Descendant of Menele (Brujah characters only)
Menele has walked the Earth since his breathing days as a philosopher-king in ancient Greece. His insatiable lust for enlightenment led him first to India, then to Carthage, a utopia purportedly built on the ideal of peaceful coexistence between Kindred and kine. A utopia reduced to ash by the treachery of Helena.
Apoplectic with rage, Menele razed Helena’s beloved Pompeii to a cinder, lighting the spark of their unending rivalry. Helena and Menele fought across the ages until they beat themselves into mutual torpor near present-day Chicago. Menele was on the verge of renewing his ancient grudge with Helena when he was called east by the Beckoning, freeing his childer from his vice-like mental grip.
Many of Menele’s descendants inherited his passion for philosophy, enlightenment, and greater ideals, while others became fearsome warriors selected for their ability to defend Menele from Helena’s agents. Both were needed to realize Menele’s weary dream of founding a new Carthage based on ancient Brujah ideals. Now, Menele’s descendants are free to choose their destiny for the first time in millennia. The question is: What will they do with it?
| • | Symposium: Menele always liked a good argument and sired many childer after debating the mysteries of life for evenings on end. All of your Persuasion rolls have their difficulty reduced by one |
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| • • | Carthago Delenda Est: Menele maintained an elaborate network of spies, informants, and retainers. His network fragmented upon his destruction, but you managed to claim a portion of it for your own. You have three dots to split between Retainers, Influence, Allies, and Resources, with the absolute certainty that Helena and her agents will attempt to take them from you. |
| • • • | Know Thyself: Menele believed the Brujah needed to return to their roots as thinkers and positive agents of change. You are trained to resist the pull of your Brujah fury. Once per session, you can spend a Willpower point to re-roll a frenzy brought about by your Brujah clan bane. |
| • • • • | Knowledge is Power: Menele was impossibly old and held many secrets about the Kindred of Chicago and beyond. You were steward of those secrets before. The Beckoning drew him away. Once per story, you may request a single secret from the Storyteller about a clan or Kindred in Chicago or similar domain that felt Menele’s influence (Storyteller’s discretion). |
| • • • • • | The Greater Mysteries: Menele spent years learning the meditative practices necessary to perceive the astral plane in his quest for spiritual perfection. You inherited a portion of his ability and remain fully cognizant of your surroundings during your daily slumber. Reduce the difficulty of all Rouse checks to awaken during the day by two. You also have the ability to perceive fractured glimpses of events to come that may affect your character while you slumber. Once per session, you may roll Resolve + Occult to interpret your nightly visions. Each success brings the vision into greater focus and the Storyteller may offer you one cryptic hint or fact relevant to your character |