#vtmb2 nomad

[pennyblossom-meta]

Phyre's background

Originally posted on Reddit

I've been gathering more information on Phyre's dialogue about their backgrounds per clan and here's some initial info:

There are 6 clans available to pick from: Ventrue, Tremere, Toreador, Brujah, Lasombra, Banu Haqim

Each clan choice results in 3 options in a later conversation with Safia

Safia taunts Phyre on a few background choices during the final boss battle, usually 1 per clan > background

Fabian always has something to say about each clan choice at the start of the game

Safia's taunts are in addition to the survivor/traveler/warrior taunts in the first post + timeline choice

As usual, feel free to ask questions and challenge my notes.

VENTRUE

Fabien: "Ventrue! I should have known it. Folks of your blood have held this city for a hundred years or more. I do hope you get on with the Prince."

"I was an old-money noble."

Phyre: "I was born to a long line of nobility. A silver platter before me, a silver spoon in my mouth - as was my birthright."

"I was a traitor to the crown."

Phyre: “You would find me in your books by a different name.”

Phyre: "I was convicted of treason and would have been executed. But time had... other plans."

"I was a political hostage."

Phyre: "I was, in fact, royalty. The wrong kind of royalty. My blood was considered a threat to the Sultan's claim."

Phyre: "My early life I spent imprisoned in the Kafes. I was lucky not to be executed. But time had... other plans."

Endgame taunt:

Safia: "The pathetic hostage fleeing the Kafes."

TREMERE

Fabien: "A Tremere Mage. Not an easy path among the other clans, they tell me. Well, you won't be alone here. Mrs. Thorn will love a new sparring partner."

"I was a noble prodigy."

Phyre: "I was the child prodigy of a respected scholar. Our library rivalled that even of the Topkapi Palace."

"I was a charlatan."

Phyre: "I was, in all truth, a charlatan. I spoke big words, mixed dubious remedies, foretold fictitious fortunes..." Phyre: "...and was paid all too well for the pleasure."

"I was the Sultan's Astrologer."

Phyre: "I was Court Astrologer. The Sultan would wish to know how many pups his bitch would bear by the alignment of the planets."

Phyre: "If I answered five and she birthed three, I would be out of a job - and a head. Luckily, I was good at it."

Endgame taunt:

Safia: "The false prophet in the Sultan's court."

TOREADOR

Fabien: "Toreador? That does surprise me. You are different from our home-grown artistes. Patience is a closed book... and Ysabella, she's a... powerful experience."

"I was a rebellious artist."

Phyre: "I grew up among artists and free-thinkers and used my art to challenge and inspire. The Sultan branded me a rebel."

"I was born in luxury."

Phyre: "I was born of noble blood. And was indulged in all the vices and luxuries, which let me sample the delights of the world."

"I was a poet and a thief."

Phyre: "I used my words to steal both hearts and treasures. Needless to say their owners were displeased, and I changed my name and my home more than once."

Endgame taunt:

Safia: "The criminal fleeing the consequences of their actions."

BRUJAH

Fabien: "Ahh. Now this city has a fine crop of Brujah. Remind me to steer you to Silky, you'll like him."

"I was a common bandit."

Phyre: "No more than a common bandit, relieving traveling nobles of their burdens on the road into Constantinople."

"I rebelled against my noble family."

Phyre: "I was the wayward child of a noble, flinging aside the silver platter, spitting out the silver spoon."

Endgame taunt:

Safia: "The child born to the silver spoon, fleeing their family's disgrace."

"I was part of a political uprising."

Phyre: "I fought in Anatolia against the Ottoman regime." 

Endgame taunt:

Safia: "The desperate rebel, exiled from Anatolia."

LASOMBRA

Fabien: "Lasombra... interesting. Time was the Court would have ripped apart one of your blood. But times change, tempers fade, and deals get struck."

"I made myself a noble."

Phyre: "I had become nobility, though not by birth. I learnt what it took to be powerful - and to stay that way."

"I was a notorious criminal."

Phyre: "I earned something of a reputation in the underbelly of Constantinople. For that, I was feared, respected and ultimately obeyed."

"I was Grand Vizier."

Phyre: "I was Grand Vizier. The Sultan's most-trusted political advisor."

Safia: "A Vizier? Then you were one of the devshirme! The blood tax!"

Phyre: "Indeed. Taken from my family, converted and brought to Constantinople, to the harem, where I rose through the ranks."

Endgame taunt:

Safia: "The Vizier exiled from the Sultan's palace."

BANU HAQIM

Fabien: "Ahh, that'd explain it... Banu Haqim. Some still call you assassins - but Niko's quick to educate the foolish."

"I was an assassin."

Phyre: "My clan's reputation is, in this instance, accurate. I was an assassin."

"I was a law-abiding noble."

Phyre: "I was a noble, raised to be obedient, to know the scriptures and my place in the empire."

"I was a soldier, a Janissary."

Phyre: "I was a Janissary in the Sultan's house guard."

Safia: "A Janissary? Then you were one of the devshirme! The blood tax!"

Phyre: "Taken from my family, converted, and brought to Constantinople, yes. I began as a levy and rose to the elite infantry."

Endgame taunt:

Safia: "The Janissary deserting the Sultan's house guard."

As a reminder, Safia's taunts for the first background choices are:

Survivor: "You are no mere survivor. You are the plague rat, the harbinger of wretched misery." Traveler: "You are no mere traveler. You are cowardice in the form of a Cainite." Warrior: "You are no true warrior. You are an opportunist, a dilettante, a coward."

[pennyblossom-meta]

When Phyre tries to flirt (aka this disaster vampire is slowly draining my mind aka don't make the Elderly work during Christmas)

Choice: (to Lou) If washing is an option...

This is the only acceptable answer to any of Phyre's bad flirting:

— "I can't take you seriously. Just go."

Aw, but some of these are actually kind of...cute? In a really phony way. The kind of cringe that might catch you off guard and make you blush even when you don't believe a word of what's being said. You know, that confident type of trainwreck you can spot a mile away, the one that's clearly playing a game and leaning into it hard to get some of your tasty Sanguine/Melancholic/Choleric blood.

"How precious and human you are. Magnificent." "I am charmed. Captivated. By you." "I can hear your heart." "I can see your heart." "I can see the light inside of you." "I can see you. I hear your heart pulse within you." "I see you. Just as you are." "You are radiant, a gorgeous soul inside and out." "You are so alive. So gorgeous." "You have a human heart. How beautiful it is." "Your essence thrills me." "Your humanity shines. What a wonder it is." "Your secrets, what you hide from the world… You are wonderful."

Excuse me, sir/madam. A little too forward --- and questionable, to be entirely honest! What a phony.

"Do you know how much of a mess we could make together?" "I am quite pleased that our paths have crossed. You are... unique." "Finally. I find what I am looking for. How wonderful..." "You are exactly what I hunger for." "Yes. You will do. You are... exquisite." "I bet you enjoy being... handled." "I could get incredible noises out of you. "I could have a lot of fun with you." "I should like to enjoy you." "I will make a feast out of you." "I will do whatever I want with you." "I think I would enjoy you very, very much." "You are the sort of plaything I enjoy." "Let us get rough." "Let us make something beautiful." "Let us... mess around." "Look at you. Just a plaything to me." "Mmm. All the ways we could transfigure each other..." "My, my. All the pretty things we could do to one another..." "Wanna fuck each other up?" "We could be so debauched. So decadent." "We could have a most indulgent evening." "We could have fun, yes?" "We could have such a beautiful time." "We could make a beautiful mess." "We could play the most interesting games." "We shall be gorgeous together." "We should make each other into art." "We should make some new sounds together." "We would be rather stunning together." "We would make great music if we played together."

Then it just gets more and more unhinged.

"Your limbs are not as attached as you might think." "I can make you hurt." "Shall I make you intimate with pain?" "I can make you hurt so exquisitely." "Our encounter shall be so beautiful it pains you." "I will hurt you. You will love it." "I would leave you in ecstatic agony." "I can make you hurt like nobody else." "I will leave you bereft of all you hold dear." "I can open you with my teeth." "I can, and I will, bring you pain." "I shall make you scream until your throat shreds." "I shall rip everything from you." "Would you like me to show your insides to you?" "Would you like to experience true, glorious pain?" "You have never known pain as I am about to show you." "You look like you desire and deserve real pain." "You will have nothing left when I am finished." "You will hold nothing back from me." "You will like how I hurt you." "You will take pleasure in how I hurt you." "Open your mouth again and I shall reach in and take your tongue."

"I will rip your spine from you, and force you to witness the act."

Elder vamps, ladies and gents.

And the typical, normal response to some of these range from "yeah, that's cute" to "what a complete fucking psycho".

Naturally. But some of these are just so funny to me because Phyre tries to sound contemporary and it just comes out really weird.

[pennyblossom-meta]

Someone give Phyre a hug.

"I am tired of always running, the stain of the Sabbat on my heels. I want an end to it."

"I am tired of fighting these creatures. I want an end to it."

"I am tired of just surviving, the same pattern again and again. I want an end to it."

[pennyblossom-meta]

What really happened to the Nomad between 1924 — 2005?

As the title says, that's about 80 years of unaccounted history. When we reach the lab under Volunteer Park Conservatory during the quest "A Kiss From Prospero", there's a shipping notice that indicates that the Nomad was shipped from Damascus to Seattle in June 2005:

And then a letter with a postage mark from Damascus that came inside the box containing the Nomad. Given the content we can infer the sender is possibly high ranking member of the Sabbat. We also know that the Nomad was being hunted by the Sabbat before they were overwhelmed and staked into torpor at their haven in Tunis (or Tangiers).

This appears to be part of a letter. Blood spatters cover much of the text. The smell of the paper is a match for the smell of the inside of the crate where the Nomad awoke and met Fabien for the first time.

Depending on the player's chosen background, it further reads:

Warrior

"Records state M. lost several in the capture - no surprise, given the Nomad's history with XXX. They are truly a warrior. Be mindful of this when XXX and if XXX - take great care. It is clear that M. underestimated XXxXXXx"

Survivor

"After so much XXX, I was worried we might lose the Nomad entirely. But it was unfounded. The tales of their adaptability, at least physically, have borne out. It might explain how they survived the razing of Moscow in XXX."

Traveller

"XXX identification of the Nomad assumes a voyage from XXX to Cairo. A difficult journey for any of us, but they are known for their extensive travels. Their features match drawings of XXX from Sofia in 1734."

And then:

I envy that you will speak with them, but I fear the consequences of their awakening.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from V5 we know that the Middle East is now the hot spot for the Gehenna wars and that there's a heavy Sabbat presence there.

Hopefully the DLCs will shed more light on this, but I wonder what happened to the Nomad between the years 1924 — 2005. They weren't diablerized, that much is certain. But they're an Elder kept by the Sabbat for almost 100 years and I'm puzzled as to why they'd be kept under torpor for so long before Safia got a hold of them.

What could the Sabbat be doing with an Elder like the Nomad? Draining their blood to keep them in torpor? Experimenting on them? Do they just keep a bunch of Elders in boxes at the Sabbat headquarters?

I guess I might be missing some context here. I haven't read the Gehenna Wars sourcebook yet so there's likely an obvious answer to this mystery.