The Masquerade

A tall, broad-shouldered elderly male Kindred with olive skin pale from centuries, long dark hair bound in Athenian style, and a meticulously kept beard. He wears modern clothing styled like ancient robes, with structured jackets over flowing black shirts adorned with gold embroidery of laurel leaves and owls.

Wise, disillusioned, and stoic, Critias values contemplation and intellect over rashness and rebellion. He is a tragic figure simmering with repressed fury, deeply philosophical and patient, yet burdened by centuries of betrayal and loss.

Born in ancient Athens, Critias was a student of Socrates and one of the last mortal philosophers to walk the Agora before his Embrace. Drawn to the firebrand idealism of early Brujah culture—then a clan of philosopher-kings and warrior-statesmen—he believed in guiding humanity through reason and vision. His Embrace came at the height of his influence, a gift—or curse—from a near-comatose Methuselah who saw in Critias the potential to revive a forgotten dream. For centuries, he led, taught, and fought, helping shape Kindred domains across the Roman Empire and beyond, holding firm to the Brujah ideal: rise above the Beast through intellect and will. Then came the Anarch Revolt. Critias watched in horror as his Clan tore itself apart—philosophy replaced by rage, order shattered by incoherent rebellion. He turned to the Camarilla, not out of loyalty, but as the last refuge of the Clan’s lost legacy. He still tries to teach. Few listen. Fewer remember.