The Brujah Viewpoint

Before I go any further: I don't like to be told what to do. Nobody does, especially none of us. We are all working to make it so that nobody tells anybody else what to do. Maybe we'll never get there. In the meantime, we'll really piss off the Ventrue.

How do we get along with the other clans? Here you go. One thing I'd like to say before we get started...if the Prince is one of these clans, all rules change (unless it's a Ventrue, of course...that just makes it more fun); never trust the clan the Prince comes from...especially if it's ours.

These are the basics:

Camarilla - The Camarilla are a worthless bunch of talkers. However, if they'll let anybody in, we'll go and find out what they have to say.

Gangrel - They're okay fighters...but they care more about the Great Outdoors than what's happening in the street. If we have interests in common, then that's great, they're wonderful; if not, fuck 'em.

Malkavians - They're called "Kooks" for a reason...they're all insane, usually in a frightening way. Deal with them on an individual basis...but never take your eyes off of them (on a related note, never look them in the eyes).

Nosferatu - They're all right. Nosferatu will usually keep your secrets, and they mostly side with us instead of the prince. Of course, they have their own secret plans, but so do we, so that's all right.

Toreador - Art snobs. If they could throw a decent party, they might be worth talking to...but fine wine and cheese with even finer art (and worthless conversation) never was my idea of a good time. The younger ones may be ok, but be careful...you might be bored to death.

Tremere - Warlocks. The most untrustworthy of all of the clans. You think you have secret plans; you don't have secret dick compared to these guys. On the other hand...when you're fighting the good fight, magic mojo does come in kinda handy.

Ventrue - The Enemy. The elders say the Ventrue ruined Carthage...I don't care; there are plenty of reasons to hate them now. The Ventrue want to call the shots...don't let them. Don't trust them. Use them if you must.

Caitiff - Treating Caitiff well (after all, most of them are Brujah-sired) is like feeding a stray dog. They may lay down their life for you...they may bite you on the hand. Of course, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, and the Caitiff make great eggs.

You really hope you don't see these, but just in case you're unlucky:

Sabbat - These guys have a lot of good points...if only they didn't want to drop the Masquerade and have us killed by the humans.

Lasombra - Imagine Ventrue without the nice facade of wanting to make the world a better place through control. The conclusions should be obvious.

Tzimisce - Y'know how Gangrel do fucked up things with their bodies? Tzimisce do more fucked up things...and to others. Plus, most of them act like bad horror extras.

Setites - They'll give you what you want...but it'll cost more than you can pay. Just like any drug...once you get in, it's a bitch to get out.

Werewolves - As if there weren't enough things to worry about, now we've got werewolves too. And most of them hate us. My advice: carry silver, and avoid the woods.

There's more than one kind of Brujah:

The Iconoclasts - Tear it down, that's their goal. What's it? Any sort of structure. Yes, this does get old fast.

The Idealists - They look to the past, seeking to build a better world, like the way it used to be. I don't know if things were ever that good, and I don't know if we can bring it back anyway.

The Individualists - If you don't fit into the above two, you're an Individualist. Most are. Not everything can be solved by thinking; not everything can be solved by hitting.

So where does everybody fit?

Well, this is a sketchy look at where everybody fits...it's not perfect, and I know a few people who break the rules, but...it's a useful guide:

Elders - Most of the Elders are Idealists; they memorizedtheir Paine, Plato and Marx many decades ago, and keep trying to build a better world. Some of them may as well have sold out to the Ventrue.

Ancillae - Walking the middle ground in both power and years between Elder and Neonate, most Ancillae find themselves drawn to the Individualist camp; they realize the necessity for both thought and action, and the necessity to face reality.

Neonates - Trapped in a structure far older than themselves, most Neonates respond by lashing out at anything and everything they can.

So where are we strong?

We're pretty big in California and Washington. We're strong in Greece, Switzerland, and Italy. We're ok in the rest of Europe, and reasonably strong in the rest of the US. We used to be big in Russia, but then that hit the fan...everywhere else, we suck.

What happened?

Well, we built a big, nice fucking city, where everybody more or less got along; we called it Carthage. The Ventrue destroyed it. We managed to hold on to some territories, but most of us went to America; those that stayed behind tended to help out rebellions wherever they occurred. We didn't really fight the Revolutionary War in America, but we tried to help...we were worried about the Ventrue interfering with us. We kept on fighting and moving west; we did a pretty good job on the West Coast, but elsewhere we lost.

We almost won in Russia, but we never got total control, and then it all went up in flames. What happened; we don't really know.We do know there's a Methuselah named Baba Yaga who now controls Russia, and she killed almost all of the Brujah there. That's about it.

Where are we going?

We're going to keep fighting, until everyone is equal and life is good. No, I don't think that'll ever happen either.

How do we get together?

Two ways. The elders tend to have formal Debates, which can last for weeks, and be boring as hell. The rest of us tend to add a Rant of our own to a mortal Rave (that is, go to the mortal Rave, then go to ours, and discuss business). The Rants are fun; a lot of Brujah get up, more or less take turns discussing business, and then we party again.

What don't we do?

Pretty little, actually. Here's the official line, moreor less:

Masquerade - Don't do this. This is a pretty damn good rule...don't break it without a very damn good reason.

Domain / Progeny / Accounting / Hospitality - Don't get caught; we don't care, but the Prince does.

Destruction - If we catch you killing someone we liked, we'll kill you. If it was someone we hated, you'd better hope we like you.

If you break any of those...we might tar and feather you, we might keep you away from the Rants, we might break all your bones, we might kill you, or we might turn you over to the Prince. Any questions?

How do you "move up the ladder?"

There is no ladder. However, some Brujah are respected more than others. They are respected more because they either did a lot of really good things (overthrew a few cities, capped a Prince personally, you get the idea), because they're older than God (since usually they're more powerful than God by that point), or because they can break your face in the time it takes you to spit.

Who "is respected more?"

Marguerite Foccart - She was a Parisian actress, popular with all levels of society some 30 years before the revolution. She was Embraced to be used when the French inevitably rose up...and did very well. She was marked for death by the Ventrue, in fact, she did so well. She currently lives in Sacramento, and works with Anarch leaders there.

Crispus Attucks - He led a mob against British soldiers before the American Revolution (the Boston massacre...you may have heard of it), got shot, and got Embraced. He was part of the Underground Railroad, worked in the Southeast for civil rights and against the Sabbat, and then moved to the Anarch States to help the struggle there.

Smiling Jack - He is a very powerful anarch...he currently works out of California. Chaos and true anarchy are his goals. If he were less charismatic, he might have had an "accident" by now.

If you are interested in learning more about the Brujah Clan, go straight to the source with White Wolf's Clanbook: Brujah.

The main character in the Brujah Clan Novel is Archon Theo Bell, and his story is an interesting one. Possibly the most action packed novel in the series, the novel kept me turning pages!