Clan Ravnos
Nicknames: The Gypsies, The Unwelcome
Disciplines: Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude
Sect: Independent
Status: RESTRICTED for new characters

Of all the vampiric clans, the Ravnos are the least numerous and the most hated, although whether or not they deserve these disadvantages depends completely on who you ask. The Ravnos are and always have been heavily tied to the Romani people, and just as the Romani have been widely discriminated against throughout history, so do other Kindred clans shun, distrust, and mistreat the Ravnos. They are widely reputed to be thieves, liars, and wandering mendicants just waiting to ruin the livelihoods and comfort of the other clans whenever they enter their territories. Every clan (especially in the Camarilla) treats the Ravnos as the least of the least, and those few who do spend time in Camarilla or Sabbat territories usually do so with the knowledge that they might have to leave for their own safety at any moment. It doesn't help that the Ravnos possess the strange and terrifying power of Chimerstry, which makes other Kindred fear them (although they might not ever want to admit it).

Of course, the Ravnos themselves tell a different story, pointing out that the other clans have always mistreated them and that if any of them did choose to strike back, they would hardly be unjustified. Traditionally, Ravnos are tolerated in various cities on the understanding that they don't stay too long, and they strike back against the establishment when needed by threatening to cause large-scale chaos if any of their members are injured or killed, causing most Kindred to simply avoid them and uneasily hope that they leave soon. The vast majority of Ravnos are Embraced from among ethnic Romani people; although there are a few non-Romani Ravnos, they tend to be viewed with some mistrust by their clanmates, who often consider them almost as much outsiders as they would members of other clans.

Clan Advantage and Weakness

Advantages: Ravnos are afforded small protection from other Kindred in the form of the Treatment, a city-wide terror campaign that other Ravnos may enact on their behalf if they are hurt; as long as there is more than one Ravnos in the city, the others can expect that their clanmates will avenge them if they suffer, which usually prevents other Kindred from perpetrating anything too heinous on them. Ravnos also automatically succeed at most basic Streetwise and Street Influence challenges, although anything complicated still requires them to learn to specialize. Because they exist somewhat outside the normal laws of the Camarilla and Sabbat, they may also occasionally choose to either ignore someone else's positive Status, or ignore a Harpy bestowing a negative Status on them as a result of their actions (although they cannot do so if their problems form a constant pattern).

Disadvantages: No matter what the Ravnos do, their vices are always disliked and discriminated against by the rest of the Kindred world. Each Ravnos must choose one "sin" or "crime" - not necessarily one that is actually unethical or wrong, but definitely one that others would judge them for - and perform it frequently or risk becoming drained and prone to Frenzy. Ravnos vices range from fairly benign pastimes such as gambling, exhibitionist sex, minor shoplifting, political protests, hacking websites, or harmless pranks, to large-scale and dangerous ones, including larceny, malicious and dangerous tricks (usually played on those the Ravnos thinks deserve it), daredevil acts that could result in serious injury, and so on. Other clans claim that this kind of behavior is why they are justified in viewing the Ravnos as criminals waiting to cause problems, while the Ravnos point out that there is no Kindred clan that doesn't do these things on occasion, and it mysteriously seems that none of those clans are uniformly considered evil.

The Ravnos in DC

The Ravnos have no real power or presence in DC, as they don't most places; although there are a few members of the clan in residence for the moment, and others passing in and out of the territory without staying for long, none are permanent residents or particularly influential. The Prince is somewhat lenient with Ravnos in his domain, allowing them to spend (brief, reasonable amounts of) time there where other Princes might hunt them down; some whisper that he does so because, as a Lasombra in the Camarilla, he sympathizes with their position as so widely disliked by the sect, but others more pragmatically assume that he simply doesn't want the aggravation of managing the Treatment in the politically delicate environment of DC.

Bloodlines

The Ravnos, like the Romani people who fill their ranks, owe their origins in ancient times to India, and a small alternative bloodline still resides there, known as the Brahmins locally and the Phuri Dae abroad. These bloodlines have the Auspex Discipline instead of Fortitude, and adhere to ancient Hindu ideals and philosophies, understanding their Chimerstry powers as ways that they can interact with the concept of maya, the illusions that afflict humanity and Kindred who are trapped in the religious cycle of Samsara.

Notable Ravnos

Pieter van Reise, manager of Limbo

A Note About Terminology

Although the Romani and the Ravnos are both traditionally referred to by outsiders as "gypsies", the term is considered offensive and derogatory, and should never be used to refer to any Romani person without their explicit consent. The Ravnos use the term ironically within their own ranks, but they do not appreciate others using it (even though, for the most part, almost all other Kindred do and seem to not care in the slightest if they're offending the Ravnos).