Each Kindred is a member of a clan. A clan is a group of vampires who all share common characteristics. Popular Kindred mythology suggests that all vampires are assumed to have descended from one common Kindred, the founder of that clan, though no one knows who those founders might be. When a vampire Embraces a new Kindred, the progeny is of the same clan as the progenitor. Certain “sub-clans” of vampires also exist, known as bloodlines, but a vampire can never change her clan.
A clan is a vampiric lineage. The Kindred acknowledge five clans, and all Kindred belong to one clan or another. The most widely accepted theory regarding clans is that they are like “families” of vampires. Members of clans all inherit certain mystical commonalities, from acumen with certain Disciplines to traditional shortcomings for their particular type. One of the failings of the “families” theory is that none of the clan progenitors are reliably known, and only a few are guessed at with any degree of confidence. Certainly, the clans came from somewhere — but where? In a modern context, only two Kindred are known to have no clan, and they haven’t reliably demonstrated that they’ve been able to Embrace over the course of their Requiems. These vampires, the legendary Dracula and the Roman centurion Longinus are responsible for the creation of certain covenants, not clans, but might they be on a path toward clan creation themselves? And if the origin of clans doesn’t lie with certain progenitor vampires, from what source do clans originate? If Longinus and Dracula have no clan, who’s to say that other, more secretive Kindred haven’t also suffered the curse in the same way?
Tonight, the influence of the clans is felt almost everywhere. The five clans have a presence throughout the Western world, or so it is believed. The Kindred definitely came to the New World along with the early colonists, suggesting that these vampires are European in origin, or that they grew out of the civilizations that first populated the world and followed the movements of mortal men. Oral histories and sparse records indicate that some vampiric presence existed among the tribal cultures of North America before its colonization, but whether these creatures were members of clans or solitary, unique beings — or even if they were truly vampires at all — cannot be determined. While information on the Far East is fleeting, members of the five clans are known to be active there, as they are in Africa, South America and much of the Middle East. Still, little is known about how indigenous culture shapes the understanding of clans in all these regions, and anyone attempting to study the phenomenon is probably wise to take no presuppositions with him.
Daeva
Succubi/Incubi
Masters and victims of beauty and lust, the Daeva cultivate desire in their prey and perfection in themselves. Sensual hedonists and rapacious gluttons alike are members of the Daeva “family.” Many Daeva Embrace mortals with whom they have become entangled in a web of lust and hunger. Rare is the relationship that runs as hot as that between a Daeva and a newly Embraced childe. Rare is the relationship that cools as swiftly.
Gangrel
Savages
Creatures of wild ferocity and animal cunning, the Gangrel hunt in the untamed places and show no mercy. Gangrel can come from nearly any former life, but all Savages possess a strong survival instinct. Gangrel loathe personal weakness and admire those whose greatest strengths are those of the self—self-awareness, self-confidence and self-reliance.
Mekhet
Shadows
Quiet things that lurk behind masks and curtains, the Mekhet are keepers of secrets and thieves of whispers. They hunt from the shadows, preying secretly upon victims and unlocking secrets no one should know. All Mekhet share a metaphysical darkness, expressed as bleak melancholy or macabre fascination. Mekhet are tutored intensely by their sires, and often inducted into their own shadow cults. Some prefer to let their progeny discover the Kindred world on their own, but not even these sires stray so far that they can’t watch a protégé’s progress.
Nosferatu
Haunts
Subtle and unnerving, the Nosferatu wield fear itself like a surgeon’s knife. Their very presence disturbs others, whether by physical ugliness, foul stench or nebulous personal malignance. Nosferatu sometimes come from society’s dregs, but just as often from its peak. Either are dragged to new depths by the Embrace. Haunts learn to be self-reliant individuals, and often adapt to the curse of undeath better than their Damned peers.
Ventrue
Lords
Youngest and hungriest of the clans, the Ventrue are the harsh Lords over the Damned. The Ventrue recruit professionals, the cream of high society, scions of old money or heirs to political dynasties. As new professions and new forms of power arise, the Ventrue bring them into the clan. By whatever means available, the Ventrue rise to the top.