In the Dark Ages, humanity's conquest of nature is far from complete. The forests are filled with beasts cabable of giving even an experienced huntsmen a fearsome match. Killing a pack of ravenous wolves means an up-close and bloody confrontation with rabid beasts.
Lacking this Discipline or the Skill of Animal Ken leaves a Cainite with the curse of being offensive to animals. Beasts are distinctly uncomfortable around the undead and do all they can to move away or perhaps attack.
Animalism is one Discipline which pious vampires tend to view positively, citing the apparent use of such powers by Noah, Daniel and even Jonaj to support a claim that the power may stem from above rather than below. While these Cainites are a minority among those who possess Animalism (most Gangrel being pagan barbarians and Tzimisce believing themselves gods), they zealosly cling to their interpretations.
Feral Speech
God's gift of speech was not reserved for humans alone. Feral Speech allows a Cainite limited communication with animals, allowing for specific requests of creatures. To invoke this power, the Cainite must look into the animal's eyes. Once contact has been made, the vampire may issue the creature commands by speaking in its tongue, whether in chirps, hisses or barks. Some Nosferatu are said to be able to give orders silently, but they must maintain eye contact with the animal throughout the conversation and must reestablish contact to give the animal any new instructions.
Feral Speech provides no guarantees that an animal will want to deal with the vampire, but the animal usually becomes better disposed to toward her. Smaller animals may be cowed into accepting commands, while orders for large predators are better couched in terms of requests.
If communication is effective, the animal tries to preform the command to the best of its ability and intellect. Highly complex commands (like anything to do with conditional logic) are lost on all but the very brightest animals. Commands are deeply implanted, though, and may effect the animal for some time.
This power allows the Cainite to cry out in the voice of a specific type of animal. All such animals within earshot are summoned, but may choose whether or not to respond. Those that do will not necessarily provide immediate assistance to the vampire. However, they are favorably disposed toward the Cainite, and most offer assistance.
The few Cainites who cling zealously to their Christian beliefs and who achieve mastery of Animalism liken this power to that of Noah, who called to him two of all creatures and shepherded them into the ark.
Cainites are the supreme predators of the natural world. Many Cainites believe that within each of them lies the spirit of a ravenous Beast, similar to but also superior to the Beast that lies in the heart of every mortal. With this power, a Cainite may touch any mortal human or beast and for a breif moment connect their bestial spirits. That brief contact is enough to make the subject's Beast cower before the Cainite's.
The subject loses all courage, hope and inspiration. The most courageous mortals simply become apathetic and depressive, while sensitive ones may suffer from phobic Derangements while under the power's influence.
Christians among the Nosferatu purport that this power was manifested by Daniel when he was cast into a den of ferocious lions in ancient Babylon and emerged unscathed the next day. Most religiously orthodox Cainites, like these Nosferatu, believe this power will not take effect if they have recently been unfaithful to thier beliefs. Conversely, Tzimisce simply see the power as further evidence of their superiority over lessor beasts. Ravnos daon't particularly care where the power comes from, but find it useful to calm the mortals they have just thieved. Gangrel and some Nosferatu are said to use a similar power that soothes the subject's Beast into utter complacency rather than oppressing it through fear. This power functions identically to Cowing the Beast but is known as Song of Serenity.
In the Dark Ages, religious doctrine asserts that animals have no souls, only spirits. Using this power, Cainites believe they are able to fill that vacancy by moving their own souls into the bodies of animals. By staring into the eyes of an animal, the vampire can move her anima - her concious mind - into the animal, the animal and possess it. The vampire's body falls into a motionless state like torpor, but her mind takes control of the animal's actions.
Tzimisce seldom use this power, considering it debasing to enter the body of a lessor creature. When they do, they only possess predators. Ravnos make a habit of killing and sucking the vitae from animals after the possession, for fear that their souls will be retained in the animals.
At this level of Animalism, the Cainite has a keen understanding of the Beast within. Whenever the predator spirit threatens to overwhelm the vampire's soul and send her into a frenzy, she may instead fling the spirit of the Beast out of her body and into another's. The recipient of the Beast's raging spirit is instantly overcome by frenzy. Since the victim receives the Cainite's own spirit, the behavior and expressions of the Cainite are evident in the victim's frenzied actions. Facial expressions, body language and even changes in vocal infection mirror the Cainite's own.
Gangrel are especially fond of passing their Beasts onto their ghouls during combat. Autarkis Gangrel have been known to send bands of their ghouls sweeping through hamlets in frenzied fervor while their masters follow to feast upon the destruction. By the time the hamlet's protectors can arrive, both madmen and monsters have escaped into the night
With this power, a vampire may touch an animal and link the spirit of his own Beast to the spirit of the animal. Ocne the two are linked, the Cainite can pull thoughts, memories and experiences from the animal, mentally reliving the animal's past. The longer the vampire maintains the link, the more information he can gather. However, if the link is maintained for too long, the vampire may become confused as to which memories are his own and which are the animal's.
Cainites use this power for all manner of purposes. For example, wild stags know the lay of the surrounding forest, war horses remember how various battles fared, and rats know all the crawlways into a castle and what lies below that castle.
Many vampires see themselves as more closely tied to beasts than mankind. Some have become so intimate with their own animal natures that they may access other creatures senses. The vampire is a passive observer, merely seeing what the animal sees, tasting what it taste. Even though a beast can not be controlled by this power, many find bestial sensations highly pleasureable and even eduactional. The vampire maintains connection as long as she desires, but can preform no other action while doing so as the vampire and the targets spirits are entwined.
While vampires recognize their bestial nature, indeed often relying on it to guide their way on the immortal path; they know they are superior to all other creatures. This power reflects the vampires utter mastery of beast. The vampire need not bother possessing an animal; the portion of her will is enough to seize control of the creatures spirit and force them to do her bidding. The influence is so great that the animal can be controlled while the vamp goes about her business as usual.
There are vampires that are so sympathetic to the beast within all creatures that they can unleash it into a victim, even another vampire, at will. Through innate understanding a vampire can sense the ebb and flow to this primal energy. At the merest touch a vampire can send another into a frenzy.
Species Speak ~ Allows the Cainite to communicate with an entire group of creatures, but they must be of the same species.
and still be able to move freely of her own body's desires.
with them, effectively controlling them all simultaneously. She may see through their eyes as well.
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