s also a good
place to set up Julia Apollonia (below) as an antagonist/ally if
you want the characters in on her plans before the event below.
She may be the source of the rumors, but even if not, she’s
invested in keeping them going.
Event: The Countercoup
One night, a centurion called Julia Apollonia and her troops
drag one of the Vaticinators who read the entrails at the coup
before the King and his court. Apollonia is a magistrate for the
Legion, but more than that, she’s Vulso’s estranged childe. She
forces the Augur to admit Vulso bribed him and his accomplices
in exchange for political power.
As soon as he finishes his confession, Apollonia cuts the
vampire’s head from his shoulders and tosses it into Vulso’s
lap. The crowd goes berserk. Several of the assembled Senecti
fall to a frenzy and attempt to tear Vulso limb from limb — and
amid the bloodshed, Apollonia takes a seat on the throne.
Storyteller Tips
The characters can resist the coup, join it, or escape it.
They may even already be involved with it after encountering
Apollonia’s alter ego in the Tainted Blood event.
Should they choose to fight, they’ll be up against numerous
frenzying Kindred, so regardless of which side they choose,
they’ll be rewarded for valor in battle. However, their actions will
be noted by both Apollonia and Vulso’s supporters, for better
or worse. Alternatively, the coterie might attempt to restrain
or calm the riot, gaining the favor of those they rescue. But
if they choose to escape, they’ll face scorn from those who
didn’t or couldn’t.
The above assumes frenzying Senecti dispatch Vulso in short
order, but if the characters decide to protect him, the attempt
on his Requiem hardens his reign, and he’ll become the same
tyrant his childe would’ve been, if not worse. If Sanctified char-
acters had an important hand in his rescue, the superstitious
King might swear himself to Longinus and attempt to convert
the entire Camarilla.
II. The Warrior Queen
Synopsis: Julia Apollonia, childe of Vulso, establishes a brutal
military dictatorship after usurping her sire.
Overview
In a single evening, Apollonia reverses all her sire’s edicts
and begins a campaign of control through an overt show
248 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
The Real Pretenders
If Vulso did make it all up, maybe he’s one of
the Licinii, the aptly nicknamed Pretenders. This
Julii–Nosferatu bloodline conceals its origins as the
product of a Strix-possessed Worm, and it’s long
yearned to take more power in the Camarilla. In this
scenario, Vulso works on his family’s behalf, with
the fascinum concealing his bloodline curse and his
lies about his lineage. Whether he’s truly a Founder
or actually a Nosferatu is up to you; note that this
choice affects Julia Apollonia as well, but only if you
want to keep her as Vulso’s childe.
Licinii suffer the Strigid and Lonely Curses and
favor Dominate, Nightmare, Resilience, and Vigor.
of force. Where her predecessor was known for subterfuge
and intrigue, Julia Apollonia is defined by an iron fist and a
blood-stained sword.
Upon her ascension, her allies in the Legion proclaim
Apollonia’s victory to be ordained by the gods, and its chap-
lains bless her before the Temple of Mars in a bath of blood.
From this baptism, she emerges with a new title: Bellatrix
Regina — the Warrior Queen. She then announces a cam-
paign to purge the Camarilla of hostile forces and expand
its influence even to places the Roman Empire doesn’t hold,
thus beginning one of the largest recruitment drives in the
Legio Mortuum’s history. All over the Empire, the dead rise
to join its ranks.
However, the Queen’s focus on warfare leads to neglect. She
ignores the blood dole and proclaims that if Kindred want free
Vitae, they can join the military. Starving and desperate, many
do. Within weeks, the bloated Legion is unable to police its
membership. Corruption grows unchecked, and many meet
Final Death at their comrades’ spears.
Pretender: Julia Apollonia
Apollonia is everyone’s monster. She was Embraced at 20
and isn’t even five feet tall, and she wears her fire-red hair in
a different extravagant style each night. She never raises her
voice, even when enraged — yet people listen. And if they don’t,
she’s more skilled with a blade than Nefasti twice her age. Her
precise fighting style has earned her a reputation as the Naked
Blade, an assassin persona she uses to silence enemies even after
she claims the throne. She delights in dividing her rivals, both
from their allies and literally, and she won’t hesitate to oversee
executions personally.
However, for all her charm, poise, and martial skill, the
Warrior Queen is a poor leader. She has a quick wit, but she’s
shortsighted, acting without second thoughts because that’s
how you win a fight. She’s a Roman dictator in all the worst
ways, believing military supremacy is both ordained by the gods
and crucial to survival. Hers in particular. She also fears what
she doesn’t understand, sharing all her sire’s superstitions but
none of his occult understanding.
 For the characters, the Warrior Queen is a fast friend if
they’re willing to spill blood on her behalf, but she’s a quick
enemy if they show any ambition beyond servitude.
Clan: Julii
Wing: Legion of the Dead
Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 4, Resolve 3, Strength
5, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4, Presence 4, Manipulation 4,
Composure 4
Skills: Athletics 5, Brawl 3, Expression 3, Intimidation
(Death Threats) 5, Larceny 1, Medicine 2, Politics 1,
Ride 3, Socialize 4, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 3, Warfare
(Total War) 5, Weaponry (Blades) 5
Disciplines: Dominate 2, Majesty 1, Obfuscate 2,
Resilience 5, Vigor 4
Blood Potency: 3
Humanity: 4
Initiative: 6
Defense: 7
Health: 14
Willpower: 7
Size: 5
Speed: 16
Involving the
Characters
T he L egion is inf luen-
tial during this pretender’s
reign. Characters who wish
to join up will find a foothold
in Apollonia’s policy of rapid
expansion, and current Soldiers
may end up promoted to make room
for fresh recruits.
Conversely, Senecti suffer Apollonia’s
wrath if they misstep, and the Warrior Queen might
call upon them to commit heinous acts against “disloyal”
members of their wing, setting up rivalries and enemies for
years to come. And Augur characters may wish to ingratiate
themselves with the supernaturally ignorant Apollonia, play-
ing on her gullibility with self-serving prophecies.
Strangers won’t find much comfort in the Warrior Queen’s
rule, though if they’re unwilling to join up with the Legion,
she always needs informants (more and more as time passes).
Sanctified characters will fair even worse, and if they act out of
line, she may begin a persecution. Perfect time for evangelism!
Event: The Trial
Though barely a virilis, the Warrior Queen suffers no disre-
spect. When a Julian author named Macellarius Corbulo makes
a crude comment about her appearance, not realizing she’s in
earshot, she orders his genitals cut out and fed to him nightly
for a month. However, when the assembled Propinqui react
poorly to her sentence, she decrees that Corbulo’s fate should
be decided by public debate in the Assembly.
Storyteller Tips
The coterie can choose to represent Corbulo in court or
condemn him. If they prosecute Corbulo, he’s defended by
Caecus, a Daeva more known for his skills as a pimp than an
orator (and who uses this preconception to his advantage). If
the characters choose to defend Corbulo, their opponent is
instead Tariolena Fausta, a Mekhet known for her sharp tongue,
prudish sensibilities, and far-too-perceptive vision.
To her credit, Apollonia will accept the results of the trial as a
show of her merciful nature, though she may order Macellarius
beaten on some thin pretext later if she loses.
Regardless of whether or not he’s found innocent, Corbulo will
remember those who stood up for him — or wronged him — and
they’ll find their names or likenesses appearing through-
out his work for years to come. Macellarius could
act as a one-man chorus for subsequent
events, either to spread gossip about the
characters or provide them with polit-
ical support. He might even broker
some of the coterie’s future work
if they impress him.
This event could also fit in
with Vulso’s regime if you want
to bring Corbulo in earlier.
Event:
The Hunt
Apollonia believes Vulso had
hidden backers among the night
folk of Rome. In her eyes, the city
has only room for one monster,
and she’s willing to pay to make that
a reality. She initiates a pogrom against
werewolves and mages, assembling hunters
drawn from all the Camarilla’s wings. The Queen
rewards these exterminators with gold, status, and favor, and
sometimes she even leads their hunts. For each confirmed kill,
she displays a trophy in the Camarilla.
Most Kindred see this hunt for the absurdly bad idea it is,
and after several botched operations, the other monsters realize
Rome’s bloodsuckers are punching above their weight class.
Storyteller Tips
The coterie might try to convince the Warrior Queen of her
error, though they might also decide it’s easier to just help her
victims do her in. If no one stops her one way or another, the hunt
will be ruinous, with sorcerers, shapeshifters, and even stranger
things hunting down Propinqui in the heart of the Necropolis.
Fortunately, even on the brink of doom, the Kindred have
one surefire way to end the conflict: Apollonia’s head, struck
from her body and delivered to those she wronged.
APPENDIX ONE: THE PRETENDERS 249
 This event expands the story’s scope into the broader
Chronicles of Darkness, whether as an ill-fated monster hunt
or as a high-stakes political negotiation to smooth things over.
While we use mages and werewolves here, any supernatural
creatures will fit. If you don’t have access to Werewolf: The
Forsaken or Mage: The Awakening, the following systems can
represent supernatural antagonists.
Werewolves: Werewolves work like vampires, but they don’t
suffer the banes of sunlight, fire, or torpor, and they heal
naturally like humans. Instead, contact silver weapons deal
aggravated damage and may trigger frenzy. Older wolves have
other bans similar to banes. Werewolves have Primal Urge and
Essence instead of Blood Potency and Vitae, and they regain
Essence by hunting and killing prey. They can have any of the
common Disciplines and know the equivalent of the first four
dots of Protean inherently, which they can activate reflexively.
They can also learn Crúac. Werewolves can enter a wolfman
form with an instant action, gaining two Size levels and healing
a point of bashing or lethal damage per turn (worst first), and
they can spend an Essence to heal all bashing damage once per
turn. However, if the werewolf spends more turns in her hybrid
form than her Primal Urge, this is a frenzy trigger.
Mages: Mages work like mortals but have access to magic.
Build a mage like a mature vampire, with the equivalent of
about 15 Experiences. A mage can have any Discipline at any
level, including those normally restricted to bloodlines. They
have Gnosis instead of Blood Potency and spend Mana instead
of Vitae, which can be gained by spending time in meditation
at places of mystical power. Mages do not have Devotions, but
the Veneficium, Theban Sorcery, and Scales of the Dragon
are all available.
Event: Conspiracy
Eventually, Apollonia’s reign grows too erratic, and despite
her military bona fides, a conspiracy forms among the Legion’s
high officers to take her out.
Storyteller Tips
If the characters participate, the conspiracy will task them
with finding a way through the Queen’s bodyguards during an
orgy at the Aula Nigra (p. 68). It might even order them to lead
the charge if they’re Soldiers, or just Untouchables known for
wet work. If they’re aligned with Apollonia, they can instead
bring down the conspirators by playing double agents or val-
iantly defending her at the Black Court.
The following are a few ways this event might resolve:
• If the raid is successful, the Warrior Queen loses her throne,
and unless the coterie makes a point to spare her — perhaps
for a trial — she dies in battle, though she’ll try to take a few
regicides with her. The Necropolis enjoys a brief period of
stability before the Tunnel Riots begin (below).
• If the raid is unsuccessful, Apollonia has the conspirators
crucified and leads a paranoid purge of the Legion, dispos-
ing of anyone even remotely associated with the plotters.
However, when the Necropolis begins to riot, few officers are
250 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
willing to help her quell the uprising after their comrades’
persecution, and more conspiracies rise. Realizing Final
Death is imminent, Apollonia abdicates and goes into exile.
Alternatively, if she handles the coup judiciously, the Warrior
Queen could serve as a good foil for the Crypt Queen.
• If the coterie prefers neutrality, it’s up to the Storyteller to
decide how things shake out. She may decide the characters’
help would’ve made all the difference, and if so, they’ll suffer
consequences from those they could’ve helped.
III. The Tunnel Riots
Synopsis: A rebellion breaks out in the deep Necropolis led
by a Worm known as Vitiflad.
Overview
Eventually, the Necropolis has enough. The Senex and
Legion have been playing fast and loose with their power games,
and the Kindred have suffered for it. The Strangers crave repre-
sentation, and it’s in this environment that a Nosferatu digger
boss named Vitiflad is proclaimed Queen of the Crypts, swiftly
declaring independence for the deep Necropolis.
Vitiflad was a Germanic slave in life, and many Propinqui
are enraged at royal honors being bestowed on someone so
distinctly un-Roman. As such, The Senex sends the Legion to
enforce order and kill this latest monarch. Vitiflad is captured
and crucified in the sun, her charred corpse left on display as
a warning.
The next night, Vitiflad condemns the murder of an innocent
Propinqua. A confused Assembly sends the Legion back into
the tunnels to apprehend this second Vitiflad, but by then, the
secessionists have fortified a dizzying network of passages. On
the orders of the Senex, the Legion tries to enforce martial law,
but the depth of the tunnels grants the rebels a level of freedom
they’re unwilling to give up without a fight.
What follows is a series of riots in the lower Necropolis that
pit these Strangers and the Soldiers against each other. Former
Untouchables who joined the Legion during Apollonia’s reign
turn against their comrades, and entire squads are lost. Over
the next few weeks, numerous Kindred claiming to be Vitiflad
are captured, only to have another emerge the following night.
Pretender: Vitiflad
In truth, the Crypt Queen is three Nosferatu broodmates,
each so hideously warped they bind themselves in rags from
head to toe. Their personalities are quite distinct, but all are
united in their wish to be free. They see themselves less as
leaders and more as loud organizing voices for the Strangers.
Is there a “real” Vitiflad? Perhaps. A rumor among those in
the know states that one of these Worms dug too deep and
found a writhing creature in a void that no senses could pierce.
This creature warped her body and blessed her with horrible
insight, and it’s said all who drink her Vitae become as twisted
in body as her. Whether or not this is the first Vitiflad or
someone (or something) else entirely is up to the Storyteller.
 The following traits can apply to any of the Nosferatu claim-
ing to be the Crypt Queen.
Clan: Nosferatu
Wing: Peregrine Collegium
Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2, Strength
4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Presence 3, Manipulation 2,
Composure 4
Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Crafts (Construction) 4,
Empathy 3, Expression (For Freedom!) 3, Intimidation 3,
Larceny 3, Politics 2, Streetwise 3, Stealth 4, Warfare
(Guerrilla) 3, Weaponry 2
Disciplines: Obfuscate 4, Nightmare 2, Vigor 3
Blood Potency: 2
Humanity: 5
Initiative: 6
Defense: 5
Health: 8
Willpower: 6
Size: 5
Speed: 14
Involving the
Characters
Peregrine Collegium and
Legion of the Dead characters
are front and center during
these events, and Sanctified
characters will have lots of
chances to preach. That said,
political revolutions often draw
opportunists from the elites. Senecti
and Vaticinators looking to gain a rep-
utation as peacemakers could hire armed
goons to escort them into the depths.
Finally, Storytellers looking to run a more action-
packed chronicle could turn this scenario into a dungeon crawl
through the depths of the Necropolis. The deep tunnels hold
many secrets, and it’s a great time to plunder them. Or maybe
they have to navigate traps and hostile Nosferatu as they make
their way to the Crypt Queen’s stronghold.
Event: Return of the Queen
The coterie is present when the second Vitiflad emerges
from the tunnels and proclaims that the Camarilla has
murdered an innocent. If the characters are Soldiers, they
technically have to capture this fugitive and bring her to
justice. Not all of them might agree, however, and may feel
compelled to help Vitiflad escape, either by convincing any
nearby Legionaries to turn a blind eye or through direct
force. Should the Crypt Queen meet her end here, another
will appear within a few nights.
Storyteller Tips
This event is a good way to test the coterie’s political alle-
giances, or maybe even allow them to explore their ethics
despite those loyalties.
Event: Stuck in the Middle
A riot breaks out in a part of the Necropolis the coterie
happens to be traveling through. Suddenly surrounded by
dozens of enraged or frenzied vampires on both sides of the
issue, the characters must escape with their necks. What
follows is a chase through winding tunnels pursued by either
avenging Strangers or wrathful Soldiers. Those caught by
their pursuers are not killed but instead ransomed back to
the highest bidder, which could obligate the characters to
their most unsavory rivals.
Storyteller Tips
You could easily combine this event with the one
above, with the characters pursuing Vitiflad into
the deep tunnels. This might also make a
good lead into The Collapse flashpoint
on p. 253.
Event: Repo Men
A Propinquus named Ulixes
contacts the characters. His sire
went missing during Vitiflad’s
revolution, and the Cr ypt
Queen has gifted his progen-
itor’s underground villa to a
Sanctified coterie, who now
use it as a church away from the
All Night Society’s persecutions.
The haven is deep behind rebel
lines, and Ulixes needs the coterie
to evict the Witnesses and secure the
site so the Legion doesn’t sack it during
any future invasions. He’s willing to pay
handsomely in wealth and favors.
The villa is a sprawling estate complete with a private
bath, as well as a secret passage to the Viminal Hill — something
its current occupants have yet to realize. Of course, if both
the squatters and Ulixes were out of the picture, it would be a
fantastic base of operations…
Storyteller Tips
While the characters could attempt a straightforward assault,
this is also a great place to run an infiltration job, with the
coterie knocking out/assassinating the squatters one by one.
Alternatively, you could also alter the scenario so Ulixes needs
an item hidden in the villa, turning it into a heist. In either
case, consider the following system:
After a couple of planning scenes, ask each player what their
character is doing to prepare. However, don’t play through
these efforts or describe the outcomes; just ask what they’re
intending to do and roll some dice, then skip to the mission.
APPENDIX ONE: THE PRETENDERS 251
 If the characters run into unexpected complications, the Clan: Ghoul
players can choose to briefly take control of the story. If a Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 4, Resolve 4, Strength
player can explain how her character’s contribution foresaw 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Presence 4, Manipulation 2,
the complication and allowed the coterie to account for it, she Composure 2
can retroactively reveal the group’s “preparation.” A success on
Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl (Tusks) 4, Expression (Ugly
the roll above allows a player to take narrative control once, Cute) 1, Intimidation 3, Stealth 1, Survival 4
and an exceptional success offers two such opportunities.
Players take a Beat whenever they retroactively prepare for an Disciplines: Majesty 1, Vigor 2
obstacle this way. Blood Potency: 0
Initiative: 5
IV. The Pig Defense: 6
and the Fool Health: 9
Synopsis: A satirical prank among up-and-coming Senecti Willpower: 7
gets out of hand when two ghouls are acclaimed “co-emperors” Size: 5
of the Camarilla.
Speed: 14 (species factor 5)
Overview
As the Legion of the Dead and tunnel dwell- Pretender: Augustulus
ers struggle, the Senex watches from the Those who suck up to Augustulus earn
safety of their Assembly. Inspired by the favor of an alcoholic twit, but one
the “crowning” of Vitiflad, several who freely bestows wealth and prop-
neonate Legislators decide that if erty seized from Vulso, Apollonia,
a Nosferatu can be queen of the and their allies — at least on
tunnels, they should nominate anyone his regnants happen to
an emperor for the Camarilla. like. Augustulus deeply resents
The jokesters find a very dis- Porculus for stealing his thun-
tant relative of the Princeps, der, but he’s also a coward, and
feed him Vitae, and place him lives in fear that the pig will eat
on Senex’s throne. This man, him alive if provoked.
endowed with little brain and Augustulus doesn’t need
a whole cornucopia of vices, is traits. He’s always hammered
dubbed Augustulus. and is too soused to use his
But on the night of his so-called ghoul abilities effectively. He’ll
ascension, the joke grows out of con- die without meaningful resistance
trol. A rival group of Daeva proclaims if anyone deigns to kill him.
that if a mortal can lead the Camarilla, so
can any livestock, installing a boar they call Involving the
Publius Porculus as co-emperor. The pig is treated Characters
with identical honors to Augustulus and fed vast quantities of Characters from all the wings will have reasons to attend
Vitae. The two ghouls are even forced to share the throne until the parties held in honor of the ghoul emperors, whether as
the Senex session devolves into jeers and heckling. carousers, servants, or bodyguards. If you use The Boar War
Though some Senecti take (a little) humor in the stunt, most event (below), Legionaries have plenty of excuses to get involved.
elders vocally disapprove, which only encourages the young
Propinqui. They are not permitted to let the ghouls sit Senex’s Event: Pigs Take Flight
throne again, but the joke continues. Weeks of constant revelries Porculus’s “loyal subjects” hire the characters to smuggle
occur, drawing on internal funds for security and infrastructure. him out of Rome when the joke grows old. Doing so requires
This is poorly received by the rest of the Camarilla, particularly sneaking a Vitae-addicted boar onto a ship bound north from
because of the lavish parties thrown to honor these “rulers.” Portus, about 40 kilometers south of Rome. Not to be outdone,
someone hires an “assassin” to track Porculus in the hopes of
Pretender: Porculus humiliating his owners, which will cause trouble for the coterie
Publius Porculus is a boar, and he acts accordingly. He’s fond unless they see the pig safely to the dawn.
of anyone willing to feed him Vitae and raw meat, and he’s by far If they’re successful, rumors persist for years that Porculus
the more popular of the two co-emperors. Indeed, if he meets an found his way to Germania and sired a vast ghoul family of
untimely end, it will lead to a small outcry. He’s one hell of a pig. piglets in the Black Forest, terrorizing the locals for generations.

252 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 If they’re unsuccessful… well, someone’s ghoul is having
bacon for breakfast.
Storyteller Tips
If you want to take a lighter tone between the main events
of the story, this task offers a chance for the characters to get
bogged down in a comedy of errors. Feel free to keep the stakes
low; few Propinqui are willing to lose their Requiems over a
ghoul, even an ironically popular one. Then again, comedy is
often derived from taking absurd situations much too seriously…
Event: Augustulus Redivivus
The characters are tasked with bringing Augustulus to an
event, only to have the drunk take an unlucky fall and snap his
neck. Now responsible for the death of the Camarilla’s second-fa-
vorite pet, the coterie must either find raise him from the dead,
replace him with a lookalike, or puppet his body until they find a
better solution. No one actually gives a shit about Augustulus,
but his regnants are powerful Kindred despite their
youth and puerile sense of humor, and they’ll
punish the coterie disproportionately for
their careless mistake.
Storyteller Tips
If the characters are desperate,
magic users exist in the Eternal
City known for performing
acts of necromancy. One such
mystic is a Bourkolakas (p.
186) named Ariadne, one of
the only Returned in the city,
and she’s willing to brief ly
resurrect the dead man in
exchange for 24 hours of the
characters’ deaths. If they agree, at
some point over the next year, they’ll
wake to find a full day has passed of
which they have no recollection. However,
ignorance won’t protect them from what they
did in service to the sorceress that night.
If one of the characters has the bright idea of Embracing
Augustulus before he expires, it proves to be a half-measure.
The man is too stupid to live or die, and within a matter of
nights, he loses himself to the Beast — but not before spawning
several revenants among the upper classes.
As above, this event has loads of opportunities for hijinks,
though the dangers are a bit more concrete here. If the char-
acters encounter her, Ariadne opens up the weirder elements
of Sodalitas Pernox, and she could make a useful ally in later
events (for example, The Haunting on p. 259).
Event: The Boar War
The co-emperors’ regnants hold a party at an infamous
brothel in Rome, which is almost immediately besieged by a
band of Soldiers when they discover their wages were diverted
to pay for the event.
Storyteller Tips
If the characters were invited, they might act as mediators,
negotiating for the Legionaries’ pay and perhaps finally putting
an end to the stupid joke.
Alternatively, they might help the Soldiers break into the
brothel, letting the vengeful Kindred deal with the juvenile
neonates in whatever way they deem fit. If they help Porculus
and/or Augustulus escape, they might be able to cash in
boons later, or hold them hostage for leverage (well, maybe
not Augustulus).
This event is a good opportunity for more mercenary coteries,
whether they want to play all the sides against each other or
just opportunistically ally with whoever’s in the best position.
The co-emperors and their regnants are ultimately small fry,
but even minor allegiances can help build status and repute
in the Camarilla.
V. The Collapse
Synopsis: At the height of the tunnel
riots, a catastrophic cave-in occurs.
Overview
A Legionary patrol tracks some
of Vitiflad’s supporters into the
deep tunnels. This turns out
to be a trap, but before either
side can gain the advantage,
something sets off a collapse
that seals off nearly half a
kilometer of tunnel. Trapped
behind the wreckage are a
dozen rebels and almost as many
Soldiers, who will either starve
into torpor or devour each other if
left to rot. Those caught in the rubble
who weren’t sent into torpor call out for
aid, but the stones are too heavy and Vitae
too precious to waste on displays of strength.
A tense peace between the remaining Kindred emerges, and
they make plans to dig into nearby tunnels. But which way is
the right one back? This part of the Necropolis is deep, and
finding the right direction will require both luck and skill.
Worst of all, things lair beneath the earth far more dangerous
than falling rocks or the fangs of hungry vampires…
Outside the collapsed tunnel, the wings are thrown into
an uproar. Many Untouchables work the deep tunnels; some
have friends and secrets buried in their depths, though a few
see the advantages of thinning the ranks within Ala Peregrina.
The Augurs hold services to seek the gods’ blessings, all while
asking for more lavish donations and offerings. The Sanctified
alternate between praying for the trapped Kindred and prose-
lytizing that the Camarilla’s sins are to blame for the disaster.
In the Senex, heated debates rage over the correct course of
action. Many call for the Camarilla to abandon the trapped
APPENDIX ONE: THE PRETENDERS 253
 rebels altogether, while others wish to show clemency or, at the
very least, make an effort to rescue the trapped Soldiers. All
the while, the Legion’s leaders grow more impatient with the
Senex dragging its feet.
Worst of all, rumors swirl that the cave-in was planned…
Involving the Characters
If the characters are among those trapped by the collapsed
tunnel, they’ll have to either figure out how to survive until
they’re rescued or escape using the tools at hand — all while
maintaining a tenuous peace. If they weren’t in the tunnels,
they might also be interested in organizing a rescue, whether
for profit, glory, or (rarest of all) altruism. Members of the Legio
Mortuum and Peregrine Collegium would be deeply invested
in rescuing their comrades, while Fates and Sanctified would
have an excellent chance to earn prestige for their faiths.
Event: Inside Man
Little do the victims know, a Strix is possessing a member
of the Legionary force. The Owl seeks to manipulate the
assembled Kindred into murdering one another or releasing
something it knows is buried even deeper in this part of the
Necropolis. However, the Strix is patient, and if caught, it will
play torpid or abandon its host.
Storyteller Tips
If the characters are caught below, it’s up to them to smoke
out the Owl before it can do any damage. If they’re above, they
might come across evidence of its presence among the Soldier’s
possessions, which may influence their decisions if they have
any say in the rescue plan.
Event: The Debate
When the Senex hears about the collapse in the deep tun-
nels, the news is initially met with derision. It’s just deserts
for the rebels to fall victim to their own poor handiwork.
However, as time drags on, pressure builds for the Legislators
to do something about the collapse, if not to save the Kindred,
then to reclaim the tunnels. The debates rage on, and the
Assembly divides into three stances:
• The first faction wants to send aid. They’re steadfast in their
belief that the Camarilla must intervene on behalf of its
citizens, despite the recent troubles in the deep tunnels.
• The second faction wants to delay. They hide behind notions
of careful planning and execution given the nature of the
collapse and the inherent risk, but in reality, they want to
eliminate as many of the trapped rebels as possible while
making it seem like the Old Man took action. They think
the loss of a few Virgatores is more than worth it.
• The third faction believes the victims should be left to their
fate. This position is entirely self-serving: The leading mem-
bers of this group owe debts to the commander who led the
assault (perhaps Captain Serranus, p. 255). He’s known for
cultivating political favors, and these Senecti hope to clear
their ledgers through his Final Death or torpor.
254 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Storyteller Tips
The characters can join the debate or provide evidence/
blackmail to the factions. However they participate, their
actions will have a lasting impact on the Necropolis: Each of
them is rewarded a free Camarilla Status dot if they aid the
winning faction, though they’re also likely to gain a slew of
enemies based on which side they fell on.
Depending on how things shake out, the following three
scenarios are the most likely outcomes:
• If the first faction prevails, the lower tunnels are excavated
with minimal loss. Only a couple of Kindred are in torpor,
and none meet Final Death. Furthermore, the rapid response
allows the tunnels to be repaired before the damage can spread.
• If the second faction prevails, several trapped vampires fall
into torpor or consume each other to survive before the
Senex acts. The diablerists are put on trial by tradition, but
the prosecution is half-hearted, and exile is their punishment
rather than Final Death. The event is seen as a tragedy, and
Soldiers who met Final Death are granted retroactive honors
for their service to the Camarilla
• If the third faction prevails, everyone trapped perishes but
for one, who devours all the other victims. Eventually, this
survivor makes a deal with the abovementioned Strix for
the power to escape the tunnels. This vampire now boasts a
great deal of stolen power, as well as a thirst for vengeance
on the system that failed them.
Event: The Engineer
The Camarilla needs a way to reach the trapped Kindred,
but such an effort would require vast and specialized knowl-
edge. Luckily, a legendary engineer named Gaius Epidius lives
in the countryside two nights’ travel from Rome. The man is
responsible for some of the greatest feats of excavation and
stonework in the last generation, and though mortal, he’s had
some minor dealings with the Kindred, and his knowledge may
be the solution to the Camarilla’s predicament.
Unfortunately, when the characters finally reach Epidius,
they soon realize the man doesn’t measure up to the legend.
Now in his 70s, he’s in the advanced stages of dementia, surviv-
ing only through the doting care of his eldest daughter, Epidia
Maxima. However, Canny or learned characters will realize
that — despite his woeful state — Epidius was submitting plans
as early as the previous summer: His villa is full of freshly drawn
plans and diagrams.
In truth, Maxima is the mastermind behind many of Epidius’s
works. Despite her gender, her father educated her in the family
trade, which she mastered at an early age. She’s twice the engi-
neer Epidius was, and for the last decade, she’s used his name to
submit her work to the Roman state. Now, as her father’s death
nears, she fears a future where her brilliant mind will no longer
be allowed to meet the challenges that gave her life meaning.
Maxima is looking for a way to continue her work, and from
her father’s dealings with the All Night Society, she knows
what the characters could do for her. She’d be happy to serve
the Camarilla as an engineer if she were provided a fresh male
identity from which to employ her skills among the living,
though she’d also be an excellent addition to the Necropolis
if Embraced.
Storyteller Tips
This event is a convenient place to foment drama between
coterie members, especially if more than one of them thinks
Epidia would make a good childe. Alternatively, maybe Epidia
has dealt with the Kindred before and wants nothing to do
with them, having prepared ingenious and deadly traps to keep
bloodsuckers out of her father’s home.
The Brutes
Captain Serranus is part of a lineage of Wanderers
that serves the Legion as an elite subdivision.
Commonly (and derisively) called Larvae, these
Brutes gain Celerity and must resist rage frenzy
when they first inflict lethal wounds in a scene. Their
bloodline gift is mechanically the same as Stir the
Beast (Vampire, p. 157), with the exception that it
can’t be used to obviate their bane.
Serranus is one of the few high-ranking Larvae in
Ala Militaris, but he’s still notorious for his bloodlust.

VI. The Revolution

Kindred, and if he pulls this off, he might prove it. He has a
Synopsis: Rogue Legionaries seize the Assembly and hold
natural resistance to mind games and politics, but his narrow
anyone present captive.
worldview leaves him vulnerable to deception and subtle tactics.
Overview Clan: Gangrel
In the aftermath of the riots and tunnel Bloodline: Larvae
collapse, respect and trust in the Senex
is at an all-time low. This is especially Wing: Legion of the Dead
true among the Legion of the Dead, Attributes: Intelligence 2,
who quietly question whether the Wits 2, Resolve 4, Strength
rule of law can last much longer. 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3,
In this environment, a pla-
Presence 3, Manipulation 2,
Composure 4
toon of Soldiers decides to
head off looming anarchy, Skills: Animal Ken (Horses)
breaking into the Assembly 2, Athletics 4, Brawl
one night (probably when (Grappling) 4, Expression
few elders are present) and (Addressing the Troops) 2,
Intimidation 4, Politics 3,
declaring their intention to
Streetwise 2, Warfare 4,
save the Camarilla from its Weaponry (Pila) 4
corrupt leaders. They push the
hostage Legislators to name their Disciplines: Animalism 4,
captain, Sextus Atilius Serranus, as Celerity 4, Protean 4, Resilience 4
First Citizen of the Camarilla, and they Blood Potency: 4
try to force a vote each night. The Senex Humanity: 2
stalls and debates, and each sunrise comes
without a decision. After ten nights, the Soldiers Initiative: 7
threaten to immolate one member of the Assembly at random Defense: 6 (Active Defense 10)
each morning until the Senex votes. Health: 12
The rest of the Legion is beside itself with shame and rage.
Willpower: 8
Some Soldiers plan a rescue, but despite its large size, the
Assembly is designed for defense. To keep the insurgents Size: 5
calm, they petition members of the Peregrine Collegium to Speed: 12
fetch blood and remove drained corpses from the structure
each night. Involving the Characters
Pretender: Captain Serranus Being trapped in the Assembly would be a tense encounter
for Senex members. Likewise, any Legionary caught up in
Serranus is a lout. A Wanderer through and through, he was
Serranus’s coup without foreknowledge would have a horrible
a Roman soldier Embraced in North Africa during the First
decision placed on their shoulders. Augurs could be presented
Punic War. Covered in scars, he’s spent a lot of time in torpor
with prophecies of this event and arrive in time to stop it or be
after many celebrated battles, most infamously after a one-on-
trapped within the chamber as hostages. And Strangers could
one duel with a Baali warrior mounted on a ghoul elephant. He
act as intermediaries and negotiators here, playing a role they
believes his wildness gives him an edge over the so-called civilized
normally don’t because of their stations.

APPENDIX ONE: THE PRETENDERS 255

 Sanctified could also use this as an opportunity to undermine
the Senex and further establish the Church’s power in the city,
solving the situation with the help of their philosophy.
Event: Assassination
Whether Legislators or Augurs tasked with negotiating with
Serranus or Strangers sent to deliver blood dolls, the characters
are allowed access to the seized Assembly. However, just an
hour before, they’re approached by a mysterious figure called
Miu who wishes to use their proximity to Serranus to resolve
the situation through guile. She asks the coterie to make a dis-
traction during its visit while one of them releases a specially
bred viper near Serranus, its gray hide speckled with large spots
that resemble skulls. However, Miu warns that the snake may
strike them instead should it sense any fear.
Storyteller Tips
How this event resolves depends on if the characters take
up the assassin on her offer. If they do (and they’re successful),
Serranus falls to a strange malady. He swells like a tick, his
eyes bloating until they pop and Vitae foams from his veins.
The viper is later found dead nearby. With Serranus gone, the
Assembly negotiates with its leaderless captors for its release,
promising clemency. The rattled Soldiers agree and are imme-
diately staked for the sun by their brethren.
If the characters don’t take up on this offer and take no other
actions, Serranus dies a few nights later after numerous hostages
are slaughtered, with a story spreading of someone smuggling
a viper into the Assembly inside her womb.
Event: Mori Difficile
Whether they’re a coterie of Strangers who happened to be
at the wrong place at the wrong time, or just a random Munifex
and her Senecta ex-wife waiting for a Saturnalia ceremony to
end, the characters weren’t meant to be part of a hostage crisis.
But when Serranus and his troops seize the Assembly, they
manage to hide in a series of storage hallways and tiny passages
designed to freshen the chamber’s air. While these tunnels
don’t lead to the surface or allow for escape, they do provide
a way to engage Serranus’s troops through guerrilla warfare.
Storyteller Tips
Ancient Roman Die Hard (with vampires) is pretty self-ex-
planatory, but there are a few ways you could handle it. For
example, you might adjust things so the coterie is split between
those stuck on the Assembly floor and those hiding in the
tunnels, with much of the drama built around figuring out
ways to coordinate.
If the characters aren’t very martial or not that formidable on
their own, they could also attempt to rally the hostages to stage
a counter-offensive. The Senex may be made up of politicians,
but all true Romans are warriors. Might be time to prove it.
Event: A Few Good Kindred
Instead of dealing with the crisis directly, the characters might
get involved in its aftermath. In this scenario, however the hos-
256 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
tage situation resolves, it ends with Serranus and his lieutenants
in chains and their troops dead by their own hands.
Before the officers can be put to death, Serranus’s sec-
ond-in-command calls for a trial. The lieutenant, a Daeva
named Vultuulf, believes their actions were taken out of loyalty
to the Camarilla. Unsurprisingly, none of the Senecti elect to
defend him, which is exactly Vultuulf’s plan. Without legal
counsel, he calls for a trial by combat per the rights of his people
to prove his innocence. The Senex finds this very amusing and
allows it, with a member of the coterie encouraged to make a
name for themself by “proving” Vultuulf’s guilt.
Storyteller Tips
The character who slays or subdues Vultuulf gains a Status
dot in Wing Status but may face future scorn from any Kindred
who privately supported Serranus.
VII. The Regicide
Synopsis: A serial killer stalks Julian members of the All
Night Society, leaving behind messages that suggest the victims
may have had designs on the throne.
Overview
One night, a nobody from the Cult of Augurs named
Mercurius Julianus is burned to death in his haven. On the wall
near the charred body, a message is carved into the stonework:
NO MORE LORDS. Soon thereafter, Tertia Julia Vopisca, an
elder-but-outcast Founder in the Peregrine Collegium, is found
murdered in a similar manner.
The Propinqui aren’t sure what to think. The superstitious
believe this is the culmination of all the pretenders, and that
the victims are being punished for their ambitions. It even
becomes fashionable to publicly accuse one’s rivals of planning
to claim Senex’s seat. Speeches are made and pamphlets are
distributed to slander rivals, which leads to several street brawls
and even more vanishings. Soon, the Julii get skittish, with
many of their elders in the Senex and Augurs fleeing Rome
on extended vacations.
The Vaticinators pull extra shifts beseeching the gods for
the identity of the killer but receive no answer save for curls of
black smoke. Undeterred, they continue their prayers in the
hope of finding answers. Meanwhile, the murders stir up unrest
within the Necropolis, which keeps the Peregrine Collegium
busy policing their own, lest the Legion once again be called in
to enforce the peace. At the same time, Soldiers are bribed by
wealthy Julii to shirk their duties to act as personal bodyguards,
which leaves many platoons overwhelmed and under-supported. 
Involving the Characters
Julii characters must rely on their inferiors for shelter and
protection, and members of the other clans gain an opportu-
nity to make a name for themselves while prominent Founders
go to ground.
The obvious entry point for the characters is solving the
murders, under their own initiative or otherwise, but if one of
them is a Julia, she might be targeted as well, just barely avoiding
death through luck or intervention from the rest of the coterie.
This adds stakes to the story, especially if the murderer isn’t
finished with the one who got away. It also creates tension with
the All Night Society as a whole, who may assume the character
and her friends were planning a coup of their own.
Event: The Cache
One of the coterie’s Julian allies is murdered. While investi-
gating their associate’s haven, the characters uncover detailed
reports from numerous spies placed throughout the Camarilla
and Rome. These dossiers target many prominent Propinqui —
including themselves. The documents reveal secrets about the
characters that even they didn’t know, like stolen inheritances,
illegitimate children, and evidence of crimes long thought for-
gotten. If their dead ally had access to this information, who
else might? And do the characters hire these spies to work for
them, or do they eliminate them to cover their tracks?
Storyteller Tips
Before the chronicle begins or just before this event, ask each
player to come up with blackmail material for her character.
If you’ve run other flashpoints in this chronicle, maybe some-
thing the coterie did to resolve those scenarios comes back to
haunt them here.
Event: Wrongfully Accused?
The first victims were exclusively Julii, but the pattern sud-
denly doesn’t hold. A prominent Mekhet is murdered with a
similar message left behind, but the death doesn’t add up. The
writing on the wall is in a different hand, and the scene of the
crime shows significant bloodshed before the body’s immola-
tion. Furthermore, subtle animal tracks lead from the scene of
the crime to the nearby Temple of Juno.
The culprit is a Gangrel Augur named Zosimus, who used
the rash of murders as cover to kill a lover who rejected him.
If confronted, Zosimus will admit to the crime but refuses to
take responsibility for the others. Furthermore, he claims he
Resolutions
Between kings, queens, co-emperors, coups, countercoups,
and assassinations, the Necropolis’s stability is collapsing.
Patrician Propinqui avoid gatherings, even at the Assembly,
and hole up in their havens; expansions of the Undercity grind
to a halt, the Strangers refusing to serve illegitimate masters; and
riots great and small break out nightly, the people proclaiming
new monarchs or bringing Final Death to old ones. Sodalitas
Pernox feels like a conflagration waiting to happen, and the
Kindred fear whatever fresh tribulations await.
What galvanizes the Necropolis once more and diffuses the
tension? After so much misfortune, can it stand united again?
Below are three possible paths back to stability, as well as
suggestions for success and failure epilogues depending on
the players’ actions.
was guided to commit the act by Juno and asks to be absolved
with a sign from his goddess.
Against all odds, at that very moment, a peacock — Juno’s
sacred bird — wanders into the room. This isn’t unheard of at
one of the goddess’s temples, but Zosimus still proclaims his
vindication. Whether the characters heed the intervention or
not is their choice, but should they turn in Zosimus, they’ll
find strange occurrences start to plague them, ones that may
signal Juno’s displeasure…
Storyteller Tips
Divine intervention is seemingly much more common
among the Kindred of Rome than those of the modern nights
(see the Deific Boons on p. 93), and this event offers an illus-
trative example. On the other hand, maybe it’s all a setup.
Perhaps Zosimus is far more cynical than he seems, using
human or Kindred allies to fool the coterie into thinking
they’ve incurred Juno’s wrath in a desperate attempt to avoid
the Final Death he’s so justly earned.
Event: Owl Hunt
The culprit isn’t Kindred: It’s a Strix, one who’s reveling in
being a serial killer. Its modus operandi is to target lone Julii
with few connections to the halls of power, both because these
Founders make easy pickings and because the senselessness of
the pattern raises more questions than answers. If confronted,
the Owl isn’t interested in allowing its vessel to stand trial and
will fight to its host’s Final Death. If forced from its body, it
will do its best to possess one of its accusers later on.
Storyteller Tips
If the characters encountered the Strix during The Collapse
and failed to deal with it, the Owl here might be one and the
same. This event is also a useful general introduction to the
Birds of Dis if the coterie’s never encountered them before.
If the characters fail to track the Strix down, the killings stop
after seven Julii meet Final Death. The Owl then sits back and
enjoys the fallout.
Print the Legend
It’s clear the throne was never cursed, which is unfortunate,
as now any Nefastus with delusions of grandeur can make a
run at the damn thing. As such, the only Propinquus who
could stop this is its proper occupant, but he hasn’t been seen
in years, if he even still exists.
But what if someone stood in for Senex? Surely no one
would be fooled. While few Kindred still exist who knew the
Old Man personally, at least some do, and elder memories can
be sharp when you least expect. Perhaps, then, actions speak
louder than faces.
This scenario requires one of the coterie’s contacts to request
a meeting on behalf of several powerful Kindred. If the charac-
APPENDIX ONE: THE PRETENDERS 257
 ters made an ally of Macellarius Corbulo at his trial (p. 249), he
works well as a point man. He may have even come up with this
plot with the coterie in mind — it’s just his style. In any case,
someone requests the characters’ help, believing them to be the
only Propinqui willing to act in the Camarilla’s best interests.
Or maybe they’re just competent and cheap.
The plot is as simple as it is audacious: Shatter the throne
of Julius Senex and make it look like the Old Man did it him-
self. In effect, this would be a high-level manipulation of the
Camarilla’s Cacophony, scaring off any future pretenders and
assuring the Propinqui that things are finally under control.
Easier said than done. Though the Small Chamber is open to
all, it’s heavily guarded by elite ghouls by day and a contingent
of fearsome Virgatores by night. Security has only grown tighter
since Vulso’s assassination, not to mention the heightened sus-
picion toward anyone who even looks at the chair. Worse, any
Seer with a decent command of her clan gift would perceive the
fraud with a touch. Not to mention blood sorcerers.
So? It had better be a damn good plan.
Success: Pax Nocturna Nova
Should the characters pull this off, their employers’ propa-
ganda network moves into action. Through various informal
channels, “Senex” reasserts his imperium and loyalty to Rome,
and until he returns for good, puts forward a law strength-
ening the Night Senate’s right to speak with his voice. The
Assembly ratifies this edict unanimously, with the remains of
the throne hewn into a monument celebrating a renewed era
of Pax Nocturna. How many Senecti genuinely buy this story is
difficult to say, but they know it’s best not to look into it too
closely. As long as most vampires believe it, it doesn’t matter.
The characters earn many rewards for their success, though,
given the mission’s secretive nature, they enjoy no official rec-
ognition. However, if Senex ever does return, he’ll be sure to
pay his respects. Personally.
Failure: Bellum Civile
If the coterie fumbles the throne job or it’s traced back to
them, the scandal rocks the Camarilla. The characters will be
lucky if they keep their heads — their sponsors certainly won’t.
Such a brazen attack on the literal seat of Kindred power
emboldens more pretenders, who now claim to act in defense
of the throne and all it represents. This soon escalates into the
Camarilla’s first civil war.
The War of the Throne doesn’t end the Empire of Night,
but it spreads far beyond the Eternal City. The Propinqui won’t
know peace for decades, and the characters’ names will long be
associated with disaster in the All Night Society.
The Good Soldier
In desperation, the Inner Circle recalls the Camarilla’s Italian
deployment to restore order under the command of Marcia
Aufidia Tacita, a respected Nosferatu praetor. But from her
castrum in the north, Tacita is hesitant to comply. She recog-
nizes the power of symbolism, and her full forces marching on
258 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
the City of the Dead would be one hell of an image. More than
that, she fears setting a precedent. Thus, she stalls, consulting
with her adjutants.
When Tacita makes a noncommittal response, the coterie
is ordered to escort several Invicti to make their case in per-
son. Having directly participated in many of the events of the
chronicle, the characters will also be providing testimony.
However, more than a few parties are interested in seeing the
chaos continue, and they’ll set plots in motion to make sure
Tacita never receives the Inner Circle.
Worse, many of Tacita’s adjutants want her to cross the
Rubicon like Divus Julius, taking the throne with the entire
Legio Mortuum at her back. The old Worm is popular enough
with the Soldiers that it might work, but she’s also aware of
what happened to the other pretenders, especially her former
lieutenant, Julia Apollonia. She might even mourn the Warrior
Queen, though it’s hard to tell; they don’t call her Tacita for
nothing. If the coterie had a hand in dethroning/dispatching
Apollonia, it will be hard to tell how that affected their stand-
ing. At any rate, they’ll need to convince Tacita to put the good
of the Camarilla above all, but they’ll also have to argue with
— or defeat — some very ambitious Soldiers first.
Success: Tacita’s March
After tense negotiations with the characters and the Invictus,
Tacita and her forces arrive in Rome just in time, invading the
Undercity through secret tunnels outside the walls. They meet
resistance from what remains of the Crypt Queen’s rebels, but
the Legion’s numbers overwhelm them. Anyone left claiming
the throne is summarily executed, their bodies left for the
vultures. Tacita’s troops remain to enforce the rule of law,
and the crisis finally ends. The Praetor even withdraws when
the time comes. Ala Senecta honors her for her bravery (and
for not double-crossing the Invictus), gifting her the agnomen
Defenstrix. Her political future is bright indeed.
As for the characters, the Inner Circle owes them a debt, one
it’s eager to pay off as soon as possible. Important positions in
the Assembly aren’t out of the question, and they might also be
granted lavish properties seized from the various false monarchs
and their allies. At least in the short term, death is sweet.
Failure: Tacita’s Reforms
If the coterie fails, Tacita’s lieutenants convince her to act
only after the Necropolis falls to anarchy. However, while
she does restore order, the Praetor refuses the throne, stating
that a Worm is unworthy of such a position. Furthermore,
she affirms the Camarilla’s republican values, noting the
true leader of Sodalitas Pernox is the Emperor, the ultimate
defender of democracy.
Nonetheless, a caretaker government is clearly required until
Julius Senex can return to act on the Roman state’s behalf. A
new Inner Circle forms, and it commands Tacita to serve as
first among equals. Despite misgivings and a warrior’s heart,
she obeys. Over subsequent decades, the council grants her
numerous constitutional powers to eliminate any chance of
usurpers perverting the Traditions, such that the Night Senate
eventually votes to dissolve itself for obsolescence. Tacita’s
reforms are slow, methodical, and to the exact letter of the law,
all in the name of protecting the Midnight Republic.
After a century, Invicta (as the Propinqui now call her) dis-
appears like Aulus Julius before her. The Necropolis mourns,
bestowing her with deific titles, and a new namesake wing
proclaims her adopted childe as her successor. She soon intro-
duces measures to assure her divine mother’s work can never
be undone.
No one ever sits in Senex’s throne again.
The Haunting
Long before the pretenders sat the throne, Senex’s seat
was known to be cursed. However, most felt this belief was
debunked when Vulso didn’t drop dead after seizing power.
They were wrong. The curse wasn’t set loose on the pre-
tenders, but on the entire Necropolis. Indeed, it grew more
wrathful with each usurper, even those who didn’t take the
seat, and far worse misfortunes will come of it. Several Augurs
knew something like this would happen, but Vulso had them
quietly assassinated in the lead-up to his surprise coronation,
fearing they might use their knowledge to depose him. He also
believed he could contain the curse with his supernatural allies.
This alone wouldn’t have resulted in the endless chaos now
pervading the city, but Vulso’s fascinum magnified the curse.
Much older than Rome, the charm’s phallus was once a sacred
nail of the Etruscan goddess Nurtia, whose domain is destiny
and chance. Disastrously, its primordial fate magic lent Senex’s
authoritarian hex a wild streak.
Whether through deduction or prophecy, the characters are
the only ones who’ve realized this. The other Propinqui are too
concerned with self-preservation or opportunism to listen, and
few would believe the coterie anyway.
To end the curse, the Old Man must be placated. This may
involve locating Vulso’s fascinum, or even Senex himself,
whether he’s in torpor or hiding somewhere in the Empire.
As an added wrinkle, whatever they do, it must involve the
death of a Julian vampire, the closer to Senex in blood ties, the
better (if Vulso or Apollonia are still kicking and the former
king was telling the truth about his parentage, they both make
ideal sacrifices).
Of course, some in the Sanctified may also know ways to
undo the curse without a sacrifice, but this would command
a high price.
Success: Late Spring
The coterie manages to make proper homage to Senex,
though it costs them much. Slowly, the rioting abates, and
without much fanfare, the Legislators and Legionaries reassert
control. No more pretenders rear their fool heads.
Depending on the ritual’s sacrifice, the victim’s allies will
come looking for answers, so the coterie’s Requiems may be
fraught for the foreseeable future. If they’re public about their
actions, few believe them, but some elder Augurs will sense they
speak the truth, and the Cult may offer quiet tributes to the
Camarilla’s saviors, including blood magic normally reserved
for the Inner Circle’s use.
If the characters convinced the Sanctified to help, the Church
doesn’t reward good works, and it remembers all debts. Still,
it will offer a place at the Dark Father’s feet, as it does for all
Kindred, and maybe a fast track to learning Theban Sorcery.
Failure: Early Fall
If the coterie can’t find the right ritual or a sufficient sacri-
fice, the chaos worsens, and the characters will have to fight
for survival as ceaseless violence becomes a fact of death in
the Necropolis. If you want a bleak ending, perhaps the Old
Man’s curse rages so out of control that it sets off the end of the
Camarilla sooner than history records, with the Striges finally
taking their revenge. Perhaps that was their plan in putting
Vulso on the throne all along…
APPENDIX ONE: THE PRETENDERS 259
 APPENDIX TWO
LATIN AND ROMAN NAMES
…those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads;
but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me.
Casca, Julius Caesar
This appendix provides a brief guide to using Latin in your Requiem for Rome chronicles, followed by an overview of Roman
naming conventions.
Latin
Latin is the language of the Roman Empire, and the
Propinqui have watched it evolve over many centuries. Below
you’ll find a brief guide to Latin pronunciation and an abbrevi-
ated discussion of its declension system. These guidelines aren’t
here to box you into any specific mode, but they may help you
give your stories a more Roman perspective.
Pronunciations
The pronunciation of Latin isn’t set in stone. Even by the
time of the Empire, the common tongue had greatly diverged
from the formal language we know as Classical Latin.
While our lexicon (p. 9) mostly uses those Classical pronun-
ciations, that doesn’t mean you have to. But how should you
pronounce Latin in Requiem for Rome? That depends on the
tone you want to set.
Classical
The Latinitas of Cicero and Caesar will lend your chronicles
historical weight. This system is mostly phonetic (i.e., each
letter almost always represents the same sound), though the
values are a bit different from English. The following is a list of
pronunciations that differ from typical English pronunciations;
if something isn’t in the list below, it’s pronounced the usual
English way. This is very simplified; for instance, there’s lots
of scholarly debate about the pronunciation of Latin long and
short vowels, so we’ve gone with the simplest system. While not
“accurate,” it should feel authentic.
• AE is pronounced like a long I (i.e., bike).
• C is pronounced like a K.
• E is pronounced like a long A (i.e., late) and is never silent.
• G is pronounced as a hard sound (i.e., gap).
• I is pronounced like a long E (i.e., been), but at the beginning
of a word, it’s a consonant like Y (i.e., yard). A J at the start of
a Latin word in this book always represents a consonantal I.
260 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
• N and M are nasalized in certain positions, similar to modern
French: when M follows a vowel at the end of a word and
when N follows a vowel before S or F. This feature can be
hard for English speakers to produce, so don’t sweat it if you
can’t make it sound right.
• OE is pronounced like OY (i.e., boy).
• PH is just P.
• TH is just T.
• U is pronounced like OO (i.e., boom).
• V is pronounced like W (i.e., womb).
Both Classical Latin and Ecclesiastical Latin (below) follow
a strict stress pattern depending on the length of syllables.
Explaining the rules of stress and length is beyond the scope
of this appendix, but there are plenty of guides in books and
free online resources. In brief, the stress of a multisyllabic word
can either fall on the second-to-last syllable (the penult) or the
third-to-last syllable (the antepenult).
Ecclesiastical
For a more sword-and-sandal feel, use the pronunciation
of the Catholic Church. This is anachronistic, but hey, so is
Spartacus. This system is similar to modern Italian and slightly
less phonetic than Classical Latin. Assume the rules above apply
unless they’re overwritten.
• AE and OE are always pronounced like a long A.
• C is pronounced like a K before A, O, and U and like CH
(i.e., chat) before AE, E, I, OE, and Y.
• G is pronounced with a hard sound before A, O, and U and
a soft sound (i.e., genuine) before AE, E, I, and Y.
• H is usually silent except between two vowels, in which case,
it’s pronounced like a K.
• N and M aren’t nasalized.
• PH is now F.
• SC is pronounced like SH (i.e., sheep) before E and I.
• V is now pronounced like a V in English.
• Z is pronounced DZ (i.e., ads).
English
Strange as it may sound, there’s a long tradition of Latin’s
English pronunciation. This system was abandoned by the
mid-20th century, but it’s effectively how we say Latin words
and names borrowed into our language: SEE • zer for Caesar
or JOO • lee • eye for Julii. There were/are similar systems in
other European languages, and Anglo-American law terms are
still pronounced using the English system.
If you’re not concerned with accuracy, this is the way to go.
Just pronounce Latin words as you would following English
rules, especially if they’re already borrowings. Don’t worry; we
won’t tell Cicero.
Declensions
Latin is a highly inflected language, in that a noun’s meaning
changes depending on different suffixes appended to a base
word. We don’t have the space to explain how this works in
detail, but here are the basics if you want a starting point to
do some research.
There are five declensions in Latin, categories that define how
nouns are inflicted. The first, second, and third are the most
common; the fourth and fifth are rare, and for our purposes,
not relevant.
• First-declension nouns always end in -a in the singular and
are usually feminine in the grammatical sense, like in mod-
ern Romance languages and German. Plurals end in -ae.
Examples: femina/feminae (woman), agricola/agricolae (farmer),
hora/horae (hour).
• Second-declension nouns always end in -us, -um, or -r in the
singular, with -us/r being masculine and -um being neuter.
Plurals end in -i (masculine) or -a (neuter). Examples: oculus/
oculi (eye), vir/viri (man), templum/templa (temple). When
addressing a man with a second-declension name that ends
in -us, Romans changed that suffix to -e: “Et tu, Brute?” This
is the vocative case, which basically doesn’t matter in the
other declensions.
Roman Names
In Rome, a name was just as much a sign of one’s place in
society as their profession, and the Empire had elaborate sys-
tems of determining how people should refer to themselves.
Tria Nomina
The Romans used a naming structure called the tria nomina,
wherein people had a praenomen, a nomen, and, sometimes, a
cognomen. Not everyone had three names — some had many
• Third-declension nouns have a grab-bag of endings and
encompass about half of Latin nouns, but they can’t be as
easily defined or gendered. Examples: rex/reges (king), volu-
men/volumina (scroll), urbs/urbes (city).
The easiest way to determine the declension of a noun is to
find its singular “genitive” ending, which is like a possessive.
If the genitive ends in -ae, it’s the first declension; if it ends in
-i, it’s the second declension; and if it ends in -is, it’s the third
declension. There are several more cases, but in general, you
probably only need the nominatives and genitives if you’re
trying to come up with simple Latin phrases. Typically, the
genitive comes after the word it modifies (e.g., stola Juliae:
“Julia’s dress”).
Registers
Latin is like a language made up by fussy bureaucrats who
were fond of dick jokes. It’s both the Word of the Catholic Mass
and the language of Catullus, who wrote hendecasyllabic verses
about face-fucking his rivals. A language of contrasts.
Latin is as austere as it is vulgar, and you can make great use
of that dichotomy in your chronicles, as it fits well with the
Kindred and their double lives. It also doesn’t require you to
know any Latin: Give a high-ranking member of the Senex a
quadruple-barrel name with an exalted nomen and then have
him swear like a sailor. Have a priestess of the Cult of Augurs
quote Virgil as she slaughters her sacrifice.
Greek to Us
Greek was widely spoken among the patricians, so much so
that Emperor Claudius referred to Greek and Latin together as
“our two languages.” For a time, Greek was the lingua franca of
most of the Mediterranean, and many patricians could switch
between the two with ease.
We’re not going to go into the ins and outs of Ancient Greek
or provide Hellenized vampire vocabulary here. We don’t have
the space or interest, and it’s a good example of reality being
unreal. Romans running around speaking Greek? That just
doesn’t feel authentic (there’s that word again).
In your chronicles, assume there’s a heavy helping of Greek.
Storytellers may want to provide a free dot of Language: Greek
to characters from the higher classes or the eastern reaches of
the Empire.
more — but assigning specific functions to names was an import-
ant feature of Roman culture. This system would begin to fall
away during the Severin dynasty, but its influence can still be
felt tonight, particularly among Kindred and covenants who
wish to make an implicit connection to the Camarilla.
As much as we’d love to cover all the nuances of this par-
ticular topic, it could literally fill a book. What follows is a
simplification and summary of Latin naming conventions,
APPENDIX TWO: 261
LATIN AND ROMAN NAMES
 and we encourage the reader to look to other sources for more
in-depth explanations.
Praenomen
Praenomina are similar to given names. These were noto-
riously limited among the patricians, such that they could be
represented with an initial and people understood what they
referred to. Plebeians drew from a more varied pool, and their
names were typically more prosaic.
People often referred to their friends and family members by
their praenomina, just as modern people do, though the nomen
(below) was used in more formal venues, or the nomen and
cognomen in combination. There were no Roman equivalents
to honorifics like Mr., Mrs., or Ms.
In the early Republic, Romans had a habit of giving their
children numerical praenomina: Primus, Secundus, Tertius,
Quartus, Quintus, Septimus, etc. However, some were rarer
than others, and it’s not quite clear why they did this at all. Some
scholars suggest it was to distinguish birth order or to mark the
month of birth, but this practice didn’t last long, if it was ever
genuine, as many numerical praenomina became inherited.
You can find a list of praenomina on p. 264. Masculine
names are before the slash and feminine names are after, with
abbreviations in parenthesis. Praenomina were interchangeable
between genders (though see below for more on women’s names),
with masculine names taking the second declension form and
feminine names taking the first: Typically, a name is feminized
by replacing -us with -a, though some names take an -ia or other
variations. There were exceptions to these conventions, of course,
Agrippa being an older men’s name, and some were in the third
declension, typically those ending in -o (e.g., Caeso).
Despite Latin having plenty of neuter suffixes to throw
around, there wasn’t a lot of space for nonbinary people,
who tended to go with one side of the spectrum or the other
for their names. While there are some parallels with modern
ideas of queerness in Ancient Rome, their views of this aspect
of their culture differed significantly from ours, and in ways
that are difficult to contend with. To put it another way,
Rome wasn’t straight, but it wasn’t great for queer people as
we would define them.
All that said, we hasten to note that we’ve already crossed the
historical-accuracy Rubicon by making a game about undead
corpses living in an impossible underground city.
If a little creative anachronism makes your chronicles more
fun and the troupe more comfortable, that’s the best way to
handle things (for reference, the -um suffix in the second
declension would theoretically render a name gender-neu-
tral). If you want to approach this topic with more historical
accuracy, proceed with caution, and as always, make sure the
table is up for it.
Finally, praenomina were often associated with particular
families, but we encourage the reader to do their own research
if veracity is a concern. For reference, the three most common
praenomina throughout all of Roman history (in descending
order) were Lucius, Gaius, and Marcus.
262 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Nomen
For most of Roman history, the nomen was a family name
indicating a person’s paternal lineage. In some ways, it was
the most important, as nomen can just mean “name” in Latin.
A Roman family was called a gens, with specific families
referred to by the feminine form of their nomina. For exam-
ple, Emperor Claudius was a member of the gens Claudia.
Plebeians could belong to the same gentes as patricians,
usually distinguished by a cognomen (below).
As the Empire grew, the nomen became more of a status
symbol than a marker of heritage. This was partly a result of the
Edict of Caracalla, which bestowed citizenship on all freedmen
in the Empire: The vast majority thus gained Caracalla’s prae-
nomen and nomen, Marcus Aurelius, and this even included a
few future emperors. This makes naming characters born in the
later Empire a bit easier, as nomina (and, therefore, praenomina)
weren’t necessarily attached to particular families.
There were many nomina, and we can’t possibly provide an
exhaustive list. Instead, the samples on p. 264 include some of
the most common, famous, or just aesthetically pleasing). A few
are based on praenomina, a practice that became more frequent
later in the Empire. The same rules for feminizing these names
apply as above.
Cognomen and Agnomen
The cognomen began as a nickname, a way to further distin-
guish between Romans with the same praenomina and nomina
combinations. Praenomina were often inherited along with
nomina, and they even ran in families (Roman fathers loved
naming sons after themselves), so it was necessary to add more
variations. Eventually, cognomina would become inherited as
well, often defining the branch of a gens. Gaius Julius Caesar
came from the Julii Caesares, for example.
Cognomina based on nomina were sometimes modified
with the suffix -ianus and other variations, as they were
frequently the result of adoption. For example, before he
became Augustus, the future Emperor was known as Gaius
Julius Caesar Octavianus (of Octavius) since he took the elder
Caesar’s full name after his assassination, replacing his given
nomen (apparently “Octavian” never actually called himself
that, but that’s neither here nor there). This practice was
more common for men, but some women gained adoptive
cognomina as well.
However, because the cognomen became inherited, many
Romans used a fourth name as a nickname or title: the agnomen.
This served the original nickname purpose of the cognomen,
typically a descriptor or a reference to a great deed: Felix (the
Fortunate), Magnus (the Great), Africanus (of Africa), etc. To reuse
the previous example, Augustus (the Majestic) was the Emperor’s
agnomen, which would eventually become a royal title in itself.
We leave it to the reader to look into the meanings and
appropriate eras for these names (p. 264), as well as any associ-
ated families, though some are more obvious than others. But
don’t fret over historical accuracy if you’re just looking for a
cool nickname for your character.
 Women
In early Rome, everyone had a praenomen, but as time went
on, women used them less and less. The reasons for this are
both sexist and practical. Women didn’t have much influence
over public life, where it was important to have a distinct legal
name. Furthermore, the praenomen became less important
than the nomen in general, even among men. A married woman
also pretty much always kept her nomen, so there was no need
to distinguish between mothers and daughters. If a woman was
born out of wedlock, she bore her mother’s nomen, and while
not as well recorded as for men, women could be adopted too,
and an adoptive daughter would take her adoptive father’s
nomen and cognomen.
Because of all this, nicknames were common. Some women
took the genitive of their husbands’ nomina as cognomina:
Julia, daughter of Caesar, was called Julia Pompeii after she
married Pompey the Great (Pompey’s Julia). Other women had
cognomina like Minor (the Younger) and Major (the Elder), or
even Maxima (the Eldest). Sisters could also be distinguished
this way, usually involving diminutives like -illa: Julilla for Julia,
Drusilla for Drusa, and so forth. A few of these nicknames even
became cognomina.
All that said, rural women sometimes had praenomina, and
they became more common again during the late Empire, espe-
cially in families with more than two daughters. Furthermore, a
few urban women during the Republic had personal names even
after they became rare. Still, it’s sometimes hard to know when
these were true praenomina or just cognomina, as they could be
written before and after the nomen. Word order wasn’t all that
important to the Romans, and they likely felt the distinction was
obvious; so obvious, in fact, that they didn’t bother telling us what
it was. In any case, decide what works best for you.
Indeed, with the Kindred’s comparatively liberal views on
women, feminine praenomina might be common among vam-
pires in your stories. It could even be a rite of passage to take
one in the liberation of death.
Slaves, Christians,
and Foreigners
Not using the Roman naming system marked one as a for-
eigner or an outsider.
Slaves
Slaves typically had a single name. Most were Greek (Eros,
Hermes, Leander, Ganymedes, Onesimus, etc.), as many slaves
were taken from Greece, and traders often named their captives
thusly as a mark of “quality,” regardless of nationality.
Slaves could also have descriptive names or ones derived
from verbs, often referring to appearance, job, or nationality
(e.g., Thrax for a Thracian). It was also common to give slaves
numerical names combined with a diminutive: Primus/Prima
> Primulus/Primula; Tertius/Tertia > Tertullus/Tertullia.
Sometimes these names used Latinized Greek numbers
(Deuter/Deuterus/Deutera).
In early Rome, male slaves were often referred to by a com-
bination of their master’s praenomen and a shortening of the
Latin word for “boy” (puer, an older term for a slave): Olipor
for Aulus (Aulus’s boy), Cassipor for Cassius, Flavipor for
Flavius, Marcipor for Marcus, etc. These were more like labels
than true names, and this practice fell out of use as Roman
citizens gained more slaves in their households and needed to
distinguish between them.
The chart on p. 265 is a selection of attested Roman slave
names found throughout the Empire’s history. Unlike patri-
cian or plebeian names, it can be hard to find these appella-
tions without some digging. For reference, we sampled our list
from “Some Roman Slave-Names,” by F. F. Bruce.
Christians
If they chose not to keep their given Latin names, Christians
often took Latinized versions of Greek and Syrian names or the
names of saints and martyrs after baptism (p. 265).
Foreigners
A foreigner usually used his given first name, followed by his
father’s name with a genitive case ending pinned to the end. If a
foreign person became a citizen, he would choose a praenomen
and take his sponsor’s nomen, the same way as a freedman. He
then used his original name as a cognomen. For example, the
Greek poet Archias became Aulus Licinius Archias, since his
sponsor was a member of the gens Licinia.
Germanic Names
The Germani were a thorn in the Romans’ side for many
years, and their names are relatively easy to construct. Germanic
names were dithematic, meaning they consisted of two ele-
ments: a prefix and a suffix. We offer examples on p. 265;
you can combine these elements freely, though some are more
common among men than women. We leave it to the reader to
conduct more thorough research, but we’ve separated common
masculine and feminine suffixes as a starting point. If a pair
doesn’t sound quite right together, add a vowel between them,
or remove one.
The spellings we list are a bit arbitrary, partly because most
Germans didn’t use the Latin alphabet, and partly because
pronunciations varied between tribes and dialects.
APPENDIX TWO: 263
LATIN AND ROMAN NAMES
 Sample Praenomina
Agrippa/Agrippina (Agr.)* Appius/Appia (Ap.) Aulus/Aula (A.) Caeso/Caesula (K.)†
Decimus/Decima (D.) Faustus/Fausta (F.)* Gaius/Gaia (C.) Gnaeus/Gnaea (Cn.)
Hostus/Hosta* Lucius/Lucia (L.) Mamercus/Mamerca (Mam.) Manius/Mania (M')
Maximus/Maxima Marcus/Marcia (M.) Mettius/Mettia* Nonus/Nona*
Numerius/Numeria (N.) Octavius/Octavia (Oct.)* Opiter/Opita (Opet.)* Paullus/Paulla (Paul.)*
Postumus/Postuma (Post.)*‡ Proculus/Procula (Pro.)* Publius/Publia (P.) Quintus/Quinta (Q.)
Septimus/Septima* Sertor/Sertora (Sert.)* Servius/Servia (Ser.) Sextus/Sexta (Sex.)
Spurius/Spuria (S.) Statius/Statia (St.)* Tiberius/Tiberia (Ti.) Titus/Titia (T.)
Tullus/Tulla* Vibius/Vibia (V.)* Volesus/Volusa (Vol.)* Vopiscus/Vopisca (Vop.)*
* Archaic/rare.
† Spelled with a K during the Kingdom and early Republic, hence the abbreviation.
‡ Generally reserved for a child born after the death of its father.

Nomina
Aemilius Anicius Antonius Apronius Asinius Aurelius
Accoleius Calpurnius Caecilius Caelius Cassius Cincius
Claudius Cornelius Dalius Domitius Drusus Egilius
Ferasius Firmicus Flavius Horatius Ignius Julius
Junius Licinius Livius Lollius Marius Messius
Mucius Octavius Opimius Orfius Ostorius Ovidius
Petronius Plautus Pompeius Porcius Salvius Sammius
Sempronius Septimius Sertorius Servilius Tadius Taracius
Tarquinius Tullius Valerius Vergilius Vitrasius Vulpius

Cognomina/Agnomina
Ahenobarbus Alypius Anatolius Aquila Arbiter Arbitio Avircius
Balbus Barbatio Brutus Bassianus Camillus Calvus Catullus
Celsus Cicero Cinna Constans Crassus Crispus Cyprius
Equitius Eutherius Fabullus Fimbria Florens Galba Gothicus
Gracchus Heliodorus Jovius Mamertius Marcellus Maternus Mavortius
Maximus Metellus Milo Musonius Nasica Naso Oceanus
Olybrius Otho Pelagius Pelagius Piso Pius Pollio
Probus Prosper Pulcher Sabinus Sallustius Saturninus Scapula
Scipio Serenus Severus Silvanus Sulla Sulpicius Tacitus
Tertullius Traianus Tremerus Trogus Urbicus Urgulanus Ursicus
Ursus Valens Venter Verus Victoricus Volusius Vulso

264 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION

 Christian Names
Masculine Christian Names
Adeodatus Andreias Barnabas Clemens Daniel
Esaias Eusebius Genesius Hermas Hieronymus
Jacobus Jeremias Joannas Josephus Judas
Justus Justinus Leo Loukos Matthias
Michael Petros Philemon Polycarpus Stephanas
Theodorus Theodoret Theophilus Tobias Zachariah
Feminine Christian Names
Anna Dorcas Elisabeta Maria Prisca/Priscilla
Rebecca/Rebekah Sara/Sarai Tabitha Thecla/Thekla Thaïs

Slave Names
Masculine
Anthio Auxetus Boetus Caprius Felix
Graptus Heuretus Lychnis Palmesis Paradotus
Sorex Synthetis Thaumastus Thelus Zmaragdus
Feminine
Anthusa Apria Chaerusa Capria Damale
Lanthanusa Melissa Myrtale Oecusa Philumina
Primilla Rhoda Staphyla Viola Viticula

Germanic Name Affixes

Prefixes
Ahta- Airmana- Alha- Amala- Anda- Ansa-
Arya- Auda- Auha- Badua- Balta- Daga-
Filu- Friti- Ilda- Gaesu- Gau- Goda-
Gunth- Hildi- Huna- Liuda- Mata- Nanta-
Odo- Ragina- Rica- Reda- Tank- Sax-
Sigis- Sunya- Sinth- Swintha- Theod- Tauris-
Thrasa- Ulf- Vandila- Vili- Vinita- Viti-
Masculine Suffixes
-abad -aberit -abalt -frith -funs -gar
-gern -gis -hroth -laf -mer -mund
-noth -red -ric -swith -vacer -ulf/-wulf
Feminine Suffixes
-ara -beorg -berga -burg -dis -flad
-gild -gotha -gund -gyth -haid -heit
-hild -laug -lind -swintha -swith -thruth

APPENDIX TWO: 265

LATIN AND ROMAN NAMES
 APPENDIX THREE
CULTS OF ROME
No man can lose either the past or the future,
for how can a man be deprived of what he has not?
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Every day, we cross the Rubicon. Every day, we sacrifice the
one before. Every day, we hang upon the cross.
This appendix tells a flicker, a sliver, a nail of those
crossings. Here, we tell you of the coming struggles between
pagan and Christian, fires so consuming that the darkened
halls of Necropolis and even the chamber from which the
Camarilla takes its hallowed name will be scorched and
indelibly marked.
Here, you will learn the secrets of mortal violence and
Propinquus brutality.
Prepare yourself for the fires of tomorrow.
During the peak and collapse of the Roman civilization,
Christianity finds a home in the hearts of the living, from
which it is drunk greedily by the dead. The mortal legions
now serve a Christian emperor, turning people out of pagan
temples and breaking up ancient rites. The ostensibly pagan
Cities on the Cross
The Roman poor are packed into the cities, trapped with
nowhere to go. Others shelter below the ground, taking refuge
in caves, tunnels, and sewers. Some even squat in abandoned
temples, too cynical — or desperate — to believe the rumors of
ancient and bloody rites reenacted by ghosts in the dark.
From the very beginning, these people — spat upon, degraded
and hopeless — will be fertile ground for the seeds of faith.
The promises of Jesus, however, are not the only appeal of the
new faith. Christian faiths, though varied and complex, share
a central message of friendship and brotherhood. Christianity
spreads quickly, then, through social webs of friends and
family. It also encourages not merely evangelism but service
and generosity to one’s fellow man. Jesus spread the word of
God first to his friends, and then took them to Jerusalem as
missionaries; the early Christians are no different. The ritual
which will become Catholic communion, for example, is a full
meal, shared by Christians at the houses of friends.
These social networks that spread and form through
Christianity thrive in urban areas. Christianity, in all its many
early forms, is a religion of the city.
266 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Legion of the Dead recruits more Christians (or Monachals,
or Sanctified) every night, and these creatures refuse to arrest
their fellows.
Yet, what this new system of beliefs called Christianity actu-
ally is creates almost as much confusion and violence among
the Christians themselves as between Christians and pagans.
Emperor Constantine attempted to create a single, universal
Church when he declared his new religion to be that of the
Empire, but adherents of his Nicene Creed still shout and
brawl in the streets with Arians, while the Gnostics gather in
private, seeking salvation not only from sin and suffering, but
from their own fleshly bodies. In the underworld, disciples of
the Monachus debate adherents of Vitericus Minor… sometimes
even on the Camarilla floor itself.
In Rome, Christianity has yet to coagulate, and instead runs
hot and wet from believers. They paint pictures of heaven in
the blood of their enemies, and the dead follow suit.
The Chapel
The same urban poor who embrace Christianity are the staple
food of vampires. The dead are often messy when they feed,
particularly in Rome itself. Their passion gets away from them
and they kill. Roman citizens are missed when they disappear,
and vanishing slaves don’t go unnoticed, either. A Roman who
has only one or two slaves likely has personal relationships
with them, and even the rare Roman with hundreds of slaves
may jealously guard his property. Either slave owner is likely
to pursue runaways. All but a few vampires, therefore, feed on
the poor, who will only be missed by other wretches. While
victims’ families and the mob may be dangerous, poor people
are generally safer victims than the rich.
The dead, like Augustus, spend nights in Masquerade
among the rabble. Many of the mob also crowd the upper
levels of Necropolis, more frightened of cold and abuse than
the strange noises below. The dead feed upon the living, and
they hear their words. They show mercy, and Embrace childer
with strange new beliefs.
 The cults of the living have always infiltrated the dead. Often,
the Propinqui welcome them for their novelty, bringing color
and flavor to unlives spent among bleached bones. By the end
of the first century, there are already Kindred in Necropolis
babbling about the son of God, whose cult will admit no other
divinity. The Nosferatu, who have deliberately Embraced the
anonymous poor for centuries, carve a meeting place in the
rock. The Worms sing and hiss the praises of the One God,
whose name is Jealous. They drink wine mixed with blood,
and by miracles do not spit it forth again.
They are betrayed. The other Worms know well the ways of
their kind, and tell the dead above that there is Vitae in the com-
munion draught, tapped from the veins of slumbering elders
and unwary Kindred. The Legion of the Dead takes torches
into the depths, felling or burning any vampire they find.
To their surprise, there are not just Worms, but Courtesans,
Wanderers, and even Founders. When they reach the sanctum
of the Christians, it is filled with a foul vapor, and it explodes
on contact with the flame. Legionary and Christian alike per-
ish in the flames. Some claim the explosion was an accident.
Others believe that the resurrection cult committed suicide,
imagining a life beyond Final Death.
The explosion is felt throughout Necropolis, and it echoes.
The Camarilla forbids the cult of the atheists. They prescribe
crucifixion before the dawn for any creature found praying
or sacrificing to the Jealous God. Their mistake is critical.
The Nosferatu sense fear, and along with the Gangrel see a
weapon to be used against the Julii. The Mekhet wonder about
the secrets of death and resurrection underlying the myth of
the Nazarene, even as the Daeva smile at a new taboo. Only a
few dead actively defy the Senex’s mandate, but those few are
enough. They cajole their friends, Embrace Christian childer.
Above all, they remember and they resent, nursing long grudges
as only vampires can. They remember the Sanctum.
The Spear
When Jesus, called Christ, is executed on the hill of skulls,
his followers beg for his body. To ensure that he is dead, the
soldier standing watch pierces Jesus’ side with a spear, and is
rewarded with a torrent of blood and water. The blood covers
his arm, and a droplet falls upon his lips. The taste is sweet,
and as the disciples retrieve their teacher from the cross, the
soldier licks his arm and spear clean. The spearman becomes
Damned without passing the jaws of death, transfigured by the
blood of the Savior.
The undead soldier finds himself wracked by hunger for
more blood, but nothing from the veins of human or animal
can match that which fell from the body of the so-called King
of the Jews. He takes the name “Longinus,” from the spear with
which he murdered God.
Thirty-three years after that murder, Longinus receives a
revelation from God, through an angel called Vahishtael.
Vahishtael reveals to Longinus that there are other dead who
refuse to die, and that the soldier must bring them purpose.
Longinus goes forth to preach among the dead. The core of
The Monachal Apocrypha
No extant version of the Testament of Longinus
explains quite why Longinus Embraced the Monachus.
Most versions of Torments contain a passage in which
Longinus is impressed by the Monachus’s faith and
courage, but many vampires of the Spear and Chapel
say the story began before that. They say that the
Monachus was a Christian theologian called Theodas,
whose writing impressed Longinus.
They produce as evidence copies of first-century
epistles, which share a distinctly Longinian interest
in the punishment of sinners. The Monachus, they
argue, is the true author of the Testament and
scholar of the Damned, and the actual recipient of
divine revelation. Longinus was merely the hand that
thrust the spear, where the Monachus’s lips speak
the word of God.
Few of the Damned in Rome have ever met the
Monachus. Those who have reject the Theodas
letters, and particularly the implicit belief that the
Monachus received revelation as a mortal. But
several of them enthusiastically acknowledge that
he was a Christian before the Embrace and a great
scholar besides.
The last positive reference to the letters of Theodas
is a copy of a sermon transcribed in Jerusalem in the
sixth century.
his teaching is that vampires are Damned through sin: either
their own or that of their sires. They are given the shadow of
life to herd the living back to righteousness.
Longinus is met at first with confusion, and then with anger.
He begins to stalk the pagan cults of the Middle East, appearing
to them as an angel of blood and annihilation, revealing the
falseness of their gods. He smashes idols and decries sloth. The
established dead of the region are shocked by his actions, yet
some are drawn to his teachings. Longinus’s followers (who
may or may not include his childer) are not only Jews, but
representatives from the pagan faiths. From the cults of Lilith,
tended faithfully by the Daeva, they learn the subtle tempting
of the living, even as they throw down the Dark Maiden from
her pedestals.
The Disciples of the Blood are not numerous, though. Later
stories name only thirteen of the admitted Damned. When the
Jews of Jerusalem revolt against Roman rule in 70 CE, many of
Longinus’s followers, and perhaps the spearman himself, join
them. When the rubble settles and the vampires of Jerusalem
gorge themselves on Jew and Roman alike, the mad preacher
is nowhere to be found. They assume the soldier and his cult
have been destroyed. They are very wrong.
Over the next century, letters emerge discussing the teachings
of Longinus, many allegedly transcribed from the words of the
soldier himself. The source is the Monachus, a Christian theo-
logian Embraced to the bosom of the Damned. His followers
say he is the childe of Longinus, or one of the first thirteen.
His letters achieve great popularity among Jewish vampires, as
well as those Embraced from the growing Christian movement.
APPENDIX THREE: CULTS OF ROME 267

From the Testament of Longinus
The dead men of the city gathered there, with
murder in their hearts and flames in their hands. But
the angel of the Lord whispered to the Monachus:
“Do not go to your haven, for you will be set upon
by your enemies.” So the Monachus and the disciples
slept in the cave.
When they arose the next night, the Damned
looked out of the cave, and their enemies had been
burnt up by the sun. The Monachus laughed: “They
are slothful, and continue their Sabbath past sunset.”
And so those who gather in numbers but do not
accept God are called sabbat.
— 1 Sanguinaria 9:16, trans. Roberts
In 232 CE, the Monachus and his followers openly celebrate
Mass for the first time in a cave just outside Jerusalem. Inside the
cave are only the Monachus and his closest followers. Outside,
a group of the dead lie in wait, to destroy them. The angel
Vahishtael whispers word to the Monachus, however, and he
keeps those in the cave praying until dawn. Sunrise somehow
catches the assassins unaware, and they are destroyed in fire
and frenzy. The followers of the Monachus rejoice, and declare
the cave the Sanctuary of the Lance.
Blood and Bulls
Rome’s pagan religions were once spectacular. The Cybelene
priests dressed as women and castrated themselves in the city
streets. Pagan belief wasn’t just a matter of holy days and cele-
brations, though. The gods, many and varied as they were, were
woven into the fabric of the state.
Take Cybele again. Her cult in Rome was small and politically
insignificant until the Punic Wars (p. 126). Her partisans in the
Senate insisted Cybele would deliver Rome from Hannibal;
when Rome was victorious, the Senate enthusiastically brought
her worship to Rome, and built her a shrine on the Palatine Hill.
There, along with the older gods of Rome, she watched over the
business of the government, giving her implicit assent to the
Senate’s actions. In the Republic, statues of gods were sometimes
arranged to share meals with the Senate, usually to thank them
for military victory or to propitiate them following its defeat.
Today, Cybele is gone from the Palatine Hill, along with the
other gods and the power of the Senate. Rome, dwindling and
no longer the home of the gods, is a city spiritually wounded.
Some of those wounds are easily filled by the Church of Christ,
but some become abscessed.
The Great
Foreign Gods
Rome’s most popular gods, particularly those whose cults sur-
vive underground, were imported within the memory of elders.
268 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Covenant
The Monachus and his followers are expelled from Jerusalem.
Though their partisans remain hidden among the city’s dead,
the most visible of the preachers and penitents are scattered
throughout. Many of the Mekhet, as well as members of other
clans, return west to the ancestral home of their Blood in
Egypt. Others march by night for Rome, where they hide and
tempt the Christians.
Longinian theology becomes widely popular among the
vampiric Jesus cults in the late third century, and is well on its
way to becoming the dominant paradigm in the fourth.
The Testament of Longinus provides the dead with their
own messiah, and an identity separate from the living they
consume. They are the Damned, and they know what their
covenant with God is.
Word spreads East to Rome of a Black Abbey consecrated
somewhere by the Monachus, a new Sanctuary of the Lance
and beacon of strength for the Damned.
In Rome, neither the followers of Longinus nor any
Christians are accepted by the Camarilla. The hundred cults
of damnation and salvation fight among each other like dogs,
but can always spare the bite of their fangs or the growls of their
sermons for those who have not yet learned the truth. After all,
they say, we are all Damned and all Kindred in the eyes of God.
Isis
In the centuries before Christianity, Romans embraced a
series of cults of supreme gods, who were seen as the highest
among their pantheons. In her native Egypt, Isis was the wife
of her twin, Osiris, who she coupled with even in her mother’s
womb. Osiris was murdered and dismembered by their other
brother, Set. Isis, however, was able to find most of his body
and bring him back to life. Osiris lacked only his penis; but Isis’
generative powers were so great that she could still conceive.
The Isis myth is genuinely ancient (Mekhet elders say that
she was old when their sires were young), but her cult might
never have found Rome if she had not been attached to another
deity, Serapis.
When Alexander the Great died, his general Ptolemy
became King of Egypt. Ptolemy saw strife between priests of
the Egyptian and Greek deities, and so recruited the two wisest
and most cunning priests in Alexandria. He employed them
to create a new deity, one who would unite followers of gods
from both pantheons.
At the priests’ instruction, Ptolemy procured a foreboding
idol, its name and origin lost to the people of his time. It had
been resculpted at least twice, and the chisel-marks left its sur-
face pitted and scarred. It had the majesty of a cliff face, and
the brooding countenance of a cruel father.
He christened it Serapis. Serapis combined the best — and
most frightening — traits of several deities. The priests’ clev-
erest move was explaining Serapis’ connection to Osiris. The
Egyptian priests led the worship of Osiris’ ka, which was only
one-ninth of the Egyptian soul. Ptolemy’s priests declared that
Serapis possessed Osiris’s ka — but also his entire soul, and so
his cult was greater than that of Osiris.
With his wife, still Isis, Serapis was exported all along the
Nile and then abroad. Isis, with her impressive resume, grad-
ually began to dominate the worship of their followers. By the
time she was brought to Rome, she had been declared Queen
of Heaven and greater than all other gods.
Isis is also a good example of how faith could divide the dead
long before Christianity.
Many Daeva consider themselves the priests and priestesses
of a feminine deity, whose husband died and who raised him
from the dead, along with their line’s sire (usually called Lilith).
Some Daeva, therefore, took enthusiastically to the worship
of Isis, seeing her as an equivalent to Inanna, Ishtar, or other
gods of their sires.
Others, however, viewed her as an enemy; her mortal cult
performed rituals with alignment to the sun and fertility, nei-
ther of which they thought appropriate for the goddess who
raised the Dark Maiden.
Since the rise of Christianity, many pagan Kindred believe
they were right, that Isis was a forerunner of the hated
Christians. They see parallels between the Virgin Mary of
the Christians and Lancea et Sanctum and Isis, Queen of
Heaven. This bitter memory has been enough to quiet those
who would venerate the mother of Longinus (a prostitute and,
some say, murderess).
Still, such a cult seems almost inevitable.
Cybele
Cybele, so the story goes, was a goddess who admired a
young shepherd named Attis. Unfortunately for Attis, Cybele
witnessed him having sex with another woman, and struck him
with madness as revenge. Attis castrated himself, and swiftly
bled to death. The gory spectacle moved Cybele to mercy, and
she resurrected him from the dead.
Rome did not adopt Cybele in her role as a fertility god-
dess, however. When Rome seemed destined to fall beneath
Hannibal, Cybele’s worshipers preached that she could deliver
victory over the Carthaginian invader. Indeed, they said, it had
already been foretold, and they displayed prophecies to prove
it. The prophecies were confirmed by the Oracle of Delphi,
representative of the popular Greek god Apollo.
The Senate made a sacrifice to Cybele, and when she deliv-
ered the promised victory, they welcomed her to the Palatine
Hill. She was brought before them in a fragment of a fallen
star, which was enshrined in a new temple.
Once again, the Daeva see easy parallels with the story of
Inanna and Lilith, and the claim that Attis died from madness
rather than direct violence appeals to them. Many of them
came to Rome already devoted Cybelenes. The Gangrel find
something to admire in self-mutilation, in overcoming pain
through devotion to God. The Julii never took to the worship
of Cybele. The Punic Wars were a period of relatively slow
Embrace, so few living Cybelenes were brought into the fold.
Vampiric rites venerating Cybele often feature the castration
of dead priests. The castration of Attis is performed with all
the attendant spectacle of mortal celebrations, but just before
dawn instead of at high noon. The next night, the worshipers
awake, and the priest regrows his genitals, even as he rises from
the sleep of the dead.
Empty Houses
The living still use the temples as landmarks. A traveler who
asks for directions will be oriented with reference to a temple
of Apollo or Minerva.
Yet, they are beginning to forget. They simply describe the
building by its facade, or by the faceless statue standing in
front of it. The gods have been cast out of their houses. Many
Christians won’t even set foot upon grounds once consecrated
to the old gods, except to leave their garbage.
The earliest temples that still stand are built of wood. They
occupy rectangular lots originally set aside for priests to contem-
plate the night sky. To divine the future, these augurs required
an open view of the night sky to the horizon. Thus, they were
set on high ground or facing away from obstacles. The most
important feature of the temple was the boundary lines, which
could be marked with walls, cloth, or even shallow trenches.
The Cult of Augurs remembers these temples. Many still
mark out consecrated spaces, sprinkling blood and salt along
a carefully-determined rectangle. Yet, it is hard to see the sky
in Rome, with buildings crushed against each other, rising two
and three stories, and with the smoke and vapors of the city
rising. Some priests complain that they cannot tell the future
with these obstacles, while others cry blood or cackle with
sick delight, concluding that there is nothing left to see. The
Eternal City has been tall and crowded for centuries, but the
arguments of dead priests rarely change.
Temples from more recent centuries are made of stone, a
practice imported from Greece. They are fronted with imposing
facades, and often arranged in rows, creating long, imposing
blocks of black against the sky. Marble also became common
for a time, though usually only as decoration. Temples once pale
and gleaming in the moonlight are now defaced with chunks of
darkness where the marble has fallen or is being quarried away.
Those statues that still stand in or before their temples are
pock-marked with chipped paint and obscene graffiti, and many
of the terracotta roof tiles lie in pieces in the street, drifting
like autumn leaves and without regard for the boundaries of
sacred space.
The other vital piece of a temple was the altar, where sacrifices
(of produce; animals; or, by night, men) were offered. The altars
of the most popular gods were crowded with treasure donated
by conquering generals and wealthy devotees, and every being
worth praying to had at least one interesting artifact. The
humblest might have only the broken bowls of beggars, but
those possessions were once dear as well.
APPENDIX THREE: CULTS OF ROME 269
 These treasures are long since vanished. Most were looted, by
Christians or common thieves or even by the Senate, to pay for
some long-forgotten war. For any given temple, though, there is
a tale of how the priests escaped with gold and gems and hid
them underground, and how a keen young man might find it.
These are the tales young men tell each other, for they do not
know the world beneath.
Through fires and rebuilding, many temples have effectively
sunk into Necropolis, and those still see use. Some are still places
of worship, where gods selected by the Propinqui are revered by
the solemn dead. Others have become havens, stuffed with the
bodies of whole broods or coteries during their daily sleep.
In previous decades and centuries, when a temple fell or
burned, it was almost always rebuilt eventually. The God
housed within might change, but the space was still sacred,
and, more to the point, available. Today, however, the for-
tunes of Rome have declined; even if the worship of pagan
gods was still permitted, there are fewer wealthy patrons to
endow the temples.
Cults of One
The Romans’ former policy of tolerance left each individual
or household to choose their own gods, as long as they paid
lip service to the gods of the Roman state, and this created
tremendous diversity. No Roman knows how many gods are
worshiped in the city; even if he could count the temples, the
worshipers have gone home, driven out by soldiers.
In this way, the rise of Christianity has only made the
pagan faiths harder to count. They worship in caves or in
darkened houses, or quietly in the insulae to avoid the hearing
of Christian neighbors. Even a soldier who evicts worshipers
from a pagan temple may retreat to a cave with his fellows to
sacrifice a bull to Mithras. Religion among the Romans is and
always has been personal.
How does a pagan cult spread? They don’t generally inspire
mass conversions in the sense Christianity does. Most gods
attract worshipers by recommendation from one friend to
another, or by being passed down from father to son or mother
to daughter. Many Romans perform peculiar rituals whose
origin — or patron — they cannot even say, if asked.
Every fifth day, a man pricks his finger and smears a design of
three pillars upon the south wall of his room. He doesn’t know
why he does it; perhaps he picked it up when he was a soldier,
or his father taught it to him. What he does know is that if he
does not do it, he has nightmares of a beautiful woman whose
eyes are obscured by smoke. She caresses him until dawn with
fingers like razors. So he performs his little ritual, even as he
mutters a prayer to his savior Christ.
This kind of uncertainty haunts Christians and pagans
alike, and particularly those who don’t know which they are.
A woman’s mother sacrifices a chicken to Juno and sprinkles
its blood across the garden. The daughter cares for the old
woman with some embarrassment, chiding her for ridiculous
pagan practices, but never quite arriving in time to save the
270 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Spirits
Early Roman spirituality was heavily animistic, and
the people of Rome carry its little legacies to this
day. Many family or personal rituals descend from
obeisance to the spirits of the hearth or the threshold.
Players and Storytellers familiar with the modern
Chronicles of Darkness know that there are many
spirits that personify the natural world and attend
to mortal thoughts. Are they the same ones the
Romans believed in? Could they have inspired not
only Roman ritual but even its famous gods? That’s
up to you; we’re referring to practices that vampires
will see in Rome, not importing the mechanics of
the present day.
The dead, of course, have their own spirit legends.
They speak of owl-cries in the desert which precede
delirious visions, of witch-corpses who tell tales in
groves long ago given over to the weeds.
chicken. When her mother dies, she finds herself conducting
the sacrifice in her absence. Her children chide her, but they
let her alone, and she knows they will carry on the practice
when she, too passes on.
The laws of the dead exempt them from the laws of the living,
but the laws of gods and spirits are something else. Many of the
dead adapt personal spiritual practices to take with them into
the long night. Indeed, compared with pagan Roman life, death
in Necropolis has a paucity of public ritual, making personal
practices even more important.
Ancestor Worship
Though each clan keeps its own Masquerade, and the
Christian priests rant ecstatically about eternal paradise and
the evils of consorting with spirits, many Romans know that
the dead do not entirely depart the living. The vast weight of
pagan and Christian beliefs has not yet crushed the belief that
the living can still reach out to the dead, and vice versa. After
all, how could it crush love?
Ancestor worship is a household cult, with each family having
their own rituals, their own ways of remembering lost fathers
and grandfathers. There are almost always gifts or sacrifices;
often these are buried in the ground or immolated in the
hearth. Some treat their ancestors like minor gods, leaving a
slaughtered, but whole, animal in the place of memory for a
night or two.
There are always stories, too. When a man dies, the only
stories told are of his life; what used to make him laugh, what
he was like when he was angry. His daughter might retell stories
he in turn told about the war, or about his own father. As years
go by, though, as the father becomes a grandfather, the stories
grow. His daughter, cradling a child, tells him about the time
their landlord’s bully-boys tried to throw the family out, and
how her father brought her gold coins, even though she had
neglected his sacrifice. She tells him about his older brother,
 Crassus
Quintus Crassus’s family remembers him for his wealth, and for his brush with greatness. They remember him for
the fortune in real estate and slaves, which he left to them and which they have retained through Rome’s changing
luck. They remember that he funded Julius Caesar in his bid for Praetor and later Consul.
They don’t remember him as an inveterate gambler and they don’t remember how he fell to the edge of ruin.
Crassus was a talented architect, but a drunkard and a fool. He trusted easily, but everyone he trusted betrayed him,
with two exceptions: his wife, Livonia, and his uncle, Lysander. Crassus wasn’t particularly close to his uncle when he
was growing up; Lysander lived some ways outside the city, his father told him, in a grand villa. Quintus Crassus met
him only a few times.
When Crassus was in his cups, and on the edge of ruin, though, his uncle came to see him. He promised the young
man that if he did as he was told, he could have riches beyond what he had gambled away, beyond what he owed.
The older man told Crassus that all he had to do was bring his wife and make sacrifice with her to honored relatives.
The ritual was short, and confusing; Crassus passed out after sipping his uncle’s strange wine. Sure enough, though,
his fortunes picked up. Not only did the customers his uncle introduced him to pay well, his luck at gambling improved;
he was blessed.
The months passed and, in gratitude, Crassus set out to visit his uncle, bringing a cart full of gifts and his newborn
son. He found Lysander’s villa, but the slaves did not recognize Lysander’s name. Confused, Crassus demanded to
meet the owner of the house.
The man told Crassus that his uncle was many years dead, but that he himself owed his fortune to Lysander’s
generosity. Lysander had left him the villa and slaves, though most of those who knew the old master were dead or
freed. Crassus realized he had met a ghost, and drank heartily to thank his uncle.
His descendants do not know this story. Sometimes they are helped by a man with family features, or asked
to do him small favors. They call him Quintus Crassus. But he is not Quintus, and he was not Lysander.

who died in his blankets, and how her father returned that
night to hold her.
In her later years, graying and weak, she tells only good things
about her father, because she knows she goes to join him soon.
She cautions her children to only speak well of the dead, and
never to forget the sacrifice.
Rituals for ancestors are usually simple affairs, particularly
tonight. The exception used to be the Parentalia, from February
13th to the 21st. During the Parentalia, the temples were closed
and no business was conducted, for fear of retribution from the
dead, whose jealousy frightened even the gods. Dinners were
held in honor of parents and siblings gone.
The poet Ovid, still read tonight, warns of a Parentalia which
was neglected. He describes tremendous losses at war and to
plague, and funeral fires around the city. The dead, Ovid
claims, rose in an army that night to take their due. Deformed,
moaning creatures roamed the streets, taking any of their
descendants they found back to the underworld with them.
Some elder Propinqui claim to remember this event, and recall
it with satisfied smiles to their childer. They boast that once
upon a time, the living denied the dead, and even lit fires over
their tombs; they say that they entered the city in force with
the Nosferatu to take vengeance. The living would not feast for
the dead, and so the dead feasted upon the living.
Younger vampires listen, and they disbelieve. For though
some of them still visit their families, they cannot imagine a
night without Masquerade. Above, the living listen in their
Christian churches during what was once the Parentalia, and
they shiver. For it has been neglected for many years.
Vampires also venerate their ancestors, whether by blood
mortal or eternal. Many broods, particularly among the Daeva,
perform rituals of abasement before their sires, and address
them in explicitly religious terms. Most, however, worship
their sires and grandsires only after they have succumbed to
torpor. They gather by their forebears’ moldy sepulchers and
sing hymns of mourning and fear. Some broods Embrace only
on these days; others shed no blood upon them.
Dead whose sires come from the Middle East tell stories of
distant ancestors whose blood does not thin with torpor, and
who, though mad and wild, can recall with perfect memory the
deeds and names of their enemies. These are called Ancients,
or, among the Jews, Methuselahs.
They attempt to keep these creatures away through rituals
that might be supplications or might be wards. The most
common is to stake a mortal corpse as they would transfix a
vampire, and to bury him at a crossroads in the world above.
The dates vary, but the task is always performed in silence, lest
the sound attracts the Methuselahs’ attention.
The Julii perform a similar observance of their own on
February 4th, in which they murder a young boy on the floor
of the Camarilla, then bury him in a shallow, stone-lined pit
near the surface. The exact reason has changed with time.
Tonight, they devote the sacrifice to Julius Senex, and they
individually offer the same prayers and gifts they would to
their immediate sires.
They remember, though, that Senex himself once performed
this ritual with them. Did he seek to propitiate Remus, or
something else?

APPENDIX THREE: CULTS OF ROME 271

 APPENDIX FOUR
CONDITIONS AND TILTS
This appendix includes a range of Conditions and Tilts that can be applied to characters throughout the events of the story.
Conditions
ADORED
You are a champion of the ring. Gain the 9-again quality on
Social actions with anyone who witnessed your performance.
This Condition fades without resolving at the end of the night.
Resolution: Spend this Condition to add +3 to a Social action
with one of your adoring fans, in addition to the effect above.
ADRIFT
(PERSISTENT)
You are hopelessly lost at sea. You suffer the Potency of the
ritual that inflicted this Condition as a penalty to all actions
to navigate the ocean or defend yourself against water-born
threats (or –2 if you acquired this Condition mundanely).
You gain no Willpower from sleep if you’re human and lose
a Willpower each morning as the horror of your situation
begins to sink in.
Resolution: Be rescued. Achieve an exceptional success on
a Wits + Survival action while navigating the open ocean for
at least a day to get yourself back on track.
Beat: Give into despair at the cost of an important tool
or asset.
ANAGNORISIS
It may not lead to your Final Death, but your role in the
greater scheme of things is star-crossed. At best. Pick one type
of action: Mental, Physical, or Social. There is a disastrous
event on the horizon relating to that type of action, which
you must name in general terms. Until it occurs, take a pen-
alty on all actions relating to that category equal to the dot
rating of the ritual that inflicted this Condition, and any
actions taken by others that would help it come to pass gain
a commensurate bonus.
Resolution: Accept a dramatic failure on the chosen action
category, at which point, the ill omen comes to pass.
272 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
COWED
You have been put in your place through the violence and
dominance of another. Suffer a –2 modifier on any Physical
and Social rolls to oppose the character who inflicted this
Condition if you do not spend Willpower. This Condition
fades without resolving at the end of the scene.
Resolution: Successfully injure or intimidate the character
who inflicted the Condition. Regain Willpower.
DEMORALIZED
Cruel fate or a superior foe has left your Beast cowering. If
you try to spend Willpower to attack someone, add only one
die to your dice pool. Take a –4 to Initiative rolls and a –2
to Resolve or Composure when trying to resist or contest an
opposing dice pool. This Condition fades without resolving
after a week.
Resolution: Exceptionally succeed an attack roll. Escape a
foe unharmed. Emerge victorious from a violent conflict.
DOOMED
(PERSISTENT)
The Nemeses have marked you for destruction. Accept your
fate or suffer; you’ll amuse them either way. You suffer a –2
modifier to all actions. If you are a Julii, this penalty is doubled.
The resolution and Beat criterion vary depending on the kind
of Strix that inflicted this Condition.
Cerberi
Resolution: Accept a dramatic failure on an action to avoid
violent conflict and take the Demoralized Condition (above)
in its place.
Beat: Hurt someone in their last three Health boxes.
Dirae
Resolution: Drop a Social Merit (Sanctity of Merits applies).
 Beat: Use hard leverage against someone who has an average
or higher impression of you in Social maneuvering.
Parcae
Resolution: Abandon a long-term Aspiration for one that
the Owl chooses for you. You may not like the result.
Beat: Voluntarily fail an action that would have led you to
fulfill a long-term Aspiration.
EXPOSED
You’ve laid bare your monstrosity and it echoes across the
Blood. Anyone with blood sympathy to you can tell when you
use a Discipline or Devotion or when you lash out, and they may
spend a Willpower to learn who you used it against and a rough
idea of the scenario. Your first- and second-removed relatives
may also lash out at you regardless of distance. This Condition
resolves in nights equal to the dot rating of the rite performed.
Resolution: Let the Beast protect you, dramatically failing
frenzy resistance. Accept a blood bond.
FIXATION
You are driven solely by your need to satisfy one of your goals
and can think of nothing else. Pick one of your Aspirations.
You lose the 10-again quality on any rolls that won’t actively
help you achieve it. You cannot take any extended action that
wouldn’t advance that Aspiration, as focusing on anything
else for an extended period proves impossible. If faced with
an opportunity to advance that Aspiration, you must spend
a point of Willpower to resist the impulse to take it or suffer
a breaking point at your current Humanity level/Integrity –3.
This Condition ends without resolving after a week.
Resolution: Complete the chosen Aspiration.
HUMBLED BLOOD
(PERSISTENT)
You have lost access to one of your Disciplines for violating
Camarilla law. Until you perform a certain task, resources spent
on this power are wasted, and any passive effects are nullified.
Resolution: Do your community service.
Beat: Suffer a major setback where your ability would’ve
made all the difference.
INDEBTED
Everything has a price, and everyone knows when you’ve
taken more than you should for less than it’s worth. If you’re
asking more than you should of the gods, you’d better expect
to make some sacrifices. You no longer enjoy any benefits for
bearing Status in the Cult of Augurs, including Merits with a
Status prerequisite, and you lose the 10-again quality on Social
actions with other Prophets. This Condition fades without
resolving in a number of nights equal to the ritual’s dot level.
Resolution: Accept a task from a Vaticinator of equal or
higher rank. This should be a deed proportionate to how
powerful the ritual was, but regardless of what the task may
be, it’s very likely to advance someone else’s political ambitions.
MISSION
You’ve drawn too deep from your nature as an agent of divine
wrath. The worst aspects of your inhuman nature overtake
you, and you dedicate yourself to this cause with manic fervor.
You can only spend Willpower on actions that would directly
harm another person. This does not need to be physical harm;
causing damage to someone’s reputation will serve just as well.
This Condition fades without resolving in a number of nights
equal to the dot level of the ritual that inflicted it.
Resolution: Take a breaking point in God’s name.
PLAGUE OF BLOOD
(PERSISTENT)
You are infected with the Plague of Blood. Vitae flows slug-
gishly in your veins, rendering your limbs rigid and dulling
your hunter’s senses. Your skin becomes cold and grayish in
pallor, and you cannot use the blush of life. Perception, Kindred
Senses, and actions requiring finesse suffer a –2 modifier, and
whenever you use Physical Intensity or an active effect of a
Physical Discipline, roll a die: on a 1, the effect doesn’t work.
Anyone who feeds on you must resist gaining the disease,
rolling Resolve + Stamina minus nights you’ve been infected,
to a maximum of –5.
Once you resolve this Condition, you are immune to the
Plague of the Blood.
Resolution: Drain the tainted Vitae from your body and
fully sate yourself on healthy blood. Veneficium achieving
purification. A god’s blessing.
Beat: Purposely spread the plague to another vampire.
TAXPAYER
(PERSISTENT)
By decree of the Senex, your Vitae has been taxed as a pun-
ishment for your crimes. One out of every three points of Vitae
you consume disappears from your pool and instead appears
within a vessel chosen when you gained this Condition.
Resolution: Vitae equal to half your maximum pool is taxed
by this Condition.
Beat: You fail to resist frenzy brought on by low Vitae because
of your taxed blood.
APPENDIX FOUR: 273
CONDITIONS AND T I LT S
 Tilts
AVALANCHE
(ENVIRONMENTAL TILT)
Effect: Each turn your character is within the avalanche’s
reach, he takes a point of lethal damage from the force. Unless
he also succeeds a Dexterity + Athletics roll, he’s also moved
along by the wave of material, usually going at about 80 kilo-
meters an hour, though this can vary wildly. This may have its
own detrimental effects — if you’re swept off a cliff, for instance,
you have a lot more to worry about than some rocks rolling
down a mountain at you.
Ending the Tilt: Avalanches continue until they run out of
momentum or material.
COLLAPSING CEILING
(ENVIRONMENTAL TILT)
Effect: Halve each character’s Speed as falling debris gets
in everyone’s way. Characters take between 1 and 3 points of
lethal damage per turn, with a successful Dexterity + Athletics
roll downgrading this to bashing damage and an exceptional
success negating it entirely.
Ending the Tilt: Most buildings in Pompeii don’t contain
enough material to collapse for more than a few turns, but large
buildings and underground structures can collapse for a whole
scene. The Tilt ends when the ceiling disintegrates or stabilizes.
DUST STORM
(ENVIRONMENTAL TILT)
Effect: Dust storms make it hard to see anything beyond
one’s immediate surroundings. Perception rolls to see things
within five yards of the character suffer a 1-die penalty. Each
additional five yards inflicts a cumulative –1. The blowing
dust also imposes a –3 on all Physical actions while out in the
storm. Living characters take one bashing damage each turn
as the dust scours their lungs, but Kindred are immune to this.
Ending the Tilt: The best way to avoid dust storms is to
move indoors.
EARTHQUAKE
(ENVIRONMENTAL TILT)
Effect: All Dexterity-based dice pools (and Defense) suffer a
1-to-5-die penalty. Characters take between 1 and 3 points of
lethal damage per turn of the earthquake’s duration. A reflexive
Stamina + Athletics roll downgrades that damage to bashing
or cancels it on an exceptional success.
274 REQUIEM FOR ROME SECOND EDITION
Ending the Tilt: Even during the eruption, earthquakes
aren’t constant, ending within one minute (20 turns) and taking
some time before the next one strikes.
HEAVY WINDS
(ENVIRONMENTAL TILT)
Effect: Loud winds impose a –3 modifier to aural Perception
rolls. Grade the wind from one to five: a penalty equal to the
wind’s grade applies to Physical actions. Characters suffer bash-
ing damage equal to the grade each turn, though the damage
may be avoided with a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics action.
Ending the Tilt: Finding shelter from the winds.
INFERNO
(ENVIRONMENTAL TILT)
Effect: All characters suffer a 2-die penalty to all rolls because
of smoke and pain from the fire. After two turns, any character
who breathes suffers 2 bashing damage per turn from smoke
inhalation. After three turns, the character suffers 1 lethal
damage per turn from burns. If the character catches fire, he
suffers 4L per turn until he dies or is put out.
Ending the Tilt: All fires burn out eventually, but suppres-
sion methods help.
RIOT
(ENVIRONMENTAL TILT)
Tension permeates the hot Italian night. Tempers simmer
as everyone wonders what happens next. Then, someone
throws a rock.
Effect: Every turn, all characters stuck in the riot are bumped,
struck, and pushed by the enraged crowd. Roll Stamina +
Athletics reflexively each turn; failure means the character
suffers two bashing damage. Any other effects — smashed
storefronts, destroyed public property, murdered public fig-
ures — depend on the location of the riot and are down to the
Storyteller’s discretion.
Causing the Tilt: Mostly this Tilt will be applied as the story
dictates, not by anything the characters control. If the char-
acters do something stupidly high-profile in an already-tense
situation, they just might touch one off. Certain Disciplines and
Devotions, might also allow vampire characters to start a riot.
Ending the Tilt: Barring supernatural powers, most characters
can’t stop a riot once it really gets going. Depending on the size
of the mob, the nature of the triggering event, and the ability
(and willingness) of authorities to respond, the riot might run
anywhere from a couple of hours to a few weeks.
 Name: Clan:

Mask: Bloodline:

Dirge: Wing:

Concept: Chronicle:

attributes
POWER Intelligence Strength Presence

FINESSE Wits Dexterity Manipulation

RESISTANCE Resolve Stamina Composure

skills other traits

mental disciplines heal
th
(-3 unskilled)
OOOOO
Academics OOOOO OOOOO
Crafts OOOOO OOOOO
Investigation OOOOO OOOOO wi
llpower
Medicine OOOOO OOOOO
Occult OOOOO OOOOO
Politics OOOOO OOOOO
Religion OOOOO OOOOO b
lood potency
Warfare OOOOO OOOOO

vi
tae
physical merits
(-1 unskilled)
OOOOO
Archery OOOOO OOOOO
Athletics OOOOO OOOOO humanity
Brawl OOOOO OOOOO 10
Larceny OOOOO OOOOO 9
Ride OOOOO OOOOO 8
Stealth OOOOO OOOOO 7
Survival OOOOO OOOOO 6
Weaponry OOOOO OOOOO 5
4
3
social aspirations 2
(-1 unskilled)
1
Animal Ken OOOOO
Empathy OOOOO
Expression OOOOO
Intimidation OOOOO Size: Speed:
Persuasion OOOOO conditions Defense: Armor:
Socialize OOOOO Initiative Mod:
Streetwise OOOOO Beats: ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨
Subterfuge OOOOO Experiences:
 More
from NMD

Available at
 WE ARE ROME.
We are her hallowed ancestors
and her unholy specters.

We are her miracles and her sins.

We are her glory and her depravity.

WE ARE HER KINDRED,

AND WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU.
Join us beneath the earth
and know our triumphs and our sorrows.

Bask in the wonders of our secret Necropolis,

and Bear witness as we conquer death
in the Eternal City’s shadow.

AND THEN WATCH CLOSELY

AS IT ALL COMES CRASHING DOWN.

This book includes:

• A complete update and expansion of Requiem for Rome for Vampire: The
Requiem Second Edition.
• The Julii, doomed Founders of the All Night Society.
• The wings of the Camarilla, the first blood covenant of the dead.
• The history of the Propinqui and an inside look at the hidden empire they rule
away from mortal eyes.
• Supernatural powers and sorceries forgotten in the modern nights.
• Six Dark Eras throughout the ages of the Roman Empire.
• Thirteen horrors from the depths of ancient history and streamlined rules for
the Strix.
• Errata for the core Requiem system.