[INTEL BRIEFING: BLACK LEDGER] SUBJECT:
The Sanguine Vow (A Hunter’s Guide to Hunger)
So, you want to walk the Sanguine path. Get this straight: you are not a hero. You haven’t found a cure for the Blight; you’ve made a terrible bargain with it. The Sanguine are high-functioning addicts who discovered a loophole in the laws of nature: by consuming the corrupted flesh of the wastes, or the blood of the living, they can metabolize the taint, achieving a form of unnatural longevity and power . They are predators, and the city is their hunting ground. This is how you become one of them.
The Look: Predatory Elegance
A Sanguine’s appearance is all about control and deadly purpose. They are a stark contrast to the chaotic look of a Runner or the ruggedness of an Outlander.
- The Posture: Unnaturally still. While others fidget and shift, a Sanguine has a coiled energy, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike. In a crowd, their pale faces look like porcelain masks, their expressions carefully controlled.
- The Fashion: Dark, tailored, and functional. Minimalist and clean. They wear fabrics that don’t restrict movement and can be easily cleaned of blood. Think less about armor and more about the fatal grace of a duelist.
- The Chrome: Their augments are biological, not mechanical. An Internal Blood Scrubber to filter toxins, Retractable Siphons hidden in the fingertips, a Blight-Sense Olfactory Implant to smell their prey . Their tech is a quiet, internal horror, not a clanking piece of hardware.
The Mindset: The Hunter’s Logic
To play a Sanguine is to embrace a philosophy of ultimate pragmatism.
- The World is a Menu: They see the world as a food chain, and they are at the top. A Riftspawn isn’t just a monster; it’s a dense package of corrupted energy, a source of biological Cal . A human isn’t just a person; they are a potential source of sustenance.
- A Twisted Legacy: They see the legendary Outlander, Anya Volkov, not as a savior, but as a pioneer. They believe her research into adapting to the Blight was a recipe book, and they are the ones brave enough to perfect it .
- Control is Everything: Their greatest fear is losing control to the Craving. They are not mindless beasts; they are calculating hunters who pride themselves on their discipline and efficiency.
The Craving: Roleplaying the Hunger
Your central, driving motivation is the unending hunger. This is your curse and your power.
- The Backstory Hook: How did you take your first Vow? Were you dying of Blight contamination and forced to consume a fallen creature to survive? Were you inducted into a secret Sanguine house? What was your first hunt, and how did it change you?
- The Daily Grind: Your story will be a constant search for sustenance. You must regularly consume tainted biological matter, or you will weaken and the Blight will consume you from within. This creates a natural cycle of hunting, feeding, and the paranoia of being discovered.
The Culture: Vows and Vendettas
The Sanguine are not a monolith. They are a secret society, often organized into “Vows” or “Houses,” each with its own philosophy.
- The Code: Does your Vow have rules? Do they only hunt creatures of the Wastes, seeing the consumption of humans as a taboo? Or do they see the city’s population as their personal larder? This is the source of endless internal conflict and story.
- The Business: Sanguine are the ultimate hunters, making them ideal assets for certain clients. Your jobs will come from black-market organ traders, shady biotech researchers, and even Zenith itself for deniable “field sample collection” .
[TRANSMISSION END]
