Toreador

Introduction

The Toreador clan is both highly organized and highly individualized. Called the “Clan of the Rose,” Toreadors were often artists, craftsmen or patrons and critics in life before being embraced. One of the High Clans, the Toreadors are proud, haughty and powerful.

History of the Clan

There is significant debate over who the actual founder of the Clan was. Some claim Arikel, while others believe it was Ishtar.

The Arikel legend claims that she was a painter in the First City, and was granted a great vision, which she painted as a mural depicting the past, present and future of Caine and his Childer. Seeing the horrible future, Caine destroyed the mural and cursed Arikel with the Toreador clan weakness, that things of true beauty will ensnare her mind and that she would never again be able to create beauty herself.

The Ishtar legends claim that the founder was a bull dancer and the inspiration for fertility goddesses around the Fertile Crescent. The clan name “Toreador” comes from this interpretation, as a toreador is a spanish bullfighter.

It is believed that the Toreador antediluvian was the target of a special animosity from Absimiliard, the Nosferatu antediluvian. This animosity stems from the conflict between the Toreador obsession with beauty and the Nosferatu curse.

Geography

The Toreador are believed to have first settled in ancient Mycenae and Greece, and that is where the eldest of them would hail from. When those cultures were taken over by their neighbors, their resident Toreadors fled to seek succor from the Ventrue in Rome or the Brujah in Carthage. When it became obvious that the Carthage situation was going to end poorly, the Toreador abandoned the Brujah in favor of the Ventrue. When Rome’s power waned, the Toreador moved east to Constantinople.

Toreador can also be found in every major city, every major church or university, or any cultural center. Wherever civilization moved, the Toreador moved with it. Across Europe, the Courts of Love have sprung up demonstrating how Toreador lead a Domain.

Important Figures of the Clan

Arikel/Ishtar - The Antediluvian

Mikail/Michael/Beshter - 4th Generation, Founder of Constantinople

Typical Roads for Members of the Clan

The Toreador as a clan are often called the clan closest to the kine, and as such, many Toreador never leave the Road of Humanity. It is a Road that allows them to stay close to the source of much of the beauty in this world. At the same time, by that same logic, many Toreador also follow the Road of Sin, because indulging in every vice is a way to find every beautiful thing.

Toreador who are associated with the Church might follow the Road of Heaven, if they were true believers in life. Toreador from the Courts of Love especially might follow the Road of Kings with its emphasis on hierarchy and social roles.

Other roads are less likely.

Priorities of the Clan

The Toreador seek power just as much as their Ventrue or Lasombra cousins, but they rarely do it as openly. The Toreador Clan is involved in the Church, by way of financing the production of much of the art and architecture. They are involved in the merchant business in all of the nations of Europe, because beautiful goods must be traded.

Of all the Clans, the Toreador are the most likely to push for a general peace. They take a leadership role and are willing to be ruthless in enforcing that peace. The Toreador have a long range vision for cainites and they are more than willing to kill to support that vision.

Opinions

Humans - Toreador see humanity in generally favorable terms. Usually. The more sinful, monstrous Toreador won’t hesitate to make a beautiful work of art out of a human’s bloody remains though. Ghouls - Many Toreador ghoul talented artists and craftsmen to keep them around. A talented ghoul is a treasure that is treated like a favored child. An untalented ghoul is a tool that might be taken up or cast aside as the vampire needs. Other Vampires - Toreador are the epitome of High Clan vampires. They reject low clan vampires as beneath them, especially the hideous Nosferatu and the more bestial of the Gangrel. High Clan vampires can be worth the time of the Toreador, if they are beautiful. Other Supernaturals (Shifters, Wraith, Sorcerers, Mages, Fae: Limited to Folklore as per the rules.) - Toreador are unlikely to know much about Shifters, Wraith, Mages, or Fae beyond the common superstitions of their home countries.