Children of Aquarius
by: Jimbo for Sanguinus Curae |
Millennia ago, as told in the Holy Scriptures and the Book of Nod alike, God became angry at his creations, Kindred and Kine alike. He opened the floodgates of Heaven and the oceans covered the Earth. The Children of Seth survived because God allowed and instructed Noah to build his Ark. Caine and his Grandchilder survived because of the blessing and curse of Immortality. But what of the other Kindred, the Great-Grandchilder of Caine, called the 4th Generation? Many did die, as was no doubt intended, but at least one lived, and that one was Aquarius.
What clan he hailed from has long been forgotten, and only the eldest of the Kindred know. Most theorize that he was a childe of Gangrel, though some point out similarities to the Tzimisce line. The truth may never be known. As the floodwaters grew, Aquarius used the power of his Vitae and his disciplines to change. He forced himself to adapt his powers, not merely to survive as the other Kindred of the period did (or tried to do), but to thrive. He changed his hands and feet, shaping them and even his whole body to pass easily through the water. He began to gain full sustenance from the blood of the inhabitants of the water. He became able to survive even the most fantastic depths, where the water pressure would crush lesser Kindred. The blackness of the deep protected him from the sunlight, and he became able to communicate with the other denizens of the sea.
Eventually, the flood ended (though Aquarius didn't realize right away) and he could leave the water. Yet, he found himself reluctant to do so. The blood of the animals and even of the Kine of the land was no longer appealing to him, and he longed for a return to the deep. However, Aquarius did not return immediately. He was lonely.
So he traveled among the Kindred and Kine of the land, subsisting on the creatures of lakes and rivers, and found others with which to ease his loneliness. He embraced them, and made them as he was. Seven Children of Seth did he embrace, and those seven did return with him to the deep. Eventually, these seven desired childer of their own, and Aquarius did not stop them. Many Childer and Grandchilder and Great-Grandchilder were created. Many lived in the deep, but some did not. Some lived in the lakes and rivers of the land, finding shelter from the sunlight in caves or under the sands. Others lived as the other Kindred do, though few Children of Aquarius can stand to be away from the water for long. The bloodline continues to today, though Aquarius himself cannot be found.
The Children of Aquarius have, as their legends told, existed since the Great Flood, and their founder is in fact one of the few 4th Generation Antediluvians that survived. Even in modern nights, most of this bloodline chooses to reside in the ocean, though some (especially the youngest) choose to live on land. Those who do live on land find themselves unable to live out of sight of some great body of water, ocean, river, lake, or whatever. Those who live under the waves reside deep enough that sunlight is no longer a problem.
The Children of Aquarius tend to keep themselves separate from Kindred Politics on the whole, though this is starting to change as Gehenna draws nearer. It is, however, rumored that the seven elders occasionally exert their considerable might into the Jyhad. The Bloodline is not officially aligned with any sect. A very few choose to join the Sabbat, though these are often treated with some degree of revulsion by their fellow Tritons. An increasing number, including some whisper one of the Bloodline's seven elders, have begun to join the Camarilla and many see this as an indication of a possible shift in the Children's strict policy of neutrality.
Nickname
Tritons
Quote
"The Sea is the only constant on the planet. Winds are fleeting, Earth is eroded away and Fire is quenched, but the Sea is always there. Never the same from one moment to the next, but never gone."
Appearance
The Children of Aquarius hail from all ethnic backgrounds, even some Asians. Aquarius himself is a Semite, as are four of the seven elders. The remaining three are one Ethiopian, one Arabian and One Egyptian. The only truly common feature among the Tritons is that they are all quite well muscled as a result of the great physical exertion of swimming. Tritons of 5th and 6th generation, as well as Aquarius himself, tend to have a slight bluish or greenish tinge to their skin, though not anywhere near enough to make them seem inhuman. However, this is by no means present in all 5th and 6th Generation Tritons. The land dwellers tend to wear whatever is fashionable at the time, though all have very efficient swimming clothes or wetsuits somewhere. The Ocean Dwellers will wear little or, more often, nothing, as excessive clothing hinders swimming.
Haven
No Child of Aquarius may live out of sight of a body of water, be it ocean, river or lake. They may and frequently do spend time away from such bodies, but they must eventually return. Triton homes and havens almost always have some kind of aquatic feature, be it an in-ground swimming pool or a simple fish tank.
Background
As stated, the Children of Aquarius may hail from any ethnic or cultural background, and there are an equal proportion of men and women. Most are chosen from sailors, fisherman and mariners, though anyone with some kind of passion for water will do. Those who get seasick need not apply. Unlike other clans and bloodlines, the Tritons do not need the permission of their Elders to sire, though they are raised to be selective anyway and will generally sire few, if any, childer. This policy has sometimes caused misunderstandings with the local Prince when the Triton forgets that the Camarilla still requires permission, but most such disagreements are ended amicably.
Character Creation
All Children of Aquarius have one extra dot in swimming, even if this raises them over their generational maximum for a trait. Indeed, it is rare to find a Triton who does not possess three dots or even more (for those that do not use the optional secondary abilities, the extra dot is applied to Athletics). Physical Attributes are usually primary, and Talents or Skills tend to take precedence over Knowledges.
Clan Disciplines
Auspex, Potence, Tritonis
Weaknesses
The Children of Aquarius have two separate aquatic related weaknesses. The first involves where they may sleep. Land-dwelling Tritons, as previously mentioned, must live within sight of a body of water. After seven days that they do not sleep within sight of a body of water, they must expend two blood points per night instead of one. After fourteen days (fourteen total days, not an additional fourteen days), they must expend three blood points per night and all their dice pools are reduced by 1. After 21 days, they must return and sleep for at least three days within sight of a body of water or enter torpor upon the setting of the sun on the twenty-second day (or twenty-third or twenty-fourth if they failed to spend the full three days). The only way to awaken a vampire who enters torpor in this manner is to immerse them in an ocean, no other body of water will do, for a full 24 hours.
The other weakness of the Children of Aquarius involves the drinking of blood. They only gain full sustenance from the drinking of any aquatic animal, including amphibians but excluding most reptiles (Storytellers Discretion on what is Aquatic). When draining from a land animal, the Triton gains only half of the blood points they normally would. When drinking from Humans, the Children of Aquarius only get three fourths of the blood points they normally would. This three-fourths limitation applies to Mages, but not to other supernatural creatures including, but not limited to, Changelings, Garou and Bete. Normal sustenance is gained from drinking the blood of other Kindred.
Organization
Despite how few of them exist as compared to the other clans, the Children of Aquarius are a rather tight-knit group. Any living in an area, under or over the waves, will know all of the others in that area and are generally on good terms. Even the members of the Sabbat, though sometimes ostracized, are considered part of the Children of Aquarius and will be aided in time of need. The Tritons are largely independent, but overall policy is decided by the Council of Elders, which meets every three years in the Marianas Trench to discuss policy and make decisions. This council is made up of the seven original Children of Aquarius, the only 5th Generation members of the bloodline. The Council meets at other times in other places for various reasons, but the every three years meetings in the Marianas Trench is where all far-reaching decisions are made. No other Children of Aquarius are allowed into the Marianas Trench at any time except when accompanied by one of the Elders, which is itself extremely rare. The few who have dared to try have not returned. It is rumored that Aquarius himself spends his time in the Trench, directing the whole bloodline through his 5th Generation Childer while keeping himself safe from the dangers of the Jyhad. As Gehenna approaches, the Elders make more frequent journeys to the Trench in pairs or trios, adding to the air of suspicion.
Stereotypes
Camarilla
Their motives are fine, and the Masquerade has value, but the tyranny of their elders prevents us from committing. Perhaps this will change, someday...
Brujah
Little fish that swim against the current. Beware their lack of order, but their desire for change can be constructive. Remember, water always flows.
Gangrel
Whether or not they are our ancestors, they understand the wild as we understand the water. Respect their knowledge.
Malkavian
How much do they know? Are even the secrets of the Marianas safe from them?
Nosferatu
Look past the surface, for the truest treasures are found in the deep, and even the stormiest surface can hide a calm ocean beneath.
Toreador
What do they hope to accomplish? Their "art" causes less noticeable change than a pebble on a stormy sea.
Tremere
The Warlocks are abominations, perhaps the greatest barrier between us and the Camarilla. Do not initiate them into the deep. Perhaps the time will soon be right to avenge Saulot.
Ventrue
Self-styled controllers of the Camarilla, they nevertheless can be talented administrators. Respect their authority, but be wary of their machinations.
Sabbat
Fools. They try to change the course of the river when all they want is a drink. Don't trust them.
Lasombra
Their machinations and manipulations are even worse than those of the Ventrue. Avoid them when possible.
Tzimisce
These creatures give the Childer of Caine a bad name, and the possibility that we may descend from them is not something I care to contemplate. Their sorceries are just as bad as the Tremere, though they didn't kill Saulot.
Independents
One needn't belong to a sect to protect oneself, and the Camarilla and Sabbat are fools both if they believe that only they can cause waves in the Jyhad.
Assamite
Guppies trying to be sharks, they are not what they once were and are little threat to us.
Followers of Set
Did you know that the most poisonous creatures on Earth are the snakes and serpents found at the depths of the oceans? Something to think about.
Giovanni
They have replaced the Cappadocians as the Kindred Traffickers of the Dead, though little has changed but the name.
Ravnos
Our "cousins" perhaps truly understand the value of subtle change to a flow, though recently they have turned back to the bludgeon and away from the scalpel.
Salubri
The Children of Saulot do not deserve the treatment they have received, and the waves and our own memories tell us how things once were. They will be avenged. Always respect the keepers of Raphael's Promise.
Daughters of Cacophony
CAN'T YOU WOMEN BE QUIET? YOU'RE SCARING THE FISH!!!
Samedi
Even more obsessed with death than the Giovanni, their origins are known to the waves. Beware.
Kiasyd
Their experiments with the Fae grant them great power, but do they truly understand it?
Resources are free for personal use; please do not offer them for sale or claim them as your own work.
Please do not repost material elsewhere; link to this site instead. Thank you, and happy gaming!