Tainted Oasis

Animalism 6

Elders of the Bay't Mutasharid, the highly predatory Nosferatu of the Islamic world, use a variety of animals to aid them in their hunting and in relaying messages. The most loyal of these are bloodbound ghouls, but these monsters have also learned of ways to taint natural oases (and other water sources) to evoke strength and loyalty in the animals who feed there. By mixing their vitae with the precious waters, these vampires breed servants from among all the creatures who drink there. Although the blood creates some loyalty, it is not enough to create a true blood oath or turn a mortal into a ghoul.

System: The vampire taints the drinking water with the equivalent of six points of blood. The player rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 5). Each success taints the spring for one lunar month. Failures have no special effect, but a botch indicates that something in the oasis is especially resistant to the vampire's blood. Assuming success, animals who feed there regularly during the affected time grow unnatrually strong and more loyal to the vampire whose blood they are imbibing. The Storyteller can represent this in a variety of ways, but increasing the animal's Strength and Stamina Attributes by one dot each and lowering the player's Animalism and Animal Ken difficulties (when dealing with affected beasts) by two is a good start. Prolonged feeding at a tainted pool also passes on some of the Cainite's predatory nature, though. The Storyteller can portray predators thinning the local heard needlessly and herbivores in constant challenges for herd dominance. The Storyteller can also judge that the effect fades more quickly or that more blood is needed in the case of especially large water sources.

Note: In the modern era, this power is most often used in the sewers by the Tunnel Rats who dwell there. Rumors of monstrous rats and gargantuan insects found in forgotten cisterns and deep sewer tunnels may be exaggerations.