The Coshta Bowar or “Walkers in Between”

"Because I could not stop for death, He finally stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality.” -Emily Dickinson

Many a human mind has become enraptured with the image of Death. We have so many images of it in our folklore that there is no one who has not heard of the Grim Reaper and his imposing skeletal figure, wielding a scythe. This Nosferatu bloodline has taken the concept of Death and put a strange bent on it that becomes a mystical peculiarity of the blood. Death is the end to all things; therefore, if you are the End, then you have achieved immortality. This stubborn belief has lent itself to a more mystic bent of the peculiarity of the blood. It seems that the stronger in their undeath these Reapers, as they are called, become the most like an iconic image of Death they become. The only difference between Reapers is that they will oddly come to resemble a figure of Death from their culture or personal beliefs in the ultimate act of mind over matter.

This bloodlines progenitor seems to be a rather mysterious figure choosing only to go by one name, Malchavy. It seems that as a former member of the priesthood and member of the Order Dracul, he has found a form of transcendence that may have even surpassed what the coils are capable of. It seems that all Reapers share on thing in common with this mysterious patriarch; they all become quite large and skeletal over the years. Their body weight is redistributed, however, thus lending to a rather gaunt appearance. It is as yet unknown as to how these rather imposing figures lend themselves to hiding in society but they seem to manage just fine, as if their appearance wasn’t enough, they seem to be able to control the physical processes of death with but an act of will. It also doesn’t help that as their parent clan is Nosferatu they still carry an aura of dread wherever they go.

Parent Clan: Nosferatu

Nickname: The Reapers

Covenant: The vast majority of Reapers tend to gravitate towards the Ordo Dracul due to the personality type that will single one out for embrace by a reaper. They seek to move beyond Death and many are secretly afraid of it, so they become their fear. The second largest concentration of Reapers is contained in the Circle of the Crone and the Lancea Sanctum the latter seeks to become an Archangel of Death, bringing an end to things as he sees fit and the former sees Death as a perfectly natural order in the world and thus seeks to bring it about. The Carthians and Invictus may see some influence from these odd Vampires but the constant reminder that they are not human anymore tends to make them abandon their fellow covenant mate. It is quite hard to play at being human with a skeletal monster staring at you.

Appearance: At first, Reapers are no different than any other vampire, then as they age, their skin takes on an unhealthy pallor and they begin to become skeletal. They gain height and their skin tightens over their frames leaving sunken hollows. At best, most look like famine victims.


Havens: Oddly enough, most Reapers tend to lair in places of antiquity such as museums or libraries. A few others have taken to living in cemeteries, and the areas that house them run rampant with stories of ghosts. A select few tend to prefer living in large estates that start to fall into disrepair.

Background: Typically, one whom is chosen to be a Reaper is a person who is strong willed and stubborn to a fault. A keen intelligence and resolves in the face of anything the world throws at them is what most members seem to have in spades. However those of an overly cynical or jaded nature are not uncommon.

Character Creation: Reapers take mental attributes first with a few going for Physical attributes. Those that concentrate on Mental are scholars of death whereas those who take the Physical route are bringers of Death. The rare few who focus on Social attributes make Death a dance of seduction that ends with that last gasp. Haven, Herd, and Contacts are usually very important to these Vampires.

Bloodline disciplines: Nightmare, Obfuscate, Putrefaction, Vigor

Weakness: As they grow stronger in the blood, a startling change overcomes the Reapers. They grow an additional 4 inches in height for every dot of Blood Potency they possess. They also appear to be much more like a living embodiment of death and as such, cannot mimic life. They are unable to mimic the blush of health. The reminder of what they are also unnerves most supernatural creatures and humans alike. When interacting with a human, treat the Reaper’s Humanity as 2 lower for the purposes of dice pools not involving Intimidation or uses of the Nightmare discipline are limited to their Humanity. Most creatures are leery of being reminded of their mortality.

Organization: The Reapers show no real organization beyond the almost “extended family” that most other bloodlines show. They choose to leave others alone since even though they have become like Death themselves, they still remind each other of their won mortality.

Concepts: medical examiner, defrocked priest, Angel of Death, Failed Suicide Attempt, Defense Attorney, Criminologist, crime Scene investigator, EMT, Occult scholar, Antiques Salesman, Grave Robber.


Discipline: Putrefaction

This discipline has never been heard of before until now. It has very few practitioners but, all who have seen the devastating effects of its use are in agreement. The user becomes the living embodiment of fear, for all things fear death and hate being reminded that in the end…the Reaper comes for us all.

Heart’s Secret (•)

Being that those that practice this discipline know what fears you hold in your heart, they become adept at finding the chinks in your mental armor. With a glance they can determine what mental infirmities you may have or what secret failing of morality you may have. The Nosferatu clan disadvantage does not apply to this power.

Cost: -

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Putrefaction versus Subjects Resolve + Blood Potency

Action: Contested

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The user finds something abhorrent within you and cannot find the flaws in your armor. He may not attempt this power on you for a minute.

Failure: The user is unsuccessful at probing your psyche

Success: The user finds footholds in which he can insinuate the fear into you. He may gain one piece of information per success, your Vice or derangements. Example: Your target has the vice of lust and 3 derangements, you would need 4 successes to gain all the information.

Dramatic Success: Same as normal success except you also find what triggers said derangements and any Putrefaction powers used to influence the subject receive a 3 die bonus.

** The Withering

The Reaper can find the vitality in objects and suck it away with but a touch, showing all who witness it that ashes we are and to dust we shall return.

Cost: 1 blood

Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Putrefaction

Action: Instant

Effect: For every Success that a Reaper gets after coming in contact with an object and activating this power, the object loses one point of durability and takes that many points of damage to its structure. The damage manifests as rapid aging and decay. Once it has no durability or structure left, it crumbles into dust. The Kindred can affect an area no larger than his Size. Thus trying to rot away a bank vault door will take awhile.


The Grim Visage (•••)

The Reaper using this power becomes Death personified, he is the pale rider and Hell follows in his wake. The form varies from Reaper to Reaper but they all have one unifying trait, eyes that seem to burn with an inner fire.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: None

Action: Instant

Duration: One Scene

Effects: This power makes a Reaper as implacable as Death himself when it comes to matters of withstanding damage. He immediately gains levels of Armor equal to his Putrefaction rating as his skin become preternaturally tough. There is also one fringe benefit to this; the user will not suffer wound penalties for the duration of this power. There is a severe drawback; any task requiring manual dexterity takes a penalty equal to his Putrefaction score as he has become an unfeeling corpse. His touch also chills, inflicting two additional levels of bashing damage to living targets. Vampires and other unliving beings suffer a one die penalty for one round after being struck as the warmth is stolen from their vitae.


Ichor of Oblivion (••••)

The Reaper with this power active has realized his dead state to the point where he can spread the taint of death to others in the quickest way possible. His very blood becomes a potent weapon and he can secrete it from his hands. The blood takes on the color of tar and has an oily sheen as it moves to the surface of his skin. It violently corrodes anything it comes into contact with, however it hungers most for flesh, undead or living alike. It eats away large portions of matter with but a touch.

Cost: 1 Blood.

Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Putrefaction

Action: Instant

Effects: Every success on the activation roll begets a potential point of lethal damage. Once you have struck or touched an opponent, you inflict that many points of damage as the acidic qualities of the ichor eats through flesh and bone alike. Unless they scrape the ichor off, they take one less damage than the first invocation until no damage remains. Example: Robbie the Reaper touches Bob the Bruja, he scores 3 successes on the activation roll. Bob takes 3 damage, on the next round, if the ichor remains, Bob takes 2 damage, and continuing until there is no damage remaining.


Dust to Dust (•••••)

Reapers all know that dust calls to dust and they are merely another way that death walks in this world. This power is horrific to behold as flesh soughs off from bone and bones rot while the subject is still alive. This causes a supernatural rot that makes death seem like a kind embrace in its subjects.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Putrefaction v. Stamina + Blood Potency

Action: Contested

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The user fails and the rot cannot take hold in your supernatural constitution for 1 minute.

Failure: The user is unsuccessful at spreading the rot to you.

Success: The user places the rot in your bones and the marrow dies as bones become hollow and brittle. Any damage they do is upgraded one level in severity. Bashing becomes lethal damage and lethal becomes aggravated.

Dramatic Success: Same as normal success except they can choose to lower one physical attribute by one for the remainder of the scene.