Assamite

Banu Haqim
Plural	Banu Haqim
Nicknames	The Clan of the Hunt, Assamites, Assassins, Mediators, Lawmen, Saracens, Judges
Antediluvian	Haqim
Faction	Independent Alliance Camarilla
Leader	Ur-Shulgi (mainline) Al-Ashrad (Preservationists)

The Banu Haqim, commonly known as as Assamites, are one of the thirteen vampire clans.

Overview

Based in their hidden fortress Alamut in the Middle East, they are traditionally seen by Western Kindred as dangerous assassins and diablerists, but in truth they are guardians, warriors, and scholars who seek to distance themselves from the Jyhad. Throughout their history, they have remained a self-sufficient and independent clan, although they have recently joined the Camarilla.

History

From the beginning, the Banu Haqim were an isolated lot, centered around Alamut and the Middle East. Lacking competition for certain roles due to the relative absence of other Clans, the clan thus maintained its separation of duties over the millennia rather than becoming specialized to one particular mode of existence. The Viziers tended to the mortal herds, the judges (now the Warriors) tended to the clan's defense, and the Sorcerers pursued their secrets. This division of labor allowed the Banu Haqim to succeed on their own where a clan priding itself on its specialization, such as the noble Ventrue or the socialite Toreador, would have failed. They associated rarely with other Cainites, notably lending assistance to the Salubri during the Baali Wars and paying homage to the Brujah city of Carthage. This was, in no small place, attributed to the presence of the Antediluvian himself, who saw the squabbling over territory and mortal herds as reminders of the ill-fated Second City and tried to withdraw himself and his brood as well as he could. Nevertheless, small cabals supported various mortal nations, entangling themselves within the Jyhad, and this enraged their founder so greatly that he left Alamut, occasionally visiting it, but never staying for long, until he disappeared completely.

Antiquity

The rise of Western civilization brought the Children of Haqim into close contact with the rest of the Cainite world again. During the time of the Greek city-states and the height of Persian dominance, few clans other than the Brujah, Ravnos, Setites, and the Tzimisce had enjoyed more than sporadic encounters with the Children. However, as Rome expanded and, later, as Byzantium rose, those kingdoms' Cainite parasites moved with them, struggling in vain to control the first mortal institutions that were more complex than they could comprehend. The Children of Haqim never had an extensive role in the Roman Empire's life or death. Scattered members of all three castes moved through Roman society, particularly in the eastern and southern regions of the empire, and no few Warriors found mercenary employment as bodyguards or household troop commanders for wealthy Ventrue and Malkavians.

After the destruction of Carthage and the growing expansion of the Empire into the Middle East, however, most Banu Haqim abandoned the city and its festering web. Rome was never a place of particular interest for the Children, but the Parthian Empire began to become one. Arising in Persia a century before Rome's ascent began, Parthia spread through the Mesopotamian region in the wake of the crumbling Seleucid dynasty. Many Children encouraged the Parthian expansion, save for those who had maintained close ties to the Seleucids. Some saw Parthia as a rich ground on which to sate their particular hungers, whether for vitae, battle, or learning, while others simply welcomed an end to the chaotic infighting that surrounded their homes. Following the destruction of Carthage and the subsequent Roman expansion west, Parthia quickly became all too significant to the Children as the force holding the Roman Cainites at bay. All three castes devoted themselves to reinforcing the mortals who could fend off their undead adversaries.

Dark Ages

The Banu Haqim of the Dark Ages are strongly unified, following a tumultuous period where the clan was split by those who followed Islam and those who chose not to. Some Banu Haqim even renounced their clan membership, becoming Dispossessed. It took the threat of the Baali destroying the clan entirely for them to come together again.

Modern Nights

Don’t be mistaken into expecting a flood of Assamites from the Levant. The Clan is spread as globally as any other. Fatima tells me of one Canadian Assamite elder found to have Embraced a minimum of 15 childer in five years.—Lucita in a letter to Beckett

The awakening of Ur-Shulgi, one of the first Sorcerers and childe of Haqim himself, brought rapid changes on the Clan as a whole. The ancient methuselah used his tremendous power to break the curse laid upon the Clan, succeeding where other Sorcerers had worked for hundreds of years without success. His harsh views and interpretations of the Laws of Haqim, however, triggered various struggles and discomforts, especially with his own childe, Al-Ashrad, which resulted in what is commonly called the Schism.

Assamite Schism

The Assamite castes split apart during the Schism. Ur-Shulgi demanded that other Banu Haqim give up the worship of other gods and only revere Haqim. This resulted in many Assassins being killed, and many more opting to leave Alamut. Ur-Shulgi was particularly vicious towards Muslim Assassins, and killed several elders for refusing to renounce their faith, including Jamal, the head of the Warrior caste.

Some Banu Haqim joined the Camarilla. Most of those that joined the Camarilla were Viziers and Sorcerers. Warriors that joined the Camarilla are generally seen as loose cannons who must be supervised by their more restrained (and non-vitae addicted) clanmates. Sorcerers in the Camarilla find their skills in high demand as an alternative to dealing with the Tremere.

A small number of the clan, mostly Warriors, joined the Sabbat. While the Banu Haqim antitribu who had been with the Sabbat for the last 500 years were entirely from Warrior stock, the Warriors opting to join the Sabbat were not entirely welcomed with open arms. Many of the Assamite antitribu elders, particularly in the Black Hand, had defected and left the Sabbat to return to the main clan. This meant the Sabbat was not entirely welcoming because of the recent betrayal. Few Sorcerers or Viziers joined the Sabbat.

These nights, the clan’s global role has changed. The Banu Haqim who worship Ur-Shulgi and have turned their back on Islam still practice internal clan rituals relating to the sampling and storing of Kindred vitae. Rumors of mass diablerie fuel the fear that the clan wants nothing less than the end of all their kind. These loyalists, hidden in the fortress of Alamut, have driven more than half of the clan to break their bonds to their blood soaked past. In doing so, they have attracted the attention of our sect. The Banu Haqim are once more seen as a potential pillar of the Ivory Tower. Camarilla-sworn Banu Haqim groom sectors of our domains, specifically gaining influence over the kine involved in law, and the breaking of it.

Organization

Until recent events, the main Clan was strongly unified, based on their ancestral home base Alamut. Traditionally headed by the "Eldest", and supported by the Du'at, the Clan focused inward, sending its assassins out to gather blood for the alchemical potions the experiments of the Sorcerers need to break the blood curse.

The Council of Scrolls was responsible for introducing new technology into the clan and investigating recent developments outside Alamut, while the Council of Du'at formulated clan policy, and was composed of the representatives of each Caste:

• The Caliph for the Warriors Caste;
• The Amr for the Sorcerers Caste;
• The Vizier for the Viziers Caste;

Culture

As a whole, the Children of Haqim hold themselves apart from the political squabbles of other Cainites. This is due in part to geography, at least before the advent of mechanized transportation, but mainly to a subtle sense of superiority. The Children like to feel that they have no need to resort to politics to achieve their aims. This is not to say that no member of the line is incapable of subtlety – indeed, many Viziers have achieved great success in the political arena – but rather that the clan culture, such as it is, is predisposed toward more direct solutions. Of course, this political isolation has also had its drawbacks. Absence from the intrigues of the Damned means lack of enemies, but also of allies, which resulted in the isolated stance of the Clan after the formation of the Camarilla. Also, most Assamites are inexperienced in the games of power and Prestation other Kindred have played for millennia.

Assamites are divided into three castes, which often have a semi-antagonistic relationship with each other. While all Assamites grow dark with age, have access to Quietus as a clan Discipline, and have a weakness related to some form of lust so powerful that it stains their aura, the different castes also have different Disciplines and weaknesses. The castes are all hereditary, that is a Warrior Assamite will always sire Warrior caste childer and never Sorcerers or Viziers. Despite this, the three castes are considered equally close to the Antediluvian Haqim who is said to have sired Assamites of all three types in the Second City. Among themselves, Assamites use the tradition of the diwa'khana from Kurdistan to settle in the last few hours before the sun rises, exchanging news and discussing events that affect them to form a sense of community. Outsiders are not welcome and to be invited to a diwa'khana is a sign of great respect.

Warrior Assamites are the primary fighters of the clan. They are the Assamites most likely to take assassination contracts and most likely to adhere to the Path of Blood. When other vampires think of Assamites, they are most likely to picture a Warrior.

Younger Warriors typically came from Islamic countries, and may mix the tenants of the Path of Blood with Islamic ideas about holy war. They are often fanatical and ready to die for the cause. Elder Warriors may come from other religions entirely, and see themselves more as judges (and executioners) than as holy warriors or assassins.

Embraces

The clan tends to watch potential neonates before allowing an Assamite to sire progeny. Although necessity sometimes demands that a new childe be sired quickly, the Assamites prefer making time for an apprenticeship. The Assamite antitribu are strict in choosing recruits. If a newly created Assamite antitribu survives his first experience in combat, he becomes a mustajib, or "Deserving One." Mortals never serve the Assamites before being chosen to become one. Only after becoming vampires do they get the chance for acceptance. For a period of seven years, the vampire must serve the Assamite antitribu who created him. If the mustajib fails in any of his tasks, he is destroyed. If he succeeds, he becomes a fidais ("One Who Sacrifices Himself") for seven more years as he serves his creator.

Assamites typically try to Embrace someone who will be "useful" to the clan as a whole. This most often means someone who is willing to fight and die for the clan's (or at least their sire's) goals. However, during the long period that the clan labored under the Tremere blood curse, people may also have been Embraced for knowledge in a specific (often obscure) area. Typically this had something to do with sorcery or medical research involving blood, but may also have included more obscure areas of research as well.

Assamites typically choose people with somewhat obsessive personalities for the Embrace. As they are typically involved with either hunting down miscreants or conducting obscure research, they tend to be highly motivated individuals. This often results in Assamites picking individuals who are fanatically devoted to a cause, religion, theory, or activity. The various caste flaws and the training they undergo after the Embrace tends to accentuate this even more. Thus Assamites can be said to select childer that will be eager to chase down their prey no matter how long it takes or how far they must go. That prey may be a physical target, an obscure piece of knowledge, or even pursuing the perfection of an art form.

Related Pages

• Thatcher

Characters

• Francois Di Montagne
• Kōmori Otoko
• John 'Skiz' James
• Levi Howdsted