Note: Working off this as a 'true' origin of the bloodline in play, though Birdie is unaware of it. Others with occult knowledge are welcome to have heard of this as a rumor or know it to be true through connections mentioned below.
The most common assumption about the Daughters of Cacophony (and their brothers, the Sons of Discord) is that their bloodline springs from the Toreador or Malkavian, with no one taking responsibility for them. Rumors spread that their origin is a Toreador Methuselah that was taken by the fae, a product of Malkavian experiments, the victim of being sired by mixed blood or a Tremere curse -- even that they might be bred by clans in the Sabbat to be sent to drive the Camarilla mad.
Rumors work well enough. Mystery lends itself to greater art, after all.
---
In the time just after the Camarilla founded, there was a mistake made in Florence.
A Ventrue named Sidonia and a Toreador named Edelinne were rivals in the way many genteel Kindred in the new Camarilla courts tended to be. It was something that came very close to affection, but was more often shown through squabbles over domain and disagreements about art.
In time, they came to agree one one thing: an artist named Donato. A composer of what would become operas, a favored member of the mortal Florentine Camerata. He wielded great power over the very shape of art in the city even as he created his own. There was great potential in him, if someone from the right clan were to Embrace him.
And so, the greater disagreement began. Edelinne's arguments were obvious, openly stated in every needling encounter with her rival. Sidonia, however, would be breaking with tradition. There was reasoning, of course, that art creates a legacy, earns dignitas more lasting than a city or a war, the opportunity to achieve another immortality in word and song instead of brick and gold, to be an architect of thought.
Mostly, Sidonia wanted to frustrate her ever-present 'friend' in a way that would last.
Donato was taken in the night and hidden by Sidonia in her haven for the time it took to train him and bring him up before presenting him to the clan. She had not consulted any but her own sire before taking on this new childe, too sure of her reasoning and too blinded by revenge to worry about how Donato would prove himself worthy of his lineage. This first part, to Sidonia, went perfectly. He was a quick learner, excited by the prospect of a new unlife unfolded before him, the time to write and prove himself to a more elite class of beings than his former peers of simple human nobility and merchant kings.
When presenting him to the Prince in Florence, Edelinne was incensed by the betrayal. To have lost out on a childe is one thing, but she had bragged to her fellows in her clan about the new blood she would bring in, about his prowess and his skill, only for him to be thrown in her face as one of the Ventrue brood. Publicly stolen from her and her blood, a greater insult than even Sidonia knew she was making.
Revenge was swift. Before Donato could even begin his next task of gaining dignitas and prove himself to his clan, Edelinne leveled a curse against him. If she couldn't have his genius and power for her clan, then neither could Sidonia, and she could suffer the shame of having a failed progeny. Donato was left disfigured, unable to do business or work with mortals (or even many Kindred) without causing dismay or potentially breaking the Masquerade.
The Ventrue clan, having rallied behind Sidonia in succor, provided a space for him to work unimpeded. It was still possible, they reasoned, that he could work in secret using ghouls as proxies to carry out his requests in more public arenas. They wouldn't hand out anything beyond the location, the privacy, and they would see what he could earn from there.
(It is said by some that he was counseled in secret by their Methuselah, Veddartha, and told ancient secrets about Gehenna, the Feast of Ages, and a coming nightmare.)
Edelinne, in turn, was run out of Florence and went to spend time in the Camarilla courts in France before, eventually, defecting to the Sabbat.
Donato, beneath an entertainment house in Florence, spent a hundred years there slowly going mad from music and isolation. As the building above became an opera house, he and his ghouls ensured it was reconstructed with avenues for him to move through unseen and his haven below was left undisturbed.
As the years went on, he took to 'teaching' the singers he felt had talent, if only to ensure any works produced above him were up to his own standards of quality.
One, in 1623, named Libra de Fabiani, he decided to sire -- a childe he could use to add to his legacy, is dignitas, who he could use to show his work, who he would blood bond to himself and use as needed. Donato took her from the shadowed hallways, and Embraced her in his haven down below, feeding her another singer he'd never been fond of.
It didn't take long for it to become apparent that her talents were not entirely his own. Maybe it was the curse Edelinne had afflicted him with, or maybe it was her own talent, but Libra was never bound to Donato as he'd planned. Instead, she was able to sing -- her words were convincing, her songs enchanting, and her instinct so acute and so immediate, the desire to survive and escape so clear, that it was barely a month before she sang her way out and above.
After this, not many know where she went. Some say that Veddartha, invested in this new bloodline and its potential in the coming final nights but uninterested in tying it closely back to his clan, shepherded her away to the British Isles, coached her on passing herself off as another clan to avoid questions or interrogation. Some say she wandered on her own, going mad from music only she could hear, Embracing those women whose imperfect mortal voices moved her.
None of them say so in mixed company. Even Libra's own Daughters know nothing of her troubled origin except what might be gleaned from a song she chooses to sing at just the right moment.
While others suspect Toreador and Malkavian, those who know any truth to the story are the Nosferatu that shared the haven space under the house in Florence, perhaps Donato and other Ventrue of the time who assisted in his edification, maybe even Veddartha.
Note: Again, not V:tM canon, but what are they gonna do? Call the TTRPG cops on me?
- basic disciplines are melpominee, presence, and fortitude, though many will also learn auspex at some point. - very few in number (only about 30 total in North America, roughly 100-200 worldwide mostly concentrated in Europe) - this includes the Sons of Discord (literally just what more masculine members of the bloodline call themselves don't make a big deal about it; there are also Children of Dissonance) - European Daughters do have a slightly more rigid clan structure given the higher concentration of them in that space and the higher number of Elders among them (Embraces require approval of another Daughter, they hold regular gatherings called Choruses, openly and solidly reject any alliances as a bloodline with any other clan or sect, Daughters are considered Novices, Intermediates, or Experts, and respect and train each other accordingly) - North American Daughters are largely divorced from this power structure, though they mimic it loosely (Daughters may still seek approval from their Sisters before an Embrace but it is not an offense if they don't, Choruses are held but not mandatory and not regularly, they still largely avoid enmeshment with local politics but will form alliances as individuals with clear ties to any sect being frowned upon, there are no titles to show their experience but they do defer to their elders in any capacity) - all members of the bloodline are incredibly selective about who they Embrace regardless, and it's seen as a sign of unrefined taste to take more than two Childer, which contributes to keeping their numbers so low - it is entirely possible that a group of them are responsible for the Beckoning at the direction of Veddartha for reasons unknown (fuckshit, fuckshit is the reasons) - Birdie is not the first Daughter to end up in a situation like she has going on in Denver, and the vulnerability of younger Daughters to this kind of thing is why they tend to stay in such close contact with their Sires even after starting off on their own - a Daughter that has become a Banshee is not necessarily devoid of humanity, but of willpower
MELPOMINEE---------------------------------------------- • The Missing Voice
The character can “throw” her voice anywhere within her line of sight. This enables the Daughter to carry on surreptitious conversations, sing duets with herself, or cause any number of distractions. This power can also be combined with other Melpominee powers to disguise their source (and some Daughters use it to conceal the fact that Melpominee powers do not function through recorded media).
System: This power functions automatically as long as the character wills it. However, using The Missing Voice while performing any action other than speech or singing incurs a penalty of two dice on that action due to the disruption of the character’s concentration.
•• Phantom Speaker
The Daughter can project her voice to any individual she has personally met. Distance is no object, but it must be night wherever the target presently is. The vampire can sing, talk, or otherwise project her voice in any way she sees fit (including other uses of Melpominee), but she cannot hear what she is saying, and therefore suffers a +1 difficulty to any rolls accompanying her utterance. For instance, the vampire could project her voice to an enemy in an attempt to intimidate him, but would suffer a +1 to the difficulty of the Charisma + Intimidation roll.
System: The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty 7) and spends a blood point. Each success allows one turn of speech; three or more successes allow speech for an entire scene.
••• Toreador's Bane
This power enables the vampire to entrance others with her voice. The effect duplicates the Toreador clan weakness, but can affect anyone. The target will sit still, in awe of the character's voice, until the character stops singing. Thus the effects can last seconds, minutes, hours or even the entire night.
System: The character makes a Charisma + Music roll (difficulty equals the target's Willpower [minus two for Toreador] and totals the successes, though one is enough to send the victim into this "trance." If the target wants to resist, she must make a Willpower roll (difficulty equals the number of accumulated successes.). If the target does not resist, than the trance will last until the character stops singing.
••• Madrigal
Music has the power to sway the listener, engendering specific emotions through artful lyrics, pounding crescendo, or haunting melody. The Daughters of Cacophony can tap into music’s power, forcing listeners to feel whatever they wish. The emotion becomes so powerful that the listener must act, though what a listener does isn’t something the Siren can directly control.
System: The player rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 7). Each success instills the chosen emotion in a fifth of the Kindred’s audience (more than five successes have no additional effect). The Storyteller decides precisely which members of the audience are affected.
Characters may resist this power for the duration of the scene with the expenditure of a Willpower point, but only if they have reason to believe that they are being controlled by outside individuals. The song the vampire sings must also reflect the emotion she wishes to engender — no one’s going to mob the concert security no matter how well she sings “High Hopes,” but they might if she performs “I Predict a Riot.”
Affected individuals should act in accordance with their Natures — enraged Conformists would join a riot but not start one, aroused Bravos may force their attentions on the object of their desire, and jealous Directors may send cronies after their rivals.
Multiple Daughters may use this Discipline in concert.
Those near the vampire suddenly desire to be closer to her and become receptive to her point of view. Awe is extremely useful for mass communication. It matters little what is said — the hearts of those affected lean toward the vampire’s opinion. The weak want to agree with her; even if the strong-willed resist, they soon find themselves outnumbered. Awe can turn a chancy deliberation into a certain resolution in the vampire’s favor almost before her opponents know that the tide has turned.
Despite the intensity of this attraction, those so smitten do not lose their sense of self-preservation. Danger breaks the spell of fascination, as does leaving the area. Those subject to Awe will remember how they felt in the vampire’s presence, however. This will influence their reactions should they ever encounter her again.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 7). The number of successes rolled determines how many people are affected, as noted on the chart below. If there are more people present than the character can influence, Awe affects those with lower Willpower ratings first. The power stays in effect for the remainder of the scene or until the character chooses to drop it.
Successes Result
1 success One person 2 successes Two people 3 successes Six people 4 successes 20 people 5 successes Everyone in the vampire’s immediate vicinity (an entire auditorium, a mob)
Those affected can use Willpower points to overcome the effect, but must continue spending Willpower every scene for as long as they remain in the same area as the vampire. As soon as an individual spends a number of Willpower points equal to the successes rolled, he shakes off the Awe completely and remains unaffected for the rest of the night.
•• Dread Gaze
While all Kindred can frighten others by physically revealing their true vampiric natures — baring claws and fangs, glaring with malevolence, hissing loudly with malice — this power focuses these elements to insanely terrifying levels. Dread Gaze engenders unbearable terror in its victim, stupefying him into madness, immobility, or reckless flight. Even the most stalwart individual will fall back from the vampire’s horrific visage.
System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim’s Wits + Courage). Success indicates the victim is cowed, while failure means the target is startled but not terrified by the sight. Three or more successes means he runs away in abject fear; victims who have nowhere to run claw at the walls, hoping to dig a way out rather than face the vampire.
Moreover, each success subtracts one from the target’s action dice pools next turn. The character may attempt Dread Gaze once per turn against a single target, though she may also perform it as an extended action, adding her successes in order to subjugate the target completely. Once the target loses enough dice that he cannot perform any action, he’s so shaken and terrified that he curls up on the ground and weeps. Failure during the extended action means the attempt falters. The character loses all her collected successes and can start over next turn, while the victim may act normally again.
A botch at any time indicates the target is not at all impressed — perhaps even finding the vampire’s antics comical — and remains immune to any further uses of Presence by the character for the rest of the story.
••• Entrancement
This power bends others’ emotions, making them the vampire’s willing servants. Due to what these individuals see as true and enduring devotion, they heed the vampire’s every desire. Since this is done willingly, instead of having their wills sapped, these servants retain their creativity and individuality.
While these obedient minions are more personable and spirited than the mind-slaves created by Dominate, they’re also somewhat unpredictable. Further, since Entrancement is of a temporary duration, dealing with a lapsed servant can be troublesome. A wise Kindred either disposes of those she Entrances after they serve their usefulness, or binds them more securely by a blood bond (made much easier by the minion’s willingness to serve).
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Appearance + Empathy (difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower points); the number of successes determines how long the subject is Entranced, as per the chart below. (Subjects can still spend Willpower to temporarily resist, like any other Presence power.) The Storyteller may wish to make the roll instead, since the character is never certain of the strength of her hold on the victim. The vampire may try to keep the subject under her thrall, but can do so only after the initial Entrancement wears off. Attempting this power while Entrancement is already in operation has no effect.
Successes Result
Botch Subject cannot be entranced for the rest of the story.
Failure Subject cannot be entranced for the rest of the night.
1 success One hour 2 successes One day 3 successes One week 4 successes One month 5 successes One year
There's also Fortitude, but that just means she's sturdy and can take more damage than average. All of the above will work in threads about as well as we want them to, and it's safe to assume a character from another canon might even be entirely immune to some or all of them for Reasons.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daughters of cacophony
lore
clan structure
powers
There's also Fortitude, but that just means she's sturdy and can take more damage than average. All of the above will work in threads about as well as we want them to, and it's safe to assume a character from another canon might even be entirely immune to some or all of them for Reasons.