Humanity @@@@@@@@

Willpower: @@@@@@

Blood Pool: 40 (maximum) 

History: The year, 1732. A travelling sideshow wound its way slowly through England, drawing the pennies from the pockets of the peasantry with horror-show freaks, grotesques and monstrosities. Makeshift hallways led the ha'penny crowds along the exhibits--the malformed, the horrific and the merely odd. And on one side of the hall, the dwarf Rizzo, a mathematical savant billed as the Smallest Cypher. On the other, Bette de Coprot, Nosferatu of the Sixth Generation. While Caine technically forbade it, the two grew close, and fell in love.

As these things inevitably fall, the Nosferatu Embraced her love, and the two fled from the sideshow train into the night. Though his change was agonizing, Rizzo did not grow into the twisted visage of the Sewer Rats--his small form was indeed twisted, but instead of becoming a figure of horror, he became merely cute--insanely, unnaturally cute, but cute nevertheless. His Sire was enraged, and cast him away; Rizzo became Caitiff, never learning the secrets of his blood clan.

The dwarf found his way to nearby London-town, and within a year weaseled his way into a position as court fool to a local landed duke. There is no surer path to power than the Royal court, and with his charming personality and unusual talents he captured the attentions of the queen herself. Over the years, he won a title of royalty, and began to draw his power around him.

Though Rizzo--now the Count von Count--was cast from the clan, the blood of the Nosferatu still ran through his dead veins. From them, he took the Discipline of hiding, Obfuscation. His prowess at sleight-of-hand and conjure-tricks he eventually hammered into something almost exactly paralleling the Tremere's Discipline of Thaumaturgy. And from his own mathematical talents he developed the Discipline of Enumeration. From his county seat, he established the Bloodline of Old Clan Sesame.

Twice the Count engaged in the foul (but regrettably common) practice of Diablerie. In both instances, a member of Clan Tremere made an attempt on the Count's unlife, and in both instances, the attempt failed. The second botched attack prompted a full-scale bloodhunt, and the Count abandoned his holdings in Britain to flee to the safety of the New World. He arrived in the year 1930. He has once again built his base of power, but to date none have located von Count's suburban demesne. Truly, he is subtle.

There are at least three great truths in Kindred society: you can't trust the Nosferatu with a secret; it's almost impossible to get a comprehensible answer from the Malkavians; it is always easier to be the Tremere's enemy than the Tremere's ally. The Old Clan Sesame bloodline has gone even farther--they've earned the Warlocks' frothing, rabid hatred, for through their mastery of subtle logicks they possess insights into Thaumaturgy the Tremere have not begun to fathom.

The modern bloodline strongly bears the marks of its founder. Like the Nosferatu, they cloak themselves in illusion. Von Count turned his mastery of prestidigitation into rituals closely paralleling the Tremere's Thaumaturgy, a power the Sesame still carry. The Count developed his mathematical talents into a complex philosophy, giving his Childer their birthright, the Discipline of Enumeration.

Today, the Sesame are the teachers and guides among the Kindred. Like the Nosferatu, they lust for knowledge--unlike the Nosferatu, they enjoy sharing it. Still, they¹ve earned a reputation for being childlike and trusting--one could even say the whole bloodline's damn gullible. They are most comfortable around the Kine and each other, and when possible stay well away from the more manipulative clans...that is to say, all the clans except the Gangrel. A popular misconception of Old Clan Sesame is that of the Ivory Tower; most assume that a bloodline devoted to instruction would be divorced from this reality. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Kindred have their healers, warriors, rulers; but they have no lorekeepers. If the Sesame were allowed to take a place in the Camarilla, they could fill this lost function. They find their value in every life they touch. Instead of being absent-minded academicians, they are as familiar as possible with their subjects--too familiar, unfortunately, for most Kindreds' tastes. Trust is not a widely-held commodity among the undead.

Against all odds, the Sesame often find positions as confidants. Besides being naturally honest, they look the part. As the generations passed, Rizzo's blood thinned. The Childer of Rizzo lost their line's founder's insanely cute, charming and slightly fuzzy good looks, but they still have wide, innocent eyes and gentle features. One more strike against them in getting any of the other clans to take them seriously. On the other hand, many licks underestimate the Sesame on first glance. Any who fall victim to the line's blood-magic don't make the mistake twice.

Nicknames: Numerologists, Muppets

Appearance: While not as unnatural-looking as their Sire, the Sesame are categorically cute; wide, bright eyes seem as much a part of the Change as fangs and the cessation of bodily functions. The numerologists tend to dress in the trappings of Academia--tweed is a favorite.

Haven: Most live near the vast information resources and all-night activity of a major university--a little data-manipulation can get a dorm, no questions asked. Some adopt primary or secondary education as their stalking grounds (though in the World of Darkness, the high-schoolers tend to be well-armed...)

Background: They tend to see the Embrace as a reward; they pass their gifts on to philanthropists, or more often to teachers of every stripe. Often working around youth, and being somewhat childlike themselves, the Sesame have more "children" in their ranks than their numbers should warrant.

Weaknesses: Due to their apparent innocence, the Sesame have trouble instilling the mortal terror the rest of the Kindred can. They suffer a +2 difficulty in Intimidation contests, and may be penalized in staredowns, seductions or when trying to provoke someone to anger. This aura of innocence isn't cosmetic, either--the Sesame are the most trusting of the Kindred. In tests of Subterfuge, manipulators receive a -2 difficulty against them.

Character Generation: The Sesame are highly social, and generally well-read. Social attributes and Knowledges are primary. The talent of Instruction is almost obligatory, as is a study in mathematics. The Merits: Baby-face and Innocent are both good choices, while the Flaw: Child is unfortunately common. Caregivers, Judges and Directors dominate the bloodline.

Organization: They're a pretty tight club--in general, all of a city¹s members know one another. They rarely have formal meetings, but instead adopt a "hitching post" arrangement--an informal gathering spot and message center. In the times of crisis that unite the similarly organized Toreador together, the Sesame collapse.

Gaining Bloodline Prestige: As a line of guides and mentors, the Sesame judge their own value by their worth in the eyes of the other clans. The prestige of a member of Old Clan Sesame is judged by how many others would speak of his guidance and wisdom.

Enumeration

Like it or not, key to the word "Discipline" is discipline. The study of Enumeration is a mathematical devotion; it tightly hones the mind and at its greatest levels enfolds its sister Discipline, Thaumaturgy, providing a logical framework for the mystical science. Metaphor and symbolism are well and good, but they've got to be quantifiable, too.

Enumeration is a study of logic. Its followers gain an implicit understanding of mathematics, but must learn the concrete symbols that communicate it. If the Sesame is dealing with an unfamiliar symbol set (sylligogs, Aztec counting methods, esoteric accounting techniques) the Storyteller may require a Mathematics or Linguistics roll in addition to any Discipline checks.

LARP Equivalents:

Basic: Abacus Mind, Numerology

Intermediate: Curse of the Numerologist's Obsession, Dirge of the Mathematically Inclined

Advanced: Hymn to Pythagoras, Binary Song, Choir of Logic

High school math class is not a problem for you. You can instantly calculate any basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems, and count all the jelly beans in the jar at a glance. Higher mathematics is a snap, although you must understand the symbols involved. You probably get along well with computers and have a good eye for logic puzzles.

[System: Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division never require a roll--play as if the character had access to a calculator. More complicated mathematical feats require a Wits + Enumeration roll, with the difficulty as follows:

[The Storyteller may let the character roll to solve logic puzzles, as well. The Kindred gets a -2 Difficulty to Computer rolls, Accounting, and related fields--including Gambling in games where card-counting might yield a benefit.]

Armed with your target's chosen name, birth name or date of birth, you can dig up basic information about his personality. A basic reading takes a half hour, although the Sesame may be interrupted at any time. While Auspex reveals similar information, the Numerologist need never meet her target.

[System: Requires an Intelligence + Enumeration roll at a difficulty of 7. The Difficulty may be reduced to 6 or 5 if additional facts (name, "true" name, date of birth) are known. For each success the Storyteller will dole out information, in more or less this order: Demeanor, Nature, the presence of a specific Mental or Psychological merit or flaw ("Yes, the Prince has a Short Fuse"), mental and psychological flaws in no particular order, the general levels of Attributes ("He's highly intelligent, but poor in speech"), the levels of Rage, Willpower, Glamour, Angst, Humanity and similar traits (if the Numerologist knows what she¹s looking for!) Each roll represents a half-hour of analysis, cross-checks with relevant religious works and elaborate notes--it can take a long time to get all the relevant information about a complicated figure. A failure wastes a half-hour and raises the roll's difficulty by one, and a botch indicates that no more information is available.]

[Note: the Supernatural flaw "Dark Fate" will almost always turn up in an augury of any sort, while the Mental flaw: Amnesia might not. For the numerologist, a "psychological" trait is one that affects one's thought processes--it's not what the subject knows, but how he thinks that's important. Ultimately what information to dispense is up to the Storyteller.]

In the old wives' tales, a vampire couldn't pass up a handful of strewn seeds without counting them, and a colander hung from the door was ward enough against the Kindred--they'd stop to number each hole. With a little blood and a little patience the Sesame may bring this old legend to bear against their enemies--though it is almost useless against the Sesame themselves, as they are very quick bean-counters.

[System: The Sesame must designate an object or objects to be counted, and count them himself--without the use of Abacus Mind. He must then spend a blood point and roll Intelligence + Enumeration, difficulty 7--if the roll succeeds, the objects remain empowered for 24 hours, or until it ensnares a victim.]

[The Curse may be used offensively (the Muppet throws a handful of enchanted pennies to the ground in front of a specific target) or defensively (she leaves a colander hanging on the door outside; the first unwitting passerby must count each hole). Either way, the victim must make a Willpower check, difficulty 7, and must beat the number of successes the Kindred rolled. If he fails he must count the enchanted objects. The victim may defend himself, but can engage in no other actions while counting. He may make an additional Willpower roll every 15 minutes to break free.]

[Any "Supernatural" entity, including Hedge Mages with paths above 3, are affected by the Curse. A "certain death" situation--approaching sunrise, the sudden appearance of a Nexus Crawler--allow an extra Willpower check, difficulty 6.]

At this level, the Sesame's powers of logic are such that she comprehends the patterns underlying the rituals of Thaumaturgy, and may dispense with the outward trappings of her paths. Instead, she reduces the ceremony to a simple meditation on numerology. This ability is the source of the Tremere's hatred of the Old Clan Sesame bloodline--whether the Lick is casting a harmless Rebirth of Mortal Vanity or a deadly Splinter Servant, the outward signs are identical--the numerologist chant multiplication tables, differential calculus equations or whatever her personal preference draws her to.

[System: The Sesame must have all the necessary ritual materials on hand, though she doesn¹t need to physically manipulate them. The Dirge simply takes the place of the standard ritual. It is possible to use some Rituals while physically restrained, if speech is possible.]

Through meditation and self-discipline, the Sesame may draw on the power of the rational mind to harness the Beast and enhance the use of his Disciplines. Further, with enough time for preparation, he may do away with the blood-price many Disciplines demand.

[System: The Kindred sacrifices speed for control. With 15 seconds for mathematical reflection, she reduces the difficulty of a Discipline or Ritual roll by one. With 10 minutes of preparation, the Difficulty is reduced by 2. An hour grants a bonus of 3, after which no further reductions are possible. If the Sesame uses the Hymn to fuel her Disciplines, one hour of chanting replaces a single blood point. Powers that physically transmit blood--a thaumaturgic Infusal, for example--cannot be fueled in this manner--the Sesame cannot generate blood, but only intensify the force of his will. The player must state what Discipline or Ritual she is empowering, and must use the Discipline immediately after her meditations, or the benefits are lost.]

The digital flows of the electronic age are like a second language to you. You may command a computer system from a distance, read its information bank or even dig up passwords as easily as you strike up a conversation with a postal clerk. The speed at which you transmit information is equal only to your rate of speech. You can "hear" the computer in your mind, though you must speak to make yourself understood.

[System: Roll Wits + Computers, Difficulty 6. Each successful roll lets you issue a string of ten words to a computer system. A roll at Difficulty 7 is required to dig up a password or ask a question of the system. A failed roll gives a GIGO error--garbage in, garbage out--while a botch causes a serious system crash and leaves the Sesame addled for several minutes (+2 to all Mental rolls for the scene]

The Sesame may pass on his mental discipline to others. With a touch and a bit of Vitae, the Kindred could conceivably double or triple an individual¹s mental capacity.

[System: Spend a blood point and roll Charisma + Enumeration, Diff. 7. For each success, the Sesame may add 1 to any of a target¹s mental attributes, to the maximum allowed by their Generation or species. The blessings this power provides remain in effect for one scene.]

Tremere would give his two favorite Childer to have access to this power. The Muppet may draw others into his mathematical reverie, drastically slashing the time it takes to cast a ritual. Rumor has it that Count von Count's master plan is to gain the cooperation of every six-year-old in America, and cast a year-long ritual of protection in thirty seconds flat.

[System: A blood point MUST be spent to activate this power, though no roll is required. If a total of two participants are involved in the ritual--mortals may participate--the ritual's casting time is cut in half. If four are involved, the ritual is cut to 1/4 its usual time, and so forth by powers of two. As with Dirge of the Mathematically Inclined, the ritual is obscured in mathematical meditation.]