Fatima al-Faqadi, the "Hand of Vengeance," is a signature character of the Banu-Haqim and a legendary independent assassin operating in the Gehenna War.
Biography[]
Fatima al-Faqadi was born into a family of devoted Almohad Moorish warriors. When the barbaric Christians invaded her homeland, she struck back any way she could. First, she assassinated drunken knights in the guise of a young camp girl. Later, as the First Crusade drew to a close, she fought openly alongside the defenders of Allah. Her passion and skill drew the attention of the Assamites. After much debate, the clan agreed to break its ages-old precept of not Embracing women and brought her to Alamut. There, she trained to become the ultimate assassin.
A devout Muslim, she fought against the invaders in the subsequent Crusades. Eventually, she helped regain her people’s holy lands. It was upon those battlefields she met the vampire who would influence much of her destiny: the Lasombra Lucita. Fatima and Lucita fought a night-long battle that left them both severely wounded and huddling together in a shallow cave to avoid the coming dawn. Out of respect for the only worthy opponent she had ever faced, Fatima spared Lucita as a matter of honor. The two became friends and eventually lovers.
As the Crusades came to a close, Lucita returned to Europe. Through the years, the Assamite’s goals have conflicted with the Lasombra’s, and Fatima and Lucita have fought on both the same and opposite sides of various conflicts. They have also worked together, namely when the Lasombra set about destroying their own elders in the Anarch Revolt. Their relationship has become a torrid love/hate affair that always stops short of sending them both to Final Death. Fatima has appeared from nowhere just in time to save Lucita on several occasions.
The Assamite elders once gave Fatima a contract for the assassination of Lucita. Torn by mixed loyalties, she vowed to fulfill her duty to her clan. Fatima leaked news of the contract to Lucita through various mortal agents, however; when Fatima showed up, Lucita was ready and sent the Assamite into torpor. Upon awakening, she reported her failure to Alamut. It is the only contract Fatima has ever failed to complete.
Like her sire’s long-time rival, the former Eldest Jamal, Fatima was unwavering in her dedication to Allah for the state of her soul, taking Haqim as merely her guide for affairs on earth. Combined with her oft-denied love for the Lasombra elder Lucita, these factors led to her estrangement from her sire near the end of the Crusades. Since then, Fatima has operated largely as a free agent, returning to Alamut only when compelled by the bonds of loyalty.
Throughout the centuries, Fatima has become one of the Assamites’ star operatives. She has killed numerous elders, troublemakers, and even entire Sabbat packs. Fatima is fanatical in her support of the Assamite cause. She goes to any lengths to fulfill a contract or impress a clan elder, and her work has not gone unnoticed.
After the lifting of the clan’s curse, Fatima has taken every opportunity to commit diablerie. Her power has increased greatly, and she now stands as one of the Assamites’ most powerful members. Her challenges of her clanmates suggest that she wants to become the clan’s first female caliph, which the conservative Assassins are unlikely to permit.
Fatima’s last contact with Alamut was shortly after the Breaking. She returned at the request of al-Ashrad to evaluate the training of several neonates and to grudgingly accept an assassination contract on the Lasombra Archbishop Ambrosio Monçada. With the help of Lucita, who was the Archbishop's childe, Fatima was able to execute him.
During her execution of the contract, Fatima received a warning from her sire that she must choose between Allah and Haqim or face destruction at the hands of the Eldest. Fatima executed her contract, then vanished, not even returning to Alamut to claim her reward. For this, Ur-Shulgi declared Fatima a renegade. She was reportedly in the caves near Mecca, meditating on her loyalties to Allah and Haqim.
Ur-Shulgi subsequently declared Fatima to be a renegade, subject to destruction at the hands of any Child of Haqim who could bring her down.
Receiving word that the Children of Haqim seek to kill her for abandonment, Fatima has sought the Inconnu for aid[1]. This distinction causes Fatima little distress. After a year’s meditation in a cave near Mecca, during which Lucita was her only visitor, she has reconciled her conflicting loyalties and renewed her commitment to follow Allah as her undead condition permits.
She currently considers herself dispossessed, maintaining neutral relations with al-Ashrad himself but none with his schismatic followers. Those loyalists who have attempted to engage her have found themselves staked and shipped to Baghdad with the warning “mercy is sharper than any knife” ringing in their ears.
During the Gehenna War, she leads the Ashirra forces in the field against the Sabbat soldiers, all across the Middle East.[2]
Description[]
Embraced in the 12th century C.E., Fatima al-Faqadi is ancient among tonight’s active Kindred. Known within the Children of Haqim as the Hand of Vengeance, she is one of the most dangerous and skilled assassins among the Kindred.
Fatima is a faithful Muslim and a sworn enemy of the blood cultists of Ur-Shulgi. She once worked for vitae, undertaking contracts for Blood funneled back physically or through sorcerous rituals to her clan’s fortress, Alamut. But these nights, Alamut is under Ur-Shulgi’s control, and Fatima is reported to be the leader of a charge of Banu Haqim fighting side by side with the Camarilla in the Gehenna War.
Evil tongues suggest she fights only to find out what happened to her once-lover and rival, Lucita. For her part, Fatima silences such rumors with a stare almost as deadly as her knives.
Loresheet[]
Weapons Locker: Your connection to Fatima or her network of Banu Haqim gives you access to a hidden weapons locker somewhere within your domain, or the domain you are visiting. You know from rumor or reliable sources where one of these lockers should be located. Once per chronicle, you can use this knowledge to equip yourself with a hand-held weapon of your choice, subject to the Storyteller’s approval.- Extended Web: Fatima once held membership in the cult known as the Web of Knives. Though the Web remains loyal to the demonic Ur-Shulgi and the Alamut branch of the Banu Haqim, some cultists from the Web followed Fatima in making overtures to the Camarilla. You are either a member of the Extended Web or have a close bond to those who are. You can allocate three dots among Allies, Contacts, and Mentor and assign them to members of the Extended Web. These members may assist you for a price or school you in the art of killing. Note that unlike regular Backgrounds, the use of these dots requires payment, often severe.
- Missed Hit: You are one of the rare Kindred to survive an assassination attempt by the Hand of Vengeance. Whether you were the target or collateral damage, you have a reputation as someone Fatima couldn’t bring down. This grants you two dots in Status and one bonus die to Social dice pools when your survival story can be used for good effect.
- Recognized Judge: The Banu Haqim are meant to be judges of other Kindred. Either you were taught the ways of judgment by Fatima, or the Web of Knives taught you Ur-Shulgi’s dictates. In any non-Camarilla domain, you may formally announce judgment and execute a Kindred without open retaliation from the ruling sect, as few wish to cross Banu Haqim law. However, your judgment does not prevent other Kindred from subtly attempting reprisals.
- Open Contract: Your relationship with Fatima is such that she has agreed to eliminate any one opponent of your choice. She will not ask questions. Perhaps your relationship is one of trust, care, or perhaps Fatima owes you. Her success is not guaranteed but is highly likely.
Sheet[]
Image: With her lush form and large, almond-shaped eyes, Fatima is the definition of beauty. A graceful five feet, six inches in height, she possesses a lean, muscular build and the dusky complexion ubiquitous among her clan. She adapts her looks and clothing as required by the current contract she is pursuing. When left to her own devices, she dresses in traditional Arab garb and carries an ancient damascene scimitar.
Roleplaying Hints: The world sees you as a heartless killer; make the most of it. Change your demeanor to fit the current situation and to get close to your victim. Inside, you are a deeply obsessive creature. Your love for Lucita, your Muslim faith, and your belief in your clan sometimes vie for your loyalties and attentions. Inner turmoil drives you, but you use it as a fuel instead of letting it paralyze you. Always remember that the goals of the Assamite clan are ultimately the most important and must be accomplished at all costs.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ VTM: Clanbook: Assamite Revised, p. 95-96
- ↑ VTM: Camarilla (book)
- VTM: Children of the Night, p. 80-81
- VTM: Clan Novel Saga
- VTM: Clan Lasombra Trilogy 1: Shards
- DAV: Players Guide to Low Clans, p. 204
- VTDA: Bitter Crusade
- VAV: Victorian Age: Vampire Rulebook
- WOD: WTOJ News ticker 06/10/2003
- VTM: Camarilla (book)
