Assamite Genre PacketA Genre Resource Written for One World by Night

By Terra Doe, David Herold, Kory McJannet & Chad Halvorson[June 25, 2007]

Objectives: This packet is a genre resource for Assamite Genre either printed by White Wolf, or recognized within OWBN. This document is a representation of the collective support of OWBN’s council members, and thus enforceable as

official OWBN genre. This specifically includes, but is not exclusive to, the caste ranking system listed here. This packet supersedes and replaces all materials presented in previous Assamite Genre packets.

Table of Contents:

**Forward

** Our History –An Introduction to Clan Assamite

** Alamut

** Aspects of Haqim –the Castes-Vizier-Warrior-Sorcerer

** Where Things Are Tonight

**The Schism

**Divisions by Sect- Loyalist - The Herald – Ur-Shulgi - Factions within Factions - Loyalist views on the Laws of Haqim - The Khabar - Prestige and Rank- Schismatic - The Eldest in “Exile” – Al-Ashrad - Sub Factions within the Schism - Schismatic views on the Laws of Haqim - Regional Leadership structure - The Council of Scrolls - The Shadow, The Storm and The Tempest - The Warriors New Road- Dispossessed/Anarch- Assamite Antitribu, “the Unconquered”

**Assamite Clan Structure-Haqim-The Eldest-The Du’at-The Caliph-The Vizier-The Amr-The Silsila

**Caste Ranking-Vizier Ranking-Warrior Ranking-Sorcerer Ranking

** Petitioning the Council of Scrolls-Rank Requirements- Additional Prestige- Out of Clan Prestige

**Lore**The Darkening**Bloodlines**Clan Infiltrators**Merits and Flaws

Forward:If you are genuinely interested in Assamite clan genre we cannot emphasize enough the importance of actually reading the revised Assamite Clanbook. The intent of this packet is to parallel WW’s revised Assamite Clanbook by providing a summary of Assamite genre based on WW’s World of Darkness in conjunction with any evolution of this particular genre with in OWBN. The Assamite Clanbook (revised) was very well written so again, we urge players and storytellers alike to read it for a much more detailed overview of clan Assamite.

As a further note, with the release of the revised Assamite Clanbook and with OWBN’s full acknowledgement of all such similar revised clan books, all prior WW genre publications for clan Assamite have since become considered non-viable for use in OWBN unless otherwise referenced or indicated in either the Assamite Genre or Sorcery Packets. This is done in the interest of promoting and maintaining a consistent understanding of Assamite genre with in OWBN. We hope you enjoy!

Our History – An Introduction to Clan Assamite:

And so it began…“Just as the Children of the Night acknowledge the duty of a leader to lead, they also acknowledge the duty of his followers to accept his rule. Just as the Children of the Beast acknowledge the need for a hunter to hunt, so too do they acknowledge the duty of the prey to be hunted. Yet our cousins reject their duty to submit to our justice, though they themselves cried out for us to render justice unto them.”

Some among them have said that our time is past, that there is no further need for us, that the city is dead and all would do well to abandon it before its final collapse. A grain of truth grows in this – we have tended to the threats without at the expense of vigilance within. But the fault is not our own, in large part, for that lies with those who would play their games of scepter, sword and lily with the mortals as their tokens. Have we further need for judgment simply because our kind has outgrown a single city. There will be other cities.

The crisis that confronts us tonight is one of duty. We know ours; our cousins made it plain in nights long past. And though they may scorn us, our charter of justice has never been revoked. We, then, must seek new ways in which to administer it, as the methods that we have pursued in the past are no longer the best tools for that trade.

They tell us that the city is dying. We shall leave it to its death throes, then. We will go forth into the war-torn lands, the deserts, the mountains, the harsh, barren places that no others would claim as their domain. There, we will preserve the memory of these nights against the ravages of time. We will watch, and we will study, and we will wait. And when the need for our justice once again becomes so great that we cannot stand idly by and watch our cousins’ acts, we will come forth, and memory will be our spear.” --Haqim

Alamut: (The Mountain, The Eagle’s Nest)All accounts of the clan’s exodus from the Second City speak of the journey as a nigh-unendurable trial. Haqim left the city in the height of summer, and the need for shelter from the sun meant that nearly a third of each night was spent breaking down and re-erecting camp. Many Children went to their Final Deaths as a result of sunlight piercing improperly light-proofed tents. The journey proved no less harsh for the mortal servants who followed Haqim into self-imposed exile, for the journey led through scorched and lifeless lands that had borne the brunt of the Baali conflicts. Water was difficult to come by, food was even scarcer, and vitae was all but unobtainable outside the caravan itself. By the time the travelers reached the foothills of the mountains that were Haqim’s destination, fewer than 50 Children and perhaps eight score mortal servants remained, and most of the latter’s livestock had been slaughtered for sustenance.

The ascent into the mountains was equally dangerous, but for different reasons. The mortals of the region had never fallen under the sovereignty of the Second City, but they had heard stories from refugees of the Baali clashes. They had no particular desire to accept masters other than themselves. Moreover, they had encountered several broken survivors of the Baali, and they knew how to fight the unliving.

For ages the great fortress of the Assamite Clan has been a story of myth and legend among Kindred society. Spoken of only in whispers out of fear of its minions; obscured, forgotten, its true location is lost to many. The truth is kept secret, even to those of Clan Assamite, for fear of outside influence and public exposure. Non-Assamite scholars believe Alamut lies somewhere in the area of present day Turkey. Others claim that it lies in Northern Persia, present day Iraq. Whatever the truth, only the Assamites know for sure. Or do they?

Alamut is a place of mystery but not so much intrigue. It is the fortress of fortresses; nearly impossible to find and next to impossible to leave once entered. Most Schismatic and Dispossessed who once where trained and lived there often comment on how they ‘miss the hallowed hall’ as if something is calling to their blood, but when they begin reminiscing over the subject, find that their memory fades slightly when trying to recall specifics about Haqim’s ancient House. It is an enigma to most and something that should be role-played by players.

Note: Alamut is under the Assamite Coord's control and to use any plots stemming from Alamut require the Coord's approval. The Coord also controls the three countries surrounding Alamut, which are also an approval (i.e. Turkey, Iran and Iraq).

Aspects of Haqim – The Castes:Until the last nights of the 2Oth century, the Assamites were an impenetrable mystery to the rest of the Cainite world, all sharp steel and thinly veiled threats. Recent events, however, have brought to light aspects of the clan that few had previously considered possible, let alone likely. While the clan’s contract assassins and their ilk are no less formidable, they are far from being the only Assamites. The clan has a unique tripartite structure that few outsiders have knowingly glimpsed in the past millennium. This odd “family tree” has its roots in the Second City and has remained relatively stable into the modern nights.

During the millennium or so after the fall of the Second City, many Assamites settled in the Middle East, an area of the world that other clans largely scorned. This gave the clan’s main population a degree of isolation unknown to the vampires of Europe, who had to contend with members of close to a dozen other clans for territory and social position.

By comparison, the Assamites had relatively few neighbors to fill the various niches that inevitably develop in Kindred society: the Followers of Set, who were more competitors than allies, and a scattered few Nosferatu, Toreador, Gangrel and Tzimisce, all of whom tended to their own affairs. Lacking competition for certain roles, the clan thus maintained its separation of duties over the millennia rather than becoming specialized to one particular mode of existence. The viziers tended to the mortal herds, the judges (now the warriors) tended to the clan’s defense, and the sorcerers pursued their secrets. This division of labor allowed the Assamites to succeed on their own where a clan priding itself on its specialization, such as the noble Ventrue or the socialite Toreador, would have failed. Some Cainite scholars believe that the clan’s own internal caste system evolved parallel to those employed by the mortal cultures of the region.

The three Assamite castes may be considered separate bloodlines for the purposes of sire childe relations –a warrior will always sire warrior childer, and a vizier will always beget viziers and so on –but all three castes are Assamites. Their vitae is indistinguishable except under the most acute observation. Arguably, the Assamites have no one caste that is “more Assamite” or “more Haqim’s” than the others, at least in matters of descent. Whatever the factors were that first defined the castes, they arose during the time of the Second City, perhaps due to differences between Haqim’s broods. All Assamites are childer of their Ancestor, born of his heart and cursed with his will.

Note: *A* represents terminology used exclusively within the Assamite clan.

Vizier:Nickname(s): Companion of Owls (*A*), Scholars, Artisans,

Background: As a caste dominated by intellectuals, artisans and a few politicians, the viziers usually Embrace individuals who are exceptionally dedicated to their chosen professions. Few viziers are Embraced in the hope that they will realize some previously neglected potential. When the clan was more unified, many viziers selected their progeny on the basis of their ability to serve the Children as a whole. The decay of Assamite unity over the past few centuries has seen this practice largely fall into disfavor (with the exception of those researchers Embraced to assist in breaking the curse). Vizier tastes often overlap with those of the other two castes, and occasional disputes arise over potential progeny with particularly valuable abilities. Like the sorcerers, the viziers make no particular effort to Embrace members of any particular ethnic extraction or gender.

Prior to the Final Nights, few modem Cainites would have guessed that a portion of the Assamite clan could be devoted to peaceful pursuits. Yet the vast majority of the vizier caste is, if not pacifistic, then at least inclined toward studies other than combat.

By the most commonly accepted account, the viziers are the eldest of the three castes. Haqim was a warrior before he was a scholar, but his first brood was one of artisans and sages, each one the finest example of his chosen profession or craft that the Second City’s mortals had to offer. Such exclusive selection, so the stories say, caused no small amount of strife between Haqim and the Ancient Arikel, who most Cainite scholars agree was the founder of the Toreador clan. Indeed, the vizier line appears to bear some vague similarities to the “clan of the rose,” though neither group is willing to admit any close relation.

The viziers originated as seekers of knowledge, and a surprisingly strong majority of the line has held to this ideal over the millennia. Indeed, it seems as if the caste as a whole is driven to create and learn, as if possessed by a solitary mania- or guided by a single will. Yet few viziers consider their obsessive impulses anything more than perfectionism or the spark of inspiration (though the viziers are, in truth, no more capable of actual artistic creativity than other Cainites). To suggest that a vizier is mad-or, worse, lacking freewill-is one of the greatest insults that one can bestow upon a member of this line.

After the fall of the Second City, as the Children of Haqim settled into their modern caste structure, the viziers became the clan’s thinkers, creators and occasional leaders, though the warriors never relinquished complete control of Alamut. They were also the Children who, as a general rule, had the closest contact with mortal society on a nightly basis. This latter state of affairs continues to the present night. While the warriors gravitate toward the martial and religious aspects of any given culture and the sorcerers seek certain select professions, the viziers tend to associate with nearly any social stratum. However, their innate monomania makes them less than adept at efforts to guide, or even slightly nudge the mortal masses.

The viziers’ “caste culture” may best be described as a very loose affiliation of individualists. Most of the caste is as disunited as the sorcerers, but without that body’s resources for magical communication and coordination. Viziers tend to keep to themselves unless involved in a mentor-protégé arrangement or conducting some cooperative venture. This is a product of both the caste’s shared psychological tendencies and the need for secrecy during the Long Night and later periods. However, the Schism and the Schismatic's subsequent alliance with the Camarilla has allowed many viziers to exist relatively openly among other Cainites, and no few have chosen to enter social and political arenas – with varying degrees of success.

Over one third of the caste may be considered dispossessed for all intents and purposes, as their ties to the rest of the clan are marginal at best. The majority of the remaining viziers chose to follow al-Ashrad to the Camarilla. A significant minority of the caste remains loyal to Alamut. Few viziers are known to exist in the Sabbat, and even these are likely scattered fugitives.

Paths of Enlightenment: Typically on Humanity save the Antitribu

Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Quietus

Sect Ratio: 40% Schismatic, 35% Dispossessed, 20% Loyalist, 5% Antitribu

Warrior:Nickname(s): Reaper of the Whirlwind (*A*), Assassins

Background: Many warriors are males of African or Middle Eastern descent, though this more of a generalization than a rule and should not be taken to imply that all warriors fit that profile. In fact several notable warriors are female, European, or West Asian, or a combination thereof. Most come from some profession dealing with the application of force or personal violence in one form or another: terrorists, soldiers, police and hit men are all likely prospects. However, the caste also Embraces professionals in related or generally useful fields: Photographic intelligence interpreters, military scientists, smugglers, gunsmiths and strategists are all respected noncombatant members of the warriors. Warriors generally prefer to allow their new childer to go their own ways after a brief period of orientation and instruction. If they cannot, they will either return and learn willingly or die in discovery of their inadequacies.

The warriors traditionally make up the Children’s most visibly active caste. For a thousand years and more, the warrior caste was the Assamite clan, at least to the rest of the Cainite world. In time, the warriors came to view themselves as the only true Children of Haqim, and thus his only real heirs. However, recent events have shaken the warrior caste’s resolve and forced many warriors to question their shared self image. Still, some factors of the caste’s existence have remained constant.

Their role within the clan is that of the defender, both of their clan mates and Haqim’s legacy of justice. As Cainites scattered across the Western world, the warriors gradually became mercenaries, their judicial role abandoned and forgotten with the fall of the Second City. Some applied their martial skills for personal gain. The caste’s mercenary endeavors gave birth to the tradition of the tithe, in which a warrior who was paid for his services gave a portion (20 percent) of this payment to his sire in order to enrich the clan as a whole and to honor the individual who trained him and judged him with undeath.

In the modern nights, few Cainites dispute the assertion that the Assamite warrior caste collectively holds one of the most fearsome assemblages of fighters on the face of the planet. Indeed, the warriors are perhaps the only Cainite line whose primary focus is the study of the application of violence. The predatory nature of the Beast and the violence inherent to the World of Darkness ensure that any vampire with more than a year of unlife has almost certainly been in (or run from) a fight. However, most Kindred don’t make an organized study of martial professions until they see an imminent need for it. The Assamite warriors, by comparison, are as close to “professional killers” as vampires can get –at least, in their own ideal.

Despite the name, not every member of the warrior caste is a warrior. Even though it is more a loose organization of individuals with vaguely related skills, the caste does (in theory) serve a somewhat universal purpose as the sword and shield of the Children of Haqim. For every assassin who stalks the nights in search of Cainite prey, a master sword-smith is forging blades in the depths of Alamut. For every tactician who advises a desperate prince in a defense against the Sabbat, an intelligence analyst is whispering advice over a satellite channel. And for every warrior who receives the Blood for his martial prowess, another gains immortality whose inept posturing is a thin excuse for the preservation of a pretty face.

Paths of Enlightenment: Most Schismatic warriors follow Humanity, while a significant number of loyalist caste members follow Path of Blood. Among the antitribu, the Path of Caine and the Path of Honorable Accord are the most common alternate systems of morality.

Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus

Sect Ratio: 55% Loyalist, 20% Schismatic, 5% Dispossessed, 20% Antitribu

Sorcerer:Note: The Assamite sorcerers are the same individuals that WW refers to as “viziers” in several of their earlier publications (ex: Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, Laws of the Night – revised, et cetera) when they are describing the magic possessed by clan Assamite.

Nickname(s): Brother of Dragons (*A*), Magi (singular “Magus”); sometimes called “viziers” by outsiders

Background: The sorcerers usually select progeny who are strong-willed, disciplined, and able to grasp the abstract concepts and differing perceptions of reality that Assamite Sorcery presents its practitioners. They also seek above-average levels of education, though this can be provided after the Embrace if needed. Magical potential is not an absolute requisite, as the sorcerers are scholars and scientists as much as they are magicians. The caste has no particular preference for gender or ethnicity.

Their existence has long been known to the Tremere, but the rest of the modem Cainite world considered the notion of Assamite blood magicians unthinkable until recent nights. The sorcerers greet this notion with no small degree of ironic amusement, as their own records state that they are the eldest organized blood magicians of any clan.

The Assamite sorcerers originated in the Second City, shortly after Haqim created his second brood to act as the city’s judges. The first of their number were mortal wizards enlisted in various conflicts with the promise of temporal power and eventual immortality. They worked alongside the judges as interrogators, seekers of the truth and hunters of demons, and consorted with the scholars in pursuit of knowledge for knowledge’s sake. After the Second City’s fall, their role expanded to include such tasks as magical communication to keep the clan unified, weather sorcery to nurture the crops of the mortal herds that the Children of Haqim kept and combat threats from both Cainites and other supernatural creatures –in particular as the clan’s first line of defense against the Tremere. After the Warlocks levied the curse upon clan Assamite, the sorcerers’ first duty to the clan became the breaking of that same curse.

Only in the past decade have the sorcerers rallied, returning to their former prominence as an equal and integral part of the Children of Haqim. Their artificers and alchemists supplied the warriors with a myriad of creations, many of them byproducts of research into the curse and the nature of Tremere Thaumaturgy. The seers swamped the warrior caste’s militants with reams of information on enemies and allies alike. Those few who still followed their forebears’ tradition of demon hunting swung into furious action, cleansing their territories of servants of the Tremere and anything else unfortunate enough to cross their paths. A furious exchange of information crackled across the global telecommunications network and arced through the ether, uniting brethren unseen in centuries in a resumption of purpose: find the roots of Tremere power and shatter the curse.

Then ur-Shulgi arose. With a week‘s preparation and a single night of action, it accomplished what hundreds of lesser sorcerers had vainly attempted for five hundred years. The shock waves of its feat, both magical and social, rolled through the caste. All but a tiny handful of sorcerers felt the fluctuation of energy when the Methuselah called upon the blood that flowed in their veins. The caste collectively held its figurative breath, waiting to see what ur-Shulgi would do next.

The resulting conflict between the new Eldest and its childe, the Amr, al-Ashrad, rocked the sorcerer caste to its roots. All but the eldest sorcerers knew the Amr as the greatest magician in the world, and few remembered ur-Shulgi as more than a name from a legend. The caste’s faith in its leader was nearly unshakable –but the appearance of a godling from the clan’s dim past was enough to shatter the faith of many. Though al-Ashrad was the Amr, and thus the leader of the sorcerers, ur-Shulgi was the new Eldest and thus leader of the Children of Haqim, despite its refusal to formally claim the title. The question became one of loyalty to the Amr over the loyalty to the clan.

Tonight, equal portions of the caste support ur-Shulgi’s bloody vision for the Children of Haqim and al-Ashrad’s calm words of moderation, while no few sorcerers walk the path of the dispossessed in the hopes that the conflict will pass them by and they can return to their private studies. Although now predominately either schismatic or loyalist, many Sorcerers have at one time or another walked the path of the dispossessed in their unlives due to some argument, real or imagined, with the caste’s organizational structure or an individual elder’s practices. Eventually the majority of these individuals return to the fold sooner or later, either out of a thirst for further instruction or to escape the attention of the Tremere. The few sorcerers who may have joined the Sabbat at its inception are assumed to have died at some forgotten, chthonic city in Mesopotamia Centuries ago, and even fewer have declared such allegiance since the Schism.

Paths of Enlightenment: Most sorcerers follow Humanity, though many are rather distanced from its higher aspirations by the end of their first decades of unlife. The caste boasts a moderate number of Path of Blood adherents, mainly among the loyalists. Those few who may have recently joined or had dealings with the Sabbat find the Path of Caine and the Path of Power and the Inner Voice particularly enticing, and a few Iberian sorcerers are rumored to pursue the Path of Night.

Disciplines: Assamite Sorcery, Obfuscate, Quietus

Sect Ratio: 35% Loyalist, 35% Schismatic, 25% Dispossessed, 5% Antitribu

Where Things Are Tonight:With the coming of the Final Nights, the Assamite clan is in a state of flux. Recent developments have shattered the Cainite world’s preconceived notions of what Assamites are, and many of the clan’s own long-held beliefs are in disarray. As much as a third of the Assamite population has petitioned for membership in, or at least a truce with, the Camarilla, while another third seems to have redoubled its efforts to wipe every other vampire from the face of the planet. The only certainty where Haqim’s childer are concerned is that their current state of upheaval will shake the foundations of Kindred society – as, indeed, it already has.

The Schism: “Can a person really serve two masters? Al-Ashrad said yes; and that is one of the reasons why we left. Can one serve Haqim and their faith? Is there room enough in our heart for both? I like to think so for I do his work and HIS work.” ~Jieeda Bint Zaire Ibn Nader, Voice of the Eldest, Childe of Tegyrius

Due to the Schism, the Clan has restructured itself and is no longer the way it once was. While the Loyalists still try to hold true to their original structure, the Schismatics have restructured themselves accordingly due to the being more wide spread over the world. With the Schismatics, the Eldest still leads and Al-Ashrad is the Eldest of them all, but they have divided

responsibilities into lesser groupings to ensure their affairs are governed properly.

Divisions by Sect:

Loyalist: Everything you know about us is a lie. It was an easy one to believe, was it not? Hundreds, even thousands of bloodthirsty - literally – Arab assassins. Contract killers slaying vampires for the greater glory of Caine and Haqim, or “Assam” as you may mispronounce his name. Yes, the rest of the Cainite world believed it - clung to it, even, as the safest, simplest explanation of actions whose true motives their grand sires had forgotten. It was a good lie. It kept the Children safe for hundreds of years while they tried to find themselves again. We promoted it and as time went on, youbelieved it all.

Now these nights it would seem we are weaker. We have watched as Al-Ashrad and Tegyrius spread the lies and the conjecture to win the disillusioned and the faint of heart; the frightened and the weak from the Mountain's grasp. They lied to us; the same way we lied to the rest of the Cainites, to keep a secret safe from the ears of the young. But we know the truth. Are we truly weaker? The Herald has returned, and with him soon shall return the King of Scholars, He of the Spear and the Tablet, the Ancestor of us all; Haqim himself.

The Mountain whispers the name Ur-Shugli, Haqim's most favorite son, first born to the true Magi and as strong as the mightiest of warrior. The halls whisper his comings with red sand and we shall soon be set free to cleanse this world and to do Haqim's bidding. The older ones say that Haqim speaks thru him like a conduit from a world out of time where the great Ancestor rests and awaits our preparations for him.

But now, the Mountain is quiet. The whispers are no more than an echo. There is no fighting. There are no harsh words. The old rivalries are now put a side for the greater good of us all. There is only peace in the anticipation. We have spent thousands of years preparing for this moment and now only those who are of the purest of heart will survive the cleansing that the Herald demands of us all. Survive and prevail thru victory or death. And we are already dead, so only victory awaits us now.

The sickness of false faith is now at an end. Now only Haqim and the Blood remain.

The Herald – Ur-Shulgi: From the Baali conflict of the second city – The blood began to flow into the cavern. Only a trickle at first, a few drops seeping down through the tunnels, gradually becoming a steady flow that left the surviving Children ankle-deep in cooling crimson. Then footfalls: light, almost noiseless, slow, as if those of a child tentatively making its way down the steep passages. Then a tiny figure, blackened and charred, its eyes burned from its skull, emerged into the flickering light of the single torch that a ghoul had managed to keep burning. “Haqim sends me,” it whispered, “I am Ur-Shulgi. And I am of the Blood.” Most of Ur-Shugli's heritage and becoming are shroud in the depths of time and the mists of forgotten history of the Clan, but one thing is for sure, his power is likened onto a God that only Haqim himself would be able to control.

After eons of rest, solitude and secrecy, the Herald arose in 1998, deposing the Eldest and Caliph, Jamal, and tossing him from the black throne and impaling him on a spear for all to see. Ur-Shulgi has claimed that Jamal refused to renounce Allah and has thus been "sent...to meet his God." Jamal was the first Assamite to die in such a fashion, and many Schismatic Assamites still consider him a Martyr.

But Ur-Shulgi refuses to openly call himself the Eldest, referring to Haqim himself by that title. Many of the Assamites still loyal to the Black Throne refer to Ur-Shulgi as 'The Herald', 'The Shepherd' or 'The Ancestor’s Voice', believing that Haqim speaks thru him like a conduit to give them a future.

Not many are close to this being, as his mind is apparently closed like a vice around his thoughts, and only a chosen few meet with his directly, as he has abolished the Du'at with the leaving of al-Ashrad and Tygerius. Ur-Shulgi has appointed Amaravati as his chosen Amr (see page 52 of the 3rd Ed. clan book), to help over see the Magi that have remained behind and to over see the secrets of Alamut. Amaravati is often seen with scores of Silsila (keepers of the blood) who were once direct subordinates of the Du'at, and it is rumored that Thetmes has returned to the mountain to do the Herald's bidding.

Factions with in Factions:

The Web Of Knives:

"To keep the truth, one must spread a lie. To spread a lie, one must create order. To create order, one must have devotion to one's craft. To havedevotion to one's craft, one must honor the craft as if it were a grow child." - Thetmes

In 1102 AD, a small band of Warrior Caste assassins challenged the traditional custom of embracing progeny and allowing them to survive or die on their own merit (much like the Gangrel). They recruited the most formidable mortal assassins they could find and imparted accumulated centuries of knowledge and training. Over the next century or so, this groupbecame the Web of Knives, and their training process became sought after by the elite of the Warrior Caste. The Web of Knives still exists in modern nights, and its members are ranked among the most devoted adherents to the Path of Blood, and are all staunch Loyalists. Their goal is to create the deadliest individuals to do the bidding of Haqim's hand when he returns to lead his lineage in the Final War against the Cainites. Members of the Web of Knives begin their training as Ghouls. Because of the amount of time they spend as Ghouls they receive Potence as a 4th In-Clan Discipline (Storyteller's discretion), allowing them to learn Potence without a teacher and granting them the ability to teach it to others (again, Storyteller discretion). Web of Knives Characters are rare and unusual in OWBN, with the classification of Rare. Please work with the Assamite Coordinator’s Office.

The Master of the Web of Knives is the ancient 'master assassin', Thetmes; A man who on more than one occasion refused the title of Caliph for the duty of becoming the greatest of assassins as well as training them. Thetmes as well as others fronted the Web of Knives to produce soldiers that would become the Clan's biggest outward front from the viewpoint of the other clans. Its main purpose was to produce the perfect warriors for missions and contract killings. This front created 'the terror of kindred assassins' that kept other clans at bay and to allow the other Clans to forget that there were such things as Viziers and Magi.

Loyalist on The Laws of Haqim

The Law of Leadership:"Honor the Eldest among you, for he is to rule my House when I am absent." Haqim is our only Eldest. He is our founder. ur-Shulgi is his Herald, his voice, his spear. ur-Shugli leads us thru his visions, sent to us by Haqim himself. Thru him we shall see Haqim's true grand design. There are no leaders save HIM.

Law of Protection:"Ward the mortals from Caine's descendants and treat with them honor in all things." Mortals need or protection from the Cainites. It is our duty to protect them from the corrupted leaches that walk this earth. The mortals may not know of us, but that make no difference. They are weak and we are strong, and that is why we were made.

The Law of Destruction:"Slay not those of the Blood, for that judgment is for the Eldest alone." We have shed blood, but it was Haqim's word that we should do so. They rebelled, try to run, revolted against the very reason why we exist. Those that heard ur-Shulgi's call fought and spilled the blood of their brothers and sisters for it was Haqim's word that we do so. Now we wait for the cleansing once again. Until then, we shall watch our brethren from a far.

The Law of the Word:"Deceive not those of the Blood, for my House is founded on Truth." To the letter! There is only the truth. All lies are punishable by death; so sayeth the Herald.

The Law of Judgment:"Judge those of Caine's Blood and punish them, should they be found wanting." All Cainites are a cancer upon this earth. We have waited too long; sitting in hiding; sitting in wait. Haqim awakens and we shall put things right. Wipe them out; wipe them all out!

The Khabar (the Assassin's Code of Honor):

"....................." - Tariq the Silent

(Note: the Khabar is something that is from Second Edition before the revision into Third Edition. It should be something that can be practice by Loyalist Assamites only and exclusively. Please contact the Assamite Coordinator’s office for more information about the Khabar.)

The Khabar is not a Law or a Tradition, but a mind-set of some Assamites still loyal to the Mountain, followed primarily by few remaining Silsila and devotees to the Web of Knives prior to them becoming Rafiq to keep the peace amongst their brethren as well as to become effective killers. The Khabar itself means 'honor' and for the few that still follow it's tenants in conjunction with the Laws of Haqim, are seen by those who do not share this 'honor code' as 'docile monsters waiting to pounce'.

Its tenets mimic the Laws of Haqim, but shall never over power Haqim's five sacred Laws (Destruction, Judgment, Protection, Word and Leadership). The Khabar is a Code of Honor that dictates to its user the intent of a killer to live amongst killers. The Khabar is not an easy Code to follow and often its tenets conflict with those who lie upon their humanity and cling to it. Often the practice of the Khabar is followed by the ridding one's body of the last remains of humanity to embrace Path of Blood. Just some have said there is 'honor amongst thieves', so does this code teach'honor amongst assassins.'

After the Breaking of the Clan, only a few who still follow Thetmes's original teachings with in the Web of Knives devoted themselves to such a code. Due to the Herald commanding that all contracts are null and void, Ur-Shulgi (and those close to The Shepherd) watches them closely for signs faltering as those who are close to Methuselah debate whether the Herald will allow the Khabar to persist or snuff out these devoted assassins in an instant.

The Khabar is broken down into the Seven Towers of the Master's Castle: Asabiyya (Loyalty), Ikhwan (Brotherhood), Muruwa (Honor), Hadd (Vengeance), Taqqiya (Secrecy), Mumin (Faith) and Umma (Community).

PRESTIGE AND RANK

Those still loyal to the Mountain have a very similar structure to their Prestige that mirrors the Schismatics. While the Schismatics have evolved due to the pressures of the Camarilla as well as to show the truths behind Haqim’s Laws, the Loyalist’s Prestige has remained diligent. Their Prestige regarding the Sorcerers and Viziers remain the same as the Schismatics, while the Warriors have not evolved since before the breaking of the Clan. When dealing with the Sorcerer and Vizier Caste, see the Schismatic section of this document.

The Warriors:

The Warriors have but two ranks; Fida’i and Rafiq. Once Rafiq, Warriors are expected to be able to be left to their own devices to aid and better the Clan as they see fit. As there is no Caliph, the Warriors rely upon the traditional methods of becoming prestigious as there are no ‘roads’ for them to follow. They can increase their Prestige thru the following methods:

+2 for the Title of SilsilaThese prestigious and potent Warriors are honor guard of Alamut. Their title strikes not only fear, but trust in their station.

+1 Per level of Ace:Destroying 5 vampires of higher or equal strength than your own. (ST or Coordinator verification) These Levels of Ace are accumulative amongst Loyalist Warriors, as the ashes of ‘infidel kindred’ are as much a trophy as their souls.

+1 for those titled Da’i(See Below) for their religious conviction and knowledge. (ST or Coordinator verification)

+1 for ‘Rigorous Training’ merit that comes with being a Web of Knives member.

Da'i

The Da'i is a subset of the Rafiq. Any Warrior, who is sufficiently versed in a religion to be considered an ‘ordained priest’ who has advanced sufficiently far along an alternative Path of Morality and believed to be capable of teaching it to others (an in- game a rating of 4 or more on a Path of Enlightenment). In modern nights, this usage almost always refers to strict adherents of the Path of Blood.

Schismatic:

The Schismatic Assamites continuously push the upward battle to prove them selves to the Camarilla. But it seems every step they take they are pushed back two more, yet they hold hope, that one day they will be welcomed with open arms as full members. Some may say that the Elders of the clan seem a bit harder on their own when something negative happens, but when a Schismatic Child of Haqim messes to the degree that the Elders are involved, it often means that other Elders know and it has brought a negative light to the Schism. We must be the model citizens, they must amplify what it is be to be Camarilla. Then hopefully then, when that fateful night comes and they are blessed with that, only then will their mission truly begin. They continuously try and breach that stereotype of the “Blood Devils” of legend. Stories that sire’s tell their childer to make them behave. That the Eldest has decreed, we are not diablerist, and we are not to taste the soul of another. We are Camarilla, we follow the Edicts, the Leaders. We follow the Eldest’s will, we will do his biding and see his goal as our own. We may be tired of this uphill battle but in the end the rewards will be far greater than what we know.

We must be perfection in the eyes of the Camarilla in the finest, We must prove to the Camarilla Elders that we are not a threat but a valuable ally.

The Eldest in “Exile” – Al-Ashrad: As al-Ashrad has left the fold, the position now falls to Amaravati,al-Ashrad's childe and chosen successor. While Al-Ashrad's childe is not the Amr, and time and time again Al-Ashrad is chosen to lead the Magi no matter the dividing lines, Amaravati ‘acts’ as Amr in his absence with in Alamut's walls.The title has not been formally given to him as each year a new Amr is chosen through divination of the stars on the vernal equinox, and each year since 120 AD, al-Ashrad has been chosen to be the most suited for that position. The position of the Amr is to aid the Eldest in matters of occult, magic, the supernatural, and realms of magical study. (Coordinator NPConly, this is a White Wolf NPC, and has not been passed through OWBN Council. There is no sheet for this NPC)

Sub-factions within the Schismatics:

The Sisterhood Of The Erinyes

Stemming back to the nights of Ancient Greece when one foolish Vizier gave the Blood to a trio of sisters who were rumored to have powers of prophecy, their 'sisterhood' revolving around being priestesses to Bacchus (god of wine and intoxication) who divination powers were said to work best when the entrails of a subject were still warm. As time went on these sisters developed and adapted their divination powers to encompass the sacrificed ashes of Cainites. Alamut soon learned of the sisters and their powers and asked them to come to be known by the rest of the Clan. At that time the Clan was predominantly 'male' and the sisters were subject to ridicule. But the sisters were patient and over came their pride and sought out other 'daughters of Haqim' who were equally piqued by the clan's collective, male mindset. Over the centuries the sisterhood has waxed and waned in size, becoming a social clique for female Assamites. Its structure is formal and they take with in it's ranks many who seek to uphold a moral compass and stricture towards the Law of Judgment. All members identify themselves by wearing a pin depicting a blindfolded woman representing Justice. All Sisters also follow the moral path of Humanity. While not all Sisters are Viziers, the entire Sisterhood is nearly split in half between al-Ashrad's Schismatic and the Dispossessed; very few (if any) believe that ur-Shugli upholds Haqim's highest ideals.

To play a Sister:Sisters believe in the personal standard of honor. Their interpretation of 'judgment' varies across the sisterhood, running from the righteous to the malevolently gleeful. As least one sister has been know to enforce her own personal ethics through character assassination; seducing her targets and then publicly humiliating them at some important social event. Most sister rank very high in Humanity and Conscience, and even though they can be of any Caste, their morals must be high as well as their general sense of justice, even if said sense is to 'let them eat cake' rather than to kill. It is also recommended that Sisters take Mentor and Allies as major backgrounds to represent the 'Sisterhood'.

To be a Sister it is recommended you to work with the Assamite Coord on your background, to role-play the IC acceptance, and so that the Coord is aware of you.

The Leopards Of Zion

Originally started by zealous and solely radical Jewish clan members, the Leopards last great insurgence was in the late 1940's, lead at that time by an Elder name Zev Benzion (literally: Wolf of Zion) who lead 8 skilled warriors on a bloody assassination of Camarilla members who supported the Nazi Party. Benzion was torn to shreds in a bloodhunt in Rio de Janeiro in 1951, but not before he and his followers accounted for over 50 Final Deaths and several hundred executions of German and Austrian mortals. After Benzion's death his followers scattered to the winds, only to be brought back together by Amaris bat Ariela who lead a silent slaughter in 1967 to destroy every outsider Cainite in Israel (only the Followers of Set have managed to retain a foothold in Israel since the purge who now constantly play a game of move and counter move with the Leopards). Tonight the Leopards (lead by Amaris bat Ariela) are staunch Schismatic, following the words of al-Ashrad, and surviving in their base of operations in Israel. Ur-Shulgi has yet to dare move against them save the death of Sarah Schneider.

To play a Leopard:A Leopard is an Assamite of staunch Jewish faith, faithful followers of the Schism, and who displays both willingness and ability to defend the Jewish people from outside supernatural threats. Not all Leopards are Assamites anymore, although non-Assamites are scrutinized and watched closely. Most Leopards have more recently descended from Amaris herself (most of them are liberated, former Cainites servants the Leopards destroyed in 1967).

To be a Leopard it is recommended to work with the Assamite Coord on your background, to role-play the IC acceptance, and so that the Coord is aware of you.

Schismatic View on the Laws of Haqim:

The Law of Leadership:"Honor the Eldest among you, for he is to rule my House when I am absent." For the Schismatic there is only one Eldest, and he, the great and mighty al-Ashrad, has chosen Exile before open war. Wisest of the Children of Haqim and who true age is surrounded in mystery, al-Ashrad took the mantel of Eldest soon after the death of Jamal. And so al-Ashrad rules those that would follow him into Exile from Alamut, seeking passage into the Camarilla to bring a better tomorrow to the world, to follow Haqim's true and righteous path. Wise is al-Ashrad, for he spreads the 'old ones' across the globe to be his eyes and ears; Eldest’s of Countries, Regions and Domains; who keep the Laws sacred and keep the truth from being clouded in the deceptions the Camarilla can breed. All listen and follow his words. All follow al-Ashrad.

The Law of Protection:"Ward the mortals from Caine's descendants and treat with them honor in all things." The mortals are our future and we shall not perverse them. We are not their teachers, but their guides. We are not their masters, but their humble watchers. We co-exist, not conquer. They are our wards and we shall honor them, even in at their bedside while dying. It is the natural course of things to ensure that they are not twisted and corrupted by the Jyhad. We must make way for them, and for thousands of years we have adapted by watching them. They have shown us far greater truths about the world than any book or scroll.

The Law of Destruction:"Slay not those of the Blood, for that judgment is for the Eldest alone." Only the wise and mighty al-Ashrad may lay you low. Accidents happen, but not often. He has seen to much fighting amongst the masses, too many so called 'Eldest of areas' decide that this right is reversed for them. No. This is false. It falls to the Eldest of us all, and should Haqim walk amongst us, it shall be he who this right is reserved for.

The Law of the Word:"Deceive not those of the Blood, for my House is founded on Truth." Do not lie at any time. Our basis, our continuing existence and everything we have ever and will become shall be grounded on us telling each other the truth in all things, even if it makes us angry. Some say it is better not to speak at all, but then all you are doing is coveting a lie that has yet to be told. Speak plainly and speak truthfully, for all words are and can be heard if they are founded without falsehood. However... Lying to those outside the Clan is more than acceptable.

The Law of Judgment"Judge those of Caine's Blood and punish them, should they be found wanting." Moderation...moderation...moderation. We have joined the Camarilla. It is our job, our duty and path to show them their errors. We are the judges off old, come to show and guide and be a voice of reason. Not all punishments should death. Not all judgments must be done immediately and at once. Are we not forgiving? Are we so impatient as to not show them the way, to see them repent, to let them see their errors? Or are we 'Assamites' and nothing more than the rumored 'dark skinned devils' the Tremere would have the Camarilla believe we are? We are Camarilla. We cannot kill without the rights to do so, and thus we adapt.

Regional Leadership Structure:

Eldest within a Domain (Can be PC or NPC) To obtain this post, you must obtain the approval of those in your domain. 4-10 of these should report to a Regional Leader. The individual is responsible for any brothers or sisters in his area or Domain that he is accountable to. Any of the blood visiting a domain should make their presence known to the Eldest. Duties and responsibilities would be otherwise comparable to a Camarilla Primogen.

Requirements:To achieve the position of Eldest of your Domain we ask that all of the blood report the following information:Your Name within the clan Any aliases used publicly within the Camarilla The name of your Sire and Grandsire (If known) Approximate age since birth (not embrace) Your domain of residence Your caste within our clan Any Clan or Camarilla titles you possess or believe you qualify to possess. Include any skills, kills, Paths, abilities, or experience that may warrant a ranking or title.

Regional Leader (Coordinator NPC only)These NPCs are only allowed to be portrayed by the Coordinator or Sub-Coordinator. If an ST would like these NPCs portrayed in their game they are to obtain permission from the Coordinator's Office. They are authorized to administrate a region of a major County or State or Province. Approximately 5 Regional Leaders will report to each National Leader. Regional Leaders provide arbitration between the domains in their sphere of influence and act as a communication link to those higher up in the Clan Structure.

National Leader (Coordinator NPC only) These NPCs are only to be portrayed by the Coordinator or Sub- Coordinator. If an ST would like these NPCs portrayed in their game they are to obtain permission from the Coordinator’s Office. They are given authority over very large countries or groups of smaller nations. They serve the same purpose as the Regional Leaders only on a much higher level. They oversee things on a global level and report directly to the Du'at and the Council of Scrolls.

The Council of Scrolls

The ’Monster’s’ accession to the throne was done illegally and without due cause. No challenge was issued, no debate brought into the processes, and no deliberation by the Du’at to advise the Eldest. I find him guilty of wanton destruction and spreading lies and conspiracy, thus breaking two of our Laws.” –Tegyrius the Vizier

During Ur-Shulgi awakening and rise to power, he turned his attention immediately to the Council, destroying many of its members before they could flee or even know of their fate. The Council became broken and disbanded, its remaining members spread thru out the world in hiding, or becoming dispossessed out of confusion and fear.

In 2002, the Eldest in Exile (Al-Ashrad) commanded that the Council be reformed. As the Seats began to refill, the order and conduit of information they possessed quickly passed back into hands of the Eldest and the Du’at. But whispers of rumors are still abundant. Many of the current Council’s whereabouts are hidden, secret even from those loyal to the Eldest in Exile, for fear still runs rampant that ‘The Monster’ will send his minions to once again disband the Council through force and bloodshed.

One of their subsequent duties is to decide upon prestige, which we shall learn about later in this section.

The Storm, the Shadow and the Tempest

“You wish to hear a story? First, you will tell me yours…NOW!” – Dominus

The nights of the Silsila are gone, left behind in the dusty trail and footsteps taken from the Mountain. But now, more than ever, Clan security and secrecy is a must amongst the Camarilla.

Much like the ‘Iktihaam’ amongst the Warrior Caste’s Sharif, the Viziers and the Sorcerers also have their own secret policemen that subsequently work directly for the Caste Leaders (The Caliph, the Vizier and the Amr) with in the Du’at. These are the Iktihaam (the Storm) amongst the Warriors, the Thhul (the Shadow) amongst the Viziers and the Iasof (the Tempest) amongst the Sorcerers. There can only be one of each title at one time, and their powers are limited to their rank, age and prestige, but their titles strikes fear to those who may have wronged the internal security and secrecy of the Clan.

Each title is proclaimed and granted by the Du’at directly and their titles hold enough weight to investigate any matter no matter whom they investigate with in the Clan. Their words hold much sway with the Du’at, as they aid in the decision on whether a individual is deemed guilty or if they are deemed innocent. Should any Clan-mate impede their investigation within the Clan, it raises the ire of the Du’at directly.

Amongst the three, the Iktihaam has the most power as he can call upon the Sharif at any time to aid him with his cause and can cross Caste boundaries if he so chooses to do so (with the Caliph’s permission), while the others (the Thhul and the Iasof) are limited to their own Castes to investigate.

THE WARRIOR’S NEW ROAD:

“The boy he was at the beginning cannot see the boy he will be at the end; and yet our vision turns inward and we are allowed to look back thru the time we have spent to see ourselves from the beginning to make our existence mean something in the end, in which we are not allowed to see...” – Kyoshi Ji Gumo.

The Warrior Caste itself has evolved in these modern nights in the Schism and been placed into subsections. This by many are seen as a Caste with in a Caste, but Elders see it as paths that are essential to the Clan itself as well as order with in a Caste that are full of blood thirsty warriors. These Paths are seen as the Beginning, the Middle and the End; or the Ace,the Da'i and the Sharif. It is up to the individual warrior whether they follow one of these paths, but once followed; they must forever follow it or renounce all roads entirely.

The Ace:This once badge of honor has evolved into a road not easily followed. Lead by the Elder Kyoshi, these brash and honor bound warriors often come off as the very stereotypical ‘Assamite of old'; blood thirsty and ready to kill at a moments notice. This is not far from the truth. The Ace are indeed battle ready soldiers whose main duty is any forward assault or quiet manipulations. Many of these 'Aces' are or were cold blooded killers. Many of the Clan frowns upon them, but they have an essential purpose and that is to deal out death when ever the Caliph commands it, and thus they are oftenreferred to as 'the Caliph's Spear'. To become Ace, one must kill at least 5 opponents of equal or greater powerthan one's self.

The Da'i:Any Warrior, who is sufficiently versed in a religion to be considered an ordained priest, or that religion's version there of, is a Da'i (meaning ‘summoner’ or missionary). Most Da'i are Muslim, though a few Da'i hail from other religions. Da'i can also refers to any Rafiq who has advanced sufficiently far along an alternative Path of Morality and believed to be capable of teaching it to others (an in-game a rating of 4 or more on a Path of Enlightenment). In modern nights, this usage almost always refers to strict adherents of the Path of Blood.

In these modern nights, the Da'i is essential to keeping peace to the Warrior Caste, giving its members spiritual guidance and harmony when ever possible. Many of the 'Ace class' see these 'warrior priests' as weak and far too ‘humane beings’. Nothing could be farther from the truth, for they are the first spawning of the why Jamal martyred himself and thus they areoften referred to as 'the Caliph's Soul'.

The Da'i are not currently lead by any particular Elder as their views are too expansive for one 'ordained priest' of any one particular religion or faith to lead them. To become one, one must simply approach the Caliph on the subject; if they dare.

The Sharif:This is a traditional Arab tribal title given to those who serve as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets, property, land, wells, etc. Such a term in the Assamite Clan could be attuned to those who are 'protectors of the clan'. The 'Sharif 'are often seen as 'the Caliph's Shield'; those who keep the Clan in check; those who are tacticians, protectors, secret police, and watchers; and those who will ensure all Clan Secrets remain just that...Clan Secrets. The Sharif is lead by the Caliphdirectly (until he can find an appropriate ‘Judge’ to lead them) as Clan affairs that they are most involved with fall under his privy entirely. Once an Appropriate ’Judge’ is found, they shall be granted the title of ‘Iktihaam’ (The Storm).

There are no initial strictures needed to walk this road, only full devotion to the Clan before anything else.

When the Sharif learn of the teaching of Clan secrets; whether it be disciplines, lore or the like; such information is placed into the Caliph’s hands directly, and thus in the hands of the Du’at. The direst of results are the Ace and the Sharif working together, which is a terrible act in itself, for only death, shall come from it.

Dispossessed/Anarch:"Mercy is sharper than any knife." -Fatima al-Faqadi

'Dispossessed' is a term traditionally given to Assamites who choose their own paths over the clan’s internal hierarchy. The first recorded use of the term dates to the eighth century B.C., when the warrior caste’s historian, Thucimia, wrote of her rebellious childe as “a wanton and wild thing, heeding no authority save that of the spear, dispossessed by his own handsand lips of the safety of Alamut’s hearth and the comradeship of Haqim’s Children.” In the early Middle Ages, dispossessed warriors seeking mercenary employment in the Cainite courts of Europe gave birth to the first tales that cast the Assamites as hired killers. It was this very view of the Assamites that started the greatest of lies.

Several centuries later, a group of honor-conscious individuals briefly earned the label of “dispossessed” before establishing themselves as the Assamite Anti. Assamites who claimed Inconnu membership were always considered dispossessed, as were those rare few who gave the Camarilla their loyalty or fled east to attempt alliance and coexistence with the Cathayans.

The greatest numbers of dispossessed existed during the Long Night. In this era, perhaps as many as one in three Assamites were dispossessed, though the clan has never kept exact records of the number of newly Embraced members who turned their backs on Haqim’s legacy. This population boom could not last, however, and the nascent Camarilla’s crusade against the Assamites fell heavily on the dispossessed. Many nonaligned Assamites met Final Death prior to the Treaty of Tyre for no

reason other than their heritage.

Dispossessed elders were favored targets of Assamite-hunting coteries by virtue of their unnaturally dark skin. By the time the treaty was signed in 1496, less than a few score dispossessed remained in existence across Europe and North Africa. The rest had either perished, renounced their iconoclasm and rejoined Alamut, entered torpor, or sought sanctuary with the Inconnu (this last one was very rare). Owing to recent events, the dispossessed 'may' now make up a portion of the clan close to that of a millennium ago, but no one can be sure.

Although many members of all three castes fled Alamut for the relative security and stability of the Camarilla, roughly as many chose to follow no leader rather than submitting to a power structure that they had known as the enemy since receiving the Blood, turning their attention directly to the Anarchs or Independents. To them Alamut and the Camarilla are two polarextremes, with the Sabbat lying somewhere off the scale, and many Assamites feel that none of these options are acceptable. Both faction heads (Schismatic and Loyalist) are scrambling to bring these diverse individuals back to the fold - as are the various (and few remaining) leaders of the Assamite Anti.

Where are they this night?

“I maybe HIS voice, but right now these are my own words. These are lost, confused Children. They do not understand why this rift happened in our clan. We must talk to them, sway them to us; but if they do not, that is their choice. They have to realize that if HE calls, and they do not answer, then they have broken one of our own laws. We are not so unforgiving to our own that placate our oldest traditions and beliefs.” ~Jieeda Bint Zaire Ibn Nader

Thru the lines of divide there are several types of dispossessed. There are those Elders who have remained in torpor so long that when they awake and here the news of such drastic change that they stay neutral out of fear of retribution from either side of the Schism. There are also those who have joined the Anarchs to hide in their numbers for the sake of safety or thrurevolt for their own Clan's power structure that galvanizes Elders as the their leaders. And there are those who remain utterly and completely Independent. Often these last groupings are either due to not wishing to involve in such politics ofeither side, or that they do not know of their own Clan's history... period. Whatever the reason, the 'dispossessed' remain aloof of their parental Clan for their own reasons rather than their Clan's.

Leadership:

Obviously due to their very nature, the Dispossessed do not have any organization to speak of save if they join the Anarchs. They do, for those who know of Haqim's old ways and or Laws and still respect them, pay homage to those who are older than they. But again, this rule changes from one dispossessed to another.

Laws:

“Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald

As same as Leadership, their very nature would suggest following the Laws of Haqim are optional and change from one individual to another. Yet many a 'dispossessed' have run into one dividing faction or another (Loyalist or Schismatic) and survived the encounter once to tell the tale that that nearly ended in their demise and reiterate the words "ignorance is not anexcuse". Such harsh views upon the 'dispossessed' often force them into hiding rather than choose one side over the other as well as learning that they are but the few to the greater numbers of the Schismatic and Loyalists.

For many of the dispossessed, if one Law is to be up held then all of them are to be up held. If such things are the case, then one must follow the Eldest and be lead by them. For others, if this is the case, then they shall wait for the true Eldest to find them- even if it is Haqim himself.

“Laws of Haqim? You mean the Laws that belong to fanatics? Yes, I know them, but I do not practice them. I find the Laws unfair to those of us who seek our own path, to find our own gain, to live in freedom of tyranny. Should I follow these Laws, I would be one of them, and I do not want to be one of anything save my own self-preservation. I have thought of rejoining the fold, but they do not as yet make a very good case; one side or the other. Perhaps I shall wait and see which side comes out on top and rejoin them then.”

Prestige:

Prestige is a funny thing with a group that claims no affiliation. Normally, Prestige does not go away, and so with the Dispossessed, it does not. But Prestige cannot be granted or increased either, as their lack of affiliation does not aid the Clan at all. In this case, it best to speak directly with the Assamite Coordinator to distinguish and discuss this matter in full.

Assamite Antitribu –The Unconquered:Note: The length of following section is not intended to present the Assamite antitribu in such a way that lends to giving an impression of their overall prevalence in the Assamite clan. Our intention was simply to form a compilation of relative content taken from various WW sources in the interest of consistency of Assamite genre with in OWBN. [WW Sources used: Clanbook Assamite –revised, The Black Hand –Caine’s Chosen, The Sabbat Guide –revised & The Storyteller’s Guide –revised]

In the nights following the Anarch Revolt and the Convention of Thorns, Clan Assamite found itself in a deadly predicament. In light of the overwhelming opposition posed by the young Camarilla, the Assamite became targets for the ire of all vampires. To temper the threat the “Saracen Assassins” posed, the Camarilla subjected clan Assamite to a powerful Tremere curse, rendering the Assamites unable to partake of Cainite vitae, which was core to many Assamite’s ethical code.

Not every Assamite succumbed to the blood curse however. A few bold Assamites of the Warrior caste, led by the first hulul went into hiding. This faction of the clan would later be known as the Assamite antitribu, or more appropriately, “the Unconquered”. The Assamite antitribu began its existence as a group of desperate survivors fighting to salvage their clan’s honor in the face of what they saw as an unconscionable submission to an inferior opponent. When the ragged handful of warriors joined the nascent Sabbat, they had little to offer the sect but their blades. In the aftermath of the Anarch Revolt, that was enough.

Over the centuries, the Assamite antitribu grew into the backbone of the Black Hand, the Sabbat’s elite military arm. This power did not come without a price, however. In their desperate pursuit of a new role in unlife, the antitribu gradually grew away from their warrior-caste roots. They no longer revered their clan’s patron, Haqim, rather they seen him as all other loathed Antediluvians, as a corrupt, malignant force that will one night rise and devour his children.

Many subscribed to the Path of Caine, which set them in direct opposition to the more “humane” elements of the Camarilla- not to mention the main body of their own clan. By its own admission, the Sabbat holds itself above mortals in such a manner as to spit on the Law of Protection. The antitribu kept to themselves, maintained a high average level of combat prowess and generally regarded outsiders as potential meals (with the exception of their fellow Sabbat members). Under the leadership of the hulul and his shakari advisors, they claimed to be maintaining the only pure line of the Assamite clan. The Assamite antitribu of the Sabbat may consider themselves a separate bloodline, though there is no functional difference between them and the main body of the warriors.

By the end of the 18th century, few Assamite antitribu neonates were aware of more than the haziest basics of their clan’s history. Many had no idea of the existence of separate “castes” of Assamites. By late 1998, the Assamite antitribu made up the majority of the Black Hand’s leadership and comprised far more of the Hand’s total membership than any other single clan or bloodline. The Hand –and, consequently, the Assamite antitribu –were spearheading the most successful and profitable series of assaults in the sect’s history.

Then ur-Shulgi completed the Breaking. Over a single night, the symbol of the Assamites’ submission to the Camarilla was shattered by blood magic that was ancient centuries before the curse’s casters were born. For the Assamite antitribu neonates, this was a frightening sign that the Antediluvians were close to awakening. For the faction’s elders, however, it was an invitation to return their ancestral home, abandoning their vows to Caine's Chosen. Whatever the Sabbat thought, the faction’s leadership had always considered its sectarian allegiance one of convenience –the Sabbat was a useful means of striking at the Camarilla, and it provided formidable protection from other enemies that the antitribu had made at the time of their split from the main body of the clan. Over the course of two weeks, the majority of the Black Hand’s leadership simply disappeared.

Within a year, the Assamite antitribu‘s ranks swelled again with new recruits –not from “war draft” Embraces, but rather from an influx of refugees. For the first time since the faction’s inception, Assamites were defecting from Alamut en masse. Their motivation now, however, was not an escape from disgrace, but rather a flight from what one early arrival termed “the walking atrocity that sits on the Black Throne and claims to speak with Haqim’s voice, ur-Shulgi.”

Tonight, the Assamite antitribu are far from their previous prominence. Their elders within the Sabbat have all vanished except for a select few, and many of their most promising lieutenants perished in the chaos that followed the elders’ abandonment of the sect. They are by no means broken, however. The refugees from Alamut are very much a mixed bag, but they all share two common traits: They found ur-Shulgi’s presence too terrifying to endure, and they found the Camarilla too much of a stifling alternative to consider.

When the shakari and their contemporaries parted with the Sabbat, their actions eviscerated the Assamite antitribu‘s claims of purity and jeopardized the survival of the descendants they left behind. The Assamite antitribu are still a major component of the Sabbat’s paramilitary arm, though their role is somewhat diminished in the Final Nights. The faction as a whole is disorganized and demoralized, though several charismatic young leaders are taking steps to forge scattered elements into a cohesive whole once again. Most Assamite antitribu in the modem nights are young (under a century of age), competent (else they would not have survived the initial wave of uncoordinated reprisals) and highly motivated. The Sabbat would do well to not count them out of the running to regain leadership of the Black Hand.

In light of the recent more recent events, the nights of all-Assamite antitribu packs membership in the Sabbat are not as prevalent as they once were prior to the elders’ departure. New arrivals from Alamut are usually inducted into existing cosmopolitan packs, the better to keep an eye on the new recruits until the Sabbat can determine their true motives. Generally speaking though, the Assamite antitribu are still organized –damned cliquish, actually; they serve their clan first and the Sabbat second.

An Assamite camp, newly re-established in the wake of recent events, now teaches its clan's antitribu fledglings somewhere in the southwestern United States. A cadet's training lasts several years (anywhere from four or five years to seven for Assamite neonates), and involves a good deal of field work; however, the instructing dominions keep a watchful eye on their charges and step in quickly to prevent any interference with the educational process. It is not an easy process, nor a short one. Some learn faster than others, of course. The Assamites train their fledglings for seven years.

Assamite Clan Structure:Although organizing vampires is much like herding predatory beasts, the Assamites maintained for millennia a hierarchy unsurpassed by any clan save the Tremere (and some would claim that the Warlocks cheated by coming into the vampiric world with an organization already in place). This structure has broken down under the strain of recent events, but both of the clan’s major factions maintain enough of it that it is still worthy of examination.

Haqim:The clan hierarchy begins, of course, with the Cainite from whom his descendants take their collective name: Haqim, the Assamite Antediluvian. Unlike those of many clan founders, Haqim’s name –and even his appearance, is well-documented. Toward his own descendants, Haqim was as harsh as he was to other Cainites. However, only the most extreme accounts speak of him as an unfair master. He rewarded success well and only punished failure when it came as a result of laziness or foolishness.

The Eldest:The office of Eldest began in the Second City as an unofficial honor. When Haqim left for his frequent journeys, he would place one of his childer in charge of the affairs of his home. After the Children of Haqim founded Alamut, the position became a formal one. The Eldest (colloquially known as “the Old Man” even during the two occasions when a female held the position) was the oldest childe of Haqim interested in directing the clan in the Ancestor’s absence. As defined, the Eldest is the supreme leader of the Assamites, answerable only to Haqim.

[Schismatic: Throughout the centuries, though, most have recognized the impossibility of exerting “control” over all their “subjects.” Eldest in Exile, al-Ashrad]

[Loyalist: Prior to the Schism, the last Eldest was Jamal, a warrior who held the Black Throne from 1494 to 1998. When ur-Shulgi arose, the ancient chose to test the Children’s loyalty from the top down. Ur-Shulgi claims that, Jamal refused to renounce Allah and was thus “sent… to meet his young god.” Jamal was the first Assamite to die in such a fashion, and many schismatic warriors consider him a martyr. Ur-Shulgi refuses to take the mantle of Eldest, referring to Haqim himself by that title.]

The Du’at:The du’at council is traditionally the assembly of the heads of the three Assamite castes: the Caliph of the warriors, the Vizier of the viziers, and the Amr of the sorcerers. It is the clan’s observed authority on matters of policy. Alamut’s records put the formation of the du’at as a formal body at approximately 2000 B.C. The du’at was the Eldest’s closest circle of advisors, though council members often drew information from their subordinate specialists. The council also collectively arbitrated cross-caste disputes that threatened the stability of the Children as a whole.

[Schismatic: With the destruction of one member and the subsequent departure of the other two, it is unlikely that a du’at will be re-formed in the foreseeable future. Al-Ashrad currently seeks to restructure his followers into an organization more palatable to the Camarilla, and secret clan councils have no place in such a body.]

[Loyalist: Ur-Shulgi refuses to acknowledge a new Caliph, Amr or Vizier among the loyalists, apparently preferring to allow its followers to sort themselves out without its guidance.]

The Caliph:The warrior caste’s leader is known as the Caliph. He is, in theory, the greatest combatant among the Children of Haqim, though few Caliphs have been masters of every form of combat. The Caliph‘s primary duties are to advise the Eldest on matters that pertain to the defense of the Children as a whole and to guide the warrior caste in its defense of the clan, its holdings and its mortal subjects (when the Assamites had mortal subjects, at any rate). Additionally, should a trial by single combat arise whose outcome affects the entire clan, the Caliph is the Cainite who fights on the Children’s behalf.

[Schismatic: The Current Caliph is Dominus Ibn Lazus, Elder of Western Europe, he still is in Europe somewhere watching the North American Children, and he hunts a dangerous foe.]

[Loyalist: Currently, the position of Caliph is open following ur-Shulgi’s destruction of the previous holder, and no one has yet stepped forward to claim it. However, several loyalist warriors have tentatively advanced themselves as possible claimants, and it seems to only be a matter of time before actual conflict erupts.]

The Vizier:The leader of the vizier caste (also known as the “scholar caste”) goes by the title of Vizier. This may seem a confusing arrangement to outsiders, but the viziers are accustomed to it, usually applying a subtle emphasis to “the” when referring to the Vizier. The Vizier is the foremost academician among the viziers and serves as the conduit for information that the Eldest needs from the caste. Traditionally, the viziers elect the Vizier in a simple majority vote every 63 years. No process exists for formally declaring candidates, but individuals who believe they will be able to best advise the Eldest during the next six decades usually come forward a year or two before the election.

[Schismatic: The current Vizier is Tegyrius. He has held the title of Vizier for three consecutive terms, as well as one in the mid- 14th century. Tegyrius opposed ur-Shulgi’s usurpation of the Black Throne on the grounds that it did not follow the proper precedents for a transition of the Eldest. He later followed al- Ashrad into exile. Most likely candidate for Assamite Justicar.]

The Amr:Amr’s primary responsibility is to advise the Eldest on all matters relating to magic and the supernatural, including the affairs of and the threats presented by other Cainites. This somewhat vague definition means that he must not only deal with magical threats to Haqim’s legacy but also with the realm of magical study in general. Additionally, the Amr is generally recognized as the most powerful sorcerer in the caste. Traditionally, the Amr is re-selected every year on the night of the vernal equinox. Every sorcerer who is present participates in a nightlong ritual divination that reveals the identity of the sorcerer who is best suited to lead his brethren for the next cycle of the stars. Since A.D. 120, the name al-Ashrad has been synonymous with the title of Amr. There has been no other for close to two millennia, and many Assamites cannot conceive of the greatest magician in the world being ousted from the position that he himself defined.

The Silsila:The silsila, otherwise known as shakari or the Keepers of the Blood, were once the direct subordinates of the du’at. The spiritual elite of the Children, this small warrior priesthood is composed of those whom the du’at and the Eldest feel are the truest adherents to Haqim’s teachings. Spiritually, their duties are the advancement of Haqim’s Laws (and, depending on Alamut’s political climate, the Path of Blood). However, they are also the keepers of Alamut’s library and museum and the core of its defenses should the Mountain ever come under assault.

[Schismatic: A sizeable portion of the silsila‘s score of members declared schismatic loyalty; none are known to have survived to the present night in the face of fierce loyalist attacks.]

[Loyalist: All silsila that remain are strong Path of Blood adherents, and continue their stewardship of Alamut to the present night, as they fulfill their role under ur-Shulgi’s fanatical supervision. Their composition reflects the distribution of the castes within Alamut: Warriors make up the vast majority of the silsila, with a handful of sorcerers and only one (presumed) vizier member.]

The Council of Scrolls:“Those who rise up in front of us are not greedy, but they have the patience and wisdom to peruse the knowledge that is out there in this world. For we are vast in fields of stud; just as vast as the great unknown, diversity is our strength and not our weakness.” ~Makyron Sioned, Seat of Tongues, Schismatic”

The Council would be best understood by many to be more than just a body of scholars and learned men and women. They are also the counters and judges of Prestige in the modern night. These individuals assist the Du'at in the need to keep order and record on the deeds accomplished by the Clan. They grant Prestige dependant on the actions of the individuals and their combined word can only be over-turned by the leader of the Caste in which they are 'judging' or the Eldest himself. Only in the absence of an organized Council do the Caste Leaders (the Du'at) reward Prestige.

Lesser Offices & Ranking:

Vizier & Sorcerer Ranks:Rank 1: Aspirant:Rank 2: Associate:Rank 3: Master:Rank 4: Distinguished Master:Rank 5: Full Master:

Vizier & Sorcerer – Inner Caste Prestige- Emeritus

Warrior:Rank 1: Fida’i:Rank 2: Rafiq:Rank 3: Emektar:Rank 4: Hagakure:Rank 5: Sharur:

For Loyalists Warriors please read in Loyalist section of the packet.

Petitioning the Council of Scrolls: Once an Assamite as reached a certain level to where he/she must petition the council of scrolls to rise in rank. The Council will review their request and then arrange a meeting place for the test to occur. Now, there is no set format each are individual as each Assamite. A player must meet the out of character requirements; email the Council of Scrolls Subcoord or the Assamite Coordinator. They will then contact the players STs to verify they meet all requirements and permission to test the PC. It is really all depending on which Council member you petition, for what your test will be like.

Assamite Rank Requirements:

Vizier Caste – Rank Requirements:Note: The abilities chosen as a Vizier’s primary area of study should be supported by secondary and tertiary abilities that mesh with their chosen field of study. These abilities tend to be more academic in nature (history/lores, linguistics, science, political/legal, et cetera). Rarely are such fields of study inclusive of direct combat application (e.g. brawl, melee, et cetera).

Rank &Requirements

Primary Area of Study & Supporting Abilities: Player’s Choice (see above)

Knowledge: Lore & Language

Allies, Contacts,& Resources

Influences

Rank 1: Aspirant 5(*) 3 2 n/a n/a n/a 3 3 1 1 1 5Rank 2: Associate 5(*) 5(*) 3 2 n/a n/a 6 6 2 2 2 10Rank 3: Master 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 4 3 n/a 12 12 3 3 3 15Rank 4: Distinguished Master 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 4 3 15 15 4 4 4 25Rank 5: Full Master 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 20 20 5 5 5 35(* Ability specialization required)

Warrior Caste – Rank Requirements:Note: We have incorporated a five tier ranking system for the Warrior caste to bring them in-line with the other two castes, and to encourage character growth and development. You will also notice that the title “Castillian” (which means “Spaniard”) has been removed due to a lack of genre continuity. Those who had officially attained the rank/title of Castillian by approaching the Council of Scrolls (requiring Coord/Subcoord involvement) and meeting after meeting all of the requirements, will retain their rank, but will now go by the title Emektar.

Rank & Requirements

Primary Abilities: Melee, Brawl, Dodge, Stealth, & Athletics

Secondary Abilities:Player’s Choice

Celerity Obfuscate Quietus Out-of-Clan:Player’s Choice

Rank 1: Fida’i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 n/a n/a n/aRank 2: Rafiq 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 n/a n/aRank 3: Emektar 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 n/aRank 4: Hagakure 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 1Rank 5: Sharur 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 5(*) 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 2(* Ability specialization required)

Fida'i = Arabic - meaning; DevoteeRafiq = Arabic - meaning; BrotherEmektar = Turkish - meaning; VeteranHagakure = Japanese - meaning; Practical and Spiritual guide for a Warrior -- also, The Shadow of the Leaves.Sharur = Sumerian - meaning; Supreme Hunter

Sorcerer Caste – Rank Requirements:Note: See the ‘OWBN Assamite Sorcery Packet’ for further explanation as to why these three abilities; Theology, Meditation, & Astrology are required for ALL practitioners of Assamite Sorcery.Rank &Requirements

Ability: Theology

Ability: Meditation

Ability: Astrology

Rituals Advanced Paths

Rank 1: Aspirant 1 1 1 5 1Rank 2: Associate 2 2 2 10 2Rank 3: Master 3 3 3 15 3Rank 4: Distinguished Master 4 4 4 20 4Rank 5: Full Master 5 5 5 30 5

Additional Prestige:

1) "The Du'at"The Du’at titles (Caliph, Vizier and Amr) conceivably add 5 additional Prestige points while a member of the Du'at holds that title. For example: Tegyrius, the Vizier of Viziers, can claim up to 10 Prestige with in Clan Assamite (His Vizier Prestige of Full Master plus an additional 5 from his title as 'The Vizier').

2) “Rigorous Training”‘Seven plus Seven’ is not the traditional way the Assamites embrace their progeny and raises them. This method of seven years as a Ghoul plus seven years as a Vampiric Fida'i was brought forth by the (at the time) Prestigious Warrior camp known as the Web of Knives. In some cases, this training technique flowed over into the other Castes as well as dwindled in the Warrior Caste. If this is the case, players that take the merit "Rigorous Training" are seen as one Prestige higher than their peers. But this merit comes with a slightly Flaw. Due to their very nature they are expected to act with much more honor and integrity that their supposed peers. In the Warrior Caste, this means that an individual with this Merit can be seen and treated like a Rafiq instead of a Fida'i and expected to act appropriately or else receive more punishment, while in the other Castes this merit would make their peers expect much more from them than others who were embraced and not put under such rigorous training. Such rigorous training is engrained into the individual, and for them to fail is seen as alarge blemish upon them. Note: For Assamites in play, this merit can be seen as retroactive upon confirmation from their STs and costs 2 XP to purchase. Please see the Merit and Flaw section of this document for more information.

3) "Seat Holder". Each member of the Council of Scrolls is seen as having 2 prestige points higher than their rank. (For example: A Distinguished Master who sits on a Seat of the Council of scrolls would be seen as having 4 + 2 for his holdingof that seat)

4) "Seat Aspirant". These are those who are seen as Assistants to a Council Member as seen as 1 prestige higher than their rank. (Note: Seat Aspirants are chosen by the Seat Holders alone).

5) “Emertius” (Viziers/Sorcerers only).Appended to any title of master or greater (“Distinguished Master Emeritus”), this title denotes a Master who has withdrawn from active participation in clan affairs butwhose expertise is still acknowledged and respected. Most often in the Final Nights, this is used to mark an elder who has entered torpor to await Haqim’s return or to ‘contemplate his or her knowledge for a later time’. More colloquially, it can also refer to a sorcerer or vizier who has declared dispossessed status by actively refusing to choose a side in the Schism. Obviously a Schismatic Sorcerer or Vizier cannot claim this Prestige, but the two Castes in the Schism award it to their brethren none the less. Should the holder of this Prestige ‘return to the fold’ the possessor loses it. (Coordinator Verification) This Prestige adds 1 to the total Prestige the possessor holds.

6) “Master of Weapons” (Warrior only)This is more a Title than an additional Prestige. Granted to one and only one Warrior, the Schism has yet to grant this title onto one of its members. The Loyalists have granted the title to Janni, a young Warrior whose prowess great skills in every weapon imaginable, including her own body. This ‘title prestige’ effectively grants 1 addition prestige point to the holder who must defend the title from any warrior who wishes to claim it there after. Kyoshi Ji Gumo, the leader of the Aces, has said once this title is granted, he shall step down as their leader and depose his leadership to ‘The Master’, if they can best him.

7) “The Storm, the Shadow and the Tempest” (Warrior/Vizier/Sorcerer)Also known as the Iktihaam (‘the Storm’ amongst the Warrior), the Thhul (‘the Shadow’ amongst the Viziers) and the Iasof (‘the Tempest’ amongst the Sorcerers) these are the leading internal police of the Clan. There names are feared and respected by all Children of Haqim loyal to the Eldest in Exile, for often their words can mean the life or death of a individual who has wronged the Clan. While holding one of these titles, the possessor is granted 1 additional Prestige on top of his or her current rank.

8)”Voice of the Eldest”This title has been granted exclusively to Jieeda in the past 4 years. The holder of this title is said, when needed, to speak the words of Al-Ashrad directly, delivering judgments and punishments alike as well as detailing the will of the Eldest to the entire Clan. The holder of this title seen as 2 Prestige points higher as long as they are acting as ‘his voice’.

Using Prestige with in the Clan:

The Schismatics are terribly informal when speaking to each other as long as a certain amount of respect is given between them, thus making Prestige semi worthless in a world where "the Eldest shall lead". But Prestige is an important part with in the Castes when taking other members seriously. Fida'i is often given a long leash which can easily be reined in by anyone of higher prestige. In such a case, one may add the amount of Prestige they have onto their total of Social Traits when speaking amongst others of their Caste. Out side of Caste, this number is minuses by 2. Apart from any 'mechanical dynamic', those of higher rank are often heard from first and their word is taken above those of lower station by the Eldest and the Du'at. But let us remember, he who is Eldest is simply...Eldest. It's best not to pull Prestige on such an individual, especially when it goes against the Laws of Haqim.

Removing Prestige:

Note that even though the Council grants Prestige, they cannot remove it. Such things can only be done by the Eldest himself and is extremely rare. These rare cases usually mean that the individual is being stripped of his very name and the 'undoing begins' (this usually results in the individual being stripped of all prestige so his name is stricken from the Council's records and then put to death). Such action by the Eldest is the highest dishonor a Clan member can receive to the point if once finished if a Child of Haqim so much as utters the name of the dishonored individual, they too could join such a fate.

Out of Clan Prestige:

Council of Scrolls issued prestige awards: It is possible to earn or award special clan prestige to individuals outside the clan, but this requires approval from the Council of Scrolls to be considered legitimate. This is also the only way an award can be issued to a non-clan member. Such a ruling by the Council can only be over turned by the Eldest himself.

Procedure:

A brother or sister must issue a request for special recognition of the individual. This recognition may be positive or negative in nature and should be fully outlined, with as much detail as possible. The request should be posted, PUBILCLY throughout the clan, and directly to the council. (OOC: We recommend you post to the IC Assamite list, and email the AssamiteCoordinator was well) The public posting is expected to receive comments from others of the blood and such comments will be reviewed by the Council in their decision making process. Once the Council has come to consensus on the request, a public announcement will be made indicating the results and noting the details of the award, if any. Note: Frivolous proposals can result in chastisement from the Council for wasting the elder's time. This chastisement can go as far as issuance of a negative award to the requestor. As such, most clan members are only likely to issue a request when they are confident that the request is warranted. If unsure, one should discuss the matter with other clan mates before submitting an official request.

Positive Out of Clan Awards:

Positive awards are signs of a major accomplishment. One who is recognized will likely be known on sight or at least by reputation by most members of the Clan. They will be treated with respect and admiration for their accomplishments. People outside the Clan who earn such an award will in effect be considered a brother or sister, and granted all the rights and respect due to one of the Blood that has proven them-selves. Even more, so since they have started with the biases of one who is not of the Blood. The most Common ‘Out of Clan Prestige’ can only be translated from an ancient form of Enochian to "Not Thy Enemy". For those who are actually fluent enough, the translation could also be seen as "Not Food”, “Not Prey”, or “Not Hunt Worthy”.

Negative Out of Clan Awards:

Negative awards are very severe when issued against a Clan member. Most brothers and sisters would rather avoid you than be seen with you, much less associate with someone who has done anything that would warrant direct attention of the Clan Elders. As for gaining favors or approval from the Clan or the Council, the blackballed individual can forget it. For non-clan members this is the equivalent of marking a person an Enemy of the Clan. Specific details of the negative award will indicate how the person should be treated (i.e. killed at best chance, avoided as incredibly dangerous, or shunned and blackmailed at every opportunity). The most noted and common Negative Prestige given to non clan members is known as simply

"Düþman" (Turkish for "Enemy").

Lores:

Outsiders learning Assamite Lore are not privy to the last level. They can learn levels 1 thru 5; the fifth dot having to taught to them by an Elder of the Clan. Insiders who are of the Clan are privy to one stage higher, meaning level 1 and 2 are counted as level 1, and level 3 is counted as level 2. This continues up to level 6, which count to them as level 5. Assamite Lore x 1:

*You know that the primary Assamite Disciplines are Celerity, Quietus and Obfuscate, and that Quietus is unique to their Clan.

*You know that Assamites thirst unceasingly for Kindred vitae and that they have a reputation being both serial diablerists and professional assassins.

*You are aware that until recently, the Assamites had been placed under a curse by Clan Tremere which physically prevented them from imbibing Kindred vitae.

*You know that the Clan follows a very rigid hierarchy and that it is centralized around a location known as Alamut.

*You know that recently the Clan seems to have endured some sort of schism, and that a sizable portion of Assamites joined (or have at least made arrangements with) the Camarilla.

Assamite Lore x 2

*You have heard that the progenitor of the Clan is known as Haqim and that he has a unique relation to his Clan in contrast to other Antediluvians. You know that there is apparently more of a historical record following him, and he enjoys near god-like status within the Clan's ideology.

*You know that the ritual diablerie practiced by Clan Assamite is supposed to bring one closer to 'Haqim'.

*You are aware that the Assamites have developed their own Path of Morality, known as the Path of Blood, which a great number of them follow.

*You know that the curse upon the Assamites was created by the Tremere at the end of the First Anarch Revolt.

*You are aware that there are, in fact, multiple castes of Assamites: Warriors, Viziers and Sorcerers, and that each of them fulfill a different function within the Clan hierarchy. You are aware that most Assamites which outsiders encounter are Warriors.

*You are further aware that Assamite Disciplines listed in the first level of Lore apply only to the Warrior caste. You know that the Viziers possess Auspex and the Sorcerers possess Sorcery rather than Celerity,.

*You know that the Clan is traditionally ruled by the eldest among them, and that Assamites will generally defer to the eldest of their kind in a given city.

*You know and can recite the Laws of Haqim (although you may not understand their meaning).

*You know that the Du'at are the three heads of the respective castes: the Caliph (Warriors), the Vizier or Fikiri (Viziers) and the Amr (Sorcerers).

*You know that an Assamite's skin gradually becomes darker over time, rather than paler. Someone named Al-Ashrad is the notable exception.

*You know that Tariq the Silent is dead, actually very dead. Diaberlized by Madame Guil, all that he knew, all that they thought he knew, all that they thought he was, died with him.

Assamite Lore x 3:

*You know that 'Haqim' was said to be a judge for the other Clans and their unruly childer, and that some Assamites strive to carry out this imperative.

*You have heard of legendary Assamites such as: Izhim, one of the Four Seraphs of the Black Hand, present at the Convention of Thorns; Jamal, the former reigning eldest in Alamut, destroyed by Ur-Shulgi; and Thetmes, current Caliph of Alamut.

*You know that the schism occurred with the return of Ur-Shulgi, who claims to be the chosen herald of Haqim. Since his return the Assamites have split into multiple camps. They are: the Loyalists, who follow Ur-Shulgi; the Schismatic, who follow = Al-Ashrad, the former Amr of the Du'at); the Antitribu, who have joined the Sabbat (also known as the Unconquered or the Angels of Caine); and the Dispossessed, who claim no affiliation.

*You know that the silsila are a group that was supposed to directly serve the Du'at as peacekeepers and interpreters of Haqim's laws.

*You know about the series of events in the First Anarch Revolt that led to the Tremere curse and have probably read the Treaty of Tyre. You are aware that the Clan at the time refused to capitulate and join the Camarilla.

*You are familiar with the Council of Scrolls, although you do not know all of the positions and who fills them.

*You are aware that there are slight abnormalities inherent to each of the castes, similar to Clan flaws. You know that the Viziers tend to be maddeningly obsessive about their specializations; that the sorcerers seem to be constantly imbued with the aura of their blood magic; and that the warriors always show signs of diablerie (regardless of whether or not they have performed the deed).

*You are aware of some of the terms used to describe ranks of the various castes. (fida'i, rafiq, aspirant, master, etc...)

*You have heard of the order of female warriors known as the Sisterhood of the Erinyes, and of the "Thousand-Meter Club," an informal grouping of any Assamites who have managed to kill other Kindred from a kilometer away or more.

*You are aware that the Assamites have been credited with embracing such historical figures as Mata Hari (although this is disputed by the Ravnos).

Assamite Lore x 4: *You are aware that the Antitribu made up the bulk of the Sabbat's elite fighting force, the Black Hand (time to buy some Sabbat Lore).

*You have heard of the Baali Wars and how the Children of Haqim apparently fought back infernalist forces bent on overtaking the Second City. You also know the story of how Ur-Shulgi originally appeared in one of these battles, and that he is said to have single-handedly slain the entire Baali force at that time.

*You have at least heard, in passing, of famous Assamites such as: Djuhah, one of the four Seraphs of the Black Hand, and the former disciple of Izhim Ur-Baal; Fatima al-Faqadi, a famous high-ranking assassin among the warriors; and Tariq the Silent, a serial diablerist who ranks amongst the most highly sought anathema of the Camarilla, and who served as a Dominion of the Black hand.

*You have heard the stories of how Haqim created each caste in the Second City, of how he founded Alamut from a solid mountain by striking it with his spear, and of how he eventually left, disgusted with his childer's bickering.

*You know all of the major positions on the Council of Scrolls and have heard of Sarah Schneider (Seat of Copper and Lightning) who was destroyed for her part in the Schism.

*You are aware of all of the terms used to describe ranks of the various castes.

*You have heard of the Leopards of Zion, a uniquely Jewish Assamite order.

*You have heard of the Web of Knives, an elite secret assassination organization within the Clan, although you know little else.

Assamite Lore x 5: *You know that prior to the lifting of the curse, Assamite sorcerers were said to have created a ritual whereby one could create a false diablerie through the ramification of accumulated blood, and this is why the warrior-assassins for so long accepted blood as payment for their services and tithed it to their Sires.

*You have heard that the Schismatic have digitally preserved the Alamut libraries which Ur-Shulgi ordered sealed, and that great magical defenses have been put in place to preserve them.

*You have also heard that it is from the Baali, not Caine, that the Assamites acquired their Clan curse.*You have heard of the Heartsblood, a mystical well once rumored to be within Alamut. It is said that when any Assamite placed a drop of his blood into the Heartsblood, the entire well would bubble with similar vitae, and that skilled sorcerers could from this donation recall the blood of any Assamite who had used to the well.

* You know the Truth behind Tariq and his duties. To perpetuate the lie and continue the “bad Assamite diablerie spree”, that all of our crimes, our misdeeds, were blamed on this one man alone. By us.

Assamite Lore x6: *You have heard a terrible rumor about precisely what Sarah Schneider discovered regarding the nature of Ur-Shulgi, and you know about Nap-Sheptha, the grisly spirit that guards her remaining digital copy of the Assamite libraries

*You have heard any and all extant stories pertaining to Haqim, his teachings and his life, and have probably read the entire corpus of his ascribed writings.

*You know the truth and not rumors behind Ur-Shugli and his design by Haqim.

*You now know Tariq's real purpose (see the Assamite Coord for details and or read their ed Clan Book).

The Darkening:

All Assamites do indeed grow darker as they age, quite unlike other Cainites, who become progressively more pallid over the years. Several Assamites have charted the rate of this shift over the millennia. Their observations have produced the following guidelines:

* Assamites experience the initial post-Embrace pallor that other Cainites undergo for approximately two to five years, after which their skin returns to its mortal coloration.

*All Assamites experience an odd darkening of the skin with age, but the auras of each caste’s members shift in radically different manners after the Embrace.

*Darkening begins between 50 and 100 years after the Embrace and proceeds at a steady rate until the individual’s skin is obsidian black and slightly shiny. This stage is reached at around the first millennium of unlife. With access to the proper reference materials, it may be possible to determine an Assamite’s age to within 50 years by indexing his skin’s coloration and luster.

*Frequent diablerie measurably speeds the process, rendering the normal dating procedures ineffective.

No Assamite has satisfactorily explained why al-Ashrad, alone of the Children of Haqim, has pale white skin. The Amr himself has offered no hints.

Bloodlines:

Bedouin:North Africa is home to a small nomadic warrior line of Bedouin stock that practices Animalism and makes extensive use of ghoul predators and warhorses to maintain their dominion over the thinly populated wastelands that they call home. These individuals hold no sectarian allegiance and are only nominally loyal to Alamut.

To play a Bedouin Warrior:This bloodline has the following inclans: Celerity, Quietus, Obfuscate, Animalism This bloodline is consider Rare and Unusual in OWBN, and is classified as Rare. Please work with the Assamite Coordinator’s Office

The Byzantine Viziers(from page 46, 3rd Ed Assamite Clanbook)

One group amongst the viziers was active in Byzantine politics during the empire's nights of prominence, and it's survivors and their descendants still favor Presence over Celerity. Perhaps two dozen members of this courtier line exists in the modern nights, and they are largely confined to the Middle East, acting on their own agenda in the courts of Ashirra (they are considered Dispossessed). The Ashirra, from the Arabic word for brethren, is the organization under which Islamic kindred declare their faith in Allah, and which rules over Arabia and North Africa, beginning in the Dark Ages. Members of the Ashirra believe that redemption for the kindred was among the promises Muhammad made if they chose to follow Allah. While some kindred are true followers of Islam, the vast majority of kindred involved in the Ashirra follow Islam because it is convenient for them or to make it easier to operate in the Middle East. Like the Camarilla or Sabbat, the Ashirra is prone to power plays and political maneuverings.

To play a Byzantine Vizier:This blood line has the following inclans: Auspex, Presence, Quietus This bloodline is consider rare and unusual in OWBN, and is classified as Rare. Please work with the Assamite Coordinator’s Office

Web of Knives: See Loyalist section.

Clan Infiltrators

“We have spent hundred of years watching you, listening to you, talking like you and even being you. Do you really think we would be so fooled?” – Jalal ibn Jamal, former Caliph of the Schism.

This is a rarity among Assamites and they are sought out and destroyed upon their discovery. While Assamites are indeed capable of being infiltrated, it does not happen often because the knowledge, lore’s, skills and general expertise is extremely hard to come by. Assamites are typically tight- lipped about their Clan and its structure to outsiders.

There are basic signs that Assamites use to be sure that those professing membership are actually of the Blood of Haqim. The signs include: each Caste's Aura, the skin coloration of their fellow clan mates, and their general lineage. Lineages are known and can be researched by many Vizier Mentors.

Infiltrators into clan Assamite must be passed by the Assamite Coordinator and notified to council before coming into play, both as this is such a rarity and so the Assamite Coordinator's Office can be sure of the validity of the infiltration. This includes those wishing to infiltrate the separate factions of clan Assamite. This does not mean that there can not be infiltrators, but this is an explanation to something that is Rare and Unusal.

Adoption:

“Yes, you have done Haqim’s work, and you have emulated his Blood with your words, actions and deeds. But I will never… NEVER call you ‘brother’. That right is reserved to those whose blood is pure and whose spirits are not greedy in their aspirations.” – Dominus, the current Caliph of the Schism.

Many a humane Child of Haqim has debated this point with their Elder on how 'one has proven themselves' or 'one should have been embraced a Child of Haqim'. The grand majority of the time the Elder's response is "if they were meant to be embraced by Haqim's family, it would have been so. Do not ask again." Such is the way of the Clan. Only those who can prove they are of Haqim's lineage are brought forth into the folds of the Clan and given rank amongst their brothers and sisters.

Merits and Flaws

(The following Merits and Flaws are from various sources. Some were created by the Assamite Coord Team, while others taken directly from the 3rd Ed Clanbook and better explained, and some were taken from the web site of Clayton Oliver, creative writer of the 3rd Ed Clan Book.)

Un-aging(2 pt Supernatural Merit, taken from Clayton Oliver's web site) Your skin does not darken, as does that of most Assamites. While this is of little advantage to the average neonate, it will become progressively more valuable as you grow older. Characters with this Merit have the same physical appearance as Cainites of other clans — that is, pale and lifeless — but they do not encounter the typical Assamite social difficulties after their first few centuries of un-life and they find passing as a member of another clan much easier. Only an Assamite of tenth generation or lower may take this Merit, and it is lost if she drinks her way to ninth generation or higher.

Magical Addict(3- or 5-pt. Physical Flaw, taken from 3rd Ed Clan Book) Whether through a weak will, a lingering anomaly from your mortal days or overuse of ritual components like kalif, you have become addicted to the alchemical psycho-active drugs that some sorcerers use to focus their blood magic. Going beyond a mere physical or psychological addiction, this dependence goes so far as to affect your very mastery of the powers at your command. Your competence with Assamite Sorcery is dependent on the frequency at which you cater to your addiction. If you take the Flaw at 3 points, you must bid two extra Traits on all challenges related to your blood magic when you are not under the influence of your substance of choice. For 5 points, you may not use any of your blood magic powers or rituals without the aid of your preferred chemical. You may not take this Flaw unless you have at least one basic Assamite Sorcery power. For the assistance of the terminally stupid, we’ll say this explicitly: Role-play your character’s drug use, don’t actually do it yourself.

Un-Broken(3-pt. Supernatural Flaw, taken from 3rd Ed Clan Book) For whatever reason, the Tremere curse was stronger in you than in most of your clan-mates. This was no great liability while all of you were so afflicted. However, when ur-Shulgi cast the Breaking, the great ritual's power did not fully cleanse you. You now share your caste's thirst for Cainite blood - but for you, the very substance you crave is still a poison. MET System: You take one health level of lethal damage for every Blood Trait of non-Assamite blood you ingest, although these Blood Traits ‘do’ enter your Blood Pool after the damage is inflicted. You may not use Fortitude powers or other supernatural abilities to reduce this damage. You gain one free retest on every Self-Control challenge dealing with the warrior caste flaw.

Echoes(1- to 5-pt. Supernatural Flaw, adapted from Mage: the Ascension and taken from Clayton Oliver's web site) This flaw, appropriate for Assamite sorcerers, flows from the supernatural nature of these beings. It is degreed from 1 to 5 points and causes reality around the character to behave unnaturally. If taken for 1 point the flaw's effect is barely noticed; milk curdles, water whirls in the other directionthat it is supposed to, and similar effects.

For higher levels the effects are more distinct; smoke from a cigarette flows against the wind, or light breezes permanently accompany the vampire. At the highest levels the flaw is quite severe; things start to levitate, door swing shut, sweet tastes bitter, shadow falls in the opposite direction, and so on. This flaw doesn't create things that don't exist, like hallucinations. It

is reality's recoil from the magical essence of a vampire mage.

Rigorous Training(2 pt. Social Merit, made by the OWbN Assamite Coord Team) "Seven plus seven" is not the traditional way the Assamites embrace their progeny and raises them. This method of seven years as a Ghoul plus seven years as a Vampiric Fida'i was brought forth by the (at the time) Prestigious Warrior camp known as the Web of Knives. In some cases, this training technique flowed over into the other Castes as well as dwindled in the Warrior Caste. If this is the case, players that take the merit "Rigorous Training" are seen as one Prestige higher than their peers. But this merit comes with a slightly Flaw. Due to their very nature they are expected to act with much more honor and integrity that their supposed peers. In the Warrior Caste, this means that an individual with this Merit can be seen and treated like a Rafiq instead of a Fida'i and expected to act appropriately or else receive more punishment, while in the other Castes this merit would make their peers expect much more from them than others who were embraced and not put under such rigorous training. Such rigorous training is engrained into the individual, and for them to fail is seen as a large blemish upon them. While it allows the individual to be treated as though they are of a higher rank, they are not actually of a higher rank, and the individual should always keep that in mind when speaking to their peers or their betters.

Warrior Weakness(3 pt. Supernatural Flaw, taken from the Laws of the Night and further explained here) All warriors may become addicted to the blood of other Cainites. Every time a warrior tastes Kindred vitae, the player must make a Self-Control test (verse 4 traits). If this test is failed, the character becomes addicted. From that point on, every time he comes into contact with that Cainite's vitae, the player must make a Self-Control test again or the character enters immediate hunger frenzy.

The warriors also suffer from stained auras- an inspection of a warrior's aura reveals signs of diablerie, even if the character has never so much as tasted Caintie vitae since his Embrace. The caste widely believes this to be a remnant of their judges forbears' practice of ritual diablerie in the Second City. This staining is little problem among the loyalist or the Antitribu, but can be a severe impediment to a warrior who seeks Camarilla acceptance.

We have listed this Flaw as this has been known to spread over into the other castes.

Sorcerer Weakness(3 pt. Supernatural Flaw, taken from the 3rd Ed Clan Book and further explained here.)The sorcerers claim to have practiced blood magic since the nights of the Second City. Whether or not this is the case, they have been at the task long enough for it to mark them, even those who do not make extensive explorations of Assamite Sorcery. A sorcerer's aura always shows the distinctive signs associated with blood magic, and any observer with theability to recognize auras will always see these markings.

Any use of Aura Perception on a sorcerer reveals that he practices blood magic, even if the character has no knowledge of Thaumaturgy or Assamite Sorcery and even if the observer fails the Static Mental Challenge required to read the sorcerer’s emotional state.

All uses of Auspex or other supernatural perception on a sorcerer gain two bonus Traits. Any observer using supernatural perception to pierce a sorcerer’s Obfuscate is considered to have one more level than she actually has for purposes of comparative power levels. For example, a character with Aura Perception attempting to penetrate a sorcerer’s Obfuscate treats his Auspex as if he knew The Spirit’s Touch when comparing it to the sorcerer’s level of Obfuscate mastery.

For those in and or outside the Clan that learn Assamite Sorcery who are not of the Assamite Sorcerer Caste, it is recommended that they take this Flaw.

Vizier Weakness:(3 pt. Supernatural Flaw, taken from the 3rd Ed Clan Book and further explained here)A vizier character has an Obsessive/Compulsive derangement that is related to the creative or intellectual Ability in which he has the most Ability Traits. When this derangement is active, it displays itself in subtle patterns in the vizier’s aura. An observer who uses Aura Perception on the vizier while this derangement is active may make a Static Mental Challenge againsta difficulty of the vizier’s permanent Mental Traits. Success lets the observer know what the derangement’s focus is. The observer must have at least one Ability Trait in Empathy to attempt this identification.

Despite their protestations to the contrary, the viziers are mad- at least, by the standards of the game system. Every vizier finds himself caught up in the continuance of his chosen pursuits to the exclusion of trivial concerns such as daily shelter or

nightly nourishment. If the character has a particular area of expertise, he focuses on it to the point of monomania. Ifthere is no such focus for his nightly existence, he fixates on the minute details of routine tasks.

This derangement flaw sometimes bleeds over into the other Castes, and as such is available to non-Viziers. It is recommended for all the Caste Flaws, that they not be allowed to be bought off as Haqim and the Baali's curses are much stronger than any one individual's will.

Nice Blood(2-pt Supernatural Flaw, taken from Clayton Oliver's web site and modified for MET.)Somehow your vitae is not suited for the toxic effects of the Quietus discipline. It takes more effort to transform your blood into poisons and other offensive substances. All blood point cost for appropriate Quietus powers are doubled, or their effects are halved.

Example:Basic Quietus and Dagon's call (first intermediate) costs 2 blood traits to active instead of one, will Baal's Caress and Taste of Death is dependant on the blood traits spent. Each blood point causes one lethal to your opponent unless 2 blood points are spent into it to transform the vitae into a more potent material.

Familiar Faces(4-pt Supernatural Flaw, taken from Clayton Oliver's web site and modified and edited for OWbN.)In your past you diablerized an enemy of yours, after doing so their blood still circulates in your veins for some strange reason and has never left and will never leave. Anyone ingesting your blood will suddenly gain 'distinctive traits' from your old enemy (such as hair color, eye color, facial features, body structure, ect) depending on the amount ingested fromyou. Embracing someone completely transforms the person into the person you once diablerized and ghouling someone changes the person in a extreme manner. Those drinking of you or ingesting your blood not through the Embrace or Ghoul (such as other kindred) would gain certain traits of the person depending on how much is taken:

1 Blood Point - mannerisms, gestures 2 Blood Points - Voice of Person 3 Blood Points - Hair, Eyes, Skin Color 4 Blood Points - Height, Weight 5 Blood Points - Entirely mental and physical transformation. 6+ Blood Points - Residual memories remain for weeks.

Mind you the effects only last as long as the Kindred has the blood in their body, until dispersed from them they are transformed to this person you once encountered. If 6 Blood Points or more are taken, the residual memories ofyour enemy last for weeks even after the blood the individual has taken from you is spent.

This Flaw can also be a slight blessing, and I say slight because its all it is good for. It will discourage anyone who decides to drink from you and also anyone who is to diablerize you will gain this flaw yet the person they change others to will be you. Like a disease it is passed on by carelessness.

End Credits

Well, this packet has been a year in the making, I would like to thank all the Assamite players, STs and such for being supportive and making this happen.

I would like to thank Porch, the Sabbat Coordinator for advising me on the Unconquered section.

David Herold for all his endless nights of work on this packet; and his contribution to the Assamite team both as a player; and as a SubCoord.

Clayton Oliver for allowing us to use his website for information and taking things from it for this packet.

Lastly but certainly not least, every single one of the subcoords, thanks guys.

~Terra