Ravnos Ghouls

The tales of how and why the Ravnos Clan creates ghouls are full of half-truths, deception, and misdirection. Other vampires have little information to go on, other than rumors and barely-remembered encounters with them. Of course, that may be the point of any interaction with those who serve the Ravnos.

The Ravnos Clan has been using and relying on ghouls for centuries, and their reasons for doing so have changed along with the slow decline of the old ways. The Ravnos from India, for example, may have once referred to all ghouls as sudra, but as the caste system continues to deteriorate, it isn’t always clear to younger Ravnos how and if they are sudra, or if they should all be treated the same. In the West, however, where the Ravnos see how quickly cities and technologies change, they subconsciously realize how much they need their ghouls and, at the same time, despise them for it. Thus, each individual Ravnos has conflicting thoughts on how much the Clan should rely on mortal servants. Often, this changes from group to group, settlement to settlement, town to town.

At the heart of the Clan, however, are questions related to the Paths each master follows. Ravnos domitors who maintain their humanity tend to use ghouls for short periods of time. They direct their ghouls to fulfill specific tasks such as guarding their havens or leading victims back to them. Those Ravnos who follow one of the Paths of Paradox, on the other hand, are more discriminatory, and argue whether or not the creation of a ghoul violates their beliefs. Some feel that feeding vitae to a mortal halts the process of aging and freezes their bodies at a fixed moment in time, which removes them from the cycle of life. Thus, orthodox Ravnos masters see the creation of a ghoul as a direct violation of their edicts, and prefer to hire revenants such as the Marijava because they present less of a moral dilemma. Even those Ravnos who don’t strictly follow one of the Paths, or who may interpret them differently, question whether or not ghouls even have a svadharma, and wonder if the Clan’s curse prevents them from fulfilling it.

Despite their misgivings, the Clan has a utilitarian use for ghouls. In order to continue moving and wandering from city to city, Ravnos domitors need drivers, bodyguards, and scouts. Often, Ravnos masters need ghouls who can blend in, and they often pick candidates who are pious or innocent knowing that eventually the Clan’s curse. Though there’s no guarantee a candidate will perform well, ghouls can be a source of stability for the Ravnos, and defeat many of the Clan’s stereotypes as unstable vagrants and loners, thieves and con artists. However, some Ravnos masters, like other Clans, use this to their advantage by choosing candidates that do fit the stereotypical Ravnos, and let others discover them to intentionally throw their enemies off their scent.

Most Ravnos ghouls are not chosen for their physical appearance, nor are they screened heavily ahead of time. In many cases, Ravnos domitors cannot afford to be choosy, for their needs can be immediate. Defense during the daylight hours is a major part of the typical Ravnos ghoul’s job, and they do so any way they can. Thus, many Ravnos ghouls aren’t necessary tough or imposing. Rather, they often use tricks or cunning to dissuading nosy mortals into opening the door to an illegally parked van or visiting a campsite. A ghoul who can fight well and fool passersby is doubly useful, but many masters find this out after they are Bound.

In addition to making connections with criminal elements of a city and protecting their havens, Ravnos ghouls frequently procure blood for their master as well. While some Ravnos have the luxury of traveling with a herd, their nomadic lifestyle often makes maintaining it difficult. Ghouls help ensure that their domitors stay fed, and will kidnap, seduce, and bribe victims back to their encampments. Typically, Ravnos ghouls tend to be more self-sufficient, as they are highly adaptable and skilled manipulators. Needing to move, protect, and feed their masters as they travel, Ravnos ghouls also develop a wide variety of skills to call upon that ranges from fixing vehicles to conning police officers. Those who survive are often as worthy of the term Deceivers as their masters, and may be considered for the Embrace.

The worst problem Ravnos ghouls have is that the Beasts of Deceivers drive them toward their vices. Sometimes, those sins can affect their ghouls, too. Some Ravnos will not rob or assault their ghouls; others may do so, willingly or not. Often, it depends on the ghoul’s vice and the domitor’s Nature. Regardless, many Ravnos domitors find it difficult to maintain multiple ghouls at once, as it becomes harder to unravel the lies they both tell.

Lastly, there is another type of ghoul that the Ravnos create: animals. They tend to be more common among Ravnos antitribu than the rest of the Clan, but animal ghouls have many uses. Often, the Deceivers will find stray dogs, feral cats, ravens, and birds of prey to add a little extra security and peace of mind.

**Appearance:** It can be difficult to identify a Ravnos ghoul based on looks alone, as they are often chosen to help their masters blend into the local scene. Some Ravnos ghouls, however, might bear the physical signs of their vice. For example, a Ravnos ghoul who cannot resist shoplifting might wear an oversized jacket. In general, however, Ravnos ghouls tend to dress for comfort and function as opposed to fashion.

**Character Creation:** The Deceivers value ghouls for their mortality, and often keep their vampiric natures hidden from them as much as possible. Thus, most Ravnos ghouls do not follow a Path at first, as they are often prized for their ability to make fast friends and charm the cold-hearted. Characters with Resources, Retainers, and Contacts make good choices, as these increase the ghoul’s worth to their domitors.

**Weakness:** Ravnos ghouls suffer from a lesser form of the Clan weakness. The Blood ignites a ghoul’s inclination to indulge in their natural vice such as avarice, hedonism, etc. After a year of subsequent feedings, the Ravnos ghoul will feel compelled to indulge in that vice whenever the opportunity presents itself. To resist, the ghoul must make a Self-Control or Instinct roll (difficulty 5). The difficulty for this roll may increase or decrease depending upon the circumstances, at the Storyteller’s discretion.Quote: “Of course I’m telling you the truth, sweetie. I got no reason to lie.”