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The Blood Moons are neither widespread nor widely known; outside of individuals who had contact with the indigenous Kindred and Werewolves that roamed the plains of Canada and the Northern United States for over the last century or more they are barely a myth, isolated to that region as of yet as far as anyone knows. They are rumored to be Werewolves who, even into Undeath retained the mark of their ancestry, perhaps even the favor of the Moon herself, whether they became undead before the First Change or afterwards through some unknown process.
Most more informed on the nature of vampirism acknowledge the latter an impossibility; Werewolves of any stripe do not survive the Embrace, and no one has heard of Werewolves spontaneously rising from the grave as vampires either beyond in certain Eastern European myths.To those who've put thought into the topic they are assumed to be Wolf-Blooded who's mystic potential twisted their Vitae, or even Kindred who simply prey upon Wolf-Blooded and Werewolf alike to gain their strange powers. Facts are hard to come by in this regard; while the Blood Moons do truck with both Vampire and Werewolf alike, they're not forthcoming on the reality of their existence, let alone the means of their creation, something very closely guarded. Indeed, outside of a rare few cities and nomadic stretches, they're entirely unknown, the line having falling to the wayside to a degree since the modern era, among other issues, both with Vampires and Werewolves alike.
History:
Given the small numbers and isolation of the Bloodline, only some fragmentary information is available. They referred to the Bloodline founder as a being named Wayha, a Wolf-Blooded Cree spiritualist who died and was brought back as a Vampire at the behest of an unknown Werewolf. Wayha, dismayed by the changes he'd undergone, not the least was the death to his connection to the spirit, sought to find a means to regain the blessings of the spirit world, and in turn find a place of use again among the werewolves that watched over him and kin for so long.
A means was found in the end. A ritual referred only among the Blood Moons as the "Rite of the Red Moon's Repose" was developed, or perhaps discovered by Wayha. It required a ritualist among the Wolf changers as well as his own blood powered mysticism, as well as a mystic site of some potency and a very specific lunar event of the Harvest Moon. In the end, Wayha's wolf-blooded nature was apparently partially reawakened, or at the least, his blood became a conduit for spiritual and lunar energies. The end result was a Vampire whom could reforge a connection with the spiritual totems of the Werewolves, as well as draw on some benefits from the moon's touch.
It'd be some time, but Wayha would find himself pressured to make more like him, bridges between the the shape shifters and the vampires, using them as ambassadors, even intermediaries, or even a means to bring back prized wolf-kin, even if in a half life. However, the actual benefits Wayha had gained from the rite did not pass down simply through vitae or contact with his damned nature; the ritual had to be replicated or the result was a vampire without such blessings. Wayha only rarely made any childer as a result; they needed to have the touch of the wolf, a difficult thing to pin down without the help of the Werewolves, and his first attempts were failures. In turn, he refused to make childer, and instead would sponsor a wolf-blooded, chosen by the Werewolves, and brought into undeath by a Vampire whom bore the traits necessary for the needs of a pack. The line was to remain independent; the new childe would not be allowed to be bound to it's sire, and often heavy payments were made. Sometimes the new sire would be destroyed if the Werewolf pack the Blood Moon to be was intended for was unduly targeted regardless. All these factors contributed to new Blood Moon's being very rare.
By the time the 1970's came around, Wayha met his end through unknown circumstances. While the ritual was passed on to Blood Moon's who successfully survived the ordeal and showed the spiritual promise, not every member truly understood the ramifications or the specifics. Finding willing werewolves who remembered and honored the old ways of the region as well was increasingly rare as well, seeing to the lines decline outside a few scattered members. In a way, they were made to order; one was not inducted unless one could survive the rite, as well as prove useful to a werewolf pack while balancing that with the expectations of Kindred society. Given the European covenant's coming to the fore, this made the balancing act even more precarious. It's believed by these nights they may only number a dozen or less.
Customs:
Two things are expected of every Blood Moon. One must undergo the rite of the Red Moon's Repose and survive it without undue difficulties. It's perilous, and more than one has been lost to the Beast in the process, along with severe spiritual damage to the holy site, if not the death of Kindred or Werewolves involved. The ritual's details are never to be discussed under severe penalties; without the rite, the bloodline would cease entirely. That a werewolf must also be involved also; Few groups within Kindred society will understand trucking with werewolves so intimately as necessary, let alone good for their own well being. While not spoken of to initiates, individuals that fail the rite are destroyed. It's said the sites used are of the utmost importance and secret, and to have others wander with the knowledge is insanely dangerous. Additionally, it's believed rather strongly, factually or not that the death of the failed Blood Moon washes away the sin of the act under Luna's gaze, a sacrifice to her, perhaps ordained by the rite's failure, something paid for the her allowing the rite.
After that, they're expected to find a Werewolf Pack to sponsor them and reforge their spiritual connection to the moon. Without a werewolf pack, they're considered directionless, if not without purpose, more dangerous to themselves and others than they might otherwise realize. It takes dedication, if not some level of subservience to do so; one -must- be loyal to their pack to survive, and in turn, even as an emissary to other Kindred still not unduly offend the other Undead. The results are likely death from an angry Werewolf pack, or numerous vampires. The pack will be be a measure of safety as well; Those werewolves that understand or know of the old ways of the plains are rare, most having succumbed to old age or bloody deaths. It's blessing to find those that do, for many others will see a Blood Moon as something strange, if not some sort of twisted mockery of them. Those that do not inevitably find security among Kindred societies despite their founders original urging for independence; it's a matter of survival until they do find a proper pack, assuming they ever do these days, though often squandering their power as a result.
Though less a custom and more of a circumstance of creation, the Kindred sire, provided it's not one of the Blood Moon's own childer is usually picked on their supernatural abilities. A fearsome, strong individual will generally be desired to make an unliving warrior for a pack. A seductive Daeva picked as a natural emissary, and so on. While this isn't universally true, especially given the old network of ancient Kindred native to the region has become rare or disappeared entirely, it's still seen as a way to groom a proper individual. Among werewolves in the know making the request, it's often as a way to get additional service from a shamed Wolf-Blooded as a punishment, a way to bring back a mourned dead relative despite the costs, or a proper envoy among the undead who "understands".
Nicknames: Muth-Luzuk-Nuzusul (Pre-Change Blood Thieves in First Tongue) and Corpse-Wolves (Cîpay-Mahihkan in Cree).
Parent Clan: Any (Originally thought to be Gangrel)
Bloodline Disciplines: Sublanario (See Storytellers or Shadows of Mexico for details), Protean, Two Clan Disciplines. *Note, this replaces the In-Clan costs for most characters on one, potentially two Disciplines. Auspex, Majesty, Nightmare, or Dominate are always retained, though Gangrel undergo a slightly less drastic shift from the ritual.
Bloodline Weakness: In addition to the Clan Bane, Blood Moon's suffer from a form of the silver vulnerability Bane; damage from silver is treated as Lethal to the vampire, and does not gain the benefit of mundane attack downgrades. For the purposes of Resilience, it is treated as a Bane. During the night of the Full Moon and New Moon, the Blood Moon also loose 1 extra Vitae upon awakening. Some believe it's a tithe to the Moon herself to allow the undead her favor while others a fluctuation of the rite's potency.
**Note; Additional information regarding the Rite of Red Moon's Repose and other tidbits about the Bloodline will be made to players of the Bloodline. Some information is intentionally obscured for storyline purposes. They are something of a regional variant based on the Dead Wolves Bloodline of Mexico; vastly different in origin and history but using some of the systems presented for ease of play.**
Most more informed on the nature of vampirism acknowledge the latter an impossibility; Werewolves of any stripe do not survive the Embrace, and no one has heard of Werewolves spontaneously rising from the grave as vampires either beyond in certain Eastern European myths.To those who've put thought into the topic they are assumed to be Wolf-Blooded who's mystic potential twisted their Vitae, or even Kindred who simply prey upon Wolf-Blooded and Werewolf alike to gain their strange powers. Facts are hard to come by in this regard; while the Blood Moons do truck with both Vampire and Werewolf alike, they're not forthcoming on the reality of their existence, let alone the means of their creation, something very closely guarded. Indeed, outside of a rare few cities and nomadic stretches, they're entirely unknown, the line having falling to the wayside to a degree since the modern era, among other issues, both with Vampires and Werewolves alike.
History:
Given the small numbers and isolation of the Bloodline, only some fragmentary information is available. They referred to the Bloodline founder as a being named Wayha, a Wolf-Blooded Cree spiritualist who died and was brought back as a Vampire at the behest of an unknown Werewolf. Wayha, dismayed by the changes he'd undergone, not the least was the death to his connection to the spirit, sought to find a means to regain the blessings of the spirit world, and in turn find a place of use again among the werewolves that watched over him and kin for so long.
A means was found in the end. A ritual referred only among the Blood Moons as the "Rite of the Red Moon's Repose" was developed, or perhaps discovered by Wayha. It required a ritualist among the Wolf changers as well as his own blood powered mysticism, as well as a mystic site of some potency and a very specific lunar event of the Harvest Moon. In the end, Wayha's wolf-blooded nature was apparently partially reawakened, or at the least, his blood became a conduit for spiritual and lunar energies. The end result was a Vampire whom could reforge a connection with the spiritual totems of the Werewolves, as well as draw on some benefits from the moon's touch.
It'd be some time, but Wayha would find himself pressured to make more like him, bridges between the the shape shifters and the vampires, using them as ambassadors, even intermediaries, or even a means to bring back prized wolf-kin, even if in a half life. However, the actual benefits Wayha had gained from the rite did not pass down simply through vitae or contact with his damned nature; the ritual had to be replicated or the result was a vampire without such blessings. Wayha only rarely made any childer as a result; they needed to have the touch of the wolf, a difficult thing to pin down without the help of the Werewolves, and his first attempts were failures. In turn, he refused to make childer, and instead would sponsor a wolf-blooded, chosen by the Werewolves, and brought into undeath by a Vampire whom bore the traits necessary for the needs of a pack. The line was to remain independent; the new childe would not be allowed to be bound to it's sire, and often heavy payments were made. Sometimes the new sire would be destroyed if the Werewolf pack the Blood Moon to be was intended for was unduly targeted regardless. All these factors contributed to new Blood Moon's being very rare.
By the time the 1970's came around, Wayha met his end through unknown circumstances. While the ritual was passed on to Blood Moon's who successfully survived the ordeal and showed the spiritual promise, not every member truly understood the ramifications or the specifics. Finding willing werewolves who remembered and honored the old ways of the region as well was increasingly rare as well, seeing to the lines decline outside a few scattered members. In a way, they were made to order; one was not inducted unless one could survive the rite, as well as prove useful to a werewolf pack while balancing that with the expectations of Kindred society. Given the European covenant's coming to the fore, this made the balancing act even more precarious. It's believed by these nights they may only number a dozen or less.
Customs:
Two things are expected of every Blood Moon. One must undergo the rite of the Red Moon's Repose and survive it without undue difficulties. It's perilous, and more than one has been lost to the Beast in the process, along with severe spiritual damage to the holy site, if not the death of Kindred or Werewolves involved. The ritual's details are never to be discussed under severe penalties; without the rite, the bloodline would cease entirely. That a werewolf must also be involved also; Few groups within Kindred society will understand trucking with werewolves so intimately as necessary, let alone good for their own well being. While not spoken of to initiates, individuals that fail the rite are destroyed. It's said the sites used are of the utmost importance and secret, and to have others wander with the knowledge is insanely dangerous. Additionally, it's believed rather strongly, factually or not that the death of the failed Blood Moon washes away the sin of the act under Luna's gaze, a sacrifice to her, perhaps ordained by the rite's failure, something paid for the her allowing the rite.
After that, they're expected to find a Werewolf Pack to sponsor them and reforge their spiritual connection to the moon. Without a werewolf pack, they're considered directionless, if not without purpose, more dangerous to themselves and others than they might otherwise realize. It takes dedication, if not some level of subservience to do so; one -must- be loyal to their pack to survive, and in turn, even as an emissary to other Kindred still not unduly offend the other Undead. The results are likely death from an angry Werewolf pack, or numerous vampires. The pack will be be a measure of safety as well; Those werewolves that understand or know of the old ways of the plains are rare, most having succumbed to old age or bloody deaths. It's blessing to find those that do, for many others will see a Blood Moon as something strange, if not some sort of twisted mockery of them. Those that do not inevitably find security among Kindred societies despite their founders original urging for independence; it's a matter of survival until they do find a proper pack, assuming they ever do these days, though often squandering their power as a result.
Though less a custom and more of a circumstance of creation, the Kindred sire, provided it's not one of the Blood Moon's own childer is usually picked on their supernatural abilities. A fearsome, strong individual will generally be desired to make an unliving warrior for a pack. A seductive Daeva picked as a natural emissary, and so on. While this isn't universally true, especially given the old network of ancient Kindred native to the region has become rare or disappeared entirely, it's still seen as a way to groom a proper individual. Among werewolves in the know making the request, it's often as a way to get additional service from a shamed Wolf-Blooded as a punishment, a way to bring back a mourned dead relative despite the costs, or a proper envoy among the undead who "understands".
Nicknames: Muth-Luzuk-Nuzusul (Pre-Change Blood Thieves in First Tongue) and Corpse-Wolves (Cîpay-Mahihkan in Cree).
Parent Clan: Any (Originally thought to be Gangrel)
Bloodline Disciplines: Sublanario (See Storytellers or Shadows of Mexico for details), Protean, Two Clan Disciplines. *Note, this replaces the In-Clan costs for most characters on one, potentially two Disciplines. Auspex, Majesty, Nightmare, or Dominate are always retained, though Gangrel undergo a slightly less drastic shift from the ritual.
Bloodline Weakness: In addition to the Clan Bane, Blood Moon's suffer from a form of the silver vulnerability Bane; damage from silver is treated as Lethal to the vampire, and does not gain the benefit of mundane attack downgrades. For the purposes of Resilience, it is treated as a Bane. During the night of the Full Moon and New Moon, the Blood Moon also loose 1 extra Vitae upon awakening. Some believe it's a tithe to the Moon herself to allow the undead her favor while others a fluctuation of the rite's potency.
**Note; Additional information regarding the Rite of Red Moon's Repose and other tidbits about the Bloodline will be made to players of the Bloodline. Some information is intentionally obscured for storyline purposes. They are something of a regional variant based on the Dead Wolves Bloodline of Mexico; vastly different in origin and history but using some of the systems presented for ease of play.**
