Lhiannan

The Lhiannan boasted a strange creation story. They claimed that their founder — a vampire simply known as the Crone — became bonded with a spirit of the forests. This spirit was a desperate, jealous being that could apparently see that people would destroy the forests and burn the trees that comprised them. Joining with an undying predator, then, was apparently the spirit’s attempt at dodging this fate. Whether or not any of that is true, the Lhiannan did have a connection to the natural world that no other vampire, not even the Gangrel, can equal.

Whenever a Lhiannan Embraced, a shard of that original spirit broke off and empowered the new Cainite. This spirit-shard allowed Lhiannan to use their Ogham Discipline, which, in turn, enabled the style of unlife that the Lhiannan enjoyed. It also made the Lhiannan territorial above all else, and the Druids were quite limited in their mobility. The Lhiannan, much like the Telyavelic Tremere found common cause with the pagan peoples of Europe. This, unfortunately, put them into conflict with Cainites and mortals who followed the Christian faith.

The bloodline was never numerous (especially since creating a new Lhiannan meant that the sire grew weaker), but the fires of the Inquisition and the spread of the Christian religion took a harsh toll on the Druids. By the end of the 14th century, they had all been destroyed. In modern times, though, Gangrel trade rumors of powerful Kindred in European forests decorated with strange, bloody symbols, so perhaps some of them survived — or perhaps the forest spirit that initially created the bloodline has resurfaced.

**Nickname:** Druids

**Sect:** The Lhiannan did not survive to see the dawning of the Sabbat or the Camarilla. In historical nomenclature, they were decidedly on the Low Clan side of the social divide, and most Cainites probably wouldn’t have known them from the Gangrel. Lhiannan rarely joined coteries, limited as they were in mobility.

**Appearance:** The Druids resembled the native people of the regions of Europe that they called home — the British Isles, for the most part.

**Haven:** The Lhiannan made their havens in the forests of Europe, constructing simple dwellings or finding natural shelter. They would sometimes find a man-made haven and kill or enslave the inhabitants, or very rarely eke out an existence on the periphery of human civilization by taking the role of a shaman or wise woman.

**Background:** Since performing the Embrace meant growing weaker, the Druids only created childer out of sheer loneliness or when they found someone who truly impressed them. A pagan spirit-speaker with real devotion to her craft, or a woodsman with impeccable respect for the forests might be enough to get a Lhiannan’s attention. The Lhiannan refused to Embrace Christians, Jews, or Muslims.

**Character Creation:** All Lhiannan were capable of surviving in the wilderness, and so Physical Attributes, Skills, and Talents were important. A Lhiannan acting as a counsel to a mortal settlement was likely to have higher Social Attributes and appropriate Abilities. Herd and Retainers (animals) were common Backgrounds.

**Clan Disciplines:** Animalism, Ogham, Presence

**Weakness:** The Lhiannan were part nature spirit, and the mark of their inhumanity ran strong within them. All difficulties to detect their nature via Auspex were reduced by two, and even normal humans felt vaguely uncomfortable in their presence. Additionally, any Lhiannan who left her territory became agitated — all dice pools were reduced by one die per week (to a minimum of the character’s Stamina) that she was gone. Once she re-entered her territory, her dice pools returned to normal within a few hours.

**Organization:** Once a Lhiannan Embraced a childe, she generally kept the new vampire around for a few years until that childe was ready to fend for himself (and the novelty of having someone else around wore off). The sire would then send the childe away to find his own haven and territory. The Lhiannan were generally aware of members of their bloodline whose territories were adjacent, but there was no system of communication in place. This, of course, may have contributed to their eventual destruction.

**Stereotypes**

***High Clans:** No one who wears such heavy, false robes or who shies away from blood is a leader to me.*

***Low Clans:** By accepting the title of “low,” they show it to be accurate.*

**The View From Without**

***High Clans:** Watch, my childe. This is history happening before your eyes.*

***Low Clans:** Hunt as you please, but spare the mad, the women heavy with child, and anyone who lives near the eastern forests. And stay far from those woods, especially as you wear the cross.*