by: Xavier Lev-Argonne for Sanguinus Curae
"If you ask anyone about the Salubri, you know what kind of answer you'll get: demons, soul-suckers, diablerists, monsters, infernalists, whatever. 'I hate to sound like an anarchical weasel here, but has anyone actually met a Salubri? Nuh-uh. Didn't think so.
"Y'know who started these rumors? It was the Tremere. Ever so long ago, when they first came into existence, they rambled on about how Saulot and his kin were all demons from the depths of hell and yonder. And people (id est, Kindred) actually brought that load of bull, ignoring the obvious fact the Warlocks were trying to save their own asses.
"Now, I've never met a Salubri, so I can't say anything for sure. Maybe they really ARE demons and diablerists. Maybe they aren't. Frankly, I don't know or care. All I'm saying is that look at the source of the rumor. The Tremere, the enigmatic, kooky freaks with pointy hats who deal with blood and demons and fire as a part of their everyday life! And from what I've heard, the Tremere's founder was a grade-A narcissistic asshole to begin with.
"So, on one hand we've got the esoteric bloodline no one has ever seen since about 1200 years ago being hunted by the magicians with REAL demonic origins, and they're trying to tell us the race THEY hunted and slaughtered are pure evil? Bull!
"But we've still got all these dumb-asses who get up in arms at the mere mention of a Salubri within a radius of 300 miles. I swear to God, some of these Camarilla folk are more dense (and easily manipulated) then a group of Texas rednecks on Sunday."
-Snotrag, Nosferatu sculptor
by: Helix for Sanguinus Curae
Cyclops, soul reaper, healer, and savior: All these and many more have been used to describe the nearly extinct clan known as the Salubri. A clan once known for its powers of healing is now feared by modern kindred, who have fallen victim to Tremere propaganda branding the Salubri to be the very demon-kindred they once hunted. A clan torn, tattered, and almost destroyed, the Salubri teeter on the brink of destruction in modern nights...but some whisper that like the legendary Phoenix, this destruction will herald a rebirth.
Saulot's original occupation before his embrace is argued. Some say he was a man of great meditation, while others say he was a holy, zealous warrior. In either case, the clan has always been split into two castes, or bloodlines: the healers and the warriors. Before the Dark Ages and the rise of the Tremere, Salubri healers were renowned and welcomed into all courts in Europe, with few exceptions. Diplomatic and passive to an extreme, the healer bloodline was deeply respected for their insight into peace from the beast within, and peace with the world itself.
The warrior caste of the Salubri is another tale, respected for their zeal to fight, and their inherent ability to wreck unspeakable havoc in melee combat. The warrior caste of the Salubri were the opposite side of the coin from the healer caste, though both sought the destruction of evil and the beast within in their separate ways - the healers through diplomacy and peace, the warriors by forcefully excising and cauterizing areas that required force.
The Dark Ages heralded another age entirely. Few of the warrior caste survived into this age, and even at this point they were a rarity. When they appeared, they were true holy terrors to the evil they fought. With the diablerie of Saulot himself, the clan was splintered. The healers sought refuge in whatever court they could, with the Inconnu and Brujah offering firm shelter for the fleeing healers. The Setites found the fall of the Salubri to be a thing of comfort. The near destruction of a clan that thought unlife was a path to salvation instead of damnation was more than a victory for them.
By the end of the Dark Ages, things were becoming increasingly grim for the Salubri. Tremere propaganda and war parties hunted and destroyed all Salubri they encountered, with the Tremere flexing political muscle to force Salubri out of safe havens and into their deadly embrace. The rise of the Sabbat, of the Anarch revolt, found some of the more resentful members of the clan turning coat and becoming the antithesis of what the Salubri once were.
The clan itself is barely known within the Camarilla sect in modern days. When found within a Camarilla city, Salubri are quickly destroyed or taken by the Tremere for 'study'. Either way, the unfortunate kindred are left in ashes. The main bloodline of the Salubri are in fact very soft spoken by nature; in attitudes and demeanors, they are reminiscent of holy men and women, with little to no indication of the beast that plagues the kindred. Calm, humane, and lacking any inherent powers for battle, it is little wonder why this clan has chosen to go into hiding, masquerading in cities as different bloodlines and clans. Most often, members of this clan will play an extremely passive role in a city, making more than sure to avoid the clan Tremere, who still hunt them to this day. The clan's odd habit of childer diablerizing sire before being released makes for even greater propaganda for the Tremere to use.
The Salubri Antitribu of the Sabbat have resurrected the Warrior caste of the clan. Salubri within the Sabbat have regained the dreaded prowess of combat that the warrior bloodline of old was feared for. Salubri of the Sabbat have been called walking tanks with 3 eyes, as they tend to armor themselves heavily before arming themselves with swords and other melee weapons. The years within the Sabbat have changed the Salubri from pioneers of good to harbingers of chaos. Their single-minded goal is the destruction of the Camarilla that helped destroy their clan, which makes them excellent in city sieges. Few who meet a Salubri AT in combat live to tell about it. Few would provoke a Salubri AT to anger. The Antitribu are known as the 'Furies', as their rage and anger against the injustice of the past surpasses any that their Sabbat brethren could ever muster.
All in all, the Salubri are rarities in modern times. The main clan is in hiding, and the Antitribu wage war and destruction against the Camarilla wherever they can. A clan that boasts both extremes of Kindred existence, and yet threatens to become the greatest power of all, as those close to Tremere, the very same who diablerized Saulot, have found that he has grown a third eye - mimicking the antediluvian who's life he supposedly ended.