DAEVA
to become arguably one of the most numerous
Other Kindred envy their beauty and grace, their
ability to incite passion in mortals, the ease with
which they glide through the masses — and that
envy is almost as potent a drought to the Daeva as
blood itself. These Kindred are consummate
predators, and they would seem to be the perfect
vampires. Alas, most are too dead inside to enjoy
it. Called Succubi by other Bloodlines, the Daeva
are experts at making their prey come to them,
practically offering themselves not merely as food
but as play-things. No self-respecting Daeva
resorts to attacking transients in alleyways. Rather,
these are the Kindred who accompany a smitten
young mortal back to her place, leaving her
languid and sexually spent by morning(if she’s
fortunate) or an exsanguinated husk (if she’s not).
Seducers and sensualists, the Daeva could
practically charm the unease off a Nosferatu. When
the fancy strikes them, they play politics like a
finely tuned instrument. Even allies and co-
conspirators who know they cannot trust a
Succubus find themselves lulled into doing just
that, caught up in the Daeva’s personal magnetism.
Daeva become Harpies more than Kindred of any
other Bloodline, and they wield that power
mercilessly. A stinging rebuke from a Daeva Harpy
can shred a vampire’s reputation faster than a
denunciation by the Prince himself. Most Succubi
are overtly sensual beings, drawn by beauty and
blood in equal measure, but it’s an artificial
passion. Their ability to feel true attachment to
other people atrophies over years of manipulating
the love of mortals and the respect of their fellow
Kindred, until the Daeva can no longer understand
those emotions as anything other than tools to be
exploited and motions to imitate. For all their
apparent fervor, most Succubi are as dead
spiritually as they are physically. They claim to
understand desire, but all they truly know is need,
and it is this deadening of emotions that causes so
many jaded Daeva to become depraved in their
efforts to feel again. Daeva move through the
circles of society in which their lustful natures best
serve them, whether among high society or low
culture. Drawn to beauty and congregations of
mortals, they often frequent theaters, galleries,
trendy clubs, whiskey dives, drug dens, brothels
and everything in between. Personal preferences
aside, the Succubi are found through all strata of
society. Their seductive natures allow these
vampires to find willing vessels no matter where
they go, and this ability has enabled them to thrive,
Bloodlines. No single social class has room for
them all, so newcomers and losers of political and
social games often find themselves dwelling
among the poor and unwashed —or at least the
middle classes, which, since their blood is as red as
any other, means basically the same thing to most
Succubi. Few Kindred are as desperate as a Daeva
trying to claw his way into his own niche. Wise
Kindred know better than to take advantage of a
Daeva in such a position, for fear he’ll one night
achieve the position and privilege he seeks. The
Succubi never forget a slight.
Nickname
Succubi
Symbol
Blood Red Rose
Appearance
Daeva often Embrace out of infatuation — or at
least going through the motions of passion — and
they rarely choose to involve themselves with
unattractive mortals. Thus, most Daeva are
surpassingly beautiful. The Bloodline is also
highly in tune with trends and fashion, the better to
prowl among and attract prey.
Havens: Daeva havens vary, but they’re almost
universally comforting… in a subtly alarming way
that suggests an artificial appeal to whatever
vessels a Kindred favors. Most are convenient to
social or political centers. The specific aesthetics
vary, but most are intended to impress any
compatriots, allies or victims who might be invited
in. Penthouses and condominiums are particularly
popular. Many Daeva don’t bother to keep up
appearances if they don’t think they’ll bring prey
home, meaning that some havens are sloppy or
cluttered with unsettling reminders of previous
vessels presence.
Background
With a growing number of exceptions, Daeva are
Embraced from the ranks of society’s elite.
Succubus sires look for some combination of
charm, culture, seductiveness, desire to achieve,
passion and physical beauty. Many Daeva
Embrace mortals to whom they have become
attached, but this attachment almost invariably
proves false, a mixture of lust and simple hunger.
Few relationships are as euphoric as those between
a Daeva and a newly Embraced childe, and few
grow cold as swiftly.
Character Creation
Social Attributes and Skills are of primary
concern, particularly those that aid in making good
first impressions, in persuading and in seducing.
Social Merits are equally common, representing
the character’s connections to both mortal and
Kindred society. Given that most Daeva feed
almost exclusively through manipulation and
betrayal, a high starting Humanity score is a good
idea, since it’s likely to fall precipitously.
Favored Attributes
Dexterity or Manipulation
Bloodline Disciplines
Celerity, Majesty, Vigor
Bloodline Bane
Daeva immerse themselves in the mortal world; it
not only feeds them, it compels them. When Daeva
choose vessels, they become obsessed. When they
drink from a mortal once, they’re fine. On their
second and further drinks from the same source,
roll Humanity. Failure causes the vampire to be in
a second stage blood bond with the mortal. The
Condition only goes away with the mortal’s death.
For this reason, Daeva tend toward either
remarkable promiscuity, or they cultivate massive
harems and herds.
Organization
Status among the Daeva is entirely a social issue,
and many young ones resemble squabbling cliques
more so than undying creatures of the night. Not
even elder Daeva are strangers to petty vendettas
and long-nursed grudges. While a Succubus is
likely to join with one of her own in the face of an
outside threat, they compete with one another as
much as they do with other Kindred, if not more
so. The Daeva therefore have no true formal
structure. Those who are dominant in the Danse
Macabre’s social and political scene are dominant
among the Bloodline as well
In the Covenants
The Carthian Movement
The Daeva are the mouths of the Revolution. Their
tongues turn ethos into contagion, stoke mobs into
wildfire. The Serpents are the recruiters of the
Revolution. The Firebrands of other Bloodlines
know that you need at least one Daeva around. The
feeding is good for the Serpents among the
Carthians, as they swallow blood and fervor in
equal measure. And the feeding for everyone else
is better when they’re around. And when violence
must carry the politics of change, who else is so
terrifyingly fast and bone-crunchingly strong?
The Circle of the Crone
Some of the most important voices in the Crone’s
choir belong to the Succubi. It is the wise
hierophant who keeps them close. The Daeva’s
presence makes rituals grander, the spirituality
more real, the air of a wild hunt more tangible. It’s
easier to believe. They are the maenads who
inspire orgiastic revel. They put the romance back
into sparagmos. Who better to lead by example in
the ecstatic emulation of the perfect vampire?
The Invictus
The Daeva function well in the middle of a web.
They know just how to pluck the strands. They
know all the right vibrations. Their grandeur adds
an air of legitimacy to the polite rituals and courtly
behavior of the First Estate, making it all a better
misdirection for the blackmail and backstabbing
behind the velvet curtains. Who are the masters
of the tyrannous emotions that control us all? Who
looks more fetching in a crown?
The Lancea Sanctum
The immortal passions of the Daeva can bend into
religious ecstasy of a frightful intensity. Their
sermons wash over the laity like a tidal wave. They
have perched for so long on both the right and the
left shoulders of humanity. Who, in motion, are
more like angels or succubi? Who knows the exact
point where divinity and perversion bisect? Who
knows the sinners so intimately? Who better to
tempt the mortals than the Serpents?
The Ordo Dracul
The Order is an ill fit for many Daeva. Yet
those who get a taste for it become hooked, like
mortals addicted to cosmetic surgery. The pain and
danger and transcendence. More! Always more.
These Serpents want to shed their skins and see
what holy blasphemies may come. They are the
charismatic gurus who underground fighting rings
materialize around. They are the cult leaders who
can convince their followers to do unspeakable
things for knowledge. Who so envies the
humans,yet clutches her own immorality? Who
would do anything to have it both ways?