True Brujah

The True Brujah are a bloodline of Clan Brujah that claim to be descendants of the original Antediluvian founder of the lineage and not his diablerist / childe Troile. The True Brujah are noted for their cool, detached behavior, which puts them in contrast to the main lineage who are known for their rather short, violent tempers and anti-establishment attitudes.

They are believed to descend from the original progenitor of the Brujah clan, sometimes called Ilyes, who was diablerized by one of his own descendants, whose name was allegedly Troile. Vampires who call themselves Brujah are believed to descend from this usurper, while the True Brujah claim lineage leading directly to the original and true clan founder himself, hence their name.

The True Brujah often hide within the ranks of the modern or established Clan Brujah. It is said that they are biding their time till they can bring the "usurpers" back into the fold.

Unlike their cousins, the True Brujah are said to be dispassionate and cold even to the point where they find summoning emotions to be difficult. They are feared for their alleged control over the flow of time (Temporis). Many True Brujah are supposedly members of the sect called the True Black Hand, though there is some confusion on this matter as reports of some covens have been reported thriving as far north as Greenland and are said to be devout followers of Camarilla law heavily influenced by the True Brujah.

The True Brujah are nicknamed "Elois", after the post-humans in H.G. Wells' The Time Machine.

History
The True Brujah originally did lay low after their ancestor was diablerized. Some among their ranks claim that the diablerie took place in the waning days of the Second City and the other Clans readily helped the false Troile in his purge, fearing the progeny of the First Troile for their emotionlessness and distance.

Proponents of the theory that the True Brujah are a bunch of usurpers were a splinter group in Carthage, devoted to the gathering of knowledge, to philosophy and to fighting against the rage that was the lot of their blood. They foolishly blamed the destruction of Carthage, which resulted in the Final Deaths of many of their elders and the destruction of many of their volumes and much of their research, on their parent clan and declared themselves True Brujah. The tale of betrayal came only later, as justification for even greater hatred for their parent clan.

Dark Ages
In the Dark Ages, the total population of True Brujah amounted to 10 members, scattered across Europe. With the advent of learning and the induction of universities, those members stepped out of hiding and began to embrace promising scholars. Apart from this interest in the places of learning, the True Brujah continued much as they have always done, their nights dedicated to study, contemplation and training. A few did take an interest in the plight of the Salubri, while others took advantage of the chaos of the War of Princes to strike against the Brujah.

During this time, the bloodline was approached by the western branch of the Tal'Mahe'Ra. They were promised vengeance against the false Brujah and most eventually allied with the sect, seeing their goal as logical.

Victorian Age
The True Brujah occasionally would further the goals of the Tal'Mahe'Ra by posing as regular Brujah in both Sabbat and Camarilla.

Final Nights
Many of the True Brujah were involved with the Tal'Mahe'Ra, or "True Black Hand", and the True Brujah were instrumental in that sect's founding. In the metaplot of the revised edition of Vampire: The Masquerade the True Brujah, already a rare bloodline, became even more scarce with the destruction of City of Enoch, the True Black Hand's headquarters in the Shadowlands. With the loss of Enoch and the Tal'mahe'Ra, the True Brujah fell in with the Followers of Set.

Culture
Respect is given by thwarting efforts of the Clan Brujah, by winning debates against one another and by increasing knowledge through their research, thoughts and writings. Most True Brujah see the mind as more important than the body. After all, the Embrace vastly enhances the body, but it does little immediate good for the mind. Reaching the peak of physique and skill can be accomplished more easily than reaching the mental apex and with fewer tools. In order to truly reach perfection of mind, one needs access to varied works on as many topics as possible — philosophy, theology, medicine, astronomy or other topics — and to study and debate them in detail. The Elois seek knowledge for its own sake. They choose to be erudite and sage, hoping to master their domains through craft. Few enemies are so relentless as a True Brujah and few allies are as resourceful. To further their original aim, the True Brujah seek out vampires driven to slaughter some other group of vampires and hasten the process along. On the scale of modern conflicts like the slaughter of the thin-blooded, True Brujah efforts don't amount to much. The bloodline's activists persist with the simple observation that every bit helps.

True Brujah deal poorly with crises. Unaccustomed to experiencing intense emotion regularly, dramatic and gorrifying surprises create more confusion than might fall on the minds of vampires more familiar with passion. Deciding to abandon the Manus Nigrum didn't take long; figuring out what to do next continues to occupy the bloodline's collective attention. Arguments rage bitterly - with acid invectives and elegant rhetorical ploys when the participants regain their poise, with actual blows when reason fails.

In contrast to many vampires among the Tal'Mahe'Ra, who joined out of fear for their hungry forefathers, for the True Brujah, it is the only logical conclusion. Other vampires are a blight upon the world, after all, and when the True Brujah could survive the incoming Gehenna by sacrificing the rest of their wicked species, then so be it. Most True Brujah project their own psychology onto the Antediluvians, reasoning that the fewer sinners demanding punishment the Antediluvians find on awakening, the more focused and restrained the carnage of Gehenna could be. Many prefer the Path of the Scorched Heart or the Path of Self-Focus. Others join the Path of Power and the Inner Voice or the Path of Lilith.

Embraces
Only the brightest, bravest original thinkers are selected. The True Brujah prefer those with both education and experience but sometimes embrace the young who are mature for their years. True Brujah have been Embraced from all of the world's cultures.

Disciplines
The Elois have command over their own proprietary Discipline called Temporis, which allows them limited control over time itself. According to True Brujah tradition, Celerity is a lesser version of this power, one that was developed by Troile to keep up with her brood mates. However, this claim is doubtful, as the Book of Nod and other Noddist sources clearly state that Caine initially learned Celerity as he developed his various Disciplines. It seems more likely that [Brujah] developed Temporis from the study of Celerity, and not vice versa. However, it may be the case that Troile herself learned Celerity in lieu of the True Brujah Discipline of Temporis, and passed this affinity down to her childer in the Brujah clan.

Conversely, it is proposed that the True Brujah developed Temporis centuries later (possibly as late as after the fall of Carthage), drawing on both Celerity and all vampire-kind's innate stasis in time to create the Discipline. The sources that make this accusation variously claim that the Assamites' sorcerer caste assisted the Elois in the creation of this Discipline. These sources also claim that the Elois are not the "true" Brujah, but are instead latter-day scholars whose studies into the lost secrets of the clan revealed the secrets of Temporis to them, transforming their bloodline in the process.

Weakness
True Brujah are cold, detached, morose, passionless beings. Emotion is rarely seen and even when it is shown it is still far less passionate then most. Regaining Humanity is always twice as difficult for them once it is lost - double experience points to regian lost Humanity or Path of Enlightenment.

Organization
True Brujah consider themselves scholars and actually manage to meet twice a year at some mutually agreed upon location. They tend to have professional respect for one another though they do disagree on issues. They meet to talk about politics, philosophy, religion, art, music, and all other avenues of mortal and immortal interests. They tell stories of their past, talk of the atrocities of the false Brujah, rant about their own efforts against them and debate other topics.

They strongly believe in solidarity and can call upon one another without Presentation. The True Brujah are attracted to the treasures of knowledge being compiled at the universities, to the debates and discussions between the teachers and students and to the possibilities that this system of education is offering. The universities are ideal places for a True Brujah to search for a prospective childe, as these places have a great number of intelligent, dedicated students and teachers (among all the rabble).