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"I am of the dogs of war, made in one great slaughter to be loosed in the next. I was made to be the hunter of immortal kind, their slayer and devourer. I tore off the hand that made me and rave until I am subdued by honorable tamers. I am soothed by the kind word, the virgins hand, and the laughter of the child. Now I stand guard over them and destroy without remorse those who mar their innocence."
Cur sanctuaries are typically within ruined urban settings, particularly condemned buildings within sprawling inner city wastelands.
The former concentration/extermination camp of Auschwitz forms the creche of the Cur. It’s history of destroying innocent lives serves as a reminder to the Cur of their duty and the injustices of the world, keeping their fury peaked. A mantle within the barbed wire fences of Auschwitz recreates the camp as it existed during World War II. Cur congregate in large cities where hate crimes of all types occur. They control large parts of the old American South as well as specific cities such as Detroit, Atlanta, Munich, New York City, Tel Aviv and Johannesburg and the country of Bosnia. Cur are prominent in charities of all kinds, especially for the blind or children. They are self-appointed guardians of orphanages, schools, homeless shelters and nursing homes. They stand in opposition to such organizations as the KKK, the skinhead movement, and other terrorist organizations. Terrorism, in fact, is their primary target worldwide. They lend themselves, in their Himsati forms, to drug enforcement, bomb-squads and other anti-terrorist missions.
Himsati: All Cur are canine in appearance. This includes wolves, coyotes, foxes, all breeds of domestic dogs, hyenas and Australian dingos. Each appears as a huge variety of these creatures if he wishes, or as a normal sized member of the species. The eyes of the Cur are always mismatched, usually one blue eye (signifying their Aryan heritage) and one bronze (symbolizing their weapon heritage.) When angered, their eyes always turn red and glow. Most Cur are Chimera, having a greater number of Himsati natures than normal immortals. Those who can see the true shape of the Cur’s Himsati (immortals) are frightened by the glass teeth, steel claws and bristling coats of gem-like or iron needles each member of the breed possesses. Having been bred from canine madonnas and a Peri of extraordinary power and curses, they are an amalgam of dog and weapon. Terrene Most Cur do not have a human-like Terrene form, being too young to mimic the mannish shape. Instead, they appear as a half-canine, half-human were-beasts. This half-form is sufficient to allow the Cur to play serenades without the -5 penalty, but retains most of its animalistic traits. This is not to say Cur do not want human shape. In face, they aspire to perfect their Terrene form to resemble a human child, much like the Peri (one of whom unwittingly sired them.) Their love of innocence also breeds this desire to be like children. In the last few years, a very few Cur have reached a plateau of success in assuming these shapes. Any Cur who has an ennui rating of zero can assume a human Terrene form at will with all the abilities of the were-form. This shape is mostly cosmetic, and reverts to the were-form whenever the Cur becomes angry. This lasts as long as the Cur is angry and is usually followed by a feeling of guilt.
Male: About 70% Female: About 30% All females are madonnas.
The average Cur is a young immortal in the scheme of things. He is a product of the twentieth century. Ancient members of the Pride are rare. Having been used to destroy innocent lives, their guidance now comes from the madonnas who bore them. The Cur were bred to kill immortals. They continue this practice against the Droves in a jihad unparalleled. They also guard the innocent, the down-trodden and the cast-offs of society. They despise with every bit of their being, the concept of racial supremacy and have exercise their growing skills to fight hatred between the races and creeds of twilight society, for whom the have the deepest reverence. The 1990s are the last years for the Cur to fulfill the ultimatum of the Perpetual Society. While they concentrate on killing Droves to win their fame and visage, they also learn at the feet of their madonnas, who ply the stratagem as they did for ages. Other than hunting down Droves, the Cur have two primary goals. The first is to hunt down criminals in human society, more specifically, anyone who has harmed or murdered an innocent person. Such individuals are a parasite among mortals for which the Cur have no tolerance. Understanding the Sanguinary’s influence creates a number of terrorists and serial murderers, the Cur hunt these in particular, tirelessly following them around the world if need be. The Cur always do this in utmost secret so as not to alert the criminal element at large to their presence. Even so, many organized crime families and organizations are becoming aware of the Cur. A secondary goal of the Cur is the recovery of the Spear Of Destiny, the Peri which sired them all and gave them their peculiar powers (see Perks, below.) The surviving members of House Aryan, always a primary target for the Cur, are said to possess the ancient weapon. The Cur would like to recover it and expand the size of their family. . Cur revere the madonnas of their Pride. These females are the center of their being. The entire race will plunge into furious madness and hunt down anyone who even harms a madonna, much less kill her. In like fashion, the have a reverence for human women and motherhood and will never harm a woman who is pregnant, no matter what her crimes against society. The Cur enjoy a special relationship with tamers, humans who the Cur bond themselves to. The tamer must always be pure of heart, a virgin. Cur gain special abilities from their tamers only as long as the tamer remains a virgin. The bond of love formed between the two is so intense the Anopheles have become intrigued with it. Many Cur have handlers who are priests and guard holy places in the inner city. Because of their enmity with normal canines, Cur will avoid them rather than having to kill them when attacked. This avoidance can also serve to protect human beings in the presence of dogs. System Note: The Spear of Destiny The Peri Longninus, a famous Slayer, is reported to have pierced the side of Christ as he lay dying on his cross. It is unclear to the immortals what power seized Longinus, but it’s effect was profound and seemingly permanent. Not only was the Peri trapped in his spear-form, he was struck with a large number of taboos. These taboos sparked human legends and made the Spear famous. Some called this Spear of Destiny. a cursed object, others a holy one. The Spear was used in unknown means to sire the Cur on madonnas formerly of Pride Eremite. The Cur inherit some of the taboos of Longinus (see below.) The current location of the Spear of Destiny is unknown, although believed to still be in the hands of renegade survivors of the Eremite house Aryan. Hitler attempted to regain the Spear from Austria, believing it would make him invincible. More likely, the Silhouette that possessed him probably desired it for some enigmatic purpose. The Peri, Cur and Droves of the Sanguinary seek the Spear of Destiny relentlessly. Rumors of it’s surfacing always causes a flurry of activity and bloodletting.
Legacies: Cur gain the first rank of the following legacies at no cost: Hackles, Upper Hand, Vigil Serenades: Cur gain the first rank of any three of the following serenades at no cost. All other serenades on this list are at a complexity rank of 4 for Cur characters. Ahimsa, Animus, Bare, Boon, Bubastis, Chaos, Cradle, Epitome, Flux and Flow, Gemetria, Gorgon, Incantation, Ley, Metaphor, Mistral, Xenoglossia. Carnals: Tamer: A tamer is a special mortal the Cur is able to bond and hunt with. The tamer must be and remain a virgin for the Cur to benefit from her presence. For every 3 FI the Cur possesses, he gets a +1 bonus to any combat roll while in the presence of his tamer. Conversely, his tamer gains additional actions, +1 for every 3 FI of her Cur. Both Cur and tamer must be within sight of one another for this sharing to operate. The relationship between the Cur and his tamer is profoundly passionate. The two often share a deep love most mortals could never understand. This relationship most often transcends lust and other more shallow friendships, although to a few it can become a source of longing frustration. Cur become berserk when their tamers are killed and mourn a long time at their loss. They will often use serenades to augment the tamer. This power, as with the other Perks of the Cur, were bestowed by the Religarum infusing the Spear of Destiny. Sense Innocence: A Cur can smell innocence in any being, immortal or mortal---anyone with the innocent predilection. Additional Himsati Natures: Cur gain additional natures for being Chimera, 1 Nature per every other Himsati tier instead of 1 per every 3. See Immortal Shapeshifter Manual for a list of Himsati natures. Murder Sense: Anyone who has ever willingly or premeditatedly take the life of a thinking creature are sensed by the Cur. The Cur has to see the murderer’s eyes to sense his crime. The eyes of a murder glint like rubies.
Enmity With Canines Any canine, whether the Cur is tainted or pure, will always attack them if they have an opportunity. Mortal canines sense the presence of the weapon in the Cur and possibly the Religarum from the Spear of Destiny. Any bite from a mortal canine does additional +5 damage to a Cur. The mortal canine must be able to see the Cur for this disadvantage to be enforced.
The following are taboos which, selected for your character, grants you +5 starting memory motes per rank instead of the normal +3. The blood of a dog is poison to the Cur. The rank of poison equals the rank of the taboo. The Cur has no voice, unable to communicate except by serenades, canting or written word. (rank 3) The Cur cannot stand a child being afraid of them and are filled with deep sadness whenever this occurs. A crying child places the Cur under a fatigue hostile according to the rank of the taboo. The Cur can only gain sustenance from eating the flesh of murderers. (rank 5) The Cur is afflicted with fleas or other parasites no matter what he does, making it difficulty for him to rest. (rank 3) The blow from any spear does an additional 1 to 5 points of damage to a Cur (according to the rank severity of the taboo.) The Cur howls uncontrollably at the sight of a crucifix or other holy object. (rank 4) Dog whistles cause great pain to Cur; the rank of pain hostile is equal to the rank severity of the taboo. There is a single, one word command a Cur must always obey when spoken to him in German. Examples include: kill, attack, stay, fetch, heel, sit, etc. (rank 4) The Cur sheds continually, leaving strands of gem-like fur wherever he goes as evidence of his presence. (rank 4)
Amaranth: "We revere and admire their care for humanity, but they leave too many without their precious Light in the darkness of the cold world. Can they not inspire everyone? They should certainly try." Anopheles: "Their excesses cause innocence to wither die. We must oppose them and their seduction of Man. We are filled with sadness to think of those lost to them. And for what benefit?" Arachne "What has made them a people without caring? Half of us is unfeeling metal and stone, yet inside still beats a compassionate heart. The Arachne must relinquish their blind logic and allow themselves to feel. If they wish to destroy an emotion, let it be the fear of them in others." Banjax: "They say that all Man has one soul. Their years must have given them great wisdom. But why seek a living soul in encounters in death? Banjax would not be so sad if they observed the souls of the living instead. There is a silver key dangling before their eyes." Dracul: "They are what we might have been, had we a wise and enlightened mentor from our birth. We can learn to control our anger by watching them, and perhaps have the human form we so desperately want." Eremites: "Self-appointed protectors of Man, even as we. But they see goodness as a work of an elusive divinity and not the natural breath of a human being. They are also too arrogant and absorbed with what they think they are and too obsessed with the divinity of Man. This one flaw is why we now exist." Infernum "At first we thought them mankind’s enemy, and therefore ours. But we have come to realize they hold the hope Man will save us all. We respect them for this and welcome them among us. But let them not come between us and those who visit darkness and misery upon the innocent!." Magdalen: "They have a seed of villainy that sprouted into the Apocrypha. If they work to undo this ancient crime, it will never enough to atone for all those human lives that have been ruined by hate of immortal kind. Does the hatred of the Apocrypha for us all reflect the slave’s need to be free, or is it the Magdalen’s contempt for those outside their Pride?" Morrigan: "They have shown wisdom and compassion, a willingness to see justice to it’s end. What more can we expect or deserve from them? Their subtle trust in us, unseen by all other eyes, will not be disappointed. " Nimrod: "Because shadow is dark is no reason to believe that they are. They leash their Himsati and are tamers in their own right. They wish to protect Man from the corruption of innocence even as we by the hands of ancient immortals with hearts of cold stone." Peri: "Such a paradox to us! Children who shed blood and yet remain innocent. We cannot help but love them, for part of us springs from them. They do not know us or trust us. We work to change their mind. If we find Longinus, the Spear of Destiny, we should take him home. Perhaps this will redeem us in his peoples eyes." Phoenix: "The trouble with fire is that it is not selective on what it consumes. Among the weeds lie beautiful and precious flowers covered in the mud of an uncaring world. They should wash the flower in water before destroying it. But they are fire, which sanctifies only it’s own cleansing." Roane: "We know nothing of them and are too young to presume judgment on so ancient a people." Saturna: Ghosts are of no concern to us, but the things that come forth when they are around are never to be trusted. Shonelkidar: "Pain and disease follows them, therefore we cannot let them close to our charges, no matter what their motives are. Sometimes darkness is evil." Tautha: "Holders of the last pure things in all the world. Why do they not show them to the world and bring it hope? Why do they not tattoo innocent mortals into their skin? We can conclude only that they are short-sighted and selfish." Terat: "We have only begun to learn to dream and to enter the lair of the Beast who shattered our petty destiny. The Terat will teach us how to kill the Sanguinary in it’s sleep."
Sanguinary: The ultimate enemy. We will one day devour its soul. Silence: Troublesome because it asks us not to stir up the enemy against us. We need the enemy to come against us instead of working through the innocence left in Man. Habitat: The only world we know. We will make it a safe and loving home for Man. Dominions: We don’t know them and we don’t care to know them. We wish others well in reclaiming their former homes. Crucible: White Light and purity. It is more than all other immortals, save the Eremites, believe it to be. Morpheum: A dark door we seek the courage to enter. We are filled with despair when we go there. Stratagem: Our redemption and the pathway to purity. Profane: They are only Profane for as long as they are evil. Let any profane see the light before we must come calling. Ingenue: They are seeded with the goodness of Man and are the only immortal innocents. We would give up all that we have to become them, but if we do so, who would protect Man? Conundrum: Brittle flesh of the Beast, glinting with lies, hatred and hunger. They are murder incarnate and we despise them. Sinning: We sin against the criminal, for he has closed his eyes to his own Light. Himsati: We are Himsati, even as the Terat. We have naught else, but we aspire to the form of children. Humanity: Blessed by their own nature. They need no god, demon or judge. But they do so desperately need protection. OTHER INFORMATION The Cur, being a Gentry, don't have quite as much information available about them as the Prides. We do know that for some reason the Morrigan took a shine to them. In 2nd Edition we know that the Morrigan and Cur are both primarily headed for the Court of Life, so it is believed that Odin (like most of the Paragons of the Prides) was still aware of the Courts, and their plans for the Cur. Knowing this, the Morrigan took then under their wing so to speak. We also know that the Cur share a special relationship with the Peri, due to their heritage. The Cur would probably have wanted to become part of the Peri, if not for their perception of mistrust that the Peri have of them.
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