Drenis is a 7th generation transgender Cappadocian, and a member of the Inconnu's Council of Twelve.
Biography[]
Drenis was born to a family of prosperous winemakers in the late 2nd century. As their only surviving son, she was betrothed at 15 years old in an arranged marriage in hopes of continuing the male line of her family. But merely two months later war descended upon her people and she was beaten and gang-raped by enemy soldiers while trying to defend her father's lands.
The incident was kept a secret to avoid the cancellation of her marriage, but Drenis never managed to do her duty to her family as a husband. Rather than continue to shame her family and dishonor her wife, she ran away and received shelter from the priestesses of Cybele, who had also been born men, but in order to serve the great Mother, they'd symbolically become women - not only by taking on female dress and manner but also by physically removing their genitalia.
Drenis' believed her own manhood had already been stolen, and the idea of remaining in a half-state, neither man nor woman, revolted her more than the price she would have to pay to leave it, and so she joined this particular branch of the cult of Cybele as one of her priestesses. It was in that place that she met their leader, the old Cappadocian called Asushunamir, who practiced a far more ancient form of the rites of Cybele and Attis. The vampire recognized a certain darkness in Drenis, even as young as the new priestess was, and put her in charge of tending to the afflicted both before and after their deaths.
The youngster was surprised to learn the true fate of the "blessed" sacrifices' souls, but she reacted to her own embrace with considerably more horror. Drinking from mortals made her nearly as sick as facing her former bride so long ago. She would feed nonetheless, but never enjoyed it unreservedly. When the cult died, Drenis went wandering, as she never received satisfactory answers from her sire, and even the wisest death-priests of Erciyes could not answer the necessity of the cruelty, bloodlust, and suffering that go hand in hand with the vampiric condition.
When Drenis decided to seek the wisdom of the Salubri, she stumbled by chance across Demetrius and Mahtiel, and they, in turn, led her to Mokur from whom she became an avowed disciple. She appreciated Cret more in correspondence than in person, but Eshmunamash, Pentweret and Danika Ruthven greatly impressed her in different ways. Drenis eventually acceded to the demonic pact to conceal the Hunedoara Castle, in order to avoid Giovanni persecution. However, it's possible that she did that mainly in obedience to a self-destructive impulse created by the deep wounds in her psyche, given that she has always had a gentle nature, but was subjected to horrors beyond it's capacity.
While Drenis accepts human sacrifice as a fact of life, she feels that the Pact has lost all usefulness. She still assists Cret in officiating the Pact's renewal and dutifully tends to the dead at Hunedoara, keeping the castle's many unruly ghosts from wreaking havoc. She's gotten to know many of them well, but she only likes a few. What Drenis asked from the demon Nikanuuranu in exchange for doing her part would hardly be considered a bargain by most. At her request, each night after the Pact's completion she has a nightmare wherein she experiences everything the Pact's victims underwent on the night of their deaths, including whatever lay waiting immediately beyond the Shroud. She believes this to be some form of atonement in service of the Golconda, and while it might as well be, she usually awakes closer to Frenzy. She also frequently makes secret recompense to the families of the Pact victims, which in turn has gained her some mortal contacts.
Appearance[]
A fine-boned, dignified young woman with blonde, curly hair (of a shade slightly too brassy to be natural) arranged in exquisite ringlets around a simple diadem. She wears diaphanous dresses that recall Greek and Roman draping. Her voice and movements are all quite convincingly feminine, and those who have no close prior experience with female impersonators tend to be fooled completely. On the rare occasions when she hasn’t had a chance to make herself up, the tight, shiny corpse-pale skin that is her clan heritage is far more apparent.
Trivia[]
Her lineage is the direct descendant of Humuusa.
Character Sheet[]
Drenis, the Charnel-Maid
Sire: Asushunamir
Nature: Penitent
Demeanor: Conformist
Generation: 7th
Embrace: Late 2nd Century
Apparent Age: Late Teens
Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 6, Stamina 6
Social: Charisma 6, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4
Mental: Perception 6, Intelligence 6, Wits 4
Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 1, Diplomacy 3, Dodge 2, Empathy 5, Expression 5, Intimidation 4, Intrigue 4, Leadership 5, Subterfuge 2
Skills: Animal Ken 1, Body Crafts 3, Crafts (Beauty) 4, Etiquette 4, Meditation 5, Melee 1, Performance (Dancing, Singing) 4, Stealth 1, Survival 1
Knowledges: Academics 5, Camarilla Lore 2, Clan Knowledge (Cappadocian) 5, Clan Knowledge (Giovanni) 3, Enigmas 4, History 4, Investigation 3, Linguistics 5 (Babylonian, Latin, Greek, Romanian, Thracian, Turkish; others), Medicine 2, Occult 6, Politics 1, Psychology 2, Science 2, Theology (Ancient Religion) 5
Disciplines: Auspex 5, Celerity 3, Dominate 2, Fortitude 2, Mortis 6, Necromancy 5, Potence 2, Presence 2, Vicissitude 1, Valeren (Healer) 1
Mortis Paths: Grave’s Decay 5, Cadaverous Animation 4, Corpse in the Monster 4
Necromantic Paths: Sepulchre Path 5, Ash Path 4
Backgrounds: Contacts 5 (Ghostly), Contacts 3 (Kindred/Mortal), Retainers 3
Virtues: Conscience 5, Self-Control 4, Courage 3
Morality: Humanity 7
Willpower: 8
References[]
- VTM: Lair of the Hidden, p. 65-67