The Hecata

And, which is worse, all you have done

Hath been but for a wayward son,

Spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do,

Loves for his own ends, not for you.

But make amends now: get you gone,

And at the pit of Acheron

Meet me i' the morning: thither he

Will come to know his destiny:

Your vessels and your spells provide,

Your charms and every thing beside. 

-Hecate, Macbeth III.5

Overview

They are not a fully organic clan deriving from a single Antediluvian and an uninterrupted bloodline, but are made up of the Giovanni and the remnants of the old Clan Cappadocian and their related bloodlines, as well as the Nagaraja, despite a lack of connection with Antediluvian.[2] Together, they represent a new, (mostly) unified Clan of Death comprising Kindred bloodlines who practice necromancy through the use of Oblivion. Much like the Giovanni that it almost entirely subsumes, it is also a family, albeit a much more extended one.

With the Banu Haqim joining the Camarilla and the Ministry joining the Anarchs, the Hecata are the last independent clan of significance in contemporary nights.

Bane - Lamia's Kiss: The Hecata's bite drips with supernatural venom, the essence of Oblivion, the wrath of Lilith.  When drinking from a victim, Hecata may only take harmful drinks, resulting in blood loss (V:tM 5th ed. pg 212).  Unwilling mortals who are unrestrained will try to escape, and even the coerced or willing must succeed in a difficulty 2 + (Bane Severity) test in order not to attempt to break the bite.  Coerced or willing vampires must make a Difficulty 3 Frenzy test to avoid falling into a Terror frenzy when bitten by the vampire.  Many Hecata become experts at using phlebotomy kits or other tools in order to painlessly extract blood when they feed - but there isn't always time for such tools, and needs must when the devil drives.

Compulsion - Out, Out Damned Spot: The Hecata are known for either ending things with finality or digging up things long-buried to give them new life, sometimes literally.  When this compulsion triggers any action not dedicated to either ending or resurrecting something takes a two dice penalty.  This need not be a living (or dead) thing, but could be something entirely abstract.  A Hecata might satisfy their entropic urge by breaking it off with a lover (all the better to satisfy their compulsion by rekindling the relationship later), smashing something they love, refusing to let a settled conversation drop (are we done with this argument?  We're done when I say  we're done) or by painstakingly repairing a decayed, degraded piece of art.  Though this is sometimes called the Curse of Morbidity, it has as much to do with endings and resurrections as it does life and death; some Kindred have noted how tempestuous some Hecata can be. Note that this absolutely can be morbid as hell - Hecata absolutely can satisfy this compulsion by killing people and playing Herbert West with the leftovers.  They do it all the time.

---

And now, like a corpse animated through their black magics, the Clan of Death rises again.  One vast, brawling family, feuding endlessly amongst themselves - but as the old saying goes, I against my brother, my brother and I against my cousin, my cousin and I against my family, my family and I against the world.

The Hecata treat all alliances as temporary and so shun allegiance to any one sect of Kindred.  Years, decades, centuries, eventually cooperation will run its course and entropy will assert its will in the form of apathy and treachery, so all deals made are transitory.  The Ventrue once reaped the benefit of special association with the Cappadocians, using the Graverobbers' insight, magic and secret knowledge for their benefit, but when circumstances changed the Lords were quick to throw their once-vaunted allies to the wolves.  The Sabbat promised the Harbingers of Skulls a haven and revenge in exchange for their potent arts, but it was scarcely twenty years before the Sword of Caine's rickety cathedral came tumbling down. Lesson learned.  As a clan, neither the Camarilla nor the Anarchs may compel the Hecata now.

The Hecata are bound together by death and secrets.  Most assume they will be studious, morbid, and nihilistic (and it isn't an unfair assumption to make) though an individual Hecata's appearance and approach might vary wildly.  A death metal and horror movie aficionado, grinning houngan in top-hat and tails, bloodthirsty and passionate Bahari sorceress, or ruthless Milliner businessman - all are faces of the Hecata.  All pursue power over life and death - particularly death - in their own way.

The largest, most powerful, and best-organized faction of the Hecata are the Giovanni family.  In the wake of massive setbacks, the Giovanni have withdrawn much of their influence to Europe, radiating outward from the city of Venice.  Many of the bloodlines of the Hecata that once owed fealty to the Giovanni family have emancipated themselves, diminishing the power of the Giovanni and lessening the Venetians' global reach while increasing their own, and "families" like the Milliners, Dunsirn, and Pisanob are growing powers in Kindred politics.

Other Kindred eye the Hecata warily - have they come to settle old grudges?  Is their agenda something deeper and more sinister?   They seem to delight in being cryptic (the elders who remember the Cappadocians of old know that's nothing new), but now whatever it is they want, they're hungry, infused with fresh vigor.  Those who remember the staid, dusty Cappadocians of old are often taken aback by the proactive inquisitiveness and ruthlessness of the modern Hecata.

The core practice of the Hecata is the discipline of Oblivion.  Unlike most Lasombra, the Hecata take a mystical approach to this discipline by shaping its power through elaborate Ceremonies.  They comb the world searching for lost knowledge and fresh secrets that will develop their mastery of these dark arts, and whatever they find in its darkest depths, they don't shy away - they embrace it with open arms.  

Some Hecata also attain proficiency with Blood Sorcery, though it does not come naturally to them, and the clan considers the secrets of blood magic useful but less profound than the mysteries of Oblivion.  Still, over the ages faces of the Hecata have developed working relationships with the Tremere (see The Covenant, below), the Ministry, and the Banu Haqim in the name of furthering their own knowledge of the secret arts.

So far, while individual bloodlines have their own beliefs and customs, the Hecata have only law that applies to the Clan as a whole:

• Do not make thy Sibling party to thy Vendetta against thy Sibling.

If you have a grudge against another Hecata that demands satisfaction, do not manipulate, trick, or hire another Hecata to do the dirty work for you.  Use pawns or agents from outside the Clan, or get your hands dirty yourself.  Violation of this law means you forfeit your right to the Blood.

The Camarilla and the Anarch Movement:

The Camarilla is wary of the Hecata due in part to past interactions with the Giovanni and the former association of elements of the Hecata with the Sabbat.  Many Samedi affiliate with the Camarilla in a mercenary way, by selling their services as fixers, bodyguards, cleaners and assassins.  Many Hecata avoid the Camarilla due to past betrayals and a desire to pursue their individual goals without Princes and Primogen meddling overmuch in their business.  La Famiglia Giovanni in particular has a promise of mutual non-interference with the Camarilla, though the Promise of 1528's 500-year duration is almost up.  The Hecata's relationships with the Anarchs vary from domain to domain; in Chicago, the clan as yet lacks the numbers and influence to be of interest to the Anarch Movement at all, which is considered an optimal state of affairs.

The official policy of the clan is that members of the Hecata should remain as neutral as possible and then leverage that neutrality to their advantage in whatever way they see fit.  For instance, a Hecata might position themselves as a valuable outside investigator brought in to investigate crimes that involve the Camarilla and the Anarch Movement - as the Hecata is seen as "owned" by neither party, that makes their presence acceptable to all sides, and the necromancer learns something interesting and accrues valuable boons and favors, though the neutrality might be a sham.  There's no law against taking a fat bribe from a Camarilla prince to frame a prominent Anarch, or in taking a similar bribe from an Anarch to cover up evidence of a crime, after all.

The Sabbat:

The Sabbat treats murder as a principle and a sacrament.  That makes it appealing to some Hecata.  The clan doesn't put a lot of energy into chasing its wayward childer who end up amongst the packs, because if you're looking for death, the Sabbat is an easy way to find it.  However, it's easy for a Hecata to lose their detachment and turn into a Ghul - to abandon the quest to understand the secrets of life and death and degenerate into a simple butcher who kills not to learn or to teach or even to materially profit, but only for the pleasure of killing.  When a Hecata stops using the Sabbat and starts being used by it, they forfeit their claim to the Blood.

Lexicon:

Ashur: A common name for the original Antediluvian of the Clan of Death throughout Kindred mythology, now used by the Harbingers to mark their descent from him.  This mad creature was diablerized by Augustus Giovanni six centuries ago.

Augustus: The progenitor of the Giovanni bloodline, a childe of Ashur who diablerized his sire and usurped most of the Clan of Death through a vicious pogrom.  Recently destroyed or otherwise removed from the playing field of the Jyhad.

Bahari: Members of the mystery cult that venerates the ancient being called Lilith, in a number of faces and guises (Hecate, Cybele, the Morrigu, etc.).  Lead by the Lamiae.  See also Lamiae

The Baron: Baron Samedi, the Lwa of Death and the leader of the Samedi bloodline.  Whether Baron Samedi is an ancient Kindred, a wraith of incredible power, or something else entirely... no one's quite sure.

Cappadocian: An old name for the Clan of Death originating from the heart of its power in the region of Cappadocia in what is now Turkey.  Some elders still use this name to refer to the clan as a whole.

Cappadocius: A common sobriquet for the clan's deceased Antediluvian - "of Cappadocia."  See Ashur.

Dunsirn: An extremely wealthy Scottish banking family with a cabal of Hecata vampires at its heart.  A famous Dunsirn retort to "Eat the Rich" is "Not if I eat you first."  It isn't an idle threat.

Ghul: Arabic, the direct origin of the word "Ghoul" - creatures that dwell in graveyards and feed on corpses.  The Hecata have taken to using this term to refer to those of their blood who have remained with the Sabbat as a quiet denouncement of their devolution.

Giovanni: An Italian variant of the name "John" derived from the Latin Ioannes and the Hebrew Yochanan.  Usually a given (first) name, the Giovanni chose it as a surname for various reasons.  The more traditional variations of the surname also exist within La Famiglia - di Giovanni, san Giovanni, St. John, Johnson, McSean, MacShane, and so on.

Harbinger: "A person or thing that heralds the coming of another."  Given the destruction of Ashur by Augustus Giovanni, the Harbingers of Ashur have given themselves this title purely for irony's sake.  We hope. 

Ishologu: A name used by the Hecata of Africa, along with Impundulu and Mla Watu.

Lamiae: Singular Lamia.  A lineage of Hecata witches and warriors long though extinct, also called "Gorgons."  They are overwhelmingly Bahari.  The singular Lamia was the progenitor of this lineage.

Milliner: One of America's "Invisible Billionaire" families, the Milliners are industrialists and politicians of Irish-American descent.  They are famous for their bitter rivalry with the Kennedys and are purportedly responsible for many of that family's woes.

Nagaraja: "Snake-Kings."  A bloodline of flesh-eating vampires from India that once served as the honor guard for a now-destroyed cult of Necromancer-Mages.  Now members of the Hecata, though their lineage actually stems from the Ministry.

Necromancy: A common name for the style of Oblivion practiced by the Hecata.  Other names that have fallen into disuse include Mortis, Nihilistics, and Thanatosis.

Pisanob: Also called the "Children of Tenochtitlan" or "Children of Pochtli."  A lineage of Hecata based out of Mexico that practice Oblivion flavored with Aztec rites.  The Pisanob are actually members of a Drowned lineage called the Unhudo.

Puttanesca: "Of the whore" - a Hecata bloodline that runs within a family of the same name with deep ties to Italian organized crime.

Rossellini: A lineage of Italian necromancers closely co-mingled with the Giovanni, with black magic practices considered extreme even by the rest of the Hecata.

Samedi: A Hecata bloodline that venerates the lwa (see Baron Samedi) and practices Oblivion with a strong Vodoun influence.  Once known for their hideous, rotting countenances.

Unhudo: A (formerly) withered-looking Hecata lineage found among the Drowned.  The Methuselah Pochtli and his childer among the Pisanob are actually Unhudo.

History

“    We will weather the fires of the Second Inquisition. We come together as the last truly independent clan, because we must. The Feast, The Promise, The Reunion. Death, Rot, Rebirth. The Three Faces. We survived and now we become what we always were. The Hecata. The Clan of Death.”    ”

     — Amr Salib, Hecata childe of an unknown Cappadocian

The brief history of Clan Hecata is one of necessity as first principle. The Second Inquisition was one associated factor, taking a heavy toll on Clan Giovanni in North America and forcing much of the clan organization there to regroup back in Italy. Another factor was that the Promise of 1528 was rumored to be coming to an end soon after an unspecified 500-year time limit.

Two other significant events occurred at or around this time: first, the death or disappearance of Augustus Giovanni, founder and patriarch of the Giovanni; and a devastating assault by the Harbingers of Skulls on the clan's holdings in Venice, undertaken with the assistance of some younger members of the Giovanni.

Between the damage of the Harbingers' attack and the maelstrom of wraiths unleashed by Augustus's undoing, the Giovanni called for negotiations in a conference that came to be known as the Family Reunion. The Harbingers agreed, and not only did they show up, but also the Samedi, any remaining Cappadocians, the Lamia, and even a handful of Nagaraja seeking refuge from a "catastrophe." The parties negotiated an end to the hostilities, and the clan known as the Hecata soon came into fruition.

After the formation of the Hecata, many sects are in worrying concern about the newly established Clan of Death in the spreading woodworks. Most notably the Camarilla with the Promise of 1528 being something the Inner Circle are at unease with their chances very low to gain some control over. Several, even many, wanting the clan to dissolve in order to lessen their threatening potential.

Bloodlines

The Hecata are composed of ten main bloodlines (only some of which are open to play by PCs in-game):

La Famiglia Giovanni, or Clan Giovanni as it has been known until recent nights, is still largely occupying the overall leadership role in the Hecata, even without Augustus Giovanni as an anchoring influence. They do not normally identify themselves to clan outsiders as Hecata. La Famiglia also includes other satellite families, such as the Della Passaglias and Ghibertis, who have not earned their own individual bloodline status to date.  La Famiglia's practices define the way most Kindred perceive Necromancy in the modern nights, with a mixture of ancestor veneration, purgation and purity practices, along with the inversion of sacraments and violation of taboos such as the eponymous Black Mass.  After the formation of the Hecata the Giovanni's power base recentered itself in Europe, with many of its operations in America ceded to what were once its satellite families, though they retain considerable influence on the East Coast of the United States.

Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion

The Harbingers of Ashur, the aggregate remnants of Clan Cappadocian, of both the mainline clan and the Harbingers of Skulls.  The Harbingers cast the widest net in the clan for their Oblivion practices, often calling upon pre-Roman rituals drawn from functionally extinct civilizations, though any two Harbingers may practice wildly different styles of Oblivion.  This gives the Harbingers the deepest breadth of secret knowledge in the Hecata - they know Necromantic secrets even the Giovanni were never able to steal.

Descendants of the Baron, Kindred of the Samedi bloodline.  They manifest their Oblivion powers through the use of Vodoun, and have a lucrative side-line of selling their services to other Kindred as bodyguards, assassins and cleaners.  The Samedi were once known for having the particularly horrifying mien of rotting corpses, though since the Family Reunion that is no longer the case.

Discipline spread: Fortitude, Obfuscate, Oblivion

The Gorgons, the surviving remnants of the Lamia, the Cappadocian bloodline of devout Bahari faith from whom the curse of the painful Kiss originates.  The Gorgons practice Oblivion steeped in the mysterious Goddess-worship of old, laden with bloodletting and sacrifice, such as the rites of Cybele and the worship of Hecate, Kali, Echidna and the Morrigu - just a few of the masks of Lilith to the Bahari.  Say her name.  Ahi hay Lilitu!

Discipline spread: Fortitude, Potence, Oblivion

The Flesh-Eaters, a group of Nagaraja who showed up to the Family Reunion, seeking refuge from a catastrophe.  The Nagaraja's Oblivion ceremonies reflect the practices of the Indian Aghoris.  Even the other Hecata families consider the Nagaraja grisly... except the Dunsirn, who appreciate a lick with a healthy appetite.

Discipline spread: Auspex, Dominate, Oblivion

The Bankers of Dunsirn, the cannibalistic banking family from Scotland, once a branch of Clan Giovanni, and now considered a bloodline in their own right.  Though the basis of their Oblivion practices reflect their teaching by the Giovanni, since their emancipation they have been delving into the religious practices of the Picts.  The Dunsirn also have some connection to Lupines that they don't speak of to those outside the family, even other Hecata.

Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion

The Children of Tenochtitlan, also known as the Pisanob family (now without the leadership of their progenitor, the Methuselah Pochtli), once driven to the brink of extinction by the Harbingers of Skulls.  Their mystical practices are derived from the bloody religion of the Aztecs.  The Pisanob have recently allied themselves with the Tlacique Ministry cult, with whom they share old ties.  The Pisanob are also descended from a Drowned lineage called the Unhudo.

Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion

The Criminal Puttanesca, a Sicilian crime family formerly attached to the Giovanni.  Their Oblivion style mirrors that of the Giovanni, but mixes in Mafia rituals such as the silence and honor codes of Omerta.

Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion

The Little Siblings, are the Rossellini, once a rival necromantic family (now attached) to the Giovanni, they are known for their cruel treatment and exploitation of wraiths.  Where other Hecata may be ruthless in their treatment of ghosts, the Rossellini err on the side of the sadistic.  Their practices are similar to the Giovanni's, but with more Roman and pre-Roman Etruscan style than Catholic.

Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion

The Grudge Masters, are the Milliners, once Giovanni subordinates with many connections in commerce and politics.  Their family motto is "Numquam remittere inimicum" - never forgive an enemy.  Their Oblivion practices focus on the same inverted Catholicism used by the Giovanni - attempts to mix in pre-Christian celtic stylings like the Dunsirn have met with stern resistance from the family's leaders, who think that being a Milliner makes you evil enough without having to mix in pagan nonsense.  They're not a bunch of baby-eating Scottish swamp-squatters, after all.

Discipline spread: Dominate, Fortitude, Oblivion

New Oblivion Powers

Unpleasant Dreams (Oblivion O)

Known by other names in the past, this Oblivion power got its modern name based on the sign-off of a popular late-night horror movie hostess.  By infusing a touch of the power of Oblivion into their voice and whispering into a victim's ear, a Hecata or Lasombra can fill the weak-willed with dread or give a sleeping victim horrifying nightmares.

This power allows the vampire to attack the willpower of a victim, either overtly when they're awake, or covertly as they sleep.

Kiss of the Dark Mother (Oblivion OO)

By infusing the corrosive power of Oblivion into their body, the Kindred turns their saliva into a necrotic venom that causes living and undead flesh to rot, transforming their bite into a deadly and agonizing weapon.  While using this Oblivion power, the vampire drools uncontrollably as their mouth overflows with the sticky black venom.

This power causes a vampire's bite to inflict an extra level of aggravated damage as their caustic saliva eats away at the victim's flesh.  Needless to say a vampire cannot use the Kiss while this power is active (not that Hecata can do that anyway)... the vampire can also make a Strength + Athletics roll to spit the venom at a target, inflicting one aggravated damage on a successful hit, and potentially blinding the victim if the vampire successfully makes a targeted spit attack against their eyes.

New Oblivion Ceremonies

Dark Secrets (Prerequisite: Unpleasant Dreams)
The Necromancer travels to a place where the Shroud is weak (such as a Graveyard), burns incense containing Myrrh and other funerary herbs and spices, and conducts a form of divination such as tarot card reading, the use of a spirit board and planchette, or the casting of shells, runes, or knucklebones while whispering aloud about an event which they expect to transpire within the next week.  If successful the spirits of the dead whisper hazy predictions that nonetheless give an edge when/if the event comes to pass.

Calvaria Emissus (Prerequisite: Oblivion's Sight)
Skulls are a common decoration in Hecata havens, be they built into the walls of a tomb or just positioned decoratively on a Necromancer's desk or bookcase.  They're so ubiquitous they're innocuous, and users of Oblivion turn this to their advantage.  This ceremony prepares a skull which the Kindred can then see and hear through as if they were physically present, with the angle of view possessed by the skull.  In order to do so, the Kindred need merely close their eyes and concentrate, extending their senses through the skull (at which time they are functionally blind and deaf to the world around them).  Clever users of Oblivion look for places they can hide the skull and still get a vantage point to spy.  Destroying the skull ends the Ceremony and if the Kindred was focusing on it at the time of its destruction, the vampire must roll a stamina (+fortitude) check or be stunned for one round.

Black Slime (Prerequisite: Kiss of the Dark Mother)
An old secret of the Cappadocians (and taught to the Lasombra long ago), the Black Slime (also called the Hungry Mold) is a sort of plasmodial slime corrupted by the powers of Oblivion and battened on vitae.  It ravenously devours all organic matter it comes into contact with.  Kindred histories depict the Clan of Death using the Black Slime as a deadly weapon as well as a terror tool and instrument of torture and execution.  The vampire brews a noxious mix derived from slime molds, rendered fat, poisonous herbs and mushrooms, the milked venom of a viper or cobra, and the juice of crushed spiders from the Sicariidae family (the family that includes Brown Recluse spiders) and finishes the Ceremony by calling upon the Kiss of the Dark Mother and spitting the vile poison generated by that power into the cauldron.  The Kindred then distills the resulting mixture into the Black Slime, producing a liter of the stuff per success on the roll to perform the ceremony.
The slime can only be safely contained in a metal, glass or enameled ceramic container, it clings like black napalm, devours organic material and plastic in seconds with equal aplomb, corrodes flesh and dissolves bone, and is as dangerous to the kindred who brewed it as it is to everyone else.  Exposure to fire destroys the stuff instantly, as does sunlight (which causes it to degenerate into a sticky and foul-smelling but harmless black residue of indeterminate organic... stuff), and it otherwise acts like a turbocharged acid. 
If a container (containing roughly a liter) of Black Slime is hurled as a weapon, treat it as an impact-based thrown weapon that inflicts four dice of aggravated damage on a hit, then on successive rounds three, two, and finally one.  Vampires using fortitude powers such as Defy Bane or Flesh of Marble may downgrade or ignore this damage normally.  If used on a restrained target, the damage inflicted by the slime each round is automatic, and only powers such as Fortitude can be used to resist it.  Water does nothing to wash the stuff off, but strong liquor (roughly 90 proof or better) or rubbing alcohol will neutralize the slime and stop it from doing further damage.
The slime retains its potency for about a week after being brewed, after which it dies, degenerating into the same disgusting but harmless sludge left behind after it's exposed to sunlight.

New Loresheet: The Covenant (Hecata or Tremere only)

Centuries ago, when the Tremere clan was young, they established a knowledge exchange with members of the Cappadocian clan who desired to grow their knowledge of blood magic in new ways.  As part of the deal, these Cappadocians quietly assisted the Tremere in isolating and hunting down members of the Salubri clan.  To the Cappadocians, this was a trivial price to pay for new secrets; the Salubri had long been a thorn in the side of the Clan of Death, with their cloying moralizing and open denouncement of Cappadocian Necromancies.  For obvious reasons, this alliance came to be known as the Cyclopean Covenant.  After the Salubri were mostly gone, it came to be known simply as The Covenant.

When the Giovanni bloodline began their purge of the Cappadocians, members of the Covenant sought asylum by pledging themselves to House Tremere.  These Kindred went into a centuries-long seclusion where they conducted research into Oblivion supported by the Tremere who fed and sheltered them.  For the Tremere, the Covenant became a sort of concordant body of the House, where an elite few were invited in to learn the secrets of Necromantic power.

Now that the surviving Cappadocians have joined the Hecata and the Tremere pyramid has fractured, the Covenant has become a secret society that connects the two clans, where knowledge of Blood Sorcery and Oblivion are exchanged with the goal of advancing the members' mastery of both disciplines.  Membership in the Covenant is best kept discrete as powerful members of both clans frown on it, though membership on either side has never been explicitly forbidden.

1. Blinding Polyphemus: The original Cyclopean Covenant was writ in Salubri blood, and its members retain knowledge of the three-eyed vampires found nowhere else.  Gain +2 dice on all rolls for information pertaining to the history of the Salubri clan and +2 dice on all rolls to investigate and track Salubri activity.

2. The Strange High House in the Mist: You may call upon other members of the Covenant for aid.  Once per story, you may receive the benefit of a Blood Sorcery or Oblivion Ritual or power cast for you by a friendly SPC.

3. An Exchange of Forbidden Knowledge: Your studies with the Covenant have paid dividends. You may purchase Blood Sorcery (if Hecata) or Oblivion (if Tremere) as a fourth in-clan discipline, though you still require a teacher for rituals and ceremonies.

4. The Whisperer in Darkness: The Covenant's combined research has produced unusual dividends, which only the most elite members of the society can access.  You may now purchase the "Mediae evocatio" power detailed below.

5. The Silver Key: As a ranking member of the Covenant you now have considerable clout over other members of the society, who seek you out.  Gain an "apprentice" - a three-dot SPC member of either the Hecata or the Tremere who acts as your ally and assistant in exchange for training in Blood Sorcery or Oblivion.  

Mediae Evocatio: Blood Sorcery or Oblivion ooooo, Amalgam Blood Sorcery or Oblivion oooo

This power represents the culmination of the collaborative efforts of the Covenant, and it creates a space where the mystical power of users of either discipline is greatly enhanced.

As the vampire is an in-between creature, neither living nor dead, so too do they resonate with both the material world - maniplulated by Blood Sorcery - and the Shadowlands of the dead, manipulated by Oblivion.  This power enhances the Kindred's sorcerous power by temporarily tearing down the barriers between the world of the living and the dead.  This "bubble" of merged realities is wavering and amorphous, but exists in a roughly 30-foot radius around the Kindred.

To use this power, the vampire must be at or create an "in-between" place such as a crossroads, crypt or a funeral home.  By performing this rite, the Shroud that separates the material world from the Shadowlands temporarily collapses.  The results are quite dramatic - shadows lengthen, the visible effects of deterioration on physical objects and living beings stand out in sharp relief, the ambient temperature drops to a supernaturally bitter chill, and strange and eerie things seem to gather and flicker around the edge of the merged realities.

Within the bubble of merged realities created by this power, vampires receive a+3 bonus dice to all Blood Sorcery and Oblivion powers, and +3 dice to all Rituals and Ceremonies.  Targets of such powers used by the vampire recieve -2 dice to resist all such powers.  

However, wraiths and beings of the living world are also fully tangible to one another in this merged space, without needing to exercise any supernatural powers in order to do so.  This includes physical interaction and the use of supernatural powers.

The effects of the Mediae Evocatio last for one scene, before the Shroud reasserts itself once more.  The Kindred can also cancel the effects of this power at will, however all beings present... however the heck damage works as the shroud violently separates the worlds of the living of the dead.