| Contents |
| History • Strongholds • Advantages and Weaknesses • The Carriers in DC |
| Carriers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pseudonyms | Knights of the Moon |
| Sect | Camarilla |
| Disciplines | Auspex Dominate Obfuscate |
| Rarity | Rare |
The Carriers are the bloodline that arose from the Great Prank of Clan Malkavian, and the only descendants of that clan who do wield its traditional powers over madness and the mind. Unlike Malkavians, Carriers tend to be sedate and thoughtful, political powerhouses who dominate whatever regions of Camarilla influence they can manage and are driven to prove that they don't have the wild, unreasonable impulses of their former brethren. They generally take on roles such as politicians, judges, doctors, or other authority figures that work within long-honored systems and organizations, which they then turn toward their own purposes.
There are very few Carriers worldwide; only a tiny handful of them came into being, and they're just as methodical and careful about the Embrace as they are about everything else. Nevertheless, their Camarilla compatriots consider them worth paying attention to, if only because in the rare circumstance that one is in the city, that one is probably already planning to make waves.
History
In the sixteenth century, the Malkavians recognized that, as the new sects of Anarch, Camarilla, and Sabbat began to agitate and solidify into what would become their final forms, their own clan was being left somewhat out in the cold. Considered unstable and dangerous by the Camarilla and unstable and ineffective by the Anarchs, the Sabbat appeared to be the most likely candidate for the clan's membership, but too many Malkavians were horrified by the sect's stated blood-and-domination goals, or raised objections that the Madness Network and thus their Antediluvian did not seem to agree with the choice.
Lacking other options but determined not to end up a mistreated Independent clan, the Malkavians performed the Great Prank, a custom ritual that overnight completely removed all traces of the Dementation discipline that allowed them to fracture and manipulate the minds of others. Now able to make the case that they were fine upstanding citizens and not a danger to everyone else, the Malkavians became one of the founding clans of the Camarilla; and when the Great Prank inevitably lapsed and all the Malkavians regained their powers over madness, it was too late to do anything about removing them again.
Those few Malkavians who did not revert became the Carriers: staunch political rivals and Camarilla-builders with all the cultural background of the Malkavians but none of the ability to make it anyone else's problem. No one has any real idea why the Carriers didn't revert with the rest of the clan - theories include Carrier individuals having flawed or altered blood of some kind, or the Carriers being singled out by Malkav for some unknown reason - but most of them see it as a blessing rather than a curse, allowing them to keep their heads and be considered in good standing in a way that Malkavians, in spite of their best efforts, often are not.
Carriers, when their paths cross with those of the Malkavians, tend to consider their "cousins" with a certain amount of aloof disdain; they consider them unfortunate wretches who couldn't hold themselves together when it mattered most (but then again, the Malkavians tend to view them as unfortunate wretches who couldn't find their way home again), and often aggressively distance themselves from concepts and activities that are traditional for Malkavians (oracular pronouncements, psychiatric hospitals) to avoid being associated with them.
Strongholds
Since the Carriers are such a small and relatively young bloodline, they do not have a central stronghold; they've never all been in one place at the same time, and if they had, it would probably have been in the Malkavian stronghold of Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, most Carriers are found in larger European cities such as London or Paris, with a handful present in the Americas and Africa and few, if any, active anywhere else.
Advantages and Weaknesses
Advantages
The main advantage for Carriers is that the Camarilla tends to treat them as "better Malkavians," viewing them as having political clout and useful insight but without the pesky trappings of universal truth and prophetic screaming fits. They are automatically treated as though they have one phantom Status more than any Malkavian who may be in the area at the time. (This can of course cause serious friction when a high-ranking Malkavian finds others listening to a low-ranking Carrier neonate instead of them, so most Carriers are prudent about throwing their weight around.)
Disadvantages
Like Malkavians, all Carriers also suffer from one derangement, even if they are newly Embraced; whatever feature of the blood that inflicts mental ilness on the Malkavians still affects them in spite of their best efforts. Many Carriers, invested in being "better" than Malkavians, may pretend that they do not have or do not notice their own derangements, successfully living in denial, or put considerable effort into making sure that no one else ever discovers or sees them in action in order to protect their reasonable and rational facade.
Interestingly, Carriers are still "infected" by Dementation, a state that lends them their name: they may not have or be able to use the powers themselves, but others can learn it from them, or are at risk of being afflicted if they drink their blood. The bloodline's name refers to this infection, although many Carriers have recently begun a spin campaign of claiming that their name refers to their ability to carry a torch to lead the way in times of uncertainty.
The Carriers in DC
There are currently no Carriers in Washington, DC, where they would face heavy competition from Scott Levin and his Malkavian brood.