Brujah
BrujahBan

Nickname: Rabble

Sect: Camarilla

Clan Disciplines: CELERITY, POTENCE, PRESENCE

Quote: "Think for yourself, or you're better off dead. Either way, I'm satisfied."

Clan Brujah is largely composed of rebels, both with and without causes. Individualistic, outspoken, and turbulent, Brujah hold social change near to their undead hearts, and the clan's ranks contain some of the most violent of the Camarilla Kindred. Most other vampires perceive the Brujah as nothing more than punks and miscreants, but the truth of the matter is that genuine passion lies behind their polemics.

Brujah Kindred adopt pet passions and causes, which they support with volume and vitriol. Some Brujah follow charismatic members of their clan, while others prefer stances of blatant, defiant individualism. The clan claims a history rich with warrior-poets, and it has adapted this concept into the modern night; many Brujah are glad to have an opportunity to speak their minds, then indulge in a bit of destruction afterward to illustrate their points.

The Rabble's espousal of change unites them, albeit tenuously, in their nightly crusades. Given a common enemy, Brujah with vastly differing ideals will join side by side to oppose their foe. After that foe is defeated, however, all bets are off and it's back to business as usual. A common Brujah theme involves the foundation of a Kindred "Utopia," or the re-creation of a mythical one from nights past, though each Brujah vampire has a different idea of what said Utopia is.

Brujah rely on chaotic behavior and upheaval to get their ideas across, and the Rabble are allowed a certain leeway that other clans don't have. In fact, Brujah are almost expected to be incoherent and bellicose; this stereotype works to the advantage of many eloquent, well-spoken members of the clan, who have no need to resort to violence when making their arguments.

Respected for their martialry and readiness to rally under a banner, the Brujah are the physical strength of the Camarilla. Of late, however, many Rabble neonates see their role in the Camarilla as an institution unto itself, and more than a little unrest circulates among the clan. Other Kindred believe that the Brujah would be the first to leave the Camarilla. The Brujah believe it, too.

Brujah vary widely in appearance, though many adopt radical styles and bold looks. If dismissive stereotypes are to be believed, the typical Brujah wears a biker jacket, tattered jeans, combat boots, and a fearsome array of high-maintenance hair. In truth, few Brujah fit this image. Youthful, fashion-forward dress, and noteworthy hairstyles are indeed found among many Brujah, but others favor tasteful wardrobes that encourage others to take them seriously. In the end, a Brujah's appearance often suggestions his attitudes: A skinhead bravo is likely an open rebel or anarchist, while a bespectacled pedant in a tweed suit is probably a reformist or liberal. It should be noted, however, that given the Brujah penchant for non-conformity, any assumption of ideals based on appearance could be potentially dangerous. Brujah look how they want.

Wherever they damn well please. Are you going to tell them to leave? More so than any other clan, the Brujah keep the company of other vampires, and one haven might house an entire brood. Brujah Kindred also keep multiple safehouses and boltholes, as their conflict-driven existences often make single locations inhospitable. Some Brujah neonates even carry on the urban practice of the home invasion, Dominating or killing a home's occupants and taking over. Like other pursuits, however, home invasions rarely sustain the Rabble's interest, and the vampires often move on once they grow bored with the locale.

Brujah prefer those who espouse change in one form or another, and often recruit from college campuses, political groups, or oppressed minorities. Young Brujah may hail from any background and often have a pet cause or issue of burning personal importance. All types of dissidents find their way into the ranks of the Brujah, from bomb-throwing biker anarchists to vociferous fascists to nihilistic radicals. This is, of course, part of the reason the clan is so disorganized — hatred between Brujah is often more bitter than hatred for those whom they mutually oppose.

Brujah often have violent, criminal concepts, but they are as likely to be intellectual or socially adept. Natures and Demeanors tend to be aggressive and similar, as Brujah wear their emotions on their sleeves. Physically predisposed characters are predominant among the clan, but some favor Mental Attributes. Likewise, Skills are favored, with Knowledges running a close second. Any Backgrounds may be appropriate to a Brujah character, though many in the clan cultivate Contacts, Allies, and Herd. Very few Brujah claim Mentors.

Weakness

Fiery passion is at once the Brujah's blessing and curse. Though they're quick to adopt a cause, they're equally as quick to fall to frenzy. Of course, the Brujah rabidly deny this penchant for excitement, and become quite hostile when the issue is raised. The difficulties of rolls to resist frenzy are two higher than normal for members of Clan Brujah.

Organization

Clan Brujah is far too fractious and torn by internecine conflict to have true organization, and the clan never meets formally. Two conventions the clan does support universally are the Rant and the Rave. Rants are just that: Informal meetings of Brujah (and other insurgents, Kindred and kine) at which anyone who can scream loudly enough can have her opinions heard. Raves, named after the all-night techno dance parties started in England, are social gatherings in the guise of huge-scale musical or entertainment events. One usually leads to another, and clues to the locations of the events are often hidden in the media of the gathering in progress. These meetings almost invariably degenerate into riots, further eroding the organizational base of the clan.

Brujah Clan Guide

This is taken from a guide found with a google search. It was chosen as it was perfect to explain the clan in a nutshell for those who are new to Vampire: The Masquerade.

A Legacy of Scholars

The members of the Brujah clan intimately know the fire of their own passions and the drive to create change. Once regarded as a high clan and noble line of warrior scholars, the Brujah have tarnished their reputation, action by action, and have collectively become known as “The Rabble.” Through a litany of historical events of rebellion and both Anarch Revolts, they have fallen farther and farther from their former glory and their once bright dreams of a perfect city some called Carthage. Carthage was the great ideal. The city stood as the perfect shining example of Kindred living openly with Kine in harmony and understanding. It was in this city that the Brujah learned and prospered, while sharing ideas openly between human and vampire. While some scholars reflect that before its sacking by Rome it had turned into a den of vice, demon worship, and blood sacrifice, the ideal of Carthage has remained firmly in the mind of every Brujah since its fall. Some still cling to its tenets, others reject them wholesale as a fabled dream; however, one and all they are tied together by the shared experience of rebellion and mistrust of a system that has shown them nothing but hardship for centuries. The Rabble have since knit themselves together as brothers and sisters united by a common drive for change, but in practice this often proves to be just as fragile as the Clan’s control on the beast that rages within them.

The State of the Union

There is no one single event that turned the Brujah into the Rabble they’re seen as in the modern nights, but most lay the most recent causes of Brujah resentment at the feet of the two Anarch revolts that reverberated throughout Kindred History and forever changed the fabric of Kindred society. Brujah have always been at the center of change, which has not been without opposition.

The first Anarch Revolt erupted from the growth of vampiric kind and the fires of the inquisition. Many Elders tossed their childer away without a second thought to avoid hunters, and the Brujah Clan suffered more than most, caught without a strong base of clan power and pushed around by the ensuing politics of other clans that sought to disadvantage them. The Brujah were the first to rage against the oppression of the once secure elders, and it was their lead, some say, that created the full scale revolt. While as a Clan the Brujah would eventually be brought back into the system with the advent of the Camarilla, their role in the rebellion is still remembered by other clans to this night. Once again in 1944, the situation had come to a breaking point. This time between a majority of younger Brujah and an oppressive Ventrue Prince in Los Angeles. The conflict broke into violence and the Ventrue Prince was killed, launching a new wave of revolts up and down the California coastline resulting in the formation of an Anarch Free State that claimed to stand outside the Camarilla. The Camarilla responded in 1946, declaring the Anarchs outside the protections of the Treaty of Thorns. This was another modern reminder that the Brujah Clan would usually stand at the heart of rebellion, and for all their aid to the Camarilla, many elders wondered if they could ever truly be held in check. In recent nights the Brujah clan stands divided over its future path. The modern Anarch Movement stands outside the Camarilla, but is heavily populated by Brujah. The clan stands at a crossroads of whether to lend aid to their cut off brothers and sisters, attempt to bring them back to the safety of the Camarilla, or abandon them all together. Fierce debates have occupied many Rants over that very topic, raising for the first time in centuries the core issue of loyalty to the Camarilla and the Brujah’s place in the Sect. Many of the younger clanmates continue to rail at the only system they have ever known, the Camarilla, and some of them have even joined the more recent anarch cause. They couldn’t care less whether the Brujah were a high clan or a low clan, or even what that still means. The only thing important to them is the cause. However, many elders, still smoldering over their past losses, see the return of Clan Brujah to its rightful place as a High Clan to be paramount to its survival. These elders will do everything they can, including dragging their kin kicking and screaming, to see that goal accomplished.


The Ties of Brotherhood

The Brujah, though often at odds with ensconced leadership, have often found that clan based rituals create a sense of a united brotherhood against those that would oppress agents of change. The Brujah value their ties with fellow clan mates, who are often the only ones to understand what it is they rage against. As such, the Gauntlet, Rants and Raves have gradually been formed as Brujah ceremonies of coming together.

At first the Gauntlet seems like an unnecessary excuse for clan­on­clan violence. However, it has become a more common occurrence in the modern nights when attempting to prove oneself to one’s brothers or as a form of justice for crimes committed against the clan. When it is invoked, members of the clan will line up in two rows and the participant will be forced to run a path in between their clanmates. The clanmates will then take this opportunity to assault their clanmate while he is on his journey through the row. If the participant falls while running through the Gauntlet, he has failed to prove himself or is guilty of whatever crime he has had brought against him. However, if somehow he is able to make it through the Gauntlet, he is embraced as brother (or sister) and proven right or exonerated from his crime. This may seem straightforward at first, but it can quickly become political in nature, as the choice in action taken by a member of the Gauntlet is a vote for or against the member running it.

The Call has taken many forms over the centuries, and it represents an ability for the Brujah to call on their brothers and sisters in dire times of need. Once messages had to be sent via horseback from town to town, but now they travel by text message and social media faster then one can blink. Once the call has been issued, every Brujah who can make it is obligated to show up and support their beleaguered clan mate. This can range from political dealing to outright violence, depending on the situation and the Brujah involved. Once the danger has been confronted or averted, the gathered Rabble are free to go about their own way, but if the call was not made for a righteous and dire cause, the Brujah who put out such a “false call” will find himself on the wrong end of some very angry clanmates. Thus, the Call is only used in the more dire situations where the clan itself is threatened by outside forces and the Clan needs to rally as one to face it. The legacy of debate and discussion to create change is exemplified in the more modern tradition of a Rant. During a Rant, Brujah come together to debate the topics of the day and the policies of those both above and below them. It is in this experience one finds the vestiges of the clan as it was once known in the Dark Ages, as the Warrior Scholars, once renowned as the Learned Clan. Brothers and Sisters use this time to rail against would­be oppressors and to openly discuss issues that might otherwise be found taboo in open court. The focus of these rants is to bring the issues to the floor so that all Brothers and Sisters can become aware of them, and have a chance to settle them nonviolently and create change with the power of ideas and thought. Usually Rants are focused in one particular manner, from political rants, to rallying rants, to policy and debate. Other clans are likewise invited to these events to partake in the discourse, but the Rants remain decidedly rough and raw, sometimes too much for your salon­going Kindred. The Brujah have always known how to throw a party, but in more modern times this has become known as a Rave. A Rave is less of a focus on what the Brujah are raging against, and more of a focus on the ties that bring the clan together. Raves are giant parties, where Brujah imbibe various intoxicants, dance, and put aside any grudges or rivalries with their fellows to simply enjoy the company of fellow clanmates. Raves often follows Rants, and occasionally precede them, despite the fact that it becomes fairly difficult to get a group of Brujah to calm down and debate after the wild party Raves turn into.

This is another tradition where other clans are allowed to attend. A Brujah rave is a celebration, though far from a traditional social gathering or salon. Raves can become just as heated or physical as any Rant or Gauntlet, but the spirit remains one of brotherhood and unity.


The Paths to Change

Brujah blood calls out for them to strive forward, to cry out for change and to embrace the fiery passions of their blood. Each Brujah, at one time or another, fiercely defends their ideals and passions, defines and holds to their ideals, and proclaims his or her independence and individuality. However, even Brujah can fall into distinct branches of thought, often, but not always, based on age and ideals. For the Brujah these groups are known as the Iconoclasts, the Idealists, and the Individuals.

The Iconoclasts

The Iconoclasts embody the persona of the modern Brujah. These Rabble are not burdened by the setbacks of history or by the dreams that have long since past, but instead are focused on the here and now. These are the Brothers and Sisters more apt to create change through action and deed, rather than through ideas or discussion. They seek change, often through violent means, and are amongst the first to let their naturally hot blood lead them to direct confrontation.

Iconoclasts tend to be younger, and more in touch with the issues of the contemporary era. Few Brujah with the label Iconoclast remember the nights when they were known as a High Clan of Warrior­Scholars, fewer still when Carthage once stood as the embodiment of the clan’s hopes and dreams. This generation embraces their so-­called fall from grace, and rejects the notions of High and Low clans as being part of the system they rage against. They likewise find Idealists to be “sell­outs” and too focused on the past, while they see Individualists as disloyal to the concept of clan brotherhood.

The Idealists

The Idealists are the effigy of how the clan used to be seen. These Brujah challenge authority with ideas and politics, rather than direct confrontation. They seek to create change through challenging thought and consider long and carefully before finding the best way to hold true to the fire in their hearts. Among these Brujah dwell those that remember the clan’s long history as scholars and learned men. Amongst their ranks are also the rare and ancient Brujah who hold the dream of Carthage in their unbeating hearts. However, the Idealists, as a whole, are the most enmeshed of their clanmates in the system, looking for ways to bring about progress from inside the structures of the Camarilla. Idealists are usually the Elders and Ancillae of the clan, their beasts tempered by decades or even centuries of political struggle. Many have taken up the cause of seeing the Learned Clan take its place as a High Clan once more, and have begun shepherding the younger Iconoclasts into a more political role in the Camarilla. Needless to say, this has meet with a large resistance from the younger members of the clan, and the friction has caused more than one Rave to turn violent. Nonetheless, the Idealists tend to view the Iconoclasts as students needing to be led, and the individualists as outlyers needing to be brought back into the fold.

The Individualists

The Individualists walk their own paths, riding the line between violently passionate Iconoclasts and carefully progressive Idealists. These Brujah forge their own philosophies, that neither require adherence to past ideals nor act as immediate forces of destruction. An Individualist follows his or her own path, and everyone else is welcome to come along or stay behind as they will. They have no set goals or ideologies as a group, and that is their most defining characteristic, a complete lack of the need to function as a group or clan. Free from such considerations they still follow the Brujah passion for change in any way they choose.

Individualists view both the Idealists and the Iconoclasts as too wrapped up in someone else’s struggle to really define their own personal struggle. They tend to eschew both groups and to work with whoever gets the job done. The business of High Clan or Low Clan doesn’t even seem relevant to them.


Prodigies of Anger

A clan of activists, burdened by their own history and cast out of prestige, the Brujah have had a colorful past filled with vibrant and interesting personalities. The individuals below are a sampling of those who adorn the ranks of the Brujah clan.

Theo Bell (9th generation) ­ Archon

Theo Bell is a living legend in the Camarilla. As Archon he has earned a resounding seven accolades from the Inner Circle, an unprecedented feat. Every remnant Sabbat pack and upstart Anarch gang knows to walk softly when “Killa­B” is in their city. Rumored to have been born a slave in antebellum Mississippi, he was embraced by the renowned Don Cerro who took it upon himself to educate the fledgling vampire in scholarly pursuits, molding his mind into the perfect warrior­scholar. After the American Civil War, Don Cerro took the opportunity to show off his young progeny in Europe, and there they became close. It was no surprise that when Don Cerro was elevated to the position of Brujah Justicar, that Theo Bell followed suit as his most trusted Archon. He has continued to serve as an Archon ever since, a symbol of the Camarilla’s might and resolve.

Jeremy MacNeil (8th generation) Leader of the Second Revolt

Jeremy MacNeil was embraced in the highlands of Scotland in 1657, and was honed resisting the oppression of the English for both the Scots and the Irish. Sickened by centuries of bloodshed he moved to the American Colonies to remove himself, only to be embroiled in another conflict for American independence that soon boiled over. Jeremey took another stand against the English and helped the young Americans win their independence. As the years went by Ventrue political expansion pushed him ever westward, finally landing him in Los Angeles, where destiny had a new role to play. On a cold night in 1944 Jeremy was ordered executed by the Prince of LA for crimes against the city, instead of carrying out the order the Brujah of the city rioted and killed the Prince, starting a second Anarch Rebellion. The Anarch cause rippled up the California coast, tumbling weaker Camarilla princedoms, but the Camarilla banner of LA itself was taken up by another Ventrue Prince, who managed to keep the Anarchs from holding the city fully. Jeremy never wore the mantle of leadership well, he held a strong believe in anarchism and allowing the strong to rise to form a cohesive society of equals. Frustrated by his lack of progression in both Los Angeles and in the stalled Anarch Movement he fell out of view in the mid 1980s. Without his presence, the Anarchs have become independent gangs without much unity, but no one can say where Jeremy has gone or when he will return.

Smiling Jack (10th generation)

Aside from MacNeil, Smiling Jack is the most well known Anarch in the Free State. Rumored to have once been a Caribbean pirate, Jack is in many ways Jeremy’s opposite, preferring brute force to ideals. The egalitarian ways he learned on the high seas has stayed with him into his unlife, and he’s been a warrior against oppression since his embrace. Jack was on the front lines, leading his fellow Anarchs against the Camarilla when the Second Anarch Revolt first got going, and to this night he engages in hit and run terrorist tactics with Camarilla praxis’ all throughout the South West from his home base in California. Smiling Jack is an Anarch’s Anarch, and holds the greatest reputation amongst the gangs across the nation. With MacNeil missing, some might say that makes him the greatest leadership figure still left to the Free State, but Jack is far too occupied planning his next attack.

Dominic (6th generation)

Dominic is feared throughout the Brujah for his rage that has stretched across millennia for the lost of his beloved Carthage. A famed Carthaginian general in life, Dominic was given the embrace in the final nights of the city’s sacking by Rome in the 3rd century BC by his vampiric dominator. Dominic raged across the dying embers of the city before being forced to torpor, where he nursed a grudge for centuries while he slept. When he awoke once more he immediately set his sights on Ventrue holdings, forming mortal mercenary bands to wreak his vengeance on their lands. He found himself hunting them in Eastern Europe by the time of the Dark Ages, and his rage against the Ventrue helped ignite the First Anarch Revolt in the region, by directing Brujah of all persuasions against the so­called rulers of the area. Betrayal by one of his most trusted servants again saw him in torpor, but the clan whispers that Dominic has risen once more to seek vengeance on the Ventrue clan. He stalks the modern night, an effigy of the clan’s ancient past, waiting for the right moment of retribution.

Eleanor of Valois (6th generation) Justicar

Eleanor of Valois was embraced in 1407, a childe of the Camarilla Founder, Adana de Sforza, she was a peaceful philosopher at heart, renowned for her cool judgement and reasonable ability to see both sides of any given conflict. Like her Idealist sire, she excelled in scholarly pursuits, but unlike her sire’s often contradictory nature, Eleanor was renowned as a peacemaker and settler of disputes. Her reputation won her the honor of being the facilitator and chief spokeswoman of the Convention of Thorns, and it was her calm that was responsible for much of it’s order. The modern nights have seen her rise to the position of Justicar, despite her more sympathetic stance toward the Anarch Movement. However, Eleanor has never wavered in her strong believe that the Camarilla is necessary to create order and protect Kindred from those that would hunt them. It is believed that her influence has prevented the young Anarch Free State in California from being outright crushed by the Camarilla in favor of it’s slow conversion to Camarilla rule.

Carlack (8th generation) Clan Head and Former Justicar

Carlack was a scholar in life, embraced by Dmitra Ilyanova in 1730 for his wit and talent for debate, he traveled the world searching for knowledge, after his sire abandoned him for her latest student. After a brief tour through America, which he found too uneducated for his tastes, he found some comfort in Russia, where the revolution there and newly formed Brujah Council peeked his interests. It was during his stay his sire found him once more, and invited him to Conclave where she was announced as Justicar and in turn made Carlack her Archon. After a brief career under his sire in Russia, Carlack began working for Justicar Petrodon in 1946, specifically as an infiltrator in the new Anarch Movement. In 1972, Carlack was recommended by Petrodon over his sire, Dmitra, for the position of Justicar. The next 26 years saw Carlack working closely with the renowned Nosferatu against Camarilla threats, but with his assassination the Brujah removed himself from public office, frustrated and angered by his mentor’s death. However, Carlack has recently emerged from seclusion to the position of Brujah Clan Head. Trading on the boons and good will he earned during his time as Justicar, Carlack has been a function clan head, but resentment from the younger Brujah that view him as a “narc” has been mounting.

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