Aedifex (Overview)

*"The Aedifex are rebelliously creative and fiendishly innovative. Just like our modern scientists they wish to unlock the cosmos, gaining insight into secrets never intended to be known to mankind."* -Azrael, Supremus of Southwark

## Introduction

The Aedifex are the most influencial Clan of Ghouls. More than anyone else they are Fleshsingers, using their knowledge and sorcery to craft unliving constructs. Their creations can crush entire armies and are sold to the highest bidder. Through their skills and diplomacy the Aedifex have integrated themselves in almost all unliving societies across the globe.

## History

* **Founding of the Sukkal-** It was after Pazuzu, father of all Ghouls, was slain that the Eternals forced his children into servitude. Ghouls that engaged in open rebellion where brutaly executed while the rest where slaves to their unliving masters. It was Asarluhi, one of Pazuzus firstborn, that showed them a way out. He founded the *Sukkal,* an order of Ghouls that would sell their services in return for protection and decent treatment. Through publicly displaying obediance the Sukkal could corrode the Eternals Empire from within without risking their unlifes. Under their centuries of service they mastered the arts of fleshsinging and the creation of unliving servants until they where essential for the Eternals economy and military.
* **Expansion and Liberation-** As the Eternals domain began to shatter and crumble, the Sukkal spread outwards. Their creator-orders blossomed in many of the newly founded empires in the mediterranean and east asia. Slowly their focus shifted from their silent rebellion towards selling their services to gain influence. Across their expansion they managed to found a secret and well connected network across three continents.
* **Rise of the Roman Republic-** With the fall of the last Eternals in the east Asarluhi and his Sukkal had reached their central objective. At the same time their Clan had begun to take foot in the newly developing roman empire. At a very early stage of its development the Clan integrated itself into the empires structure and military as their creations formed the back of the roman legions. It was at this time that the Lemurians of rome gave them their new name: Aedifex. Through their new influencial position they secretly incited conflict between rome and carthage, knowing well that many of their ancient enemies still dwelled in its walls. The punic wars where one of the greatest challenges the Aedifex and their creations faced as of yet; but in the end the emerged victorious. The roman legions razed carthage and slew its shadow-queen Lamashtu.
* **Creation of the Promethean-** After the Aedifex captured the remains of Lamashtu they began a project many of their Diviners had theorised since a long time. In a secret fortress in the caucasus mountains they gathered powerful remains and imprisoned Afflicted to begin constructing the Promethean, an artifical god. Alongside the Inner Cult was founded, eternally seeking new parts to add to their unfinished god.
* **The Fall of Rome-** Since the fall of the Senate the Aedifex influence grew constantly. The establishment of mortal emperors allows the Aedifex to gain greater trust and use these often tyrannical puppets to their advantage. Their position in the roman empire would become contested with the spawning of the first Strigoi however. After Sitits, first of the Custodes was captured, the Senate made a push to replace the Vargr bodyguards of the emperor with a Praetorian guard entirely made up of Strigoi. Since this new breed of Afflicted where physically superior to their Lemurian ancestors and spread much faster it was easy for them to get a powerful foothold in rome. The Aedifex opposed these rivals but they where unable to stop this outlandish influence into rome. Across the ages the Strigoi began to outnumber their lemurian cousins and had fully embraced their roman identity. In a desperate attempt to regain influence the Aedifex motivated Sitis and his praetorian guard to overthrow the Lemurian rule. Over night and unnoticed by the mortal public, the empire engaged in a civil war between Lemurians and Custodes at which the latter emerged victorious. This infighting weakned the empire however, allowing the northern Vargr to slip through the roman defenses and sack the eternal city.
* **Founding of the Covenant-** After the fall of rome the Aedifex courted its eastern remnants and the kingdoms that emerged across all of europe. While their influence would never reach the levels of the ancient times, they retained good relations to all Strigoi factions. When the Covenant was founded in england the Aedifex chose to ally themselves with this Strigoi alliance and help them to spread their influence outwards. In the modern times they are the greatest allies of the Covenant, secretly furthering the Strigois self-obsession and expansionist tendencies.

## Culture

The Aedifex are by far the most cohesive Clan, having created a culture that evelates unity and uniformity above everything else. They are increadibly tribalistic, placing the interest of their Clan above their own and that of anyone else. There are few groups of Afflicted as secretive and well connected both on the inside and the outside. To the outside world Aedifex appear as an openminded and servile Clan that offers their highly respective abilities to the highest bidder. Their services are invaluable to most Afflicted factions and mortal empires. They supply almost all of them with shapeshifting puppets that can pose as mortal rulers, powerful creations to enforce their military and resurrected servants. Since the Aedifex do not believe in money or material goods they will instead demand favour in return for their services. Due to their servile etiquette, their highly demanded abilites and their uninterest to influence mortal politics they are well integrated into most unliving soceities in the victorian age.

### Ossuaries

Ossuaries are bases and hideouts for the Clan that are construced in every major city. They are incredibly well hidden, usually build below ground and only accessable through well guarded tunnels and passages. The entire structure is crafted from human and animal corpses; creating walls of bone and flesh, unliving gates with a mind of their own and moving furniture. Its rooms, tunnels and halls constantly reconstruct themselves and change their location, making orientation impossible for an intruder.

Most members of the local Clan will have a study and private room inside the Ossuary. Inside the Clan can organise itself aswell as provide its members with resources and protection. It is ruled by an *Archon*, an elected Elder that organises the Ossuary and communicates with the rest of the Clan. Additionally every Ossuary contains the following halls:

* **The Forbidden Atrium** contains the ancient tomes and records of Aedifex secrets that are only intrusted onto the oldest Diviners.
* **Ritual Chambers** which contain most of the Ossuaries resources and are excellent for performing necromantic rituals.
* **Malefactories** are large operating theaters in which the Reanimators modify corpses or combine them to create unliving Constructs.
* **Charnel Pits** are large shafts in the deepest part of the Ossuary. Their walls are covered in the remains of mortals and Afflicted, merged together into an unliving webwork that is used to create more powerful Undead.

### Shapeshifting

Like most Ghouls the Aedifex care only about peoples inner values; both literally and figurativly. To them appereance, gender or race hold little relevance; and most tend to reject both after they where turned. However the way an Aedifex chooses to present themselves may have certain implications depending on the context. Inside their Ossuaries Aedifex express themselves through very minute touches in their appereance while taking a shape that is devoid of sexual characteristics of any kind; appearing almost alien to outside observers.

### Casts

* **Servitors** are diplomats and negotiators in the service of the Aedifex. They represent their clan to the outside world; their appereance is handcrafted to be most appeasing to those they parley with as are their words. Servitors are respected by most Afflicted seeking to treat with the Aedifex, yet members of their Clan might be more inclined to look down on them.
* **Reanimators** are what holds the Clan together. They have achieved unparalleled mastery in twisting and reforging undead flesh, creating the Constructs that are the Clans trademark.
* **Diviners** are the seers and Distortionists of the Clan. They do not only deal with the secrets of the outer world, they are also priests and lorekeepers to other Aedifex. Only through their directions can the *Inner Cult* achieve its final goal.
* **Outcasts** are Aedifex that have abadoned their Clan. While they are allowed to leave their strict Clan-structures, the Aedifex will trade them as mere strangers. Furthermore their servants and spies will constantly follow them in the shadows, making sure none of the Clans secrets are spilled.

### Creations

While most Constructs and Gravespawn are handcrafted to suit a specific purpose, the Aedifex have produced certain types of servants that have mastered a chosen task. The most common of these are:

* **Homunculai** are created as unliving servants to act as attendants inside an Ossuary. They are moved by a specially selected spirit and controlled through pain if necessairy.
* **Wechselbelger** are Gravespawn capable of changing their apperance like a Ghoul. These faceshifters are used as spies or human imposters.
* **Cambion** are Gravespawn modified for combat. They surpass other Undead in strength and speed aswell as being able to weaponise their entire body. While they often reveal razor-sharp spikes, entrails that turn into tentacles or acid glands; however they are able to hide their supernatural nature if desired so.
* **Mortaurs** are Constructs made from bulls, humans and wolves; resembling distorted centaurs. They are increadibly tough and perform devastating blows against weaker and slowe foes.
* **Leviathans** are massive Constructs made from countless bodies. These massive creatures are able to whipe out entire cities and can only be harmed by sorcery or artillery.

### Turning

Aedifex embrace from a wide variety of mortals, depending on their caste. *Servitors* choose union organisers, family doctors, politicians or courtesans; *Reanimators* will prefer doctors, proffessors, medical students or nurses while *Diviners* resort to scholars, proffessors, politicians or mortal necromancers to become their progeny. No matter the caste medical and anatomic knowledge is always particularly welcome. In addition Aedifex generally have a distaste for privileged, wealthy or sheltered mortals. Most Aedifex will themselves have suffered under the boot of a modern aristocrat in their mortal life. In addition those of more humble origins will work harder for their success and their disappeareance will be rarely noticed.

The turning ceremony is as simple as its horrific. When the new moon hangs high on the sky the mortal will be killed swiftly before being filled with Aedifex Essence and thrown into a Charnel Pit. After returning to unlife they must use their Essence to controll the twitching flesh around them, so it carries them back to the surface. Those that fail this test will be consumed by the pit, joining its evergrowing mass.

## Strains

* **Renegade Ossuaries** are formed in regular intervalls across the globe. There are many reasons why an Ossuary would forsake their Clan or the Inner Cult but the consequences are equally severe. Most of them are whiped out within a decade and those that persist are made sure not to spill the Clans secrets. To the outside the Aedifex appear perfectly unified, functioning like a collective; however there exist many internal conflicts and scisms within. In the end these Renegade Ossuaries rarely grow very powerful but they are quite numerous.

## See also

* Aedifex
* Aedifex (Rules)