An Overview of the Samedi
Description
No one is sure precisely how the Samedi came about - on one hand, their hideous appearance and Obfuscate make it seem like they're an offshoot of the Nosferatu, but on the other hand their other clan disciplines point to the Giovanni. It is known that the Samedi are a relatively recent phenomenon, occuring in the last few hundred years. Most nights, no one is eager to claim responsibility for a bloodline that rots and stinks, but both the Nosferatu and Giovanni get along with the Samedi surprisingly well. This is good, since the Samedi often work as spies and assassins and it pays to be allies with such people. It is not out of the question to assume that the Samedi were created through a ritual that involved both Nosferatu and Giovanni blood, much like the ritual that created the Gargoyles. There are also rumors that say the Samedi are linked to the murdered Cappadocians, although this speculation begs the question: if the Samedi might be Cappadocians, why would the Giovanni let them live, let alone be friendly with them?
All in all, the Samedi choose to Embrace people who are well associated with death, like morticians, and they also look for those on the verge of suicide. After the Embrace the Samedi often find themselves fascinated with death in all of its forms, leading to their practice of Necromancy and Thanatosis. Those inclined toward Obfuscate are the ones that lean towards surveillance and contract killing.
Allegiances
The Samedi are largely independent but there are a few members to be found in the Camarilla, Anarchs, and Sabbat.
Founder
A creature called Baron Samedi is known to be the Samedi's clan founder; it is also said that he influenced Vodun beliefs in the spirit they call Baron Samedi. In the second edition Giovanni clanbook a description of the Baron is given in horrific terms: he is an oozing, decayed corpse with a smell of rot that makes people nauseated from a distance - even Kindred find that smell unbearable. It is said that he met with Augustus Giovanni but that the meeting did not go well, and the two despise each other. Besides this, little else is known of Baron Samedi, including his recent whereabouts. It may be that he maintains contact with his descendants, but if so, they keep it to themselves.
Weakness
The Samedi are horrible looking since they resemble rotting or mummified corpses, but they also suffer from a powerful scent of rot.
Disciplines
Necromancy, Obfuscate, Thanatosis
Gaming Concerns
The Samedi are a case in point when it comes to the differences between second and third edition products. In the second edition Vampire Player's Guide, the Samedi are rumored to have come from the Nosferatu and the Giovanni. Thus, the Samedi get along with both clans and even hesitate to kill them without major compensation. By the time that Clanbook: Giovanni came out, however, the game was changing its tone. That clanbook records the rumor that the Samedi are somehow linked with the Cappadocians, and even goes into a story about how Baron Samedi met unfavorably with Augustus Giovanni.
By the time third edition came around, the Samedi's clan disciplines were changed to Obfuscate, Fortitude, and Thanatosis, and it's no mistake that Fortitude was also one of the Cappadocian's clan disicplines. White Wolf seemed to be setting the Samedi up to either be the Cappadocians in hiding or a Cappadocian offshoot. Then they created the Harbingers of Skulls and resurrected the Cappadocians through them.
Given all of this confusion, a Storyteller will have to decide what their vision of the Samedi entails. Do the Samedi have something to do with the Cappadocians? Which clan disciplines do they actually have? There's plenty of room to decide.
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