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The Blood Brothers were a rare Kindred bloodline of the Sabbat, created by a group of Tremere antitribu and Tzimisce kolduns.
Designed to function as perfect combat units, Blood Brothers possessed a sort of shared consciousness, working exclusively with the "circle" of Blood Brothers with whom they share their "hive mind". The members of a circle would often be fleshcrafted by Tzimisce to appear identical, an outward reflection of their lack of individuality.
History[]
The Brothers were a relatively modern bloodline, but even so their numbers dwindled in the Final Nights as they were mostly unable to grant the Embrace (a limitation placed on them intentionally). With the loss of the Tremere antitribu, only a handful of Tzimisce knew the secrets of their creation, and it seemed likely they would die out before Gehenna comes.
In Mexico City by Night for Revised Edition, one circle of Blood Brothers (Las Hermanas Hambrientas, "The Hungry Sisters") had learned to Embrace in a process of repeated vitae exchange that lasted days. Only 1 in 10 Embraces was successful, but their hunger to reproduce continued to grow with their hunger for blood.
In Beckett's Jyhad Diary, an alternative origin for the bloodline is suggested. A member of the Blessed Choir circle claims to have found the original creation ritual for the Blood Brothers, as penned by a Vicissitude-wielding Toreador antitribu from Uruguay (Lorenzo Torquemada). Another section describes a rumour where a Ventrue is transformed into a Blood Brother, implying Kindred can be converted to the bloodline as well as mortals.
By Fifth Edition, their fate seems to have been sealed. By the time the Gehenna Crusade is in full swing, the Blood Brothers have apparently become defunct. However, the Sabbat blood sorcery used to make them has been repurposed to devise powerful ghoul shock troops, known as fleshweld ghouls.
Culture[]
Blood Brothers have little in the way of culture beyond violence (they often dress as and act like mortal skinheads), and their bond to their circle mates. They try to erase anything which might distinguish them as individuals; to this end, they may tattoo themselves with numbers or letters that identify their circle, or be fleshcrafted to resemble their companions. Members of a Blood Brother circle grow agitated if they see each other as "different", and so will even wear the same clothing so they can feel more at ease.
They appear to lack personal desires and are considered ideal servants by their creators, though opinion of them differs among other members of the Sabbat (if they are aware of their existence at all).
The Blood Brothers have no preferred havens; they stay in whatever haven is provided to them by the Sabbat. As long as they can stay together, the Blood Brothers do not care about the quality of said haven.
Embraces[]
Most traces of individuality are erased by the ritual that creates a Blood Brother, but the few Tzimisce who still have the secret often choose thugs, gang members, or families, since their violent tendencies and/or existing bonds make the process easier.
In Beckett's Jyhad Diary, an intelligent and apparently independent Blood Brother called Dr. Varona was striving to recreate the creation ritual of the bloodline, in a process described as similar to that used by the Hungry Sisters. He was rumoured to store his siblings inside his own body.
Organization[]
The Bloodline as a whole does not have any form of organization. The Blood Brothers serve the Sabbat without question and with violent efficiency. They know only two loyalties: their circle mates, and their Sabbat masters. The former is treated with quiet deference, while the latter is treated with complete loyalty bordering on sycophancy.
Version Differences[]
- The Blood Brothers first appear in the Vampire Storytellers Handbook.
- Their original symbol (gallery) initially appeared in Guide to the Sabbat with the "antitribu shield" in the background, but this was removed for Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition.
Gallery[]
References[]
- VTM: Vampire Storytellers Handbook, p. 92
- VTM: Guide to the Sabbat, p. 54-55