As the Nosferatu scurry through the secret byways and catacombs in which they lair, they unearth lost secrets and find hidden caches of knowledge. Indeed, with the incredible stealth engendered as a necessity of their condition, they find it easy to spy on Kindred and kine alike in search of valuable bits of information. Spies and rumormongers of the first order, the Nosferatu parlay such information

in exchange for favors, trading with clanmates freely and treating with outsiders for services and boons. Some Nosferatu develop their powers of concealment well enough to eavesdrop unnoticed in the middle of meetings of other Kindred, selling their secrets to the

highest bidders. Woe unto the outsider who seeks to turn a Nosferatu against his clan, though — in their communal misery, the Nosferatu

have forged strong ranks of loyalty. When the only ones to keep company with a monster are other monsters, they develop powerful bonds indeed. 

As outcasts, the Nosferatu often Embrace among those like themselves —derelicts, vagrants, the antisocial, the wayward and unstable individuals — in a commonality of social pariahs. Other victims include the beautiful and vain, or sociopaths and criminals, to whom the Nosferatu wish to teach a permanent and disfiguring lesson. Whatever the case, the Embrace often has a surprising effect. Aside from inflicting the deformities characteristic of the clan over the next few weeks, the abrupt and extreme changes often force the fledgling into 

an utterly new existence, one in which his clan is his only anchor. It’s unsurprising, then, that recruits find themselves with friends and allies among those they would otherwise scorn.

The Nosferatu remain on the fringes of vampire society. The clan lacks any sort of overarching organization as a whole, but among themselves, the Nosferatu are unfailingly polite and well-versed in the pecking order. Outsiders may see nothing but a ragged band of deformed and pitiable creatures, but among their unearthed secrets and hidden tunnels, the Nosferatu hide far more influence

and knowledge than the other clans would care to know.…

 

Roleplaying Hints:

Though you may appear hideous to others, you are no less a person for it. You may shun the trappings of your humanity like the

visage you sloughed off during your Embrace, or you may seek to regain the feelings of mortality; either way, you are cursed with this form. Outsiders treat you with contempt, fear or hostility. Among others of your kind, though, you can be civil; after all, you are brothers in arms. Outsiders expect you to act like a crude, bestial monster, so you play up that stereotype for what it’s worth, and you use your sophistication to learn the secrets that can be sold or put to good use. You have to take care of yourself since nobody else will now.

 

 

Disciplines:

 

Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advantage:

All Nosferatu learn the ways of skulking and hiding, simply to avoid unwanted attention. With their signature command of a city’s hidden byways, they discover lost hideaways and secrets. As a result, all Nosferatu have at least one Trait of Stealth at no cost and they also gain one Ability Trait of Survival at no cost.

 

Disadvantage:

The hideous countenance of the Nosferatu precludes ever holding normal social relationships without the use of concealment or misdirection. No Nosferatu may possess the Social Traits Alluring, Gorgeous or Seductive without calling on special powers (such as the Obfuscate Discipline) to gain those Traits. Furthermore, all Nosferatu suffer from the Negative Social Traits Repugnant x 3 whenever their true forms are apparent. These Traits may never be removed with Experience Traits or Free Traits. A Nosferatu in his “normal” visage cannot initiate any Social Challenges except for the purposes of intimidation, although he may defend against Social Challenges normally.

 

Bloodlines:

There are no distinctive bloodlines of Nosferatu; indeed, the Nosferatu antitribu of the Sabbat actually retain cordial (if distant) relations

with their Camarilla counterparts. Some inside the clan maintain that there exists a line of monsters, Embraced by an ancient, which hunts the rest of the Nosferatu clan. These beasts, called the Nictuku, are considered mythical by most Nosferatu, but whenever a warren goes silent or a clanmate vanishes mysteriously, the fears return.

 

History:

As with all of the Antediluvians, the Nosferatu Antediluvian (referred to as Absimiliard) was embraced in the shadow of Enoch. Powerful and vain, Absimiliard was a hunter of great skill and beauty who attracted the attention of one of the second generation, who stalked him down as prey. The Embrace was quick, but left him with a tiny facial scar that inflamed his vanity. His wounded pride, coupled with his ego, led him to resent, then hate, then kill his sire, precipitating the revolt by the Antediluvians.

As with his brethren, Absimiliard had sired a small clique of childerby the time of the Second City. His childer, hunters all, remained loyal to him except for one woman who fled further than he could chase. When Caine returned in judgment, he cursed Nosferatu with hideousness, a curse passed to all his descendants, including the hidden maid. Since that time, Absimiliard's eldest descendants, the Nictuku, have chased her. The maiden came to be known as the Matriarch for according to legends, she gave birth to the entire modern incarnation of the Nosferatu clan. Through his loyal Nictuku, Absimiliard hopes to exterminate all of the Matriarch's childer in atonement for his crimes against the laws of Caine - or in bitter vengeance, some would say.

In the beginning, most Nosferatu resorted to hunt humans as prey, as they were unable to coexist with them in their cities, as the mortals either ran away in fear or resorted to fire and violence to drive them out. Most hid from the sun in subterranean caves or in the grounds of rivers and lakes. Many Nosferatu hid in the great rivers like the Tigris or the Nile to prey on farmers at night. The development of the catacombs in ancient Rome connected the Clan with mortal society, although they were regarded as low-blooded by the ruling Ventrue and Malkavians.  Rumors, however, tell of the dyulamansa, the Hidden Kings, who ruled Nosferatu Kingdoms in subsaharan Africa. This may refer to the Guruhi.

Dark Ages:

In the middle age, Nosferatu were one of the Low Clans, and notable in particular for their embrace of Christianity and redemption (flagellation in particular). They were, however, not without power, as they had discovered the connection between human waste and plagues and used it to defile the water sources of a village if a local Cainite lord became too arrogant. Many Nosferatu chose to dwell among the beggars and outcasts of society, feeding from the muck of society and hiding their disfigurements as illnesses like leprosis.

The Nosferatu did effectively split during the formation of the Sabbat; however, Nosferatu antitribu are largely identical to their Camarillakin. Nosferatu tend to place a higher emphasis on clan unity and mutual survival, and are consequently fairly cordial with each other even though technically enemies.

Middle East:

Among the islamic peoples the Nosferatu were known as Bay't Mutasharid. The clan eagerly embraced Islam in the middle east in hope of ridding themselves of their monstrous nature. As some of the most fervent followers, Mutasharidin were also among the most powerful of theAshirra. As proof, more Mutasharidin managed to enter the holy sites of Islam, Mecca and Medina, than any other bay't; as the sites are the purest places in the Arabic world, it is nearly impossible for any kindred to enter.

Renaissance:

During this period the Nosferatu began to construct their urban lairs, using the urbanization as a means to disappear from the mortal world to ensure the protection of the Masquerade. Many ghettos and tenements housed large populations of Nosferatu that lived hidden from the views of the Toreador and Ventrue who had insituated themselves into mortal society. The Renessaince also saw an increase in Embraces that had only spite and hatred as reasons, as many Nosferatu grew to resent the new arts and philosophies that began to develop.

Victorian Age:

The Nosferatu were very (some would say suspiciously so) quiet during the Victorian Era. In a time when physical beauty was supposed to reflect spiritual beauty, the Nosferatu experienced one of the greatest periods of exile in their long and lonely history. Where the Toreadorwere ascendant, the Nosferatu were relegated to the slums and ghettos of Europe. More than one Prince of London banned them from entering Elysium.

So, instead of parading around the brightly-lit mansions of the wealthy and noble, the Nosferatu scuttled around the back alleys of London, taking over derelict buildings and, yes, the sewers. The banks of the Thames were downright infested with Nosferatu, for the river was a convenient way to cross the city without being seen. The Nosferatu also lived in what was termed "the Thieves' Citadel", which was the name given to high-crime areas of London. These zones tended to be self-contained both culturally and architecturally - the Nosferatu ensured that they controlled how and when new construction went on in these zones for their own protection and that of their herd.

Final Nights:

In the final nights, the Nosferatu feel their Antediluvian metaphorically breathing down the back of their necks. Technically savvy, the Sewer Rats adopt every technique they can to protect themselves, encouraging the fears evoked during the Cold War to use many of the now deserted bunker systems as supplements for their own warrens. Most notably, the Nosferatu develop an information sharing network - ShreckNET, a parallel internet that the Nosferatu use to enhance their traditional information gathering and reporting skills.

The most terrifying and unique event in the early 1990's was the rise of the Shadow Curtain in Russia, a mystical barrier that separated the vampires of the former Soviet Union from the rest of the world. The Shadow Curtain eventually was revealed as the product of Baba Yaga, a fourth generation Nosferatu of almost incalculable power. Most frightening of all was not the witch, however, but her demise. In the late 1990's, Baba Yaga was destroyed...by a Nictuku.

 

Organization:

Nosferatu are generally organized into broods; communities centrally located around a sewer system and serving as underground cities which may house dozens of their kind. Nosferatu are stereotyped as ugly on the outside, humane on the inside - this is not entirely true. There are many Nosferatu who never leave the sewers, the Nosferatu make a habit of sending their friendliest to communicate with the rest of the Camarilla.

Nosferatu strongly stress clan loyalty over almost everything else. Given their hideous appearance, they depend heavily on clan support structures for everything from havens to food. Broods are generally gerontocratic, with the eldest Nosferatu setting policy and guiding the youngest. Most Nosferatu can acquire jobs within their clan, including assisting on construction or other survival projects. Most Nosferatu are inculcated with a survivalist mentality and increasing the strength of their havens is a constant preoccupation. The Nosferatu also use ghouled animals as defenses and have created Spawning pools, which are tainted by their vitae and turn, over the course of many years, every animal that drinks from them into a monstrous creature loyal only to the brood.

 

Cultures:

In both the Camarilla and Sabbat, the Nosferatu are famous information brokers and spymasters. While this is partly supported by their use of the Obfuscate and Animalism disciplines, the Nosferatu also emphasize information interchange as part of clan culture. Nosferatu invest an awful lot in teaching their childer with riddle games, memorization exercises and other activities which emphasize sharing and hiding information. Most Nosferatu tend to present themselves as antisocial creatures and as they seldom play the games of Elysium, they instead focus on the acquisition of knowledge to make themselves irreplaceable for vampiric society.

The Nosferatu have a deeply ingrained complex about physical beauty, especially with clans like the Toreador. Nosferatu will tend to charge Toreador higher prices, and make the higher clans crawl through humiliating or disgusting tunnels to actually negotiate with them. Similarly, Nosferatu will often accentuate their hideousness by cultivating an array of disgusting physical habits. Some of the Nosferatu who dwell underground can develop a penchant for bizarre forms of art, in particular for music, gardening and sculpture. Rumors tell of the development of acoustic subterranean chambers - some of which employ channeled water, and of fantastical gardens with fungi the size of trees. The greatest work of Nosferatu art is the "Escalera", a giant sculpture of twisted metal and piping that spans an underground chasm in Lima. On several cases where Nosferatu have embraced a Caitiff, the Childe has been exiled or killed. Nosferatu also tend to use Obfuscate for practical jokes involving their appearance, such as dropping a discipline's use for a brief instant and reveling in the effects.

The most bizarre relationships can occur between Nosferatu and mortals. Even the most hard-bitten Nosferatu may discover a weakness for a certain human or types of humans. Living as they do in places many would consider to be Hell, there is a long tradition of the Nosferatu offering help to others like them. There are many, many cases of cruel kindred preying on homeless people, children or mental patients who have inexplicably been beaten black and blue and left somewhere as a warning to others. Cliché as it may be, many orphanages, scholarships and self-help organisations owe at least part of their funding to the Sewer Rats. Living in the gutter, there are a lot of Nosferatu who want to help those who still can get out of it. Unlike the Toreador and theVentrue, they seldom if ever brag about their accomplishments, and most outside the clan are unaware of them.