The Ravnos are a clan of vampires from White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade

Vampire: The Masquerade

Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....

and Vampire: The Dark Ages

Vampire: The Dark Ages

Vampire: The Dark Ages is a role-playing game originally published by White Wolf Game Studio in 1996. Later, in 2002, the gameline was replaced by Dark Ages: Vampire...

role-playing games.

Nobody in the west understood the Ravnos, and now in the Final Nights, its too late to do so. Misunderstood as a clan of gypsies and tricksters, the western Ravnos are a minor and heretical branch of the undead lords of India. Gifted with the power to manipulate maya, the Ravnos saw themselves as tempters and avengers, replacing the fallen Kuei Jin in the scheme of the universe. All that is irrelevant now, however, as Zapathasura rose from his slumber in the Week of Nightmares and in his own death throes, wiped out nearly all of his clan.

Noddists say that in Enoch, Irad embraced a thief named Dracian, to spy on the Third Generation. Dracian immediately betrayed his sire to the other Antediluvians, leading to the end of the Second Generation.

However, the Ravnos claim a richer prehistory, recorded in the Karavalanisha Vrana, The Wounds of the Night's Sword. This epic poem details how angelic beings (probably Kuei Jin) betrayed their original purpose and became blood-drinking demons; to balance them out, the Gods brought back to live a man who had been wronged more by these asuratziyya more than any other. This creature, named Zapathasura was charged by the Gods to exterminate the asuratziyya and restore balance to the world.

In his quest for vengeance, Zapathasura embraced five childer, Marizhavashti Kali a seer, the Rakshasa a shapeshifter, Chandraputra a military leader, Ravana who betrayed Zapathasura and may be the Yama King of the same name, and Ramessu who served as an internal policeman for Zapathasura's war. These five Methuselahs are the ancestors of all other Ravnos. They served Zapathasura for centuries in prehistoric India until the wearied of their sire's endless war and slaughter, abandoning him to his own devices as time passed. Ravnos eventually fell into Torpor and the clan restructured.

The majority of the elders left India for the west, while Chandraputra remained in the subcontinent and reordered the clan along a more caste-oriented society. This culture faced two invasions around the time of Alexander the Great - western vampires following the conqueror, and Kuei Jin on a crusade from China.

At this time, Ravnos society diverged. The Ravnos heading towards the west began to deviate from the philosophy of Zapathasura, eventually creating what would become known as the Path of Paradox. Meanwhile, the Indian Ravnos split into castes in a fashion similar to the Assamites, with multiple Jati fulfilling different roles in the war against the Wan Kuei.

Ravnos society in the Dark Ages was influenced by two phenomena: the continuing degeneration of western Ravnos from the Path of Paradox, and the influx of Indian Ravnos following the Rroma.

The Path of Paradox is a degenerate form of the Mayaparisatya, the classic path as followed in India. Sybaritic Roman Ravnos changed the path into a license for self interest and wanton diableries without following the original tenets. This form eventually became the standard path of the western clan, while the eastern path remained in India. The path of paradox and the associated culture of the clan led to the low reputation that the Ravnos had throughout Europe.

Meanwhile, unknown to the other clans, Ravnos arrived with the Rroma; these Ravnos were chandalas, almost the Ravnos equivalent of Caitiff, but still felt superior to their mongrel cousins. The cultural interchange (with knives) that followed led to a predominance of eastern Ravnos in the western clan. As time passed, the Rroma Ravnos became the stereotypical Ravnos in the minds of western Kindred, and the Path of Paradox became the standard path for western Ravnos.

Ravnos in Arabia and Northern Africa, called the Bay't Mujrim, were no more welcome in the Islamic world as their vices lead them into many unwelcome confrontations with the Ashirra. A few Murjrimin, mostly those from Alexandria, did manage to balance out their vices and become welcome in some Islamic circles.

By the 15th century, western Ravnos were stereotypically Gypsies, degenerate and vermin in the eyes of the main clan.

Clan	Progenitor	Faction	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Ravnos	Zapathasura	Independent	Animalism, Fortitude, Chimerstry	Gypsies, Criminals	The Ravnos clan are all criminals; each Ravnos has a specific vice ranging from plagiarism to mass murder. When the opportunity to indulge that vice is present, Ravnos must succeed in a self-control check to avoid indulging it.

Week of Nightmares

For the Ravnos, the Final Nights were just that. The entire history of the clan pivots around the Week of Nightmares.

In the 1990s, the cold war between the Kuei Jin of the Infinite Thunders Court and the Ravnos of India heated up. The Ravnos eventually took a page from the Sabbat playbook and began mass-Embracing candidates, sending armies of neonates to be slaughtered by the Wan Kuei. The psychic backlash from these deaths reverberated up the lineages of the Ravnos, eventually waking Methuselahs who joined the fight, only to result in the eventual awakening of Zapathasura himself in 1999.

Zapathasura broke his fast on his own clan, then proceeded to attack everything in sight, including most of Bangladesh. His exact motivations were never clear, because by the time the dust settled, three Bodhisattvas, several packs of Garou, uncounted mortals, orbital solar reflectors, and three Technocracy "spirit" nuclear warheads had barely been able to stop the Antediluvian. With his dying curse, Zapathasura set off a psychic bomb within his own clan, resulting in the Ravnos devouring each other in a cannibalistic frenzy.

Most outsiders were aware only that the Ravnos spontaneously developed incredible powers of Chimerstry for about a week, then proceeded to attack and devour each other. By the time the Week of Nightmares ended, there were few Ravnos still this side of Final Death. Durga Syn is a notable survivor of this time.

Ravnos antitribu

There is a saying among the Sabbat that it might be better to deal with the Devil himself than to bargain with a Ravnos antitribu. You won't get the better of either of them.

In the forgotten nights of history, likely some time after the Convention of Thorns, a faction of the Ravnos split from their Gypsy heritage after discovering the Sabbat. Although the Sabbat had a grandiose ideology behind it, these separatist Ravnos found themselves more enamored of the "nightlives" these vampires led. They didn't confound themselves with complex Hindu dharma riddles, nor did they subvert their bestial natures. The Sabbat was composed of vampires through and through, and it offered many possibilities for the malicious deceit and wanderlust of these young defectors, who became the first Ravnos antitribu.

Since then, the Sabbat Ravnos have had little to do with the sect, serving it when it's convenient, and otherwise taking advantage of the lack of communication presented by constant travel. Some wonder why they bother with sect allegiance at all, but when a piece of Rogue-discovered information turns the ride in a siege or an enterprising Ravnos antitribu manages to seduce a Camarilla prince's progeny, all these fears evaporate. It would seem the Ravnos antitribu have turned their backs on their original clan, if only to be free of their elders' overbearing presence. And such is the nature of the Sabbat.

The nomadic existence of most Sabbat packs suits the Ravnos antitribu quite well. The idea of a permanent haven is almost anathema to the Rogues, who like nothing better than to serve their pack by setting up a temporary base to scout enemy territory, knowing that they can pull up stakes and move locations whenever the pack's needs change. Such pilgrimage is their preference in the modern nights, but many suspect that its roots go much deeper, possibly stemming from the prejudices of race and culture that victimized the Ravnos antitribu's human ancestors, and the centuries they spent fleeing persecution. A Sabbat Ravnos is also less likely to feel bored or stagnant than his independent counterparts, as he rarely supports the complex philosophies they do.

While the average Rogue possesses a rakish charm that may win her a temporary companion or two, the Ravnos antitribu has virtually no mortal allies she can rely on with regularity. Ravnos are very much the "love them and leave them" type. They use their smooth talents with either sex both for personal pleasure and information-gathering.

Sect notwithstanding, the Ravnos antitribu have a traditional code of conduct for dealing with their clanmates. This code may be difficult for those outside the clan to follow, but nonetheless, a Ravnos' word to his pack is his law. They follow the "spit and shake" rule of all Ravnos on verbal agreements, but the Rogues take this one step further. If a Sabbat member wants an agreement in writing, it will be signed in blood, the pen dipped in an open wound on the Ravnos' own arm. This binding in blood is as strong as the Vaulderie to the Sabbat Ravnos, and it can be broken only by Final Death. Violating the code costs the perpetrator a considerable loss of face with other Ravnos, which has been adopted by the sect at large. Few Sabbat Ravnos feel comfortable giving this guarantee to Sabbat members outside their clan, and most do get quite indignant should the other party suggest it.

Bloodline	Founder	Parent Clan	Faction	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Ravnos antitribu	Unknown	Ravnos	Sabbat	Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude.	Rogues	The Ravnos clan are all criminals; each Ravnos has a specific vice ranging from plagiarism to mass murder. When the opportunity to indulge that vice is present, Ravnos must succeed in a self-control check to avoid indulging it.

Jati

"Jati" is the Hindi word for caste, and refers to a Ravnos' lineage within the clan. The Jati castes of the Ravnos correspond to the Varna occupational groups of India. Those who practice the Jati system represent the original Ravnos that hailed from India, constantly at war with the Kuei-jin over control of the region. Unfortunately, since the "Week of Nightmares" and the awakening of Zapathasura most if not all have been destroyed and it is unknown if any elders still exist.

Bloodline	Founder	Parent Clan	Faction	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Jati	Various	Ravnos	Independent, (Enemies of the Kuei-jin)	Chimerstry, Animalism, (Brahman Caste: Auspex), (Other Jati: Fortitude)	(Brahman Caste: Prophets)	When an opportunity to indulge a vice is present, Ravnos must succeed in a self-control check to avoid indulging it

Castes

• Brahman: The Brahman Ravnos have a gift of sight that other jati do not, and often use it to divine the future or the locations of their enemies. The Brahman also consider themselves the keepers of the "Way of Mayaparisatya" or the Path of Paradox. Among the Indian Ravnos, the Brahman are the spiritual advisers and philosophers of the clan, and often serve as advisers to other jati.
• Kshatriyas: The Kshatriyas are the traditional warriors, and most Ravnos in India belong to this jati. They are known to employ a "Mass Embrace strategy in their battles against the Kuei-jin.
• Vaisyas: Traditionally embraced from the merchant class, the Vaisyas are the Ravnos who traditionally deal with mortal society.
• Chandalas: Chandalas is the lowest-ranked jati. Its members are forbidden to embrace, lest they spread their impure blood and ideals. Indian Ravnos consider any Caitiff
  Caitiff (World of Darkness)
  Caitiff are a group of clanless vampires in Vampire: The Masquerade, a role-playing game by White Wolf, Inc.Lacking patrons or allies, holding no real power as a group, Caitiff are held in contempt by the Camarilla...
  
  to be Chandalas, and any Ravnos caught breaking the tenets of Paradox are likewise demoted to this caste. Members of other clans and bloodline who come to India are seen as Chandalas, although the Ravnos may offer them more overt respect or consideration to avoid immediate conflict.
• Sudras: The Sudras are not true jati, and no Ravnos is considered to be Sudra. Ravnos ghouls are considered Sudras and therefore beneath the embrace.

Kinyonyi

Laibon Legacy of Clan Ravnos.

Legacy	Parent Clan	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Kinyonyi	Ravnos	Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude	Nomads	For every two weeks a Kinyonyi stays in a given domain, she must make a check of Self-Control + Subterfuge (difficulty 8) to avoid mentioning or otherwise revealing some unpleasant fact - true or false, on purpose or by accident - about someone important in that domain. For each month, the Kinyonyi receives an additional one-die penalty to this roll.

Ravnos of note

• Durga Syn - Sixth generation Vampire, Mortal enemy of Baba Yaga - the Nosteratu Methuselah
• Alexis Sorokin - Sixth generation vampire, on the Camarilla's Most wanted "Red List" and current Danya of the clan.

Version differences

Clan Ravnos has been extensively rewritten in each appearance in Vampire. Initially, this was because of the inaccurate treatment of Rroma in World of Darkness material (particularly through World of Darkness: Gypsies). Later editions are somewhat more accurate in that the Ravnos are now less of a "Gypsy clan" than an "Indian clan".

The other major change to the Ravnos was to the original version of the Path of Paradox, which was arguably less strict on adherents. Later published was an Indian inspired Path of Paradox, which was more challenging.