The bloodline of the Inquisidores was created during the Inquisition when a Caitiff of the fledgling Sabbat embraced a member of the secular arm in the service of an Inquisitor as a means of gaining influence over the Inquisitor. The soldier was named Federico Castaño and what the Caitiff did not know is that the Inquisitor was a member of the Celestial Chorus and the soldier was his Custos. Not only did the newly created Cainite maintain his humanity throughout the creation rites but his faith as well. With the help of his mentor he destroyed the pack and his Sire. During the battle he almost gave in to frenzy, but his friend and mentor drew him back at the last moment. Federico mourned the humanity he had lost but he found that with the powers of undeath he had become a more able guardian of the faith. For while the Mage had saved him from himself, he had single-handedly fought an entire Sabbat pack. Realizing he was still in danger from the passions of the Beast he spent a year in ritual seclusion with
his mentor purifying himself and learning to control the Beast. Then he emerged to hunt the Sabbat vampires who sought to destroy the Inquisition. During his time of retreat he fused his faith with the power of his blood creating the discipline Credo. When he came out of seclusion to join the Inquisition anew he found himself forced to embrace other members of the secular arm to face the increasing numbers of Sabbat neonates created for the war among the Cainites. Thus was founded the bloodline of the Inquisidores.
Members of this bloodline are dedicated to hunting Vampires, but since they themselves are Vampires they better understand those who have been cursed by Caine. They do not hunt indiscriminately like the Society of Leopold, but instead they track down only those Vampires who have given themselves over to the Beast to give them the Final Death. While they have no direct ties to the Society of Leopold and do their best to hide their nature from the new Inquisition they will not however abandon their brothers in faith to the mercies of other Kindred. Often a hunter will be rescued by a member of this bloodline and will falsely assume that he is also a member of the Society of Leopold.
The bloodline is close knit, held together by faith and a strict hierarchy that even today answers to the Catholic sect of the Celestial Chorus. They are also bound by ties of Vaulderie, another tradition they acquired while fighting the Sabbat. They see the Vinculum as an apt means to protect themselves against blood bonds and to strengthen the unity of the bloodline. On the other hand they purposely avoid drinking too often from the same group so that the ties of the Vinculum do not grow too strong so as to override their common sense. Nickname: Red Robes Appearance: Almost all Inquisidores are male, by long-standing tradition only members of the military order that protects the church are embraced. The few exceptions come from lone Inquisidores embracing candidates while away from their haven. Most of those chosen for the embrace are among the most intimidating and humorless soldiers of the secular arm. However since the prime requirement for induction into the bloodline is the possession of faith there is a wide variety among the Inquisidores. Inquisidores use red and gold robes in their ceremonies and at dress functions they wear classical armor with medieval weapons. During the sabbath however they wear brown robes and sandals. Haven: The bloodline has a permanent haven at Aviñon in France. Though this is not the Vatican, the traditional head of the secular arm, it was the papal seat from 1309 to 1377. Also Inquisidores who travel often seek sanctuary at churches. Inquisidores in general do not maintain private havens away from the sect. Background: Inquisidores are always believers before the embrace and the ritual embrace ensures they will not lose either humanity or faith. Many members of the bloodline are embraced by the founder Federico himself which makes the bloodline powerful despite it's small size. People who are embraced by an Inquisidore who do not have faith never develop the discipline of Credo and are considered Caitiff. Usually the new Vampire already knows much about the sect and his duties within it from his time as a human follower of the sect. Inquisidores are almost universally volunteers created for a specific purpose. They usually serve in roles of bodyguards and executioners. Character Creation: Inquisidores are usually created with soldier or bodyguard concepts. Their Natures are quite passionate and run towards the Caregiver, Cavalier, Fanatic and Martyr. Demeanors however tend to be very somber and reserved. Physical attributes are primary as are Talents. Favored Backgrounds include Allies, Contacts, Mentor and Generation. Herd cannot be taken unless they are animals. Resources usually do not exceed three dots and Generation is rarely less than four dots. Clan Disciplines: Credo, Fortitude, Potence Weakness: Members of this bloodline are forbidden to drink the blood of mortals or commit Diablerie. Also they must live according to the tenets of faith. If their humanity ever drops below seven they cannot use the discipline of Credo until their humanity is restored. Whenever an Inquisidore loses humanity due to harming or slaying a mortal the amount is doubled. Organization: The founder of the bloodline resides at Aviñon in France and all members of the bloodline are expected to spend some time at the communal haven. Members who stay apart from their brethren are viewed with suspicion and regular invitations to return are followed by Inquisidores anxious to find out what could be keeping the errant brother. The sect is organized along military lines and answers to the church. However most church officials have no idea that the members of this bloodline are Vampires and those that do are generally mages of the Celestial Chorus. Even Federico the founder is subject to their rule. Gaining Clan Prestige: Prestige is gained by destroying Vampires who have lost their humanity and kill their human prey. Great prestige comes from serving and protecting mages of the Celestial Chorus and destroying Vampires who follow the Path of Evil Revelations. Another way of gaining prestige is by discovering and retrieving holy artifacts.
Quote: "I am the shepherd of Caine's children. If you sought eternal life, that is something you forfeited the moment you gave in to the Beast."
Stereotypes
• The Camarilla-They neither hinder nor help our efforts to keep humanity safe from the children of Caine. Though they don't recognize it, we help them maintain the Masquerade far better than their Archons and Justicars. For all their air of sainthood they are no different than the Assamites. Do not try to protect those they have marked for destruction though. They are more powerful than they appear.
-Castellan, Ventrue Justicar of Spain
• The Sabbat-Our true enemies, the irony is that they cannot see that they created in us the seeds of their own destruction. Humans playing at being Vampires, nothing more! Before long we will crush them and drink their Oh so pure blood along with that of the Camarilla.
-Delvo, Lasombra archbishop of Juarez
• The Inconnu-Their peace and humanity is undeniable, even though their motives are nebulous. I have still not had to pass sentence on any of these reclusive elders. Though their numbers are small their power is great, coming as it does from faith and belief. If any group of Cainites can interfere with our plans it would be these. Though for the moment they serve as perfect soldiers in the Jyhad.
-Jebediah, Toreador Monitor of Italy
Credo
The Discipline of faith possessed by the Inquisidores is more of a doctrine to be practiced than a power bestowed by the blood of Caine. Credo is a demanding Discipline to follow and if the Vampire has a Humanity of less than seven he cannot use the powers and benefits of the Discipline.
• Blood Scent
The Inquisidores are especially adept at sniffing out Vampires and other supernatural creatures. With this power the Inquisidore can identify and locate the creature with a sample of it's blood. The Inquisidore only needs to smell the blood once, thereafter he can track the creature by scent wherever it goes. It does not matter how old the trail is as long as the Inquisidore has smelled that persons blood before. The ability to track the scent of another creature only works as long as the prey remains in contact with the ground. Something as simple as getting into a car and driving off will break the trail. System: To use this power the Inquisidore needs a fresh sample of blood no more than two days old or which has been preserved in a freezer. Thereafter every time he comes across that particular individual he will recognize him. From the sample the Inquisidore can tell what sort of creature it was taken from whether it was a Vampire, Werewolf, Mage or other. Roll Perception + Survival difficulty 5 to determine if the subject is a Vampire. Difficulty 6 to determine what kind of creature it is if it is not a Vampire. To determine what clan a Vampire belongs to roll Perception + Occult vs. a difficulty of 8. To track a Vampire by the scent of his blood roll Perception + Survival vs. a difficulty of 8 (Difficulty 9 for all other creatures).
•• Call to the Faithful
Inquisidores rely on the brotherhood of faith and the unity of their mission so that they never have to be alone when facing the creatures of darkness. One of the bloodline's greatest strengths is the level of cooperation and support its members provide for one another. With this power an Inquisidore can call upon the help of all those of his bloodline and those humans who possess True Faith. Only those with faith or members of the bloodline will hear the call. They receive a brief impression of the danger or need of the caller but nothing concrete. They are not obligated to respond unless they are of the bloodline, but most mortals with True Faith will be curious about the source of the summons. How soon they arrive and in what numbers depends on the effectiveness of the call and the intervening distance. System: The caller must roll Charisma + Leadership (Difficulty 6), the number of successes determines how far away the call is heard.
1 Success A single building, hearing range.
2 Successes A city block, through walls and obstructions.
3 Successes An entire neighborhood, through soundproof windows.
4 Successes A city district or small town, through soundproof walls.
5 Successes An entire city, up to the horizon (8 to 24 miles).
Mages of the Celestial Chorus will hear the call if they have Correspondence at level two and Prime at level one. Other mages would have to cast the rote first before they could hear the call.
••• Affirmation
The Inquisidores are among the most humane Kindred despite their terrible mission. They do not engage in needless acts of cruelty nor do they drink the blood of humans. Through the practice of his faith and strict adherence to the tenets of Christianity an Inquisidore can maintain his ties to humanity strong in the face of adversity. System: The Inquisidore can sacrifice permanent Willpower in exchange for humanity that he has lost during the course of the game session. No ritual is necessary but most integrate the process into their doctrine of faith anyways. The Humanity regained in this fashion cannot exceed the original score. For example if a character has a humanity of 7 and during a game session loses two points after destroying a Sabbat bishop he can spend two points of Willpower to regain his humanity. If on the other hand he wants to have a humanity score of 8 he is going to have to spend experience. This power is the single exception to the rule that an Inquisidore cannot use any power of Credo while his humanity is lower than 7. However until humanity is raised at least to 7 this is the only power of Credo available to the character.
•••• Renunciation
Inquisidores seek no peace with the Beast. Their most sacred scriptures condemn the Beast as the source of all evil and the mark of the Devil's influence. Instead they seek to wrap it under layers of humanity and bind it with chains of faith. This power allows the Inquisidore to deny the Beast inside and to face the world free of its influence. System: At this level of Credo the Inquisidore is immune to damage from holy water, cannot be held at bay by religious symbols or any other effect of True Faith that harms Vampires. Whenever the Inquisidore is in danger of Frenzy or Rötscheck he may spend a Willpower point to suppress it for the entire scene. For the rest of that scene nothing will be able to frighten or provoke the Inquisidore. Additionally the Inquisidore has achieved such calm that derangements hardly affect him. If he already has a derangement a single point of Willpower will suppress it for an entire game session. If the character is in danger of acquiring a derangement then he can spend a point of Willpower to avoid it altogether.
••••• God's Grace
The Inquisidore who walks in God's grace is truly blessed. The Beast is completely suppressed and the Inquisidore appears alive even to other Kindred. The heart is no longer a dead organ of mystic properties, but instead beats with human passion and love. He can eat food and feel sensation as if he were alive even though he is still a Vampire. The food and drink do not nourish him but neither are they expelled upon consumption. Furthermore the sun's rays do not harm the Inquisidore and a stake through the heart will impair but not immobilize him. Fire does not do any special harm to an Inquisidore in God's grace. However the most prized power of Credo is that at this level the Inquisidore is no longer in danger of losing his soul to Diablerie. System: No roll is necessary at this level of Credo. The Vampire receives no damage from Sunlight. Fire damage is considered normal non-aggravated damage. The damage from a stake through the heart cannot be regenerated as long as the stake is still inside. But unless the attack did seven health levels of damage it will not in itself paralyze the Inquisidore. Thermal scans designed to detect Vampires will show him to be a normal human. Other methods of detecting Vampires may also prove ineffective.
When a Vampire tries to commit Diablerie on an Inquisidore with this power the process remains the same up until the last moment. When the Vampire has drunk the last of his blood and begins to try to drink until he is extinguished, the Inquisidore suffers the Final Death and passes on. The Diabolist is left with an empty vessel and cannot increase his generation in this way.
All difficulties to avoid frenzy, fear and derangement are lowered by two if the character foregoes Renunciation. It is still hard for her to frenzy or be affected by fear and insanity. The difficulties to go into frenzy are increased by two and the character can no longer choose to voluntarily slip into frenzy or else he automatically loses two points of Humanity. An Inquisidore in God's Grace only loses one Blood Point per week instead of one each day allowing him to go longer without drinking blood.
Level Six Confession: Through the power of Confession the Inquisidore can restore the lost Humanity of others. The subject need not be another Kindred and this power works just as well for mortals. To use this power the subject must recount the events and actions that led to the loss of humanity. System: This power is identical to the third level power of Affirmation except that the recipient is the one who has to spend the permanent Willpower points. Confession does not have to be practiced on a voluntary subject. There are those Inquisidores who have resorted to torture and subterfuge to confront a villain with his crimes.
Confirmation: With a word and a gesture the Inquisidore can hold the Beast of others at bay. Most Kindred fear this power like they fear the light of day. Confirmation can be used on a Vampire who is already in the thrall of frenzy or Rötscheck. The Vampire who is subject to this power immediately falls out of frenzy and all fear leaves him. The benefits of frenzy are lost and the subject will suddenly feel his wounds. System: This power is like the fourth level power Renunciation except that it can be used on others. Once the Inquisidore spends a point of Willpower he then designates a target and for the rest of the scene that person cannot frenzy, will not feel fear and will have his derangements suppressed. This power is especially frightful to Malkavian Vampires and Garou. Malkavians without their derangements are forced to temporarily confront their own madness and realize what they are. Garou who cannot frenzy suddenly find themselves unable to express their Rage. While under the influence of this power the Lupine cannot spend Rage or use his Primal Urge dice pool (To transform he would have to roll Stamina alone). Just as a Vampire under the influence of this power cannot fail any roll to resist frenzy the Werewolf cannot succeed at any roll to enter frenzy.
Holy Host: During Communion the Christians celebrate the Last Dinner of Christ. At Communion the Host is transformed from wine and bread into the blood and flesh of Christ. When the faith of the Inquisidores is led by one with this power then the Transmutation becomes something more than symbolism. System: The leader of the ritual need not be the priest presiding over the ceremony. The Inquisidore who actually performs the miracle of the Holy Host need only be present at the ceremony. To perform the Holy Host he must spend a point of Willpower and roll Charisma + Theology (Difficulty 4). For each success one blood point worth of Vitae is created from the wine. Others may contribute to the miracle even if they do not possess this power. Each participant who spends one point of Willpower adds his Charisma to the dice pool. If everyone participates a single Holy Host can provide Vitae for the entire bloodline for weeks. This power is one of the reasons the Inquisidores can forego drinking the blood of human hosts. The Holy Host can even maintain Vampires who cannot sustain themselves with human blood. In addition, the Vitae produced by the Holy Host does aggravated damage to Vampires drinking it who do not have the Discipline of Credo, True Faith or who have not achieved Golconda.
Level Seven Eternal Faith: The faith of true believers has always been a source of mystery and consternation to the supernatural creatures who have to face it. The Kindred of the Inquisidore bloodline have learned to live with faith and it is a great comfort to them as well as a shining torch to hold the darkness at bay. Those who have reached this level of Credo are able to direct the faith of others. The effects are nothing short of spectacular though they are usually quite subtle. The faith can even imbue objects with the ability to channel this mysterious force. System: Eternal Faith can be used to unite the efforts of large congregations. Each member who participates in a ritual, ceremony or other endeavor involving faith adds his full dice pool to the effort. Minor miracles and other acts of faith can be accomplished by the Inquisidore who is directing the faith. Whenever the Inquisidore wishes to achieve a higher purpose, such as curing the sick or redeeming the lost. Roll the Credo rating of the Inquisidore leading the prayer and add the Credo rating and/or True Faith rating of every participant. Usually there will be enough successes to spare and many of the sick and invalid can be cured. The difficulty is determined by the Storyteller but should reflect how feasible the miracle is to 'modern science'. For example curing a person with cancer would be a difficulty 6 while making a paraplegic multi-limb amputee whole and able to walk again would be a difficulty of 9. Other types of miracles should be judged on how hard it would be to bring them about with hard work. Something like cleaning an oil spill to protect the environment would be difficulty 4 even though it would take a few months and more than twenty successes to accomplish. On the other hand praying for the rich corporate owners to give up profit and reform their companies into environment friendly, nonprofit enterprises would be a difficulty 10 and require more than 50 successes.
Another use for Eternal Faith is to invest objects with power converting it into an artifact. This is usually done under the supervision of a Mage from the Celestial Chorus who guides the Paradigm of the object into the desired form (Prime sphere effect level five). But the result is not a talisman and it does not use Quintessence nor does it produce Paradox. For examples of artifacts see the Backgrounds section later on.
Level Eight
Resurrection: There are some Inquisidores who reside at Aviñon who are mortal. This does not mean that they have not yet been embraced or that their titles are honorary. These men were once Kindred of the Inquisidore Bloodline and achieved the highest faith an Inquisidore can aspire to: Rebirth. The Inquisidores honor these men as the beloved of Christ. Those few who have experienced Resurrection are seen as shining examples of Faith and patience for it is never simple or easy to achieve the immortality of being simply human. System: When the Inquisidore achieves a Humanity score of ten he can immediately use this power to become mortal again. Attributes and Abilities that exceed five dots are lowered to five and all Vampiric Disciplines are lost. Once this power is used the Inquisidore becomes completely mortal with a True Faith score of eight or equal to his rating in Credo whichever is higher. He cannot be Blood Bound or become a Ghoul by drinking Kindred blood, but receives no other special benefit.
Note: Although there are no Inquisidores of less than Fifth generation the fifth level power of God's Grace is so similar to Golconda that it provides the benefit of being able to develop the character's Disciplines beyond fifth level. In this manner an Inquisidore can achieve great power as long as he does not fall from grace. This does not extend to Attributes and Abilites though.
Inquisidore Merits and Flaws
In addition to the flaws and merits listed below the character can choose from those listed in the Vampire's Player Guide.
Mage Ward (2 pt. flaw)
The Inquisidore is bound to serve a Mage of the Celestial Chorus as bodyguard and executor. The Mage expects total loyalty from the character and faithful service. If the character fails to serve and protect the Mage he risks the scorn of his peers. If he betrays his trust though he will be targeted for excommunication and destruction at the hands of his sect. Faithful service is rewarded with prestige and respect. The merit Mage Companion (3 pts.) indicates a self sufficient Mage who is also a good companion and does not abuse his position.
Elder Sire (2 pt. Merit)
The character' sire is of the sixth generation which makes the character of the seventh generation even though his embrace was very recent. This merit can only be taken by characters with five dots in Generation.
Founding Father (5 pt. merit)
The character's sire is the founder of the bloodline and of the fifth generation. This makes the character a member of the sixth generation even though his embrace was quite recent. The character also receives the merit Prestigious Mentor at no extra cost. This merit can only be taken by characters with five dots in Generation.
New Background
The objects of faith presented below are the result of a collaboration between members of the bloodline and Celestial Chorus mages who are aware of the Inquisidore bloodline. Some of them are rare while others are widespread among the sect. It is up to the Storyteller to determine whether an individual Artifact is available for purchase during character creation.
Inquisidore Artifacts
The Inquisidores possess a number of relics and objects of faith designed to help them in their missions and crusades. Many of these artifacts are created during the reunions of the bloodline where they all unite their faith to achieve the miracles which are the blessing of this sect. The artifacts are handed out to Neonates based on need and trustworthiness. A player can have these artifacts if he pays for them during character creation by acquiring the Inquisidore Artifacts background. This new background may be possessed by any sect member including human followers and mages of the Celestial Chorus.
• A Minor Artifact: The Holy Host
•• A Useful Artifact. Blood Dagger
••• A Significant Artifact: Heartwood Sword
•••• A Powerful Artifact: Everfull Chalice
••••• An Incredible Artifact: Shroud of Light Holy Host: A rather common artifact given to neonates in the field to help them retain their Humanity. Each Holy Host contains three to ten Blood Points worth of Vitae. This is Vitae that was created from wine during a ritual communion. The Vitae nourishes the Inquisidore as does normal Vitae but other Kindred suffer aggravated damage when they ingest it equal to the amount taken. Only Vampires who have achieved Golconda can drink it safely. Blood Dagger: A blood dagger is an invaluable tool to an Inquisidore Vampire hunter. Whenever this enchanted dagger strikes one of the Kindred it draws out one Blood Point in addition to regular damage. Inquisidores use this dagger to obtain blood samples from Kindred who are running away from them. The dagger slips out easily and does not stay inside the Kindred at whom it was thrown. Heartwood Sword: This double edged sword is the Vampire Hunter's weapon of choice. The sword is actually two blades forged parallel to each other and in the space between them is a core of live oak. Whenever this sword strikes a Kindred and does three health levels of damage or more a splinter will lodge itself in the heart of the Vampire as the sword is drawn out. Everfull Chalice: This ornate Communion Cup is made of gold and adorned with precious gems. But far more precious than its monetary value is its ability to change wine into blood. Every week on Sunday at noon the chalice will convert any wine within it into Vitae. The normal amount is one Blood Point worth of Vitae but if the Inquisidore knows the level six power Holy Host then he can increase this amount with a Charisma + Theology roll (Difficulty 7), each success provides one extra Blood Point. Shroud of Light: Though many of the superstitious equate this artifact to the robe Christ wore at the crucifixion, it was created by the faith of the Inquisidores and the mages of the Celestial Chorus. There are only three in the world and the Inquisidores only have two at the moment. The shroud is red and gold and looks much like any priestly vestment of Easter. Its powers are great and in the hands of the faithful it is a great weapon. The shroud makes the wearer immune to any Vampiric Disciplines directed at him. It also protects the wearer against all forms of mind control and torture. This includes sphere effects and Garou gifts. The shroud gives the wearer succor at all times protecting him from harm as long as he does no harm. The wearer cannot be physically attacked unless he has attacked first. This only applies to the same scene, it is not enforced for past attacks against other persons. And lastly if the wearer is Kindred the shroud protects him from the rays of the sun and from being burned by fire.
