Beast
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WIP Article Warning! |
Inside every vampire lurks an impassioned, hungry creature that is the opposite of the Man. It is the Beast, and the Beast knows only three activities:
Kill, feast, sleep. It is the roiling, inchoate desire every Kindred feels to slay her prey rather than taking just enough. It is the inevitable urge to be what the vampire is — a predator who doesn’t answer to the will of men or hide from their numbers. When the Beast takes control over a vampire, she is said to enter a state of frenzy, directing the Kindred into a response of fight or flight.
The Beast is an innate predator that awakens within each vampire upon their Embrace. It is a constant pressure acting upon a kindred, intentionally destroying the Humanity inside of them to turn them into a being utterly enthralled by the Beast. A kindred who becomes devoured by their Beast completely undergo the Wassail, and turn into a Wight. The Beast is often times a savvy creature, willing to take very small victories in order to build momentum. In the long term, they lead the Kindred down the path of greater degradation and subservience to the Beast. Tonight she destroys a lock, tomorrow she kills an unnecessary victim in reticence. The week after, with relished excitement. By the time Woman has eroded and the Beast holds sway, there is little rational consciousness left. Recovery from these depths require profound intervention. Only from these depths, if capable and with great fortitude, may some kindred be guided into an alternative morality.
In the context of our server, your character sheet returns to a Humanity score of 1 at the beginning of the next round after they Wassail.
Two lesser forms of the Beast taking control of a kindred are the Frenzy, and the Red Fear (or Rötschreck).
Frenzy occurs when a kindred is unable to handle extreme stress such as starvation or public humiliation, allowing the Beast temporary control. When the Beast takes over in Frenzy, the vampire will attempt to feed on anything nearby, or engage the nearest combatant with reckless disregard.
The Red Fear is the flight side of the fight-or-flight dynamic. The Beast takes over a kindred during a crisis of courage regarding a mortal bane to the kindred, such as fire or sunlight. In this primal state, she will blindly flee from the source of the fear while they act to remove any obstacle and person in their way. There is no distinction between friend or foe.
Even while in relative control of themselves, kindred will avoid fire and the risk of exposure to sunlight unless absolutely necessary.
On Roleplaying Frenzy:
Characters in a frenzy are not themselves — or, more accurately, reveal more of themselves than they normally would. They will do anything to sate their hunger or destroy the source of the frenzy, even attacking other players’ characters. Characters in a frenzy generally attack their enemies first, but if no enemies are present, friends are perfectly acceptable fodder for their baser instincts. Even lovers and family can fall victim to vampires in frenzy. The character might feel remorse and hideous guilt later, but while the frenzy occurs, nothing matters save the immediate gratification of the character’s desires.
Some players might feel hesitant about roleplaying a frenzy, but such is the nature of the vampire. Players are encouraged to portray the frenzy effectively.