Ravnos
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The Ravnos are a fictional clan of vampires, from White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade books and role-playing games. Unlike most vampires, the Ravnos are associated with neither the Camarilla nor the Sabbat; much of the Ravnos symbology is Middle Eastern and Asian, and the organization is centered in India. In Europe, these vampires are associated with Gypsies. Their symbol is a pointed cross. Even when compared to other vampires, Ravnos are not seen as being especially honorable; they are often seen as compulsive gamblers and liars, quite the opposite is true. The one thing that Ravnos prize more highly than a good trick (and a Ravnos who manages an exceptional theft will be regarded highly indeed by his clan members) is their honor. A Ravnos never breaks her word – provided she has spit into her palm and shaken hands on it. Otherwise, the oath, no matter how fearsome, simply does not count and can be broken with impunity. They are capable of causing magical illusions.
In the late 1990s, the Ravnos had been fighting a war with the Kindred of the East, siring large numbers of high-generation cannon fodder. The mass Embracings and Final Deaths of so many awakened the clan's slumbering Methuselahs, and in turn awakened Ravanna, the clan's Antideluvian founder.
In the Week of Nightmares, Ravanna's awakening caused many Kindred (especially Ravnos) to go mad. Ravanna caused a massive monsoon to block out the sun as he laid waste to Bangladesh. Three powerful Eastern Kindred fought him for three days and nights, until the Technocracy dropped a spirit nuke on him. The attack did not kill him, but it enraged him even farther. (The blast had the additional effect of killing hundreds of mortals, which was later blamed on the monsoon; as well as bringing the adhene into the waking world, which would effect events in the Changeling: The Dreaming RPG). The Technocracy had to reflect the sun off three satellites onto Ravanna, burning through the cloud cover, in order to destroy him. In his death throes, Ravanna forced all of his progeny to engage in a brief self-destructive rampage. When their minds cleared, less than 100 Ravnos survived.
Nickname: Rogues
Appearance: Ravnos enjoy dressing in gaily colored rags and tatters, showing their tatterdemalion status off with pride. They love gold jewelry and many wear brooches with the Clan symbol.
Background: Wanderlust and a gift for trickery are all that's required for Embrace into Clan Ravnos. Certain mortal bloodlines (such as those that will someday be called Rom or Gypsies) are preferred, but runaways and buskers of all ethnicities have found their way into the clan.
Clan Disciplines: Animalism (the ability to communicate with and command animals), Chimerstry (the ability to create illusions), Fortitude (the ability to take more damage then an average Vampire)
References
- Vampire: The Masquerade (3rd Edition) by White Wolf (1998)
- Time of Thin Blood by White Wolf Game Studios (1999)