The narrative version of clan presence in Athens — for the mechanical side, see Clan Options.
The narrative version of clan presence in Athens — for the mechanical side, see Clan Options.
The Great Houses
Banu Haqim, the House of Ares
Many Assamites journeyed to Athens during Classical times — it's said Haqim himself debated philosophy with Socrates and Aristotle, and members of the Vizier caste were embraced there and made the city home. The few members of the clan in the region today are Vizier caste poets and artisans. They find it wryly funny that others call them the House of Ares, since they're quite peaceful in this era.
Brujah, the House of Athena
The clan of rebels has deep roots in Athens, dating back nearly to prehistory — their founder is said to have been a philosopher, and the "philosopher kings" of the Brujah take debate seriously. It was Brujah who engaged the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War against the Spartan-led Ventrue. The descendants of those first utopians still hope a perfect human-vampire society is possible, split between the more iconoclastic Furores and the conspiratorial Prometheans. For many decades the most prominent local Brujah was the philosopher Critias — but his sire Meneleus called him away recently, and the clan has yet to find a replacement.
Cappadocian, the House of Dionysus
Led by Dionysius, the clan of death is also the clan of Humanity — Dionysius sits as a leading figure on the Road of Humanity, making Athens a center of human understanding among Cainites. The clan engages with death cults and the nature of Man and Beast alike. Important Cappadocian lineage members visit Athens on religious or political business — the Priestess of the Well of Bones in Erciyes, Constancia, returns to Delphi (her birthplace) from time to time to consult the oracles there.
Gangrel, the House of Artemis
Known to outsiders as "Greek Gangrel," this bloodline replaced Fortitude with Obfuscate as an in-Clan Discipline — a survival adaptation to city environments. Nearly every Gangrel operating in Athens belongs to the offshoot, though they remain far from civilized city-dwellers even now, taking Artemis as patron and Obfuscate as their tool for hunting. Some say the bloodline's founder is Ennoia, who came to the region tracking her rival Arikel and stayed to hunt Greece's mythical creatures. The eldest Gangrel in Athens is the huntress Empusa, who has learned to grow massive bat wings, and holds a tentative non-aggression pact with the Black Furies werewolf tribe.
Lasombra, the House of Hades
The Lasombra have long held power in this part of the world — the clan may have originated in the Mediterranean. A wanderer named Boukephos is said to have originated in Athens, and most local Lasombra claim descent from him; he's still active in the world, and fear of his wrath as a terror on the seas keeps many from acting against Greece's Lasombra. The clan currently rules this part of the world through Alfonzo, Prince of Constantinople, who sends underlings as emissaries to his subject cities, Athens included. Locally, the most powerful member of the clan is Theodora, a grandchilde of Boukephos and a master socialite among the Greek aristocracy.
Malkavian, the House of Hera
The Malkavian clan is split into factions in Greece. Olympias stands apart from the infighting; the rest belong to one of two growing factions — the Jocastians, who work for a seer named Jocasta, and the Mnemosyne, who belong to the line of a woman of the same name. Each is led by a single cult-like figure, and the two factions contend their battlefield to Greece, fighting over scraps of Cainite lore. All three women — Olympias, Jocasta, and Mnemosyne — see themselves, however uneasily, as motherly caretakers of Athens' Cainites, though none of them actually dwell within the city's walls.
Nosferatu, the House of Hephaestus
Like the Gangrel, Greece's Nosferatu are primarily members of an offshoot bloodline — the Larvae, tunnel-dwellers with the uncanny ability to eat stone and dirt, gnawing caves into Athens' foundations. Considered monstrous by most Cainites, the Larvae of Athens are nonetheless the most intelligent and civilized of their bloodline compared to their nearly mindless kin elsewhere in the Balkans. The head of the bloodline, a member of the breed four times the size of any other, is the bloated figure known as Lemure.
Ravnos, the House of Hermes
Perhaps the least represented clan in Greece, some Ravnos are known allies of Dionysius. Revering Athens as the heart of the Road of Humanity, these vagabonds walk the itinerant Path of Vigor, constantly on the move to keep pace with mortal trends in travel, music, and invention. Dionysius sees them as exemplary walkers of the Road, and the clan is welcome in Athens — despite grumbling from other clans, particularly the Ministry.
Toreador, the House of Aphrodite
The Toreador contend their clan founder was Aphrodite herself, with extensive stories of her arrival and adventures on Crete, where the clan became known as "bull dancers." Athens' Toreador hail from two major lineages: the descendants of Helena of Troy and her Spartan childe Eletria (politically active socialites, sometimes called "harpies"), and those who claim descent from the talented painter Iontius (obsessed with art over politics). Helena's politically-minded line, led by Eletria, holds the greater social and political sway; Iontius' small line of artists has no leader as such, but generally reveres his childe Protogenes — himself quite ancient and prone to torpor.
Setite Ministry, the House of Demeter
Greece has a long history with Set, known here as Typhon — a many-headed snake said to have attempted to rule the world in defiance of Zeus (claimed by the Ministry to have been Ventrue). Infiltrating the region's mystery cults, the Ministry secretly developed a Typhonic branch of their cult here, drawing analogy between the twelve Olympian gods and the twelve Aeons said to imprison the world. The Typhonic cult's leader in Greece is Nitocris, a methuselah worshipped by the Orphic cults as the goddess Demeter — her politics are currently difficult, as the clan often intrudes on Cappadocian and Malkavian cult interests, and she has a longstanding rivalry with the Ravnos.
Tremere, the House of Apollo
There are conspicuously few Tremere in Greece given its proximity to the clan's Transylvanian homeland — some say the Triumvirate keeps them out, though there's no explicit law forbidding the clan. A small chantry exists in Thessaloniki with three resident Tremere. Attica itself has only one member of the clan: a Transylvanian sorceress named Danifa.
Tzimisce, the House of Poseidon
The Tzimisce founder embraced the dark priest Andeleon thousands of years ago; his descendants still haunt Greece, performing experiments related to his discoveries beyond a great ocean of spiritual power they call "Atlantis." The clan's power base in the region is its control over the Greek Orthodox church via the Obertus revenant family — though under current Latin rule of Constantinople, the Catholic church holds authority instead, and the Tzimisce work to undermine that arrangement. The clan's local leader, Ilias, was once a farmer who suffered a brain injury that left him able to speak a language few recognize; some say he channels a methuselah, a demon, or the Discipline of Vicissitude itself.
Ventrue, the House of Zeus
Greece's Ventrue descend from Ventrue's favorite childe, Artemis Orthia — those who stayed in Greece rather than following her to Rome tend toward philosophy over outright politics, endlessly debating the perfect form of government. Despite a shared interest in political philosophy, the Ventrue are strict rivals to the Brujah, whom they see as dreamers and fools. Chief among the Ventrue is the embraced philosopher Democritus, who has made logic and rationality the focus of his existence; he currently rules as Primogen for the Ventrue of all Greece, with seven "stratagoi" serving under him as Ventrue lords of the various Greek cities.
The Minor Houses
Giovani, the House of Porphyrion
With the Republic of Venice having facilitated the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 CE, the Cappadocians benefit from the assistance of their Giovani bloodline, who exert ever-increasing control over Venetian affairs. The bloodline finds itself an unwilling rival to the Greek Tzimisce, who resent their Latin affiliations and power over the dead — though the Tzimisce elsewhere have no particular interest in ghosts, they hold tight to their control over the necromantic side of Oblivion.
Lamiae, the House of Lamia
This warrior bloodline serves as protectors and keepers of Lilin wisdom for the Greek Cappadocians — their strength at the main clan's back has allowed the Cappadocians to flourish and prosper in Greece. The bloodline makes Greece its primary lair, centered on the city of Zetounion (called Lamia in both ancient and modern nights), with an underground citadel beneath Lamia Castle. As fellow wise women, the Lamiae hold strong connections to the Witches of Echidna.
Salubri, the House of Cyclopes
Devout keepers of Humanity, the Salubri have always had a strong presence in Athens, teaching and learning the Road of Humanity in deep partnership with the Cappadocians, who secretly protect them from the predations of other clans. Together the two ill-fated clans keep the Tremere from establishing a significant presence in the region. There is currently no clear leader of this dwindling bloodline in the city.
True Brujah, the House of Kassandra
Though the city is an eternal home to the modern incarnation of the Brujah, more members of the secretive True Brujah bloodline live in Greek lands than anywhere else in the world. Members generally pretend to belong to other clans and bloodlines, hiding even from "other Brujah." They claim an important battle once occurred here between their true clan founder and the usurper Troilus, and even now search the scattered islands for the fabled "Sword of Troile."
Witches of Echidna, the House of Echidna & Typhon
Much of the Setite clan's presence in Greece runs through this bloodline — Echidna is said to be Typhon's wife, a half-snake woman living alone in a cave, and her witches act as wisewomen to those who seek forbidden knowledge. Closely tied to the region's other oracular clans (the Malkavians and Cappadocians), the Witches have no central leader, but a coterie of Witches holds the most prestige among their kind for their proximity to Delphi.