saber de clanes 344257123-V20-Lore-of-the-Bloodlines-11056187-pdf | Page 24

as “The Fugue” might still be considered a weakness. Put
simply, we constantly hear music. The tune is different for
each Daughter. Some of us hear violins, some an orchestra,
some pounding drums, and a few a chorus of screams.
Each Fugue is unique to the Daughter who hears it, and
while it has driven some of us mad, it is always beautiful
in its own way.
No one knows with any certainty why we hear this music.
But the most popular theory is that we are connected in
a way to the heartbeat of humanity. We are the children
of blood and rhythm, and so it makes sense that we might
hear the pulse of blood through the veins of the kine. This
music is not easily translated into a single beat. There are
billions of people in the world, each with their own cadence.
Each is their own instrument in a vast orchestra that we
each hear only a small refrain from. Each Daughter’s Fugue
shows something of her connection to the kine, her feel for
their blood and the song it sings in their veins.
Banshees
Maybe it’s our alleged Malkavian heritage or maybe
hearing music all the time is enough, but sometimes we
lose it. Now, plenty of us have problems. You don’t live
forever and not gather a few issues. But every now and
again, some of us fall apart in the worst way. We’re not
talking a few days of counseling; we’re talking lost on the
moors batshit crazy.
We call these Daughters “Banshees,” and it is easy to see
why. They have become slaves to the Fugue. The music inside
them has taken control to such a degree that there is nothing
left of who they were. They become lost souls, constantly
singing the only song they know. Unfortunately, that song is
not only a danger to them. Banshees use all their power to kill
anything that crosses their path. They are raving maniacs, and
the only way to stop them is to put them down permanently.
Deeper Notes
I suppose we should address the issue of men within our
bloodline. We have been accused of all kinds of conspiracies
to keep men from our secrets. Many believe our powers
can only be commanded by women, or that we slaughter
the men who learn our techniques. Some even suggest
we secretly plot the ascendance of women among all the
Clans, and that our very name is proof of this. As usual,
the truth is far simpler.
We don’t hate men, or even refuse to Embrace them.
Every now and then, a girl needs a little bit of bass, after
all. However, we began as a sisterhood, and most of us just
like it that way. In our experience, too many men try to
dominate and control whatever they are part of. Those of
us born before the modern nights just weren’t willing to
hand over what we had so easily.
There are also practical reasons we tend not to take on
male childer. Most of our power comes from our voices,
and it’s easier to train someone with the same vocal range.
Men and women often require different vocal techniques to
make the best of their voice. What works well for a soprano
might not be so good for a tenor or bass. So where men are
Embraced, they tend to have a range similar to their sire.
A soulful jazz songstress might find a man’s vocal range
closer to her own, where another sire might pick a young
boy soprano or castrato as her apprentice. But times change,
and these days, a few men who get past their privilege and
play fair are allowed to join us. So we do allow men to be
Embraced, although it happens rarely.
However, we have no plans to change our name or make
a point of inviting more men to even the balance. Just as so
many women have had to be better to get ahead in a man’s
world, we hold the men we Embrace to a higher standard.
Some like to call themselves the “sons of discord” just to
assuage their vanity, but I know a French daughter who insists
we are “Les Chanteuse du Mal,” and we’re not changing
to that either. There is no sub-bloodline or secret sect of
men. If any of our childer have a problem being known as
Daughters of Cacophony, maybe eternity isn’t for them.
Factions
We may not be especially numerous, but there are still
groups and factions of our bloodline in the world. However,
we often tend to avoid our own company too much. Part of
the reason we have managed to remain neutral is that we
are not perceived as a threat. When we assemble in groups,
we tend to make the other Kindred nervous. So in many
cases we tend to spread out, leaving to find another city if
one of our kind is already in residence.
However, there are some places we have clustered a
little. The cities most associated with music draw us to
them. Salzburg and Vienna (despite the Tremere) maintain
their legacy of Mozart and the classics. But the jazz of New
Orleans and the soulfulness of Paris also claim our hearts.
New York and London with their cauldron of styles and
art are like a home to us. But almost every major city has at
least one of us in residence, and many of us stay in touch.
It provides us with a very wide net to catch news, gossip,
and politics. Let us hope the other Clans don’t decide to
count our numbers one day, as our ubiquity (albeit a diluted
one) might give them pause.
LORE OF THE BLOODLINES
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