The Nightingale Bloodline
Sophistication,
Nobility, Excellence, Beauty, Stability and
Preservation
 The Nightingale
considers herself the very best of her kind, the
Nobility of the Night and as such, considers it
her duty to work towards the betterment of
vampirekind. Whether this is by bringing the
best, brightest, most talented or wealthiest mortals
into the vampiric fold, fostering her position
within the Nightingale Court or, should she be
more violently inclined, working to
protect vampirekind from its many enemies.
The Nightingale dedication
to the preservation of vampirekind has been,
through the ages, the source of a great deal of
strife within vampire society as they will
ruthlessly pursue and eliminate anything they
consider a threat -- including entire vampiric
bloodlines. Because of this history, the
Nightingale is distrusted and disliked by all
other vampiric bloodlines, though they are particularly
disliked and even feared by the Siren and
Felis bloodlines.
Nightingale
Society...
While the Nightingale may
engage in near constant socialization when out in
public, when it comes time to retire from court,
a Nightingale will greatly value her privacy...
At times, Nightingales who share the same maker
or have built strong enough bonds of trust will
form a coven or, as it is usually called, a
Family.
In larger cities, these
Families (and any individual Nightingale within
the city), are organized into Courts, presided
over by a King or Queen who bestows favor or
disfavor according to their liking. A Nightingale
Monarch is generally whoever was able to take the
position and keep it while the Court is forming
and the role will not change hands until the
Monarch is deposed using violent means. Since
Nightingales value stability and view the death
of fellow Nightingales to be abhorrent, these
coups are relatively rare.
Nightingale society is
highly structured and heirarchical, resembling
the aristocratic class systems of Medieval
Europe. They have elaborate social rules and
etiquette and their nightly gatherings creat a
constantly shifting landscape of who's In, who's
Not and Who is Not To Be Associated With. Lavish
parties and celebrations are a common feature of
Nightingale culture, and a member of the
Nightingale Court likely has a completely packed
social calendar... Provided they actually
participate in court activities. There are some
Nightingales who prefer to avoid the Court
altogether, save for major events.
Nightingale
Appearance...
Even without the protection
of the Veil, the Nightingale is difficult to
distinguish from mortals having only a few traits
that signal their true nature to thoes who see
them: Like all vampires, the Nightingale's eyes
are strikingly bright with both a catlike,
slittled pupil and a tapetum lucidum -- a
reflective layer at the back of the retina that
allows them to see in near total darkness. In low
lighting, the slightly luminous and brightly
colored irises of the Nightingale may even appear
to glow faintly.
The fangs of the Nightingale
are smaller and more delicate than that of other
vampires, though they are still larger and
sharper than a human's canine teeth. When the
Nightingale's emotions are sufficiently roused,
these fangs can extend to nearly twice their
original length. Some Nightingales also have
sharper and more prominent outer incisors. The
Nightingale also possesses retractable
claw-like fingernails.
The skin of a Nightingale is
incredibly clear and soft and usually several
shades lighter than it had been during their
Mortal life. Unlike many other bloodlines, the
Nightingale's skin does not appear to be
ashen, sickly or bloodless, rather being bright
and highly saturated -- though often with a
cooler undertone compared to a mortal of similar
coloration.
Nightingale Hunting
& Feeding...
The Nightingale generally
prefers to hunt in social settings -- clubs,
bars, concerts and parties. This i because thes
anti-coagulent venom produced by the Nightingale
has neurotoxic properties which produce a
euphoric, almost orgasmic state in their victims
which allows them to pass their feedings off as
necking or making out, allowing them to go
unnoticed in these sorts of places. Once bitten,
the Nightingale's victim will remain in a
suggesstible, almost drugged state that can last
to up to an hour after being fed upon.
While it's not uncommong for
Nightingales to hunt for fresh prey nightly, they
may also maintain a small herd of humans to feed
upon rather than risk failing to find new prey.
Abilities &
Weaknesses of the Nightingale Bloodline...s
Like any vampire, the
Nightingale is capable of superhuman feats of
strength, speed and stamina, as well as having
incredibly acute senses. What sets her apart,
however, is the Nightingale's considerable
mastery of mental manipulation -- from a gaze
that can entrance mortals to telepathy and the
implantation of incredibly complex hypnotic
suggesstion the Nightingale can bend just about
any mortal to her will and can even use these
powers on other vampires, provided her own will
is strong enough to overpower her victim's.
The Nightingale is also the
least sensitive to light among the
"Common" bloodlines, waking as the sun
sets and falling into deathly slumber just as it
rises. Some Nightingales are even able to spend
time awake during the daylight hours in a
well-shaded room.
The weakness of the
Nightingale Bloodline is that their dedication to
stability often means that they have the greatest
difficulty of all bloodlines in breaking free
from harmful cycles and are the most likely to
develop rigid, unyielding habits -- becoming
incredibly distressed when those cycles are
disrupted.
This also means that the
Nightingale is more likely to have difficulty in
adapting to the ever-changing world around them,
becoming prone to losing their ability to blend
in with Mortal society over time as they become
further and further "out of date".
|
The Sanguine
Compendium
