Tremere

The Tremere occupy a complex position within kindred society. They are both Clan and Covenant. Even to say they are a Clan is a misnomer; Tremere are an oddity within the Danse Macabre. Being artificial creations of the Ordo Dracul, the Tremere as kindred occupy a spot somewhere between Bloodline and Clan and are at best rightly viewed with mistrust; outright disdain at worst. Despite this the Tremere remain steadfast supporters of the Camarilla and have entrenched themselves so deeply within its power structure that to have a city without some form of Pyramid is a failed city. Their mastery over blood magic and extensive use of Thaumaturgy have made the Tremere terrifying to their enemies and sickeningly necessary to their allies. Their tightly controlled power structure ensures that all Tremere are loyal to both Clan and Covenant. Those rare and pitied few who apostatize from the Pyramid and become Antitribu are hunted across the world with unrelenting zeal.

History
In the early 6th century a mad Moros by the name of Anaïs de Calinoit had compiled a book on vampires and their Embrace. In this book she claimed to have discovered a ritual for a "True Embrace" which allowed kindred to Embrace mages and retain their Supernal connection. Anaïs titled this grimoire Tremier after her dead husband. It wasn't long before word of the book reached various kindred circles in Europe. Less than a decade later Anaïs lay dead and the book was in Ordo Dracul hands.

The tome would come to be stolen by a secret order of Dracul known only as the Dragons. Within this tome held secrets only contained within its pages. Experimentation lead to the creation of the Tzimisce and their Discipline, Vicissitude. When the war between the Tzimisce and the Camarilla broke out in the 7th century, the book fell back into Camarilla hands. The Camarilla, wanting an edge over the fleshcrafted abominations of the Fiends, set the Ordo Dracul back to the task of artificially creating a vampire.

The Ordo immediately set to work abducting and experimenting on Awakened. Most ended in failure of both the test subject and the kindred. The experiments continued until the capture of an Awakened named Goratrix. Imprisoned deep within London, Goratrix was experimented upon endlessly. Eventually the Ordo Dracul attempted the ritual once again. This time however, things ended in a complete disaster. Every vampire engaged in the ritual was turned inside-out or fused into the walls of their Wyrm Nest. Goratrix however awoke moments later as a member of the undead. Goratrix saw only one thing within the chamber, Tremier, and took the book. He flipped through it, taking the name Tremere as his own and returned to the surface.

Goratrix, now Tremere, would set to work attempting to reconnect with the Supernal. He found out, with limited capacity, that he could expend Vitae to poke holes within the membrane separating the Fallen World with the Supernal. He was given very specific, but limited access to Arcana once again. He sired a brood of childer, and would eventually go on to form the Tremere Pyramid. Having grown in size it wasn't long until the Pyramid was dragged into the conflict with the Tzimisce - which had been raging on and off for the better part of a century. Tremere, along with Hardestatd, the Invictus Ventrue Prince of London, joined together to fight against Tzimisce. This alliance would eventually go on to form the foundation of the Camarilla.

Overview
The Becoming: The Tremere are incredibly selective when it comes to the Embrace. They bestow unlife out of necessity to both Lineage and Pyramid. This stringent view on the Embrace is only furthered by the fact that in order to do so, one must defend their case before a committee of Tremere consisting of no less than five members. This committee is comprised of the Regent of the city, an Apprentice of the Sixth Circle, and three Apprentices of the Fifth Circle. Those outside of the Pyramid who have witnessed the committee in action have likened it to defending a dissertation - an apt description to say the least. In short the Tremere place high value upon their blood and tightly control those who are given it. While they do not have a specific "type" of person they Embrace - you can be assured that no matter the person inducted into the Clan, they are useful in some fashion or another.

Why you want to be us: The simple and leashed magics of the Covenants are nothing compared to the raw untapped power of a skilled Tremere. Under the Tremere you will gain the ability to peel back the hidden layers of the world and take a peak at the gears of reality. The Danse Macabre is merely one piece in a sea of moving pieces that make up reality. You need only take one step.

Why you should fear us: As the old saying goes 'Knowledge is power' and the Tremere are masters of knowledge. Pagan rituals and religious babble pale in comparison to the mastery Tremere command. Other Covenants skip a pebble across the pond of magic while the Tremere swim.

In the Danse Macabre: The Tremere occupy a complex position within kindred society. They are both Clan and Covenant. Even to say they are a Clan is a misnomer; Tremere are an oddity within the Danse Macabre. Being artificial creations of the Ordo Dracul, the Tremere as kindred occupy a spot somewhere between Clan and Clan and are at best rightly viewed with mistrust; outright disdain at worst. Despite this the Tremere remain steadfast supporters of the Camarilla and have entrenched themselves so deeply within its power structure that to have a city without some form of Pyramid is a failed city. Their mastery over blood magic and extensive use of Thaumaturgy have made the Tremere terrifying to their enemies and sickeningly necessary to their allies. Their tightly controlled power structure ensures that all Tremere are loyal to both Clan and Covenant. Those rare and pitied few who apostatize from the Pyramid and become Antitribu are hunted across the world with unrelenting zeal.

Nickname: Warlocks

Clan: None; Tremere exist somewhere between Clan and Clan and take on the aspects of both.

Clan Bane: The Tzimisce are aloof by nature like all the Ventrue, but they have a particularly hard time interacting with people when they feel like they don’t have some measure of control over them. The Tzimisce suffer a -1 penalty and lose the 10-again quality on social rolls against people they haven’t exerted some manner of control over. This manifests as feelings of apprehension around the victims in question. It is most commonly relieved through the application of Disciplines or the Predatory Aura.

Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate, Resilience

Favored Attributes: Resolve or Intelligence

Organization: For more information on how the Tremere are organized, see the Tremere Pyramid.

Covenants:  The Tremere operate in a strict rigid hierarchy known as the Pyramid. In a city, Tremere form Chantries which are usually located on a ley nexus and magically enchanted to both be unassuming from mortal's eyes and larger on the inside. Chantries are then broken down into seven different circles, each representing a specific rank and duty within the Pyramid. For Tremere rigidity and duty to blood is life. Their day-to-day life is dominated by research, practice, and grunt work for those above them. In the Camarilla the Tremere operate as court wizards, magical assassins, and bodyguards. They recognize the power and strength afforded by their condition and as a result are never truly "subservient" to a city's Prince or Electori. Despite the fact that they were created by the Ordo Dracul (and thus by the Camarilla) the Tremere do not serve; at least not truly. Both factions view one another as tools to be used by the other,  a mutually beneficial agreement - at least for the time being.

Clan Gift: Thaumaturgy
The power of the Tremere comes from Thaumaturgy. While not technically a Discipline it is only available to those of Tremere Blood. As a result the only possible way to learn Thaumaturgy outside of Blood and Covenant, is to imbibe the Vitae of a Tremere. Thaumaturgy itself is the ability of the Blood to call to the Supernal. Thaumaturgy is the teachings of one of the first Kindred sorcerers, Goratrix. Thaumaturgy is enlightenment. Thaumaturgy is the gift that all Tremere receive upon their Embrace. The art of Thaumaturgy is unlike any other Blood Sorcery; those systems do not in any way apply to Thaumaturgy’s spells and rites, and can safely be ignored in their entirety by any Thaumaturge. It instead is much closer to the magic of the Awakened, stabbing holes into the Supernal realms to conjure forth their power.