Banu Haqim

ℹ️️**Attention!**This is AU content. Not canon.

The **Banu Haqim**, sometimes known (ignorantly or disparagingly) as **Assamites**, are one of the thirteen vampire clans of the World of Darkness.

## Banu Haqim

### Nicknames

The Clan of the Hunt,Assamites, Assassins, Mediators, Lawmen, Saracens (Dark Ages), Children of Haqim (endonym), Judges

## Background

The awakening of Ur-Shulgi, one of the first Sorcerers and childe of Haqim himself, brought rapid changes on the Clan as a whole. The ancient methuselah used his tremendous power to break the curse laid upon the Clan, succeeding where other Sorcerers had worked for hundreds of years without success. His harsh views and interpretations of the Laws of Haqim, however, triggered various struggles and discomforts, especially with his own childe, Al-Ashrad, which resulted in what is commonly called the Schism.

### Assamite Schism

The Assamite castes split apart during the Schism. Ur-Shulgi demanded that other Banu Haqim give up the worship of other gods and only revere Haqim. This resulted in many Assassins being killed, and many more opting to leave Alamut. Ur-Shulgi was particularly vicious towards Muslim Assassins, and killed several elders for refusing to renounce their faith, including Jamal, the head of the Warrior caste.

Some Banu Haqim joined the Camarilla. Most of those that joined the Camarilla were Viziers and Sorcerers. Warriors that joined the Camarilla are generally seen as loose cannons who must be supervised by their more restrained (and non-vitae addicted) clanmates. Sorcerers in the Camarilla find their skills in high demand as an alternative to dealing with the Tremere.

A small number of the clan, mostly Warriors, joined the Sabbat. While the Banu Haqim *antitribu* who had been with the Sabbat for the last 500 years were entirely from Warrior stock, the Warriors opting to join the Sabbat were not entirely welcomed with open arms. Many of the Assamite *antitribu* elders, particularly in the Black Hand, had defected and left the Sabbat to return to the main clan. This meant the Sabbat was not entirely welcoming because of the recent betrayal. Few Sorcerers or Viziers joined the Sabbat.

Some Banu Haqim chose to go completely independent and avoid all the sects. They also drew away from the main clan, primarily for religious reasons. Few Warriors chose this option. Most Dispossessed are Viziers or Sorcerers.

Many Assamites—most of them Warriors and Sorcerers on the Path of Blood—chose to stay with the main clan.

The Ashirra have formed an alliance with the Camarilla out of a common interest in thwarting the Sabbat's aggression in the region. As a diplomatic outcome of this alliance, Clan Banu Haqim (formerly the Assamites) have been admitted as a member clan of the Camarilla.

These nights, the clan’s global role has changed. The Banu Haqim who worship Ur-Shulgi and have turned their back on Islam still practice internal clan rituals relating to the sampling and storing of Kindred vitae. Rumors of mass diablerie fuel the fear that the clan wants nothing less than the end of all their kind. These loyalists, hidden in the fortress of Alamut, have driven more than half of the clan to break their bonds to their blood soaked past. In doing so, they have attracted the attention of our sect. The Banu Haqim are once more seen as a potential pillar of the Ivory Tower. Camarilla-sworn Banu Haqim groom sectors of our domains, specifically gaining influence over the kine involved in law, and the breaking of it.

The Islamic Banu Haqim, steadfastly keeping themselves outside the influence of the Ur-Shulgi are known as loyal Ashirra champions, and as Western and Eastern Kindred find common enemies in Sabbat and Anarch uprisings, the idea of the Camarilla seeking an alliance with the Clan of the Hunt seems more and more reasonable. The Children of Haqim have even claimed their founder was the judge of all vampires. Within the Camarilla they maintain his legacy, claiming herds and retainers within police departments, security forces, and border patrols. They also hold dominion over segments of organized crime. The clan grooms kine within these sectors, some for the Embrace, some for service, but mainly to hold a valuable card in Camarilla cities. When the other clans want a problematic mortal shut up, the Banu Haqim exert law’s grasp via the kine.

## Organization

Until recent events, the main Clan was strongly unified, based on their ancestral home base Alamut. Traditionally headed by the Eldest, and supported by the Du'at, the Clan focused inward, sending its assassins out to gather blood for the alchemical potions the experiments of the Sorcerers need to break the blood curse.

The Council of Scrolls was responsible for introducing new technology into the clan and investigating recent developments outside Alamut, while the Council of Du'at formulated clan policy, and was composed of the representatives of each Caste:

* The Caliph for the Warriors Caste;
* The Amr for the Sorcerers Caste;
* The Vizier for the Viziers Caste;

The protection of the Eldest and the Du'at Council lay in the hands of the Silsila. Apart from that, the Assamites have never formally defined any positions. However, the warriors have evolved a series of ranks that represent an individual’s standing within the caste, and the sorcerers and viziers have cooperatively maintained an academic and professional ranking scheme for centuries, like the Fida'i, the Rafiq, the Da'i, and the Aces. On the other hand, the scholars of the clan have their own hierarchy – these lesser officers are the Aspirants, the Associates, the Masters, the Distinguished Masters, the Full Masters and the Emeritus.

## Culture

As a whole, the Children of Haqim hold themselves apart from the political squabbles of other Cainites. This is due in part to geography, at least before the advent of mechanized transportation, but mainly to a subtle sense of superiority. The Children like to feel that they have no need to resort to politics to achieve their aims. This is not to say that no member of the line is incapable of subtlety – indeed, many Viziers have achieved great success in the political arena – but rather that the clan culture, such as it is, is predisposed toward more direct solutions. Of course, this political isolation has also had its drawbacks. Absence from the intrigues of the Damned means lack of enemies, but also of allies, which resulted in the isolated stance of the Clan after the formation of the Camarilla. Also, most Assamites are inexperienced in the games of power and Prestation other Kindred have played for millennia.

Assamites are divided into three castes, which often have a semi-antagonistic relationship with each other. While all Assamites grow dark with age, have access to Quietus as a clan Discipline, and have a weakness related to some form of lust so powerful that it stains their aura, the different castes also have different Disciplines and weaknesses. The castes are all hereditary, that is a Warrior Assamite will always sire Warrior caste childer and never Sorcerers or Viziers. Despite this, the three castes are considered equally close to the Antediluvian Haqim who is said to have sired Assamites of all three types in the Second City. Among themselves, Assamites use the tradition of the *diwa'khana* from Kurdistan to settle in the last few hours before the sun rises, exchanging news and discussing events that affect them to form a sense of community. Outsiders are not welcome and to be invited to a *diwa'khana* is a sign of great respect.

*Warrior* Assamites are the primary fighters of the clan. They are the Assamites most likely to take assassination contracts and most likely to adhere to the Path of Blood. When other vampires think of Assamites, they are most likely to picture a Warrior.

Younger Warriors typically came from Islamic countries, and may mix the tenants of the Path of Blood with Islamic ideas about holy war. They are often fanatical and ready to die for the cause. Elder Warriors may come from other religions entirely, and see themselves more as judges (and executioners) than as holy warriors or assassins.

### Embraces

The clan tends to watch potential neonates before allowing an Assamite to sire progeny. Although necessity sometimes demands that a new childe be sired quickly, the Assamites prefer making time for an apprenticeship. The Assamite *antitribu* are strict in choosing recruits. If a newly created Assamite *antitribu* survives his first experience in combat, he becomes a *mustajib*, or "Deserving One." Mortals never serve the Assamites before being chosen to become one. Only after becoming vampires do they get the chance for acceptance. For a period of seven years, the vampire must serve the Assamite *antitribu* who created him. If the *mustajib* fails in any of his tasks, he is destroyed. If he succeeds, he becomes a *fidais* ("One Who Sacrifices Himself") for seven more years as he serves his creator.

Assamites typically try to Embrace someone who will be "useful" to the clan as a whole. This most often means someone who is willing to fight and die for the clan's (or at least their sire's) goals. However, during the long period that the clan labored under the Tremere blood curse, people may also have been Embraced for knowledge in a specific (often obscure) area. Typically this had something to do with sorcery or medical research involving blood, but may also have included more obscure areas of research as well.

Assamites typically choose people with somewhat obsessive personalities for the Embrace. As they are typically involved with either hunting down miscreants or conducting obscure research, they tend to be highly motivated individuals. This often results in Assamites picking individuals who are fanatically devoted to a cause, religion, theory, or activity. The various caste flaws and the training they undergo after the Embrace tends to accentuate this even more. Thus Assamites can be said to select childer that will be eager to chase down their prey no matter how long it takes or how far they must go. That prey may be a physical target, an obscure piece of knowledge, or even pursuing the perfection of an art form.

The Assamites draw most of their childer from the Middle East, North Africa, and surrounding areas, but this does not mean they are all Arab. They also Embrace childer from the Indian subcontinent, Persians, Turks, Malays, Central Asia groups such as the Uzbeks and Kazaks, and various Mediterranean groups. Assamites from European or far Eastern ethnic groups are not unheard of, but are uncommon.

When thinking of the Assamites, most other vampires assume they will be Muslim. While they do draw the majority of their childer from the Middle East and other Muslim countries, this does not mean all Assamites are Muslims. While most are, and some Assamites from pre-Islamic times converted, it is not considered the official Assamite religion by any stretch of the imagination. Many elder Assamites come from pre-Islamic cultures practicing some form of animism or ancestor worship. Some are Jews, Christians, or Zoroastrians, as these were also common in the area before the coming of Islam, and are still present in the modern era, though to a lesser extent. Virtually any religious background is acceptable for an Assamite, being a Muslim is just most likely.

Assamites tend to Embrace more men than women overall. In first edition sources, it was even indicated that they did not Embrace women at all until roughly 200 years ago. Later editions refuted this. They still tend to Embrace more men than women. The exact ratios have varied with time and depend on caste.

Warriors typically Embrace far more men than women, and may be the source of the rumor that the Assamites actually banned Embracing women. Women are less likely to have the skills that Warriors favor. They also tend to be physically smaller and less aggressive than men. That they were typically married off young and were raising children also limited the number Embraced as Warriors. Female Warriors thus tend to have unusual skills or backgrounds that lead to their Embrace. Some may have disguised themselves as men to fight, be skilled with more subtle means of assassination (such as poison), or less physical aspects of warfare (such as diplomacy).

Viziers and Sorcerers are less focused on the physical skills of their childer, and thus more likely to Embrace women. The number of women Embraced waxed and waned based on the overall attitude towards educating women. In periods where women were rarely taught to read or write they naturally took fewer women. However, even in periods where few people were educated, a Vizier might take someone for their skill with art or social acumen, even if they were a total illiterate. Similarly, a Sorcerer might Embrace someone who showed some innate knack for magic, even if they could not write their own name. Childer could be taught to read and write after the Embrace, after all. Men typically had a head start on education, however, making them a more likely choice.

Age wise, Embraces were also skewed by caste. With their emphasis on physical pursuits, Assamite Warriors typically favor the young and fit. Thus most Warriors with an older physical appearance were probably Embraced for their skills with leadership or tactics, rather than raw physical might. Older Warriors may also have been Embraced for skill in an area that takes a lifetime to master, such as blacksmithing, constructing siege weapons, or more obscure weapons and fighting styles. It is unlikely that a Warrior would Embrace anyone with a severe physical problem.

Viziers and Sorcerers typically place greater emphasis on learning and mental skills. While an exceptionally smart or artistically talented individual may catch their eye while still young, they are more likely to select someone who has spent a lifetime learning or perfecting their skills. Thus many Sorcerers and Viziers may be of an advanced physical age reflecting years of study before their Embrace. As Auspex can also help compensate for the slow loss of hearing or sight with age, Viziers in particular may consider Embracing an individual with a sound mind but infirm body.

### The Laws of Haqim

The loyalists of the clan do not follow the Traditions as such, but instead a set of codes handed down from their founder.

#### The Law of Leadership

*Honor the Eldest among you for he is to rule my House when I am absent.*

#### The Law of Protection

*Ward the mortals from Caine’s descendants and treat them with honor in all things.*

#### The Law of Destruction

*Slay not those of the Blood, for that Judgment is for the Eldest alone.*

#### The Law of the Word

*Deceive not those of the Blood, for my House is founded on Truth.*

#### The Law of Judgment

*Judge those of Caine’s blood and punish them should they be found wanting.*

## Weaknesses

### Classic

Though not a clan weakness as such, Banu Haqim of all castes and bloodlines grow darker with age. The different castes have different weaknesses.

*Warrior Caste Weakness:* The Warrior Caste suffers from an addiction to vampire vitae and an aura stained by diablerie. Even if they have never actually engaged in diablerie, their aura shows their blood lust clearly.

*Sorcerer Caste Weakness*: Any use of *Aura Perception* on the Sorcerer Caste reveals that he practices blood magic, even if the character has no knowledge of Thaumaturgy or Assamite Sorcery and even if the observer fails on the static mental challenge required to read the Sorcerer's emotional state.

*Vizier Caste Weakness*: The Vizier Caste has an Obsessive/Compulsive derangement that is related to the creative or intellectual ability in which he has the most Ability traits.

### Fifth Edition

#### Banes

**Blood Addiction**: Banu Haqim are drawn to feed from those deserving punishment. This is especially true for vampire Blood, the very essence of transgression. When one of the Judges tastes the Blood of another Cainite, they find it very hard to stop. Slaking at least one Hunger level with vampiric vitae provokes a Hunger Frenzy test at a Difficulty 2 + Bane Severity. If the test is failed they attempt to gorge themselves on vampire Blood, sometimes until they diablerize their Kindred victim. This presents many problems as the Banu Haqim integrate with the Camarilla, who tend to see the Amaranth as anathema.

#### Compulsion

**Judgment**: Banu Haqim are compelled to punish anyone seen to transgress against their personal creed, taking their blood as just vengeance for the crime. For one scene the vampire must slake at least one Hunger level from anyone, friend or foe, who acts against a personal Conviction of theirs. Failure to do so results in a three-dice penalty to all rolls until the compulsion is satisfied or the scene ends. (If the one fed from is a vampire, it also triggers their Bane.)

## Notable Banu Haqim

* Taiseki
* Obito Uchiha
* Kakuzu