Twelve

The monstrous creature known only as the Sclav — "slave" — was created by Danika in the 16th century to act as a heavy shock troop when she captured her castle back from the Tremere. The vozhd survived the battle mostly intact, so after some repair and healing, Danika kept it around as part of the castle's defense force. After the Pact was enacted (in which it took part in the lottery as if it was a normal mortal), it served as Danika's hunter and watchdog, being able to leave the castle as the other ghouls did, and due to its nature, would obey orders unrestrained by any concept of humanity or mercy. Standing less than 10 feet high and capable of insinuating itself through many of the doors and passageways of the castle, the Sclav might seem small for one of its legendary kind. However, it can still uproot a tree or rip a Cainite apart barehanded, fell a horse and rider with a single blow, and lift even the castle's massive portcullis. It can lope on all fours at nearly the speed of a horse, devour a man or a sheep in a single sitting, and sleep for weeks at a time when its services are not needed. But the Sclav is also extraordinarily old for a vozhd — and its very existence has given rise to a demonic experiment exploring the nature of its fractured, composite soul. Disregarded by the Twelve as little more than a dumb beast suited only to haul heavy loads or dismember trespassers, the Sclav eagerly listened to the demon's whispers in its restless dreams, for the hybrid monstrosity could sense that part of itself was lost, and it longed for something it could no longer remember — a sense of its own identity. As Nikanuuranu sorted through the vozhd's fragmented memories of its assorted former selves, the Demon likewise sensed the monster's need. At first, Nikanuuranu merely amused itself with piecing together such a complex puzzle. But over the centuries, the experiment has grown more and more fascinating. Although none of the original donor personalities survived intact, several composite ones have emerged as a result of the demon's patient psychological surgery. And while the Sclav's body and will are bound in CHAPTER THREE: MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES 91 blood, not all of its alternative personas are nearly so biddable. The Monster Inside Good Sclav — Good Sclav is the face of the loyal Tzimisce ghoul, obedient to its masters, eager for the slightest hint of praise, crushed by a harsh word. It speaks slowly, putting more than two words together with difficulty, and only in medieval Romanian. It speaks of itself in the third person: "Good Sclav. Sclav hungry. Sclav do good." Although a ferocious guardian, it is not very clever, and will take any amount of abuse from its masters. Good Sclav sleeps a good deal, curled up in the rotting hay and leaves it has piled in its lair, or in its "nest" in the Knights' Hall, but when awake, it thinks mostly with its (usually empty) stomach, and like a well-trained dog, is willing to do nearly anything in order to earn its supper. Not a fussy eater, Good Sclav is will devour live prey, a fresh kill, weekold carrion, or Kindred intruders with equal enthusiasm. Bad Sclav — Bad Sclav is a monster and knows it. It also knows it is a slave, and resents it bitterly. But its anger is tempered with cunning, and so it shows no sign of its hidden rage. Instead, it takes its revenge in small, annoying ways that do not rebound on its own head (at least not to such a degree that it cannot bear). Bad Sclav revels in inflicting terror and pain; it takes any opportunity to hunt for its own supper beyond the castle ruins, or to lure unwary hikers within its domain. At its worst, it may mimic the voice of one of the servants, luring one of them out of the "safe" zones of the castle and into its own clutches — then it releases the helpless mortal outside the safety of the walls and hunts her like a cat with a mouse. Bad Sclav definitely prefers its prey alive… to start. Bad Sclav has a conspirator in its little games: Anastazi finds the bloodthirsty sport seductively fascinating, and has been known to supply mortals for Bad Sclav's amusement himself, not quite aware of how close Bad Sclav sometimes comes to indulging its growing taste for Cainite flesh at his expense. Bad Sclav has a particular taste for Tremere. The mere scent of one of that particular bloodline poking about the castle's visible ruins is usually enough to bring Bad Sclav out to become the dominating personality of the night. Mortal Shards Whenever Nikanuuranu's explorations into the Sclav's tangle of memories turn up a strong personality fragment, the demon gifts it with a name. Related fragments then are drawn to the named one like iron shavings to a magnet. None are strong enough yet to overpower the composite personality of the Sclav itself for any length of time; sooner or later, the persona hits a blank spot in its memories or thought processes, falters, and retreats to regroup. In the past few decades several such personalities have emerged, and have occasionally even shared dominance, using the Sclav's different mouths to talk with the Demon and each other. Of all the Twelve, only Bufo and Abdalkutba are aware of the Sclav's growing conversational abilities. The Nosferatu keeps secrets as a matter of selfishness, and the Assamite vizier is too fascinated by the process to dare the probable repercussions from the other Cainites, none of whom would likely view a sentient vozhd that talks to itself as a good thing. Yusuf — At least two of the unfortunates grafted together to form the Sclav were soldiers, Turkish prisoners of war sold to Danika for whatever use she thought fit. Yusuf is a soldier, with a dark sense of humor and insatiable appetite for women, food and strong drink, even though he admits that it’s a sin. He is a Muslim, and can quote the Qur'an, and sometimes even seems to be a bit of a philosopher. Gyorgi — Gyorgi was an old man, a peasant who had outlived his usefulness as a tiller of the soil. Full of half-remembered proverbs, Gyorgi has a dark and pessimistic view of the world, hating both the Turks and the Szekler lords who turned him out like a dog when he grew too old to work with equal vehemence. He also has vague memories of the peasant revolt, and seeing the impaled corpses of his father and brothers displayed as a warning to them all. Bogdan — A brutish, bullying former soldier who lost a leg when a wound became severely infected, Bogdan's strength of will was such that his personality LAIR OF THE HIDDEN 92 survived the koldunic ritual and flesh-shaping ordeal, but did not come through unscathed. Sullen, suspicious and prone to physical violence when sufficiently frustrated, Bogdan's greatest fear is the loss of other body parts. Sometimes he has sufficient mental control to sense and control other parts of the Sclav's massive body, and sometimes he believes himself crippled and helpless — which does nothing for his temper. Okulina — A slave girl from the Russias, her strongest characteristic seems to be a dour fatalism about everything. From her point of view, life (such as it is) is a curse, but must nonetheless be faced and endured. Patient and longsuffering, she is still somewhat shy, as if she still worries that she may be beaten if she speaks her mind or argues in any way. Okulina has a soft, sultry voice, and still believes herself capable of flirtation. Getting into the Pact: The Sclav had no more choice in the matter of the Pact than any other mortal creature in the castle; less, really, due to its nature. It doesn’t really comprehend the Pact as anything out of the ordinary, and doesn't think one way or the other about its morality. In fact, it rather looks forward to the night of the ritual, because it's always enlisted to help clean up afterward.… Relations with Others: The Sclav is no longer bound in blood to just Danika, but to the Twelve as a whole. Once a month, it receives its ration of mixed vitae from a number of the Inconnu (not always all of them), and it is almost pathetically eager for it. As a consequence, it will obey orders (in theory) from any of the Twelve. It does, however, have favorites among its many masters. It still reveres Danika as its creator, and Anastazi as the one who feeds it. Abdalkutba has long found the vozhd to be of particular interest, and while the Sclav may not understand everything the vizier says, it does like the company and being talked to like a real person. It also has had a long understanding of sorts with Bufo, the only creature in the castle who is nearly as shunned and reviled as itself. The Sclav's relationship with the mortals of Hunedoara Castle has its ups and downs; they are pretty much all terrified of the monster, and know all too well what its favorite food is. Consequently, they treat it with the respect one gives a chained tiger, avoid its usual haunts, and bribe its good will with the leftovers from their own table. The Sclav has no qualm about accepting table scraps from any mortal bold enough to offer them. It has been known to beg when it recognizes those who have fed it in the past, but can then grow irritated if no treat is forthcoming; many mortals keep some stale bread or a piece of fruit handy if they must pass near the Sclav's accustomed haunts. That the Sclav is also on speaking terms with the demon, not even Danika knows. Outside Influence: None.

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