Basic info: The Malkavians are a Clan of Kindred cursed with insanity. Every Malkavian is in some fashion insane. What's worse, a Malkavian's madness can take nearly any form, from overpowering homicidal tendencies to near-catatonia. But from madness comes wisdom, and from wisdom comes power. The Malkavians are true creatures of chaos. Throughout history, they have been the seers and oracles of the Kindred, bound by strange compulsions and insight. However, the Malkavians are also known to be clowns and pranksters. As with all things connected with them, not everything makes sense. This clan is known for its destructive and nihilistic membership. Malkavians have a reputation for being sadistic and holding waekly the sanity they still retain. But, if truth be known, such Malkavians are a minority. The members of this clan regularly surprise the Kindred, for they do not seem insane. This is so common that many Kindred believe the Malkavians have an undeserved reputation. However, remember that sometimes the most normal-seeming people have the loosest grasp on reality. On the surface, clan Malkavian is barely a clan. The majority of Malkavians are only marginally aware they belong to a clan. What connections Malkavians generally have are informal and generally paternal - Sire Childe relationships being the most common, although Malkavian sires are prone to abandoning their childer. Scratch the surface, however, and the Malkavian's become a smorgasbord of paranoid delights. Malkavians operate on their own timescale, and will gather spontaneously for incomprehensible events. Malkavians usually don't explain how they know these gatherings are occuring, and when they do the explanation isn't necessarily worth anything. Scratch deep enough and it appears that the Malkavians are highly organized, so highly organized they don't even know they are, and instead they continue to pursue incomprehensible and arcane goals that even they aren't aware are relevant. This organization is generally termed the "cobweb", "Malkavian Time" or the "Malkavian Madness Network" and is a hive mind unifying all Malkavians. The strength of the voices varies from Malkavian to Malkavian, however all of them are at least aware of its call and capable of interacting with it. Dead Malkavians' memories live on in the cobweb, and it is implied heavily that Malkav himself is this network. The cobweb is only accessible by Malkavians, and they themselves only marginally understand it - most of them merely listen to the voices, but elders have demonstrated a powerful capacity to manipulate the rest of the clan through it. As mentioned, Malkavians have traditionally fulfilled two roles in Vampire society: seers and jokers. In the former role, the Malkavians have relied on advanced Auspex and the Cobweb to provide information. Malkavians being Malkavians, this information is generally jaundiced, incomplete, filtered through cracked lenses or a total lie. The joker role is somewhat more complex: Malkavians have a clan tradition of pranking. The exact purpose of these pranks is open to debate; they often appear intended to readjust the target's perceptions, but are also often sadistic. In the Camarilla, Malkavians are tolerated; they are rarely princes but often are important primogen or otherwise figures of authority. Given their obvious insanity, princes traditionally give the Madmen a certain amount of latitude; in return, Malkavians are generally expected to demonstrate enough self-control to not break the Masquerade. This is not a benevolent arrangement but largely driven by fear on both sides: fundamentally, Malkavians are unknowable and the general attitude among princes is that it's better to keep them quiet and happy, since unhappy Malkavians have a tendency towards introducing bizarre and inexplicable incidents to the equation. Conversely, Malkavians need the protection of the Camarilla. Disciplines: Auspex, Dementation, Obfuscate. General appearance: Malkavians run the gamut from terrifyingly psychotic to convincingly ordinary in every way - sometimes both at once. Just like serial killers, they could be anyone - the scruffy bum talking to himself, the pleasant but quiet neighbour, the borderline-suicidal musician. These vampires are capable of great subtlety, and rarely show anyone a face other than the one they want people to see. Usual Havens: The Malkavians take whatever shelter they like, although more than a few find aging hospitals and poorly funded asylums to their tastes. Many seem to enjoy the company of desperate mortals, and prefer slums and institutions to more secluded havens. Progeny: The Malkavians are very choosy about whom they Embrace, though they take their childer from all walks of life and for all number of reasons. Typically, those on the edge of sanity are chosen. Most other vampires believe that the Malkavians Embrace on a whim; however, the members of this clan search long and hard for victims who have seen so much truth that they have descended into the pits of chaos and thus have unique perspectives on reality. And, if the progeny-to-be is actually sane, the sire will make the Embrace and Becoming as difficult as possible, seeking to drive the mortal mad in the process. Views on the other clans: Brujah: I want to like your average Brujah, but his skull's just so damned thick that he can't crack it open and get at the good stuff he doesn't even know he's got in there. So forget him. Gangrel: They aren't animals, no matter what people say. Look under the skin of the corpse, then look under the layer of beast-thought, and what do you find? A secret worse than man, corpse or animal? Yes? Yes! Nosferatu: They've just mortified enough of their own flesh to blast through the walls of delusion from the other side of perception. They're onto something, but who knows if there'll be anything left of them when they get there? Toreador: Puppets who pull their own strings, or offer them to anybody who wants to make them dance. Tremere: They. Are on. To us. Ventrue: They will never accept it, no matter who tries to hand it to 'em. Well, don't say we didn't warn you.

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