Blood Essence

Quietus 5

Only usable by those who are not subject to the Tremere curse

Masters of Quietus have a control over the supernatural properties of vampiric vitae that is terrifying to behold. Blood Essence demonstrates some of the most frightening aspects of this control since it clearly illustrates that he who controls the blood has access to the unlife of the vampire. With the power an Assamite can distill the unholy life force of a vampire and extract it as a thick, blackish blood. This process is deadly to the victim and very similar to diablerie. Indeed, the distilled essence truly is what Cainites refer to as the "heart's blood," the potent vitae that contains all of the vampire's power and self. Once extracted, this mere cupful of blackish liquid contains all the destroyed vampire's essence and anyone who consumes it effectively diablerizes the victim.

Blood Essence is an important part of many rituals among the Children of Haqim. Warriors extract the heart's-blood of victims felled in battle and bring it back to their elders or even to hidden Alamut itself. They then either consume the essence themselves or present it to an honored teacher. The growing blood addiction among Assamite warriors has unfortunately undermined this practice. Assamite sorcerers and viziers are said to have many uses for the heart's-blood, using it to peel back the layers of a victim's long existence year by year. The essence is also a key component in religious observances among followers of the Road of Blood.

System: The process of distilling the Blood Essence is very similar to diablerie itself. The vampire drains all his victim's blood through whatever means are available, and then must drain the heart's-blood. Instead of sucking it out through brute force, however, the vampire uses Quietus to distill the potent vitae. The vampire's player does not make the extended Strength roll of diablerie. Instead, he makes an extended Willpower roll (difficulty 9) that functions like the Strength roll, causing an unsoakable level of aggravated damage per success. Failure means the vampire must pause to distill the essence but can continue next turn. A botch means the effort fails (though the vampire may then proceed to attempt traditional diablerie). As in diablerie, the victim remains alert during the entire process and can fight back. Once all health levels are gone, the victim is destroyed and his essence is fully drained (usually into a chalice of some sort).

The distilled heart's-blood remains liquid and fresh for a number of nights equal to the Quietus master's Willpower. After that time, it becomes caked and dry, losing its potency. Anyone drinking the heart's-blood while it is still fresh gains all the benefits and potential pitfalls of having successfully diablerized the victim, such as lowered generation.