Khaibit



''' “Do not threaten my Master. You rule from the Shadows. I AM the Shadows.” '''

The Khaibit are a bloodline of the Mekhet clan, a lineage that originated in ancient cults worshipping the Egyptian god Set. Their role was to assist their "Dark Lord" in keeping back the even more ancient powers of darkness; they were warriors who made darkness a weapon against the forces who would spring from it. In modern nights, however, they have all but forgotten their purpose, and the majority of Khaibit - at least until recently - act as servants and bodyguards in the Circle of the Crone.

Their name means "shadow" in Egyptian. They are the sole practitioners of the Discipline known as Obtenebration, which allows them to control and manipulate darkness and shadow. This affinity with the dark makes them even more fearful of the light than other Mekhet.

Parent Clan: Mekhet

Nickname: Asps (ancient role), Servants (modern role)

Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obtenebration, Vigor

Covenant: In the last thousand years, the Khaibit have served the Circle of the Crone almost exclusively. More than half the bloodline sticks by this old bond. indeed, some Asps have become competant blood-sorcerors in their own right, instead of merely serving them. in the last two centuries, some Asps took service among the Invictus, the Ordo Dracul or to a much lesser extent the Lancea Sanctum and Carthians. Now, Khaibit who don't know or care about tradition join whichever Covenant suits their personalities or goals.

Background: The Khaibit look for potential childer who share their ethos of respect and support. They typically Embrace mortals who already serve a master or some allied Kindred. Tradtion holds that a prospective Asp should first honour his Sire and his Sire's master as a ghoul, learning the skills needed to serve and protect. Modern Khaibit often forego this requirement, along with the rest of the Bloodline's calling, Embracing whomever is useful. These rogues are in for a surprise if the Bloodline's enemies ever catch up with them: some of the Khaibit's ancient enemies remember the bloodline and still hold a grudge. The few Asps who carry on the ancient duty of guarding the world from ghosts, demons and worse things were often mortals who fought the supernatural, or who were victimized by it. The Khaibit do not always ask such a prospective childe's permission before Embracing them. When a neonate is simply taken in this way, the Sire spends at least seven years training and indoctrinating the childe.

Weakness: The Khaibit retain the same weakness as their Mekhet forebears. Whenever Asps suffer damage from sunlight or fire, they take an additional level of Aggravated damage from that source. Their attunement to darkness also renders the Khaibit less able to resist the instinctive fear of sunlight, anything that burns like sunlight, or anything that could be mistaken for sunlight. As a reult, the character suffers a -2 penalty on checks to resist Rotschreck in regard to light.

Character Generation: Bodyguard, valet, detective, assassin, modern knight, Hound, business manager, vengeful ronin, Demon-hunter, hospice night manager, personal trainer, cryptozoologist.

Reference

 * Bloodlines: The Hidden, page 58