Table Of ContentRoses Watered with Blood
By Richard E. Dansky, con Geoffrey C. Grabowski,
Kenneth Hite, Clayton Oliver and Cynthia Summers
1
C s t t :
redits peCial hanks o
Varney the Vampire, Dracula, “The Transfer,” The Case of
Written by: Richard E. Dansky, Geoffrey C. Grabowski, Ken-
Charles Dexter Ward, Vampire Junction, Carrion Comfort, Lost
neth Hite, Clayton Oliver and Cynthia Summers
Souls, Fevre Dream, Those Who Hunt the Night and all of the
Additional Writing by: James Ki ley
other wonderful stories that have continually re-invented the
Additional Assistance: Justin Achilli, Robert Barrett, Bruce
vampire for us.
Baugh (statistics), David Bolack, Bryant Durrell, Greg Fountain,
Jess Heining, Chris Nasipak, and Alexander Williams
Development by: Richard E. Dansky
Editing by: Cynth ia Summers
Art Direction by: Larry Snelly and Richard Thomas
Art by: Gary Amaro, Andy Bennett, Matt Clark, Richard Clark,
Guy Davis, Jason Felix, Daren Frydendall, Mike Gaydos, Pia
Guerra, Mark Jackson, Vince Locke, Greg Loudon, William
O’Connor, Adam Rex, Andrew Ritchie, Steve Sadowski, Alex
Shiekman, and Christopher Shy
Cover Art: Bill Sienkiewicz
Front and Back Cover Design: Pauline Benney
Endpapers: Phill Hale
Layout and typesetting by: Pauline Benney
© 1999 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Re-
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Darkness are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing,
Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith
the Oblivion, Changeling the Dreaming, Werewolf the Wild
This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and
West, Trinity, The Guide to the Camarilla, Ghouls Fatal
themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction
Addiction, Vampire Storytellers Guide and Blood Magic are
and intended for entertainment purposes only. Reader dis-
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concerned.
The Guide of The Camarilla
2
Contents
Roulette: A Cautionary Tale 4
Introduction 10
t B i B : t s d 18
he asiCs n lood he eCt efined
Thin Traceries of Blood: The Clans 34
From The Beginning: Character Creation 60
Powers Beyond Understanding: Advanced Disciplines 80
The Rhythm of Immortality: Tactics and Systems 118
The City By Night: Building Your Setting 150
Tales of Imagination and Mystery: Storytelling 176
Allies, Enemies and Others 194
Contenidos
3
r :
oulette
a C t
autionary ale
It had been about two months since the last Sabbat scout- scouting parties with three different reports, and you can
ing excursion, which meant that we were due for another one. almost hear them tearing into each another from here once
Every so often, one of the bishops hiding in the SoCal sandbox someone takes the time to compare notes. It’s a joy to ponder.
decides the time is right to send another couple of shovelheads Vegas is a very volatile town, you see. This burg survives
into town on some sort of bad Hunter S. Thompson-style on tourism, which means that if tourists start going missing,
info-gathering jaunt, and it’s my job to watch out for that sort the visiting traffic goes down and the place goes to hell. But
of thing, Truth be told, it’s not so hard to watch out for. This if we control the take, make sure that it’s just the lonely and
town is neck-deep in anarchs who think they’re hardcases unloved who get taken, well, then, this place is a paradise
but aren’t; a real Sabbat badass sticks out like a sore thumb. for our kind. You think the casinos have all-night buffets,
So that’s my job. his Majesty (Prince Benedic, not that you should see what the streets look like. That’s why people
low-rent Giovanni Rorhstein who claims to run the town out like me — and I use the term “people” loosely — have to
of Bally’s) tells me to watch for Sabbat infiltrators, which I do. make sure that all of the rules and regulations get followed.
When one (or two, or three—they like to travel in groups, If anyone gets greedy, or takes too much, or does anything
I’ve found) members of the other sideshow up, I make my stupid in public, the entire game could go in the crapper. I
report to the prince, and we bang heads and decide what like this place, and so does His Majesty, entirely too much to
to do. The decision varies from case to case, but usually we allow that to happen.
have to he delicate about squashing the bastards as soon as The red phone rings. It only rings when there’s something
they show their faces. I mean, Sabbat spies aren’t necessarily about to go down. I sigh as the damn thing keeps jangling,
stupid; they go to ground with the best of them. That means then walk across the room to pick it up. The prince gives
that if Tzammy Tzimisce tzchows, err, shows up he’s going me a nice suite in the Mirage as part of my compensation
to do it with a safety pin fleshcrafted through his nose so be package (it’s a running joke that one of these years we’re all
can claim to be an anarch, nor Sabbat. So if I go out there going to get dental), and like that just fine. I never could
with my squad and take down the impostor, well, let’s just have afforded a place like this when I was alive, and it’s nice
say that any real anarchs he’d managed to fool would be up that Benedic appreciates what I do enough to give me this
in arms about “being oppressed by the man.” At that point as a token of his esteem.
the neonates would start throwing things and blowing the I place the phone to my ear and made a noncommittal
Masquerade to hell sideways, and that would mean more noise. Duke, the ghoul who works hotel security, answers,
work for me and mine. “Mr. Montrose?” As if it would be anyone else on my direct
His Majesty, in case you were wondering, does not like connect phone. Good help has never been easy to find.
to pay overtime. “Yes? I take it we’ve got visitors?”
No, it makes a lot more sense to play along, and then “Oh, we’ve got a live one indeed, sir.” A live one. That
either stake the spy en route to his “private audience” with the was Duke’s idea of a joke. He’d been using it every time he
prince, or feed the mark false information about our defenses, spotted a Kindred for the past 15 years, and he hadn’t quite
numbers, disposition and so on. Send back three different warmed to the notion that none of the rest of Prince Benedic’s
Prologue: A gAthering of BeAsts
5
employees found the gag particularly amusing. Still, he’s a Delgado opened the trunk, and the unregistered passenger
good man in a fight, and loyal. Plus, he has a good nose for started thrashing about. He shut the trunk and reported to me.”
sniffing out infiltrators. Useful talent, that. “Where is he now?”
“just one” “He’s at home. I rotated him off shift, so our visitors don’t
“Two, actually, A man and a woman. He’s currently giving see his face, match it with any description the childe in the
the desk help something of a hard time, claiming his name is trunk might give, and put two and two together.”
Tom Cruise. He’s too tall by half for the impersonation to rake,
“Ah. I’ll want to talk to him. Have him give me a call
but it’s one of the more clever attempts I’ve seen in a while.”
here. How about our happy couple?”
“Get his room assignment and make sure no one goes
Duke shuffled his papers and flipped to another page in
in or out once he and his friend settle in. Have one of the
his notes. ’They’re in Room 1413, and we’re reasonably certain
specials handle the valet parking on their car, and check the
they’ve done some crude lightproofing. By the sounds at the
trunk for ordnance. Also run the floorboards to see if they’re
door, they’re sleeping in the bathroom, most likely in the tub.
trying to smuggle anything in, and have your friend at LVPD
The arrangement is nothing we haven’t seen before, should we
run the plates to see if the car is hot.”
wish to extract our visitors quietly. They haven’t even made
Duke’s annoyance is palpable as he responds, “They self-
contact with any local Kindred, so it’s not as if they’d be missed.”
parked, Mr. Montrose. It was part of what tipped me off to
“Hmm. Let me think. Do we have descriptions on them?”
their presence. Otherwise, I’ll perform the usual functions, as
Without a word, Duke hands me an envelope containing
per our SOP. Do you have any other instructions?”
enhanced images of the pair from the lobby’s security cameras.
I find myself frowning. Something about this caper feels
Two are close-ups, while the third is a wide-angle pan. “All right,
wrong. “Nothing else. Just be extra careful on this one, OK?
I see the woman’s quite attractive, and that cowboy hat looks,
I’ve got a feeling.”
like it’s welded on. She probably dug herself out of the ground
“You always have a feeling, Mr. Montrose,” Duke says as he
with it. The other one— I don’t see anything interesting here.
hangs up. He’s right, though. I always have the same bad feeling
What’s the deal with the third picture? I can barely see their faces!”
in what used to be my gut, and I always give him the same orders
“If you please, Mr. Montrose,” Duke takes the picture in
once a suspicious character checks in or otherwise appeares on
question hack, grinning that smug little grin that means he
the scene, That’s one of the strengths of the team, though: rou-
tine. Tradition. The knowledge that we’re going to do it right thinks he’s about to show me up. “If you will observe, this
this time, because we’ve done it right a hundred times before. picture was taken from camera four, which takes a long sweep
of the lobby and silhouettes those who are checking in—”
“—against the mirrors on those columns.”
An hour later, Duke is sitting in the almost-but-not-quite
overstuffed beige chair in the corner of my suite, nursing a “Exactly, Mr. Montrose.” Duke is nodding, and he still
hideous concoction he calls a Rusty Nail. He claims that the has that smirk on his face. “I believe I suggested we install
taste of one of those monsters allows him To look forward camera four for precisely that purpose, so that we might see
to the tang of the vitae he receives every month from Prince if any of our guests might be—”
Benedic, but I think he just has lousy taste. “Lasombra. They actually sent in a Lasombra this
“Where shall I begin, Mr. Montrose?” he says, as I plant time. Beautiful.”
myself in the chair opposite his. Duke loses the smirk and looks slightly alarmed as I
“Start with the basics. As always.” chortle. “Mr. Montrose, shouldn’t we inform Prince Benedic?
Good old long-suffering Duke. Completely predictable. If there’s a Lasombra in the city—”
“The car was our first area of inquiry. It is, much to my surprise, I cut him off again It’s getting to be a habit. “I will inform
completely legitimate. There’s not much else spectacular about the prince in due time, in the meanwhile, I think we’re going
it, save that it can probably get up near 200 mph in a pinch, to run a disinformation job on this guy. I want you to get me,
guzzles gas dreadfully and has the sort of solid steel chassis let’s see, how about Cantor, and get the team in place, and
that can serve to knock down telephone poles.” meet me back here in tin hour.” I’m up out of the chair now,
I let out a low whistle. “Impressive. I take it the trunk pacing excitedly. This could be a good break. Duke is rising
had equipment for dayproofing?” as well, heading for the door as he mumbles some impeccably
Duke coughed embarassedly. “Delgado didn’t get a good polite and semantically empty parting.
enough look to see, Mr. Montrose.” Once Duke is gone, I head for the other phone, the one
“He didn’t? Well, why the hell not?” I fling a coaster — that speed-dials Benedic’s private line. We know better than
why the hell does housekeeping insist on putting coasters in to take our conversations onto cell phones — one particu-
my room?— in disgust. larly sensitive conversation got picked up by a kid who had
“Because of the Kindred in the way, Mr. Montrose.” stumbled across Benedic’s frequency with some sort of pirating
“The What?” device, and I had to arrange a very tricky accident on short
“Apparently there was a recently Embraced Cainite, an notice to hide the evidence. These nights, it’s all as close to
African-American youth in his early teens, locked in there. solid state as we can make it.
Vampire: The masquerade
6
That doesn’t mean that I don’t eavesdrop on other
Kindred’s cell phones. I’m just not dumb enough to use the
things myself.
Benedic’s phone rings precisely thrice before the prince
picks up. “Yes.’” His greetings always sound tentative, like
he’s afraid the receiver’s going to bite his ear. Then again,
considering how old Benedic is, I’m not surprised he still has
vague suspicions about technology.
“Your Majesty? It’s Montrose, We have two infiltrators
at the Mirage, with a third party hidden in the trunk of their
car. One of our two guests is a Lisombra, while his friend is
anyone’s guess. I’d say Toreador antitribu by her looks, but it’s
only a gut feeling.”
“Interesting,” Benedic rumbles, and falls silent for a long
moment. “What are your plans?”
I launch into my spiel. This plan might take some selling,
as it’s going to cost Benedic a valuable asset, “Well, the fact
that one member of the team’s a Keepet changes things. If
he disappears, it sets whoever’s holding his leash on alert. I’d
rather put on a good show for him and send him back with
a head full of misinformation than eliminate him. However,
this deal’s going to require a lot of selling for him to believe
it, We had better be prepared to go all the way on this one,
or he’s going to think that something’s up.”
Benedic flips through something on the other end of the
line, moves some papers and produces some other noises that I
can’t even begin to identify. “I’m interested in hearing what sort
of lies you want to pass off to our visitor, and what you mean by
’all the way.’ You worry me when you say such things, Montrose.
I am usually the one who foots the bill for your excesses.”
“You say that every time, but have I failed you yet?” It’s
an old, old argument. Benedic loves the idea that I keep his
city safe, but wishes I could do it for a bit less. When the job’s
this important, though, I prefer not to skimp on the details.
I can hear the prince chuckling on the other end, “Not yet,
and I’m hoping you don’t start now. What will this one cost me?”
I take an unnecessary, but soothing deep breath, “How
do you feel about Duke,”’
An hour later, I’m in the sub-basement of the Mirage,
the hole where they keep the janitorial supplies, the cleaning
chemicals and the bodies. Standing with me is a low-level
Ventrue flunky by the name of Alexander Cantor, who’s dressed
in a suit that’s entirely inappropriate for this puddled mess.
He keeps on stepping back and forth, in hopes of keeping the
gunk off his shoes. It’s not working.
I’ve got a headset on, and it’s linked to the mike that Duke
is wearing. “I’m inside the room and ready to go, Mr. Montrose.
Wish me luck,” I hear him breathe into his wire, and then the
rat-tat-tat of his knuckles on door. “Mr. Cruise? Mr. Cruise?”
Over the wire, I can hear the distant fumbling, and a muted
voice complaining. “I’m afraid the matter is of considerable
urgency, Mr., err, Cruise.” More mumbling, and something
about a girl. “No, Mr. Cruise, there’s no girl out here.”
Prologue: A gAthering of BeAsts
7
Duke is playing his part just right. The tone of his voice here it there were a six-pack of Caine’s blood sitting in the
indicates that he knows the “girl” story is bullshit and that middle of the floor. Still, their delusions serve my purposes,
he doesn’t care if his target knows that he does. Then there’s A meeting that would seem like a transparent scam to any
the sound of the door cracking open, and the curtain comes normal vampire makes perfect sense to a shovelhead.
up on Duke’s final performance. Duke and the Lasombra are talking, saying lots of nothing.
“We have rules in this town, Mr. Cruise— I beg your I’m suddenly anxious to get this over with, and so I nudge
pardon7” There’s more indecipherable attitude that comes Cantor, He looks at me with disgust for a second because I
over the line, and Cantor does this odd little contortion to dared to touch him, then he remembers his lines. “Duke, this
get as close to the mike as possible without touching me. isn’t Tom Cruise.” he says, with precisely zero enthusiasm,
Meanwhile, Duke isn’t breaking stride. “...appears that you Next time I’ll get myself a Toreador.
care little for the rules in our town, and that your presence is The ghoul and the vampire stop, right on the mark I’d taped
not one of benefice to us.” Now there’s some shuffling, and for Duke on the floor. Perfect. “We’ve already been through this,”
what sounds like someone waIking off.”...sure you’re familiar Cruise says petulantly. “Your clerk spelled my name wrong.”
with our Traditions, and that you have no intention of flout- He puts his hands on his hips and looks around, It’s showtime.
ing them. My employer wishes to speak to you, and I am to I drop the Obfuscate, and mentally give the guy points
escort you to his offices.” There’s nothing for a second, then for not flinching when he sees me. Even the other Nosferatu
a wisecrack and assent. They’re coming. think I’m unattractive, but he took it in stride. Beside me,
The elevator grinds to a halt at the far end of the storeroom. Cantor looks his usual impeccable self, radiating unconcern
The doors squeak as Duke and Cruise, or whatever his name as he picks some imaginary lint from his Versace. Cantor may
is, walk out. “Cruise” is tall and thin and good-looking, and be a no-talent yutz, but he at least looks the part of a player.
he’s flicking his eyes from side to side looking for an ambush. “Welcome to Vegas,” I say, “lam Montrose, and this is my
He doesn’t seem to be surprised, though, that his meeting with associate, Alexander Cantor. Perhaps you’d care to inform
“authority” is happening in a crudhole sub-basement, down us as to your business here?”
among the bottles of floor wax and crates of toilet cakes. I The Keeper sizes us up, decides he might be able to take
swear, that’s one of the biggest weaknesses these Sabbat guys us both. I can see it in his aura that he’s about to do something
have. They think that since their big bosses like to hang out stupid. “Not business. Pleasure. I’m in from California to do
in shitholes, ours do as well. Benedic wouldn’t be caught down a bit of gambling.”
Vampire: The masquerade
8
“And the Kindred in the trunk?” I raised what was left badly hurt when Stiers apparently clipped him with a tire
of an eyebrow. His move. iron from a moving car, but other than that, I was the only
“We were driving in shifts.” His tone is defensive. Be- fatality.” An untouched Rusty Nail sits in front of Duke on
side me, Cantor shifts ever so slightly, and I know without the table, a symbol of the way things were. It’s important to
looking that he’s pumping up his blood for a fight. “He had him to hang onto that symbol, I think, so I made sure to pour
the night before.” it for him when he walked in. The little things count.
I laugh, a signal to Cantor to back down. What’s going to “And is that it?”
happen has to happen, and heroics will just screw things up, “Apart from the traffic violations, yes, Mr. Montrose.
“Quite an odd set of circumstances, don’t you think, Adam We’ve painted the incident as...,” he riffles the papers again
Stiers from the Anarch Free State?” I emphasize each capital until he finds what he wants, “some sort of gang incident with
letter to make it seem like I’m proud of myself for digging riff-raff from Los Angeles. Fortunately the robbery across town
up those choice tidbits. “Perhaps an object lesson in how a few months ago makes our story seem credible.”
Prince Benedic keeps the rabble in line would do you some I nod. “Good. Did we get a read on Stiers’ lady friend?”
good.” That’s Duke’s cue, and he slams a meaty hand down “Yes. She was responsible for the corpse in the garage. Ap-
on Stiers’ shoulder. parently she has some small skill with your favorite parlor trick,
I grab Cantor’s hand and pull him back into a shadow, as DiFelice says he saw her simply appear next to the car while I
where I can hide us again. Duke’s eyes get wide as he sees us was taking Stiers to meet you. Other than that, she did not evince
vanish — that wasn’t part of his briefing. Stiers turns and any-spectacular abilities. She did, however, seem to have a rather
nearly rips the ghoul’s arm off, then slams him against a rack short temper, to the point of near-psychosis. The victim was a
of paper towels. Duke staggers, then starts screaming as the passerby headed for his own car, and she simply... snapped when he
Keeper does something to the darkness in the room that makes walked by. DiFelice says it seemed that she was tired of waiting.”
shadow spill out of Duke’s mouth and damn near tear him in “And the kid in the trunk?”
half. Beside me, I can feel Cantor tensing up like he’s going
“I believe he is still there.”
to jump into the fight, and I have to clamp my hand on his
I wave the detail away as unimportant. “Fine, fine, what-
wrist to keep him from going off half-cocked.
ever. So Stiers and his lady friend get away, convinced that
Duke is down now, the Keeper tearing at his wrists and
we’re a bunch of idiots and pushovers, and that Cantor actually
fumbling in his pockets for the elevator key. Next to me,
has some power in this town. I mean, if we were tough, we
Cantor is visibly shaking as he restrains himself from going
never would have let him kill one of our prize ghouls, right?”
after... what? The blood? The Lasombra? I don’t want to know.
Duke flinches, but it’s part of the hardening process. Once
There’s a squelching sound — blood on boot soles-— as the
you’re dead, you can’t allow yourself to shudder at the fact.
vampire heads for the elevator, then I hear the familiar grinding
“In the meantime we learned the caliber of scout they’re
sound of the doors and we’re alone.
sending in — and that maneuver he pulled with the shadows
Duke’s almost gone when Cantor and I get to him. He’s lost tells me that Stiers is some fairly heavy artillery. If the other
a lot of blood. That’s actually a plus, as it will make what comes side is using guys who are that powerful for scouting missions,
next easier. I kneel down next to him and lift his head up with then an offensive is coming. A major one. But if we can keep
my left hand. “Don’t worry, Duke. It’s going to be OK. I won’t feeding them false information about how weak we are — by,
let you down. Everything’s going to be OK,” He looks at me, say, running away the second the big bad Lasombra takes a
eyes dulled with pain, uncomprehending. I just hold his head swing at a ghoul — we can make them overconfident and
up and mutter soothing nonsense as the blood runs out of him. have them hit too early. Before they’re really ready,”
Beside me, Cantor has his straight razor out and rolls up his cuff
Duke nods, comprehending. He still doesn’t like what
so he doesn’t get blood on his shirt sleeves when it’s finally time
happened to him, not that I blame him one little bit, but
to bring Duke across. Everything’s going to plan. Everything’s
he’s a pragmatist. He understands the necessity. Meanwhile
going to be all right for Duke. Everything’s going to be just fine.
it’s up I to Cantor to get him up to speed on his Disciplines
before the assault comes, while I have to train his replacement
Duke is sitting in his same old chair, riffling the same old and maybe pick a few reinforcements out of the crowd.
papers. It took him a night to get back on his feet after Cantor Across from me, Duke flips to a clean page and starts
Embraced him, but considering what he’d been through, it’s a sketching out plans for improving the defenses on the parking
remarkably fast recovery. He’s looking a trifle pale, even for a garage. That’s the way things should be. Loyal service and
Ventrue, but otherwise it’s the same old Duke, right down to promotion, once you earn it. Now it’s up to us to make sure
the same ill-fitting blue suit. He’s discussing the fallout from things stay that way. Even if we can goad the Sabbat into
our little misadventure. “We’ve discovered one body in the striking too early, it’s still going to be a bloodbath, and I’m
garage, and one dead cashier at the parking lot exit.” going to have to be going triple-shift to keep the Masquerade
“Taken care of?” in one piece. There are going to be bodies and bullets, blood
“Of course. The cashier’s family received the normal and death every where. It’s going to be a royal bitch to clean up.
package, plus some extra flowers. There was also one tourist Still, it beats working.
Prologue: A gAthering of BeAsts
9
