Updated: 25 October 1998

The Malkavians

                    At first glance, there is no organisation in the Malkavian Clan of Paris. No leader to claim the title of Duc, a claim that would have been laughed upon at the most private salons, but a claim that some Elders fear, because they, alone among others, saw part of the intrigue the Malkavians seem to, unkowingly, follow: Those apparent Bâtards who claim there is such thing as the Malkavian Clan, seem to recognize their own so easily no one even claimed to have infiltrated the Clan of Paris.

There is indeed a leader, but not in the form most Kindred (or most anyone!) would be prepared to see. More than one Malkavian apparently unconcerned by the matter before, became suddenly more than interested in it than others thought possible. And more than once the Malkavian Clan, apparently more divided in numbers than the actual number of Malkavian Kindred (!) united suddenly under the rule of the most surprising leader possible, only to forget to follow just some nights after.

Someone seems to guide them, even if no one really understand where they are guided!

In truth, a Methuselah is working here. Henrique is his name. An portuguese warrior who took the name of his idol, the King Henrique ''the Navigator'' whose mind seems now hopelessely divided in two non-equal ones is the creature behind the sudden Malkavian inspiration.

There is no Malkavian sub-Clan per se, as each one is unique in his own way, and as sub-clans created rarely goes beyond the night. But there is something that divide the Malkavians in two: only Childer of Malkav can have it, and no name is known to call it, even if some Malkavian have talked about Verve.

The firsts, the Childer of Malkav, are the true, normal Malkavian, who seem to be free from Rachid's influence. They are few. And with them are the Malkavians who lost the Verve, and these are even fewer... They tend to act as do the normal Malkavians, that is, as Caitiffs, and treat the other Malkavians as if they were normal, if somewhat deluded Malkavians.

The seconds, the Followers of Henrique are Malkavians who possess Verve. They are still free to act, but should they follow the inspirations of Henrique, their grasp of the Verve increase, and with it, the favor of Henrique, of the other Followers, and the possibility to have more accurate information, and sometimes, help.

Note: The name ''Followers of Henrique'' is a name for the Storyteller and Players. No character, not even Henrique calls them as such. It is used to make it easier to categorize the Malkavians, nothing more, nothing less.

Destiny

                    In the months before and after the beginning of the year 1997, The Malkavians of Paris will seem to increase in their madness. They will develop, apparently without help, the Dementation Discipline as a Clan Discipline. For most of them, Dominate will become a non-Clan Discipline.

Organization

                    What???

Verve

                    Verve is a new Background Trait that, for all pratical purposes, replaces Malkavian Prestige for the Parisian Kindred. As the Prestige is the ''status'' among the Clan, the Verve is the status in the eyes of Henrique. Parisian Malkavian with Verve with aknowledge each others with the Verve Rating, no matter the real Prestige the two Kindred have.

The Verve is limited to 5, 6 only appearing when Henrique's attentions falls on a particular Kindred. The other Malkavians will tend to follow the wishes of this ''enlightened'' Malkavian, and she will be able to organize the Clan beyond the petty intrigues that can divide a Clan. When this happens, the Clan Malkavian of Paris can become seriously single-minded. Since the arriving of Henrique, there was no real accident as a consequence of Henrique's enlightement.

When a Malkavian wants an information for something, the Storyteller must decide for the difficulty, from 6 for widely known among the Followers of Henrique to 9 for known only to one Malkavian, or even Henrique himself, to 10 for unknown to all, unless accident (divine inspiration?). This can go from the Wall Street's results to the knowledge of this Ventrue's secret tastes about Blood to the position of Villon in Paris.

It must be understood that unless for the 10's difficulty, the information must be known by the at least one of the Followers of Henrique (or even Henrique himself). Note that information that a Malkavian want to remain secret can see the Difficulty raised by 2, for a maximum of 10. The 10's difficulty should be attached to the infamous Madness Network effects.

Should the roll be botched, the character lose one Verve point, and will be given apparently true, but in reality highly inaccurate information that could be its final death, at Storyteller's discretion.

It should be noted, too, that this Verve was not created to serve as an intelligence service-like information network. The Malkavians are inpredictable, and this ''network'' is, too. PCs (or NPCs) abusing from it will find the difficulty raised for unkown reasons (Gregory would name it mystic synaptic disfunction due to overstressing of the mental ley lines).

The other bonus of the Verve is the possibility to learn Dementation with no need from a teacher: The character spends 2 Xps, and makes a Verve roll, difficulty 10 minus the Verve score. Should the roll be failed, the Xps are lost. If the roll is botched, the character does not lose a Verve point, but will still lose the XPs. Futhermore, the cost is doubled, and she will have to wait for her Verve to increase before trying again. If the roll is successful, then the character si considered as having a teacher, and can now buy the Dementation Discipline at the cost of a Clan Discipline.

There is no way to recognize a Childer of Malkav from a Follower of Henrique. Only the Followers of Henrique can determine if this or this Kindred is also a Follower of Henrique.

Note that the Clan hold no prejudice against Anarchs and Camarilla members. A Malkavian can succeed in increasing in Malkavian Prestige (Verve) and Anarch Prestige in the same time. Remember that nothing such as Clans exists... Or is it the opposite?...

The Followers of Henrique

                    These Malkavians are linked together by the Verve and unless affected by it, are totally similar to the Childer of Malkav. But these Malkavian can use the Verve to further their own Intrigue. In the same way Henrique can use them to further his own intrigues (whatever they be). And anyway, they can have access to a lot of information (sometimes twisted by the mind where they are found).

Even if there is no easily visible prejudice against the rare non-verved Malkavian, the Followers of Henrique don't act as if of the same Clan: The Childer of Malkav seem to be inspirationless, and in some way, it is visible to the Childer of Malkav.

Christelle; 10th Generation.
Gregory; Unknown Generation.
Marcel; ?th Generation.
Pedro; Unknown Generation.
Valentin; 11th Generation.
Xavier/Xavière; Unknown Generation.
?; ?th Generation.

The Childer of Malkav

                    These are normal Malkavians, without any penalty or bonus. They have the typical (!) behaviour of typical (!) Malkavians (!!!). They consider the Followers of Henrique as normal Malkavians that hear too much to the voices, but without real prejudice: After all, everyone has his own madness, no?

Jonathan Nostram; 13th Generation.
Tatiana; 9th Generation.
Thibault-Thibault; 12th Generation Anarch.
William; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.

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