Category:Toreador

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Clan Toreador

Nickname: Degenerates, Artists, Roses

Primary Allegiance: Camarilla

Clan Flaw: A Toreador encountering any beautiful sensation must make a Self-Control roll at difficulty 6 or stand entranced until it ends or is removed; he may take no action, including defending against attacks (though this grants a second roll)

Disciplines: Auspex Celerity Presence

Inspirational Resources: Interview with the Vampire, The Last Mistress, Genesis, The Phantom of the Opera, 54, A Room With a View, Mr. Holland's Opus

The Degenerates

“Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder,” no truer are these words than when looking through the merciless gaze of the Roses. They are beautiful, talented, and as brutal as their imaginations can take them. Where humans create, the Toreador, have always been there watching, obsessing and dwelling on the things that few could ever hope to understand. The passion of life stolen and preserved in its perfected state, never growing, never decreasing, only existing in the frozen condition of The Beast. They love when they cannot afford it and hate when it suits them, they are both the decadent and deadly peacocks of eternity.

The Artists

To the masses, the Clan of Roses shroud themselves in the vainest of trends with narcissistic zeal, but they are a presence that has been known since the beginning. Their clan has seen the fall of empires long dead, helped found the Camarilla, and continue to this day to be an intricate part of kindred society. Behind the velvet curtains stand these awe inspiring creatures, with their fingers buried in all facets of the artistic world and beyond. Whether it be from the opening to a new art gallery to the gathering of a grand masquerade, there is always a watchful eye on those who attend, accompanied by the constant whispers that follow gossip with eager ears.

Beauty

Clan Toreador is well-known for their appreciation of the arts, but there are times at which their appreciation can become obsession to the point of physical detriment. When a member of the Clan of Roses comes in contact with something they perceive as beautiful (be it a painting, the sound of a strumming guitar or even something as mundane as water droplets hitting pavement), they enter a trance-like state and are unable to rouse themselves directly from it without an intentional act of self-control or until the object of beauty is removed from their vicinity. Many members of other clans view this as a curse given that Toreadors have been known to enter this trance at inopportune moments, but the Roses know better. Many Toreador will explain that these moments of fugue are more euphoric than The Kiss and that any Rose longs to become enraptured.

Politics

It is only the insanely stupid who underestimate the influence of the Toreador They weave their facade with all the expertise of the finest tapestry and utilize it with meticulous ease. Where the Patricians have reigned, the Degenerates have always been there, riding the whims of their current passions and keeping their enemies within arm’s reach. Their speed is only matched by their wit and their desires known only to themselves. Where one might have the tongue of a viper the other might bathe in the deprivations of those they call friends. When it comes to the sanctity of the clan, they will gather with all the fires of Hades and demolish opposition with unparalleled grace. Take heed your words when crossing their thresholds, the walls have ears.

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The Guilds

IC TOREADOR INFORMATION ONLY

Within the Clan of Roses is a series of groups labeled as "Guilds of the Arts." While not every Toreador belongs to one of the guilds, many heatedly pursue membership. The guilds (unlike a coterie) are groups of Toreador that fall under the same field of artistic study rather than more simply pursuing a mutual goal. Guilds often time work collaboratively, but can just as quickly turn against one another depending on individual views. Each guild has its own ranking system and levels of individual members are decided on amidst the members of the guild's hierarchy as a whole and are dependent on the individual's accomplishments in their field. Below is a listing of the Toreador Guilds acknowledged by the Coterie Online Staff and can be taken into consideration during character creation or later on IC.

Guild of Calliope

Members of this guild are practitioners of some of the oldest and most recognizable arts. Painters, sculptors, and craftsmen of all levels of skill and talent claim membership to this guild, and it is by far the most populated of all of the existing guilds of the arts. The Guild of Calliope has had some of the greatest artists in kindred (and kine) history claim membership, and claims purview to all of the visual arts (excluding those created electronically).

Guild of Polyhymnia

The greatest of performing artists make up the ranks of the Guild of Polyhymnia. Constructed of performers of all types, members of this guild are often times critically acclaimed amidst not only the clan of Roses but the Kindred population as a whole. Kindred of all clans have been known to travel into enemy territory just to catch a glimpse of the more renowned members of the Guild of Polyhymnia perform.

Guild of Melpomene

Screenwriters, composers, novelists, poets... the Guild of Melpomene is constructed of those geared toward literary arts. Of course, fiction is not the only acceptable medium for the writers of Melpomene. Princes who are less inclined toward constructing motivating oratory speeches often times turn to Clan Toreador for assistance in writing their next address to court and it is the members of the Guild of Melpomene that are called upon.

Guild of Dionysus

Members of the Guild of Dionysus are well known for their orchestration of social gatherings. Party planning and promotion of events (openings of plays, gallery runs, etc) are the forte of the Guild of Dionysus, but they are not limited to only planning social events. Their ranks hold many Keepers of Elysium from all over the world and the guild of Dionysus is respected universally amidst the clan of Roses for their abilities in social engineering.

Guild of Ares

The Guild of Ares is comprised of strategists and warriors who have turned violence and war into art forms. From strategists pining over the merits of Sun Tzu's distilled thoughts to highly trained martial artists, these Toreador both guide the clan in the ways of war as well as lead the charge in a stunning display of violent beauty.

Guild of Neptune

Most often known as the guild of "critics," members of the Guild of Neptune are universally adored and despised. When one has no art to claim as their own, often times he/she turns to a role of sole criticism and so the Guild of Neptune was born. Utilized to motivate the progress of fellow guilds, Neptune members set the stage for Toreador fads. What's in, what's out, what's art and what is not IS their art!

Guild of Aphrodite

Beauty and poise is an art all of its own (though certain members of Clan Toreador may disagree). The Guild of Aphrodite holds amidst its ranks Roses of the highest caliber of physical beauty to the point in which they are claimed to be unliving pieces of art. Not only are they renowned for their self image, Aphrodite members are often trained in social arts as well. Specifically that of seduction. After all, one of the most renowned members of the Guild of Aphrodite is the one and only Marion Delorme.

Guild of Chronos

The Guild of Chronos is a guild that specifically revolves around art of the digital age. Established in the early 1980s -- computer programmers, computer engineers, graphic artists, digital illustrators, digital animators -- there's bound to be a master of anything having to do with the computer age and digital art within the ranks of the Guild of Chronos. Unfortunately for members of this guild, the majority of Clan Toreador are still in heavy debate over if the form of digital art should be considered art at all.