Obertus

Originally, the Obertus was a family of scholars, monks, and clerics who served the Tzimisce Lords Symeon and Gesu in Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire. Brothers in life and unlife, the Lords worshipped Gesu’s sire, the mysterious Dracon, and passed their devotion on to their monks. After the city was sacked in a bloody siege and Gesu died, Symeon first moved the Obertus to the Clan’s ancestral homelands in Eastern Europe, where he shaped them to become one of the dominant revenant families. Symeon, Dracon’s grand-childe, saw value in the Obertus and convinced the other Fiends to let him breed the remnants of surviving families into the clan.

Despite Symeon’s reputation for being mystical and less practical than his peers, he selected the remaining Narov revenants, who were minor landholders and tax collectors, to be folded into the Obertus family. The Narov was a strategic choice, for the family did not have a powerful Clan patron as the Khavi did, and their wealth proved to be a great boon. With more resources, Obertus scholars were able to focus their efforts into expensive forms of research, focusing on the paranormal. Some vampires speculate that, thanks to the Obertus, Clan Tzimisce’s knowledge of other supernatural creatures greatly increased, and this insight was used to protect the Fiends from being hunted into extinction during their many conflicts.

Unfortunately, with many of the Tzimisce and other members of the Sword of Caine seeking domains in the New World, the Obertus felt they had little support and chose to abandon their European strongholds. After sailing to the Americas along with other members of the Sabbat, the Obertus continued expanding their reach north to the colonies and settlements all along the eastern seaboard. While they have retained ties to their homes in Europe and the Middle East, the Obertus continues to maintain a strong foothold in New England, Washington D.C., and New York, despite the ever growing presence of the Camarilla.

Now, the Obertus spend their days and nights in near total secrecy, studying the occult as their forbearers did. Some vampires suspect that the Obertus have managed to survive by selling their services to other vampires, such as the Lasombra or Tremere antitribu, but this rumor has never been proven. In truth, the Obertus shies away from making pacts with vampires that are not descended from the Dracon unless absolutely necessary. However, the Obertus do sell secrets to select clientele, primarily other revenant families and ghoul organizations, such as the Oprichniki, in exchange for supernatural specimens, information, protection, and other valuable assets and services.

Like the Grimaldi, the Obertus family has secret objectives that might well lead to their destruction should the Clans and Sects discover them. Long ago, the Obertus family elders became convinced that their existence was a gift from Dracon himself, and their enhanced physiology is the next logical step in human evolution. One day, or so they claim, Homo obertus will replace Homo sapiens as the dominant species as Dracon intended. To this end, the family conducts experiments by obtaining different types of vampiric blood from willing and occasionally unwilling vampires. From time to time they have hired hunters from Bratovich and Oprichniki to collect “specimens” of certain types. Often some Obertus will take part in the extended hunt. This gives them an opportunity to also observe their fellow revenants in the wild. These hunting expeditions are an opportunity to seek out possible resting location for the Dracon, who the Obertus believe is deep in torpor far away from his wayward childer.

Though the Obertus has never achieved any definitive results, they’ve convinced their allies that they are close to creating a ghoul-like existence without an external source of the Blood. In truth, the Obertus has always made such claims, for they do not know when to stop unraveling an enigma, even if they know it’s futile or rife with errors. For example, some Obertus revenants were shocked to learn that their trials accidentally activated the recessive genes of the Narov line. Thus, though the family’s genetic stock is primarily Obertus, a small percentage has displayed Narov traits. This unfortunate circumstance, so far, has not come to the attention of Clan patrons. Yet.

Now, the Obertus scholars are beginning to splinter and leave the confines of their estates. The majority of Obertus who involve themselves with Sabbat affairs serve the Children of the Dracon faction of Tzimisce. The next largest group of Obertus are well placed among mortal libraries and universities, doing research and all manner of experiments. A minor faction has become less concerned about the pursuit of research, and more about the family’s future. After witnessing the brutality of the other revenant families, they suspect the only reason why others want their secrets, is so that they could be weaponized. Though this could be true, other Obertus revenants feel that their knowledge is a small price to pay for a reunion with Dracon.

**Appearance:** The appearance of an Obertus revenant reflects the family’s tendency to remain isolated. Some might fit the Hollywood stereotype of a disheveled college professor or librarian, while others might wear styles that are considered vintage. Members who frequently travel, on the other hand, have thoroughly researched modern fashions and dress stylishly, but not ostentatiously.

**Character Creation:** Obertus revenants tend to be heavily geared toward intellectual pursuits and occult studies. They tend to be drawn to the dark and forbidden, investigating engimas when others might turn away. Thus, many Obertus revenants are scientists, professors, archaeologists, and occultists in addition to being lorekeepers. In general, however, the family prizes keen minds over brute force, and tends to favor members who display superior mental prowess.

**Disciplines:** Auspex, Obfuscate, Vicissitude. Obertus revenants, who display signs of the Narov line, should swap Obfuscate for Dominate.

**Weakness:** Obertus revenants were bred for their intellectual prowess, and are prone to psychological disorders. The vast majority suffer from the Obsessive-Compulsive Derangement, while members from the resurging Narov line are afflicted with the Megalomania Derangement. See pp. 291-292 in V20.

**Quote:** “I hold the keys to knowledge. I know which doors to unlock, and eventually I will open all of them.”