Gorgons

''She is the voodoo queen who lives in the swamp, surrounded by alligators and pythons. She doesn't bat an eye and stares into your soul. She commands you to follow her and you obey. Your body will never be found...''

''He is the man who slid into your life without effort. He slipped under your sheets and held you in a python's embrace. You fear him but do what he says even though you know its wrong. You feel his hands, cold like scales, and you shiver. Is it fear? Is it the cold? You don't care as you are engulfed into his world...''

''They are the sisterhood who bitch about everyone else, garbed in snake-skin boots and aligator purses. Their fake laughs are heard everywhere and they always get what they want. No one questions them, and those who do shut up as soon as they say. They hold power over everyone in their wake, and their power is unquestioned...''

Something dead approaches. It strides toward the crowd and room is made for it. Without words they command. Without action they are respected. They are alpha predators in the ultimate sense of the modern human world - able to end lives with a gesture or a word. The exist to rule though brute force, cunning, negotiation, or backroom deals.

Wise Kindred have often seen the similarities between the Gangrel and the Ventrue. Their common affinity for controlling animals and surviving injury is divided only by their Bane and innate talents to control minds and change form. That aside, no other Clan has shown as much similarity to each other than these two.

And when young Neonites ask of it, their sires tell them of the Gorgons.

Background:
The Gorgons are an old Bloodline with a somewhat mystical origin as their members tell it:

''Medusa was a fair mortal. Despite being beaten down, she strove to achieve greatness to be more than what her world demanded her to be. Her passion for greatness earned the attention of two Kindred queens - Stheno of the Gangrel, and Euryale of the Ventrue. Both wanted to embrace this mortal, Medusa had potential, but each knew that doing so could result in significant conflict with the other. Instead the queens agreed to a mutual truce, to show Medusa the Danse Macabe and be protected by both courts. No Kindred would touch her unless she chose, and her decision would be accepted.''

''In the end, her choice was taken from her. In an attempt to destroy both courts a human named Perseus ended Medusa's life with intent to create discord. Stheno and Euryale were enraged, but instead of striking at each other as Perseus had hoped, they united forces and marched to seek vengeance. As the shared each other's rage the two queens decided to form a legacy in honor of the human that would have been immortal. They merged their courts, shared their power and mixed their blood, and thus the Gorgon sisterhood was founded.''

Regardless of origin, in the ancient nights before the Camarilla rose or fell, the Gorgons were monarchs among the Damned. They ruled nighttime palaces of numerous Mediterranean cities, spreading their brilliance and authority as far as Turkey, Egypt and Iberia. For centuries they were loved, celebrated and feared among their kind.

What caused this glory to wane is unclear. Some blame the waning power of the Olympian gods. Others point to the gradual collapse the human civilizations on which Kindred society was built. Whatever the true cause, a near-extinction of the Gorgons took place as rival Roman bloodlines swept in and conquered the Gorgons’ cities. Those Gorgons who survived slipped into the earth to wait out the ages.

After the fall of the Camarilla and the Roman Empire, the Gorgons emerged again, crawling through the cracked floors of the Byzantine cities that had sprawled over their heads. For decades the Gorgons flitted about among the illustrious pillars of human and Kindred society in Constantinople and throughout the Mediterranean. In time, they spread to the west, seeking out palaces and hidden havens in the empty vaults beneath the earth of what would one night be Italy, France and Spain.

But it didn’t last. Within a few decades, most of the Gorgons disappeared again. By the time of the Renaissance they had vanished from Europe and accounts of Gorgons haunting Kindred courts in the Near East were thought to be legend.

In the 19th century, Gorgons emerged once again into the glittering lights of Kindred society. Tonight’s Gorgons seem to have little interest in genuine power and authority. Instead, many seem content to be puppets for real politicos just so long as they can keep their posh suites and sit on the thrones that they feel are rightly theirs.

The Becoming:
The Gorgon's are not a single Bloodline, but rather two Bloodlines from seperate clans that are identical to each other. Members sometimes refer to each other as a Child of Stheno (Gangrel origin) or Euryale (Ventrue origin) but only for clarity within the clan - and more specifically for when siring a childe. Collectively the bloodline refers to themselves as the Children of Medusa and, despite who sired them, they consider themselves a single clan.

Gorgon's are picky in who joins their line. Only survivors who aspire to greatness - the underdog who refused to be beaten down, who rose from poverty to prosperity, mortals who walk over their peers to get promotions, or manipulate the system to advance themselves - make their cut. Essentially Gorgons seek candiates who would be both Gangrel AND Ventrue.

Beyond that, Gorgons draw their members from throughout the world. Most come from North Africa and Persia, with the rest of the Mediterranean trailing behind. They are predominantly female, since their original sires were all women, but males do exist if somewhat rare.

Bloodline Bane:
Gorgons suffer the bane of both clans - Gangrel and Ventrue. Their Frenzy resistance is limited by their humanity, and they are quick to loose touch with their humanity (should a Gangrel with humanity less than 7 join this Bloodline, they IMMEDIATELY loose their highest Touchstone - the price of converting to this Lineage).

Additionally, Gorgons have an affinity with reptiles over any other creature. Any attempt to use Animalisim Disciplines on a non-reptile creature does not add the Gorgon's Animalisim dots to the roll, and keeping any non-reptile form with the Protean discipline Beast's skin counts twice (thus a Protean ••••• Gorgon can store one reptile form and two non-reptile forms total).

Claws of Amphisbaena (Protean •••)
By consuming vipers to take on its form, the Gorgon ingests its venom. In doing so they add this to their arsenal of physical weapons - made even deadlier with the mystical qualities of vitae.

Cost: 1 Vitae

Dice Pool: n/a

Action: Reflexive; resistance is reflexive.

Having learned this devotion, the Gorgon's can spend an additional vitae to cause her claws and talons (created via Predatory/ Unnatural Aspect) to drip a dark-red, Vitae-like venom. Its Toxicity is equal to the Kindred's Blood Potency, dealing lethal damage to mortal targets, and destroying Vitae in vampires (their Blood becomes contaminated and unusable - bleeding out through the injury sustained and evaporating immediately).

This costs 2 experience points to learn.

Medusa’s Scales (Protean •••, Resilience •••)
With this power, a Gorgon can transform her flesh into firm, shining scales sturdy enough to protect her from harm.

Cost: 1 Vitae per scene

Dice Pool: n/a

Action: Instant

The Gorgon grows scales that rise up and break free of her flesh like a peeling burn, hardened and crusted with blood. These scales grant the Gorgon armor (Rating: 3, Defense: –1) against all physical attacks except fire. Each successful fire damage destroys one point of the armor’s Rating in addition to damaging the Gorgon as usual (the armor is a part of her, after all). This power can only be activated once per scene. After the scene ends, the scales disolve into dust like discarded snake-skin.

This costs 3 experience points to learn.

In the Covenants
Gorgons have a place in any covenant, though being accepted into one is another matter as they typically act as if every covenant wants them, and can turn quite vicious if anyone suggests otherwise. Indeed many leaders of groups can be hesitant to allow such arrogant kindred into their ranks, yet this is balanced out by the power they bring

The Carthian Movement
Gorgons have a place in the anarcists. Like a serpent shed's its skin, societies need to be cleansed of the old ways so that new flesh can form and grow. The Children or Medusa can get to high security politicians with relative ease and deliver their commands, and from there can shape the world from behind the scenes. Many young Asp's will take to the Movement if they find the world to constraining. Better to destroy the system outright and survive to rule the remains, then fight a loosing battle against arrogant fools unable to see what a Gorgon is entitled to be.

The Circle of the Crone
Pagan Gorgons worship Medusa as a mortal incarnate of the Crone. It was her sacrifice that caused Stheno and Euryale to form their Bloodline. Thus it is easy to see how they consider Medusa their mother and are unquestionably loyal to her army. The gifts gained from cruac and blessing from Medusa, and are a further step forward to evolve their power to be entitled to devour all beneath them.

The Invictus
Wealth and resources. The Gorgons accept and hold these firm. They protect their havens with mind-control, shapeshifting, and swathes of serpents and crocodiles. The manipulate political parties with ease and hold their claims in iron-tight coils. The Gorgons take the expected arrogance of the first state to even new found levels. They hunger for power and have the means to achieve it. Even other Invictus eye them with slight suspicion, yet similtaniously take pride knowing that such players are in the midst and will bring the covenant profit and wealth - no matter the means.

The Lancea et Sanctum
Lucifer seduced Eve in the form of a snake, and thus the Gorgon's are used in a similar fashion by the Sanctified. They slither into the rooms of victims and force confession out with Dominance before feeding. They compel sinners to walk into the jaws of crocodiles and be torn assunder. In a system of belief where the Vampires are part of god's plan to punish the wicked, no other clan symbolize the seductive and savage power of the morning star as well as they.

The Ordo Dracul
The Dragons know the Gorgon's are two seperate clans, but are facinated by the result. Dracula was certainly intrigued by them, curious to see if over time this Bloodline may one day become a 6th Clan (or indeed if they are proof that all kindred are decendants of a single Clan predating everything). Naturally the alchemists welcome the Children of Medusa, who in turn welcome the opportunity to evolve into even greater predators.

Stereotypes
• Daeva: Predators? They play with their food. More like millennium old children too afraid to commit to choice.

• Gangrel: Beasts without direction. Why chase your food when you command it to come to you and let you devour it alive?

• Mekhet: Wisdom without action is akin to a clever coward. Stay in your shadows and watch us rule.

• Nosferatu: Their fear is illusionary. We are fear made real.

• Ventrue: Aristocrats too afraid to get their hands dirty. We are more monster than they will even be.