Editing Lineage:House Lineages (section)

=House of Cain=

[[Image:Ehcrow.jpg]]

Positive Stereotype:  Reliable realist.

Negative Stereotype:  Brutish murderer.

Symbol:  Crow.

Signature Spell:  Shapeshift (Cat or Crow).  “Walk into the Wilderness”.  The mage may use the same spell to take either form.

Magical Style:  Mesopotamian, an amalgam of Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian elements.

The House of Cain claims to have been founded by the Biblical Cain, the first murderer.  Nobody is certain how old they really are, although they have certainly been in existence since ancient times.  According to their account, Cain rebelled against the authority of God, declaring that he and his kin would make their own way in the world, submitting to none and ruled by nobody but themselves.  Their independence has made them truly at home nowhere, but their ability to endure and survive is beyond question.  While they do not make alliances as a House, individuals are often sought after as troubleshooters or mercenaries, due to a reputation for taking decisive action.  They are particularly admired as assassins, their folkloric connection to killing having taken on mystical significance.  Contrary to some stereotypes, the mages of this House do not exist to kill.  They exist to survive, to live by their own rules, and to seek whatever they want out of life without being hindered by others.  Apprentices are drilled in basic survival skills, including extensive combat training.

Mortal Politics:  Mages of the House of Cain have a wide variety of political views and no attempt is made to enforce political orthodoxy.  An unusual number are Libertarians.  Many just don’t care about politics at all.

Cost:  0 points.

Disadvantages:  Mark of Cain (25 points).  Something about mages of this House bothers people.  Reaction rolls towards them are at -3.  This doesn’t mean that nobody likes them and enjoys their company, but making friends is a slow process and it isn’t going to happen with someone who judges by first impressions.  They also frighten animals as per the Frightens Animals disadvantage.  It is said that God Himself cursed Cain with the mark.

Skills:  Climbing, First Aid, Guns (Handgun), Guns (Rifle), History (Ancient Middle East), Karate, Stealth (2 points), Streetwise, Survival (Any), Symbol Drawing (Ancient Middle East), Theology (Christian).

Spells:
Animal:  Beast-Rouser, Beast-Soother, Shapeshift (Cat) / Shapeshift (Crow) (See “Walk into the Wilderness” above).
Body Control:  Itch, Spasm, Pain, Stun.
Communication and Empathy:  Sense Emotion, Sense Foes, Persuasion.
Mind Control:  Foolishness, Daze, Mental Stun.


Relations

The Houses

House of Anjou:  They have hearts like lions and nobody is ever safe around a lion.

House of Capet:  Their obsession with shadows is disturbing.  What are they turning into?

House of Carolus:  They aren’t just planning a pagan revival.  They are planning to build an army of the unblooded.

House of Flavii:  Who else could plot for millennia without our knowing the intended end-game?

House of Hapsburg:  They are tightening their grasp on Europe.  What’s the next step?

House of Julii:  Sophisticated pirates, with a veneer of respectability and bloody hands.

House of Lancaster:  Lancaster has been working with the Houses of the far east.  Are they thinking of defecting?

Order of Lilith:  Petty thieves and proud of it.

House of Medici:  They are spreading their power in the second and especially third world.  What sort of future are they predicting?

House of Romanov:  The leaders aren’t so stupid as to really think they can restore the Russian monarchy.  So what is the real plan?

House of Stuart:  They understand both force and diplomacy.  No wonder they have risen to the top.

House of Trastámara:  When your only tool is a sword, everyone looks like your enemy.  Now they are too feared and hated to be safe.

House of Ummayad:  A thousand years of sulking and they still haven't finished.

House of Warwick:  They are consumate killers.  You will never see the blow coming.

House of York:  They are wolves underneath, loyal to the pack but with no sense of right and wrong.  They murder because it is their nature.

The Rebellion

Order of Boudicca:  They aren’t sure what they want but they want it now.

Order of Copernicus:  They have the guts to speak the truth, even when people don’t like it.

Order of Darwin:  Nobody knows what they are really up to.  They don’t just study, they make plans.

Order of Eve:  They don’t have the courage to take action and are smug about it

Order of Jesus:  A man who got himself crucified to death is a poor role model.

Order of Judas:  They are reviled, but sometimes there is good reason to have a little blood on your hands.

Order of Siddhartha:  Your dream-world is just about to end.

Order of Solon:  They are true idealists and would probably make better leaders than any of the great Houses.

Order of Spartacus:  The Rebellion wouldn’t last two seconds without the infantry.

Order of Thales:  They have done no harm as far as I know.  If fact, they have never done anything as far as I know.

Order of Utnapishtim:  They are necessary.  A world in balance needs doctors as well as soldiers.