Unmovable, solid, the seer is a quiet fixture, the death of lies, faint light on the darkest of nights. The corpse that houses them has a beating heart still and it refuses to let go of what once was, hiding from the light, recoiling from the dark. Their greatest strength and their deepest downfall. Stuck between the dead of night and the light of day, the seer finds themself at the crossroads of an eternity, not one nor the other. Unable to let go of either, disacceptance breeds insecurity; daywalker, they snarl. Bloodsucker, they gasp. Paralysed between two cruel worlds; triturating, shattering, crushed. The seer needs no eyes, penetrating the lies of the world, flashes in the mind; monsters wearing grinning faces, wounded animals behind a dangerous glare — a hawk in the branches, seeing the true nature of the snakes writhing below. These creatures reach, meaning to tear their eyes from their head, to keep them from seeing, from piercing so easily beyond the veil. When politics is an armour, the seer is sees where the knife goes in.
TURNED › new york city — 2014
help me find a way; no pulse inside of me, stone cold lips and
heresy — all lies and, to a degree, losing who i wanna be
CONNECTIONS ›
ZAKI 「kindred spirit maybe」
› He's violent and just grunts most of the time, but there's moments of softness, so maybe it's all just bluster to hide his humanity?
PEACH 「tentative admiration」
› Peach seems trustworthy enough, if a bit impulsive, but they're confident in their abilities, and that's worthy of admiration.
GUERRA 「suspicion」
› Whatever Guerra is selling, they're not buying, no matter how charismatic they might come across.
ANGEL 「curiosity」
› They were never given a choice between sects, and Angel seems nice (and oddly interested) enough, so perhaps there's something to build upon there.
𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍
— thin-blood; the thin-blood primogen
Not your typical, ever-scheming vampire. Larson is a surprisingly selfless individual. Thrust into a demeaning position in the Camarilla court, his role as Primogen is at best seen as Prince Panhard’s rare attempt at humour, and at worst as a slap in the face to the other members of the council. As far as he is concerned, all the abuse and ridicule is worth it, if his influence can – if only rarely – sway the Prince’s opinion in favour of the downtrodden thin-bloods. It also helps that his position gives a bit more protection to his mortal family, who he cares for dearly.
A deteriorated breed, a portent of the end times, or a vampire for a brave new world? Balancing at the midpoint between life and death, the ever-changing nature of the DUSKBORN evokes pity, jealousy, and fear in equal measure. Survivors of the last decades of pogroms, prejudice, and ostracisation, the thin-blooded are here to stay. Their messy street-alchemy and ability to pass as human makes them uniquely suited to thrive outside Kindred society and make their own fate in the post-modern nights.
Sires tell their childer of the 13th and 14th generation never to attempt the Embrace as their Blood is too far removed from Caine. They say it will bring nothing but death and sorrow. But, be it by mistake or design, this edict is not always followed.
A 14th generation Kindred, who only by miracle avoided the flaw of thin blood themselves, drain a mortal in a fit of frenzy and guiltily feed them a mouthful of vitae, hoping against hope that it might reanimate the broken body; a Ventrue from a long line of liars thinks herself closer to her progenitor than she really is, and believes she is creating a worth member for her clan; a prince’s great-grandchilde attempts to force their diluted vitae into the mouth of their ancestor’s executed, treacherous ghoul just to get back at the old tyrant; a Tremere, often overlooked by his clan for his weakness of Blood and spirit, experiments with the Embrace to prove himself as good as them.
In all these cases, a duskborn may awaken, if the Blood wills it.
Kindred who intend to sire thin-bloods often target individuals they already have a pre-existing relationship with, such as a trusted ghoul or a human family member they cannot forget, or they seek out vessels who demonstrate specific traits or rare talents that make them better equipped to survive as the weakest of predators. Many Kindred view the thin-bloods as a threat to the Masquerade and will destroy them, if given the chance.
The thin-blooded can be of any mortal origin and are not affected by their parent clan’s curse nor by their preferences in the same degree as their sire. If they are allowed to rise, they will likely be turned away, gaining the luxury of freedom and the danger of solitude.
In 2009 the Inner Circle of the Camarilla issued an edict that all thin-blooded must be branded or tattooed with the “mark of the crescent moon.” Inked by a Tremere tattoo artist or scorched with a beam of sunlight, the brand is irreversible. Even Anarchs and unbound think twice before associating with a marked mercurian.
THE THIN-BLOOD BANE is a curse of the Blood, yes, but not like Kindred of the clans. They sustain damage like mortals but mend like vampires, and impalement with a stake doesn’t paralyse them but instead causes massive physical trauma, likely sending them into torpor. While they suffer the Hunger like any other vampire, their Beast is less overt, and thin-bloods usually don’t frenzy unless provoked by supernatural means. Additionally, sunlight effects them less; while immediately fatal to any vampire, thin-bloods take superficial damage over the course of minutes, allowing them to traverse in direct sunlight in short bouts, and actually survive in indirect sunlight (e.g., under heavy clouds or if masked and protected by clothing or thick sunscreen).
thin-blood archetypes.
LIVE ONE
This thin-blood is deeply connected to the mortal world, perhaps more so than the Kindred one. They still maintain a family and attempt to hold a job; paying the bills is more important than the whim of some baron they have never met. Ironically, to maintain their human façade, they likely have to lean heavily on the powers in their Blood.
WEAPON OF CONVENIENCE
A former occultist, ghoul, or blood doll, they were close to the Kindred before joining their ranks and knew some of their secrets. This thin-blood was Embraced out of their sire’s desperation when backed into a corner, and they were meant to take part in some war or pursue a vengeful dream. Whether they choose to do so or not is up to them. The Embrace released them from their former slavery, and now there is nothing forcing them to do their sire’s bidding.
GUILTY EMBRACE
This thin-blood was not Embraced as part of some elaborate plan. A party-goer, a late-night worker walking home alone, or just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time – a vampire fed from them and drank a little too much. Perhaps the Embrace was performed by the drinker as an act of desperate guilt, or perhaps their sire was an onlooker who couldn’t bear to watch them die.
NATURAL VAMPIRE
This thin-blood was destined to become one of the Kindred. As a mortal hunter or a member of Arcanum, they studied the lore of the clans and the myth of Caine and became too fascinated for their own good. Meaning to kill, question, or request the Embrace, they tracked down one of the Kindred. But their sire was not what was expected by the childe, who is now bitter at the weakness in their veins.
REDEMPTION SEEKER
This thin-blood was turned against their will and refuses to accept a place in a world of streetlights and blood. They are recently turned and desperately look for a way to cure their “condition,” seeking out rumours of others who have done it as well as weird legends of Golconda and blood transfusions. There is indeed a way, but before they figure it out this thin-blood will try anything and is easy to manipulate by callous Kindred.
