Within the setting of Vampire the Masquerade the Drowned Legacies are vampires that existed in the Americas prior to colonization. The European Kindred called them Drowned out of the belief that they were swept away by the Great Biblical Flood. The Drowned often refer to themselves differently, unless they subscribe to the Abrahamic concept that all vampires originate from Caine (or they personally like how it sounds, of course). Names may be culturally specific or more general: Mosquito Men, Bloodbound, Red-Teeth. Their mythic origins can be just as varied, but the truth is shrouded by the fog of history. Perhaps Cainites traveled across the Bering Strait from Asia long ago - second, third, or fourth generation Elders finding new lands to inhabit back when civilization was young. Or perhaps their origins are truly separate from their Middle East-originating cousins, connected to some ancient heroes or Gods kept in oral history. Some Drowned from South America claim that they can trace their origins to a woman named Ceiuci, analogous to Caine both in her role as Vampiric originator and as a potential allegory for societal change - from matriarchal to patriarchal as she was upended and replaced by her son, Jurupari. These Kindred call themselves The Orphans of Ceiuci.
(Beckett's Jyhad Diary; 2018)
Information on the Drowned is limited in canon, I will be writing what is known here and expanding on that - I'll try my best to be clear when I'm creating my own lore or contradicting canon. Mechanics are with Vampire the Masquerade's 5th edition in mind, and its design philosophy. I have read, and will be taking some inspiration from, the Vampire 20th Anniversary Edition fanmade content made by Brasil in the Darkness. You can find their blog on Medium.
The earliest written named Indigenous American vampire in canon is Mictlantecuhtli (not his birth name) who was embraced in 51 BCE in what is now Vancouver, Canada - notably though he is canonically a Gangrel and was turned by a foreign Kindred. The first ostensibly Drowned Legacy character written in a VtM book is Pochtli of the Pisanob bloodline, published five years later after Mictlantecuhtli (1992, 1997). The only exception to this is the Samedi bloodline, who are heavily entrenched in Haitian Vodou. Their origin is unclear, either originating from Drowned already in the Caribbean, European Cainites arriving with colonizers, or African Laibon. Another character of note is Nerissa Blackwater of Chicago, a recent addition to the canon who is extremely ancient - 6,000 years old by her own estimate. She is considered a Caitiff, a Clan-less Vampire, though this may be because her Bloodline, her Legacy, is unknown to wider Kindred society. Her sire, The Ancestor, is mysteriously missing, though he is implied to reside beneath Lake Michigan, likely in torpor.
(Mictlantecuhtli's Vampire: the Eternal Struggle Card Art)
Mechanically the Drowned operate the same as Cainite Kindred and Laibon. They have Clan Disciplines and Banes, they must drink blood to survive, and they cannot go out into the sun. If you'd like to differentiate them from "Old World" vampires, here's some suggestions. Perhaps when exposed to sunlight something different happens to them - the Asian Kuei-jin / Hungry Dead don't set alight when exposed to sun like the Cainites do, they rot. Maybe Drowned melt, maybe they shrivel up and rapidly mummify. Perhaps elder Drowned are able to take energy from the land itself, acting like a parasitic fungus from the environment. In the V5 book 'Let The Streets Run Red' there is a powerful entity of unknown origin in the American Midwest that feeds off blood spilled directly into the earth and one of a handful of explanations given is that it is an ancient Drowned - possibly in torpor or having ascended beyond a mortal form. One could take the Drowned in a radically different direction all together, separating them entirely from Cainites and giving them different abilities, rules, and drawbacks. I will mostly be avoiding that for the purpose of writing something that can easily fit into a Vampire 5th edition game.
("Our symbol proposed for the Drowned Legacies, in reference to the duality between Apeker and Guyra, and inspired by the iconography of the Chibcha people, in central Peru." Legados Ahogados-Parte 1)
The Medium blog Brasil in the Darkness presents a Drowned that see themselves as dual natured: consisting of both the physical "surface", the Apeker, and the spiritual "depths", the Guyra. The existence of the Drowned is a constant balance between these two forces that they must walk or become Lost, like the Cainites are. The Path of Apeker is analogous to Humanity in the Cainite view and functions the same mechanically. The Path of Guyra reflects the Drowned's connection to the Spirits. The goal of the Path of Guyra is to transcend their condition as an undead predator entirely, working towards becoming a spiritual guide or shepherd to Kine. Most "Lost" Cainites are assumed to be at a zero out of ten Guyra, though some more attuned to animist or ancestor Spirits through disciplines like Koldunic Sorcery or through personal religious practice may have some Guyra. Kine will intuitively sense Drowned with high Guyra, becoming uncomfortable or awestruck depending on their personal aptitude. This may attract unwanted attention or even hunters if the Drowned is not careful, as they increasingly come obviously supernatural at high levels - though it does not reveal what exactly they are unless the observer is highly and specifically trained. Guyra is lost and gained in a similar manner to Apeker / Humanity, but relating to their work with the spiritual and their adherence to sacred tradition. If this sounds interesting to you, please check out the blog's article on Medium. The blog goes into greater detail on the effects of Apeker and Guyra: to the individual, their environment, and to their interactions with the spirit world. It is written for V20, but it should be transferable to V5 with a little bit of work. This version of the Drowned represents a much more spiritually enlightened idea of these vampires, similar to the Kuei-jin, where they work to surpass their basal needs for human blood and become something greater on a fundamental level. This is very much in line with some of the more high concept and high power play styles supported in V20, but I believe you could explore this in V5 as well. V5 is more focused on "ground level" Chronicles, but a character's spiritual journey could be extremely impactful, especially in a world that may reject the sacred traditions of the Drowned. Perhaps the Drowned was not even connected to these traditions in life, but now has learned that there is some real spiritual truth there and needs to reconnect to their traditions and to their ancestors.
("Art by Luis Eduardo, original for Brazil in the Darkness", Os Legados Afogados-Parte 3)
Within Kindred society the Drowned are in a strange place. They are small in number, with some Legacies having active members in the single digits. Due to the nature of vampiric Embrace, however, a Legacy can bounce back from even a single individual. Additionally, many ancient Drowned are reported to be in torpor under various cities, both modern and ancient. Many Drowned are independent, though some will fall in with the various sects of the political landscape. They may even have their own sects; in my Chronicle I have a minor sect called the Suntur that works to reclaim power and hunting grounds from European Kindred, especially in Central and South America. Here the Sabbat have historically had a lot of control post-colonization but have been in decline in recent years, opening up a power vacuum. Drowned should be considerably rarer than Cainites, and there are many Indigenous Cainites that have been Embraced over the past half millennium. Additionally, there's no reason a Drowned can't embrace a non-native, but many Drowned choose to not do so, especially those who may see their condition more positively, or as a direct connection to their culture. BitD's Drowned's Embrace requires a ritual to be done that transfers the sire's Guyra to the childe - this would require the childe to both accept and learn the spiritual beliefs involved. Something to consider if you're using that version of the Drowned.
("Drowned Symbols, Design by Julia GMA", Legados Ahogados-Parte 3)
I will note here before I continue that I am not native. I do not claim to speak for native people or these still active native cultures, nor do I profit off this work at all. I merely have a love for indigenous culture and I think it's a shame that it tends to be the most overlooked in many most settings. If I make any mistakes or overstep somehow, please let me know, and if you're native and have ideas for Drowned Legacies please consider putting them out there! You obviously know more about your own culture than I do. I will be attempting to draw from what I'm able to read about undead and/or man-eating monsters of the Americas - I want to be as authentic as I can while depicting predatory, bloodthirsty creatures that would be interesting to play as or encounter as a character in a World of Darkness story. I genuinely hope this material will be helpful.
You know what? I want pastel vampires. Edgy/punk/goth/emo vampires are great, but where are my soft vampires? They need love also! Imagine a soft vampire rocking cotton candy colored hoodies! It would make more sense anyway since brighter colors reflect sunlight! And why are there no PoC vampires? What is this poop?
Mesoamerica appears to be a hotspot of pre-Columbian vampire activity, probably because the writers thought Aztec vampires were really cool. I mean, even the previously mentioned proto-Coast Salish Mictlantecuhtli ended up in Mexico (and is still there). I will go forward in this write-up assuming this has a lore reason. Also, the Aztec / Nahua make up the bulk of the representation. Assumedly either there are other Legacies unwritten or these Legacies may have gone by different names in different regions pre-colonization before consolidating in modern nights.
(The Children of Tenochtitlan - Cults of the Blood Gods; 2021)
The Drowned of Mesoamerica enjoyed relative power and ability to operate somewhat openly, akin to European Kindred prior to the First Inquisition. They achieved this through infiltration of human society, forming loyal Blood Cults to them that helped shelter them from reprisal. Some powerful Drowned even secured places as kings or other rulers. This allowed them to flourish, gain followers and ghouls, and to proliferate. Their stability crucially afforded them safety against the Garou (werewolves) and Bastet (werecats) of the region, a luxury that Drowned north and south of them did not have.
In modern nights the Drowned of Mesoamerica are reduced in number and power, as are all Drowned, suppressed by the Cainites that now run rampant across the continent. Despite this, the Drowned here have maintained some of their presence and all Kindred in the metropolitan areas of Mexico are familiar with at least a few Drowned. With the collapse of many of the Sabbat's power structures this region and those to the south, the Drowned have taken this opportunity to expand their influence once again. These Legacies have also spread out into North, Central, and South America.
Pisanob
(Pochtli Pisanob - Clanbook: Giovanni Revised; 2001)
The Pisanob are a Bloodline currently associated with Clan Hecata and formerly a member of Clan Giovanni. In canon they are said to have originated in the 16th century when Clan Giovanni embraced a group of Mexica necromancers, who went on to be led by an unrelated Drowned named Pochtli who came from an undescribed Legacy. They also lampshade the fact that Pisanob is a Mayan name given to Nahuas by the Giovanni. In my Chronicles I personally retcon this, making the Pisanob a pre-existing Drowned Legacy in Mexico prior to colonization, made up by both Mayan and non-Mayan vampires. Either way, the Pisanob were and are spirit-workers. They practice a form of necromancy with roots deep into Mesoamerican tradition, predating the heights of the Maya. Rumor has it that they keep some blasphemous rituals away from the rest of their wider clan, rituals involving carving the hearts from Kindred and sacrificing them to dark powers. As members of Clan Hecata their Disciplines, Bane, and Compulsion are already determined but I imagine that prior to the Family Reunion they suffered from a corpse-like appearance, like Pochtli did, and perhaps some of them still have this Bane instead of the Painful Kiss.
Tlacique
("Illustration by Alyne Leonel", Sobre os Tlacique, cainitas nativos da América Pré-colombiana em Vampiro A Máscara)
The Tlacique are masters of both Protean, taking the form of jaguars, and of Blood Sorcery, which they call Nahuallotl. Before Spain's arrival they would set themselves up as leaders of Blood Cults, demanding human sacrifices from their followers and openly ruling when possible. These nights their numbers are diminished but those that remain tend to be self-assured and arrogant, preferring to lead and using the Osiris predator type to feed. Tlaciques may find themselves in charge of corporations, cults, or criminal organizations - as a few examples. To play them in V5, I would consider the Clan Disciplines of Protean, Blood Sorcery, and Presence. Their Bane is the Setite/Ministry Bane, because in canon they are a minor bloodline of the Followers of Set. In my homebrew, however, they are unrelated to the Setites, and their Bane is that upon feeding their skin peels off for an amount of hours equal to their Bane Severity. This causes no damage but is an obvious Masquerade Breach. I call this Bane: Flayed; it is a reference to Xipe Totec, a God associated with fertility and rebirth who would flay himself to represent how seeds shed their shells, or the husking of corn. For their Clan Compulsion: they demand to be worshiped, similar to the Ventrue's need for control and obedience. This could be called God Complex.
Cipactli
("Art by Luis Eduardo, original for Brazil in the Darkness." CIPACTLI, LOS GUARDIANES HAMBRIENTOS)
The Cipactli are described as a crocodile cult, a reflection of the Ministry's snake cult tendency. While the Tlaciques are officially a Setite Bloodline, the Cipactli fill that roll cleaner. I imagine them sneakier than the Tlacique, who are quite open with their desires. The Cipactli form secret cults, infiltrate villages, and perform mass sacrifices on unwilling victims. For Clan Disciplines consider taking the Ministry's standard kit of Obfuscate, Presence, and Protean (used for crocodilian traits). My homebrew Bane is Aquatic Slumber: the Cipactli can only sleep when surrounded by water (floating or submerged). This references the Cipactli in mythology as a sea monster, the crocodile's association with earth floating in primeval waters, and to the chinampa floating gardens. If not submerged they take superficial Willpower damage equal to their Bane Severity (as opposed to the aggravated taken by the Tzimisce because this seems more difficult. You may want it to be aggravated if you want the consequences to be stricter). The Ministry's Compulsion of Transgression, or the Gangrel's Compulsion of Feral Impulses both seem to fit them, depending on if you'd prefer to lean into the cult forming or crocodillian nature. Brasil in the Darkness gives them a custom Discipline named Torrent that allows them to access the River of Souls. If you choose to take this, I'd replace Obfuscate.
Titlacauan
("Art by Luis Eduardo, original for Brazil in the Darkness." TITLACAUAN, LOS REFLEJOS HUMEANTES)
The Titlacauan are socialites, involved in the politics of the wealthy and the powerful. This puts them in a social role within pre-Columbian vampire society similar to the Toreador or Ventrue. They are described as having power over reflective surfaces, which in previous editions would certainly be a unique Discipline, if the writers had chosen to give them more than two paragraphs of description. A homebrewed Discipline could still work, maybe called Tezcatl (Nahuatl for mirror, though this is actually a Discipline name for a later Legacy). Brazil in the Darkness calls their unique Discipline Umbral. Alternatively you could give them something like Oblivion and homebrew abilities locked behind the Titlacauan Legacy or a Loresheet. The Tezcatl powers would allow the user to look through reflections, manipulate them, and eventually move through them. Suggested Clan Disciplines: Tezcatl, Dominate, Potence. Their Bane is that they emit a trail of salty smoke from their head and shoulders when they Frenzy. Their Compulsion is Fanaticism: they have the desire to praise those of higher position, suffering a penalty until they have sufficiently done so.
Tlahuelpuchi
(Efrain, Luminous Vampire - Hunter: the Reckoning Core Rulebook, 2022)
The Tlahuelpuchi are known from one villain in the Hunter the Reckoning core rulebook, and they are heavily associated with fire. Efrain, our Tlahuelpuchi, is able to wield fire, is immune to it, and can even turn into a cloud of flaming mist. Understanding that he was designed as boss, lets tone that back into a fire based custom Discipline or a Path of Blood Sorcery. Lets call it Pyromancy, with powers including reducing the user's vulnerability to fire (they take superficial damage instead of aggravated perhaps), the ability to breathe fire, and turning into that fiery mist (Amalgam with Protean). Suggested Clan Disciplines: Pyromancy (or Blood Sorcery), Protean, and Presence. Their Bane could be Luminous, where they glow in the dark - an orange/red throbbing glow like there's fire inside them. Alternatively it could be Burning Kiss, similar to the Hecata's but the bite of a Tlahuelpuchi burns as if the victim's veins were aflame, dealing aggravated damage. In nights of old the Tlahuelpuchi were able to use their Pyromancy to make themselves into religious figures - so luminous they made the sun itself jealous and so had to keep to the night to avoid his burning rays. Other Drowned, and eventually Cainites too, envied the Tlahuelpuchi's ability to shrug off fire that would send any other Kindred into the Rötschreck, or straight to their Final Death. The Tlahuelpuchi jealously guarded their Discipline, which required special knowledge to unlock. This infuriated the newly arrived Cainites who hunted them near to extinction. To this day, the Luminous Ones are rarer than other Drowned.
Nahualli
(Nahualli icon - Bloodlines: The Hidden, 2005)
In addition to these, Vampire the Requiem has a Bloodline called the Nahualli. VtR is not canon to VtM, but many Masquerade Clans made their way into Requiem so I don't see anything wrong with having that reverse. The Nahualli are a play off Mesoamerican magic users by the same name, who were believed to be able to channel a connection to their "tonal counterpart", a spiritual aspect that every person has but only some can access. The Nahualli in vampire sees these tonal aspects as the Beast and the Conscience, and are adept at controlling their Beast through a custom Discipline called Tezcatl, which is what I named the mirror Discipline for the Titlacauan. I would rename this Tonalli, meaning soul. Their Clan Disciplines are Tonalli, Auspex, and Fortitude. Their Bane is that they have difficulty controlling their Beast when not using their signature Discipline, suffering penalties to avoid Frenzy. These Drowned see themselves as scholars into the vampiric condition, obsessed with understanding it better. In the Brasil in the Darkness' worldview they would heavily study the paths of Apeker and Guyra. Upon being exposed to the Cainite concepts of the Beast and Humanity - as well as the many alternate Paths outside of Humanity that some Kindred have developed - many Nahualli attempt to use this expanded understanding to further their research into their place in the world, what it all means, and what exactly should be done about it. Some seek to cure their condition, others to transcend it, and others still to control and wield it like a weapon. Their Compulsion could be: Scholarly: something around you has piqued your curiosity and you are compelled to study it.
