"I'M A MIGHTY THESAURUS"

Psychologists would diagnose the children of Malkav with schizophrenia, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes all at once. In reality, they have all of these things and none. Like the “wise madmen” of poetry their derangement stems from seeing too much of the world at once, from understanding too deeply, and feeling emotions that are too strong to bear. They self-medicate with blood, but that is just a temporary solution.



“We’re not clowns, Jeanette. We’re not here to amuse the other Kindred.” “Baloney. We’re here to make them laugh, make them cry, make them sticky with delight or embarrassment…” “You drag our club through the muck. Our clan! Time was, we were the Kindred the others went to for advice, foresight, strategies in times of war.” “Pull that stick outta your ass, Therese. Unless you like it up there. We’ve always been jesters.” “Jesters in times gone by assessed the court and delivered their findings to the Prince.” “And so do we! God. You see my skirt and makeup, and just think ‘slut,’ don’t you?” “Of course. Are you not?” “Yeah, but how many nuggets of gold do you think I pried from the ghoul I was screwing, the repressed warlock I loosened up, or Prince LaCroix when he was bouncing up and down on my love gun? Bang. Bang.” “You… God, you disgust me. I acquire intelligence through visions, through sampling the blood, through debate, business transaction, reading emotions, drawing out uncomfortable truths...” “You wear the suit, I wear the stockings. We’re mentally impaired as a clan, but hell, if it allows us to both lower our inhibitions and get a little dirty to do what must be done, I say bring on the personality disorders. It’s like a cocktail in my head.” “There is nothing wrong with me. You’re the one with the special needs.” “Oh, you need your daddy just as much as I do.” “Shut up. Shut up. For one night, could you go without mentioning that we’re all headcases and instead focus on what we accomplish?” “Sorry, sis. I guess there’s two sides to being a Malkavian. The visionary and the maniac. We’re a good team!” “I hate you.” “You hate us.” “We hate us.” “I love you.” “I love me too.”



It has long been the misconception that few Kindred families are as disparate as the Clan of the Moon. Other clans see them and reason, “they are each mad, so why should their respective origins matter?” To the Malkavians, origins matter a great deal. Though sires may pick childer from all walks of life, age groups, ethnicities, and genders, every mortal selected for the Embrace possesses something only visible to a Malkavian.



One of the gifts the Malkavians look for in a mortal is what they call “second sight.” If a person interprets dreams, can perceive spirits, or unerringly predicts future events, the Malkavians take notice. Such a person acts as a beacon, calling out to every member of the clan that sees them.



Another gift revered by the Malkavians, is that of “insight.” A high level of empathy, finely-tuned knowledge of complex subject matter, or just an obsessive drive to pursue the answers to philosophical questions each appeal to the clan. As insight is often tied to profession, the clan benefits from a range of academics and doctors – especially therapists and psychologists. Finally, the Clan of the Moon are fascinated by the “broken” – individuals who have been changed by traumatic experiences or who were simply born slightly detached from themselves and the rest of society. To the Malkavians, they are but one gentle push away from having access to an altogether different plane of reality. Rather than treating them as burdens, the clan sees them as having great potential.



All Malkavians suffer mental illness following the Embrace - sometimes accentuating an existing condition, other times adding a new dimension to their instability. As if their thoughts and actions were based on otherworldly logic, there seems to be no knowing when their condition will manifest destructively or when it will offer important perspectives where such were previously lacking. As a rule, no other Kindred feels completely comfortable around a known Malkavian, often viewing them as unpredictable maniacs whose flashes of insight are rarely worth the fits of insanity.



Some Malkavians claim there is a common factor to their madness; that they are all psychically linked through a communal wavelength, a shared consciousness of sorts. Those who are aware of its existence refer to it as the cobweb or, more recently, the madness network.

AUSPEX - DOMINATE - OBFUSCATE