Sith

The Sith, also known as Kindred, are descendants of Cain, The First Emperor, cursed with a thirst for blood, vulnerability to sunlight, and immortality. They are forever subject to the Beast, their raging animal urges of hunger, fear, and rage. This is caused by a perversion of the Umbra known as the Dark Side of the Force. Sith generally live on Korriban and Coruscant (in secret). Life in a city is one of constant political manipulation and paranoia, as the powers of the city vie for power, control and food with in the Empire. They are creatures ruled by fear, most importantly the fear of exposure to the Mortals, who overwhelm the Sith 10,000 to 1.

## **Physical Characteristics**

Sith are created through the Embrace; during the Embrace, a vampire drains a candidate of all their blood and replaces it with a small amount (1 blood point) of their own. This causes the corpse to rise as a (very hungry) Sith, usually with in a few hours. The Sith who initiates the Embrace is the Sire; the new kindred is the Sire's Childe.

When a Sith is Embraced, their internal organs wither away, and almost all their body fluids are replaced by blood. The only exception being the stomach, which pulses with the blood that the Kindred consumes. Sith use blood (also called Vitae) for a variety of purposes; blood replaces most bodily fluids, so kindred will cry blood and sweat blood under certain circumstances. Blood is also used to get up and move; every night, Sith expend a certain amount of blood to rise (Every roleplay you start, you must subtract one blood point from your blood pool). In addition, Kinded can use blood to enhance their physical attributes and use supernatural powers called Disciplines. Blood is used to Embrace, as noted above, and also to create Ghouls. Finally, Sith can use blood to heal damage. A Kindred may spend one blood point to heal one normal (bashing or lethal) health level of damage. Characters must be meditating on the dark side of the force for this healing to take place, though this recovery is rapid: One blood point per turn may be spent to heal one health level, though Sith of lower Generations may heal as many health levels per turn as they can spend blood points. Note that blood expenditure is the only way that Kindred can heal wounds. Just as their immortality prevents the Kindred from aging and dying naturally, so it also inhibits the recuperative processes natural to a living body.

Blood is generally replaced by sucking it out of humans. While Sith can feed on other creatures, they do not enjoy the taste of animal blood and older Kindred will acquire no sustenance from it (whilst the blood of the jedi are an entirely different matter). The process of taking blood is euphemistically called the Kiss or feeding. Sith do not have to completely drain a victim, although frenzying Kindred are likely to do so. Sith can hide the puncture marks of feeding by licking the wounds, making the process fairly subtle. The Feeding process is highly pleasurable (arguably the only pleasure) for Kindred, and is also extremely pleasurable for victims. Vessels who are drained regularly can become addicted to the Kiss.

Sith change considerably after the Embrace. Physically, they are incapable of eating food, with most vomiting it up almost instantly (and even those that can keep it down for a while will still have to regurgitate the food later), they have no need for sex as the need to feed replaces all physical and emotional urges, although they can imitate the physical reactions for sex if needed and will even feel pleasure from it, though all such mortal pleasures pale in comparison to the ecstasy of the Kiss. As a result of these processes, the kindred is paler and generally thinner than they were before the Embrace. Certain clans have more extreme physical changes, such as the Nosferatu or the Cappadocians.

Once Embraced, Sith are locked into a form of stasis. Apart from wounds (healed with blood), Kindred are restored to their condition at the time of Embrace every time they rise up for the night. This physical condition eventually extends to their mindsets - old Sith almost always find it very hard to learn new things, much like how an older human will often find it difficult to keep up with next generation's innovations and ways of thinking.

In addition to the physical changes, Kindred experience extreme intellectual and emotional changes. The Sith is now a predator, and has a raging Id called the Beast, that may take control of his body (be it through fear, hunger or hatred). Kindred are highly durable against physical threats, except for fire or sunlight. If set ablaze they burn easily, and will burn up almost instantly in sunlight. However, outside of these, Sith are very hard to kill - bullets do not cause much damage, and those who possess the Disciplines of Celerity and Fortitude are extremely hard to hit, let alone damage in combat. That said, scatter shot blasters and similar weapons are warily respected or feared; while an individual blaster bolt might not frighten a Kindred, it becomes a different issue when the weapon can remove their head entirely with a well-placed shot, or remove limbs in seconds with a never-ending stream of plasma.

When severely wounded, Sith can pass into a deathlike stasis called Torpor, which allows them to heal more extreme damage. Torpor can last for centuries depending on the circumstances, and as a Kindred gets older, Torpor becomes a more attractive option due to social and personal issues often suffered by Sith of significant age or those who cannot cope with the changes in society.

Every Kindred has a Generation, numbered from 1 (Cain) to 4 in current times. A Sith is always one generation higher than his Sire, thus farther removed from Cain. Generation has a variety of effects - mental powers do not work on Kindred of lower generation, and the lower a generation the more potent a Sith can become.

Generation has a variety of gameplay effects, the most important being Blood Pool. The amount of blood a character can store and spend changes radically as their generation decreases, this makes a low-generation character far more potent in combat, especially once they can spend multiple blood points at a time. Generation also affects most mental disciplines - characters generally cannot use mental disciplines on characters of a lower generation. In addition, Characters cannot raise attributes or disciplines above 5 dots unless they are 7th generation or lower. Higher dot disciplines tend to be highly idiosyncratic.

1st Gen: 42 blood pool, max traits, any amount of actions in a post

2nd Gen: 42 blood pool, Trait max 10, 10 blood points per turn, 646 freebie points.

3rd gen: 42 blood pool, Trait max 10, 10 blood points per turn, 600 freebie points.

4th gen: 42 blood pool, Trait max 9, 10 blood points per turn, 554 freebie points.

5th gen: 32 blood pool, Trait max 8, 8 blood points per turn, 508 freebie points.

Kindred cannot lower their generation except through diablerie, a form of vampiric cannibalism in which the diablerist consumes the soul of his or her victim - which is usually a rare opportunity and a very severe crime. A Diablerie is easily detectable on an aura, and the Dark Council views it as a capital crime.

## **History**

The Dark Jedi known as the Black Spiral Dancers began experimenting on humans in an attempt to find the secret to immortality and further the powers of the dark side of the Force. This angered the other Jedi tribes, and the Dancers were banished to Korriban. The Dancers took their human slaves and continued their experiments as the jedi hunted them down to one pack. The last pack of Dancers focused all of their power into one being meant ot be their powerful guardian, the purest dark side being ever known. They succeeded, however the immense dark energy manifested in a way that could not be controlled. The being they had made was Cain, the First Sith, who upon awakening experienced the first Frenzy and murdered the last pack of Black Spiral Dancers. He then embraced a nearby slave named Banu Haqim and together they freed and embraced the human slaves forming the basis of the Sith Order. They expanded across Korriban, beginning to travel from Korriban to Coruscant to hunt and recruit them into the order. Cain became unable to monitor the order himself and gather around him a group of advisors that became known as the second generation. These 13 individuals became the progenitors of the modern clans, so much so that the clans get their names from the Second Generation. Cain grew especially close to one of the second generation named ‘Tzimisce’. Cain had grown lonely throughout the years, and sought physical love in Tzimisce who happily obliged the god, using their fleshcrafting abilities to change themselves on the first Sith’s whim, and the two fell in love. During this time the sith grew fat and lazy during this time, and fed well on the humans. Cain did all he could to please his childer, so that they did not plot against him. But as the order grew further, so did his time away from Tzimisce. Growing bored during an especially long absence from Cain, Tzimisce took an apprentice named Dragoslav Ghezzo and begin to court the young kindred. Dragoslav took the greater power and freedom to organize the humans of Coruscant, using an extensive ghoul network to take out the various gangs of Coruscant. This group became known as the Empire, and Dragoslav grew it from the shadows, providing his better with ships, food, ghouls, standing armies, etc. Aswell as this, Banu Haqim developed the Sith code;

“Death is a lie, there is only Vitae.

Through Vitae, We gain Strength.

Through Strength We gain Power.

Through Power We gain Victory.

Through Victory our mortal chains are shattered.

The Embrace has Freed us.”

In due time, Cain returned to the side of Tzimisce and the two were in love again, angering Dragoslav. Using the resources the empire provided as leverage, he got the other primogen to look the other way as he took on the first sith and his master. Dragoslav constructed Special boxes out of red kyber crystals, and as Cain Tzimisce copulated, Drago attacked. He staked them both, and diablerized Tzimisce in front of Cain. Drago dismembered and took apart Cain, sealing his parts in the boxes and having them hidden across the galaxy. Dragoslav proclaimed himself the Emperor, and supreme ruler of the galaxy. The second generation was okay with this at first, but as Dragoslav introduced his laws.

The Law of Masquerade; “The mortals out number us, and though we may hold infinite power, we do not wish to scare away our prey. As such, the mortals shall not know of the sith, or the force.”

The Law of Domain; “I hold superior power over all beings in the galaxy. Those of the blood, may hold parts of my land and execute my will there. You will have supreme power in your domain, subject only to myself and the dark council.”

The Law of Apprenticeship; “You are responsible for those you sire, and you must teach them the ways of the sith. Failure to do so will result in punishment. Primogen may only have one apprentice, otherwise you may sire as many as you can teach.”

The Law of Manslaughter; “Hard evidence is required, and if the accused can accurately explain away the charges, they will be dropped.”

The Law of Hospitality; “The domain of myself and others must be respected. If you break a rule of someone’s domain they will punish you how they see fit. You must introduce yourself to the ruler of the domain you enter, and any and all apprentices sired must be presented to me.”

The law of Destruction; “Only their sire, and the sire’s elders may openly kill a kindred. Only I, the Emperor may call a Blood Hunt. Diablerie is never allowed, and diablerists will be severely punished.”

The second generation was not pleased, but said nothing as Dragoslavegrew the empire, taking Coruscant and starting the Imperial calendar, in year 1 After Empire. The second gen, began to scheme and plot out how best to take the throne away from Drago and take it for themselves. During this time, the imperial slaving raids began on  Ryloth, and the imperial Catharian colony was made. At this time, the wookie tribes united and formed  the Tribal Republic of Kashyyyk despite the best efforts of Venom Jackal. In 10 AE, the Twi’lek Resistance movement began raids on imperial slaver camps and began to steal imperial weapons and ships. In 12 AE the Imperial Catharian Colony is destroyed, and the Empire declares war on Cathar. The republic didn’t agree with this, citing that Cathar was vastly under powered in comparison to the Empire. It is also during this time the first primogen were embraced. Tensions arose between the empire and republic as the second generation trained their apprentices. In 19 AE, the first primogen rose to power, forming the 13 modern clans as we know them today;

Clan Banu Haqim

Clan Brujah

Clan Cappadocian

Clan Lasombra

Clan Malkavian

Clan Set

Clan Nosferatu

Clan Ravnos

Clan Toreador

Clan Tremere

Clan Tzimisce

Clan Ventrue

Now in 20 AE, Dragoslav has focused the primogen towards the war on Cathar, tasking Jax Enwwod with development of the Mobile Frame prototype, and Ray Jeffrey with the completion of the holonet project.

## Character Creation

• Step One: Character Concept Choose Name, weight, height, goal, Clan, Nature, and Demeanor.

• Step Two: Select Attributes Prioritize the three categories: Physical, Social, Mental (7/5/3). Your character automatically has one dot in each Attribute. Rate Physical Traits: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina. Rate Social Traits: Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance. Rate Mental Traits: Perception, Intelligence, Wits.

• Step Three: Select Abilities Prioritize the three categories: Talents, Skills, Knowledges (13/9/5). Choose Talents, Skills, Knowledges. No Ability higher than 3 at this stage

• Step Four: Select Advantages Choose Disciplines (3), Backgrounds (5), and rate Virtues (7). Your character automatically has one dot in each Virtue.

• Step Five: Finishing Touches Record Dark Side (equal to Conscience + Self-Control), Willpower (equal to Courage), and Blood Pool Roll 1d10 after your embrace). Spend freebie points (Depends on generation). Choose Merits and Flaws (For every merit you take, you must take equal flaws).

Freebie Points

Trait Cost

Attribute 5 per dot

Ability 2 per dot

Discipline 7 per dot

Background 1 per dot

Virtue 2 per dot

Connection to the Dark Side 2 per dot

Willpower 1 per dot