Lore: Toreador

Secondary Abilities

This Lore represents knowledge of the social structure, traditions and myths of the Toreador. It also represents how well a character might be able to recognize the names of famous Toreador and know the trends of the Clan within given regions.

Generally Possessed By: Toreador, Toreador antitribu

Sources Consulted for this List: Clanbook: Toreador, Clanbook: Toreador (Revised), Libellus Sanguinis I: Keepers of the Word, Player's Guide to the High Clans

Lore: Toreador x1

You know that the primary Toreador Disciplines are Auspex, Celerity, and Presence.

You know that all Toreador have an affinity for beauty, and that they become enthralled when confronted by certain aesthetic objects.

You have heard of the Toreador progenitor, who was said either to be a sculptor named Arikel or the entity that later became known as the Summerian deity Ishtar.

You know that Toreador tend to have the most connections to their lives as mortals, and that some are known to keep mortal spouses and families. You also know that this closeness to humanity often leads to elders who have become cynical and overwrought with ennui.

You know that Toreador often feel it is their Clan's duty to "preserve" the great artists of the era by granting them the Embrace.

You know that Toreador often arrange themselves into local cliques known as "guilds".

You have heard of the great Toreador festivals of the "Grand Ball" (held every Halloween) the great Toreador festival, the "Carnivale".

Lore: Toreador x2

You have heard legends of Arikel the sculptor. You hear that she was apparently the twin of Malkav, and that the member of the Second Generation who sired her forbade her from ever taking childer. She then disobeyed and apparently helped to start the war against the Second generation to escape punishment.

You have heard legends of Ishtar the bull dancer, and that she was supposedly innocent of shedding the blood of the Second Generation, and that she fled out of Enoch (called Ubar by some elder Toreador). You know that much of the Legend of Gilgamesh is apparently based upon her exploits in opposition to the Gangrel Antediluvian Ennoia (later rendered as Enkidu), as is the enigmatic culture of Minoan Crete.

You know how the Guild system essentially functions in Toreador society and how covertly political it can be. You are also aware of the most prominent guilds in your area.

You know the basic social classifications generally given to Toreador. They are Poseurs, those Embraced for their physical beauty; Artistes, those Embraced for their artistic skill; and Burnouts, those who have become jaded and inhumane..

You know that the "Carnivale" takes place every twenty-three years, and often under the cover of some other major event (Mari Gras, New Years, etc...). You know that it is during this festival that the Toreador allegedly select one great artist of the times upon whom to bestow the Embrace.

You know that Madame Guil is the current Toreador Justicar of the Camarilla.

You have at least heard, in passing, of Legendary Toreador, such as: Rafael de Corazon, one of the Founders of the Camarilla and the "spiritual father" of the Masquerade; and Tannit, the supposed lover of the Brujah Troile who followed him to Carthage.

Lore: Toreador x3

You have heard the story of how Arikel supposedly loved Absimilliard (the Nosferatu Antediluvian), and have heard the story that it was the scar on his face that drove him mad with vanity and led him to disfigure himself.

You know that Toreador embraced Artists have a fairly high burnout rate, and occasionally either commit suicide or go mad.

You have heard of the recently founded Electronic Artists Guild, an internet based community which claims Guildship in spite of not being regional.

You are aware that the Toreador have been credited with embracing such historical figures as: Helen of Troy, who has held a long grudge against the Brujah Menele, and now apparently sits on the Chicago Primogen Council; Eleanor of Aquitaine and Francis Villon.

You have at least heard, in passing, of famous Toreador such as: Melinda Galbriath, the antitribu who is current Regent of the Sabbat; and Michael, alleged childe of Arikel and the former ruler of Constantinople until madness overtook him and he believed himself to be the archangel whose name he bore.

Lore: Toreador x4

You have heard of "The Lovers", two Cainites of the Second Generation, who committed suicide upon realizing that they could no longer consummate their love. It is said that Caine forswore ever embracing childer on this event, and that the rest of his lineage is cursed because he broke his oath. You have also heard that it was Caine who disfigured the Nosferatu for mentioning "The Lovers" to him, stirring up painful memories (Although this contradicts the story that he disfigured himself out of vanity).

You have heard bizarre tales that explain much of Greek myth in relation to the Toreador Clan. You have heard for example, that the Minotaur was a Toreador-Embraced wight, and that the myth of Tantalus is really about a feud between a Toreador and a Ventrue posing as Gods.

You are familiar with the history behind the post-Roman Toreador, and know of the Toreador/Ventrue alliances during the age of Charlemange. You have heard of the Grand Court in France, and of the tragic tale of Alexander and the Rose of Lorraine.

You've heard of some of the fairly obscure Toreador of note, such as Genevieve Orseau, the current head of the largest Toreador run art school of the modern era, and rumored to be one of the only descendants of the mythical Fae to have survived the Embrace.

Lore: Toreador x5

You have heard that the creature who gave the Embrace to Arikel was not destroyed with the rest of the Second Generation, and that the line between Caine and the Toreador remains unbroken..

You have heard stories of a Toreador singer who so desperately wished to improve her art that she made a pact with the Fae, and disappeared into one of their barrows back in the Middle Ages to learn from them. You have heard rumors to the effect that this is the true origin of the Daughters of Cacophony.

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Credit to the Author: http://www.unmasqued.com/lores_toreador.php