Legrue

The Legrue, nicknamed as the Beasts, the Wanderers, or more disparagingly, the Savages or the Vagrants, are a clan of vampires most renowned for their feral nature. They are more closely tied to any other clan to their inner Beasts.

Though they are founding members of the Camarilla, the Legrue make up a significant portion of the Sabbat, finding it easy to eschew their humanity, and a small number of Anarchs who's feral nature incites them to pursuit of personal freedom. A huge portion of the clan, however, are independent of sect, preferring to roam the wilds free of such petty political concern.

The Rites
Due to their primal nature, Legrue almost always seek to immediately assert their dominance over one another when gathering. Is case where the power gap between two Legrue is glaringly obvious, or one is otherwise sorely intimidated, the weaker one will simply portray submissive body language, such as lowering of the head and eyes as they are stared at. However, in cases where power is contested, and neither is willing to back down, a contest must be held to decide who is superior. These contests take the form of one of the two rites: boasting and combat. Combat is traditionally done without weapons, other than those upon their bodies. Friends or acquaintances might simply spar, while strangers often engage in vicious bouts that only end when one combatant yields or is incapacitated. Alternatively, a Legrue may challenge another to boasting, wherein the two must exchange progressively more prodigious boasts. Eventually, one must either back down, or challenge the other to prove their boast, and if the challenged can, they prove the victor, and if not, the loser. Backing down is not seen as dishonorable, but being unable to prove one's boast typically results in a loss of status.

Gathers
The minimal hierarchy of the Legrue clan revolves mostly on events known as Gathers. As the name implies, it is a gathering of Legrue, which can be called by any member of the clan when there is a matter at hand that requires the attention of the clan members in the area. Generally speaking, such events are held in the wilderness. Word of Gathers is spread by word of mouth, requiring several weeks worth of notice before they can be called. Once a sufficient number of Legrue have assembled, there will be several nights were the Rites are observed, until one dominant Legrue emerges to serve as the leader of the Gather. Once this is done, the winner of the Rites will facilitate discussion for several more nights, until a course of action is decided on whatever matter incited the call to Gather. However, no Gather is allowed to last longer than one week.

Revels
On certain occasions, Gathers progress into Revels. When the deliberation within Gathers results in a call to battle, those who arrived at the Gather will spread out in numerous packs to bring war to the chosen foe.

Great Gathers
A Great Gather is in essence a larger version of a Gather. Such momentous events can only be called by powerful elders of the clan, as they require the Legrue over a vast area to come together. Great Gathers follow the same Rites as ordinary Gathers, but lack the one week time limit for the matters discussed to be resolved. Additionally, an even more massive form of Gather, called the Grand Gather, which typically entails involvement from the entire clan. Both Great Gathers and Grand Gathers are viewed by members of the clan as indicators of great misfortune, and luckily, centuries usually pass between such events.

Embrace
The Legrue Embrace for a variety of reasons, but most commonly, they Embrace those who demonstrate strength. Traditionally, a sire will abandon their childe moments after their Embrace, retreating to watch their progress from afar. Should the childe survive their first few months of isolation, and earn their sire's respect, they shall be tracked down and reunited, becoming schooled in the ways of their clan. Should they fail to survive, they are typically dismissed, the waste of blood in creating them forgotten. However, there are of course exceptions, where sires take care of their childer, perhaps due to them having been lovers or due to closeness of some other sort. Such "soft" treatment is scorned by other Legrue, with some even ostracizing such coddled childer.

It should be noted that many Camarilla Legrue are known to sire childer, abandon them, and then take the helpless "Caitiff" under their wing, teaching the new childer of the Masquerade, earning favor with their city's ruler, and at the same time, raising a childer of their own blood.

Vampires
Legrue, unlike many other clans, tend towards being loners. Most live in the wilds, away from civilization, occasionally forming groups, or Embracing companions when solitude weighs too heavily upon them. As a result of their generally wild nature, many vampires often view them as feral barbarians, a reputation that is not entirely undeserved. However, most clans acknowledge the combat prowess of the Legrue, and many would gladly seek them out as hired muscle.

Humans
Due to their abnormal connection with the Beast, Legrue tend to be among the least in touch with their humanity among all clans. Many view humans as weak, feeble creatures, despising their trappings of civilization and viewing them as nothing more than prey. Some however, despite of, or perhaps due to, the potency of their Beast, cling more fiercely to their humanity than other clans, fighting to retain their connection to their human nature, rather than succumb to the animal within.

Oral Tradition
The Legrue hold strong tires to oral tradition, with each sire typically telling their childer of their own exploits, and of tales that come before them. Such stories are the basis for the Rite of boasting, with such boasts often entailing a recounting of the story behind whatever feat is being spoken of. With this in mind, stories are often told at Gathers, making them one of the primary places for a Legrue to learn of the history of their clan. Storytelling, and the ability to hold a crowd, is one of the few social skills that is strongly regarded among the clan. Stories told are generally true, but a good storyteller is skilled in embellishing grains of truth to craft a better told tale.

Additionally, a person keeping to their spoken word is very important to the Legrue, as all that truly stops a fellow vampire from betraying one is their own sense of honor.

Clan Curse
The curse of the Legrue is an inner Beast so potent, that it can warp their very bodies. Every time a Legrue frenzies, they gain temporary animalistic feature upon their bodies, such as tufted ears, slitted eyes, scales, or even an exoskeleton. This feature typically lasts until the next night. However, as the Legrue continually frenzies over and over again, such features last longer and longer, eventually becoming permanent. Once a single feature has permanently manifested, a new feature begins to occur after frenzy, until it too becomes eternal, with more and more steadily occurring over the years.

Many Legrue simply give into their feral natures, Embracing the inner Beast, whilst others fight fiercely to reign it in and control it. Either way, it is seen as a mark of distinction over the other clans, either as a symbol of closeness to their wild side, or a mark of their superior mental fortitude for being able to resist it.

Animalism
Animalism is seen by the Legrue as a result of their close ties to the Beast, allowing them to control beasts other than their own. With it, they are able to command the animals with whom they usually live, to draw sustenance, and to use as weapons. They view Animalism as a gift perfectly crafted for their wild lifestyle, and a blessing suited well to the potency of their Beasts.

Fortitude
Fortitude is viewed by the Legrue as a testament to their own strength and ferocity. It is a symbol to their endurance, and an essential tool to survival in the wilds, allowing them to withstand the attacks of various foes, including their fellow Legrue and the dreaded lupines. Such power offers them unparalleled defense, and is one of the primary reason they are so respected as warriors.

Protean
Protean is the gift that truly makes the Legrue unique. The ability to shape their own form, not like the fleshcrafting power of Vicissitude, but the ability to transform themselves through the primal power of the earth itself. Protean not only allows them to take the shape and traits of beasts, or even the very elements, but also to meld with the earth itself. It is their ultimate weapon, which allows them to inflict supernatural harm upon other mystical creatures, and it is what makes their prowess as warriors so respected.