Daughters of Cacophony

Bloodlines

Introduction

The Daughters of Cacophony emerged as a distinct bloodline sometime during the 19th century. Before that, of course, there were always Kindred who saw music and song as a way to remain sane. Kindred scholars believe that the Daughters sprang from the blood of either Clan Toreador (for their passionate artistic pursuit) or Malkavian (given their propensity for causing madness), but their supernatural powers point more toward Clan Ventrue. It’s something of a moot point, as the “first” Daughter of Cacophony is unknown. Regardless of their origins, the Sirens (as they are called in Kindred circles) are all singers, and the bloodline has always been predominantly female.

Indeed, the Daughters of Cacophony base their unlives on song. They wander through eternity with music always in their ears, and that makes them seem unfocused or flighty to other Kindred. This is one of the reasons, along with their rarity, that neither major Sect of vampires considers them a threat or much more than a diversion. Individual Kindred, however, might have occasion to meet a Siren and wonder why it is that those who spend too much time listening to their songs always seemed changed by the experience.

Nickname: Sirens

Sect: Sirens might fall in with whichever Sect holds power locally. If asked, most Daughters either identify as independents or claim membership in the Camarilla.

Appearance: A Siren might be a street musician dressed in thrift-store chic, a pierced and tattooed punk rocker, or a high-class entertainer with money and prestige. Apart from the fact that the Daughters are largely female, their appearance varies widely.

Haven: Most Sirens have a quiet room with good acoustics where they can sing without anyone listening. As much as most Daughters love performing, they would prefer to be alone after the “show” ends, and so the outward appearance of their havens isn’t as important as maintaining its secrecy.

Background: The majority of Sirens were singers before the Embrace as well. Very occasionally, a Daughter Embraces someone who never developed her skill at singing, but these discover their talents swiftly. The Daughters do not discriminate based on musical style. Jazz singer, nu-metal waif, opera diva, sultry lounge performer — any chanteuse might be a Siren.

Character Creation: Social Attributes tend to be primary. Expression and Performance are almost always high, and many have Fame. Sirens who die with a following reap the benefit of their fans (Herd). Those less lucky often still have Contacts in show business.

Clan Disciplines: Fortitude, Melpominee, Presence

Weakness: The Daughters of Cacophony hear music constantly. This might be a form of synesthesia, or it might be a hallucination. This constant song distracts the Daughters as much as it guides them. The difficulties of all their Perception rolls increase by two. No Daughter of Cacophony may have Alertness above 3 dots.

Organization: Their numbers are too small for them to be truly organized, yet sometimes the Sirens act as one. Every so often, Sirens everywhere put on a performance on the same night. They don’t necessarily sing the same songs, but all of the waking Sirens sing at exactly the same time.

Quote: I heard the song as I died. It led me out of darkness and cold, and it came to my lips with my mother-sister’s blood. And now I sing, because to end the song would be to end all.

5th Generation

• Renna {Malkavian}
• Belka {Toreador}
• Hava {Ventrue}

7th Generation

• -- Antonia Cerini - Globe Trotting Daughter of Cacophony Shakari

8th Generation

• -- Amelie Bauer -- Parisian Elder and Harpy {Paris}.

9th Generation

• -- Élodie Deniel -- Club Owner and Anarch Sympathizer {Quebec City}.

11th Generation

• -- Randy Sin -- Boogie-Woogie Princess, childe of Ruby Blain & Sire of Everett Young {San Francisco}

12th Generation

• -- Everett Young -- Anarch Musician & Neonate & Sire of Justine McDavid {San Francisco}

13th Generation

• -- Justine McDavid -- Goth Fledgling {San Francisco}

Those of Unknown Generation

The Daughters of Cacophony are a bloodline of unknown origin (although the most common guesses are Toreador or Malkavian) to the general vampire population.

Currently composed mostly of women (due to the associated difficulty in educating someone with the vocal range of most males), the Daughters practice Melpominee, a Discipline which allows the Daughters to invoke strange effects through singing. The Daughters are the choralistes par excellence of the undead, and hosting a gathering of them is worth high prestige for the Toreador.

Believed to have origins in both the Malkavian and the Toreador clans, the Daughters are very few in number and reject association with either the Camarilla or the Sabbat. As their nickname "Sirens" suggests, the Daughters are known for their ability to deliver emotions through a form of song. They have a unique discipline called Melpominee (after Melpomene, muse of tragedy) that does just that.

Although it is mostly female vampires who number among the Daughters of Cacophony, male members of this bloodline do exist, although they are uncommon and usually regarded as oddities.

History

Many Kindred suspect the Daughters to originate from the Toreador clan because they are masters of their trade and value beauty and art. However, those who have actually felt the effects of their powers think the Malkavians are more likely. The inner music they hear constantly can be called a hallucination and might also point towards the Malkavians. Because of their disciplines, the 20th anniversary edition also suggests the Ventrue as a possible parent clan.

There are a few theories about the Daughters' origins:

Dark Ages Origin

Although the Daughters of Cacophony are a relatively modern phenomenon, one source suggests that they have an origin in the Dark Ages. According to this legend, a peerless Toreador chanteuse heard a song coming from a distant hillock and realized that her own talents paled in comparison to this mysterious voice. At first wracked with jealousy, she sought to destroy this unknown singer, but over time she became contrite and, humbled, sought out the singer, so that she could study under this hidden muse. The mysterious singer, a lady of the fae, accepted the Toreador into her faerie domain. The fate of this Toreador chanteuse is unknown, although some of her clan mates claim to have heard two voices singing in unison from beneath the earth.

Renaissance Origin

Other sources point to the shadowy True Black Hand. Originally conceived as a weapon to infiltrate the Camarilla in the same manner the Black Hand was intended to, the True Black Hand gathered Toreador singers and tutored them under an ancient Malkavian. The result was not what the sect had intended and though many argued to destroy the failed survivors, other voted to let them live for future use. In exchange for keeping the secrets of their makers, the Daughters were cut loose and allowed to go on their own.[2] Victorian Age Origin

Another source suggests that the clan was founded by the Malkavian Dr. Reiner Stoschka and his Gentlemen's Society for the Rational Investigation of Super-Natural Matters. They experimented on Kindred to determine whether common clan traits such as weaknesses and affinities for certain Disciplines were psychological in nature. However, the experiments drove their subjects quite mad. One of their charges was a Toreador woman, who found the only way to lessen her own pain was to share it with others. And to do this, she sang. Although only implied, Dr. Stoschka's experiment stands as the only explicit and official explanation for the origins of the bloodline, even though the fact that they first appeared in about 1700 conflicts with this theory since Victorian Age: Vampire begins in 1880.[3]

It is, however, certain that the Daughters were at the height of their popularity during the Victorian era, especially concerning mortals. Operas were the highest form of entertainment and popular music changes in their favor. During this time they also Embrace men.

Final Nights

While the Daughters of Cacophony were mystery in the Victorian section above, they are considered even more so an enigma in the Final Nights. Their history is not well known, nor is their existence. Members of the bloodline typically use the warring Sabbat, Camarilla, and even Anarchs to further their own goals based on the territory they reside in. Though they seem to be fairly uninterested in the Jyhad, this leaves their real motives to be questioned.

Culture

Not much is known about the Daughters of Cacophony as a whole, only that their particular bloodline avoids the nightly troubles of the Jyhad. Typically members of this bloodline fall in with whatever sect fits their interests at the time. Since their numbers are so few, organization is questionable. Interestingly enough, all members of the Daughters of Cacophony seem to differ from heavy metal rockers to opera singers.

In line with their particular penchant for music, a Daughter of Cacophony will constantly be able to hear an inner music flowing through their mind. However beautiful this music might seem, it also impedes them by serving as a constant distraction, making it harder for the Daughters of Cacophony to perceive things around them. The Daughters call this melody the "Fugue".

Some Daughters completely succumb to the Fugue, becoming what the Daughters call "Banshees". Unable to perceive anything but the song within them, they are unpredictable and often violent.

It stands to reason that this weakness could give credit to claims of the Daughters being a clan of Malkavian offshoots, seeing as they are permanently deranged with auditory hallucinations. Embraces

The Daughters Embrace mainly those who were aspiring a musical career. Not all of them were singers during their mortal years; but those who were not discover their talent soon after the Embrace. The Daughter's childer are taught for years by their sires.

The Daughters do not discriminate based on musical style. Jazz singer, nü-metal waif, opera diva, sultry lounge performer – any chanteuse might be a Siren.

Organization

The Daughters have no formal organization – their numbers are so few and far between that any given location is unlikely to be home for more than one or two of them (if any). When Daughters do congregate for whatever reason, the younger members of the bloodline often defer to the older ones.

Some Kindred have been witness to small assemblies of Daughters who perform songs of haunting beauty or frightening timbre that leave their audiences... moved. It has been noted by observant Kindred more than once that even in the most impromptu performances, all Daughters present seem to know exactly what will be sung in addition to all the verses. Sons of Discord

Contrary to popular belief, the Sons of Discord, also called Baritones, and so forth are indeed canonical, although they were originally a fan creation. Their ubiquitous popularity amongst the playerbase eventually ascended them into official status during the 2010s.

The first official mention of anything resembling the Sons of Discord came with Vampire Revised's Vampire: The Masquerade Storytellers Companion. The writeup of the Daughters therein mentioned that the bloodline had recently purged all male members from the bloodline, thus removing the Sons from the picture permanently.

Recently, the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Heirs to the Blood expansion set includes one of the Sons, named Harlan Graves.

In 2014, By Night Studios released Mind's Eye Theatre: Vampire: The Masquerade, which describes the Sons of Discord as a recent allowance by the bloodline. Males are typically blood bound to their female sires, and are treated with mistrust by their elders.

In Lore of the Bloodlines, male Daughters of Cacophony are addressed and recognized to exist. However, the use of any moniker (such as Sons of Discord) other than Daughters of Cacophony is frowned upon.

Version Differences

In Victorian Age: Vampire, there is a vague reference to a Toreador woman emerging from the twisted experiments (see above). However, in Vampire: The Masquerade, the Daughters of Cacophony are considered a modern clan, which could be taken to mean that either their emergence into the world was recent, or their existence was only uncovered as of late. However, both versions relate that this clan most likely stems from the Toreador mainline.

In V20, the Daughters of Cacaphony are stated to sometimes embrace men, though the clan is largely female.

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