Tremere

The Tremere are a clan that feature in World of Darkness.

History

Clan Tremere was originally a collection of magi of the House Tremere from across Europe. Tremere, along with several others from his house, created the first clan chantry deep in the Carpathian mountains. The Tremere were all organized via chantries. These were almost completely destroyed in the war against the Tzimisce. Only the fortified Ceoris, in the Southern Carpathians in Transylvania, survived, but the Tremere soon spread again and founded strongholds in Prague and Vienna (the latter was to become their main center of power), with smaller chantries elsewhere (such as the one in Perugia, in central Italy). Tremere would soon become the preeminent clan in Central Europe.

The Tremere began as House Tremere, mages of the Order of Hermes named for their leader and founder, Tremere. At the end of the first millennium, the members of House Tremere realized the Hermetic arts were failing and found its immortality potions no longer working. Facing the possibility of losing everything, Tremere ordered research into alternate methods of sustaining their lives. House Tremere undertook numerous experiments, but it was Goratrix who devised a solution in his investigation of vampires. In 1022, Goratrix invited Tremere and six of the founder's closest advisers to participate in the completed ritual, which promised true immortality. Whether Goratrix knew what would happen is known only by him and, perhaps, Tremere, but at the completion of the ritual the participants fell unconscious and were reborn as vampires, their avatars destroyed and magical abilities lost. The mages had gained their immortality but lost the power they lived for. Though the others would likely have slain Goratrix for his folly (or trickery), Tremere ordered them to halt and declared that they would remain at his side, leaving their chantries in the hands of subordinates while they discovered the powers of their new forms in secret. In time, the Tzimisce made war against House Tremere in retribution for the Fiends that had been made part of Goratrix's experiments. The Order of Hermes also became suspicious of diabolical practices being performed by the increasingly secretive House, but Tremere was able to dissuade them from investigating further. Finally, in 1037 Tremere gathered the seven newly-made Cainites and forced the blood bond upon them. He then declared to them that House Tremere would be restructured with a new pyramid hierarchy, placing himself at the top as Primus of House and clan Tremere and his seven closest followers forming the Inner Council of Seven directly under him. They would slowly begin Embracing the rest of the House, with each initiate being bound to the Inner Council to ensure their loyalty. In time, all members of House Tremere would die or become vampires.

Over the next century, the Omen War with the Tzimisce continued on and off. With their mages growing weaker and those newly Embraced unfamiliar with the powers of the blood, chantries as far as their stronghold of Ceoris were repeatedly ravaged. While Tremere and Etrius pursued their own research throughout Europe in converting the hermetic arts into Thaumaturgy, Goratrix once again returned to his laboratories with his apprentices at hand. After years of experimentation on captured Tzimisce, Nosferatu, and Gangrel, he succeeded in creating a Gargoyle in 1121, and by 1125 the hybrids were serving as shock troops against the Fiends. Nevertheless, the Tremere found themselves third-class citizens among the undead. Whatever boldness Tremere had shown in entering the night was ignored by the staunchly traditionalist clans, and they were often forced from cities by princes who did not look kindly on their presumption.

When the Camarilla was organized, the Tremere were one of the group's strongest defenders, although the Gangrel and Nosferatu clans harbour deep resentment toward the Tremere due to their use of Gangrel and Nosferatu blood to create their gargoyle servants.

Overview

The Tremere were highly organized clan that were arranged in a pyramidal hierarchy with the Tremere elder at the top. The strict formal hierarchical structure was referred to as the Pyramid with the heads ensuring the loyalty of their subjects by having each childe presented to the regent of the local chantry and forced to drink the blood of the Seven elders through a Thaumaturgical ritual, thus bringing them closer to a blood bond, as well as swear an oath. All Tremere are expected to respect and obey their superiors, or else risk being harshly punished. It consisted of the following positions:

• Councilors : The members of the Inner Council of Seven and the true rulers of the clan. Each Councilor is responsible for directing clan efforts in a particular portion of the world. Each councilor appoints seven Pontifices.
• Pontifices : A Pontifex oversees a large region, such as parts of a nation or groupings of smaller countries and islands, and in turn oversees seven Lords.
• Lords : Each Lord is responsible for a small country or group of states and uses their influence and knowledge to sway the Tremere in their domain, particularly the seven Regents they oversee.
• Regents : The most visible figures of Tremere authority. A Regent runs an individual chantry and is charged with the well being and training of Apprentices.
• Apprentices : The youngest and most numerous Tremere. Apprentices must spend much of their time training, serving some need within their chantry, or playing the politics of the clan as best as their inexperience allows. Some never advance beyond this rank, either because they are more interested in Camarilla politics or their own affairs to rise among the Tremere or because the Lord of the region sees no need to create a new chantry and Regent.
• Acolyte : Within 'One World by Night' these are oath bound Ghouls in service to House & Clan. They follow the same ranking system as Apprentices. This often creates an early rift within the lower ranks of the clan, between those that claim up from Acolyte, and those that are embraced directly as an Apprentice.

Members

• Maximillian Strauss :
• Aisling Sturbridge : High Regent of the Chantry of Five Bouroughs.
• John Dee : English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and philosopher.
• Deitrik : Elder Astor of Clan Tremere, Sabbat infiltrator.

Notes

• The Tremere featured in the setting of World of Darkness.

In other media

Video games

• In Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, the Tremere appeared as a playable faction in the Troika Games 2004 PC video game.

Appearances

• World of Darkness:

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