Rewarding Research
We ’ ll Drink Anything
REDCAP NIGHTCAP HOT OF RUM , AND DOSED WITH A DRIZZLE OF ASSAMITE JUS ; THIS COMPLEX MIXTURE IS ONLY SERVED IN ONE LIBRARY — THE RENOWNED NE
Redcap Nightcap
n FOR A FLAVOR YOU WANT TO SAVOR , YOU CAN DO A LOT WORSE THAN THE REDCAP NIGHTCAP . LIQUID DREAMS SQUEEZED FROM THE HEARTS OF FAIRIES , MIXED WITH A SHOT OF RUM , AND DOSED WITH A DRIZZLE OF ASSAMITE JUS ; THIS COMPLEX MIXTURE IS ONLY SERVED IN ONE LIBRARY — THE RENOWNED NEST IN NAIROBI , KENYA , WHERE ISANWAYEN PLAYS HOST .
Rewarding Research
We ’ re unashamedly obsessed with knowledge . We hunt it , study it , experiment with it , store it , and occasionally trade it . Contrary to popular opinion , only some of us are fulltime librarians . We ’ re as prone to wanderlust as any vampire ; possibly more so . Yes , our eldritch appearances hinder visiting overpopulated areas , but we ’ ve never liked crowds . Too much filth and disease .
Kiasyd the world over make expeditions to the darkest tombs and most obscure libraries . Odd little curiosity shops nobody visits are our catnip . ( Cats are tidy creatures , by the way . Keep them around your haven , if you don ’ t mind scratched furniture .) There ’ s no crevice we won ’ t probe for hidden knowledge , you understand . We thirst for knowledge .
Our drive to learn and experiment comes from many sources . Some Kiasyd pursue knowledge to become fat spiders in the center of sprawling information networks . Returning to my original point ; truth is a dangerous thing , and when you know everyone ’ s secrets , the Jyhad becomes your plaything . Our powers enable us to command others to tell us their most deep-seated fears and discern lies with ease .
Those of us who follow Marconius ’ lead still desire to create something new , and better than our current form — a supreme life , an apex predator , a being existing in both dreams and wakefulness . We track down myths of chimera — no Tzimisce fleshcrafted dross — and seek to surpass their perfection . In this , we find common cause with the Ravnos and their antitribu . Our association with the Deceivers has increased in recent time .
Ravnos possess a power that should be ours . This isn ’ t accusation of theft as much as statement of fact . The Ravnos can access dreams as if they were tangible ; forming illusions with thoughts and fists . Yet they do not know dreams like we know dreams . Nightmares aren ’ t in their blood . It ’ s become a priority among our kind to help Ravnos in need , and aim to receive tutelage in their arts of illusion . Your kinsman Bartholomew theorizes if we could master it , we would elevate ourselves to a new form of being .
One truth that became a lie surrounds our former proficiency in the arts of necromancy . We never became masters of the dark arts , but it was an experiment we chose to pursue in the cause of advancement . Alas , our studies were far from profitable . We drew the beady eye of Giovanni , and our new allies , the Harbingers of Skulls . Threats of violence were leveled , and we were told , in no uncertain terms , it wasn ’ t our province . Bartholomew was the first to concede such accusations were correct ; we are not necromancers . Indeed , according to him , we never practiced necromancy . We ’ ve denied dabbling in necromancy ever since , and will do so until these lies become truth .
We ’ ll Drink Anything
Don ’ t be mistaken ; we don ’ t feed from beggars and drug-addicts . Some experiences aren ’ t worth sampling . For such a low test , you pay some indolent Pander to drink the blood for you , and watch the effects it has on his awareness , form , and mood .
No , we Kiasyd are alchemists , and our bodies are the mixing bowls . Our forms are changed at the point of Embrace , just as Marconius ’ was from the time he ventured into the Abyss and drank portions of creatures fair and foul . We would change ourselves further . Lupine , changeling , magus , demon — all are palatable . The cocktails we mix are art to behold . We compete regularly with one another on who can craft the next exciting concoction , and record the effects it has on the drinker . The next Great Symposium will be as much about sampling vintages as it will be about comparing books .
There ’ s a school of thought among some Kiasyd that each Clan offers a different taste to the drinker . It ’ s not as simple as Brujah tasting fiery and Ventrue tasting cool ; there are pronounced variations in the blood . Several Kiasyd now make a hobby of capturing Cainites just to sample them . A brew of unadulterated Toreador in a glass is very different to a goblet of one part Giovanni , two parts Lasombra . Trust me .
As with many aspects of our bloodline , differences in drinking preferences have caused rifts . A Kiasyd cocktail club in Kraków formally declared war on another in Osaka , not that the two will ever meet . Apparently , their disagreement stems from their differing thoughts on vitae quality from a vampire donor exposed to the sun ’ s rays . Such a minor thing , but we all want to be right .
LORE OF THE BLOODLINES 57