Before I get started, I'd just like to say a few things:First: No matter what I say here, there are always exceptions, not every Nosferatu is a super-spy that has some crypt in the sewers which is a work station for some huge Information Garthering and Processing Network.
Second: Please excuse my use of "Him," I do not intend to mean that all Nosferatu are male, I just happen to write that way when I am not writing gender specific. Also, I am writing about Nosferatu of the Camarilla Sect, and not concerning myself with their Sabbat cousins.
Lastly, and this is the comment I fear making: Nosferatu are rarely played right, and I'm just as guilty of this. Why? Because Nosferatu don't quite work in LARP situations. They are outsiders, skulkers, and gatherers. They don't "hang out" at Elysiums as often as you might want to think they do. For the most part, they are loners, and they value their space and privacy more than anything else. And this problem is two fold, because other Vampires don't generally want the Nosferatu around (something which doesn't really occur much in LARPs either) Why? Because they are ugly, smelly, and they are walking breeches of the Masquerade. They are distrubing and crass (or are they? more on this later) and they are just no fun to be around (again, more on this later). They are, however, useful. And this is justification on why they should be around. However, I've been to very few LARPs in which the Nosferatu are set up to be put in this position of usefulness more than any other character or clan are (which, IMHO, requires a lot of Storyteller AND Nosferatu Player cooperation, and a lot of hardwork). Hey, I could be wrong, but these are my observations.
To play a Nosferatu, you really need to understand them, so let's take a look at what makes a Nos a Nos:
THE EMBRACEIt isn't Hollywood, that's for certain. Most Nosferatu Embraces are traumatic things, more so than any other clan can hope to boast (I pity those Nosferatu of the Sabbat, I can't think of anything as horrible as what THEY have to go through), and many Nosferatu are driven insane by the week long physical transformations that wrack the newly created childe's body. The Nosferatu Neonates who go mad during the embrace process are usually destroyed, this ensures the Sire's saftey, and some even say that it is an act of kindness bestowed upon the unfortunate childe. Regardless of why these mutations take place, the end result is the same. The Nosferatu childe finds himself deformed, ripped from human society and the life he once led, never again able to truly return. The only solace a neonate ever finds, is from other Nosferatu. Though not always the case, many Nosferatu are very caring when it comes to the pains of the Change, and they do all they can
Another thing to remember about the embrace is that, despite what is said, all Vampires embrace creatures whom they see "something" in. A Ventrue is drawn to an aspiring young businessman, a Toreador is intrigued by a talented artist, a Malkavian... er, yeah. Well, the Nosferatu embrace for the same reasons. A good sneak or a laconic, withdrawn intellectuals are always good finds and additions to the clan. However, and this doesn't happen all the time, the Nosferatu sometimes embrace mortals for nasty reasons. A few potential Toreador glam-queens have been tugged down to the sewers, kicking and screaming, and embraced. Why? To teach them humility? To teach them the fleeting nature of beauty? Maybe. Out of spite? An attempt for the Nosferatu to get some sick pleasure? Quite possible. Hey, the Nosferatu are bitter Kindred, and sometimes they need to vent.
KINDRED SOCIETYIf becoming a monster, at least in appearance, wasn't enough, the Nosferatu childe now meets with his (non-clan) peers. WHAT THE FUCK?!? I think that would be my first impression. Why? Take a good hard look at all the other Kindred. They LOOK normal. After doing a quick double take, and asking his sire if they all have the power to mask their appearances, he finds out that, of all the clans, the Nosferatu are the ONLY ONES to manifest this particular strain of vampiricism that makes them ugly (ok, there are a few others, but that isn't extremely important, the other "m'fuglies" are few and far between). MOTHER FUCK, FUCK YOU ALL! I think that would be my next thought. And if that wasn't bad enough, that poor Nosferatu walks around and tries to talk to other Kindred. Now, not only does he feel horribly ugly and disgusting, uncomfortable and nervous. Not only does he feel angry and jilted, because he is so different. Not only is he already pushing himself away from them, but the other kindred don't want him around. And you know, sooner or later, some obnoxious Toreador is going to come along and ask him where he gets his fashion ideas. Hey, we were all in high school, we know how the game works.
NOSFERATU SOCIETYOstracised by his peers and ripped from his old, familiar world, the newly embraced Nosferatu has almost nowhere to turn... except to those who completely understand what he is going through, because they've all been there before. Nosferatu are naturally unified, and some would argue that they are stronger in their unity then even the Tremere ((brief pause as the writer waits for Paul to finish arguing)). The ties of ugliness and isolation have caused the bonds of fraternity to strengthen to levels that are unheard of in any other clan. The Tremere force their progeny to fall in line, and the Gangrel tear into each other to prove who's the best. But the Nosferatu simply speak to one another. The eldest Nosferatu are generally viewed as the wisest, and their advice and ideas are afforded great weight. But Nosferatu do not order their clan mates around, they've been shit on too hard in the upper-world, why should they bring such mannerisms into their havens? For the most part the Nosferatu deal with one another in a civil and courteous way, but when it comes to going above, well, that's another story.
Of course, there are rumors out there... stories of monsters in the night that hunt the Nosferatu. Creatures who are the "other childer" of Nosferat. Now, not every Nosferatu believes in the existence of the Ni... er, these creatures (just like the boogey man, speak it's name, and it'll know how to find you!), but if Vampires exist, then so can these creatures, and that's a threat worth worrying about. These creatures are supposedly extremely powerful, enough to make the eldest Nosferatu look like Popeye without his spinach. Some say it's because of their age and generation, while others claim that they were true monsters, before their embrace, and that Nosferat sought them for the expressed purpose of destroying his childer. There are many rumors as to why the Clan Founder is supposedly hunting his own progeny, however, the most prevalent is he feels that destroying all of his childer as an offering to Caine, will result in the restoration of his true visage. Eh. Who cares why, the final results are the same: The Clan that feels the most persecuted from without, ultimately feels just as persecuted (or even more so) from within. Feeling bitter and cynical yet?
WHAT THE NOS DO BESTUsually considered a by-product of the Nosferatu's amazing clan unity, the Sewer Rats have devloped one of the finest Information Gathering and Processing Networks in the world, which has come to be known as "The Nosferatu Information Network." Anything that a Sewer Rat comes across which is deemed the least bit interesting, is filtered into the system. Pieces of information here and there come together, and the bigger pictures stare the Nosferatu in the face. There are plenty of Kindred out there who came to learn of this "hobby" and sooner or later the other Kindred came to the Nosferatu for that data, which the Nosferatu gladly gave out - for a price.
As a means of honing the skills of their childer and to pass the nights, the Nos play games with one another. Scavenger Hunts and Tall Tale Telling are only a few of these. Another form of entertainment for the Nos, on a more personal level, is interacting with other Kindred. I know, I know, that sounds like the dumbest thing I've said so far, but it's true. But when the Nosferatu interact with other Kindred, they do so in ways that only they can find amusing. Nosferatu have come revel in their ability to disgust, disturb, annoy, and unnerve other Kindred. It gives them the edge in their dealings with the other Kindred, and it's just plain fun to see a Toreador lose his composure as a bloody postule bursts on your neck.
OK. So, now that we've touched upon some of the more vague issues, we can deal with some of the specifics later, eh? Thanks for reading.
Paul M. M. Jacobus (vampire@digex.net)