Ghoul
From SuspireWiki
A mortal which is not only fed vampiric vitae but also imbued with part of the vampire's will, giving them slight advantages of vampiric nature.
The Ghoul book has a good deal of information concerning ghouls, and is a highly recommended purchase for those who would be playing a ghoul, or would like to have ghouls in-game.
If you're looking for the quick rules on creating retainers, head here.
Contents |
Ghouls for the Clans
These are small snippets from the Ghoul book, and there is much more extended information located within the book which you should check out if you're interested.
Daeva
Beauty, intelligence and confidence may all be attractive traits in a retainer, but to the Daeva they are, at best, secondary. The one feature that figures most prominently in a ghoul’s service to this clan is corruptibility.
Gangrel
In general, Gangrel ghouls have a hard, quiet edge to them. They’re only really approachable when employed specifically for the purpose of attracting prey. They rarely pay much attention to grooming, choosing instead to concentrate on deeper aspects of the self.
Mekhet
To serve the Mekhet, one must often show a willingness to learn the truths that most mortals dare not acknowledge. The urgent, ceaseless pursuit of knowledge and experience — preferably unhindered by moral or ethical concerns — is an attractive quality in Mekhet ghouls, many of whom serve double duty as both consultants and snoops.
Nosferatu
Contrary to expectation, many Nosferatu ghouls actually make very amiable companions. In fact, quite a number are employed simply because they are friendly, outgoing and altogether enjoyable company. All the better to assist in luring unsuspecting mortals into the clutches of the Nosferatu, and all the better to escape notice when assisting in the disposal of victims.
Ventrue
The Ventrue surround themselves with the best of the best in all things. Should they expect to be satisfied with anything less in a servant? To be a ghoul in service to the Ventrue, one must be immaculately dressed, impeccable in manner and absolutely discreet. To be imperfect is to be inferior. To be inferior is to diminish the regnant. No Ventrue would allow such an embarrassment.
Ghouls for the Covenants
These are small snippets from the Ghoul book, and there is much more extended information located within the book which you should check out if you're interested.
Carthian Movement
... the Carthians are hardly unified in their beliefs. Many Carthians reject the creation of ghouls, but others still favor fostering thrall-based relationships and concede that the end justifies the means. It all comes down to individual Carthians and the status of the Movement in individual cities or regions. The Prefect of one city could make the creation of ghouls anathema, but the Prefect of another might not establish a rule either way.
Circle of the Crone
Thralls of the Circle of Crone, typically called “votaries,” are worlds apart from ghouls in service to other covenants. To them, the Vinculum is a tie to very real dark gods, to powerful mystical energies, to true pagan grandeur. Ghouls of this covenant are adherents, worshippers, even ritual participants. Time and practice twists them into maladjusted zealots. Some are eventually chosen to join the ranks of the Circle, whereas others are graciously damned to a life of constant sycophancy.
Invictus
Mortals are the key to power in this world, according to the Invictus. The covenant doesn’t see them as equals. Its perspective is a narcissistic self-assurance that even six billion humans can’t equal a single Prince of the First Estate, and that is because people don’t have power, they are merely the key to it. Mortals are like money, bullets or livestock. They are resources to be used and controlled.
This attitude clearly pervades the way that the Invictus sees and deals with ghouls. Not only are thralls not considered equal, they don’t even have the potential (as ghouls) to be on the same level as the Kindred of the Invictus. They are the serfs and vassals of this feudal faction, never allowed to rise above. Ghouls help their masters achieve power, but they are never meant to taste it themselves.
Lancea Sanctum
The Sanctified think little of mortal beings. Yes, humans are children of God, but so are horseflies, sewer rats and pack mules. Such a designation provides only relative value. Moreover, the Sanctified consider themselves far above mortals on the cosmic chain of being, knowing that they are predators sanctioned by God.
Ghouls, by their definition, are mortal beings. Those few benefits that separate them from average humans aren’t self-obtained advantages, but are instead granted by the Kindred. In the eyes of the Sanctified, ghouls are better than mortals, but only by a hair’s breadth. Ghouls are still weak, fallible creatures, nominally as blind as every other human animal. They aren’t useless, however.
Ordo Dracul
Kindred of the Ordo Dracul are deeply contemplative of the vampiric condition. The Dragons test, investigate and explore every aspect of the Requiem, establishing a frighteningly complex picture of how all the elements of the Kindred’s state and existence fit together. The creation and utility of the regnant/thrall relationship is one vampiric capability, so the Ordo Dracul encourages exploration of it just as it demands exploration of blood addiction, the origins of the Disciplines and the ways in which vampires beget other vampires. This covenant creates and uses ghouls quite regularly. For a relatively small group, its members maintain a large number of thralls.
While being a ghoul to a vampire of the Ordo Dracul comes nominally with the same benefits and problems of being a thrall to any regnant, proximity to the covenant makes a ghoul’s life unique and separate from others. For one thing, it’s a rather broad and unfortunate dichotomy, as Kindred of the Order generally see ghouls as one of two things: property or protégé.