Hecata

Description:

Hecata sires favor mortals either from their own mortal families, or who provide links to outside families from whom the Hecata would benefit. They prefer kin of a morbid, black-humored, or pragmatic bent, due to the clan’s death-dealing nature. They have little need for the compassionate or empathetic, unless it serves to satisfy a gap within the clan. The family must always come first, so it’s the Hecata versus everybody else. The Necromancers describe their Embrace tradition as “gifting the truly exceptional with membership in the most exclusive of households.” Spontaneous Embraces are very much frowned upon by the wider clan, the members of which favor the ritualistic approach of observing, grooming, and voting on which mortals deserve immortality. Kingpins, self-starters, individuals who have faced or dealt death, and those with medical or occult knowledge all appeal to the Hecata. Anyone with a true, scientific interest in death, the afterlife, and religion stands a chance of being approached for the Embrace, though academic theologians are more likely recipients of the bite than the blindly faithful. Different fledglings set to work handling the living, the dying, the dead, and the rotting, in the form of nurses and carers, morticians, and of course necromancers. Though they do not control any widespread mortal crime empires, the clan appreciates the practiced killer, the cold-blooded money launderer, and the charming con artist. Their roles continue on once they receive the Embrace, complementing the clan’s legitimate businesses investment banks, trading conglomerates, and private hospitals and care facilities with a steady flow of illicit cash and bodies.

Clan Affiliation: Independent

Archetypes:

Champion Bullshitter
The Hecata may wave the banner of independence, but they still require vampires who can break bread with Camarilla courts and Anarch packs. This character could have been anything from a con artist to a diplomat in life, but the crucial thing is they know how to sell a deal without showing their entire hand to the outsiders. The champion bullshitter was Embraced for their ability to charm the doubters and present a believable façade for the clan’s activities.

Forensic Specialist
The Clan of Death lives up to its title, with a great many of its members schooled in the passage of life to death. In the last century there’s been an upsurge in nurses, surgeons, and laboratory staff being Embraced, with a special place set for medically trained individuals in law enforcement. This character was always one of the first to crime scenes, and was able to alter evidence, misfile reports, or spin a narrative of death that protects the family, all while coming face-to-face with death on a regular basis

Natural Necromancer
Necromancers are pretty uncommon among the ranks of mortals, even those with blood connections to Clan Hecata. When a vampire from the Clan of Death finds a mortal with a genuine interest in, and aptitude for, death magic whether through practice of seances, ghost hunting on vlogs, exorcisms, or study of occult rituals they rarely go without long-term observation and the potential for an Embrace. These individuals sometimes harbor deviant practices, or an ethical remove when it comes to handling corpses and treating with the dead. The Hecata see this kind of behavior as ripe blackmail material, so if the necromancer is unfit for the Embrace, they’ll serve as a mortal retainer.

Prodigal Child
The Hecata have a blind spot when it comes to their mortal descendants, sometimes Embracing inept family members simply because they share the same name. However, characters such as this one stand out, prove themselves to the clan, and end up with multiple prospective sires fighting for the right to Embrace. The prodigal child is often seen as a rising star, fit for important responsibilities within the family and clan. Growing up in such a twisted family has a way of fucking up such a mortal’s sensibilities and boundaries, however.

Unscrupulous Banker
As far as the rest of Kindred society is concerned, the Giovanni and more broadly, the Hecata are the bank. They’re Switzerland. They act as the neutral party, perfect for mediation and guaranteed to protect assets due to their unswerving dedication to non-involvement in the Jyhad. This character would be targeted for their willingness to do anything to cut a profit, whether that means investing in unethical concerns, accepting laundered funds, or playing guard to investments most banks wouldn’t touch including blood, special kine, or torpid Kindred.