The Assamites are known as a clan of assassins largely based in the Middle East; most members are of Middle Eastern descent, though in recent centuries Westerners and women have been allowed into the ranks on a more regular basis. For ages, the Assamites hunted vampires from other clans, bathing in their blood and power. A few hundred years ago, the other clans attacked the Assamites until most of them agreed to submit to a special curse: vampire blood would become poisonous in Assamite mouths. A greater portion of the clan submitted (and later on found a way around the restriction); those that didn't left to join the Sabbat.
The Assamite clan is close knit in that they don't trust outsiders and they all spend several years as ghouls training in the clan stronghold. If they fail, they become food. If they succeed, they are Embraced into the clan. Thus, Assamites tend to be very highly skilled at what they do - but not all of them are warriors outright. This clan also has a selection of vampires skilled in blood magic; if not for these sorcerers, the cursed Assamites would never have been able to lower their generation again.
The Assamites are considered an independent clan because they did not pledge themselves to the Camarilla or to the Sabbat; most Assamites serve their clan to the exclusion of other sects. Some Assamite Antitribu can be found in the Sabbat, and a few of these are also members of the True Black Hand. The Assamite that walks on their own, without any allegiance to sect or clan, is truly rare and probably quite powerful.
The Assamite Antediluvian is often referred to as Haqim and he is known to be male. Since the skin of all Assamites grows darker with age, it can only be assumed that he is darker than just about anyone else. There have been no verified sightings of Haqim in recent centuries but this is not at all surprising, seeing as how he is a true master of stealth.
Since the Tremere curse, most Assamites are actually damaged by drinking Kindred vitae. The clan also has a tradition whereby childer give a tithe of blood to their sires.
The Sabbat Assamites have to make an Instincts roll whenever they drink Kindred blood; if they fail, the next time they get near Kindred vitae they have to make another roll. If they fail that roll, they go into a blood-guzzling frenzy and after that, they have an ongoing thirst for Kindred blood. The book does not specify how long this desire lasts, which means that it's left up to the Storyteller's discretion.
Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
by: Adamus for Sanguinus Curae |
The independent Assamite clan has earned its nickname as the clan of Assassins. These fanatics hail from Middle Eastern lands, and they are renowned for their skills in combat. Often hired as assassins, bodyguards, or scourges, the Assamites are held in widespread dread. Final Death seems to follow them everywhere they tread.
The Assamite clan is as enigmatic as their favored enemy, the Tremere. Not much is known about the Assassins, yet many rumors are whispered. Their origins are said to lie at a vampire of the Second Generation, not a Third Generation founder as the other clans claim. They are rumored to perform sacred rituals that ensure the loyalty of their members, and more bolder tales of the Assassins' ventures find their ways to the ears of many eager listeners.
In nights past the Assamites were of such fanatical degree in their pursuit of assassinations and the subsequent Diablerization of their victims, that the Camarilla sect rose as one to defy them. A great Curse was placed on the clan's blood by the Tremere warlocks, rendering the Assamites incapable of consuming vampiric vitae. This Curse ensured the Assassins' place as useful, but relatively impotent, pawns. The clan obeys a sacred code of honor, and thus combined with the Curse the clan's members were often safely employed in a variety of duties, assassination the most common task assigned to them. One was never wise to invoke the clan's wrath, though. An Assamite angered is as lethal as a sunbath at high noon.
However, not the entire clan succumbed to the Tremere's Curse. A group of Assamites refused to bow down to the might of the Camarilla, and chose to join the fledgling Sabbat sect. Since then the Assamite Antitribu have played an important role in the rise of the Sabbat, as their unsurpassed skill in combat proved a valuable asset to the Sword of Caine.
In recent nights the Assamite clan seems to be undergoing drastic changes. Their old codes of honor are often discarded, and the clan's members no longer need a sanctioned contract of assassination to end the unlives of a vampire. More disturbing rumors are told, that the clan has managed to break their blood Curse, and are once again on a crusade of Diablerie. If such rumors hold true, the Saracen Assassins may pose a significant threat to the continued existence of the Camarilla sect, and the Tremere clan in particular. Vengeance holds a sacred position in Assamite ideology, and the clan has many reasons to avenge themselves on the Warlocks.
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