17

It's nearly dawn when you arrive back in your haven, exhausted from the night's events. Your home is a rather exclusive piece of underground real estate with access to the local sewers—essential for the Nosferatu on the go. You throw open the carved, wooden doors, pleased to find Gerard waiting for you attentively, his face creased with worry. He's dressed as befits his station: a well-tailored suit not quite ostentatious enough as to feel completely out of place on the average Ottawa street, but sufficiently genteel if he were required to attend the larger Kindred Court.

"Your clothes are in tatters," he states dryly. "Did your evening not go as planned?" When you don't immediately respond, he continues. "With your permission, I'll inquire about finding you a vessel to tide you over."

Whereas many Kindred of your standing employ more than one retainer to do their bidding, you'd been fortunate enough with Gerard's skill set that the idea of acquiring a second servant rarely enters your mind. As with many personal attendants, Gerard is a ghoul—a mortal who has been granted a taste of your own Blood in exchange for unnatural strength and abilities. These powers come at the price of much of their free will—ghouls become addicted to their master's or mistress's Blood, and withdrawal symptoms can be quite cruel.

So why only have one when they make such devoted servants? Each ghoul requires maintenance—a regular feeding of your own precious vitae—to maintain their agelessness and enhanced strength, and you have little wish to be so burdened with the additional upkeep where one superior servant will do nicely. Universally adapted to your needs, your ghoul also excels in one area in particular: