Clan Novel:Tzimisce

Sascha Vykos, Caine's Angel

Background: Androgynous Sascha Vykos - Noddist scholar, Tzimisce scientist and Cainite monster - has long
been a staunch supporter of Sabbat freedom. It is Hell's chief torturer and a musician with a scalpel. Sascha
understands the nuances of every physical sensation and the nerves best suited to receive its ministrations. It is
also a creature of learning, with a collection of books and artifacts to humble the halls of all academia. Sascha's
enemies, including the Gangrel Beckett and the Malkavian Anatole, believe it holds cult-status within the
Sabbat, wherein sect members emulate its actions. In truth, however, Sascha is a monster beyond its own years.
Few could ever understand the grand schemes of the Sabbat's ronin priscus. Sascha Vykos, named Myca Vykos
in the years before its self-inflicted castration, lived an enviable existence in the glorious Byzantine Empire.
Born to royalty in the Carpathians before the turn of the first millennium, Myca seemed destined for greatness
from a young age. As a child, his fits and visions brought him to the attention of House Tremere within the
Order of Hermes. He learned the basics of spellcraft and proved such an adept student that he inspired jealousy
in the magus Goratrix. Goratrix's later attempt to betray Myca to Tzimisce Cainites backfired, and the young
boy found himself among the Fiends.

Eventually, Myca came to hate his clan and fled to Constantinople with the aid of his sire, Symeon, a Tzimisce
renegade. The great books of Alexandria became Myca's silent teachers while the political juggernauts within
the Byzantine courts taught him the subtleties of influence. Like the other Cainites of the city, however, Myca
became enamored with the Toreador Michael and the Methuselah's delusions of divinity. Alas, neither
Constantinople nor Michael lasted. When the Fourth Crusade destroyed the city, both Myca and his sire fled to
the Balkan strongholds of their Tzimisce brethren. Although they left Michael's legacy behind, his reach would
greatly affect Myca even after the Methuselah's Final Death. During Myca's years in Constantinople, Michael
encouraged Myca's thirst for knowledge. It was his intent to make the young Tzimisce a walking record of
Constantinople, Michael's vision of Heaven on Earth. Unbeknownst to Myca, the Toreador Methuselah instilled
him with this vision and with a need to preserve Constantinople's legacy. Myca became Michael's architect,
building a new kingdom without the mistakes of the past. Myca carried out Michael's dreams by crafting a
living empire of flesh rather than stone. His city was to be a community of Cainites founded on pillars of blood
and bone. His participation in the Sabbat's formation was the first step toward that goal. During the antitribu
uprising, better known as the Anarch Revolt, the anarchs attacked the elders' strongholds to destroy everything
associated with their former masters. Myca, on the other hand, played the monster while torturing Symeon -
repeatedly absorbing and regurgitating his sire before the final act of diablerie - but also took the role of scholar
when he saved books at risk to his own existence. During the uprising, Myca aided his allies, Lugoj and Velya,
and proved pivotal aid to the nascent Sabbat movement as priscus.

Over the centuries, Sascha - for that is what Myca renamed itself shortly after leading an assault on the village
of Thorns - has served its sect as scholar and warrior. In both roles, it acts as wandering priscus, though its
manner of advising regional cardinals seems more akin to making strong "suggestions" than polite
recommendations. As scholar, it maintains ancient libraries and repositories across the Balkan states. In this
role, Sascha is an ally to the old-guard Sabbat who appreciate the strength of knowledge. As warrior, however,
Sascha is also a frightening tool of retribution. With mastery over Vicissitude and Thaumaturgy, it can best
most adversaries. Generally, though, it prefers to capture foes rather than kill them. Many of Sascha's prisoners
have endured sessions of alternating torture and ecstatic pleasure that last for decades. Its victims are often
unsure whether they are undergoing torture or rape.

In this violent facet, Sascha appeals to the younger Sabbat. Collectively, in turn, the Sabbat is a weapon for
Sascha, a living battlement against the rapacious Antediluvians - the adversaries in Sascha's morality play.
Every death it inflicts strengthens the Sabbat's position; every splatter of blood is part of God's portrait; every
agonizing cry is a nail in Heaven's unliving city. That is why it knows how each nerve screams, how much
blood flows from specific wounds and how much fat it can rob from a mortal body before death.

Image: Sascha is an alien beauty. Its limbs are long, slender and graceful, but it moves with power. Its face is
like a work by Michelangelo, perfect and flawless in form. Not even the master artist could capture Sascha's
cruel countenance, however. The network of scars, tattoos and piercings that cover its androgynous form only
add to Sascha's enigmatic beauty. What appear to be thin, black tattoos on its body are skin clefts that open like
a babe's toothless mouth. Sascha's skill with Vicissitude allows it to speak through these mouths as well,
creating a chorus of its voice to unnerve even the most strong-willed opponent. Sascha displays these marks
like trophies, sometimes stroking them with tenderness. Sascha's most compelling feature, however, is its eyes.
It watches everything around it the way a coroner dissects a cadaver. It never blinks or looks away; it simply
stares.

Roleplaying Hints: You look at people the same way mortals study a goldfish: with detached interest. You've
already decided how to kill them; it isn't a matter of whether someone should live or die, but when you plan to
dispose of them. It all depends on how long they prove useful to you. Your mindset is no psychotic fantasy,
however, but a pure, analytical observation. You are a scientist at heart: practical, thorough and detached.

Clan: Tzimisce
Sire: Symeon
Nature: Monster
Demeanor: Visionary
Generation: 6th
Embrace: 1002
Apparent Age: Indistinguishable
Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
Social: Charisma 6, Manipulation 4, Appearance 7
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 5, Wits 4
Talents: Alertness 4, Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Dodge 5, Empathy 1, Interrogation 7, Intimidation 5, Intrigue 4,
Leadership 3, Style 6, Subterfuge 4
Skills: Animal Ken 2, Archery 2, Body Crafts 6, Etiquette 3, Herbalism 3, Melee (knife) 4, Performance 2,
Ride 3, Stealth 2, Survival 3
Knowledges: Academics 4, Area Knowledge (Europe) 6, Camarilla Lore 4, Finance 2, Hearth Wisdom 2,
History 6, Investigation 3, Law 1, Linguistics (a litany of contemporary, ancient, Asian and Romance
languages) 6, Medicine 5, Occult 5, Politics 4, Research 5, Sabbat Lore 6
Disciplines: Animalism 4, Auspex 4, Celerity 2, Dominate 5, Fortitude 3, Presence 4, Thaumaturgy 5,
Vicissitude 7
Thaumaturgical Paths: Path of Blood 5, Lure of Flames 5, Movement of the Mind 2
Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 3, Herd 5, Resources 5, Retainers 6, Rituals 5, Sabbat Status 5
Virtues: Conviction 5, Self-Control 4, Courage 5
Morality: Path of Death and the Soul 9
Willpower: 8