Salubri

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in-universe=June 2008WoD vampireThe Salubri are a fictional bloodline of vampires from White Wolf Game Studio's "" books and role-playing games.

The Salubri are a little-known Bloodline of Kindred, ostracized and hunted to near-extinction due to the dedicated slander campaigns against them by the Tremere. They are chiefly marked by their possession of a third eye in the center of their foreheads. While typically concealable, this eye makes it harder for these Kindred to blend in with normal society or with other vampires. This third eye, when closed, resembles a thin scar, but when the Salubri use their healing powers, the eye opens, looking detached and serene. Its presence is related to the Discipline of the Salubri, but is not exclusive to the Salubri Bloodline. Salubri who never develop Obeah or Valeren never develop a third eye, and Kindred of other lineages who learn these Salubri healing or warrior powers will also develop a third eye.

Distancing them further from other Kindred, the typical Salubri can only gain sustenance from blood that is willingly given, thus divorcing them from the typical image of vampires as life-stealing monsters.

Genealogy

Salubri refers to any childer of Saulot. His childer include:
*Several Healer Caste 4th generation
*Samiel, a 4th generation founder of the Warrior Cast.
*Two 4th generation founders of the Wu-Zao, a scholar and thief counterpart bloodline to the healers and warriors.
*The founders of the African bloodline, the Nkulu Zao.
*Saulot is also rumoured to be the progenitor of the Baali.

Vampires sired by Tremere after his diablerie of Saulot are not considered Salubri, but simply Tremere.

History

In ancient times, the Salubri were once a full Clan, divided into two castes, the Healers and the Warriors. Their founder, Saulot, was said to be the wisest and most merciful of the Antediluvians (ancient vampires; the thirteen grandchilder of Caine) as well as Caine's favored childe. Stories of Saulot relieving Malkav of his most wrenching bouts of madness mingle with tales of Malkav interpreting Saulot's strange visions. Supposedly, in the First City, many people followed Saulot willingly and came to him frequently to heal the sick and injured as well as settle disputes. It is rumored that the reason why Caine favored Salout over all his other childer was because his mercy and compassion reminded him of his lost brother, Abel.

The caste of the warrior finds its origins in the time of the city of Enoch, or even earlier, when Samiel, child of Saulot, rebelled against his lot as a placid healer. Thus, Saulot gave Samiel over to train with the likes of Brujah and Gangrel, thinking that only in the company of warriors would Samiel find contentment (Vampire: The Dark Ages - Clanbook Salubri). Rumors spoke of a third lost caste, the Watchers. This may be a reference to the Inconnu, or the Wu-Zao.

The Salubri were nearly wiped out during the Dark Ages era, when Tremere himself, the founder of the Tremere clan, consumed Salout's soul in diablerie and initiated a campaign of destruction against the Clan as a whole to hide his misdeed. The ease with which this was accomplished is still one of the enigmas of the time, however, it can be theorized that the Salubri's tendency to embrace seldom and to travel alone made them easy targets as they were too few and too scattered to easily defend themselves from the slander. No doubt the disappearance and/or destruction as a result of the Inquisition of many of the elder vampires who remembered the Salubri's original reputation helped the Tremere alter perceptions of Saulot's clan. Salubri cease to be a clan to become a bloodline with the "death" of their Antediluvian.

It has been theorized that Saulot himself is actually the one who initiated the campaign against his clan, after his spirit took brief control over the body of Tremere. Some theorize that this had something to do with his rumored creation of the Baali, an infernal bloodline.

The East

Some evidence exists that Saulot traveled to the Far East and learned the healing and warrior arts of the Obeah Discipline by somehow unlocking the secrets of the Kuei-jin. Kuei-jin refer to Saulot as "Zao-Lat", typically with an unpleasant epithet attached. Tiny enclaves of Salubri-like Kindred known as the Wu Zao also reside in remote locations in the Far East, lending further credence to these tales.The supplement "Demon Hunter X", set in the Far East, discusses mortal demon hunters with strong spiritual powers called the Shih. A godlike figure among the Shih is called the God Slayer, and he is said to have a third eye in his forehead. This would explain Saulot's apparently bad reputation among the Kuei-jin and his indifference towards his own Clan's destruction.

The Final Nights

In modern times, there are said to be only seven Salubri Healers in existence at once. They quest for the vampiric enlightenment called Golconda, and when one of them believes they have found it, they create a childe, undergoing ritual diablerie to strengthen the new vampire and thus increase their chance of survival. Rumors also speak of Salubri who have been questing for Golconda since the Dark Age.

Gehenna

One of the Gehenna scenarios described Saulot reawakening. Saulot's soul fought its way out of Tremere one day, then joined with a willing body to create a new Saulot. However, years of imprisonment while watching unspeakable deeds had made Saulot very, very angry. Gathering his wayward childer from all over the world, Saulot began to plan revenge upon the Tremere as well as the full extinction of the few remaining Baali.

News of a powerful new vampire reached the Followers of Set and they decided to investigate. Learning that the powerful, ancient vampire was going to crush the "unworthy, impure ones", the Followers of Set believed that Set himself had reawakened in a new form and joined the Salubri in their crusade. Working together, the Followers of Set and the Salubri eradicated the Tremere line as well as the last of the Baali. Though the Followers of Set eventually learned that it was Saulot, not Set who had awakened, they were not angry and ended up forging a lasting alliance with the Salubri.

alubri "antitribu"

In recent years, a Salubri calling himself Adonai rebelled against tradition and defected to the Sabbat, creating the Salubri "antitribu" by siring a large number of childer. In doing this, he created a variant Bloodline. The Salubri "Antitribu" differ from their parent bloodline in that they can only obtain sustenance from blood taken unwillingly and by force (though they can also drink from victims they've recently killed). They also have no healing powers, possessing instead the ancient supernatural combat abilities of the long-extinct Salubri warrior caste (which also provide a third eye, though this eye reflects rage).

Nkulu Zao

An African branch of the clan. While originating in Europe the Nkulu Zao have integrated into Laibon culture to a large degree despite their outsider status. The persecution of their parent clan has made the Nkulu Zao intensely paranoid.

V:TES

In the Salubri are an independent scarce bloodline. Their disciplines are Obeah, Fortitude, and Auspex. The Salubri Antitribu are a Sabbat clan, and are not scarce, they substitute Obeah for Valeren. [http://www.tradecardsonline.com/im/selectCard/card90170/clang |Saulot The Wanderer] is an 11 capacity vampire.

Note

*The Salubri's name comes from the word .

References

*Justin Achilli et al., "Vampire: The Masquerade (Revised Edition)" (White Wolf Game Studio, 1998, ISBN 1-56504-249-2)
*Clanbook: Salubri (White Wolf Game Studio, 1999, ISBN 1-56504-212-3)
*White Wolf Games Studio "et al.", "Vampire Storytellers Companion" (White Wolf Game Studio, 1998, ISBN 1-56504-259-X)
*Andrew Greenberg, "Vampire Players Guide" (White Wolf Game Studio, 1993, ISBN 1-56504-053-8)
*Justin Achilli et al., "Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom", (White Wolf Game Studio, 2003, ISBN 1-58846-239-0)

External links

* [http://wiki.white-wolf.com/worldofdarkness/index.php/Salubri white wolf wiki page]
* [http://www.jcmrpgart.blogspot.com/ Vampire NPC gallery] NPC (non-player character) gallery with examples of Salubri characters
* [http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/BLsal.html Official V:TES Salubri page]
* [http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/BLsalan.html Official V:TES Salubri Antitribu page]
* [http://www.thelasombra.com/ClanPages/salubri/index.htm Lasombra's Salubri Bloodline page]
* [http://www.thelasombra.com/ClanPages/salubri_anti/index.htm Lasombra's Salubri Antitribu Bloodline page]