Updated: 11 October 1998
The Assamite
Officially, there is no free Assamite in Paris: This Clan's existence on murder was useful until Villon, bored to see them used to further his enemies plots, banished them from France and Paris. While banishing the Clan from France is a simple theory, their presence in Paris is unknown. Villon uses the Sixth Tradition to Blood Hunt any Assamite appearing, and, a rare thing indeed among the Kindred, extends it up to any Kindred using Assamite's service, other than Bodyguard.
Assamite in Paris must give the proof that they are working for some Kindred. This Kindred must have the authorization of Villon to do so (Prestation, Prestation...), and will be judged responsible should the Assamite be accused of assassination. The Assamite working as bodyguard find the agreement a good one, as they are still paid in Blood.
The other Assamite judge them slaves, through, as they keep protecting the Kindred enemy. Any Assamite working as a bodyguard in Paris will see his Assamite Prestige decreased by one.
There is a third type of Assamite. This Bloodline was created centuries ago, when the Clan Assamite, cursed by the Tremere, came to the contact of eastern sects of warriors and assassins. While the Assamite Vampire believed his own Clanmates quite good (in a martial viewpoint), they had much to learn from those mysterious sects. So a 7th Generation Embraced one of them, and Dominated him so he wouldn't escape. But he underestimated the sense of honor of his new Childe, who fled at the first occasion to his own sect to tell his masters about his aggressions. The Eastern Vampire took it bad, but had no real mean to avenge their honor. Anyway, the Chinese Assamite was never heard off again, but now, some of his Childer appeared with the Yakuzah, and some other chinese or japanese crime sects...
Destiny
The Assamite will all change in the course of the year 1998. They have, in secret, removed the Tremere Curse forbidding them to commit Diablerie. Now, they walk once more towards their Holy War against all Kindred, albeit in a more discreet fashion.
Soon enough, the war will start once again, for France wasn't kind for the Assamite. Under the cover of islamist terrorist actions, the Assamite will try to weaken the power of Francois Villon and of the Camarilla in Paris. The Veilleurs and of course the Masques will be targeted. The Masques will suffer the less damage (because most of them are adept in the use of Obfuscate and all of them in the Auspex Disciplines), while the Veilleurs will suffer a lot more.
Note that the Blood Dragons are a different, distinct Bloodline, and thus, were not affected by the ''cure'' of the curse. So They continue to have the same Assamite Weakness.
Organization
There is no Assamite organization in Paris.
The Bodyguards
The Bodyguards are Assamite hired by parisian Camarilla Elders to protect them. They are paid in Blood, and even if they aren't trusted, they are accepted as member of the Camarilla of Paris, and as such, must obey its laws.
To have a Bodyguard is to introduce a new, non-Toreador, powerful and most of all Assamite Kindred in Paris. Asking the right to hire one is considered asking a lot more than for the right of Embracing a Childe (as a rule of thumb, consider one need the right to Embrace TWO childer to even consider to ask to Villon the right to hire an Assamite Bodyguard).
Because the Assamite, once freed from the Curse of the Tremere, will developp once more their obsession for Blood, the Kindred they were hired to protect will be among their first victims...
?; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.
The Assassins
These Vampires are there to elimitane other Kindred, either by contract for another Clan Kindred, or by mission from Alamut, because the victim is supposed to be a danger to the Clan.
Their presence in Paris is highly illegal, and they will be hunted on sight.
?; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.
The Blood Dragon Assamites
Not true Assamite, these Kindred know their way enough in Asia to avoid being destroyed despite their prolonged stay in the mysterious Kuei-Jin (Eastern Vampires) territories. Still, something of a truce must have been reached, for the Blood Dragon Assamite seem to work with other Kuei-Jin. They took over a weak japanese crime sect long ago, renamed it the Blood Dragons, and hired their services to hunt the ''aggressive'' Kin-Jin (Kindred) outside the Kuei-Jin territories.
The Blood Dragons can create Childer with relative ease, and they know about the ways of the East and of the West. And they are easily mistaken for Western Kindred (a Thaumaturgical test of Vitae will show they are Assamite). They can be useful when it comes to expand the Kuei-Jin territories within the Kindred's Domains.
They asked no price, but with the years, they started to grow too bold. So bold they already fought the Kuei-Jin for territories in the western lands. Some among the Kuei-Jin ask for the Blood Dragons destruction. But they never get a positive answer, perhaps because the Blood Dragons are now too much in numbers and in power to be stopped easily. It would cost the Kuei-Jin dearly, and they probably need more an half-hearted help than a new enemy sect who is privy to most their traditions and lore.
Note: Unlike the Assamite, the Blood-Dragon Assamite's skin doesn't become darker with the years. While they still have the Assamite Weakness (Kindred Vitae is toxic to them), they have another weakness: Their eyes are luminous Blood Red (They have Permanently the Protean * Level power) so they use a lot black or mirror shades which can attract attention in the night...
Note 2: These Assamite are cut from the Clan, and so, can't participate to the Ritual and increase artificially their Generation. And as they can't commit Diablerie...
Note 3: Most of them work for criminal organization, and developped a Path of Illumination akin to the Sabbat Path of Power and Inner Voice. They use the Virtues of Conviction, Self-Control and Courage.
Kodai Takahashi; 9th Generation.
Naoko Takahashi; 10th Generation.
Syu Yen; 10th Generation. (Missing)
Note from the Author: ''Oh, no! Another Bloodline!''.
I can hear you shout this at me when reading about the Blood
Dragons. The reasons behind them are simple. I've read Kindred
of the East, and frankly I didn't like it (The Virtues System
is cool, but the Discipline can be so ridiculous...). Still,
''Chinatown'' was an invitation for Kuei-Jin to enter Paris.
In the other hand, I've never liked the idea of arabic assassins.
While they existed, I found they were laughable when compared to
asian Ninjas and Shaolin Masters. Few cultures in the world
studied so much the martial arts, and few generated so much
wonder. My first Assamite NPC was called Syu Yen, and I heard
he was quite successful among the other Storytellers. But Syu
Yen was chinese...
The Blood Dragons is an alternative, enabling the Storyteller
to use Asian-minded Kindred without having to learn the rules of
Kindred of the East. Do what you like with it. If the idea
of Asian Free Assamite doesn't appeal to you, be my guest,
buy Kindred of the East, and convert the characters...
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