Ray'een al-Fen (Toreador) The artisan Ray'een al-Fen have adapted well to the culture of the Islamic world, finding beauty in the region's art and culture since the rise of the new faith. The bay't has never been particularly numerous in the empire, though. It spread across the region with the Romans but suffered from the purges that destroyed most of the Roman Cainites that had ventured east of Constantinople. The survivors prospered. Their profound love of mortal art has lead to a migration south and east as new forms of artistic expression are refined. While the Bedouin and Arabian tribes were of little interest to them, for their art was limited to what they could carry (and the nomadic life rarely suits the Ray'een al-Fen), the cities of Persia, Asia Minor and Egypt harbor members of the bay't because of the artistic endeavors of their peoples. Most notably, the sultans of Alexandria and Damascus are both Ray'een al-Fen. However, a fascination with the goods buried with the Egyptian dead and the reputed beauty of some of the art lost in those tombs have brought the bay't into conflict with the Walid Set and the Qabilat al-Mawt on several occasions. Islam's transformation of the desert peoples into city dwellers has birthed a golden age for these vampires. The Almohad Empire is the most advanced in the world. Its architecture, poetry and art far exceeds those of other cultures. Elder vampires have Embraced numerous childer who are better able to understand and explain the new works. The tenets of Islam have forced the creation of a new art form that has caught the imagination of the Ray'een al-Fen, and led to many of them becoming accomplished scholars: calligraphy. It is highly regarded among younger Cainites, following the lead of the Islamic faith that opposes any artistic depiction of people or animals within mosques. Most religious buildings are inscribed with finely crafted quotes from the words of the Prophet or inspirational verses from the Qur'an. Knowledge of the Qur'an and the Hadith is vital if one wishes to understand the finer nuances of the greatest calligraphy. Vampires of this bay't are among the most prolific copiers of books, either by themselves in devotion to their art, or through ansar scribes. Many work alongside the Qabilat al-Mawt, translating the texts of ancient cultures, including the Greeks. However, the spread of Islam has started a major schism within the bay't. Younger Cainites, devout Ashirra, frequently clash with the very vampires who Embraced them. The elders seek to protect and preserve the works of art of the religions that fell to the advance of Islam. These images of almost-forgotten gods are treasured as exquisite examples of art by elders and denounced as idolatrous affronts to Islam by the recently Embraced. Many elders have actually gone into hiding to avoid being hunted by the most zealous of the Ashirra Ray'een al-Fen, who work with members of other bay't who have also adopted the faith. A few have even entered torpor in seclusion, secure in the thought that this religion, like so many others, will pass. The bay't's love is also its great weakness. So much of the best art is found in the homes of the wealthy. Ray'een al-Fen are all too often drawn to the excesses and opulence that surround the caliph and other rulers across the region. The vice and pleasure in the sensuous that the Islamic creed rarely censures leads many Ray'een al-Fen to become debauched, seeking new sensations that awake a little of the passion they knew in their days under the sun. In particular, the celebration of love in the stories of the Islamic region has many Ray'een al-Fen meddling in the affairs of the kine. Tales of love between men and slave girls are common, and Ray'een al-Fen often use their Disciplines and more subtle means to recreate these stories in real life and watch the tragic beauty of the tales unfold. Sobriquet: Scribes Appearance: Ray'een al-Fen often Embrace for appearance and many are stunningly beautiful by the local standards. All Ray'een al-Fen dress in clothes made from the finest materials available. Female Ray'een al-Fen often push the prohibitions against showing their faces in public to the limit, and abandon them completely in private. Haven and Prey: Havens of bay't members are inevitably in the best parts of a city. They surround themselves with works of art and have the finest calligraphers decorate the walls of their havens with sayings from the Qur'an (and from the Book of Nod in private areas). Some Ray'een al-Fen feed off the artists whose work they follow. Others choose to leave them alone to create, and feed off the uncultured masses. The Embrace: Ray'een al-Fen always look for beauty within someone before they Embrace her. This may be physical perfection or a great talent that needs preserving for eternity. Of late, the bay't has moved away from Embracing those with a skill for representational art, choosing those with an understanding of architecture, calligraphy or writing instead. Character Creation: Social Attributes and Abilities are highly prized in the bay't. Their inclination tends towards the persuasive rather than the outright intimidating. Most have some rating in Crafts, Music or Acting, and Ashirra tend to have Academics and Linguistics. Passionate and devoted Natures are common, as are Backgrounds like Resources, Herd and Retainers. Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence Weaknesses: The bay't's obsession with art and beauty in all its forms can surface at the most inconvenient moments. When they encounter something or someone of exceeding beauty, Ray'een al-Fen become fascinated with it. This fascination can last for hours, and only a successful Self-Control (or Instinct) roll breaks the reverie. Otherwise, they remain enrapt until the end of the scene, or when the object of their attention leaves their presence. While under the spell of the thing of beauty, a Ray'een al-Fen may not even defend herself, although an attack allows the player to make another Self-Control or Instinct roll. Organization: The bay't communicates through informal networks of likeminded Cainites. They meet to discuss things of beauty and to promote styles of work they favor. However, a major split has arisen between Ashirra and older Ray'een al-Fen over the use of representational art. The general disdain for the art form among Muslim society has pushed the bay't to the edge of internal warfare and is eroding the bonds of communication between different groups of Ray'een al-Fen. Quote: To choose that verse for the new mosque I would never have thought of it. How marvelously insightful and what exquisite technique! I must ponder this insight. Stereotypes The Ashirra: I have no dispute with those who choose to follow a religion that does not restrict appreciation of the finer things. Those it restricts - wine and carnality - are of little interest to me. I cannot understand their attitude towards artistic representations of people and history, though. The Franj: They find too much beauty in warfare. The arts of battle have their place, but that place is not here. Bay't Mujrim: They give us glimpses into another culture, and some craft illusions of unspeakable skill. Such a pity they are unreliable. Laibon: Never have I regretted the imminence of the sunrise as much as I did when one of these travelers resided with me. Her tales made the nights pass in the blinking of an eye, yet somehow I did not trust her. Qabilat al-Mawt: There is a strange beauty to be found in their dead forms and the researches they indulge in. However, they cannot appreciate the past unless they have a perspective on the present. Walid Set: One needs to be a scholar to deal with this bay't. They have much of beauty to offer you, but is it worth the price?
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